Delicious Turmeric Seeded Loaf

Hi, I’m Lee and I’m a loaf-aholic!

If you can’t tell by this chia and flaxseed loaf recipe here, this banana and coconut one here or even this golden buckwheat and pumpkin one here, I’m a keen lover of all things loaf. Not only does it make my heart happy, it makes my tummy happy too.

In the past, bread has been demonised in the health industry as a food that’ll make you feel bloated, uncomfortable and miserable, but it doesn’t have to be that way, you can make a perfectly acceptable and tummy friendly loaf all different kinds of ways in the comfort of your own kitchen.

For those of you who know me, I'm probably repeating myself here but I also love turmeric.

Turmeric has been in the limelight (or should we say yellow-light?), for its wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, heart disease and depression-fighting ability and rumour has it, it may even turn you into a superhero (too much?).

You might like to try my Oven Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Steaks recipe here. They are also part of my FMTV cooking series if you prefer to watch cooking videos here.

I have combined two of these wonderful foods into one recipe that may just become your new go to loaf if you'll have it. Bread and turmeric may seem like an odd collaboration that would have been listed on the Worst Dress list of a food red carpet a few years ago (a girl can dream, okay?), but it’s time to bend the rules!

While it may seem odd to combine bread, a food that has been demonised by the health industry, and turmeric, a wonder-spice ‘superfood’ which is currently trending in the wellness world, it’s time to throw out the rulebooks and start choosing freedom over fear and pairing whatever ingredients we like together..  Because variety is the "spice" of life. 

The food industry has flipped everything on its head. There is a perpetuation of a fear of food items such as bread and carbohydrates, which influences us to purchase more expensive alternatives.

A lot of the time, this fear is created for a company’s gain and ability to create a new wellness trend, which creates a heightened fear of food and diminishes our ability to just relax and enjoy it.

I believe that the food we eat should be chosen out of freedom, pleasure and celebration, not a deep fear of ageing, gaining weight, losing our energy or ability to keep up with the constant demands of life.

While turmeric is said to help reduce ageing, I don’t want you to fall into an ‘immortality complex’. If you’ve never heard the term, it’s something I go in-depth about in my latest book, Supercharge Your Life, but I’ll give you a brief explanation now so we’re on the same page.

The ‘immortality complex’ is the mentality of an eater who is driven by the desire of an idealised state of health which totally eradicates any chance of falling sick or aging. To give you a clearer image, think of the person you know who can read an ingredients list from a mile away or, those people who look at the shopper in front of them at the supermarket and are able to knock-off at least twenty different symptoms and diseases the foods in their trolley will give them. This food mentality isn’t healthy at all. In fact, I believe it’s quite damaging.  

I hate to be the one to tell you that the Easter bunny isn’t real, but no matter how hard we try to avoid illness and strive to a state of physical perfection (think the classic ‘my body is a temple’ type person), there will be an expiration date. We all age and no matter how much money or effort goes into the perfect diet, there can still be hundreds of health hurdles we have to face, emotionally and physically.

Even if you do reach a perfect, idealised state of health, you gain nothing if you’re living your bliss life while unconsciously projecting judgement or negative attitudes towards others. More often than not, this tends to originate from a fear-driven attitude towards food, rather than a blissful and joyous way of looking at food, which is really, a microcosm of a bigger picture.

If you’re not able to enjoy simple pleasures, such as food, something’s got to give. It’s time to enjoy food and by doing so, enjoy life!

While we live in an age where we’re watching more cooking shows than ever before, we’re spending even less time in the kitchen. We’re so disconnected from our food that we’ve forgotten that it is one of the key cornerstones of living an enjoyable life.

While the saying, life is short,is something we hear regularly, I’d like for you to think of it this way: life is the longest thing you’ll ever do, so you may as well enjoy it and feel the best that you can for as long as you can!

In order to reignite a pleasure of food, getting back to basics and a simple way of living and eating that’s in line with the earth and its seasons, and creating space in our own lives to be able to grow and gather food, plan our meals, then cook and sit down at a table with time to truly enjoy each and every mouthful and moment makes sense.

It’s time to embrace a new movement; a supercharged food revolution. This revolution will bring you the freedom to live a life that is bouncing with simple pleasures, is total balanced, wholesome and even includes a piece of bread or two. It’s what creating a supercharged life is all about. It’s vacant of any unnecessary food fear too. As a great, modern scholar once said it’s time to, “shake it off, shake it off” 😉

My Turmeric Seeded Loaf is a perfect example of that. It’s a recipe that brings families together, puts smiles on people’s faces and actually tastes damn delicious. It’s also high in protein and fibre. Unlike many bread recipes out there, you won’t be left cleaning up bowls, spoons or measuring cups for days on end. This bread is as blissful to make and clean-up after as it is to eat. All you need to do is mix the ingredients, bake it in the loaf pan and you’re done.

While turmeric is a trending ingredient, it offers more than its potent anti-inflammatory properties to recipes. It has an earthy and pungent taste that is perfect for bread. It also pairs wonderfully with coconut which is why I had to add coconut flakes to this mix. It’s a winning colour and food flavour combination like no other. Turmeric is being added to everything these days, including my turmeric fudge which is mind-blowing and delicious, if you haven’t had a chance to try it yet. So, why not combine bread and turmeric to form a new power couple?

Let’s make a toast to fighting the fear of food and starting a supercharged food-loving revolution one piece of bread at a time!

Turmeric Seeded Loaf

{MAKES 9 x 30 cm (31⁄2  x12 inch) loaf}

• 200 g (7 oz/2 cups) almond meal
• 60 g (214oz/1/2cup) walnuts
• 50 g (134oz/1/2cup) flaked almonds
• 75 g (234oz/1/2cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 40 g (112oz/1/4cup) sunflower seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 15 g (12oz/1/4cup) coconut flakes
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 90 g (314oz) butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup or maple syrup
• 1/2 banana, mashed

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) and line a 9 × 30 cm (312× 12 inch) loaf (bar) tin with baking paper.
• Combine the almond meal, nuts, seeds, salt, turmeric, baking powder and coconut flakes in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until well combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tin before slicing.