Supercharge Your Life + Layered Salted Caramel Peanut Fudge

Are you ready to Supercharge Your Life?

In celebration of my new book release in February 2019 and in partnership with Booktopia, I’ve wrangled a very special pre-order discount for you, if you’re keen to get your hands on a copy. You can read more about it here. Or if you're in the US you can order a copy here. 

Supercharge Your Life, is a book that culminates all that I’ve learnt throughout my journey of life and the years of research, cooking and writing I’ve enjoyed during the creation of Supercharged Food.

To be perfectly honest, in the world of wellness I’ve seen the waves of fad diets, exotic superfoods and kale smoothies rage and settle. I’ve also observed the underbelly of the wellness movement; where the extreme focus on clean eating can create more anxiety than it’s really worth.

I wrote this new book to take the fear out of food again. My aim is that it will be a breath of fresh air for our relationship with food; widening our focus from the meaning of food simply being a potential catalyst for health or harm- towards a much broader and truly holistic perspective.

Food ties through every part of our lives, and when we perceive a broader appreciation of food and its power, we can lighten up a little; connecting food with purpose and joy once again!

The book includes over one hundred and sixty tried and tested, nourishing recipes that will cover every occasion from breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and festive occasions. The food as always is underpinned by my Supercharged principles of anti-inflammatory, balanced meals that draw from the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda. There are no fandangled ingredients in these pages; just honest, real, accessible food as close to nature as possible.

To help you understand the diverse, multifaceted power that extends from your relationship with food, I bring forward the concept of The Seven Keystones Of Life: Home and Family, Friends and Community, Career and Passion, Finances, Health and Longevity- with Love and Food at the centre of it all. I take you on a journey of how each of these areas represents a complex cultural, philosophical and even political relationship to food, and how each keystone is interwoven.

I explore concepts such as leading your household’s food culture, voting for the ethical production of food with our wallets, food as fuel for our passions and creativity, hospitality as the language of the heart, our food choices being key to a long and a fulfilling life and cultivating a respect for the wonder of earth's provision of food that traces back to our ancestors.

Supercharge your life is broken up into three sections: Eat, Love and Connect:

The kitchen truly is the heart of the home, and as a pragmatist, I’ve made sure to include all the “how to’s” for creating your ideal kitchen, understanding flavour profiles and pairings, building a spice rack and stocking your pantry, fridge and freezer slowly and systematically; ensuring the heart of your home is a supercharged paradise.

With our lives becoming more and more full, one of the easiest things to go out the window is our food organisation- so I’ve included a detailed section on how to simplify your meal preparation and food budget, so you can eat wholesome and affordable food whether you’re a large family or a cash-strapped student. With an extended segment of “The Lost Art of Cooking Vegetables” you’ll have all the tips and knowledge on how to turn cheap, everyday veg into a wonderous feast.

Love is all about the heart, baby! Both your own heart, and the heart of what food is truly all about: hospitality, sharing love through nourishing and delicious food and creating memories with those we adore most. This is about shifting from a perspective of food and cooking as an inconvenience or a chore, towards a fresh rekindling of love towards the natural, instinctive and utterly human behaviour of turning base ingredients into something to savour.

Have you ever actually stopped to relish in the magical interplay of nature’s forces, and how our food makes its way from soil to plate? In this section I really delve into my own food philosophy including my adoration for the ancient healing art of Ayurveda and eating with mindfulness and gratitude and the ways in which we can open our eyes to the power of our food choices as a way of loving this planet we call home- including tips on my top ingredients for growing in your own edible garden.

I get a little political in here too- waving my banner for purposeful and ethical food choices so that we can make positive change in our food systems. Seeing your food budget as an investment into your world and your time in the kitchen as a way of loving your community is a way to spark new love and appreciation for food and its purposeful place in your life. I share a range of delightful recipes in this section; from how to create your own supercharged fruit infused water jars, and pot luck delicacies such as my super green hummus with turmeric and sesame crackers that can be taken along to gatherings and picnics.

Here is where we connect all the dots. You’ll learn about what eating for pleasure really looks like, the psychology of eating, how to identify whether you're eating from a place of freedom or fear; and how to let go of our intrinsic “immortality complex”. You’ll discover how to transform your thinking from fearful towards a liberated relationship to eating.

It really is my belief that food should first and foremost be enjoyed and savoured, and with so much nutritional information out there, we can be frozen like a deer in headlights when it comes to choosing what to eat. Casting the chains off a rule-based approach to food, I really take us back to good old fashioned, common sense eating.

Connection is all about relationships, and what’s better than food to bring people together? I really focus in on meal times as one of the most important rituals in our day for both nourishment and connection with our loved ones, with some friendly tips and reminders on why this is so important. I educate you on how to re-create the lost art of meal times in a busy twenty-first-century world; including some Pinterest worthy tablescape inspirations that'll be sure to turn your next mealtime gathering into something that places beauty and value on those at your table.

This truly has been a delightful process and I’ve poured my heart and soul into a book that'll hopefully impart in you a new sense of freedom, joy and connection into your life through the power of wholesome food.

I adore every single one of these recipes and hope you will too!  

I’d love to share a recipe from the book that’ll be sure to spread love to all your friends and family. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think in the comments section below. And to find out more about the Booktopia special click here. 

Layered salted caramel peanut fudge

{serves 4–6}

This is one of my favourite freezer desserts, and I like to keep it ready to grab at a moment’s notice. A decadent delight, it homes in on the irresistible flavour combo of caramel and sea salt. The unique peanutty edge makes it fulfilling for adults with a cuppa, but also brings plenty of happiness to little kids.

Fudge

• 270 g (9¹₂ oz/1 cup) almond butter
• 80 ml (2¹₂ fl oz/¹₃ cup) coconut oil, melted
• 90 g (3¹₄ oz/¹₄ cup) rice malt syrup
• 30 g (1 oz/¹₄ cup) raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Salted caramel and peanut

• 90 g (3¹₄ oz/¹₄ cup) rice malt syrup
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter or other nut butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• sea salt, to taste
• 35 g (1¹₄ oz/¹₃ cup) roasted salted peanuts

Method:

Line a 12 × 18 cm (4¹₂ × 7 inch) baking tin with baking paper.

To make the fudge layer, whiz the almond butter and coconut oil in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin to 3 cm (1¹₄ inches) deep and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

For the salted caramel and peanut layer, clean the food processor then process all the ingredients except the peanuts until the mixture has a caramel-like consistency.

Spoon the salted caramel over the fudge, smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula, then scatter the peanuts over and press them in gently. Freeze for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. If stored frozen for longer, it may need some time in the fridge to soften a little before serving.

Sprinkle with extra salt before serving, if you like.