Sexy Super Natural

This is the blog of passionately plant-based foodie, photographer and health coach, Nancy Alice Chalmers. Follow my recipe testing adventures and visit my online bookstore.

[sexy-super-natural]

Baobab Berry Bowl

Okay guys! I can’t get enough of the raw vegan smoothie bowls for lunch! This one is a blend of frozen banana, fresh oranges (peeled, of course!) and frozen strawberries with a big heaped tablespoon of baobab powder – it’s an African superfood filled with Vitamin C and bursting with antioxidants, so this is another awesome natural beauty booster! I topped it off with edible flowers, blueberries, peach slices, coconut flakes, chia seeds, goji berries, starfruit and buckinis! Seriously yummy stuff! And, if there’s any leftovers, try freezing them in popsicle moulds.

[sexy-super-natural]

The Ultimate Mermaid Bowl

I’ve always fantasised of being a mermaid, and this delicious creation kinda makes that a reality! It’s packed full of beautifying superfoods and hydrating fruits, too! And... it’s super simple to make! Just blend up some fresh pineapple chunks, frozen banana, coconut cream or water and a squeeze of lime juice. The magic mermaid ingredient is a teaspoon of blue-green AFA (Aphanizomenon Fos-Aquae – boy, that’s a mouthful, right?). Serve it in a coconut and top with coconut flakes, kiwi and chia seeds. It tastes a little like a pina colado and a key lime pie had a lovechild! Enjoy, mermaids!!

[sexy-super-natural]

Epic Roast Beetroot Hummus

Something this bright has “superfood” written all over it, right? I mean, talk about eating a rainbow! Now, I bet you didn’t know that the red pigment in beetroot is caused by a compound called betacyanin, which is a very powerful antioxidant! And we love antioxidants because... well... among other things, they prevent or delay cell damage, AKA they keep us looking young and sexy. Yes please!

Ingredients 1 garlic clove, crushed 300g tinned chickpeas, drained 1 large beetroot juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp tahini 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp water salt and pepper, to taste sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Peel the beetroot and cut into roughly 1 inch squares and roast until soft and tender. Once they are roasted, remove from the oven and let them cool.

Place the beetroot, chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and blend for 1 minute. Then add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin, water, salt and pepper and blend until the hummus becomes smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt or lemon if needed. Refrigerate or use immediately. This will last in the fridge for approximately 1 week.

[sexy-super-natural]

Sesame Superfood Salad Cups

Hey y’all! As promised, here’s the recipe for my awesome superfood salad cups – the ones that I whipped up recently for a friend’s party. I served them in little paper cups with wooden forks. Yeah, my friends love me because I keep them healthy and happy. It's my jam. They call me “wifey” for a reason!

Ingredients For the salad 3 cups of mixed slaw (I used shredded red and white cabbage, carrot, kale and beetroot) 3 tbsp mixed ‘super’ seeds (I used sesame, sunflower, chia and pumpkin seeds)

For the dressing 1/2 cup tahini 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp tamari 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp rice malt syrup 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp ginger, minced

Simply combine all of the salad ingredients in a jar with a screw tight lid and shake until well combined. Place the shredded salad into a bowl and toss through with the dressing. Next, transfer into individual cups and garnish with ‘super’ seeds and orange slices

[sexy-super-natural]

Triple Layer Banana Berry Jar

Wowsers! Here’s what I decided to do with all the leftover Açaí berry mixture from my latest cooking tutorial. I just jammed it into a mason jar, added a layer of banana sorbet (just frozen bananas blitzed in a high-powered blender), and a top layer of mixed berry and banana sorbet. All topped off with some passionfruit and raspberries... and voilà! One seriously sexy any-time-of-the-day raw vegan dessert!

[sexy-super-natural]

Super Sexy Açaí Berry Bowls

Hi guys! Just filmed another awesome, quick and easy superfood recipe on my cooking channel, The Sexy Super Natural Kitchen and it’s a yummy one that gets me pretty excited! Why wouldn’t it? Açaí is often named one of the planet’s top ten antioxidant superfruits and not only does it make you beautiful and sexy, it gives you a little energy kick too! Watch the video to get all my giggly Superfood Coach tips or read on for the recipe...

Ingredients: 300g mixed berries 2 frozen bananas, sliced 4 tbsp açaí berry powder 1 cup almond milk 2 tbsp plant-based protein powder 2 tbsp mixed seeds and nuts (soaked overnight) 2 tbsp hemp seeds

Add the berries, frozen bananas, açaí powder, almond milk and protein powder to your blender and pulse until smooth. Stir through your soaked seeds and nuts – I used a blend of roughly chopped cashews, coconut flakes, goji berries and sunflower seeds. And then your hemp seeds (these don’t require soaking).

Pour into bowls – you can use coconut halves, like me – and top with coconut flakes, berries, mint leaves and passionfruit. Anything you like! Viola!

[sexy-super-natural]

Ultimate Raw Vegan Cashew Cheese

As promised, here’s the recipe for my ultimate cheesy treat – a basic raw cashew cream cheese that can be used for a multitude of amazing raw dishes – think lasagne, pizza and pasta! Yum! It’s also fabulous as a dip for cucumber and carrot sticks or on these raw flax crackers to make mini bruschetta bites. Finally, you can jazz it up with chives, crushed black pepper or sundried tomatoes and makes a vegan cheese platter – the possibilities are endless!

Also, there’s the wonderful anti-inflammatory superfood, turmeric in here to give it that yellow ‘cheesy’ colour. By delivering it to your cells along with healthy fats from the cashews, your body will be able to absorb it into the bloodstream much more efficiently! Bonus! So get yo’ raw on and get some nut cheese into you! Yes, I did just say that! Here’s the recipe...

Ingredients 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 3+ hours) 1/4 cup filtered water 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 cloves garlic 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp dijon mustard 1/2 tsp turmeric, minced or 1 tsp powdered sea salt and pepper to taste

Simply add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until the desired ‘cream cheese’ consistency is achieved. You can store this in the fridge for up to 5 days and the flavour improves overnight.

[sexy-super-natural]

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

So the very first episode of the Sexy Super Natural Kitchen was pretty fun! A reader requested the secret of perfect zoodles – that’s zucchini pasta to all you raw food and paleo newbies out there. Zoodles are a wonderfully low carb, nutrient high alternative to regular wheat pasta. And the addition of a totally plant-based, raw pasta sauce just supercharges this dish. Check out the cooking show here, or for the recipe...

for the zoodles: 1 large zucchini, spiralized for the sauce: 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 sun-dried tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped red peppers 1/4 cup cashews 1/2 medium sized chilli pepper 1 clove garlic 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup basil, loosely packed sea salt and pepper to taste Place all of the ingredients for the creamy tomato sauce into a food processor and pulse briefly until combined. You're going for halfway between a pesto and a cream consistency – you still want it a little chunky and delicious! Then, simply spoon the sauce over the zucchini pasta and serve immediately. Raw food is always best eaten straight away, super fresh, before the enzymes begin to break down and the water separates. You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days, just give it a little stir before serving. Watch the video (and see me almost lose it giggling over the floppy zucchini core) on my brand new cooking channel the Sexy Super Natural Kitchen.

[sexy-super-natural]

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin is a surprisingly nutritious way to add sweetness to desserts without too much sugar. It’s a great source of vitamin e and fibre and the added 'pumpkin pie’ spices help to stimulate the digestive system. Perfect for people like me who can’t give up their smoothies in the middle of winter but need to feel a little ‘warmed up’ in the morning! Read on for the recipe...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup pumpkin pureé 1 frozen banana 1/4 cup coconut cream 3/4 cup almond milk a handful of activated walnuts 1 tsp of chia seeds 1/2 tsp mixed spice (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice) pinch of Himalayan crystal salt

Simply combine all of the ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve in tall glasses (this should make enough for two), and sprinkle with extra cinnamon, chopped walnuts and raw cacao nibs for a little crunch.

[sexy-super-natural]

Raw Chocolate, Banana + Peanut Butter Layer Cake

I’ll tell you one thing about desserts – once you go raw, you never go back! And trust me, lovelies, one bite of this bad boy and you’ll know about it! Think luscious rich chocolate and banana layers, laced with salty peanut butter surprises, sprinkled with coconut flakes and drizzled with spoon-cracking chocolate sauce. To me, this is the ultimate plant-based decadence, and guess what? There's no baking!

Crust: 1 + ½ cups raw nuts (I used walnuts, almonds and macadamias) 1 + ½ cups dates ½ cup raw cacao powder

Cake batter: 4 or more bananas (really, really ripe!) 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 3 cups raw cashews 2 + ¼ cups dates 1/3 cup raw cacao powder 1/3 cup maple syrup, coconut nectar or rice malt syrup 1 + ½ tsps vanilla extract ¼ cup raw peanut butter filtered water, as needed

Toppings: ½ cup ‘Rawr’ chocolate sauce ( recipe in my FREE e-book ) ¼ cup raw peanut butter ¼ cup Coconut Flakes

To make the crust, process the nuts, dates and cacao until they stick together. Press into the bottom of a spring form pan and put in the fridge.

To make the cake batter, blend all ingredients except for the raw cacao powder and peanut butter until very smooth. Add as little water as possible to keep your cheesecake creamy. Set aside half of the 'banana’ cake batter before adding the raw cacao powder to the remaining half and blend. You may need to add a little extra water now to keep the consistency smooth.

Now spread the cake batter onto your crust, alternating 'banana’ and 'chocolate’ layers and swirling some peanut butter in between each, refrigerating for 15-20 minutes to firm up each layer before adding the next. Aim to create four luscious layers. Set in the freezer overnight.

Before serving, drizzle generously with peanut butter and raw chocolate sauce, and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

[sexy-super-natural]

Go Fig Yourself!

Alright, that was a bit cheeky, but I just wanted to grab your attention. You see, figs are in season now and these gorgeous, sexy little fruits are not only beautiful, they’re packed with goodness too – like potassium and fibre. Some quick ideas for including figs in your diet include grilling them with a sprinkle of coconut sugar, adding quartered figs to a salad of fennel and arugula, or stuffing them with walnut cheese and chopped pistachios.

[sexy-super-natural]

Pumpkin Pie + Coconut Cream Slice

Too much pumpkin in my fridge, so I made another batch of these little babies from The Sexy Sugar Free Vegan Project (you can purchase it from my online store). This time around, I added some warming spices to the mixture – a pinch of cardamom and ginger. I also converted it to an (almost) totally raw slice, so apart from the pumpkin pureé, everything else is raw. So, for those of you following the cookbook recipe, just skip the baking steps. Enjoy!

[sexy-super-natural]

Maqui Berry Breakfast Bowl

Looking for a sugar free breakfast option that still feels fruity and fresh, with lots of good fats to get you up and going in the morning? Look no further than this little powerhouse breakfast bowl. Maqui berry is know to be one the highest antioxidant fruits on the planet – translation: pretty skin – so get it into your bodies any way you can for that sexy super natural glow.

Ingredients: 1 cup coconut cream 1 tbsp maqui/acai powder 1/2 cup of raw cashews (soaked overnight) 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries 2 tbsp plant-based vanilla protein powder 3-4 ice cubes

Simply blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, and serve topped with chopped nuts and seeds, buckinis, coconut flakes or chopped strawberries.

[sexy-super-natural]

Ruby Red Sweet Potato & Beet Juice

This is a recipe from my first book too... with a little twist! You wouldn’t ever imagine putting sweet potato through your juicer, right? Well I did! And the results are pretty scrumptious! It’s kind of creamy and smooth and well, gosh-darned yummy! So give it a try.

Ingredients: 4 carrots 1 medium sweet potato 2 medium beetroot 2 cups pomegranate seeds 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Wash and peel the vegetables and process them in a juicer according to manufacturers instructions. Pour the juice into a small jug and stir in the cinnamon.

Place the pomegranate seeds in a food processor/blender and pulse a few times to break them apart and release their juice. Don’t blend them for too long, or the seeds will break apart and create a cloudy juice. Use a mesh strainer to strain the pomegranate liquid into the vegetable juice. Use the back of a spoon to push against the pomegranate pulp and extract as much juice as possible.

Mix well and serve in a tall glass.

[sexy-super-natural]

Raw Vegan Salted Caramel

Are you feeling naughty? Because this, my darlings, is the beginning of something very cheeky indeed. Salted caramel is the cornerstone of the naughtiest of raw desserts – think caramel slices, salted caramel and pecan ice cream, peanut butter and caramel swirl cheesecakes and sticky date puddings... this list goes on. There’s no doubt about it, though, this is a cheat meal kinda recipe...

Ingredients: 2 cups medjool dates (soaked, drained) 1 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp tahini 1 tsp brown rice malt syrup 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 1/2 tsp (or to taste) sea salt 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Add the dates, peanut butter, tahini, brown rice malt syrup, vanilla, sea salt and almond milk in a food processor/blender and process until a smooth paste appears. That’s it! Use it in (and on!) all your raw dessert creations.

[sexy-super-natural]

[sexy-super-natural]