Category Archives: LFW Fit and Healthy

Rawspirations’ Inspiration!

If you think raw vegan and vegetarian dishes are boring, think again. Just looking at Sabrina Muscat’s recipes is enough to make you drool and convert forever. By Wendy Johnson

Sabrina runs Rawspirations, a website stuffed full of free delicious recipes and ideas on healthy living. Her Instagram account has a whopping 74,600 followers and grows every day. And she’ll launch her first recipe e-book featuring her sensational sweets this Saturday 9 April at the Divine Rawspirations High Tea Event.

Baked purple sweet potato and pumpkin

Rawspirations’ ever-growing collection of savoury and sweet dishes are all organic and dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free. Some are baked and some are raw. This is food that looks and tastes amazing. Sabrina develops and trials all recipes, including her favourite baked purple, sweet potato wedges with smashed avocado, polenta and corn fritters, and rainbow sushi rolls.

For a little decadence in your life, Sabrina includes in her e-recipe book treats such as chewy caramel and choc custard cups, a choc mint slice, and a caramel slice that her family can’t get enough of. All of these desserts will be offered at the High Tea, along with mouth-watering raw and baked vegan and vegetarian buffet, organic wine, champagne and cold pressed juices.

For the High Tea, Sabrina is joining forces with Therese Kerr, voted one of Australia’s Top 50 Most Influential Women of 2015 and Organic Industry Leader of 2015. Therese owns The Divine Company, a line of certified organic beauty and personal care products.

Raw vegan choc-mint slice

Both Sabrina and Therese have had endometriosis, a major factor in their journey to live chemical-free lives. Endometriosis is where tissue from the membrane that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, typically on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, intestines or other areas in the pelvis.

Sabrina’s story began many moons ago. She hadn’t been well and had almost given up on falling pregnant. In 2013, she sat shocked in her doctor’s office having been told she had Stage 4 endometriosis, a painful condition affecting between 25 and 50 per cent of infertile women.

“My endometriosis had spread through most of my organs and my doctor told me I had very little chance of ever falling pregnant,” said Sabrina. “It was suggested that I take a six-month course of a hormone therapy and type of chemotherapy, although there were no guarantees it would help me have a baby.”

Sabrina found some comfort by connecting with friends through Instagram. She ultimately chose not to go the treatment route but back to basics. “I decided to look at the underlying reasons my body wasn’t happy,” says Sabrina. “With support from my naturopath, I began to eat predominantly raw and vegan organic foods. Six months later I was pregnant and I had a beautiful baby boy.”

Chewy caramel and choc custard cups

Both Sabrina and Therese will speak at the Divine Rawspirations High Tea Event. Sabrina, backed by her studies in ongoing studies in nutritional science and her skills as a fully qualified life coach, will talk about how easy it is to eat well without compromising on food variety, presentation or taste.

Sabrina and Therese will also explore why thyroid challenges and other hormone-related disorders are so common these days and why it can be so hard to lose those extra few kilos no matter how much effort goes into it. They’ll share insights on the impact of chemicals in every day food and other products, including beauty products. “I’m not a preacher and believe that what worked for me may not work for everyone,” says Sabrina. “But I felt my experience, and Rawspirations, could motivate others to think health eating and living.”

Raw white chocolate and blueberry mini cheesecakes

The Divine Rawspirations High Tea Event is being held at Double Shot, Deakin, on 9 April. Bookings are essential. It’s a seated event with a maximum 150 guests allowed. Tickets, including the High Tea itself, are $58. Book online: www.rawspirations.com

Images of Sabrina Muscat by Margit Selg Photographer

Images of food by Sabrina Muscat

Move it in March!

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‘Change Your Mode for March’ by Wendy Johnson

I don’t know about you, but every once in a while I need a bit of a push to shift the way I move. Actually, sometimes a shove. A focus. A motivator. And a focus and motivator is exactly what the new ‘Change your mode for March’ challenge is all about.

The brainchild of Actsmart, an online hub that helps us create a more sustainable future in the capital, ‘Change your mode for March’ challenges us to do our bit for the environment by parking our vehicles for 31 days and walking, cycling or taking a bus—to work, do chores, or socialise.

Better still, the challenges help you in other ways—improve your health by being active, save money on petrol and parking (not to mention wear and tear on your vehicle), and help the environment by saving transport emissions.

Before you scratch your head on the transport emissions bit, consider this. While the ACT is leading the nation and is on track to meet its 90 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, it needs to address emissions from the transport sector. That’s because transport is one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases in Canberra.

We need to get a handle on these nasty emissions before they get a handle on us, through traffic congestion, air pollution, and an even greater negative impact on climate change. And that includes the short trips so many of us make in our car, to pop to the shops, drop the kids off to a nearby school, or head to a destination that is literally around the corner.

‘Change your mode for March’ is free, easy and fun. Compete as an individual or get together a team of friends or colleagues and simply:

register online (actsmart.act.gov.au)
visit the website each week during March to record how much active travel you’ve completed (you can download a phone app to track your distance)
watch the website calculate the number of emissions you’ve saved through active travel
watch your progress on the leader board (you might even win one of the few prizes up for grabs).

To take the challenge you absolutely must register by 5pm on 29 February.

Photo by LFW

There are no restrictions on how much or little you do. If you can’t shift the way you move all 31 days in March, do as many as you can. Any distance counts—1km, 2km, 3km or more.

If you need free resources to help you plan, just head to www.actsmart.act.gov.au Actsmart will even guide you to a free walking and cycling map as well as to Park and Ride information, Bike and Ride information and a handy tracker called NXTBus which tells you where your bus is and when the next one will arrive.

LFW is moving it in March—are you?

‘CC’ images courtesy Actsmart

A little Bit Fit—Active Wear

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By Emma Dowling

Having just completed my first Resolution Run Series race; coming second and first female across the line – a little brag there … I can honestly say the last thing you want when exercising is to be worried about your clothes.

You don’t have to look like a million dollars to do a workout, but you do need to be comfortable, and, as we mentioned in our first post you do need the right shoes. If you’re spending $40 on a pair of sneakers from KMart and $100 on a pair of yoga pants from Lorna Jane, you’re going about it the wrong way!

So, just to recap, go to a specialist shoe shop and tell them what you’re doing—walking, running, cross-training, aerobics, etc., what your plan is, and get them to fit you out. And, while you’re at it, get a few pairs of nice cushion socks as well—you won’t regret it.

And, the only difference between a pair of track suit pants and yoga pants is that track pants are roomier and a damn site cheaper! You can go to a sports store such as Rebel for your clothes, or a specialist store such as Lorna Jane or Rockwear, or your local lower end department store such as Target, KMart, or Big W, and it may come as a surprise as to who/what we recommend.

Michelle Bridges run short with internal bike short. Ezibuy $29.

There is one lady whose household name is at the forefront of active wear, and love her or hate her, Michelle Bridges* has got it right for comfort and style. Her clothing is sold through Big W or online at Ezibuy—it’s inexpensive, comfortable, looks good, and fits beautifully, and sizes go from 8 to 26. The pants include a hidden pocket for keys or couple of dollars, and the run shorts include internal bike shorts for a little more modesty and comfort, and there’s a whole range of tops and bottoms to suit every shape and size. Of course there are other brands that have very similar active wear, but why pay a fortune just for the name.

MIchelle Bridges double support tank top. Ezibuy $29.

Rockwear always has something on special, so if you’re a savvy shopper, check out what you like and keep an eye on the price and their online sales—you could pick up a bargain. They also do a very comfy skort—a pair of shorts with a skirt back. Rockwear has limited sizing from 4 to 18.

Rockwear support tank top – now on sale online $30

For super-cheap active wear check out Target or KMart but know that you get what you pay for, in as much as their pants don’t have a full elasticated waistband—just a narrow piece of elastic through a wider band; not nearly so comfy and prone to rolling down, and many don’t have a hidden pocket, mesh panels or linings, or adjustable straps.

Rockwear matching top and short – a new design and a little more expensive at $130 for the set.

From personal experience, look for comfort, then comfort, and lastly—comfort!

* Although we recommend Michelle Bridges active wear apparel, this in no way endorses her training program, and anyone considering undertaking any fitness or weight-loss program, including exercise, should first consult their medical practitioner.

A little Bit Fit

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By Aine Dowling

Did you know the Fitbit was the most gifted 2015 Christmas present? And the number of people downloading the app on Christmas Day almost crashed their website! How do I know this? Because I was one of the hundreds of thousands of gifted recipients worldwide, and have now joined that fast-growing clique of people who strap a tiny electronic device to their wrist the moment they step out of bed.

With 2015 as our Year of Eating Healthy, LFW is now adding some fitness to the mix and bringing you 2016 as our Year of Health and Fitness! Don’t worry—we’ll still be bringing you some fantastic healthy recipes, and while eating healthy is great start; sitting on the sofa like a sloth for the majority of the day isn’t going to get you fit. So … let’s ‘step it up’ and go!

But first, back to the Fitbit. In all honesty, you don’t need a fancy gadget or super equipment to get fit, but what you do need is MOTIVATION! Yep, that’s the one—its opposite is procrastination, and don’t we all have a bucketful of that when it comes to anything resembling exercise. So first tip—take it slow.

Set yourself a target that’s relatively easy to achieve. If you don’t have a ‘big brother’ device that’s monitoring your every move, set your own goals. If you have a dog (or even if you don’t have a dog) make your target to walk every morning for at least an hour for the first week. Then increase it by half an hour. That should easily give you around 5,000 – 6,000 steps. You can make up another 3,000 – 4,000 by just simply walking around more. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Park your car at the edge of the carpark instead of as close to the door as possible. Walk around the park or to the shops at lunchtime—you’ll feel better and save yourself the stress of finding a carpark at the shopping centre. And, here’s a great tip—keep a pair of walking shoes at work, then you have no excuse not to go for a walk!

After a couple of weeks consider some small hand weights. Buy the ones you feel most comfortable doing a workout with. Do not buy the heavier ones just because you think they’ll work better! They’ll be too heavy and you’ll give up after 10 repeats of one exercise. As with the walking start small and work your way up. Go to your local sports store and check them out. You need to be able to do a mix of five or six different exercises each of about 15 – 20 repeats, and you’ll be amazed how heavy even the 1kg weights get after 20 minutes!

But there is one essential item you do need to spend a bit of money on. Shoes. Get yourself a good pair of walking or running shoes and don’t skimp on the brand or price. There are different shoes for different people and different exercises, so just because a friend of yours is a runner and recommends a particular brand, they may not suit you if you’re just starting out as a walker. Go to a specialist shop and tell them what you’re doing—walking, running, cross-training, aerobics, etc., what your plan is, and get them to fit you out. You’ll probably find yourself paying around $150 but trust me, you need the right shoes. Many sports shops will sell last season’s run-out (pun intended) styles on sale and you can often pick up a 50 per cent off bargain like the ASICS runners below that we got for $80 instead of $160. And yes, these are runners, for a runner.

Later on we’ll look at clothing and equipment, and post a few of our personal fitness experiences … but for now we’ll quote Nike and ‘Just Do It!’

You Little Devil!

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Devilled eggs are making a comeback! Just in time for the party finger food season. By Emma Dowling.

We’ve been making devilled eggs for years and tend to stick to a fairly basic recipe, but this time we thought we’d introduce something a little more exciting, so we travelled the world to add some excitement to your eggs. So here’s our basic recipe, plus a few fancies!

We use the Delia Smith method to boil our eggs. This doyen of cooking uses this super easy method that turns out the perfect boiled egg every time, and it all depends on how long leave you leave the eggs on the hotplate. Just put your eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, cover with warm (tepid) water and bring to the boil. Then turn off the heat and leave on the hotplate for the required time. For a soft boiled egg leave it until the water stops bubbling. For a hard boiled egg leave for up to 15 minutes. Obviously, it doesn’t work with a gas burner, so if you have gas cooking just do what you usually do.

Basic Devilled Eggs (makes 12)

What you need: 6 large eggs, 1 tablespoon good quality mayonnaise (use light if you prefer, but a good quality whole egg mayo will give a creamier taste), salt and pepper to taste, and finely chopped parsley to garnish

What you do: Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan. Cover with warm water and bring to the boil. When bubbling vigorously, cover, turn off the heat, and leave on the hotplate for 15 minutes. Run under cold water and allow to cool. Shell eggs, cut in half lengthways, and scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and mash well until creamy. Spoon back into the egg white hollow and garnish with parsley

French Stuffed Eggs

Add a bit of je ne sais quoi to your party eggs with French Stuffed eggs. These are served warm in France and will be a real treat at your next gathering. Take the basic recipe and add ½ cup finely chopped reduced-fat ham (optional), 1 tablespoon finely chopped green end of shallots (spring onion), 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 slices of bread (regular or GF), Extra Virgin cooking oil spray

What you do: Cover a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Cook the eggs as the basic recipe and place the yolks in a bowl. Add the ham, shallots, parsley, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, mix well and spoon back into egg whites. Place the bread in a food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs. Top each egg with the breadcrumbs and coat lightly with the cooking oil spray. Heat the grill and place the eggs on the baking paper. Grill for 1 minute until the breadcrumbs are brown and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Indian Devilled Eggs

Spice up your life, and your eggs, with Indian Devilled eggs—even better served on a bed of rice! Using the basic recipe and add 1 clove finely chopped garlic, ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot, salt, pepper, and curry powder to taste.

What you do: Follow the basic recipe and scoop the egg yolks into a bowl adding salt and pepper to taste—do not add the mayo at this point. Heat olive oil in a frypan and sauté the cumin seeds and chopped garlic until garlic is lightly brown—do not overcook. Add the mixture to the egg yolks and then gradually add the mayonnaise mixing all the time. Be careful adding the mayo—a little at a time, as if the mixture is too soft it will not sit properly in the egg white—better to add less than too much. Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and set on a bed of cooked rice on a serving dish. Sprinkle with curry powder and chopped shallots.

Kick-Ass Indian Devilled Eggs

For kick-ass eggs substitute the cumin seeds and garlic for ½ teaspoon garam masala and 1 finely chopped green chilli. No need for the cooking in this recipe—just add the mayonnaise, garam masala and chilli to the egg yolks and mix well. Bon Appetite!

Moroccan Eggs

Serve up the mystique of the souks and bazaars with this recipe from North Africa. To the basic recipe add 2 – 3 tablespoons of harissa*, 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (or half and half smoked paprika and chipotle powder), ½ tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, salt to taste, and chopped almonds for garnish. *Harissa is a spicy and aromatic chilli paste widely used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. Recipes vary but it usually includes a blend of hot chilli peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices such as cumin, coriander, caraway and mint. Tomatoes and rose petals are also common ingredients.

What you do: Follow the basic recipe and place the egg yolks in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, harissa, olive oil, paprika, and salt and mix well. Spoon back into the egg whites and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

And finally! Mexican (and Australian) Guacamole Devilled Eggs!

Made with our own home-grown Aussie avocados, these eggs combine the basic recipe with a yummy guacamole instead of mayonnaise.

What you do: Make the basic recipe and place the yolks in a bowl. Make up the guacamole using 1 whole large Haas avocado, I slice onion (finely chopped), 1 small red chilli (finely chopped), and 1 teaspoon Lite sour cream (optional), and mix well. Combine the egg yolks with the guacamole until smooth and scoop into the egg whites. Decorate each with a sprig of coriander. Ole!

Do ‘ave an Avocado!

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In our Year of Eating Healthy we’re taking a look at avocados. Technically a fruit, the avocado is also known as the alligator pear, and are so good for you. At LFW we love avos and we’ve sourced some terrific ideas and recipes for you to try. Sliced and diced, mashed and smashed,—give them a go! But first, a bit of info on the not-so-humble avo. By Emma Dowling

Haas and Shepard avocados

The Australian avocado industry produces around 54,000 tonnes of avocado each year with the Haas being the most popular at 80 per cent. The Haas avocado is the one that has a ‘pebbly’ skin and turns dark purple when ripe, and it has a lovely creamy texture and taste. The second most popular is the Shepard which is more elongated than the Haas and has a glossy green skin, even when ripe. The Shepard has a lovely nutty flavour and is generally only available for a few months each year.

Avocados are rich in vitamin C but also contain plenty of fibre and healthy (monounsaturated) fats, and other vitamins including K and E, and folate and potassium. So put the butter away and spread a bit of avo on your bread instead! To store your cut avo, sprinkle with lemon juice (to prevent oxidation) and wrap in cling wrap or place in an airtight container in the fridge. Avocados should always be eaten within a day or two.

And now for the fun stuff! Go from this

To this—how yummy is that! Whisk together a tablespoon of extra virgin oil, juice of half a small lemon (or quarter of large lemon), and a tablespoon of either white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and drizzle over your salad. Delish!

Or simply slice our avocado and gently toss into a bowl of mixed lettuce leaves. Add the dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds and away you go … how easy is that! You can also grill your avo on the BBQ for a couple of minutes and serve with warm prosciutto salad and crème fraiche, or low-fat mayo or aioli.

Turn your salad into a kick-ass salsa by chopping your avo into cubes and adding chopped spring onion (shallot), finely chopped and seeded chilli, some chopped coriander and a couple of tablespoons of lime juice. Serve with spiced chicken kebabs with a mayo or aioli dip, or yummy grilled Lebanese lamb cutlets. Grind together sesame seeds, cumin, paprika, oregano, and marjoram in large bowl and coat the cutlets; grill for 3 minutes on each side and serve with pita bread and hummus and beetroot dips. Amazing!

Chicken kebabs with avocado salsa

Lebanese lamb cutlets

And here’s some great ideas to kick start your day including smashed and creamed avo. Yum!

Bacon, poached eggs and creamed avocado

English muffin with bacon and avocado salad

Smoked salmon and poached eggs with smashed avocado on toasted rye bread

Eating Healthy—In Flight Dining

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If you follow us you’ll know by now that the LFW team has just a few dietary requirements that need to be met, and we’ve been put to the test this year selecting appropriate, and healthy, airline food on our travels. Is it better to eat in-flight or pig-out at the airport where you may have more choice in what you can eat, or simply take it with you? Emma Dowling checks out airline food including special meals, and offers some tips if you want to take your own.

Sri Lankan Air seafood salad light meal

The flights we’ve travelled already this year range from low cost carriers—where you pay for absolutely everything—to flashy business class pods which, let’s face it, are pretty damn good! And our airlines have included Air New Zealand, QANTAS, British Airways, Thai Airways, Emirates, Sri Lankan Air, and low-cost carriers Jetstar, and AirAsia X. If you have dietary, religious or ethnic requirements, or simply a life choice, you can pre-order special meals. Almost every airline (with the exception of some low cost carriers) offer a range of meals including low salt, low carb, low fat, diabetic, Coeliac (gluten free), vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Hindu etc.

In flight dining

Many major airlines that cover long haul routes have their own chef on board to service first and business class passengers. Economy class offers a more limited range but the food is often backed by an international chef, who, allegedly, supervises the on-board menus. You also need to remember that most meals are pre- or part-cooked and reheated on board; after all, they’re not likely to fire up a naked flame in-flight to cook your steak whatever class you travel.

Sri Lankan Air fruit platter

However, not all meals are available on all flights, for example, you’re more likely to be able to order halal if you’re travelling in or out of Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, or from an airline hub in Dubai or Cairo. Air New Zealand publishes its in-flight dining menus online but does not guarantee kosher meals on flights to and from some Pacific Island Nations. QANTAS offer no information on their website on what they offer, and you can only peruse their special menu if you have already booked a flight—which means you don’t know if you’ll be able to get your meal until after you’ve made (and paid for) your booking.

By contrast, Emirates have copies of all their menus—first, business and economy class—online, and if you’ve already booked a flight, just enter your flight number to see what’s on offer when you fly. You can also preview all class menus on the low-cost carriers Jetstar and AirAsia X, and Thai Airways, and British Airways also offer the opportunity to peruse, and pre-purchase, your meal online.

Thai Airways seafood salad

Airport and airline lounges

All airports offer café and/or restaurant/bar facilities, but … let’s face it, you’re a captive market, so prices are often more expensive than you would pay at a regular café or restaurant, with the exceptions of major food chains such as McDonalds, KFC, Pie Face, Sumo Salads etc. Plus, some of the ‘local’ delicacies may not appeal. If you travel a lot you should consider a lounge membership and Emirates lead the way in lounges and food—not to mention the Moet and Veuve always available! Air New Zealand has just gone through a major renovation of its lounges in Sydney and Auckland and now have a far greater variety (and quality) of food on offer.

Air New Zealand offers a variety of ways to book. You can book a seat only, seat and bag, or ‘The Works’. With a seat or seat/bag booking you don’t get meals so if you don’t have the good fortune to be an Air NZ/or Alliance Star Gold member (which gets you into their lounges) you need to consider whether it’s worthwhile paying the extra for meals (and movies) or eating at the airport or taking your own snacks.

Thai Airways cheese and fruit platter

Airports and airline lounges in Australia and Europe often have a range of healthy snacks and salads and hot food, but, they also have a plethora of cakes and biscuits and lots of things on breads and crackers. In the Pacific it’s often simple fruit and sandwiches, while Asia, South-Asia, and the Middle East will often have their own rice, curries, and spices on offer, and some foods you just may not be used to eating.

Taking your own food on board

Frankly, you’re limited to what you can take on board. Obviously a full three-course meal is out of the question, but you can pack yourself a nice healthy lunchbox including a variety of snack items such as nuts, dried and fresh fruit, veggies, crackers and some spreads, hard boiled eggs, sandwiches and rolls, and once you’ve gone through customs/security scans you can take your own bottled water or other drinks. On a shortish flight of six hours or so you’d be fine but if you’re really long haul (over 8 hours) you’d probably be pretty peckish by the time you got off the flight.

Lunchbox options – Caesar salad, sandwiches and wraps

So what’s the answer?

If you’re full economy (or first or business class) and you need a special meal check out your in-flight menu before you fly—if you can, if not contact the airline and ask what special meals are on offer for your flight. If you’re on a low-cost carrier check out their menu and weigh up the cost of paying for an in-flight meal or eating at the airport prior to your flight, but remember that some low cost carriers arrive, and leave, from low cost airports with minimum facilities.

And finally—you’re on holiday so you might as well enjoy yourself! Bon appétit!

Emirates chicken sate with salad entree

Mediterranean Summer!

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Eating Healthy with Summer Salads!

I always thought Med salad was a tad, well, ordinary. You know, iceberg lettuce, tomato, black olives and chunks of feta, but after a delightful lunch with a friend at the lovely Maestral restaurant in Weston, I was inspired to try a Med with a twist. Try it—you’ll love it!

LFW Mediterranean Salad (serves 4)

What you need

Large bowl assorted salad leaves (we used cos, butter, baby spinach leaves, iceberg, and rocket)

8 baby Roma tomatoes halved

1 small Lebanese cucumber sliced

12 pitted black olives

1 small red capsicum finely sliced

Couple of slices of finely sliced red onion (go light on the onion as it can be a bit overpowering)

1 small marinated artichoke sliced (buy fresh from the deli)

Small block soft feta finely crumbled

Dressing

2 tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli*

What you do

Heat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Place the Roma tomatoes on small, lightly oiled oven tray, drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Mix the salad dressing with a whisk so it all blends together. Gently toss the lettuce mix, sliced cucumber, black olives, sliced artichoke, capsicum, red onion, and roast tomatoes in a large bowl with the salad dressing. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the salad and serve immediately

Serve with seafood or lamb steaks. Delish!

*The small amount of chilli gives it just a very light kick—you don’t want to overwhelm the salad.

Maestral specialises in Croatian food from the Dalmatian region and is slightly tucked away across the road from Cooleman Court. Worth a look, and Soft Shell Chilli Crab with Mediterranean Salad is highly recommended!

Hot Diggity Dog!

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Just because we’re in the Year of Eating Healthy doesn’t mean we miss out on the cool stuff—including Hot Dogs! Can a hot dog be healthy? Yes, it can! By Emma Dowling

LFW healthy hot dog with mixed salad of cherry tomatoes, mixed leaves, and feta

Hot dogs are traditionally made with Frankfurters which, let’s face it, are pretty ‘blerk’. Quite aside from the fact that they’re made from chicken offcuts (not pork) after all the good stuff has been cut off—they’re also stuffed full of sodium (salt), preservatives, flavouring (to make them taste like pork), and E120 red colouring (carmine/cochineal) before being squeezed into a tube. Add to that they’re ‘bulked out’ with carbohydrate starch (potato, wheat flour, or rusk) and powdered milk. They are, in fact, one of the most processed and least natural foods on the planet, and let’s be honest they taste marginally better than the plastic wrap they come in! And if that doesn’t put you off we don’t know what will!

So in the interest of still enjoying a hot dog, and still eating healthy we came up with a few alternatives using ‘proper’ sausages, gluten-free wholegrain buns, and heaps of yummy extras!

Yummy hot dog sausage with home-made cole slaw

Classic LFW hot dog with home-made cole-slaw

Now we’re not advocating you make your own sausages but we strongly suggest that you start your healthy hot dog with a good quality sausage, and we can’t stress enough that you read the label to find out what’s actually in your humble sausage. Country Pride brand (available from selected supermarkets and gourmet butchers) are a good choice and most are low-fat, low-salt and some are gluten-free. There was a rumour going around at one time that this brand couldn’t really be sausages because the product contained too much meat! Seriously!

Spicy hot dog with Asian pickles and green chilli

Give your hot dog a kick with spicy Asian pickles and green chilli

This article in Choice recommends that you look for a sausage with:

less than 5g saturated fat
less than 450mg sodium (salt) per 100g
as few processed ingredients as possible.

If you’re choosy about your sausages, you can enjoy the occasional hot dog without guilt. Enjoy!

Super-tasty hot dog with bacon and avocado salad. Yum!

In all our hot dogs we used low-fat GF beef sausages, Pure Bred GF rolls, and heaps of salad.

Learning to Love Laksa!

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Super-easy, super-good Laksa by Emma Dowling

Malaysian combination laksa

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup and a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. It’s basically rice noodles or rice vermicelli with chicken, seafood, pork, vegetables, tofu, or a combination of the lot! It gets its spicy taste from either a rich curry, or sour asam. I have to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of laksa. I usually find it too filling, too hot, or often too hard to actually eat without making a total mess! But in our travels around Asia, laksa is served everywhere in a gazillion (yes that is a word) different ways. So after trying a couple of different laksa dishes, while I wouldn’t say I was complete convert, I was prepared to give a little and try out a few recipes at home.

Seafood laksa with scallops, prawns and tofu with extras served separately

What we came up with was a super-easy cheat laksa which is gluten-free (rice noodles), low fat (lite coconut milk) no added sugar, and not too filling. One thing we did cheat with (yes we admit it) was to use a jar of laksa paste—much easier than measuring and grinding your own, and we chose Ayam paste as it’s readily available.

You can make a basic laksa base and ring the changes by adding whatever you like. We started out with the basic ingredients and made a chicken and mushroom laksa, a seafood (white fish, prawns and scallops), and a vegetable laksa—all of which were totally delish!

And, one thing we’ve really learnt to love about laksa is the way the colours, as well as the ingredients, come together. The green onion and coriander, the red chilli, the white sprouts, and the limes are a really lovely colour fusion. So check out our super-easy recipe and a few mouth-watering photos—and give it a go!

Chicken and mushroom laksa

Basic chicken and mushroom laksa

What you need (serves 2)

120g rice noodles

2 teaspoons extra virgin or coconut oil

2 shallots (spring onion), sliced (separate white and green parts)

180g jar Ayam laksa paste

500ml chicken or fish stock (use All Natural/no salt, or make your own)

270ml can Lite coconut milk

250g skinless chicken breast fillets, finely sliced

4 medium button mushrooms, sliced

1 small red capsicum, finely sliced

1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed

½ bunch coriander sprigs, roughly chopped

Few fresh mint leaves

1 small chilli, finely chopped

1 lime—halved to serve

What you do

Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak until tender—check after 15 minutes. While the noodles are softening heat oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry in the white part of the shallot for about 30 seconds. Add the laksa paste and stir well. Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sliced chicken and mushrooms and simmer for 3-4 minutes until tender and cooked through. Add the capsicum and chilli and simmer for 1 minute, then stir through the green part of the shallot, bean sprouts, and herbs.

Drain the soft noodles and divide between two bowls, cover the noodles with the laksa, and add a squeeze of lime to each bowl. Serve immediately.

If you are serving four or six people just increase the ingredients accordingly. A nice way to present this if you’re serving a group, is to omit the final five ingredients (chilli, green shallot, bean sprouts, herbs, and lime) and serve them separately in small bowls as a table centrepiece so guests can help themselves. This way they can make it as hot (with the chilli) and as colourful as they like.

Grated onion, fresh chilli, bean sprouts, bok choy leaves and limes

Grated onion, fresh chilli, bean sprouts, bok choy leaves, baby spinach, and limes served as a centrepiece

Ring the changes

You can make a simple seafood laksa by substituting the chicken and mushroom for 200g boneless white fish fillets—flaked into pieces, about 4-5 prawns and 3 scallops per person, and use fish stock instead of chicken.

If you are making a vegetarian laksa it’s a good idea to pre-cook any root vegetables first as they take a while to soften up. Cauliflower, broccolini, mushrooms, bok choy, and most Asian vegetables are perfect; together with bean sprouts, and red and green capsicum.

Yummy vegetarian laksa

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