Supercharge Your Gut by Lee Holmes
Plus 3 recipes to explore!
The follow-up to international bestseller Heal Your Gut, Supercharge Your Gut delves deeper, uncovering all the ins and outs of our most crucial and influential body part. You’ll learn the connections and interplay between the gut and stress; how it impacts your immune system, your weight and thyroid function; and how good gut health can have your hormones jumping for joy. I loved this and the fact its got some great insights to your health and how to change things for the better. Lee Holmes has researched well and in this day of age we all have stress and our gut responds to this by feeding all the wrong things even more so. This is easy to read and has some great meals that will make you gut happier.
https://issuu.com/murdochbooksaustraliapublicity/docs/supercharge_20your_20gut_20blad_20l
Mocha & banana smoothie bowl
GF
WF
DF
VEG
People will be wondering what has you so chirpy early in the day! Made
with coffee, raw cacao, chia seeds and hazelnuts, with fruity hums of banana, this delectably thick, chocolatey smoothie bowl will give you a natural hit of dopamine — the ‘happy’ hormone. Think about all the good fats and complex carbohydrates found in banana and nuts, then times them by two, and you’ll find yourself powering through your day like a Russian gymnast, performing effortless backflips, half turns and triple twists.
• 30 ml (1 fl oz) shot of espresso coffee or dandelion tea
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon food-grade diatomaceous earth (see page 43), such as my Love Your Gut Powder (optional)
• 1 frozen banana, sliced
• 40 g (112 oz/14 cup) hazelnuts
(or any nuts of your choice), soaked and roasted
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/12 cup) Coconut Milk (page 137)
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/12 cup) Almond Milk (see Note, page 153), or other non-dairy milk of your choice
• toppings of your choice, to serve
Pour the coffee or dandelion tea into a small bowl, add the chia seeds and
let them sit for a few minutes. Transfer to a high-speed blender.
Add the cacao powder, diatomaceous earth (if using), banana and hazelnuts. Pour in the coconut milk and almond milk and whiz until there are no lumps; the mixture can be quite thick. If your blender is struggling, add extra almond milk or water in small amounts to help it along.
Pour the smoothie into a bowl or serving vessel; we’ve used half a coconut shell. Garnish with your choice of toppings — fresh banana slices, a sprinkling
of mixed nuts and seeds, shaved fresh coconut, micro herbs — and dig in!
Supercharged tip
The great thing about a smoothie bowl is that you can add any type of sneaky green, and never taste the difference. Try a handful of baby English spinach, kale, avocado or even frozen peas, to get a headstart on your vegie intake for the day. PS: You don’t need to add the coffee if you don’t want
to — or you can use a decaffeinated version instead.
Greened-up shakshuka
GF WF DF SF
Serves 4 generously
Shakshuka celebrates the flavours of the Middle East and North Africa, and
is one of my favourite ways to jazz up the humble egg. Loaded with medicinal spices and bursting with lycopene, this tomatoey one-pan wonder won’t fail to impress. It’s a beautiful way to enjoy a communal breakfast with loved ones.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, white part only, washed well and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 green capsicum (pepper), diced
• pinch of chilli powder or paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin or
cumin seeds
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste (concentrated purée)
• 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
• 250 g (9 oz/134 cups) frozen peas
• 1 large handful of baby English spinach leaves
• 4 large free-range eggs
• mint leaves, to garnish
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat.
Add the leek, garlic, capsicum, spices and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the capsicum is softened and the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and peas, then bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are nearly done. Stir
in the spinach.
Make four divots in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Cover and leave for about 3–5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking; the yolks should still be soft.
Serve straight from the frying pan, garnished with mint leaves.
Note: For a beefed-up shakshuka, use 2 red capsicums rather than 1 green one. After sautéing the vegies, add 300 g (1012 oz) minced (ground) beef and brown it in the pan, breaking up any lumps and letting it cook through. Instead of mint, top the shakshuka with chopped coriander (cilantro).
Butter chicken clay pot
GF WF DF SF
Serves 4
Everything just tastes better in a clay pot — even butter chicken! This version will help give your Friday-night curry a gut-friendly upgrade.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cm (114 inch) knob of fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 teaspoon ground coriander
12 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved or
cut into pieces
1 bay leaf
400 ml (14 fl oz) tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) coconut cream
100 g (1 lb 10 oz) roasted unsalted cashews, crushed or finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve
Heat the olive oil in a large clay pot or heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 3–4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a further minute.
Stir in the ground spices and salt and sauté for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, before adding the bay leaf, passata, coconut cream and cashews.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the lemon juice, scatter with coriander and serve with cauliflower rice or your choice of accompaniment
COPYRIGHT ‘Images and recipes from Supercharge Your Gut by Lee Holmes, Murdoch Books, RRP $35.00 Photography by Steve Brown’
