Containing utterly delicious recipes for the entire family, from nourishing breakfasts to tummy-friendly desserts, Lee Holmes’s new book Supercharge Your Gut is packed full of advice on how to take a break from hard-to-digest foods and eat your way towards better long-term health…
TURMERIC SCRAMBLED EGGS
GF WF DF SF
Serves 2
Eggs and turmeric are a match made in heaven. Here are two simple ways to enjoy a sprinkling of turmeric’s golden medicinal magic*.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small brown onion, chopped
- 4 free-range eggs, whisked
- 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari
- 12 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric,
or to taste - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- basil or mint leaves, to serve
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the eggs and stir, then add the tamari, cumin and turmeric. Cook for about 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously. Sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, tear the herbs over and serve.
Turmeric* is a powerful anti-inflammatory that will help soothe the gut and alleviate congestion. It improves digestion and reduces gas and bloating by increasing production of the enzymes that break down fat, protein and carbohydrates. Turmeric’s antibacterial properties also help rid the digestive system of harmful bacteria, giving the helpful bacteria a chance to flourish. It can be added to soups, smoothies, herb teas and curries.
RASPBERRY & COCONUT YOGHURT SLURPIE
GF WF DF VEG
Serves 2
Wave goodbye to memories of convenience-store slurpies and welcome in a blend made with luscious coconut yoghurt and sweet raspberries. This slurpie is full of friendly bacteria to build up your microbial team, paired with immune-boosting antioxidant-rich berries to create an environment in the gut that is resilient against pathogens*.
100 g (3½ oz) frozen raspberries
1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
juice of ½ lemon
fresh raspberries, to serve
250 g (9 oz) coconut yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
Place the frozen raspberries, banana and lemon juice in a high-speed blender and whiz until smooth. (If you like, you can spread the mixture on a tray and freeze for 10–30 minutes, or simply serve as is.)
Divide the fresh raspberries and half the yoghurt between two serving glasses. Sprinkle with the vanilla powder. Add the remaining yoghurt, top with the frozen slurpie mixture and serve.
Supercharged tip
For a Mint Slice version, replace all the raspberries with a handful of mint leaves, 1 tablespoon cacao nibs, 1 tablespoon tahini and 1 tablespoon chia seeds. For a mouthwatering Lemon Meringue version, use 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest instead of the raspberries.
* microorganisms that cause disease
CHOCOLATE CURLS
GF WF DF VEG (If not using honey)
Serves 4
This gut-friendly sweet treat offers so much flavour and chocolatey fun! It’s a great one to make and enjoy with kids.
240 g (812 oz/1 cup) cacao butter
30 g (1 oz/14 cup) raw cacao powder, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 heaped teaspoon maca powder
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup or raw honey,
or 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
25 g (1 oz/14 cup) desiccated coconut
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Melt the cacao butter in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of boiling water, stirring constantly. Stir in the cacao powder, vanilla powder, maca powder and rice malt syrup or raw honey (or the stevia) until combined. Set aside until thick enough to pipe. Pour the mixture into a piping (icing) bag and pipe it onto the baking paper, in a squiggly pattern, forming fingers about 15 cm (6 inches) long, and leaving space in between. (Alternatively, use a skewer to drag the mixture across the paper to create a pattern.) Top with the coconut and place in the fridge for about 1 hour to harden.
It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 weeks.
Recipes extracted from Supercharge Your Gut by Lee Holmes (Murdoch Books, £14.99). Photography by Steve Brown
About the author: Lee holds an Advanced Certificate in Food and Nutrition and is a yoga teacher, wholefoods chef and bestselling author of the Supercharged Food series. She has been featured in Glamour, BBC Good Food, The Sunday Times and Woman’s Own. Find Lee at her award-winning blog, superchargedfood.com