It’s 2-1/2 years now since I discovered the book “What the Fat” and it’s a not a cliche to say that it has changed my life. Initially, it was about losing weight, and I did. But I feel so much better eating this way that it has now become a way of life to eliminate starches and sugars from my diet. I never thought I could do it – eggs without toast? no way! – but it has been so much easier than I ever imagined. I tried Paleo but couldn’t stick with it. The big difference with this Low Carb Healthy fat diet is that dairy is allowed – it’s a huge, huge plus to be able to have cheese, yoghurt, milk, cream, etc. It is not a Keto diet that has raised so much controversy. It’s just a healthy way of eating. I could go on and on about why I feel better eating this way but instead I will share my favourite recipe from the book.
When trying Paleo/Keto eating, my biggest issue was breakfast. I was used to oatmeal, cereal or toast in the morning. I need something quick and easy and I don’t want eggs all the time. So now I eat unsweetened yoghurt with some fresh or frozen fruit, with the best part, this nut muesli sprinkled over the top. It adds not just a beautiful flavour and some lovely crunch, but protein and fat to satisfy. I have adapted from the book, mostly by increasing the quantities. It’s super easy to make and stored in air tight jars, this amount lasts my husband and I for 4-6 weeks of breakfasts.
300g each, raw, unsalted Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Hazlenuts, Macadamia Nuts
300g each, raw, unsalted Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds
300g unsweetened, shredded Coconut (not dessicated)
190g Flaxseed or Linseed (same thing)
90g Dark Chocolate, grated
I buy from the Allison’s Pantry bulk bins for all the nuts, seeds and coconut. For the chocolate, I prefer Whittaker’s 72% Dark Ghana. You can use any kind of chocolate, the higher the percentage of chocolate, the lower the carbs, but don’t go below 62% or you’ll have too much sugar (and the softer chocolates are harder to grate).
Heat your oven to 180° C
Lay nuts out on flat baking trays and toast for 5 minutes. Remove, stir around and toast for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove and allow nuts to cool
Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, combine seeds, coconut and chocolate. Mix well
When nuts are completely cooled, chop or process in a food processor to desired consistency.
If using a food processor, be careful not to over process or you will wind up with dust, or even nut butter! I like to have some nuts not too chopped with a base of more well chopped (and some will become “dust”). I lay the nuts on the trays, and then process together, based on hardness, as follows: Pecans and Walnuts, then Macadamias, followed by Almonds and Hazlenuts. Don’t add too much to the food processor at once or the ones on the bottom will get very ground up while the ones on top hardly at all.
As each batch of nuts is chopped to your preferred consistency, add them to bowl of seeds, coconut and chocolate and mix well. Once all mixed well together, add to your airtight storage containers. Enjoy!
