Home made Hummus with toasted pita bread sprinkled with herbs and cheese and pineapple or cheese and gherkin bites on toothpicks

Today I had two invitations and was invited to take a plate - bring something festive they said ! I had done the obvious, club sandwiches, asparagus rolls, sausage rolls to death and I wanted a new twist and it had to be quick, easy, preferably healthy and look fantastic and delicious.

Go here to find 100 healthy raw snacks and treats

Since one of the occasions was an exercise class I didn’t want to take a plate of something we would all spend the next ten sessions working off and the other was a creative fiber group so it need to at least look artistic.

After a rethink here are some quick ideas for a festive occasion finger food that won’t involve slaving over a hot stove, can be prepared fast and will look great too – just remember its how you present it that makes or breaks it and you can get away with almost anything if it looks amazing.

Tooth pick pix:

Freshly sliced Brie cheese and slices of pear

Cocktail onions and cheese

Chunks of Pineapple and cheddar cheese

Polish garlic sausage and cheese

Apricots spread with cream cheese decorated with an almond

Ham and cheese roll ups secured with a tooth pick

Ham (or bacon if you want to cook !) roll up with a prune inside

Asparagus rolled in ham or any sliced meat

Chunky slices of chicken with sliced mango (or other fruit of your choice)

Creative Platters can go down a treat

Try a selection of various sliced meat, fruit, artichokes, curried eggs

Cheese straws with a dip – tomato dip goes extra well with this or an onion and cheese dip

Corn chips and a dip – a very quick dip is yogurt, sweet chilli sauce and a dash of pepper, or yogurt with chopped gherkins, or avocado with a dash of sweet chilli sauce, or avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper – try some curry in it to give a kick, even non avocado lovers like this one.

Dates, sliced oranges, tropical fruits and some cheese slices

Lettuce “rolls” with a selection of what you have on hand, examples, cottage cheese, brie, sliced meat, artichokes

Go here to find 100 healthy raw snacks and treats

Crostini – you can go mad with a choice of spreads the most basic is olive oil and garlic, to any number of additions, we love smashed up tomato on top of the olive oil and garlic with fresh chopped basil.

Mini pizzas either make these very small individual ones or one large oblong one and cut into bite sized pieces.

Pita bread toasted or grilled with grated parmesan cheese or alternatively slice the pita bread into triangles and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs before grilling.

Make your servings bite size and leave a supply of toothpicks to self serve and have some festive paper cocktail serviettes on hand. I like to serve my platters with fresh flowers or herbs and if you arrange them creatively then almost any combination will look mouthwatering.

For more cool ideas go to the Healthy Urban Kitchen

Simple and easy to make Anzac Biscuits

Worried about additives and extras in store bought biscuits ?

Careful diet and watching your health doesn’t mean you have to forgo any treats and today I had the urge to make something to nibble with our cuppa and for afters and discovered this really, really easy Biscuit recipe on the back of our Rolled Oats packet and thought it was too good to keep to myself. Read more and get the free recipe

Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked Rolled Oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup lightly packet brown sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 Tablespoons boiling water

• Method:
• Blend oats, flour, sugar and coconut.
• Melt butter/margarine and surup over low heat and remove
• Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, then add to melted butter mixture
• Stir into oats mixture
• Drop full spoonfuls of mixture onto a greased tray – make sure you leave room to spread
• Bake at 150 degrees C (300 degrees F)

Conventional oven 15 – 17 minutes – leave longer if you want them crisp

These biscuits used to be a family favorite in most households in New Zealand and the name was associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought together and the name of ANZAC was given to these biscuits.

Warning: These are very more-ish and once you start it is easy to consume the entire batch !

When you have eaten your fill and your gluttony has made you feel guilty, reach for The Lazy Raw Foodists Guide ebook on how to have the best of everything, amazing health, great food and quick and easy preparation. Try it now and notice the drop in your blood pressure and increase in your vitality !

Do you whip down to the takeaway and buy some heavy, greasy and indigestible food that you later wish you’d not eaten ?

Here is a delicious easy to prepare meal that can be made quickly and is adaptable enough to switch ingredients depending on what is in the cupboard at the time.

This Butter Chicken dish that will melt in your mouth and is so delicious it will have even takeaway fans begging for more so make plenty.

• Butter Chicken Recipe
• 4 teaspoons butter ( or use low fat spread if you prefer)
• 480 grams chicken cut into small pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated root ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon each of chili powder, tumeric, cinnamon, garam masala
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced (or switch to something else like slice peppers)
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Melt butter and saute the chicken, onion and garlic until the chicken is cooked.
2. Add ginger, chili, tumeric, cinnamon and garam masala
3. Cook gently for 5 minutes
4. Add tomato paste, mushrooms, water, salt and pepper and simmer another 5 minutes until sauce has thickened.

Variations: add beans, or spring onions, switch the mushrooms for something else like asparagus, peas. Stir through some yogurt just before serving or sprinkle some herbs or parsley over – your choice.

This is a recipe we make often and it tastes deliciously different every time we make it according to what is in the pantry at the time and as you see from the photo, we have used peas not mushrooms this time.

The aroma of this dish cooking is enough to tempt the most die hard takeaway addict !

For more recipes and lifestyle ideas for vibrant health and fat loss click here

Vegetarian recipes and treats for afters click here

Did you know that most of the food we eat is vegan? You probably never thought of it that way, but plant based foods are everywhere. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, there are plenty of vegan choices out there. Here are a few very easy vegan recipes and snacks to help you choose smart, vegan-friendly food choices for your next meal.

1. Terrific Tofu Stir Fry
Tofu is a great source of soy protein, and you can use it in almost every recipe that calls for meat or eggs. My favorite lunch or dinner meal consists of cubing the firm tofu, fry with vegetable oil and raw soy sauce, and add all the organic veggies of your choice: carrots, eggplant, zucchini, cabbage, bean sprouts, pea pods, and onions. Serve over organically grown rice or brown rice and you have a super healthy, hearty meal to fill up even the hungriest appetite!

2. Cool Cold Cereals
Try a bowl of cheerios, 1 cup soy milk, and a handful of fresh strawberries or raspberries. Craving something sweet? Cocoa beans are organic so why not have a bowl of cocoa puffs or cocoa krispies with 1 cup vanilla soy milk? You can ultimately use any of your favorite cold cereals and fruit here, so use your imagination and go nuts!

3. Awesome Acai Smoothie
How about an awesome fruit smoothie for lunch or a snack? If you can find them, the Acai berry is native to Brazil but one of the super healthy foods we don’t find much of around here. You can also use blueberries if the Acai is not available. Blend together these, fresh or frozen, along with all the other fruit you want (pineapples, mangoes, bananas, strawberries, etc). Add some ice or soy sorbet and blend some more. Top it with some granola and fruit slices for a super cool energy boost! Yum, yum!

4. Cosmic Curried Kale
Everyone should eat more greens in their diet anyway, so this recipe is vegan-friendly and also all raw for those super health food fanatics like my good friend Jill from Minnesota! She calls it Cosmic Curried Kale. She de-stems and washes the curly kale, puts it in a bowl with a shredded carrot, then blends together 1 part Nama Shoyu (raw soy sauce), 1 part lemon juice, 1 part olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, and adds cumin and coriander for the dressing. Super simple and totally organic!

5. Cookoo for Cocoa Pudding
We all love chocolate, and the classic chocolate pudding is no exception. Even vegans can enjoy this well known dessert. Mix 2 cups soy milk with 3 tablespoons organic cocoa, 5 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Cook it over medium heat until it becomes thick. Pour it into serving dishes and chill in the fridge! Now that’s super easy and should satisfy any chocolate lover’s cravings!