Vegan &/or Raw

Did you know we can arm our brain with certain nutrients to get our neurotransmitters raving?

This ice cream nails it.

“In every great production, there are hundreds of people behind the scenes that support the main players” writes Dr Hyla Cass, former Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA Medical School.

“The same is true with your brain. These are the vitamins and minerals. They help build and rebuild the brain and nervous system, and keep everything running smoothly. They are your brain’s best friends.”

Of particular interest to Cass are the B group vitamins.

A deficiency in B6, she notes, raises our risk of developing depression and can antagonise mental health problems such as schizophrenia or dementia for example. B6 plays a critical role in the production of feel-good hormones in our body called serotonin.

No serotonin, no samba.

Not sure I like the sound of that.

The good news? B6 is found in bananas, chickpeas, beans, nuts and wholegrains like millet. These are your new BFs.

Banana & Sea Salt Ice Cream

This isn’t an ice cream. This is an experience.

Kids love it. BBQs want it. Mothers dream about it.

Instead of white sugar and dairy, we’re using frozen banana to achieve the same sweetness and creaminess. Trade secret of the vegan pantry.

4 bananas, peeled

Trickle of cow’s milk or any plant-based milk such as almond

Smattering of sea salt flakes

Before freezing the banana, chop into small discs, and freeze on baking parchment making sure each slice does not lovebomb its neighbour. When they freeze successfully, you can store them in a freezer bag until an ice cream craving hollers.

At this point, you’ll need to blend the frozen fruit on the highest setting you have. A Vitamix or Omniblend will do this in 5 seconds, a regular blender 15 seconds. You’ll need a splash of milk to give it some momentum.

That’s it! Scoop into pre-chilled tumbler glasses, tickle with sea salt flakes and tuck straight in. Leftovers don’t refreeze very well. I doubt you’ll hate me for it.

I’m with Roseanne Barr. I don’t know why people hate PMT. It’s the only time of the month when I can actually be myself.

These pecan brownies contain zinc, a fancy mineral our body needs to manufacture hormones. Think of hormones as the call centre for mood, and for hundreds of other intricate biological processes inside the body.

We’re told that a deficit in zinc can result in hormonal imbalances, sharpened fangs and many code red situations.

I figure making brownies is considerably cheaper than attending a psychotherapist.

Zinc is also important for our front line defences. Without it, our immunity wheezes. Sometimes it can be easy to tell you have a deficiency – scrapes or bruises will take longer than usual to heal. Sound familiar? If you’re worried, always contact your GP or dietician.

Me? I tuck into these badass brownie bites. They contain very few ingredients and don’t require an oven or brain cells. Score.

Probiotic Brownie Bites

This raw brownie recipe was first published in my Sunday Independent column five years ago. It has since done laps on the international blogosphere, and features in many hip cookbooks. Fly my pretties, fly!

(P.S. yez can find bags of cheap medjool dates in Halal stores. Otherwise, you’ll be shelling out £3 per dozen in regular supermarkets).

2 cups pecans or walnuts (we use Lidl, top quality)

1 teapsoon probiotics (optional snazz, we use Udo’s)

9-12 medjool dates (regular dates won’t work)

Good pinch of sea salt flakes

6-8 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder  

Using a food processor, pulse the nuts and optional probiotics until they are crumbly.

Add each medjool date down the food processor chute, one by one, while the motor is still running. It’s important to bin the stones first, and to check for black dust. If you find that dreaded powdery black stuff, stop the motor, discard the date and any dates it happened to socialise with, then wash your hands thoroughly and proceed as usual. Black dust is a sign of plant mould and occurs with one in every sixty medjools in my experience. Gah!

When all the medjools have been added, spoon in the cacao or cocoa powder. A generous pinch of sea salt flakes is all that’s required now. Give it one last blast in the food processor. Pinch the brownie ‘dough’ together with your fingertips. It should stick like gum.

Scoop into a pre-lined loaf tin. I use baking parchment. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon and freeze. After 1 hour, remove from the freezer, chop into bite sized brownies, and return to the freezer in a glass or plastic container. This is where they will live until beckoned. The idea is to eat them straight from frozen. You’ll soon understand why.

Makes a lavish snack, which is what all snacks should be.

Taking the hell out of healthy.

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