by Baking Backwards
The holidays are over and I’m sure for many people that’s a huge relief. As warm and fuzzy as the holidays are for children, sometimes for adults they can be quite stressful. Whatever the source of stress — financial, familial, food — the holidays can really throw a wrench in anyone’s routine and habits. For me the stress is generally around food. Don’t get me wrong, I love holiday meals, they’re delicious! But the aftermath tends to worry me. Disrupted digestion, seasonal weight gain etc. I am a very fit and generally health conscious person so a few rich meals are not usually a huge blow to my body, but I can see how it could be to someone who doesn’t exercise much or watch what they eat. Whether you do or not, the holidays usually involve some compromises for even the most strictly healthy individuals. I guess that’s why January is all about resetting and detoxing from the overload of sweets and fatty foods we enjoy in December. It’s naturally something many of us gravitate to in order to recover.
I have personally been consuming more raw and ripe fruits and vegetables than usual this month, along with more water. This isn’t really anything new in my diet but I have been incorporating more foods that assist with detoxification of the body. Particularly foods that encourage better digestion since mine has been a bit off since this year’s festivities. One food combination I have been enjoying almost daily is mango with chili and lime. This is such a mood and energy boosting combo, not to mention its great for digestion. Mangoes, like papaya and pineapple, naturally offer digestion enhancing enzymes. The enzymes in mangoes help your body to break down and use protein. Mangoes also help alkalize the body, reducing your risk of disease. They offer iron as well so, if you are a vegan or vegetarian, they are a great addition to your diet. To the mango I add half a lime, a pinch of pink himalayan salt and a good dash of cayenne. Lime is another alkalizing ingredient, and a great flavour enhancer. I use it all the time in all kinds of recipes. Cayenne can improve your metabolism and ward off bad bacteria in the body. Pink himalayan salt is a great seasoning for this combination because it is full of minerals, unlike many other forms of salt on the market, and enhances the mix of flavours brilliantly.
This recipe makes a great light breakfast when you are trying to enjoy healthy food more often. I love it because unlike other “health food”, this combo is anything but dull. The flavours in this dish are big and bold. When I crave something like this after breakfast time I sometimes transform this recipe into a salad by adding some hydrating cucumber, a little olive oil and crisp Swiss Chard leaves. If the sourness is too much for you, add a small drizzle of maple syrup or coconut nectar.
These two recipes are not totally characteristic of my blog Baking Backwards where I mainly share recipes for healthy gluten-free and vegan baking, as well as recipes for healthy savoury meals. They are however what I’m craving at the moment and I am a firm believer in listening to your body. I hope you like them!
Mango Chili Lime Breakfast Bowl
1 ripe Tommy or Hayden mango, peeled and cubed small
1 frozen banana, peeled
juice of ½ a lime
pinch chili powder or cayenne pepper
pinch pink salt
½-1 tsp maple syrup OR agave OR coconut nectar (optional)
Place banana, lime juice and mango in a blender and puree until smooth with a little water if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with all the remaining ingredients to coat the mango puree. Taste the mixture to assess if you need extra maple syrup (I love sour so I don’t but you may). Add extra maple if you need it and stir gently. Enjoy!
Spicy Mango Salad
½-1 ripe Tommy or Hayden mango, peeled and cubed small
juice of ½ a lime
¼-½ tsp garlic powder
pinch chili powder
a dash or two of your favourite hot sauce
1 tsp or more evoo or you can substitute ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
pinch pink salt
¼ -½ red onion, peeled and chopped small
1-1.5 tsp coconut aminos or substitute soy or tamari
1 apple, cored and chopped (green or ambrosia apples work well)
¼ English cucumber, chopped
1-2 leaves green Swiss Chard, chopped into bite sized pieces (eat the stem too,it’s delicious in this recipe!)
OPTIONAL: 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced or cubed
Prepare all the ingredients as directed above. Place everything in a bowl and toss to coat the fruit and greens evenly with the seasonings. Serve immediately.
Danielle is a Toronto based freelance food writer and marketer. She loves food and photography and started a blog to share her food adventures 4 years ago. Baking Backwards is now an award winning food blog and has been featured in several notable publications. The blog is primarily devoted to vegan and gluten-free baking and savory food. Danielle has also released a $4.99 ebook this year featuring 132 pages of gluten-free and mostly vegan recipes called Every Day (Super)food, it is available for order on her website.