How to hack happiness chemicals!

Every week, they hang out on a Zoom call and talk about health, wellness, and self love.

Izelle is an award-winning lifestyle chef who lives and eats mindfully in every single way! After growing up with hip dysplasia and going through many, many surgeries, Izelle took her health into her own hands, and started eating the way her body needed! She then took everything she learned and turned it into both a cookbook and a lifestyle to help other people! 

This week, Danny and Izelle are talking about hacking your brain and eating to make yourself happy, but does it work? And what can we do? Well, Izelle has a recipe! 

Guilt free Chocolate Cake

Prep time 10min

Baking time 15-20min

Servings 12 Cupcakes or a large 1 layer Cake

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed

1/2 cup raw honey

100g almond butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp caramel essence

1 tsp bicarb of soda

50g almond flour

1 tsp Oryx Desert Salt

1 heaped Tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder 

2 eggs

For the Icing:

250g Almond Butter

100ml Unsweetened Almond milk

5 Tbsp Raw Honey

1 heaped Tbsp Raw Cacao 

pinch of Oryx Desert Salt

1 tsp caramel essence

4-6 drops peppermint essence (optional for a mint chocolate cake)

Topping

Chopped Almonds (or pecans, or hazelnuts, or chopped dates and a grind of Oryx Desert Salt)

Fresh Berries, edible glitter and fresh mint 

Instructions:

Pre heat oven to 180’C on thermo-fan. Line a 23cm springform cake pan with baking paper and then spray with non-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, line a cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place the chickpeas in the bowl of the food processor and blend until smooth. Add all the other ingredients, except the eggs, and process on high for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides, until the batter is smooth and well blended.(If you don’t have a food processor you can pulp the chickpeas with a blender, add the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater for 2 minutes on high speed)

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then add to the batter and beat for another 30 seconds to mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake or cupcake pan and bake for 20-25minutes. The edges will be crispy and firm to the touch, while the centre will remain moist and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack.

To make the icing, spray a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Add all the ingredients and cook over medium heat until the almond butter starts to melt. The icing will get a glazed look and have a slightly toasted nutty flavour.

Apply the warm icing to the cooled cake or cupcakes - you want the icing to cool on the cake to give it a glazed, smooth look.

Top with Chopped Almonds, Fresh Berries, Edible Glitter and Fresh Mint as desired.

Why do we make use of these ingredients:

Raw Cacao Raw cacao contains very high amounts of antioxidants, reduces appetite and helps with weight loss. It alleviates stress, helps manage depression and regulates blood pressure. It is a fantastic source of calcium too.

Almonds Whether in the form of milk, flour, butter or flakes, almonds are packed with nutritional benefits. They boost the immune system, help repair damaged skin, help prevent cancer, reduce the risk of osteoporosis and have alkalising properties. They are also a source of vitamin E, magnesium and high-quality protein. 

Oryx Desert Salt What is the purpose of adding salt during cooking? It’s to enhance flavour, right? So why not start by using a good-quality salt to do the job? Sundried and unrefined with no additives will bring out the best in your food in the healthiest way possible.

Raw Honey Salt needs sweet and vice versa to enhance taste and flavour. So when you add sweetness, choose a sweetness that has a healing effect on your body and health. Raw honey is antiviral and antifungal, and contains powerful antioxidants. Its helps ward off allergies, stabilise blood pressure and balance blood sugar levels. It also boosts the immune system and promotes digestive health.

Chickpeas I love chickpeas, whether grilled and flavoured as a snack, served in a vegetarian curry or pulped and mixed with a few other ingredients to form the base of a cake! Chickpeas are a good source of fibre, rich in calcium and anti-inflammatory, and boost the immune system.

Listen to their chat here:

You can get last week's podcast and recipe here: How lack of sleep can make you drunk!

You can also buy your copy of the award-winning 'Mindful Eating' cookbook here!

Catch up with Danny's brand new JacPod channel and all of her podcasts here: