Here’s a tip for low fat nibbles to save you from the bad effects of chips. Put your oil into a plastic spray bottle to limit the amount of oil used. One brand sells their oil in spray bottles, and you can reuse that, or buy your own spray bottle.

This recipe is great when you are craving that salty snack.

Buy a french bread stick and leave 2 - 3 days.
Cut into 1 cm slices
Place on oven tray and spray with oil (as described above) or brush very sparingly.
Add toppings (see below)
Cook at 100 - 120℃ for 40 minutes.
Turn off oven and leave until oven cools down to room temperature.
Store in an air-tight container.

Toppings:
Garlic granules and garlic salt
Flavours such as asian herbs and salt
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Lemon pepper
etc...

Serve with:
Hummus
Salsa
Salmon dip:
- tinned salmon and light Philadelphia cream cheese
Lemon juice / dill / parsey

(low fat)

This recipe is adapted from a recipe published in the NZ Herald by Elizabeth Pederson. It’s a great muffin recipe for using seasonal fruit, and in this case feijoas.

Muffins:

Wholemeal flour		3/4 cup
Plain flour		1/2 cup
Low GI Chelsea sugar		1/2 cup
Baking powder		2 1/2 tsp
Oil/Margarine		4 dessert spoons
Eggs		2
Lemon Juice (fresh)		1/2 cup
Feijoa flesh		1 cup

Lemon Glaze:

Lemon rind (finely grated)		2 tsp
Castor sugar (or Splenda)		2 T
Orange Juice		1 T

Preheat over to 200℃

Grease or spray 16 small muffin pans,
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder,
Beat in eggs, rind and juice,
Roughly chop feijoa flesh,
Stir in liquids and feijoas lightly into dry ingredients,
Spoon into muffin pans.

Bake 200℃ for 20-25 mins.

Cool for 2 mins then turn onto wire racks.

While muffins are in the oven, mix rind and sugar on a saucer for the glaze. Just before using the glaze stir in the orange juice. While muffins are warm, dip top of each muffin in the lemon glaze, then let cool.

We all know that we need iron. We have all learned that it is essential for good health and mental well-being, but did you know that there are some foods which interfere with iron being absorbed? Did you also know that you can have too much of a good thing and too much iron is bad for you? Did you also know that some foods can make iron levels be absorbed up to 6 times the normal rate? No? Well read on. Or scroll to the bottom for a delicious low fat pate recipe. You heard me right - low fat paté, mmmm. (Loaded full of iron)!

A Few Facts About Iron Deficiency
Iron-deficiency anaemia affects more than 700 million people worldwide, and is one of the commonest nutritional deficiencies. In New Zealand, 1 in 6 people have iron-deficiency anaemia. It may be that people are unaware that fatigue and lethargy are 2 of the symptoms of iron deficiency. Some other symptoms include frequent infections, decreased resistance to cold, deterioration in athletic performance, restlessness and inability to concentrate. A serious side effect in infants is developmental delay and learning difficulties, which can be irreversible. Athletes must keep up their iron levels as sporting performance will be affected even before other symptoms become apparent.

Recommended daily intakes vary according to age and sex, pregnancy and athletic training as the table below shows:

Recommended Daily Iron intake:
women 19-54 years	12-16mg
women +54 years	5-7mg
pregnant women	22-36mg
men +19yrs	7mg
infants 7-12 months	9mg
children 1-11	6-8mg
teenagers 12-18 years	10-13mg
athletes	17-23mg

Eating Certain Foods Will Help Your Body Absorb More Iron
There are two type of iron in food, 'haem iron' found in animal tissues (meat) and 'non-haem iron' found in cereals fruits and veges. Haem iron has what is known as 'high bioavailablity' meaning that it can be absorbed and used by the body, but non-haem iron has low bioavailability. The good news is that eating certain foods at the same time will increase your bodies ability to absorb that iron. Vitamin C can increase the absorbtion by 4-6 times. Broccoli, for example contains 100mg of vitamin C in just one cupful. 1 lemon contains 168mg and a kiwifruit 90mg. so eating a lemon, an orange, kiwifruit, strawberries, tamarillo, fresh orange juice, green pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, even a potato, can increase the body's absorption or iron.

Some Foods Stop Iron Being Absorbed
There are some foods that actually inhibit, (or interfere with) the body absorbing iron and one of the most common of these is tea. Yes a cup of tea contains tannin which will decrease the amount of iron absorbed from the food you eat. Tannin is also found in some veges and legumes. There are also phytates - which are compounds found in the outer layers of cereal grains, legumes and seeds. Dietary fibre and oxalic acid are other inhibitors. Oxalic acid is found in celery leaves, spinach, beetroot, parsely and tea leaves (again). Include these foods in your diet, but have in moderation, especially tea. Avoid having tea around eating a meal.

Note that spinach is not the iron rich "wonder food" as claimed on TV due to the presence of oxalic acid and phytates competing with iron absorption sites in your gut.

What About Iron Supplements?
Iron from real food is far better absorbed than iron in tablets, so supplement doses must be high, which in turn can cause side effects like gastric irritation, nausea, heartburn, diarrhea or constipation. Supplements should only be taken on a doctor or dietitians recommendation and doses should start low and increase gradually.

Can Too Much Iron Be Bad For Me?
High iron can produce iron-overload in susceptible people. It can also induce deficiency of copper and zinc (as they compete for absorption pathways). the side effects of toxicity include diarrhea, or constipation, abdominal discomfort, nausea, and increased risk of infection.

Best Sources of Iron
The redder the meat the more iron it contains is the general rule, here is a list in order of high iron to lower iron in meats: liver, kidney, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish. Mussels contain significant amounts of iron - almost as much as red meat. In non-haem iron from high to low the best iron sources are: dried apricots, baked beans, rolled oats, kidney beans, cooked porridge, boiled egg.

- an excellent source of iron
This recipe is very low fat at around 7% compared to commercial pate that is 30-50% and has about 25 servings

Ingredients
Chicken Livers (fresh)	400gm pottle
Onions	2 large
Garlic	2 cloves
(or 2 tsp crushed commercially prepared)
Chicken Stock powder	1 tsp
Basil (or other dried herb)	1 tsp
- or fresh chopped herbs, parsley, coriander, basil -	2-3 Tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper	to taste
Salt	to taste
Philadelphia extra lite cream cheese	1 pottle
Cognac/Port	3 Tbsp (optional)

Method:

1. Chop onions and fry in pan with minimal butter/oil/margerine
2. Add garlic, cook until onions are soft and transparent and add a little water to soften further
3. Add chicken livers, herbs, chicken stock powder
4. Cover pan and cook for 6-10 minutes till livers are cooked through. NOTE: do not over-cook livers
5. Add to food processor with extra lite cream cheese, freshly ground pepper, salt and cognac/port (optional)
6. pour into small dishes - garnish with rough ground pepper on top

Will keep in refrigerator 4-5 days or will freeze well for a month.

Serve with Vita-Wheat crackers, pita crisps, croustini, toasted Vogels bread, vegetable sticks and in sandwiches. Great for pre-dinner nibbles.

Your guests will be impressed!

Easi - Peasi!

As Christmas is almost upon us, I’d like to share this fat free Christmas cake - that is actually suitable all year round. I make this one up in small sizes and give them out as gifts - to all my special people (you know who you are!). This cake keeps really well and is delicious.

1 kg dried fruit mix ( commercially prepared or your own combination, such as apricots, currants, cranberries, raisins)
2 cups orange juice (pithy) or 2 cups ginger ale
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
Small can crushed pineapple
(optional) 4 tblsp sherry or brandy
Nuts, almonds, cherries - to go on top

Soak the fruit overnight or for 3-4 hours or microwave in juice for 20 minutes on a very low setting if you are in a hurry.
Pre heat the oven to 140o
Sift flour with baking powder and add dry spices, and make a well, mix in liquids and then fruit and pineapple.
Pour into a lightly greased baking tin and decorate the top with the almonds, nuts and cherries
Bake for 2 hours

For a “Christmas touch” you could wrap in cellophane and tie a bow with a Christmas coloured ribbon.

Serving suggestion:
Either warm or at room temperature.
Serve with honey flavoured Greek yoghurt or vanilla icecream.

YUMMY! ENJOY!