Chilli and chocolate? Yes please, Izelle Hoffman!

She's our favourite mindful mentor, teaching us to love ourselves, our bodies, and our lives, starting small!

Small, like one meal at a time! Are you ready for this week's Izelle Hoffman-approved recipe?

In our podcast this week, we speak about the importance of moving your body every day, the importance of what you put into it, and Izelle shares her fail safe chilli chocolate fillet medallions! 

Fillet medallions with chilli-chocolate sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

400 g fillet medallions

1 Tbsp olive oil

Oryx desert salt and ground black pepper to taste

chopped fresh thyme for garnishing

Chilli-chocolate sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

150 ml unsweetened almond milk

120 g almond butter

3 Tbsp raw honey

2 heaped tsp raw cacao powder

1/4 tsp Oryx desert salt

1 tsp caramel essence

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. First make the sauce. Spray a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Add all the ingredients and heat up over a low heat. Stir until the sauce thickens.
2. Rub the fillet medallions with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Cook to preference. 
3. Pour the sauce over the meat, garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately with thinly sliced oven-grilled sweet potato chips seasoned with olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Note: To make sweet potato crisps, cut whole sweet potatoes into thin chips. Preheat oven to 200’C and spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with baking paper. Place the sweet potato chips on the tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper and bake until desired crispiness.

Why do we make use of these ingredients:

Olive Oil: We all have our reasons why we prefer certain oils, but without a doubt my oil base of choice is olive oil, specifically for its amazing health benefits. Olive oil helps reduce inflammation and prevent osteoporosis, and is essential for bone health because it assists in the absorption of calcium and the mineralisation of bones, all of which are qualities I look for in a product, given my hip dysplasia and related joint pain.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Ground Black Pepper: Why do we add pepper to our food? When I ask this during cooking demonstrations, I always get the most interesting answers, but mostly people cannot tell me why they add pepper to their meals. My reason? It increases nutrient absorption and improves digestion, so you can get the most out of every meal, every time.

Thyme: Boosts the immune system, is antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory, and improves bone health.

Chillies: A potent pain relieving anti-inflammatory, that is anti-bacterial and immune boosting.

Another one ingredient challenge: What's in your fridge?

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

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