It's all happiness and pudding this wellness Wednesday!

This week, Danny Painter is feeling the year end blues, and as always Izelle Hoffman has some saige advice and an award winning recipe to make everything better! 

A lifestyle chef and author, Izelle has had her fair share of ups and downs, always overcoming them with a smile and kindness! 

They record a wellness podcast every week, and Izelle shares a recipe from her 'Mindful Eating' cookbook! Listen here:

This week she's bringing us a happy mind and a healthy gut! 

Caramel date pudding

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 25–30 minutes

Servings: 1 large pudding 6-8

2 x 410 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

6 Tbsp raw honey

100 g almond butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp caramel essence

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

90 g almond flour, plus extra for dusting

100 g pitted dates, chopped

1 tsp Oryx desert salt

2 jumbo eggs

flaked almonds for garnishing

Sauce

200 g almond butter

6 Tbsp raw honey

2 tsp caramel essence

1½ cups unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp Oryx desert salt

50 g pitted dates, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C on thermo-fan and spray a 20 x 30cm ovenproof dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients except the eggs and process on high for 3–5 minutes, scraping down the sides, until the mixture 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.)
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then add to the chickpea mixture and beat for another 30 seconds to mix well.
4. Scoop the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes.
5. To make the sauce, spray a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Add all of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until the almond butter starts to melt. The sauce will get a glazed look and have a slightly toasted nutty/caramel flavour.
6. After 20 minutes, remove the pudding from the oven and pour over the sauce. Top with the flaked almonds and chopped dates and dust with the almond flour. Bake for another 10 minutes. 
7. Serve warm

For a Festive Twist, add 100g of cranberries to the mix- Be on the lookout for ones sweetened with Pineapple  juice

Why do we make use of these ingredients:

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.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants, lowers blood sugar levels and has a powerful anti-diabetic effect. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial.

Dates

Dates are rich in selenium, manganese, copper and magnesium, all of which are required to keep bones healthy and prevent conditions such as osteoporosis. 

Bicarbonate of soda

You will find this in my pantry as well as in the bathroom next to my toothbrush. Bicarbonate of soda alkalises the body, and so drinking half a teaspoon dissolved in water before I go to bed at night helps neutralise the acidity build-up of the day. It also provides relief from colds and flu, and supports healthy detoxification

Did you know?: 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: