In a bid to cure her daughter’s eczema, Eleanor Ozich ditched sugar and wheat and began sharing her recipes in a blog. The results have been life-changing
Back in 2012, Eleanor Ozich was a full-time mum, who indulged her passion for food by posting her recipes and pictures for friends on Facebook.
Now, just two years on, she’s a published author with her very own cook-book and a second on the way, and she’s just opened a cafe called Mondays in her native New Zealand.
But, most importantly, her daughter no longer suffers from eczema, which was so severe and sore it used to keep her awake crying at night.
Ozich was simply a distraught mother searching for a cure for her child.
“Our daughter Izabella started to develop eczema when she was about two years old, although it was not until she was about three that it began to worsen significantly,” explains 25-year-old Ozich.
“After countless visits to doctors and specialists, nobody could shine a light on her condition, nor explain the impact it had on her behaviour. We were prescribed artificial creams, and medication, which would only ever temporarily fix the problem.”
In “absolute despair”, they eventually took Bella to a naturopath, who diagnosed what she called gut and psychology syndrome (GAPS).
“It’s an imbalance of bad gut bacteria, causing toxins, which was resulting in the eczema and her extreme mood fluctuations. At the time, this revelation made complete sense to us, and we were completely willing to heal her gut through removing wheat, grains, sugar and anything processed from our diets,” recalls Ozich.
She was so committed that she started charting her attempts to cook without using those ingredients in a blog, which she named Petite Kitchen (www.petite-kitchen.com).
Here are three recipes from My Petite Kitchen Cookbook to try yourself.
SWEET POTATO, CARROT AND CASHEW SOUP
SERVES 4
3 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large carrots, roughly chopped
1.5-2L vegetable or chicken stock
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 handfuls of toasted cashew nuts
Sour cream, creme fraiche or plain yoghurt, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the sweet potato and carrot in a stockpot or large saucepan and cover with the stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender the liquid has reduced slightly.
Leave to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a blender, one ladleful at a time. Add the garlic and most of the cashews, reserving some nuts to garnish the soup. Blend until smooth, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Gently reheat the soup and ladle into bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche or yoghurt and the reserved cashews.
Serve with an extra sprinkling of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
LAMB LEG STEAKS WITH MINT AND APPLE CIDER SAUCE
SERVES 2
2 large organic lamb leg steaks, each weighing about 300g and about 2cm thick, at room temperature
2-3tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SAUCE
60ml apple cider vinegar
2tbsp honey, or maple or agave syrup
1 large handful of mint leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle the steaks with a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then rub on both sides with the olive oil. Set aside.
To make the sauce, put the vinegar and honey in a small saucepan over low heat and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat, then add the mint and a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, then cover with a lid – this helps the flavours to really mix together.
Heat a chargrill pan or frying pan over high heat. Cook the lamb for three minutes on each side for medium-rare.
Leave to rest for five minutes. Carve the lamb and serve drizzled with the sauce.
BAKED BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES WITH PINE NUTS AND CASHEW CREAM
SERVES 4
40g pine nuts
450g strawberries, hulled
80ml good quality balsamic vinegar
3tbsp honey, or maple or agave syrup
FOR THE CASHEW CREAM
235g raw cashew nuts, soaked in water overnight
2tbsp honey, or agave or maple syrup
Juice of half a lemon
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4).
To make the cashew cream, drain the soaked cashews then rinse well. Place in a food processor with the honey, lemon juice and 125ml water. Blend until smooth, thick and creamy, adding a little more water if needed to achieve the perfect consistency. (The cashew cream will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but is best made on the day of serving.)
Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for two to three minutes, until fragrant, tossing regularly so they don’t burn. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the vinegar and honey. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the strawberries with a wooden spoon, then bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the strawberries are soft and juicy.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes or so.
Divide the strawberries among bowls. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, spoon dollops of the cashew cream on top and serve.