This is the perfect showstopper chocolatey dessert, for the festive season. It’s quick and easy to make.
One of my personal favourites, that I make at most special occasions.
Ingredients
Base:
1 packet of Digestive biscuits crushed.
120g unstaled melted butter
28 KitKat fingers.
Cheesecake
500g Cream cheese
100g Icing Sugar
400ml Double Cream.
120g chocolate chips
Topping
100ml Double Cream
100g dark chocolate or chips
Chopped KitKat or chocolate shavings for to decorate.
100ml milk
Method:
Prep an 8 inch baking tin with KitKats around the edges.
Using a food processor blitz the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs.
Now melt the butter and add it to biscuit bowl and mix well.
Place the biscuit mixture into the tin inside the KitKat tower.
Then take a spoon and press the mixture down firmly to secure the KitKats.
For the Cheesecake:
In a bowl add in the double cream and whisk till it becomes thick and smooth.
In a separate bowl add in the cream cheese and icing sugar and whisk until it becomes smooth.
Add the whisked double cream to the cheese cream mixture and whisk again till it becomes smooth and thick.
Now spread the mixture inside the KitKat tower and smooth it over with a spoon.
Place the KitKat tower in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours to allow it to set.
For the Topping
To a bowl add the double cream and dark chocolate/chips.
Place the bowl inside the microwave for 30 second to let the mixture melt.
Pour the melted mixture over the top of the cheesecake and smooth it over with a spoon.
Add either chopped KitKats or chocolate shavings on the too to decorate the cake.
Finally place the cake in the fridge overnight to allow it to set well.
macronutrient: FAT
Let’s talk about the macronutrient FAT
Fat breaks down into fatty acids to provide the body with energy. Apart from being a rich source of energy, it has many of the essential roles in the body:
Provides the body with essential fatty acids.
structural compounds, which body is unable to produce itself and can only get from food.
absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Creates hormones.
promotes healthy skin and hair.
Essential for brain health, as the brain is composed of 60% fat.
Dairy: Butter, margarine, Full fat and 2% dairy & Eggs.
Meat, poultry and fish. Nuts & seeds Avocado
Trans fats should be cut out or reduced from thr diet. They mostly come from hydrogenating or adding hydrogen molecules to unsaturated fats. It can be found in margarine, shortening, baked goods, doughs, and fried foods.
Large quantities of saturated fat caused high cholesterol levels and increase risk of heart disease. It’s very beneficial to reduce the amount of saturated fat in diet. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal sources like, fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, lard, cream, butter, full fat cheese, and dairy.
Unsaturated fats are healthy fats and can help with decreasing thr risk of heart disease. They originate from plant sources; avocados, nuts and nut butters, seeds, olives, and oils (olive, canola, safflower etc.). Also found animal products like, fatty fish including salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and herring.
There is a wde perception that carbs are the enemy when it come to weight loss peopletend to cut out carbs from their diet to achieve weight loss and follow low carb diet.
Let me start by dismissing this notion.. carbs are not the Enemy. Of course you should reduce processed and sugary carbohydrates from the diet, for weigh loss and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The healthier sources of carbs such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and pulses are an important integral part of a healthy, balanced diet and ones that will help with weight loss.
Another important point to make is that Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy: They fuel the brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system.
Priary functions of carbohydrates
💪 Energy production.
💪 Energy storage. Building
💪 macromolecules.
💪 Sparing protein.
💪 Assit with lipid metabolism.
Side effects of not eat enough carbs. Limiting Carbs from the diet can cause the body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness
Start by Preheating the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Chop up all the veggies and add to a lightly oiled baking tray. Coat the veggies with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the tray. Roast the veggies for 30mins until they turn lightly browned.
Remove from over and leave Leave on rack cool down.
How to make tomato sauce.
In a large pan heat the olive oil and add in onions and garlic.
Cook them for 5 mins over a slow heat until softened.
Turning the heat to medium, pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to boil and then let it simmer for anout 25 mins.
Now add in the basil leaves, take of heat and leave to cool down. Once the mixture is cooled, pour into the processor and blitz till smooth.
How to make the white sauce.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, the. Add and stir in the plain flour. Let this cook for 2-4 mins and then whisking in the milk and bring to boil, while stirring all the way through. Lower the heat and cook till the sauce starts to thicken up.
Preparing the Lasagna
The oven should be preheated at 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Oil the ovenproof lasagna dish lightly.
Add a layer of the cooked vegetables to the dish, then pour over a layer of the tomato sauce. Followed by covering with a layer of lasagne sheets and drizzling a small layer of the white sauce.
Repeat this process until you have three/ four layers of pasta.
Lastly scattering mozzarella cheese over the lasagna till fully covered
Place the the lasagna dish inside the preheated over and bake for 45 minutes, till golden brown.
These are signs of a poor gut health – acidity, abnormal stomach acid, H.pylori,, recurring bloating, and constipation
Below are some tips on what messes our gut health and how to improve gut health with sfood and lifestyle changes.
What messes up your gut health?
👉 Having a diet of Junk and processed foods.
👉 Living a Sedentary lifestyle.
👉 Chronic emotional stress.
👉 Sleep deprivation.
👉 Self-medicating yourself
👉 Overdosing & taking antibiotics without probiotics or vitamin B complex.
How to heal your gut.
👉 Eat a rainbow of fruit & veg.
👉 Cut down on refind sugars.
👉 Inculde more Whole grains into your diet.
👉 Don’t do to fat diets for extreme lose weight.
Other gut-friendly foods
✅ unsalted nuts (almonds and pistachios are best)
✅ Yogurt is an natural probiotic to populate your gut.
✅ Mushrooms are rich in beta-glucan and excellent for the gut.
✅ Over night soaked oats are the best, they are an excellent sources of beta-glucan and high in fibre that promotes gut health and keeps fuller for a longer time.
✅ Lean protein is an excellent source for someone that has poor gut health. like chicken, fish.
✅ For severe gut problems, following a plant-based diet for a month will reduce inflammation, repair thr gut and then slowly
✅ Triphala is more then a lexative. It is amazing for the gut while allowing to pass motions easily.
Lena's Kitchen 