There's no better feeling than connecting with timeless friends.
You know, those amigos who you can go weeks, months, or even years without sharing a conversation but as soon as one of you messages, you just pick up where you left off.
The beautiful 
Saturday morning I trundled down to my local deli to buy some of the ingredients that I didn't have in my store cupboard. This little place is amazing and the only shop in town that sells healthy and vegan foods too.
One of the ingredients on the list was Psyllium husks. Now I feel a little embarrassed to say I didn't know what these were until I received this recipe. I proceeded to ask for 'sigh-lily-um' husks. Fortunately, the owner of the deli is more clued up than I, knew exactly what I wanted, and corrected my mispronunciation with no judgment whatsoever. I now understand that it is pronounced 'silly-um'.
Safe to say I feel a bit, um... silly.
Psyllium Husks and Their Health Benefits
Psyllium Husks are the seeds from the Plantago genus of plants. More commonly known by the name plantain.
How did I not know this?!?
I love plantain for its medicinal benefits. I use it as a topical treatment for stinging nettle rash among other sore skin problems.
In fact, there is a whole heap of health benefits to this plant and the husks are a particularly good source of dietary fiber, loaded with prebiotics that improve gut health. They can also help in lowering blood cholesterol and blood pressure, making them great for reducing the risk of heart disease.
They have also been know to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
I don't profess to be particularly creative in the kitchen but I do like to try new things.
Now I had to make a few adaptations to the recipe as I didn't have all the ingredients to hand.
Sure I got this, I casually thought to myself weighing out the ingredients. Somewhere between making the adjustments and following 2 recipes, I went terribly wrong.
Mistakes can often lead to discoveries...
Despite the pale appearance, it actually tasted pretty good. Almost the texture of stollen. I subbed in dried cranberries and coconut flour. I think I must have measured the oats and coconut flour incorrectly which contributed to the pale appearance.
It's certainly filling, brimming with fiber, and packed full of nutrients. I would say it's a vegan power loaf. I've been eating it every morning for the last two days topped with a little bit of plant-based butter.
This is what it is supposed to look like;
Here is the recipe I used:
Rolled Oats, 2 cups or 312g
Coconut Flour 1 cup or 128g
Psyllium Husk, 10 tbsp
Walnuts, 1 Cup or 115g
6 tbsp Chia Seeds
Almonds, 1/2 cup or 75g
Sunflower seeds no shells, 1/2 cup or 67g
Dried Cranberries, 1 cup or 100g
Maple Syrup, 6 tbsps
Fine ground pink Himalayan Salt, 1tsp
Melted Coconut Oil, 3 tbsps
Water, 3 cups or 710ml
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
Add water, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
Combine until all the water is absorbed.
Add to a lined loaf tin and let sit for about 2 hours.
Whilst this is sitting, preheat oven to 175c or 347f, Gas mark 3.
Cook for 20mins, then remove from tin and place directly on oven shelf for another 40mins.
The loaf is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped.
The beauty of this loaf is the versatility. It's possible to sub in and out whatever ingredients you want. Next time I am going to try cacao nibs instead of cranberries in the hope that the little dudes will try it.
I ended up cooking this for much longer, probably down to the mistake I made somewhere along the line. I also should point out that it would be best to mix the coconut oil, maple syrup, and water first and add the dry ingredients on top as I really struggled to mix it evenly. I ended up taking it out of the bowl and mixing it in my wok as it was a larger space.
If you're too afraid to try my recipe, the original Life Changing Loaf can be found on the My New Roots and I would highly recommend watching this version of the recipe being made before trying it too.
~ ONE LOVE~
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