Tag: Recipe

Choco Almond Truffles

image

Every time we make almond or tiger nut milk, we can’t bring ourselves to throw away the leftover pulp – we are of the waste not, want not generation – and it’s become a kind of subconscious challenge to come up with a different recipe everytime!

These came about by accident as often happens. It’s the end of the month and as we searched the cupboard for likely ingredients,  we weighed and measured what happened to be left, which wasn’t very much – it was definitely a case of Old Mother Hubbard finding the cupboard almost bare! – and what was there we used up.

We reached for dried apricots, but found one had gone very mouldy and had to throw the rest away. We went for figs, none left. Dates, 3. No seeds. A quarter cup of almonds was all that was left after making the milk. We even ran out of cases!

 My husband kept saying we couldn’t do it, but I refused to be defeated. Stubborn is my other middle name! He was going to visit our son’s family and I wanted him to take some treats for our daughter-in-law. Try that, what’s in that jar? No, we haven’t any apple juice but we have an orange needs using. So, all in all, these turned out pretty well given the severity of the challenge.

They are little balls of protein, healthy fats, minerals and B vitamins, and taste moist and chocolatey.

But I’ll have to see what my daughter-in-law’s verdict is as I’m a little biased. Husband liked them though!

All ingredients are organic except the Maple Syrup. Makes about a dozen. Vegan, Gluten-free.

Ingredients

Approx. 1 Cup Almond Milk Pulp, squeezed as dry as possible

Half a Cup Raisins

3  Medjool Dates, pitted

Third of a Cup Almonds, ground

Quarter Cup Desiccated Coconut

Quarter Cup Goji Berries* lightly moistened in fresh orange juice + a few dry ones for decoration

2 Tbsps Melted Raw Coconut Oil

2 Tsps Maple Syrup

Small pinch of Pink Himalyan Salt

1 Mini Bar Goji and Orange Raw Chocolate*

1 -2 Tsps melted Raw Cacao Butter*

Method

Process all ingredients except the chocolate and cacao butter until it comes together when you press it.

Form into balls and place in the fridge to firm up while you melt the chocolate.

Melt cacao butter in a bowl over hot – not boiling- water and stir in broken up chocolate bar.

When melted remove from heat and dip treats in, placing them in small cases to keep them from rolling over.

Decorate each with a dry Goji Berry.

Place in fridge.

Keep well in an airtight container in the fridge.

*

While I was writing this up on a very wintry sleety Spring day, I was coincidentally listening to James Bay ‘I Need The Sun To Break’ (‘been in the dark for weeks’) then Suede Snowblind came on! Click the links to see the YouTube videos. I need some Raw Hot Chocolate!

*from The Raw Chocolate Company

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Chia Cashew Smoothie

image

After seemingly endless cycles of wind, rain, sleet, hail and snow on repeat, the sun came out of hibernation the morning I was having this for breakfast and I was able to sit out in the garden amongst the forget-me-nots, bluebells and tulips. I was joined by variously coloured butterflies and serenaded by a blackbird from the apple tree. So peaceful and so welcome.

*

But on to the recipe.

I love cashews. They are delicately sweet, creamy and versatile. And they are good for you! Little parcels of protein, fibre, B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, copper, calcium, zinc, iron, selenium, potassium and healthy fats. (They contain the least amount of fat of all the nuts). They can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, whole or blended, or on their own toasted, salted or plain. A couple of handfuls of these tiny titans are also reputed to be as effective as 1 dose of prozac for its calming effects, they contain tryptophan, the precursor to seratonin, a feel-good chemical produced in our brains.

Chia seeds, too, have become a favourite: also versatile, they are a healthy addition to smoothies, breakfast porridge and desserts; mixed with water they can act as egg replacement in recipes and punch far beyond their size in nutrients. These tiny seeds provide high quality protein, fibre, antioxidants, healthy omega fats, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc.

They are usually best used pre-soaked to make them swell, however blended in a smoothie helps with this – they keep you fuller longer and help keep your digestive system moving. Some people like a spoonful of chia seeds soaked in a glass of water for 20-30 minutes with a squeeze of lime juice as a refreshing drink.

All ingredients are organic except the yogurt.

Ingredients

1 Small Ripe Banana

1 Small Handful Cashew Pieces

2 Tbsps Raw Hemp Seeds*

1 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Tbsp Millet Flakes

Small Handful Blueberries

2 Medjool Dates, pitted

1 Small Glass Unsweetened Coconut Water

1 Tbsp CoYo Plain Yogurt

*

 Blend and serve.

image

*

I was very tempted to add George Harrison’s ‘Here Comes the Sun’ but this You Tube video of Paul McCartney’s ‘Blackbird’ has stunning pictures of a garden blackbird accompanying it, it’s such a gentle song to accompany my peaceful breakfast, I couldn’t resist…

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Banana & Sweet Apricot Kernel Smoothie

imageThis gorgeously light and delicate smoothie was created on a beautiful Spring morning and I couldn’t resist adding a photo of these striking red tulips in amongst the forget-me-nots – the smoothie looks a bit peely-wally by comparison (Scots: look it up! One for you Scribbleartie 😉)

Have you ever had bananas and peanut butter? If so, you’ll love this. It has home-made Sweet Apricot Kernel butter in it, but you can substitute it if you wish. I’d just read a Raw Chocolate Company tweet about their special offer on Sweet Apricot Kernels and I remembered we still had a bag in the cupboard, so we put them together et voilà!

                                     image                   Sweet Apricot Kernels are like small delicate almonds and can be used in the same way. You can make Sweet Apricot Kernel Butter and milk as you would with almonds.

 B vitamins, healthy fats, protein and electrolytes in a glass. Sweet and simple, so what are you waiting for?

*

All ingredients are organic, vegan and gluten-free. 

Ingredients

1 Small Ripe Banana

Handful of Sweet Apricot Kernels*

1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds*

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Tbsp Raw Unsweetened Sweet Apricot Kernel Butter or Peanut Butter

1 Heaped Tbsp Gluten-Free Oats

1 Glass Unsweetened Coconut Water

*

Blend and relax.

*

This recipe is for Bernadette over at https://haddonmusings.com/ she hadn’t heard of sweet apricot kernels until she read my recipe for Oh-So-Choolatey Hemp Seed Coins – there are some more recipes which have them among their ingredients here.

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Happy Star Wars Day! Yoda’s Youthful Green Smoothie

image

 This Green Smoothie was created in honour of The Wise One’s special day!

It’s not guaranteed to bestow long life  – I think 900 years is pushing it a bit – and a wealth of wisdom, but a host of healthy anti-inflammatory nutrients including healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, electrolytes and Vitamin C, will nourish and hydrate your skin and body, while it’s omega oils will also feed the brain.

Due to it’s vegetable content, it’s perhaps more a lunchtime smoothie than a breakfast one.

All ingredients are organic except the live yogurt, but it has no sugar or additives.

Ingredients

Half a ripe Avocado, chopped

2″ of Cucumber, chopped

1 Apple, chopped

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Tbsp CoYo Plain Yogurt

2 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped

1 Glass Unsweetened Coconut Water

Blend and serve.

May the Fourth Be With You!

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Improvised Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Chickpeas

This recipe is Vegan and Gluten-Free.

image

This came about when we had nothing planned for dinner – nothing new there then! – and found just over half a tin of chickpeas in the fridge that needed using, along with about a quarter of a cauliflower and the same of broccoli.

I don’t often have curry. My husband likes them quite strong and puts tomatoes in which I don’t eat, but this time my tastes prevailed and so was born a mild, creamy curry made with my favourite veg.

Chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans and gram – are a good source of protein, calcium, iron and fibre.

Most of the ingredients were organic, but not the Green Curry Paste – however, it was free from additives, refined sugar and gluten and was suitable for vegans, so passed muster for this curry.

All measurements are very approximate and timings, well, basically I’m guessing!

The curry was all cooked in a large frying pan, with the vegetables being stir-fried first. Everything was done within 40 minutes or so.

Serves 3 – on the basis that there were 2 of us and enough left over for a third if we didn’t have seconds.

We had it with brown Basmati rice – I know, clash of cultures, but that’s what we like and that’s all we had in.

Get everything prepared beforehand: rice measured, soaked for an hour and rinsed, water boiled for the rice, all veg washed and chopped into small pieces, cans opened.

Ingredients

Coconut oil for frying

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves of Garlic, crushed

large handful each of Cauliflower & Broccoli already chopped into small pieces

3/4 Cup Sweetcorn

3-4 Mushrooms, Sliced

1/2 to 2/3 can of Chickpeas

2/3 can Coconut Milk

1-2 Tbsps Gang Keow Wan Green Curry Paste

A Splash or two of Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)

1 Dsp Coconut Palm Sugar*

Squeeze of Lime

Handful of fresh chopped Coriander

Optional: 1 chopped tomato added near the end, we also thought plain, unsalted peanuts or cashews would go well if liked, but we didn’t have any.

 Method

(Have the rice going when the onion has been stir-frying for a couple of minutes, have a hot dish ready to put it in in case it’s ready first).

Melt the oil until hot enough for the onion to sizzle but not smoking.

Stir-fry onion for a few minutes until shiny, add cauliflower, broccoli and crushed garlic, stir-fry for another few minutes, then add mushrooms and continue to cook until it all begins to give a little.

Add some of the coconut milk, the green curry paste and the tamari and stir, cooking until the paste is dissolved and well mixed.

Add the rest of the milk, chickpeas, sweetcorn, sugar and continue cooking for a few minutes on a low heat with a lid on, until the cauliflower and broccoli are cooked but with a little bite.

Add the nuts if used.

Before serving, add a squeeze of lime juice and some fresh chopped coriander, with more coriander for garnish (I forgot it for the photos!).

Serve on hot plates.

image

Hope I didn’t miss anything out!

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com

Copyright: Chris McGowan

5 lbs in 5 Days: Day Zero – Prep Day

image

(Apologies for lack of credit, I came across this on Twitter and it was unattributed)

So, here we are on Day Zero of my 5lbs in 5 Days* challenge! It starts properly tomorrow, but Day Zero is preparation day.

It’s a fine morning to begin our countdown, the sun is straining to come out from behind the clouds. I was woken by the dawn chorus, a beautiful way to start the day. If you have the oportunity, get as much fresh air as you can, breathe it in deeply and appreciate the budding trees and nesting birds.

This is an excellent time to clear out the bodily clutter and start anew. In a week’s time you will feel you are a different person!

If, like me, you are a regular juicer and have a fairly ‘clean’ diet ie free from processed foods, alcohol and sugar, then you probably only need the weekend to taper down before the week long juice fast. If you are doing this for the first time and/or tend to have takeaways or convenience food and so on, then I recommend you spend a couple of weeks gradually introducing more fruit and veg and reducing the sugar/alcohol/coffee/processed foods before you do a full-on juice cleanse. That way, you are less likely to experience withdrawal symptoms in the first couple of days – this could be a headache for instance or a strong craving for caffeine – and therefore less likely to give up before you’ve really felt the benefits.

My day began with my usual cup of hot water – unfortunately I can’t have lemon juice in it, it sets my teeth on edge! Sometimes I have ginger tea; fresh ginger is anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-fungal and is a strong weapon to deploy when doing a cleanse or when fighting off viruses or inflammation in the body.

Next I had a very fiery Morning Glory – see Juicy Winter Warmers – which was particularly spicy today and a great wake-up juice!

image

Another glass of warm water was followed by a large breakfast smoothie:

image

Small banana

Handful of Walnuts

Heaped Tbsp of Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbsps Quinoa Flakes

2 Large Romaine Lettuce Leaves

1 Tsp Wheatgrass Powder

1 Medium Glass Fresh Apple Juice + a little filtered water

1 Heaped Tbsp Coyo Plain Yogurt

It has plenty of protein, carbs, omega oils, vitamins and minerals to keep me going all morning. If you want it a little fruitier/sweeter and a little less ‘green,’ try adding a couple of dried apricots or a pitted medjool date.

For lunch I’ll be having leftover home-made vegetable soup (see Thick and Chunky Winter Vegetable Soup)

image

with home-made Gluten-free Tiger Nut Bread

image

 Mid-afternoon I’ll have The Red One image

Beetroot juice in my funky Grip and Go glass bottle

This evening I’ll either have a huge salad with avocado or a vegetable stir-fry, haven’t decided yet – depends how cold it is by then!

Don’t forget to keep hydrated, lots of water and fruit or herbal teas will help prevent any detox headaches and hunger pangs.

Try to wind down from tv, computers and other devices well before bedtime and get an early night. Try to avoid over-exertion of the mind and body during this juice fast, it’s not advisable to start building that extension or increasing your work load. Any chance you get to just ‘be’, to be still, to be alone, to meditate, contemplate, do some yoga, go for a stroll, take it. Cleansing your mind is as important as cleansing your body.

Hope this has given some useful insight to pre-cleanse prep and I look forward to hearing your experiences during the week.

See my other Juicing Posts for more detailed tips and to read about my Super Juice experience.

Good luck!

*http://www.juicemaster.com

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Easter Coconut & Almond Truffles

image

So good to have some sun again after weeks of rain!

These Raw Truffles were made from the pulp left over from the almond milk this morning. (See Almond Milk Recipe). The pulp was left wet and everything was done in the processor. Very quick and simple.

Ingredients

Leftover Pulp fom just under a Litre of Almond Milk

1/2 Cup Raisins

1/2 Cup Desiccated Coconut

4 Dates

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Tbsp Raw Organic Coconut Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Maple Syrup

For Dusting (Optional): Desiccated Coconut, Finely Chopped Almonds, Raw Cacao Powder*

Method

Process everything until it comes together and you can press it into balls. It doesn’t take long. Place in the fridge in an airtight container and they’ll keep well.

Some garden photos to celebrate Spring!

image

image

Love the smell of hyacinths

image

Nesting materials for the birds – we have a pair of robins, several blackbirds, goldfinches, sparrows, blue tits, great tits and a pair of wrens! Idea from Pioneering the Simple Life.

image

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Make Beetroot Your New Veg Friend! (Juice Recipes Included)

 

image

The Red One – Recipe Below (along with details of where to buy the glass bottle)

When I was at school and had school dinners, they used to give us sliced boiled beetroot with shepherd’s pie once a week. It turned the mashed potato a blushing pink. In those days we ate what we were given, both at home and at school, there were no menu options. I loved school dinners and whilst I wasn’t a big fan of boiled beetroot, it was ok. I ate it. Then in my teens I started taking packed lunches and between then and 2 years ago, not another slice of beetroot passed my lips. We never had it at home and later when I had my own family, my husband didn’t like it so we just never bought it.

Juicing changed all that. When I came to have my first juice with beetroot in, I was somewhat apprehensive. To my surprise, I liked it and given all its nutritional benefits, beetroot became My New Veg Friend.

It is advisable when you first begin juicing to add some fruit, especially lemon and/or berries, even ginger, which I still do, I’m not that hardcore that I drink straight beetroot juice! It has a slightly earthy flavour which some people aren’t keen on, although some varieties are sweeter than others. This is reduced if you remove the skin, but of course you’ll also be removing vital nutrients.

image

A welcome donation from our neighbour’s allotment

To my surprise, my previously juice-sceptic husband started having a daily beetroot juice too. I convinced him that it would help his blood pressure and now it has become part of his daily routine. And he doesn’t even drink it with a peg on his nose! He certainly feels healthier for it.

He gets regular exercise cleaning up after he’s made it too – for some reason, he always manages to get beetroot juice everywhere! So be warned, it stains, you’re advised to wear an apron and rubber gloves!

Just one of the many beetroot explosions in our kitchen, it even reached the ceiling once!

Beetroots are rich in iron, potassium, magnesium and folate, are anti-imflammatory, rich in anti-oxidants and are good for heart and blood health. They increase blood flow to the brain and improve exercise performance. Regular drinking of beetroot juice has been shown to reduce blood pressure.

Here’s one of the beetroot recipes we use – full of anti-oxidants, it is also anti-inflammatory, mineral-rich and has protein from the romaine leaves (see below for links to other beetroot juice recipes)*

The Red One

Ingredients

(Organic if possible)

1 Small or Half a Medium Beetroot – If organic and you’re used to beetroot, just chop the ends off, scrub well and leave the peel on

2-3 Medium Carrots, scrubbed

6 Romaine leaves, rinsed well

Thick Slice of Wax-Free Lemon – if organic, scrub and leave peel on, if not peel thinly leaving as much pith as possible.

Chunk of Ginger – size depending on whether or not you are used to the taste, it doesn’t want to be overpowering

2 Medium Apples

Half a Mango or Large Handful of Mixed Berries

Method

Juice all ingredients except Mango or Berries. Blend them into the juice, add ice.

(Beetroot is also a great tomato substitute: if you’re nightshade-sensitive and miss pasta or pizza sauce see my post Amazing Tomatoless Sauce)

*Winter Beetroot Wonder-Juice: Refreshing, Nutritious, Simple

Election Day Special Fruity Beetroot Juice

Blended Breakfast Beetroot Juice

Hot, Hot, Hot Anti-Inflammatory Beetroot & Ginger Juice!

Here’s one for beetroot soup:

Vegan, Gluten-Free Carrot, Beetroot & Basil Soup

and a burger recipe:

Nutty Bean & Beetroot Veggie Burgers with Quinoa & Redcurrants

You can even have beetroot in your porridge!

Pink Oats, Anyone?

The glass bottle in the photo is by Grip and Go UK. They produce a variety of stylish glass bottles in quirky shapes, some with colourful silicone grips and easy grip lids, or you can choose stainless steel lids. The bottles are dishwasher-safe and you can even chalk on the one in the photo, great fun! Ditch the plastic!

Here’s a gentle, relaxing YouTube video of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (see what I did there? 😉) to listen to while you sip your juice.

 Copyright: Chris McGowan

Spiralising: A Great Way to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Greens, Reds, Yellows …

I have a confession to make. You know all those kitchen gadgets I mentioned in Gadgets Anonymous ? Well… <typing in quiet voice, head down, eyes looking sheepish> I have another one… But it’s not a blender!

Nope, a spiraliser. Lurch is its name.

To be fair, it isn’t new. It’s been sitting in the cupboard for some time, still in its box, waiting for us to catch up to it. And last night, we finally did, amd what fun!

image

On this plate are a Red Apple, a Carrot, half a medium Courgette and a quarter of a long Cucumber. Look at the wonderful colours!

It is highly unlikely anyone would sit and eat those items whole with a knife and fork. But spiralised, it becomes a whole different experience. Spiralising really does make a difference to how they taste, the texture and how much you can eat.

I had all this for dinner last night, along with a couple of very tasty, easy-to-make items from Jason Vale’s Super Fast Food app, which I hope to review when we’ve given it a good workout – so far, so thumbs up!

(We made the Zesty Creamy Rocket Pesto and the Nutty Seeded Crackers, both flavourful and nourishing and now added to our menu for regular use).

image

For the kids, it’s so much fun watching the twirly ribbons of veggie noodles emerging from the spiraliser, they just want to take a handful, tip their head back and start feeding the spirals into their mouth.

The Lurch spiraliser is very light and easy to use. Kids can help make their noodles with supervision. It comes with 3 different blades which are stored in the side and have protective hand grips to make it easy to switch.

image

It has suction feet to stop it slipping or travelling while in use. It also cores, and kids find the leftover middles amusing to play with or eat, or they can be juiced.

I am so excited! I know I am late to the party as far as spiralising is concerned, but I’ve been wanting to try for so long and better late than never!

Just hope the juicers and blenders aren’t going to view this as an act of betrayal! (But they needn’t worry, they continue to have pride of place on the kitchen counter, the spiraliser for the moment is still confined to the cupboard).

With grateful thanks to K and M! x

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Raw Pitch Dark Figgy Almond Slices

Warning: Cycling season is back so fun Orica-GreenEDGE YouTube video at end of recipe!

There is always a debate in our house whenever nut milk is made as to what do with the leftover pulp. It seems wasteful to just discard it and you need to have some idea of what you’re going to do with it before you make the nut milk. Having soaked the almonds for the milk last night, I was lying in bed this morning trying to devise a way to use up the pulp. I had a nice long lie-in! There are already recipes using Tiger Nut Pulp on my Raw Treats Recipes Page and here’s the one I came up with using the Almond Nut Pulp.

See, I really was working not sleeping 😉

As always, measurements are approximate, substitutions of like for like are encouraged, whatever you have in your cupboards that behaves in the same way.

All ingredients are organic and vegan.

Before you begin, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, then break up the bar of raw chocolate into a bowl to be placed over a pan of hot water (not boiling) to melt when you’re ready to drizzle. Heat up some water in the kettle to melt the cacao butter ready to add to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients

1 Cup Almond Pulp

1 Cup Mixed Dried Figs & Dried Apricots – about 2/3 figs to 1/3 apricots

1/2  Cup Mixed Seeds – we used Sesame, Pumpkin & Sunflower

1/2 Cup Melted Cacao Butter*

1 Tsp Raw Maple Syrup (Optional)

1/2 Cup Dried Mulberries*

1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Almonds + some more finely ground to sprinkle on

1 22g Bar Pitch Dark Raw Chocolate*

Method

Place Almond Pulp, Figs, Apricots, Mixed Seeds in processor

Pulse a few times, then process a few seconds, stirring down if it sticks

Add Melted Cacao Butter and Maple Syrup and process a few seconds, again stirring down to make it all come together well

Working quickly, add Chopped Almonds and Dried Mulberries

Process a few more seconds, they need to still be rough to give a little bite.

The mixture should come together when pressed

Quickly press into tray – the cacao butter will be setting – then melt chocolate and drizzle or spread over mixture, ours had a bit of both: The part that has chocolate spread over it also has finely chopped almonds sprinkled on.

image

Place in the fridge for a few minutes then slice.

Makes about 12.

As the professional cycling road race season is back, here is a fun video of the guys from the Aussie Orica-Greenedge team having some fun with the kids in South Africa to ‘Uptown Funk.’ However bad your day is going, this is guaranteed to make you smile! Enjoy!

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com

Copyright: Chris McGowan