Journal
Easy Raw Breakfast
Breakfast can be tricky. Sometimes you just don’t know what to have and in these situations it is easy to make an unhealthy choice. The body has been without fuel for perhaps 12 hours and I still believe breakfast to be one of the most important meals of the day. Children especially often go to school on empty calories in the form of a cereal. Many children love this breakfast and it can be adapted to suit their tastes. They particularly like it with bananas and strawberries. You can also add some Greek yoghurt. This breakfast is a powerhouse of enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Easy to make, you will feel virtuous for the rest of the day. GET THE EQUIPMENT This multi chopper is one of my most used kitchen gadgets. It is easy to clean, durable and fast.Perfect for this Easy Raw Power Breakfast, our famous Garlic, Chilli and Ginger Special and the seasonal Wild Garlic Pesto. GET THE INGREDIENTS Store cupboard Flax seeds or chia seeds Walnuts/almonds/brazil nuts Sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds Desiccated coconut Coconut oil Prunes/sultanas/dates/raisins Honey (raw if preferable) Fresh Milk variation (not soya), kefir or apple juice Apples/pears/bananas/raspberries/blueberries/strawberries/blackcurrants/blackberries THE RECIPE – serves a very hungry person The night before ….. In your mini chopper add 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds 3 Brazil nuts (your daily RDA of selenium) 2 tablespoons of walnuts 1 tablespoon of almonds 1 tablespoon of sultanas Cover with 200ml of liquid (measurements on side of chopper). I used 100ml kefir and 100ml of apple juice. Stir and leave over night. In the morning …… ADD 1 chopped apple 1 chopped banana 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (I like to melt mine) More liquid if required BLITZ Sprinkle with coconut flakes and drizzle with honey The variations are wide and you can mix and match to your taste.
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Spring Cleansing Smoothie
This fabulous quick recipe encompasses powerful health promoting ingredients. Anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, detoxifying, immune-boosting and cleansing this amazing smoothie has a powerhouse of benefits. The perfect spring drink! The Recipe 1 cup of fresh chopped pineapple 1 small banana (or double the amount of pineapple) 1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked the night before in half a cup of pineapple juice, coconut milk (tinned) or coconut water. Stir to ensure seeds are soaking 1 or 2 teaspoons of raw honey 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric paste (see recipe here – turmeric golden paste) 1 lime, peeled and roughly chopped 1 cup of tinned coconut milk or coconut water Method Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz
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Healing Turmeric Golden Paste Recipe
HEALING GOLDEN TURMERIC PASTE Turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the ginger family Zingiberaceae, which is native to tropical South Asia. How to make and use this this highly bio-available golden turmeric paste The Recipe 1/2 a cup turmeric powder 1/3 a cup of coconut oil 1 – 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper (Important!! Increases bio-availability of curcumin by 1000%!!) 1 cup of water plus an extra cup for desired paste consistency The Method In a saucepan add the turmeric powder and water. Stir over a gentle heat until you have a thick paste. This should take about 10 minutes. You may need to add a bit more water as you go. Then add the coconut oil and the black pepper at the end of cooking. Whisk or stir well to incorporate the oil. Leave to cool Store the golden paste in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Use in smoothies, ‘golden milk’ (warm up a cup of milk, stir in 1 teaspoon of the golden paste, pinch of cinnamon and a heaped teaspoon of honey), add 1 teaspoon to whipped up eggs before frying, add to curries or as an addition to a salad dressing. For humans and animals! Why Turmeric Science has started to back up what the Indians have know for a long time, that this is food as medicine. Medline, an open access database now contains over 1,000 studies on turmeric and its components such as curcumin. These are some of the most amazing demonstrated properties of turmeric – Prevention and reversal of Alzheimer’s disease and other brain diseases Reduction in inflammation Cancer prevention and destroying of cancer stem cells Protection against radiation induced damage Protection against heavy metal toxicity Lowered risk of heart disease Benefits against depression Read more here how turmeric may help over 500 health conditions
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Garlic, Chilli and Ginger Special
Let every meal be a medical prescription This is one of my favourite rapid recipes. I love it on oatcakes with cheese, added to omelettes, spread over hot cheese and toast and I do have friends who love it on the side of their roast dinner! It has numerous uses and health benefits and can be added as a quick flavour boost to dishes. Recipe 1 bulb of garlic, cloves removed but purple skins left on 4 red chillies A walnut sized piece of ginger 10ml of apple cider vinegar (raw is best) 60ml extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil Method Crush the garlic with the back of a knife and leave aside for a few minutes. In the meantime wash and destalk the chillies, cut in half and add to a mini blender. Peel the ginger and chop in half adding to the chillies along with the garlic cloves, cider vinegar and olive oil. Blend to a coarse mixture and store in a glass jar in the fridge. This wonderful prescriptive blend – Boosts immunity De-congests the lungs Increases protection against cancer Lowers blood pressure Increases energy Increases thermogenesis – valuable for weight management
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Elderflower Cordial
I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.John Muir The magnificent Elder is a sight to behold, in early summer with its masses of creamy white fragrant blossoms, followed by the heavy dark drooping purple juicy berries at the end of the season. The Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) takes me back many years ago when as children we would fill bin bags with the fragrant flowers in a nearby wasteland, enjoying the beautiful summery fragrance. Returning home the flowers would be laid out on a specially made tray with a thin nylon mesh base. This would be set over the AGA where the warmth from below would dry out the herbs producing a sweet, gentle aroma that would fill the house. The dried herbs would then be made into a tincture for medicinal uses. I remember being given a soothing warm drink of Elderflower, honey and other herbs if I had a virus or respiratory illness. It would help to produce a sweat, allowing the body to heal. Elderflower is used for: Sinusitis Influenza Bronchitis Inducing sweating as a diaphoretic Rheumatism Constipation Elderflower Cordial Ingredients About 20 Elderflower heads 4 unwaxed lemons (grated zest and juice of) 1.5 litres of water 1 kilo sugar 1 heaped tsp of citric acid (optional) Method Place the cleaned Elderflower heads in a bowl with the grated lemon zest and pour over 1.5 litres of boiled water. Stir, cover and leave for about 24 hours. Strain the liquid through a piece of muslin into a saucepan, and add the sugar, lemon juice and citric acid if using. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and pour into sterilised bottles.
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Fennel eye wash for irritated eyes
Fennel has always been used traditionally for irritated, itchy eyes and even for conjunctivitis. A fennel eye wash is ideal when suffering with hay fever. 17th century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper wrote, ‘Fennel increases milk, cleanses the eyes from mists that hinder sight and take away the loathings which oftentimes happens to the stomachs of sick persons’. Fennel is often used as a calmative for an upset tummy, for colicky babies, to encourage milk flow in breastfeeding women and for menstrual pain. My favourite fennel salad 1 bag rocket, half a fennel bulb sliced, a small handful of fennel fronds, half a red onion sliced, 1 sliced avocado, 1 quarter of a cucumber sliced, then rounds halved. Add to a bowl. Mix the following for a salad dressing – 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tsp of runny honey, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, good pinch of salt. Whisk up. Pour over salad and toss through. Fennel eye soother Place one tsp of fennel seeds or 2 fennel teabags in to a teacup. Pour over boiling water filling the cup half way so not to make the fennel too dilute. Leave until cool then strain. Generously soak cotton wool pads with the fennel solution and apply to the eyes. Be careful to use a separate cotton pad for each eye if an infection is present. Use several times a day to soothe the eyes.
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Wild Garlic Pesto
Wild Garlic can be found in the hedge from mid March until early summer. Wild Garlic has many health benefits and has antiseptic, antibacterial and antibiotic properties. Ingredients 2 handfuls of young wild garlic leaves and flowers 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil 50g toasted pine nuts 50g finely grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Juice and zest of half a lemon Freshly ground pepper Method Wash and roughly chop the garlic flowers and leaves. Add to a food processor and blend with the olive oil and pine nuts. Then add the Parmesan, crushed garlic and lemon juice, blending until a pesto consistency is formed. Add freshly ground black pepper and blend once more. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator until needed.
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How to Make a Perfect Banana Lassi
This Banana Lassi recipe is a favourite of mine; refreshing and comforting at the same time. If you don’t like banana you could swap this for a very ripe mango. The name ‘Lassi’ is given to a yoghurt based drink that originates from India where traditionally spices are added along with fruit and a sweetener. Cardamom is added to this Lassi and is wonderful for the digestive system. Perfect for breakfast or pre/post-workout. Banana Lassi Recipe In a smoothie maker or blender add ~ 1 banana (2 if you are extra hungry or about to embark on some strenuous exercise!) 1/2 cup of full fat cows milk or other milk 1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt ( I use Fage Total) 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom (you could use a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon here) 1 to 2 teaspoons of runny honey Pinch of salt Blend up until smooth. Happy Days.
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Easy Pineapple Panna Cotta
An anti-infammatory, anti-ageing, soothing dessert. And it tastes amazing. Very quick and easy. Easy Pineapple Panna Cotta Ingredients 600 ml double cream 400 ml fresh pineapple juice ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 130g caster sugar 2 ½ tsp gelatin powder Serves 8 Method Start by soaking gelatin in cold water (if using powder use 1 part gelatin to two parts water which should be sufficient to allow it to swell – in this case 2 ½ tsp gelatin to 5 tsp water). Whilst the gelatin is soaking, gently heat the cream and dissolve in the sugar. Add the vanilla extract. Once the gelatin has soaked (it will not feel hard or bitty between your fingers) remove cream from heat and stir in gelatin for a couple of minutes to dissolve. Next stir in the pineapple juice. Pour into moulds and chill for several hours or overnight to set completely. Experiment with other fruits and fruit juices. For example, when peaches are in season you can use their flesh and juice. Have fun!
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