Coco Co-operation, Crunchy Cookies, Chapatis, Curry, Cabbage, Creativity!

Opening coconuts is not generally the easiest task in the world! I learnt a good way to open the mature brown ones.....you hold the coconut loosely in the palm of one hand, and with the back of a strong knife, deliver sharp blows to it's central axis. Keep turning the coconut, and keep tapping (whacking!) until the shell cracks.
This coconut was extremely cooperative! The shell came off in two large pieces leaving the inner part of the coconut intact! Getting the flesh out of the shell can be tricky....prising the flesh from the shell using the point of a knife is a job that takes a lil bit of patience ;)....but not this time!

So i've been experimenting some more with cookies. The last batch were soft and chewy, this time i wanted a crunchy cookie. I made two recipes, both using coconut and almond as the base.
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crunchy cookie no. 1: 1C Coconut, 1C soaked almonds, 1 apple, juice of 1 orange, 1 vanilla pod.
crunchy cookie no. 2: 1C Coconut, 1C soaked almonds, 1/2C Squash, 1/2c Coconut water, 1T Xylitol, 1/2T Cinnamon.
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The method is the same for both. Process ingredients to give a chunky mixture, put onto dehyrator sheet in spoonfuls, flatten & make into any shape at all :)
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Dehydrate until crunchy! (12-20hrs?)


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On to the next experiment.....
Indian Flavours....
I had in mind that i wanted to create something based on the concept of the samosa; traditionally a deep fried triangle of pastry filled with curried vegetables. The recipe for the 'pastry' evolved from a dahl recipe by John Fielder that i found in The Complete Book of Raw Food. I didn't like the recipe as dahl, so added ground flax seeds and made into pastry dough.....the result was really delicious and the flavours very authentically Indian.
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Samosa Pastry:
Process 2C Squash, 1C chopped Coconut, 1.5C chopped Tomatoes, 1 stick Celery, 1 handful shredded Curry Leaves, Spices (1t curry powder, 3t cumin, 1/4t cumin) & 1t salt until free of lumps. Add 1.5C ground flax and stir into veggie mix to make a dough.

Spread the dough onto a dehydrator sheet, about 3mm thick. Make a large square, score lines into the dough to make 4 smaller squares. Dehydrate for a few hours, then flip the squares removing the teflex sheet. Do not overdehydrate the dough! It needs to be slightly soft so that it can be wrapped around the curried vegetables.

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Curried Vegetables

Blend until smooth:

1C Almond

1C Coconut

Lemon juice

Garlic

Ginger

Spices (curry powder, cumin, turmeric)

approx 1C Water

salt

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Stir into curry sauce:

1C Chopped Cauliflower

1C Peas
1C Diced Red Pepper

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Although i wrapped the curried veggies in the dough and then dehydrated them more, i wouldn't do this again, i would just wrap and serve. I would also like to try some smaller samosas....the ones i made were a meal in themselves, but they are traditionally 'biting' snacks.

I also used the pastry dough from the samosas to make chapatis....

All in all a successful (and fun!) experiment!

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After the last cabbage post, i was inspired to make coleslaw (with a twist):

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Creamy Thai Sea-Slaw

Shredded hispi cabbage (i just love hispis, they are so sweet, crispy & juicy)

Shredded red cabbage

Grated carrot

Soaked sea spaghetti & hijiki seaweed

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in a Creamy sauce:

1/2 mango

1 avocado

water

lime juice

chilli ginger

coriander

served in a cabbage leaf cup with strips of mango and coriander leaves on the top. Yum.

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And last but not least, a thousand Thank-yous! to Neeta for honoring me with the Creative Blogger Award. I am filled with gratitude and shall be passing the love on soon.

With much love,

Shell

x

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION - Radical Change Taking Root

so inspiring!

Raw recipes kids love :) (big kids too!)

Milk + Cookies (& a clementine or 2)

'Milk'

(this was actually more of a smoothie)
almond+hemp milk

banana

lucuma

vanilla bean

> Blend 'til smooth

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Sweet Vanilla 'Cookies'

Keiko ti has been making cookies recently and i was inspired to do some experimenting of my own. I used coconut pulp which was left over from making coconut cream. These cookies are very more-ish and have a lovely texture. I did not write down the exact recipe but this is roughly what i threw into the mix (plus a whole lot of love!). As Keiko ti says: 'with raw recipes its easy to add and omit things, change it around according to what you have in stock, and still have it turn out and taste great. You will know by tasting the dough before you dehydrate..if its hard to stop eating it .. it'll turn out great. Dehydrating can intensify flavours, but doesn't change them a lot.' (hope you don't mind me posting that here x)

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1C Coconut pulp

Soaked almonds (handful)

dates (handful)

3 apples

juice of 1 orange

1 vanilla bean

coupla tablespoons honey or agave

2T flax meal

>blend 'til smooth like pnacake batter (maybe slightly thicker). Place in spoonfuls onto dehydrator sheet, flattening each cookie with the back of the spoon. I dehydrated these overnight.

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Ice Cream! Always a winner :)

Banana slushy:

frozen bananas

soaked almonds

vanilla pod

>Blend in the Vitamix and you're good to go! yummmm

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Blueberry soft-serve:

frozen banana

frozen mango

frozen blueberries

> Blend in Vitamix until all chunks have disappeared :)

p.s. If you don't have a Vitamix, you can make ice-cream by passing through chunks of frozen fruit through a masticating juicer with the blank plate on.

Recipe: Spicy Carrot & Parsley Mousse

I was making a dip to have with flax crackers...nothing fancy at all....just carrots, almonds, herbs, spices in the blender....

Raw Gourmet is all about presentation. You can turn a simple dip into a fancy starter just by presenting it in a different way:

Spicy Carrot Mousse with a Creamy Parsley Sauce (serves 4)

~Carrot mousse~

2C chopped carrot

1/4C olive oil

large handful soaked almonds

3-4 Sun-dried tomato halves

1/3C chopped parsley

0.5-1t kelp powder

0.5-1t cumin powder

small clove garlic

juice of half a small lemon and half a lime

small piece of red chilli

water (add a little at a time-not so much that mousse will not hold it's shape)

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Blend all ingredients except parsley in high speed blender. The quantities for spices are approxiamate. Start with a small amount, and add more if you need to, until seasoned to your taste. Stir in chopped parsley at the end. I used a cup measure as a mould to shape the mousse before putting it on a plate. If you add more water, this makes a lovely dip.

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~Parsley sauce~

1/2C chopped parsley

1/2C olive oil

water (add a little at a time until you get the right consistency- thick and creamy but pourable)

squeeze of lemon

small piece of apple (to counteract acidity of lemon: optional)

pinch of salt

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blend together until creamy. Drizzle around plate to decorate.

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Garnishes: Red chilli/Fresh parsley/Tomato & Onion Flax Crackers by The Raw Kitchen

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Raw Gourmet at it's simplest!

Enjoy :)

LoVe Veggies!

My inspiration this week: Farmers Market Bounty

Featuring the biggest Kohlrabi i've ever seen, darling onion squash, parsley, winter purslane a.k.a claytonia or miners lettuce, lamb's lettuce, red cabbage, hispi cabbage

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I'll come back to this post with recipes....now what am i going to do with that Kohlrabi....hmmm

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p.s. i have started posting on my other blog now x

Hands up if you like cabbage....

Yes, my hand is up, but it wouldn't have been before last weekend.....let me explain...

Cabbage.....not my favourite vegetable by any means. I go through phases with it, but somehow it never manages to keep my attention for too long. It's too pungent in juices, too tough and fibrous in salad. Iused to love it as a child, boiled 'til it was soft and topped with a knob of melty butter.

*I think i've just rediscovered my love of cabbage*

Here's what happened:
i shredded 1/2 head of sweet, cripsy, Hispi Cabbage.
Then made a sauce with a few tablespoons seed butter/tahini, juice of a lime and/or lemon, water, lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chilli, salt and a little agave or honey (optional).
.....poured sauce on cabbage + squidged the cabbage and sauce together well.
Then i spread the mixture onto a dehydrator tray (with teflex sheet) and left it until cabbage was softened and flavours have intensified (4-6hrs) ......this created a beautiful smell that wafted through the house....

Served on a leaf,
with parsnip rice (grated parsnip-nothing added)
a wedge of lime
and dollop of creamy sauce bursting with Thai flavours (blended soaked sesame seeds, sundried tomato, sesame/ coconut oil, garlic, lemon, ginger, lemongrass, coriander)

it was cabbagey perfection!

[We also had a big bowl of greens and a cucumber salad made with peeled + diced cuke mixed with shredded thai basil leaves (not pictured) ]

Garnishes: Fresh coriander herb, slivers of almond, black sesame, red chilli, wedge of lime
p.s. the pic didn't turn out great....doesn't really do justice to how good this meal was!

Here's the cabbage before it went in the dehydrator:












Just in case you're interested ;)

x

natures WILD kitchen...

Today i am posting about local superfoods! They are real heroes in my eyes. Seasonal, fresh, alive + packed full of nutritional goodness and minerals.

I am talking about weeds of course!

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It was a beautiful day today so we headed up to the allotments for some fresh air and sunshine.

I came back with a carrier bag full of goosegrass, cleavers, dandelion, a few nettle tops, and plantain.

There is something about foraging....it's a meditation. Attention is gently focused on the plants you are searching for, movements are slow, graceful, centred. And then CONNECTION! Sacred earth connection.

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Wowsers, i made the most incredible pint of green juice today (all of the aforementioned weeds plus purple sage, tomatoes, celery and a little chilli+lime)......and as the emerald drops infused into my cells they awakened a crystalline memory......ah yes, WILD food (for wild energy!).....SEASONAL food (connects you with the elements and your immediate environment/ synchronises inner and outer space)......FREE (as nature intended)......it is the ultimate tonic!!

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There was a time last year when most of my greens were coming from my foraging & gardening trips up on the hill. I hardly needed to buy greens at all, there was such an abundance available wild, or in exchange for volunteering (check out http://www.thefoodproject.org.uk/) and on top of that i grow sunflower + buckwheat greens at home.

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But winter is not the easiest time to find wild food, and the sunflower greens i grow have been struggling.......so i've been depending on supermarket greens lately. Well, today felt like a gift. It seems that there are early signs of spring all around, and there was certainly no shortage of thriving edible weeds up at the allotments......and *SUNSHINE*! Thankyou thankyou :)

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The trick is to keep your eyes open, be interested in any plants you see, look up anything unusual in books or online (i learnt a lot from Funky Rob: www.rawrob.com), do some searches on google. Even in the middle of cities there can be rich foraging available if you know where to look - cemeteries are generally left pretty wild in places (but be careful of roadsides and areas that may be polluted).

Good luck!

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pics:

top left: abundant chickweed takes over a polytunnel

top right: cleavers, a great lymphatic tonic (also known as goosegrass/sticky willy)

Low Glycemic treats!

soak..............................sprout............................dehydrate

as easy as 1,2,3.......

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Buckwheat is a thistle plant that produces fragrant flowers, followed by these little lovelies....buckwheat groats. They are high in protein, fibre, B vitamins, lots of potassium, some iron, calcium, manganese + phosphorus. Sprouting buckwheat increases it's protein, B vitamin and fibre content. Sprouts also contain the active enzymes which help digestion and assimilation.

This makes buckwheat a perfect food for breakfast or snacks!

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One of our favourite ways of using buckwheat is to make buckwheaties:

1. Soak buckwheat in a bowl with plenty of water for 1-4 hrs. When soaked, they produce a thick, mucilaginous slime. This is normal!

2. Rinse the buckwheat groats throughly to wash off the slime. Leave to drain in a colander placed over a large bowl.

3. Rinse the sprouts thoroughly once or twice a day.

4. Sprouting time varies according to the ambient temperature. It takes on average 2-4 days for the tails to grow a few cm. Tails should not be too much longer than the groats, as the flavour begins to change.

5. Spread the buckwheat sprouts onto dehydrator trays . There is no need to use the teflex sheets, and sprouts can be piled in thick layers if necessary (up to 1-2cm)
6. Dehydrate at 115 Degrees C for 12-18hrs.

7. Store in an airtight container.

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It's well worth making a big batch of these so you always have some to hand to use as breakfast cereal, making up a quick trail mix, or grinding up for use in raw cookies or pie bases.

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One of my favourite low-glycemic breakfasts consists of the following:

Vanilla Hemp (or Almond) Milk (Blend 1.5C water with 0.5C soaked hemp seeds + 1 vanilla pod, and strain)

A couple of handfuls of buckwheaties

A couple of handfuls of goji berries and blueberries

A tablespoon of Lucuma and/or Mesquite powder

A sprinkling of Maca and a pinch of Suma

all swirled together in a bowl......

This is a tasty low-GI trail mix for nibbling through the day as i sit at the computer doing assignments....or blogging :)

~

Yacon Root

Soaked and dehydrated almonds

Goji Berries

Mulberries

Cacao Nibs

Buckwheaties (not pictured)
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The following shops in Brighton stock superfoods:

Infinity Foods (North Road)-Gojis, Maca, Cacao, Pollen (dried)

Sunny Foods (Beaconsfield Parade)- Gojis, Maca, Cacao, Pollen (dried)

Organic Shamanic (the Open Market)-Cacao, Maca, Suma, Yacon, Gojis, Pollen etc.

The Guarana Bar (Sydney Street)- Cacao, Gojis, Maca, frozen pollen

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The low GI approach (emphasis on greens, veggies, seeds, nuts), with some superfoods added, is highly mineralising, can enable deep healing to take place, as well as being suitable for those with blood sugar or candida issues. A low sugar diet needn't be boring! It can be fun, delicious & energising too! I promise ;)

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enjoy :)

Inspiration

Where do you get your inspiration from? I have to say, a whole lot of my inspiration to be and stay RAW (Radiant and Whole) has come via the www.... thank goddess for modern technology! One day when we've all perfected telepathy, remembered who we are, and are living harmoniously with the earth and each other, we won't need to spend countless hours in cyberspace connecting with like minds and finding inspiration to create the life of our dreams. For now, I am honoured to be able to celebrate and give thanks for the inspiration, support + connections i have found here in cyberspace over the past year, by nominating 5 fellow bloggers for the 'Inspirational Blogger Award' (I was awarded an 'Inspirational Blogger Award' a while back (October, eeek) by the lovely Gela Stokes....thankyou honey-bee! :)

“For those bloggers who inspire others through their words and actions. With a positive attitude, and an uplifting spirit these bloggers make the blogosphere a better place, and encourage others to do the same. This award is for bloggers who rise up to set an example but continue to reach out and support others.”

Soooo...finally, i am passing the love on to 5 other Inspiring Bloggers...They are all unique and amazing in their own ways.....most of all....these blogs are full of LOVE & light + LiFe! There is nothing more inspiring than that!!

1. Keiko Cacao Ti~ Rawket Scientist Extraordinaire. Keiko Ti you are a wonderful example of Raw and Radiant living. Thank-you for generously sharing incredible images, uplifting & inspiring quotes, yummy recipes for a super-life...... all round high vibe food for thought! It's a blog that makes me think, and feel...and then some!

2. Queen B~ Rawmama. Queen B, you deserve this 100% Thankyou for sharing your raw journey with so much honesty and integrity. Your blog is so real, it radiates love & warmth & compassion, i love stopping by and basking in it's warm and cosy glow x

3. Neeta~ Integral Dynamic Healing. Neeta is juice feasting and sharing the inevitable ups and downs, growth, and learning on her healing journey in a deeply juicy and intelligent way!! I only 'met' Neeta in the blogosphere recently, but wow, what can i say? I am blown away by the depth and quality of writing in this blog.

4. Shawna~ Shawna in the Raw. Shawna tells it as it is! Shawna's Raw energy and enthusiasm for Life! is so infectious it practically jumps off the screen!

5. Terilynn~ Inspiration: Life . I literally just found this blog....I'm hooked already, it's a fun, real, honest, well written, entertaining account of one busy mama's juice feasting life. + The Daily Raw Cafe....with recipes and yummy raw food galore.

There are just so many fab and inspiring people to meet out there in cyberspace.....do i have to stop here?? There are plenty more links to inspiring blogs in the sidebar....and these newly found (by me) links to bloggers transforming their lives and themselves thru juice feasting are inspiring beyond belief:

Courtney, Santi, Melissa, Doug, Loriel, Carrie, Kelly, Jack+Jill, Neens, Kalequeen, Ben

Phew, that's it for now!

Love+Thanks!
xx

(Lakshmi pic from Rawmama: Live and Uncooked)

Sunday....running, rainbows & Frederick mouse

This will be my last post on this blog in this format. This blog will become The Raw Kitchen (or The Healthy Raw Kitchen) for food/recipe related entries, and i have started another blog elsewhere for all other aspects of my raw (personal) life (http://www.shellsrawblog.blogspot.com/)

At this moment, i am at peace with my food.....low glycemic Phase 1.5......so i am having small amounts of goji berries, mesquite, blueberries, buckwheat cereal, sprouted quinoa.

Phase I is HARDCORE!! Too extreme for me right now. But this I can do quite happily. Breakfast today was hemp milk + buckwheat cereal with a little lucuma, maca, a handful of blueberries and a handful of goji berries.

Followed by...... a run in Preston Park. It was sooo good to get my heart pumping and circulation flowing! Yay for big green parks and shiny new running shoes! SO, having worked up a big appetite, it was time to whizz up a big plate of colours, textures & all round yumminess. It may not be sunny or bright out, but making sure to eat a good variety of colours is a great way to get all the colours of the rainbow into our beings at this time of the year! :)

Colours are nutrients too! I think all the colours but blue & orange are represented on this plate (but i did have some blueberries for breakfast ;)

white: marinated shaved fennel/ pine nuts

red: cherry tomatoes

yellow: yellow courgette noodles

green: marinated broccoli & fennel/ herby spinach pesto sauce

purple: radish sprouts

It's true that hunger is the best spice, but even so, YUM!

Recipe for:

Spinach + Herb Pesto Sauce:

1C pine nuts (soaked)

2.5C greens (I used 1C spinach, 1C parsley and 1/2C coriander)

1/3C olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

small pinch salt

This post reminds me of one of my favourite stories. It's a children's book called Frederick (by Leo Lionni) about a mouse (called Frederick). When winter is coming, all the mice begin to gather corn and nuts and wheat and straw.....all except Frederick. The other mice wonder why Frederick does not work like they do.

Fredericks answer: 'I do work, i gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days. I am gathering words for the winter days are long and many, and we'll run out of things to say.'

Winter comes and the mice are happy in the beginning, there is plenty to eat, and they entertain themselves with stories of follish foxes and silly cats. But eventually they run out of food, it is cold, and noone feels like chatting.

But then they remember what Frederick had said about words and sunrays.

'What about your supplies, Frederick?' they ask.....

'Close your eyes'

'now i send you the rays of the sun.....do you feel their golden glow?'

as Frederick speaks of the sun the little mice begin to feel warmer......was it Fredericks voice, was it magic?

.and then he tells them of the blue periwinkles, and the red poppies in the yellow wheat, and the green leaves of the berry bush...and they all saw the colours as clearly as if they had been painted in their minds.

And then....the words.....Fredericks poem....

such a sweet story...

such a wise little mouse!

Wishing you love + Rainbows to light up grey winter days

shell x