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THIRD EYE SMOOTHIE

1/10/2013

Beautiful recipe from Dr. Deanna Minich, author of the Chakra Foods for Optimum Health. Blue foods are great for balancing the third eye, or sixth chakra - our centre of intuitive wisdom.

Ingredients:

1 cup of coconut/almond milk
1 teaspoon of blueberry powder
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder
Cinnamon to taste
Cacao nibs

Preparation:
Blend everything in a high powered blender until creamy.

BLACK BEAN NOODLES WITH BLACK EYE PEA CASSOLET + CHINESE GREENS

25/9/2013

This idea came from a blend of Italian and Greek cuisine “Spaghetti with Lentil Cassolet.” Twisting some flavours and replacing the grains, we can Asian-ise this into an equally desirable meal for the wholefood vegetarian or vegan seeking to expand their culinary repertoire. This is international comfort food at its best!

Black bean noodles are available at health food stores. Cook as per instructions and consider popping them into an ice bath straight after cooking - these noodles overcook and fall to pieces very easily so getting them cold is important.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

    •    200g Black Bean Noodles
    •    50 g Black eye peas, soaked, cooked and cooled
    •    2 cloves garlic, finely diced
    •    4 cm piece ginger, finely diced
    •    1 cup of 1cm diced brown onion
    •    1 cup of 1cm diced carrot
    •    1 cup of 1cm diced celery
    •    150g oyster mushrooms
    •    1 star anise
    •    1 bch chinese broccoli
    •    1 bch bok choy
    •    celery salt
    •    ½ cup Shao Xing (or sherry if you want gluten free)
    •    ½ cup Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce
    •    ½ cup water

PREPARATION
Heat a saucepan over a medium high heat. Add rice bran oil and add your garlic, ginger and onion and stir-fry for about 1 minute taking care not to burn.

Add diced celery, mushroom, carrot and fry for another minute on a high heat. While heat is still on high add shao xing wine and let it reduce for about 40 seconds.

Reduce heat to medium and add vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce. Bring up to heat and set aside to cool a little. Add water if it’s a little too thick.

Mix noodles with slightly warm Bean Cassolet and serve warm or at room temperature.

Plunge the cleaned chinese greens into salty boiling water for about a minute. Drain in a colander, sprinkle with celery salt and serve with a Carrot and Daikon salad on the side.

THAI GREEN VEGETABLE CURRY

25/9/2013

Making the curry paste yourself takes your dish from so-so to spectacular beyond belief. The extra love and effort is worth it! But for those short on time, use your favourite high quality green curry paste, and simply add the vegetables. This curry is lovely served with cauliflower rice and a thai-inspired green mango salad.

INGREDIENTS

For the Curry Paste:
WET ingredients
10 Long green chilis
3 sticks Lemongrass (use white ends)
6 cloves Garlic
8 cm piece Galangal (peeled)
5 cm piece ginger (peeled)
1 bch green onions
Zest of 2 limes
4 lime leaves
1 bch coriander root (cleaned)
1/4 Cup rice bran oil
1/2 Cup of water

DRY ingredients
3 tsp Peppercorns
8 tsp Cumin
10 tsp Coriander seed
2 tsp Turmeric

For the Vegetable Curry:
600 ml of coconut cream
1 large Eggplant, large 1 inch dice
300 grams Jap Pumpkin, large 1 inch dice
2 Red Onion cut into wedges, leave the core intact with each piece so it stays together
1 tsp himalayan crystal salt
1 tbsp Fish sauce (optional)
1 tbsp Tamari
1 tbsp lime juice
1 ½ tbsp coconut nectar
Fresh sliced greens such as kale, chard, cabbage, broccoli leaves to garnish.

PREPARATION

For the Curry Paste:
Blend all WET paste ingredients till it becomes a smooth paste. Roast all spices except turmeric in the oven at 170 ° C for 8 minutes taking care not to burn them. Mix DRY and WET ingredients.

Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a large heavy based saucepan or pot on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Fry for 3 minutes stirring and scraping bottom of pan. Take off the heat if it gets too sticky and wait till it can be scraped off the pan. Continue frying on a medium heat for another 2 to 3 minutes making sure it doesn’t stick.

Note: If you want to use shrimp paste use about 50 grams and roast it wrapped in foil at 180 ° C for 10 minutes. It will be extremely fragrant! Mix this through your paste before you use any for frying.

For the Vegetable Curry:
To your cooked paste, add the coconut cream and bring to the boil. Add the eggplant, pumpkin, and onion. Bring all ingredients to the boil and then turn the heat down to medium.

Once everything is cooked, add salt fish sauce (optional), tamari, lime juice, and coconut nectar (this will take back the acid and sweeten your curry up.)

Sprinkle with fresh sliced greens such as kale, chard, cabbage, or broccoli leaves to garnish.

RAW CREME ANGLAISE

25/9/2013

This light pouring custard goes well with poached apples and pears, or any cake of your choice - especially raw cakes! You can also add greens and have yourself a decadent green smoothie. Why not! Enjoy yourself with this one - it’s a hit with kids too.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups of raw Almond Milk*
3 Bananas
1 cup. Mango cheeks
1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 ½ tbsp. raw Honey

* To make almond milk, soak 1 cup of almonds for at least 8 hours (24 hours is great). Blend the almonds with 1 cup of water and gradually add the remaining water slowly. Strain the milk and reserve the ground almonds for the cakes or cookies.

PREPARATION
Put all ingredients in the blender and mix on high till smooth.

VOLCANIC PUMPKIN CASSEROLE + CHERMOULA

25/9/2013

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6-8

For the Casserole:
200g Chick peas, soaked for 24 hours and cooked till tender (approx. 20 mins)
1 small Onion 1cm diced
2 small Carrot 1cm diced
2 sticks Celery 1cm diced
2 Bay leaves
2 tins Organic tomatoes
1 cup of water or vegetable stock
Zest of 2 Oranges
2 tbsp Raw Honey (optional)
Celtic sea salt

For the Chermoula:
2 cloves garlic
3cm piece of ginger
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp fennel
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup Parsley finely chopped
½ cup Coriander finely chopped
½ cup Mint finely chopped

PREPARATION
Remove the top of the Jap pumpkin carefully with a small knife and then remove the seeds. Keep the lid intact.

To make the Chermoula:
Blend Chermoula ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

To make the casserole:
Firstly, sauté your onion, carrot and celery for about 2 minutes on a medium to high heat. Add the Chermoula paste and bay leaf and sauté for another 3 mins making sure it doesn’t stick. Add the tomatoes and stock or water and bring to the boil then simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the cooked chickpeas about 10 minutes before the sauce is ready. At the end zest orange rind into the sauce and add honey if you need it.

Fill your Jap pumpkin with hot casserole and bake at 180°C for 40 mins or until the pumpkin is tender. Take care removing it off the pan. If possible serve in the same dish otherwise use a fish slice and tea towel to help get it out safely onto your serving dish.

A good tip is to make your sauce the day before to let all the flavours marry together overnight. It makes such a difference. You won’t use all the casserole in the pumpkin but it’s always good to have a little extra. Such a cool centrepiece and will blow every vego away.

MAPLE GLAZED MINI PUMPKIN PUDDINGS

15/9/2013

These elegant but flavourful puddings use agar agar, a vegetarian seaweed-derived alternative to gelatine, to achieve their jelly-like texture. Goes to show that humble vegetables can graduate into very classy desserts that will disappear very quickly at your next gathering!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cubed pumpkin, steamed
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut nectar or raw maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder or allspice
1 tbsp agar agar powder

PREPARATION
In a blender, puree the steamed pumpkin with the almond milk and vanilla essence, and add to a saucepan. Add the agar agar powder, mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, stir frequently with a wooden spoon and leave on the heat for 10 minutes to make sure the agar powder has fully dissolved.

Stir in coconut nectar or maple syrup and pour into moulds or small ramekins. Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes and then place the ramekins in the fridge.

Use a hot small knife to scrape around the edges very carefully to remove from the mould. Serve with a dash of maple syrup or coconut nectar.

HEALTHY BOOBIES BREW

15/9/2013

Cacao is great for breast health! Numerous flavonoids in the bean have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of several types of human breast cancer cells, while sparing normal cells. But remember, the beneficial effects of cacao are limited to raw, unrefined cacao - regular chocolate is high in sugar and hydrogenated fats which are positively associated with the risk of breast cancer. The milk proteins in milk chocolate may also inhibit the absorption of cocoa flavonoids. So go raw for happy, healthy boobies!

INGREDIENTS
2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen organic blueberries
4 leaves kale, destemmed
2 tbsp organic raw cacao powder
raw honey or stevia, to taste
2-4 cups water, to blend
1 tbsp raw cacao nibs

PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients but the cacao nibs in a high-powered blender, until smooth. Sprinkle cacao nibs on top and serve. I recommend using Loving Earth or Powerfoods raw cacao nibs.

RAW SUNFLOWER SEED "TUNA" NICOISE SALAD

15/9/2013

The textures and big mediterranean flavours of this dish make it a gung-ho vegetarian version of the regular tuna salad. Soaking the sunflower seeds for at least 4 hours is a must to create a tuna like texture that is creamy and willing to absorb all the flavours. You can use pitted Black or Kalamata olives for this.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup soaked sunflower seeds, rinsed and drained
6 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated for at least 20 minutes and chopped
1/4 cup chopped olives
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small handful parsley, chopped
1 pinch of minced rosemary
1 tbs dijon mustard
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 handful green beans, sliced on diagonal
2 to 3 shallots, chopped
1 plateful of rocket, dandelion greens or other green leafies

PREPARATION
In a food processor, add the first 8 ingredients and pulse until roughly combined. Do not over do it; you want a coarse texture. On a large platter, plate the green leafies and add the cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans and shallots. Top with the sunflower mixture. Serve with marigold flower petals or extra lemon wedges.

LEAFY WRAPS WITH CREAMY CAPER STUFFING

15/9/2013

After a quick wander out into the garden, and some leaf-steaming, these flavourful wraps made a super satisfying lunch. The capers, ACV and herbs add a sharp tangy bite to the soft creamy avocado filling.

INGREDIENTS

For the Stuffing:
2 ripe avocados
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp chopped dill
1/2 tsp chopped coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Wraps:
6 organic red cabbage leaves, or any other large brassica leaves (broccoli leaves work well, too)
1 purple carrot, julienned
1/4 red capsicum, julienned

PREPARATION

Deseed the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add all other stuffing ingrdients and mash roughly, leaving some chunks for texture.

Steam the cabbage leaves for 1 minute, or until darker green and soft enough to roll. Remove the stems to make rolling easier.

To assemble, place a dollop of stuffing in the centre of a leaf, top with julienned vegetables, fold the sides into the centre, and roll from stem upwards. repeat with all leaves and serve on a platter.

Makes enough for 1-2, or 6 as an entree.

RAW BOUNTY BARS

15/9/2013

The best word to sum these up: Orgasmic. Enough said.

INGREDIENTS
For the Filling :
70g desiccated coconut
50 g dehydrated buckwheat groats,
4 tsp of raw honey
 1/2 tsp of coconut oil

For the Topping:
 60g raw organic cacao butter 
4 tbsp raw organic cacao powder 
1 tbsp raw agave  nectar
1 vanilla pod, insides scraped out and reserved

PREPARATION

For the Filling:
 In a bowl, mix all filling ingredients together, ensuring the mixture is not runny . Put the mix in the fridge or freezer until the texture is rollable (around 30 minutes in a fridge). Mould mixture into 'Bounty' shaped logs or circular discs using a mould. 

For the Topping:
Grate cacao butter and melt in a double boiler. you can create one by placing a small metal bowl inside a larger one, filling the large bowl with boiling water and filling the small bowl with the cacao butter. When the butter has melted, stir in the agave, then stir in cacao powder 1 tbsp at a time,

Dip your bounty bars in chocolate and freeze. I like to double dip after one freeze session for extra awesomeness.