pumpkin spice oatmeal

It's been super drizzly lately and my morning breakfasts have progressed from being raw to cooked.

Even more so after this mornings refreshing swim in the local outdoor pool. It's raining, but so what - you're wet anyway!

Anyways, it's coming to that time of year when the markets start to stock mountains of fresh pumpkins.

Not only are they cheap but so deliciously healthy and flavoursome.

Roasted pumpkins are a bit of a favourite for me at the moment. And after a recent roasting batch, I kept some of the flesh aside for a recipe such as this one.

Ingredients

(serves 3-4)

1 c roast pumpkin flesh, mashed

1 c rolled oats

2 tblsp molasses

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 c homemade cashew milk

1 1/2 c water 

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized pot and cook for about 15 - 20 mins until nice and thick like cooked oats.

Serve warm with a drizzle of homemade brown rice milk, pumpkin seeds, sliced bananas and agave syrup.

mmmm..

lima bean and broccoli burgers

This post is dedicated to my sister.

She. Is. Amazing.

She's the photographer in the family and last weekend I had a bit of a whinge to her at how I am unsatisfied with the quality of my pictures that I've been taking with my little Canon G11.

She offered for me to try her camera!

I just about exploded with excitement.

Her camera is her pride and joy.

Anyway, this past week she brought over her Canon EOS 550D for me to borrow and gave me lesson in how to use a camera properly.

I have had fun fiddling and playing with the different settings and let's just say - leaps and bounds better.

With today off work, I finally had the time to give it a real shot; or shoot.

On to the recipe.

After an energising morning walk with my Mum, I came home and felt inspired to make burgers with the lima beans I had soaking.

I threw the beans in the food processor and realised I needed to bulk out the mixture.

So, in went some broccoli and herbs.

It's a very simple recipe, but with a maximum taste factor!

Ingredients

(makes 9)

1 c dried lima beans, soaked for 6-8 hours and drained

1 medium broccoli

1/2 lime juice

a handful or two of fresh herbs (I've used coriander)

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 tsp salt

olive oil to drizzle

Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Process lima beans in the food processor until smooth (or resembles crumbs).

Empty into a large mixing bowl.

Combine all other ingredients into the food processor and process until well combined.

Add to the lima bean mixture and mix through.

Using wet hands, grab a handful of the mixture and shape to a burger-like form.

Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in oven for 30-40 mins - then flip the burgers over and drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

Return to bake for a further 20 mins.

Done.

sister love. x

raw potato crisps

The first time I tried to make raw potato crisps, it didn't turn out too good.

We still ate them, but let's just say - it wasn't the most appealing snack to nibble on.

I'm not a fan of junk food.

There's something about greasy packet foods that doesn't sit too well with me.

But just because I don't like it, doesn't mean that Joel wouldn't devour a packet of chips if given half the chance.

So I had to work on perfecting this recipe.

Second time around turned out a zillion times better.

Let me share.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato

2 large red potatoes

1 tblsp quality olive oil

salt

Slice the potatoes super thin - I used the the slicing attachment on the food processor.

Rinse the sliced potatoes thoroughly until the water that comes off them is clear and fresh.

(This is where I went wrong last time, I didn't rinse the slices - talk about starchy!)

Combine in a large bowl and add oil and a pinch or 2 of salt.

(Also went wrong here, added too much salt - salty and starchy, eek!)

Toss thoroughly.

Place potato slices on dehydrator trays and dehydrate on the fruit and veg setting for 12-18* hours.

Check at intervals rotating trays as required.

Store in an airtight container.

*Times can vary, just check and stop when you feel the crisps are crispy enough.

Nom nom xo

low-gi vanilla raspberry jam

When it comes to jams, we're not big consumers.

But I enjoy making jams and preserves. 

Preserves make the perfect gifts - they keep well and are homemade and personal.

I came up with this recipe over the Christmas period, as I was getting the pressies ready for the family.

I just kept tasting and adding bits and pieces and came out with a winner!

This jam is not overly sweet as it uses all low-GI sweeteners and goes perfectly with homemade peanut butter.

This jam was so good I even kept the recipe!

Recently I had some raspberries sitting in the freezer and decided to make up a batch of jam to keep stored away in the refrigerator to be spread on a bit of homemade bread for a quick breakfast.

You will notice that I have used Coconut Sugar. If you are unfamiliar coconut sugar has a naturally Low Glycemic Index (GI 35), nearly half the GI of cane sugar (GI 68) and still lower than honey (GI 55) and even agave (GI 42). This super food has the added bonus of a nutritional content richer than possibly all other commercially available sweeteners!

It contains protein (12 amino acids) and high mineralization of potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and iron.

The taste - well it's just like sugar but with a caramelly/coconutty after taste.

Ingredients

(makes approx 400 ml)

500 g frozen or fresh raspberries

1 vanilla pod, de-seeded

1/2 c raw coconut sugar

1 tblsp brown rice syrup

1 tblsp pine tree syrup

1 tblsp agave syrup

1 tsp raspberry vinegar

1/2 a medium lemon, juiced

Combine all ingredients (vanilla seeds and pod) in a heavy based saucepan and simmer down for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally - or until jam sets on a plate when tested.

Remove vanilla pod and store jam in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator.

Will keep for ever - or at least 4-6 months.

Spread em xo

dehydrated fruit salad

The newest toy in my kitchen is the dehydrator.

I've only had it for a couple of months now, but I'm having fun experimenting with raw treats.

This post isn't really a recipe, just me sharing with you the dehydration of fruit.

I splashed out to get this because I wanted to be able to take healthy snacks and meals with us when we go hiking and camping.

Also, with the whole 'raw foods' movement - dehydration still keeps foods raw, but with that cooked feel.

If you are planning on getting a dehydrator, let me just say - it's not a quick process.

Dehydrating anything can take up to a day or two, depending on the water content of the item.

So if you are planning meals ahead - it's brilliant.

Most weekends I run the dehydrator mainly because we're barely home.

We live in an open barn and even though the machine isn't too loud, it still is a constant fan noise.

The best thing is, you can just leave the dehydrator on all day and night and not worry about the foods burning.

After coming home from the markets, I slice up a heap of fruit (about 2 cm thick) and arrange them in a single layer on the drying racks and dehydrate on the fruit setting.

This fruit salad consists of pineapple, kiwi fruit, papaw and plums.

Each fruit takes a unique drying time.

I've noticed that the kiwi fruit and plums dried in a similar time, 14 hours. 

While the papaw and pineapple took about 18 hours.

Let me know if you have a dehydrator and what you use it for.

xo

cajun pinto beans with roasted capsicum dressing

This weeks weather has really turned around for the better - just in time for the weekend!

With the brighter skies I always find myself wanting big salads.

Today's was a bit of a winner.

But, before I get into this recipe, I just want to talk about pests.

Garden pests.

Seriously devastated when I woke up this morning to see that something had been into my lettuce.

How dare they.

Maybe I'm a bit precious when it comes to my garden, but when you've watched something grow from a seed and something other than you gets to enjoy it... it gets me a little fired up.

But on the flip side, it's survival of the fittest out there.

I think back to the many times Joel and I foraged for our food.

How many times have I taken figs, chestnuts, pine nuts, nettles etc.. out of the mouths of little animals.

It's simply karma.

Well, I was going to use my nice sweet cos lettuce with this recipe.

But instead had to result in using my abundant supply of rocket and mizuna.

So, really you could substitute any kind of green into this salad.

Something that hasn't been touched my pests are my marigolds. 

They look and taste great!

Yes, taste.. add marigolds to anything - I love them as a garnish on salads.

Out of the garden now and into the kitchen.

We love our legumes.

I keep a large stock of every kind of dried bean in the cupboard.

When rifling through my stash, these pinto beans were at the bottom of the basket, so dug them out and starting soaking.

With no real recipe in mind I started digging in the refrigerator and pulled out this capsicum.

Growing up we never really ate these peppers, so I'm still getting used to adding capsicum to recipes, but you can't go wrong with roasting.

Peppers plus beans lead me to cajun.

Dinner is sorted.

Ingredients

(serves 2-3)

Pinto Beans

1 c pinto beans, soaked for 6-8 hours

1 tblsp coconut oil

2 tsp cajun spice

couple of generous pinches of salt

Rinse and strain the beans after soaking and combine with enough water to cover in a heavy based pan. 

Simmer for 20-30 mins then drain.

Heat oil in a fry pan add spices, beans and salt and fry for 5 - 10 mins until fragrant and starting to brown.

Capsicum Dressing

1 medium red capsicum

1 tblsp tahini

1/4 medium lime juice

couple of pinches of salt to taste

Heat oven to 220 degrees and poke the capisum all over with a fork for even cooking.

Roast in hot oven for 50 mins - 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool.

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until well combined.

Pan Polenta

1/4 c polenta

1 c water

Combine water and polenta in a small jug.

Heat a not stick pan and pour the polenta mixture in.

Let it simmer down for about 5 - 10 mins.

When polenta becomes firm and starts to lift off the pan, flip and cook for a further 5 - 10 mins.

Compiling

Arrange some green lettuce leaves on a plate.

Scoop the pinto beans on top.

Top with some sliced red radish (the pests hadn't got into these either!).

Drizzle the capsicum dressing over the top and serve with the polenta.

Dressing on the side? No thank you! x

raw mint slice - protein packed and sugar free

Following a recipe is not really my strong suit.

I like to mix things up - bit of this, bit of that. By the end of the meal I can barely remember what I have put into it!

For the sake of this blog, I'm getting better on taking note of what I'm adding.

This recipe is a perfect example of this.

 I decided to adapt a recipe I saw ages ago into a healthy option.

Substituting, tasting, adding, minusing - I had to sit down straight after I'd finished and take specific note on what went into these mint slices, because they are healthily tasty!

These bad boys contain approx 17 g of protein with only 70 calories. 

Perfect raw food 'sweet' snack.

I'm not really a sweet tooth, but I do enjoy a cup of tea after dinner - mostly accompanied with fruit or some raw vegan chocolate.

These mint slices went so perfectly with a cup of liquorice tea - I had to stop myself going back for 3rds!

Ingredients

(makes approx 20)

1 c triticle flakes (alt. rolled oats), soaked for 4-8 hours, drained 

1/3 c raw protein powder

1/4 c carob powder

1/4 c raw cacao powder

40 ml coconut oil

1 tblsp black chia seeds

1 tblsp hemp seeds

1 tsp natural stevia

1 tsp mint essence

extra water

Combine all ingredients (minus the water) in a food processor.

Process and slowly add water until you have a non-sticky, dough-like consistency.

Divide into tablespoon proportions, roll into balls and then flatten into desired shape.

Place on a baking paper covered plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Done.

Store in refrigerator or freezer. 

Love x

almond meal tart with raw broccoli pesto

I need to make it known - I am in love with my food processor.

I got it for Christmas last year, and use it at least 4-5 times a week.

From nut butters to vegetable shredding, it's an amazing tool.

So, here we have another recipe that utilises my favourite kitchen appliance.

My basil plant is going a little crazy at the moment. Truly, I am amazed. 

For some reason, I've never really had much luck in growing Basil. It seems to be the one herb that is very fussy.

But, I planted these seeds a couple of months ago, and they seemed to have taken off!

It's the Italian kind of Basil which means that it's not sweet but very strong and flavoursome.

Joel doesn't really like it on it's own, but in a pesto the basil flavour is harnessed and together with the walnuts the pungency is diffused.

This is a lovely raw, dairy-free pesto. Super healthy.

You could use it in anything.

In sandwiches, tossed through homemade pasta, on raw crackers, in a salad or as a tart filler!

I went with tart filler this time around.

For the tart shell, I had some left over almond meal from a recent batch of almond milk that need to be used up.

Ordinarily I would bake it into a loaf or some sort of carrot muffin, but this time I tried something a bit different.

I combined the almond meal with a couple of other ingredients out popped this crispy shell.

Ingredients

(makes 4 tarts)

Pesto

1 medium broccoli, washed and roughly chopped

1/4 c walnuts

2 tsp quality oil (I used tea seed oil)

generous pinch of salt

1/2 of a lime, juiced

10 or so Italian Basil leaves + a few small ones for decoration

Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse until well combined and there are no large chunks.

Let it stand for about 30 mins for flavours to infuse.

Tart

3/4 c fresh almond meal (if not fresh, may need a tsp of water)

1/2 c spelt flour

2 tsp coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. I find it useful to use my fingers in order to rub the coconut oil through.

Press dough into mini tart tins and poke with a fork to allow for even baking.

Bake in 180 C oven for about 30 mins or until golden brown.

Cool and fill the tart shells with the broccoli pesto.

Serve!

Enjoy xo