sprouted wheat berry salad with jerusalem artichokes: raw

This past weekend there was an Organic Food and Living festival on in Sydney.

I hadn’t heard it was on until a couple of days before hand and was glad I had a free day to head down and check it out.

It took us 4.5 hours to make our way around to all the stalls, and by the end I was so inspired.

Lunch was awesome too, we had some spelt vegan pizzas.. me thinks I will be doing my own adaptation soon!

On the way out, I noticed a guy selling a heap of organic fresh produce and seeds, and was immediately drawn in by the Jerusalem Artichokes. One box for $2, SOLD!

I've been meaning to get my hands on this tasty root, however my grocer doesn't seem to stock any.

Natively known as the 'Sunroot' in America (as it is part of the Sunflower family) it is a bit of a nutritional power house. Packed with dietary fibre, anti-oxidants (such as Vitamins C, A, E) and minerals - potassium, iron, and copper. It also contains small levels of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamin.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

1 c whole organic Australian wheat, soaked for 24 hours

200g Jerusalem artichokes, shaved/finely sliced

½ c fresh basil leaves

bunch of salad greens, roughly chopped

½ lemon juice

1 tsp lemon rind

2 tsp hemp seed oil

Note: you will need to start this recipe 2-3 days before hand, to allow time for the wheat to sprout.

Drain and rinse the soaked wheat.

Place wheat in a glass jar, covered with a clean muslin/chux cloth fastened with a rubber band.

Store in a cool dry location rinsing the wheat twice a day for 2 days until the wheat starts to sprout.

Do a final rinse and place in a large bowl.

Add all other ingredients and toss well to combine.

Serve.

cabbage wraps with smoked trout and avocado cream

What a beautful weekend this was.

The days were so clear and the sun was out.

We went for a hike to recharge our batteries and took the pug dog as usual - I have no idea how our little fellow can keep up with the giant leaps and rock climbing.

He amazes us every time.

It was truly beautiful and felt amazing to be able to shed down to one layer again.

But, after a big hike, we needed to replenish our bodies with good wholesome foods.

We were pretty hungry by the time we got home, that's where I made up these healthy wraps.

I had to snap up a few pictures pretty quickly as we were both ready to devour these super wraps.

Joel kept hovering saying, "can we eat them yet.."

Full of healthy fats from the avocado, trout and cabbage - we felt so satisfied and wholesome again.

I reckon cabbage is a bit of an underrated vegetable. It's an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A. The uniqueness of cabbage in cancer prevention is due to the three different nutrient types: antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and glucosinolates*.

*Glucosinolates: organic active compounds believed to have anticancer properties. These anticancer compounds operate in a couple of ways: acting as a natural pesticide triggering the body’s own detoxification systems, slowing cancer cell growth and supporting DNA repair.

Ingredients

(makes 10)

10 outer cabbage leaves, washed with thick vein removed

1 medium smoked trout

toothpicks

Avocado Cream

4 avocados

1 large lemon

pinch or two of Himalayan rock salt

Combine ingredients for avocado cream in a food processor/blender and whiz until smooth and 'whipped' - about 1 minute.

Spread a tablespoon of avocado and trout on the top of the cabbage leaf (horizontally). 

Then, gently roll from the bottom up.

Thread a toothpick through the top to secure the wrap shut.

Repeat and eat!

You could fill these wraps with what ever you feel like, they are super versatile.

wellbeing stir fry with green tea noodles

There are never enough hours in the day!

With my hours at work having picked up lately, I'm finding it a juggle to fit everything (fitness, blogging, housework, entertaining etc) into the limited time I have in the evenings. 

So, when I am time poor, I love a quick throw-together stir fry that has a rainbow of colours with minimal cooking time for a warm yet fresh dinner.

The more colours you can enjoy with your food the better.

Not only is it appealing to the eye, but also, each vegetable holds its own nutritional content and to combine and vary what you eat is great for all-round wellbeing.

Ingredients

(serves 2-3)

100g green tea noodles

1 tsp pure sesame oil

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 red hot chilli, finely sliced (optional)

1 tblsp soy sauce

1 tblsp mirin sauce

10 button mushrooms, finely sliced

2 bunches of baby pak choy, finely sliced

1 red banana pepper, finely sliced

4 shallots, finely sliced

1 c purple cabbage, finely sliced

1 tblsp dried wakame

1/2 c peas

1/4 c roasted cashew nuts

1/4 c fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Cook noodles in boiling water for about 5 mins - until tender.

Drain and rinse with cool water - set aside.

Next, heat oil in a wok and add ginger, garlic and chilli - cook for 1 min stirring constantly.

Then add the soy, mirin and mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are softened and browning.

Then add the pak choy, pepper, shallots and purple cabbage and toss for a minute or 2.

Then toss through the seaweed, peas, nuts and coriander. 

Remove from heat and toss through the noodles*.

Serve and enjoy!

*You may need to re-rinse with cool water to prevent sicking.

homemade beetroot pasta with pine-nuts and zesty greens

So, it's Joel's birthday today.

I dedicate this post to him.

I know what you're thinking; why am I blogging on such an important day, when I should be spending time with my husband.

Answer: he's playing Legos right now.

Joel is a Lego collector.

I bought him 10 kg of Lego for Christmas last year and it was the beginning of the end as he's found any excuse to add to the collection ever since.

Anyways, we spent the day together - starting out with some delicious wholemeal pancakes (chocolate chips for Joel) topped with fresh jam and almond cashew nut butter. 

Then on to the toy store.. yep, the toy store.

He needed to add to his Lego collection.

We got home late afternoon and while Joel tore open and constructed his new toys, I started on dinner.

Whenever I ask Joel what he feels like for dinner, the never ending 'pa-sta, pa-sta, pa-sta' chant begins.

I'm not such a fan of pasta, so these days I just say 'you have two options for dinner; this or that'.

But today is his birthday after all, so this is a blog post about my pink pasta for the birthday boy.

And by 'pink' I mean beetroot.

Also, I wanted to incorporate some kale, basil and lemon from my garden. 

That's when I decided on a zesty topping.

If you have a pasta machine, now is the time to dust it off and bust it out. 

If not, no problem, just use a rolling pin!

Ingredients

(serves 4)

Pasta

1 c flour + some

1 organic free-range egg

1 tblsp beetroot puree

1tblsp water

pinch of salt

Combine the above ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined.

Turn mixture on to a floured surface and knead for 5-10 mins.

Put dough aside and rest for 20 mins.

Cut into 8  even portions.

Pasta machine

Feed through rollers until level 8, flouring the individual portions after each level.

Finally feed through the 'spaghetti' setting on the machine.

or

Rolling pin

Roll each portion as thin as possible.

Then using a sharp knife, slice into desired lengths.

Heat a large pot of salted water and drop spaghetti slowly into the water.

*Boil for 1 minute or until the pasta has risen to the top.

Using a slotted spoon, remove pasta from water, drain and place in a large bowl.

*Tip: you may find it easier to boil small portions.

Flavouring

2 medium zucchini, shredded

1 tblsp lemon zest

1 large lemon juiced

1/4 c pine-nuts

8-10 italian basil leaves

1 tsp of salt

1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped

quality olive oil

salt and pepper to serve

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Toss the mixture through the warm pasta and serve.

Drizzle with oil and serve with a pinch of salt and a turn of cracked pepper.

I love my husband and am so happy to be by his side forever. I will always be there to cook him pasta as he celebrates his future birthdays.

Love to my lover xoxo