Citrus Firelighters

I get through a lot of citrus fruit in my raw food kitchen.  It always seems a shame to throw away the peel, but it can’t be composted because citrus can make the compost heap overly acidic.

So what to do?

Recently I’ve learned that when the peel is dried out in the dehydrator it makes great fire lighters – with the added bonus that it scents the room as it burns.

I save the citrus peel in the fridge and pop it in the dehydrator when the dehydrator is on for something else. I'm guessing that the oven would be just as effective for drying the peel too.

I store it in a basket by the fire so it’s ready when I need it. This may be a small thing but it really makes me happy to put the citrus peel to good use. Come on baby light my fire... 

A Spiced Apple Hot Toddy for a Foggy Night

I took a trip over to Taurus Crafts in Lydney as they have lots of local heritage apples for sale at the moment. The colours of the apples were beautiful and there was quite a wide variety to choose from. The aroma of crisp apples was absolutely mouth-watering.

In need of a warming drink on a cold foggy night, I made this spicy and fruity drink from the apples that I bought – it’s just lovely and the lemon provides a little bit of added zing.  

Ingredients

3 apples

½ lemon, juiced

2 cloves

1 slice of fresh ginger

1 star anise

1 stick of cinnamon to serve


Method

Juice the apples and mix in the juice of the lemon. Stir in the spices. Place in a double boiler on the stove and heat until finger hot.

Tip: If you are using a masticating juicer then you can warm this in the dehydrator at 115 degrees F for an hour instead of using the stove. Masticating juicers keep the juice at a higher quality for longer than  centrifugal juicers.   

Buzz Buzz Buzz

    

We've been so busy here over the last couple of weeks. We had Kristyn, a vegan chef from America, come to stay for a while to undertake some intensive training in raw food. She is part of the WWOOF programme and as an exchange was a fantastic help to us in the garden. Thanks Kristyn! x



Mediterranean Pizza Flatbread

 

Falafel with Satay Sauce


 

Blonde Macarons





We managed to make over 40 different raw recipes and even found time to throw a raw dinner party to friends over the weekend. Amongst the goodies we made together were lime and cumin kale crisps, falafel wraps with satay sauce, pizza flatbreads, buckwheat and mulberry slices, chunky chocolate brownies, blonde macarons and dark chocolate cherry cake with Madagascan vanilla cream.  Some of the things we made are pictured here. 



Kristyn’s been undertaking an apprenticeship with Katie Venner and Gordon Woodcock at Tracebridge Sourdough in Somerset since June. I met her at the Introduction to Raw Foods Workshop and Lunch that I ran there at the end of October. Andrew from Artisan South West came along to the course too and was kind enough to review it. You can see the Artisan Southwest website and read the review here.

There are more courses coming up in Somerset and Gloucestershire – more about those in the next few days.

 

Chunky Chocolate Brownie
































Buckwheatsicles

When I was young I used to crave 'Ricicles' - a sugar coated breakfast cereal made from puffed rice. Very occasionally my mother would let me have some. I loved the sugary crunch combined with the creaminess of the gold top milk.

These days I prefer my breakfasts organic, un-pre-packaged, vegan and raw but I still like lots of crunch.

The name 'buckwheat' is abit misleading because it isn't related to wheat at all - nor is it a cereal. It's actually a seed which makes it great for sprouting.      

These buckwheatsicles are delicious for breakfast but to be honest I eat them at any time of the day. I tend to make ½ kilo’s worth at a time to last a while and I keep them in an airtight jar. 

 

Combined with creamy Brazil nut mylk which has been sweetened with Madagascan vanilla and organic medjool dates, this is definitely a breakfast cereal to surpass anything in a packet.
                                                                                                   

Equipment

A dehydrator (I use the Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator)

Ingredients

Raw Buckwheat

Method

Sprout the raw buckwheat by soaking it in pure water for 5 hours and then rinse frequently for about 3 days until the buckwheat grows little tails. Make sure you rinse a few times a day because the buckwheat can go slimy. 

Once it has sprouted, dehydrate the buckwheat at 105 degrees for 10 hours until it has lots of crunch. 

Serve with Brazil nut mylk and top with banana for added sweetness.  

A shot of beetroot

I was never that keen on beetroot as a kid but that’s because my only experiences of it were either boiled and sliced into a salad or dredged in vinegar from a jar at Christmas. Raw beetroot has a completely different taste, quite earthy yet also sweet.  For years now I’ve been adding it to my morning juice, but yesterday I decided to break with my tradition and enjoy it on its own.  I was reading in one of Jason Vale's juicing books that beetroot juice is full of iron and can reduce blood pressure. He’s even quoted some scientific studies undertaken at St Barts and other medical schools which demonstrate its effectiveness. I think that’s an added bonus because it tastes really delicious - I made a bottle of fresh juice to return to during the day. 

It's also good mixed with one or more of the following juices, although perhaps not all at the same time.

Carrot, ginger, celery, orange, apple, lemon and grapefruit

A Spicy Dipping Sauce and an Unfried 'Stir Fry'

For me, the arrival of November means it’s time to perk things up a little with a bit of chilli. This spicy dipping sauce is lovely for fresh veggies. I like it with purple sprouting broccoli or savoy cabbage wraps - the blend of the ingredients seems to complement the earthiness of the savoy really well.  The dipping sauce also works well as a dressing for red cabbage and gives it the mouth-watering feel of eating a stir fry but with a lot more freshness.  

Spicy Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

6 tablespoons of tamari

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

1 tablespoon agave (or other sweetener)

1 lime, juiced

1 spring onion, chopped

1 small red chilli, minced  

Method

Place all the ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and give it a good shake! It’s now ready to serve.

Unfried Red Cabbage Stir Fry

  

Ingredients

½ red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 carrot, julienned

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 quantity of Spicy Dipping Sauce

Red chilli, finely chopped to garnish

 Method

Place the prepared cabbage, carrot and celery in a bowl and pour over the dipping sauce so that all of the ingredients are combined. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to let the flavours develop and so the cabbage can soften a little.  Remove the cabbage mix from the bowl leaving behind any dressing in the bottom of the bowl (you can refrigerate this left-over dressing to use the next day). When plated, sprinkle over the chopped chilli.