Pumpkin Cheesecake [raw]

This “pumpkin” cheesecake actually has no pumpkin at all, but you wouldn’t know it! Spot the secret ingredient. We enjoyed this deliciously spiced cheesecake for Dan’s birthday, during our October raw food detox. I use exactly the same spices in a non-raw version of this cake but I think I prefer this version over the traditional baked one.

Makes one 10” [25cm] cheesecake, 12-16 servings. Use a 6” tin and halve the recipe for a smaller cake.

Pastry layer

• 1 cup raw pecans, soaked in water and drained
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted 

Process until the mixture holds together. Press onto the base of a lined or nonstick 10” [25cm] round cake tin. I use one with a removable base.

Filling

• 6 cups desiccated unsweetened coconut, soaked in water for at least an hour, then drained
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup maple syrup 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 TBS vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla bean
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger
• 4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cups raw carrots, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup raw cacao butter

Melt the last two ingredients in a glass jug sitting in a bowl of warm water. Blend coconut, water, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, spices, carrots, melted oil and cacao butter in a blender until thick and creamy. Pour into the pastry base and freeze 4-5 hours until firm. Remove from freezer an hour before serving. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the cheesecake before slicing and serving.

Creamy Cashew Dressing & Sweet Coconut Cashew Cream [raw]

This deliciously creamy dressing has been our family’s go-to salad dressing for many years. I like to use it for coleslaw, green salads, and as a substitute for sour cream. Even if you’re not eating raw or vegan, it’s just one more way to lower your dairy consumption in a meal.

Creamy Cashew Dressing

• 1 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked overnight or for at least a few hours
• 2-3 Medjool dates [when not eating raw you could use a few TBS maple syrup instead]
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 TBS lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Blend to a cream, adding water until the consistency you want is reached. For a sour cream substitute, obviously you want to use less.

Additions

• Italian-style creamy dressing: add a few handfuls of fresh basil and oregano or a tsp each of dried, as well as 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• Mustard: add 1 TBS wholegrain mustard [can add 1 TBS raw honey too, for a honey mustard dressing]

Sweet Coconut and Cashew Cream

1. Soak one cup raw cashews and 1 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut in water overnight or for at least a few hours
2. Pour out most of the soaking water and add 4 TBS maple syrup [or 6 Medjool dates if you’re keeping it raw] and 1/2 tsp almond extract
3. Blend with either a hand blender or standalone until creamy.
4. Store in fridge for up to five days.

Use as a dip with any fruit or as a raw icing.

Almond Milk & Coconut Milk Recipes

There’s a creamier version of homemade almond milk in the raw breakfast recipe here. But another version I use nowadays, making raw milks in larger amounts, is this one:

• 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
• 5 cups water

For coconut milk:

• 1 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
• 5 cups water

Blend until creamy, about two minutes on high speed, depending on your blender.

Both coconut or almond milk can be poured through a bag that removes the meal to make them smoother. Use the meal to top green salads, in raw snack balls, in raw pie crusts, or in cooked food like cookies or pancakes.

Freshly made milk can be stored in mason jars in the fridge for as long as they last-- not long around here! Both coconut and almond milks, stored in a closed jar, will stay fresh for at least a week in the fridge.

Breakfast Smoothies 2

This is an updated version of our old smoothie recipe, which you can find here.  This newer version is the one we’ve been using for the past six years or so. The fruit content has changed slightly and I’ve removed some of the ingredients. This is a basic recipe, but below it I’ve included some yummy ideas for combinations. Use your imagination!

Currently, our morning batches of smoothie are quite large, but I’ve written this recipe in single serving quantities so you can double, triple, or quadruple as needed! You can also multiply the recipe and save extra in a mason jar in the fridge for the next day.

Makes one portion

The night before you plan to have smoothie, soak in a jar or glass jug (either in fridge or covered on the countertop):

• 1 heaping tablespoon steelcut oats (or any other oats)
• 1 heaping tablespoon desiccated unsweetened coconut 
• 1 Brazil nut, or 1 TBS raw cashews, or 1 TBS raw almonds
• 1 pitted Medjool date (optional)

In the morning, add the soaking mixture to a blender container along with 1/2 apple and 1/2 banana. Add 1/4 cup of another fruit: berries or mango or anything else you like, really. [see below for additions to change the flavor!] Add a cup of water to the blender, and blend well.

1. Blueberry Cacao - 1/4 cup blueberries, small piece of avocado, small piece of fresh pineapple, 1/4 cup homemade almond milk, one heaping tablespoon cacao powder, few drops of vanilla extract.
2. Blueberry Lemon - 1/4 cup blueberries, handful of greens like spinach or kale, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon rind, piece of fresh pineapple, one tablespoon grated fresh beetroot, few drops of almond extract. 
3. Carrot Cake - two pecans, 1/4 cup homemade almond milk, one piece of pineapple, 1/4 cup grated fresh carrot, a bit of lemon peel, 1/4 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon, 1 tsp maple syrup, a few drops vanilla extract.
4. Mango Strawberry - three or four strawberries, 1/4 cup mango pieces, one tablespoon grated fresh carrot.
5. Peach & Carrot - 1/3 peach, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, one tablespoon grated fresh carrot, few drops vanilla extract.
6. Pineapple Cream - (add two pecans & two Brazil nuts to the soaking mixture) two large pieces fresh pineapple, 1/4 cup homemade almond milk, a few drops almond extract.
7. Pineapple Strawberry - three or four strawberries, 1/4 cup fresh pineapple pieces, 1/4 cup homemade almond milk.
8. Purple - 1/4 cup blueberries, one piece of frozen dragonfruit, one small piece of pineapple.
9. Mango Ginger - 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1/4 cup mango pieces, 1 tsp honey
10. Hot Chocolate - 1/4 cup mixed berries, 1 TBS cocoa or cacao powder, 1 TBS maple syrup, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, sprinkle of cinnamon

Creamy Vegetable Soup [vegan]

Friday is soup night at our house! This is one of our current favourites, a versatile soup packed full of veggies with a creamy tomato base. I like it because I always have these ingredients on hand, and if I'm bereft of fresh green veggies I can use frozen instead! This recipe makes about eight large servings.

Saute two large onions in a tin or two (2-4 cups homemade) of coconut milk, with a blend of dried or fresh herbs (thyme/oregano/basil/sage), garlic, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. 

 

Add diced carrots and sweet potatoes, and green veg. Today it was kale but spinach works too, as does frozen green veggies like spinach/kale/peas. 

Stir in three tins of chickpeas, and 800g (large tin) crushed tomatoes or puree. Add in enough water (or broth, if that's what you prefer) to cover all the ingredients and allow to simmer for a while. When the carrots are softened, throw in a box/ bag of pasta. If you're using a gluten free pasta, you'll want to wait to add this to the heated soup and cook it right before you plan to eat. Otherwise, add the pasta and then simmer for another minute or two.

Put the lid on the pot and turn off the heat; allow the soup to cool on the back of the stove until you're ready to re-heat for dinner. This is a great make-ahead soup; it tastes best the day after! It's also a perfect last-minute soup; start to finish it takes about fifteen minutes to prep and half an hour to cook. 

Other variations: omit the pasta and add 4-5 large potatoes, or omit the pasta and add 2 cupfuls brown short grain rice. For both of these, include when you add the veggies rather than at the end!

 

Pumpkin Muffins [vegan]

This recipe is one I've adapted from Well Plated . It's similar to the original but we've definitely made it our own by substituting ingredients we usually have on hand. Last night for tea we ate the less sweet version with scrambled eggs, accompanied by an apple and pecan fruit salad.

• make flax eggs by whisking 4 TBS ground flaxseed [linseed] with 10 TBS water 
• 4 oz pure maple syrup [8 oz for sweeter muffins]
• 4 oz avocado oil [sub melted coconut oil or olive oil]
• 425g pureed pumpkin [1 tin]
• 4 oz coconut milk [I usually use homemade or full-fat tinned]
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 3 1/2 cups white spelt flour
• 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice [or mixed spice]
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda [bicarbonate]
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 8 oz chocolate pieces [leave out for less sweet version]
• 4 oz pecans or walnuts [also optional]

Preheat oven to 325F, 160C, gas mark 3.

Whisk flax eggs with oil, syrup, pumpkin, and coconut milk. Stir in vanilla and spices. Pour in the flour, baking powder, salt and soda and whisk well. Fold in any additions and scoop into two dozen muffin cups or fourteen large muffin papers. Bake 28 minutes for smaller and 40 minutes for the larger ones. Remove from the baking tins right away to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Chia Energy Bites

 Makes about 18.

These are yummy (if you can’t tell by the name) but you do need a food processor to prepare them! 

• 2 TBS chia seeds
• 1/4 cup plus 2 TBS water
• 10 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 TBS coconut oil
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder or organic cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup raw walnuts, soaked overnight and drained
• 3/4 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 1/3 cups dry desiccated coconut [unsweetened, no additives]
• spices [optional]: 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Soak chia seeds in water. Let seeds absorb water--about 5 minutes.  Once absorbed, place in food processor with the dates and coconut oil; process until smooth.  Add salt and cacao or cocoa and process.  Add walnuts and almonds and stir in the coconut.  You will have to use your hands as the mixture will be quite thick at this point! Form into balls.  Roll in extra coconut [optional].  Store in a tin in the fridge.

Green Spaghetti [100% vegan; optional raw]

Despite the odd title, this simple recipe has become a definite favourite for our family and community. I gathered my initial inspiration for it from a Nigella Lawson recipe, but have modified it extensively from her version.  Her aim was to create a nut-free pesto, which, as you can see below, I've changed completely!

The pesto is 100% raw and can be eaten with raw courgette "spaghetti" for a raw variant of this recipe.

Raw Basil Cashew Pesto

• 1 cup organic cashews, soaked in water overnight and drained
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed
• 1/4 cup organic, extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sea salt

Blend well using hand blender, adding in a bit of water if necessary.  Set aside.

Green Spaghetti

• 2 large potatoes, cubed but not peeled
• 2 large handfuls topped and tailed fresh green beans
• 1 packet wholemeal spelt spaghetti  [why spelt?]

Fill a large saucepan with cold water.  Add potato pieces and cook until potatoes are softening.  Add packet of spaghetti and cook for a further five minutes.  Add green beans and stir well.  Cook until green beans are very lightly steamed but still crunchy.  Drain carefully using large colander, and stir in basil cashew pesto.

Serve with black pepper and optional freshly grated parmesan.  This recipe tastes absolutely delicious without the parmesan, so don't add cheese until you've tried it!

Serves 6 with the addition of a large green salad.

Raw Piri-Piri Houmous

On the rare occasion that we take our loud, hungry, and not exactly table-trained family of six out for a meal, we like to visit Nando's, a restaurant that specialises in African-style chicken.  They have plenty of meat and dairy free options.  My favourite meal there is a salad with pumpkin seeds, green beans, and avocado; eaten along with a starter of houmous with pitta bread and piri-piri sauce.

It was that addicting, delicious piri-piri flavour I was trying to achieve in this yummy corn and cashew-based houmous.

Using a hand blender, blend together:

• corn from two ears of fresh sweetcorn, sliced off the cob
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• juice of two limes, or of one lime and one lemon
• 2 TBS sesame seeds
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2-4 tsp ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp dehydrated chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt   
• splash red wine vinegar

Add more seasoning according to your personal tastes.  This is delicious eaten with raw veggie sticks, rolled up in romaine lettuce like a wrap, or in raw sushi.

Cornbread

Mmm... we love cornbread!  I grew up eating this southern favourite.  Ours was a homemade version --no packet mixes for Mom!-- and it is absolutely delicious.  This is my mother's basic recipe.  You can add grated cheese for savoury cornbread, or eat it with honey or maple syrup for a sweet treat.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/gas mark 6. Lightly whisk together in a large bowl:

• 1 cup coarse cornmeal 
• 1 cup plain flour [I generally use wholemeal spelt]
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS brown sugar or maple syrup

In a separate bowl, beat:

• 1 cup plain yoghurt [coconut milk or rice milk both work fine too; it will just be a bit crumblier]
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter [or coconut oil if you want to keep this cornbread dairy free]

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.  Stir in the liquid mixture; beat gently but well.  

For a thinner cornbread, use two 8" baking tins.  For more cake-like cornbread, use one 8" tin.  Butter tins well and line the bases with circles of baking paper.  Bake in hot oven for 20-25 minutes.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and eat right away, or store in a tin when cold to use later.  Believe me, if you love cornbread as much as we do, it won't last that long!

Raw Taco Filling

I've seen quite a few recipes for this raw Mexicali favourite, but this is the way I like to make mine.

For one serving, stir together the following and marinate for a while.  Then eat over a green salad of fresh spinach leaves or romaine lettuce!  This is also delicious eaten as a taco, rolled up in romaine lettuce with fresh guacamole and salsa.

• 3 TBS walnut halves, chopped
• 3 TBS sprouted mung beans
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• Drizzle of avocado oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 small or 1/2 large clove crushed garlic
• 2 TBS water

Raw “Stirfry" with Hot and Sour Sauce

Serves 2

• 1 cup fresh pineapple juice [omit if using pineapple]
• 1 small mango, peeled and cut into pieces [or 2 handfuls fresh pineapple pieces)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tsp organic tamari
• 1 TBS lime juice
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 2 medjool dates
• sea salt, and dehydrated chilli flakes to taste

Blend. Set sauce aside to chill in fridge. 

Later, just before serving, thinly slice the following:

• 1/4 purple cabbage
• 1/3 head broccoli
• 1/3 cauliflower
• 1/4 large red onion
• 3 medium-sized carrots
• 1/4 green pepper
• large handful of sugar snap peas

Stir well, adding in a few teaspoons of organic tamari sauce, 2 TBS sesame seeds, 1 cup of sprouted mung beans, and a few large handfuls of fresh pineapple pieces.  Serve with the hot and sour sauce and additional sesame seeds on the side.

Breakfast Smoothies

In a large glass or jar, measure out:

• 2 TBS oats
• 1 tsp dried [desiccated] unsweetened coconut
• 3 whole brazil nuts
• 5 almonds

Pour over enough water or coconut water to submerge.  Cover and leave overnight.

In the morning, add:

• one small ripe banana, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 large apple or one small apple, quartered and cored but not peeled
• two teaspoons chia seeds
• any other handful of fruit you want to add: mango, pineapple, and fresh berries are some of our favourites [optional]
• 1-2 cups coconut milk, homemade almond milk, or coconut water

Blend well, stopping often to make sure all ingredients are being incorporated.  Add more coconut or almond milk as necessary to liquefy the texture.  

I make our smoothies in the same jars that we drink from.  These are incredibly handy as we can put a lid straight on to take our breakfast with us if in a rush, or pop in the fridge if we can't finish it all right away.

I did not take a photo of these smoothies as they are fairly unimpressive visually. Their taste is wonderful, though, and with all their wholesome ingredients, will keep you full until lunchtime!

Earth Soup

This creamy soup is deliciously soothing, easy to eat, and perfect for using up some of those winter veggies that might be languishing in the dark corners of your kitchen...

EARTH SOUP

Saute in a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil:

• 3-4 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 chopped onions.  

Add a combination of equal amounts of some or all of these: potatoes, swede, turnips, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes.  

Pour in a pint or so of vegetable broth, add a few bay leaves, some freshly grated nutmeg, a bit of freshly grated ginger or a teaspoon or so of powdered, and some ground cumin and coriander.  

Add water to only just cover the vegetables and simmer until they're soft.  Remove the lid and puree with a hand blender.  [At this point I add a tin of butter beans or cannellini beans but it's up to you.]  After you've pureed the soup, throw in a few handfuls of chopped fresh herbs: coriander [cilantro] or flat-leaf parsley are delicious in this soup.

Salt and pepper well and serve with salads or toasted bread.

Healthier Rolled Sugar Cookies

These cookies are similar to their traditional counterpart, but personally I think the taste is even better!  Wholemeal spelt flour enhances the flavour, while brown rice flour and coconut palm sugar gives them extra crunch. Someday I'd like to be able to perfect this recipe using raw honey, but as that's not affordably available to me at the moment, I'll stick with butterscotch-flavoured coconut palm sugar for now!

ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

• 1 1/4 cups wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 tsp salt 

Stir flours and salt together. Set aside.

• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tsp almond extract

Beat butter with sugar; add egg and flavour extracts and beat well.  Stir in flour mixture until dough is well-mixed.  Roll into a large ball and wrap in baking paper; leave the wrapped dough in the fridge for an hour before rolling out.

When the dough is firm, roll out between two pieces of baking paper to a quarter-of-an-inch thickness.  Cut out with shaped cutters and use a palette knife to place the cookie shapes onto baking paper-lined cookie trays.  

Bake 350F/180C/gas mark 4 for ten minutes.  Remove carefully from baking trays and allow to fully cool on a wire rack.  Store in air-tight tins to stay fresh.  These cookies freeze well!

A Hobbitty Cake

When the kids realised Christmas was over and we had forgotten to make our traditional gingerbread house, Mr J suggested we make a gingerbread hobbit hole for Easter, instead.

His idea morphed into the cake I created yesterday. As you might already know, hobbit holes are curved, comfy dwellings etched into hillsides. Angled, straight-lined gingerbread is not very conducive to curvy comfort, but soft cake most definitely is!

I whipped up the super easy spice cake recipe detailed below and divided it between two containers for baking: an eight-inch round cake tin, and a similarly-sized stainless steel bowl.  When the cakes were cool, I sandwiched them together with an icing glaze, after cutting off a few centimetres at the front to create the indentation for the door.  These extra slices of cake provided a doorstep, and some height above the door of the hobbit hole.  

The door itself was a large round cookie, an adapted healthier version of traditional rolled sugar cookie dough.  I kneaded green colouring into white fondant icing and rolled it out to fit the door, using a toothpick and cocoa powder to create the detail.  The door handle was a tiny piece of white fondant, rolled in cocoa powder.  The two round windows were also bits of white fondant, covered in gold sparkle and detailed with a toothpick. I iced the entire hobbit hole with cinnamon-spiced buttercream, and sprinkled it with green coconut grass.  

Mmmm.... delicious!

SPICE CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 cups raw caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice [or allspice]
• 1 cup coconut milk, melted with:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, and spices. Separately, beat eggs and vanilla into cooled melted butter/coconut milk mixture.  Whisk two mixtures together well and pour batter into oiled/floured/lined baking tins of your choice: either the bowl and the cake tin if you're making your own hobbit house, or alternatively two dozen cupcake/two eight-inch cake tins.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes in a pre-heated 350F/180C/gas mark 4 oven.

When cool, ice with buttercream of your choice.  Ours was this:

CINNAMON BUTTERCREAM ICING

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 2 TBS cinnamon
• enough icing sugar to create a creamy consistency: about 2-3 cups

Beat together butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until well mixed.  Add in icing sugar, a cup at a time, until the right consistency is reached.  Cover cakes or cupcakes with icing and top with coconut.

For homemade, greener alternatives follow the link to Beth's blog and find more bloggers' household tips, recipe ideas, and creative stuff!

Garlic Lover's Salad [100% vegan/optional raw]

A long-loved favourite in my family is "Potato Lover's Salad".  Friends gave my parents the recipe when we lived in upstate New York.  I've adapted it slightly and here offer a vegan, optionally raw, very garlicky, immune-boosting version of my family's best summer salad recipe!

GARLIC LOVER'S SALAD

[feeds six as a main; we usually have soup on the side, too!]

Creamy garlic dressing [blend with a hand blender until smooth]:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked overnight or for a few hours
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1-4 cloves garlic, crushed [I use four --spicy hot--mmmn!]
• enough coconut milk [Koko] to thin the dressing [or coconut water]

Potatoes:

• six medium-large potatoes, scrub well but don't peel, cut into one-inch cubes
• 1 TBS paprika
• salt and pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil

Toss the potato cubes in the oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Roast in a baking tin for 45 minutes at gas mark 8/450F/220C. Stir frequently. These can be done well ahead of time; often, I will pop them into the oven in the morning and use them later to make the salad for our evening meal.  

[alternate raw recipe, minus the potatoes]

• one large courgette or two smaller ones [zucchini]
• 1 TBS paprika
• salt and pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil

Grate or cube the courgette and toss in the paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Marinate for a few hours in the fridge before adding to the salad.

Make an enormous green salad.  I use a mixture of rocket [arugula], spinach, lamb's lettuce, other dark green leaves, and some sprouted beans or lentils for extra protein --just whatever is available and looks good.  Stir the potatoes or courgette into the green salad and pour over the dressing.  Mix well and eat right away.  Delicious with a tomato-based soup!

Homemade Falafel

I've often bought ready-made falafel in overpriced, ethnically decorated packets. It's delicious, but there are about two servings per box, and it's just not great value for money, especially with the number of eaters around our table!  

My friend Sue gave me this recipe from one of her cookbooks ages ago; I've adapted it slightly, and it's so easy. I would have been making homemade falafel years ago if I'd had any idea how simple it would be!  

FALAFEL

[This recipe makes about 8-10 medium-sized falafel patties; I did triple it to feed quite a few of us! You'll want at least two per person.]

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas [garbanzo beans], drained
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 medium red or purple onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-2 TBS fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley [you can use dried, like I did in the photos below, but you won't have the vivid herb green colouring in the falafel!]
• seasoning: a teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper --I use about half a teaspoon

The original recipe says to put the above ingredients in a food processor, which I don't have.  However, I blended it up with my hand-blender [which blends everything from smoothies and almond milk to soap and body butter] and it was fine!

Scrape the blended chickpea mixture into a bowl, and stir in wholemeal spelt flour until you have a formable mixture.  It starts out looking like this: 

and ends up like this, just about to slip off the spoon but not quite:

On a hot griddle pan over medium heat, put a light sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil, and shallow-fry the falafel for about four minutes on each side until suitably browned.

Place the cooked falafel on a plate covered with a cotton tea towel, to absorb any extra oil.

Falafel can be a vegetarian substitute for burgers, and eaten on bread rolls with all the traditional burger trimmings.  

However, I like mine eaten in a wholemeal wrap, with cashew and garlic dressing, spinach leaves, olives, and cucumber/tomato/onion salad with a bit of lime juice.  

For more great green, homemade ideas, visit Beth's blog and click on the links from other bloggers!

Christmas Spice Granola

Our usual breakfast is healthy, soaked, and raw; but every once in a while we like to have homemade granola for a treat. As much as I love our usual cinnamon crunch granola recipe, it was time for something new.  I drew inspiration for this recipe from Kathy's Homemade Holiday Granola Recipes.

CHRISTMAS SPICE GRANOLA 

[makes some to eat now, some to give away, and enough to pop in the freezer for another day!]

5 1/2 cups oats

2 cups mixed dried fruit [I use an organic Crazy Jack pack that contains sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed candied peel, and chopped apricots]

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups chopped almonds

2 TBS mixed spice

4 TBS ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt for extra seasoning [optional]

6 TBS unrefined organic virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup organic maple syrup

2/3 cup coconut palm sugar

2 TBS natural almond or vanilla extract [almond is my favourite!]

Stir together all dry ingredients.  Melt coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, and almond extract over low heat and stir thoroughly into the oat and nut mixture.

Divide between two cookie tins covered in baking paper.  Bake in a warm oven at gas mark 2/300F/150C for 20-25 minutes.  Stir every ten minutes.

Allow to cool before packing away into cellophane bags for giving away, or into jars to freeze or keep. This granola freezes well! 

To serve, use about 1/4 cup granola per person.  Eat with fresh fruit [chopped bananas --mmm!] and either plain yoghurt or rice/coconut/almond milk.

For more ideas about homemade or eco-friendly things you can make or do, visit Beth's blog and follow the links on her Green Resource post:

Mocha Lip Balm

This dark, deliciously shimmering lip balm smells faintly of honey, strongly of coffee, and looks like chocolate.  Mmmm! 

Lip balm is one of the easiest homemade body-care items you could make; it was certainly the first homemade toiletry I ever created. Look for these ingredients on Amazon or in your local health food shops.  This recipe is, of course, great as a lip balm but also soothing and healing [because of the shea butter!] for dry, chapped hands.  

MOCHA LIP BALM

makes eight 15ml jars

2 TBS natural beeswax, grated

1 TBS unrefined shea butter

1 TBS unrefined cocoa butter

1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil

1 tsp honey, preferably raw

4 drops GSE

10 drops vanilla essential oil

20 drops coffee essential oil

1 tsp organic cocoa powder

1/2 tsp natural gold mica powder

Basically, the beeswax and fats need to be melted together, and then the essential oils and powders can be added.  I use a small stainless steel saucepan: fill it with a few inches of water, and place a Pyrex glass jug into the pan. Put the grated beeswax into the jug and set the pan over a low heat.  As it begins to melt, stir in the butters and oil, and the honey.  If shea butter gets too hot it will become grainy, so stir consistently and keep the heat low.  

While the oils are melting, pop a few clean small jars into the oven on a low temperature to warm.  I like tiny used jam jars [currently scoring mine from Starbucks; yeah, it helps to know the staff!] but you can also buy little cosmetic jars on eBay brand-new, if you prefer.  This recipe makes eight 15ml jars.

Back to the stovetop: remove the pan from the heat and, using a fork, whisk the cocoa powder and gold mica powder into the melted oils. Add the GSE and essential oils.

Pour the liquid balm into the hot glass jars, slowly and carefully.  Whisk the mixture before you pour into each jar to ensure a more even distribution of ingredients.

Set aside, uncovered, to cool overnight.  In the morning, put lids on the jars and give them a bit of a wipe down to remove any spills.  

In a hot climate or in extremely warm weather, it's probably best to store this lip balm in the fridge.  Also, if you are planning on giving this away, please remember that it is not appropriate for people who are allergic to nuts, because of the shea butter!

For more ideas about homemade and eco-friendly things you can make or do, visit Beth's blog and follow the links on her Green Resource post: