Saturday 27 April 2013

Easy Green Juice

I really love to juice, well not the actual process so much as the end result; put it this way, I hate the washing up generated by juicing, but I love the results of drinking juice.

Delicious and Healthy Green Juice
I am lucky to be able to use my family's masticating juicer. I always drink my juice fresh from the juicer. If you have a centrifugal juicer, it is especially important to make sure to drink any juice you make within 15 minutes of making it so as to get all that juicy nutritious goodness in you before it starts to oxidise.

In my humble opinion and juice-drinking experience, green juice has a profound effect on the body. I do like other types of juice too and will probably feature some other recipes for juice, but green juice is my go to staple.

I nearly always add a teaspoon of green powder to my green juice. My favourite powder is barleygrass, but I also use wheatgrass and some people like spirulina. You can find these types of powders online or in health food stores. I find barleygrass powder is particularly helpful if you are chronically sick and need some 'support'.

Naturya - barleygrass powder, they also make other green powders
The recipe below is a basic recipe. There are more complicated versions using more ingredients, but this one tastes fairly mild (I don't really like the taste of green juice!), and is simple to prepare. It's also fairly easy to keep these ingredients on hand without breaking the bank.

Juice quanities always vary depending on the actual vegetables/fruit used, but this recipe should make 2 medium glasses or 3 small ones.

Ingredients:

3 large stalks of celery
2 or 3 large green apples - Granny Smith works well or for a sweeter juice use Golden Delicious or similar
3 large handfuls spinach
1/2 lime, squeezed - you can also put the lime into some juicers
1 teaspoon per person of barleygrass powder
Optional - 1 inch peeled ginger

  1. Prepare the fresh ingredients, if necessary. For a masticating juicer, you will probably need to chop the celery and apples.
  2. Juice everything except the barleygrass powder and lime juice.
  3. When you have juiced everything, add the lime juice to the juice container and stir in.
  4. Pour the juice into glasses and stir 1 teaspoon of barleygrass powder into each person's juice.
  5. Drink straight away.
  6. Follow with a glass of water to help flush it through your system.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Marinated Salmon

This is a fairly easy recipe, which can be made in advance, kept in the fridge and cooked later. The garlic, soy sauce and ginger, are all optional. 

It makes a good main meal if you like fish. I served it with white basmati rice and steamed vegetables (pak choy, broccoli and courgette/zucchini).  You could serve it with potatoes, or noodles and/or salad.


I cooked the salmon in the oven, but you could cook them on a BBQ/grill if you wished.


Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets (wild are good)
Vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons runny honey
1 1/2 teaspoons Tamari (soy sauce)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch fresh coriander (equal to about 1/2 cup chopped)
1 inch fresh ginger
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F - unless you are preparing the salmon/marinade on advance.
  2. Line a baking tray with tin-foil and brush the foil with some vegetable oil.
  3. Place your salmon fillets on the oiled foil, skin side down.
  4. Take a small saucepan and add the garlic, honey, Tamari/soy sauce, lime juice, chopped coriander, and ginger. Stir well.
  5. Heat up the contents of the pan on the stove top, until the liquid is warm (approx. 5 minutes).
  6. Remove from the heat and pour over the salmon fillets. Leave them to marinate for 10 minutes or longer - depending upon how much time you have, as you can cover them and put them in the fridge for a few hours pre-cooking. During this time, keep spooning the liquid back over the salmon fillets (basting them). 
  7. When you are ready to cook them, place the tray in the pre-heated oven and cook for 10 minutes, then remove it and baste them using a spoon to cover them in any remaining marinade. Put them back in for a further 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness (use a knife to check they are cooked through the centre).
  8. Serve with rice or noodles and salad or steamed vegetables.

Monday 15 April 2013

Onion-free Carrot and Celeriac Slaw

Back in the day... pre-onion allergy, I used to LOVE homemade coleslaw. I would eat it in sandwiches, with salad or tucked with some cheese in a jacket (baked) potato. Store bought coleslaw was never the same as the homemade variety (it was a bit artificial-looking and tasting). Then Marks and Spencers and other supermarket started making 'deli' coleslaw that was a pretty spot on replica for something you might make yourself, and thus... life was good!

Alas, most coleslaw includes a hefty heaping of raw onion, which is really one of the worst presentations of onion I could come into contact with. I had to abandon eating it and focus on something else instead. I was a bit miffed. Then one day, I was thinking about the whole issue - I missed one of my favourite foods - and I remembered that in Switzerland, they make a grated celeriac dish that comes in a creamy sauce. This memory prompted me to make my own 'slaw', the recipe for which you will below.

Carrot and Celeriac Slaw on Wholemeal Bread with Cheese and Quorn Slice
Notes: this is one of those dishes you can guess/estimate the quantities needed. Just taste as you go along and see what you think. If you want more 'sauce' add more mayonnaise/Veganaise. The picture I have included is of when I made it and was watching my weight - so less sauce. It is important to leave the slaw to develop for at least half an hour (the longer the better), as some of the juices from the vegetables seep out into the sauce. The slaw will keep in the fridge for a few days. It has a far milder taste that traditional coleslaw due to not using white cabbage or onion.

Ingredients:

Between 1/4 to 1/2 a celeriac, shredded - quantity depends on how much you want to make. I shred/grate mine using the food processor.
Equal quantity of carrot, shredded
Mayonnaise or Veganaise - approx 1 to 2 tablespoons, or more if you want more sauce (you can thin it with milk or milk substitute if necessary).
Lemon juice - a good squeeze or 2
Kelpamare or Maggi, a good shake - I use Kelpamare (http://www.avogel.co.uk/food/kelpamare/) as it does not have MSG in it.
A pinch of sugar - optional, taste before you add... it helps to counteract the lemon juice if it is a bit sharp.
Optional extras: chopped walnuts or pecan nuts, raisins or sultanas (to get them plump and soft, cover in boiling water, then discard the boiling water before use), chopped apple, chopped fresh parsley.

  1. Use a large mixing bowl to combine the shredded celeriac and carrot. If you are using any of the optional extras such as nuts, sultanas or apple then add these now.
  2. Add the mayonnaise/Veganaise, the lemon juice, and the Kelpamare/Maggi to the bowl.
  3. Mix thoroughly together using a large spoon.
  4. Taste the mixture and add more of the Kelpamare/Maggi, if needed. Add the sugar, if needed.
  5. Taste again - adjust if necessary.
  6. Cover the bowl with a plate or some clingfilm/saran wrap and leave for 30 minutes.
  7. Serve. Any unused slaw can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days. 



Wednesday 3 April 2013

Veggie Rolls

Veggie rolls are a great way of making a quick, and surprisingly very filling meal. They are full of nutrients due to the ingredients used, and the fact that nearly everything used is raw. They follow the principles of the Hippocrates Diet, which is a 'living food' way of eating. They are an ideal item for a picnic or lunchbox. I have not included quanitites for most things, as you can make it up.

Raw Veggie Rolls

Alternatives: there are plenty of alternatives you can use such as chopped tomatoes, salad leaves, chopped/grated/shredded zucchini/courgette...

Ingredients:
  • Raw or toasted nori sheets - http://www.clearspring.co.uk/japanese/sushi_range/nori - I use 1 or 2 sheets per person
  • 1/2 avocado - per person
  • Lemon juice or apple cider vingar
  • Sprouted seeds - alfafa, brocoli, mung... or whatever else you have sprouted/bought (you could use cress if you don't have any sprouts)
  • Cucumber, grated/shreeded or finely julienned
  • Carrot, grated/shredded
  • Bell pepper (any colour), finely sliced into strips
  • Seasoning
  • Tamari - optional
  1. Take a sheet of nori and lay flat on a plate or clean surface
  2. Peel the avocado half/remove the stone, and roughly chop it into a small bowl 
    Spread on the avocado paste
  3. Take the seasoning, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and add this to the avocado (you should add it 'to taste' - everyone likes a different amount, so add a little, taste it and then add some more if necessary)
  4. Using a fork, mash the avocado mixture to incorporate the seasoning and the lemon juice/vinegar until it makes a paste
  5. Divide the nori sheet into 4 squares
  6. Spread the avocado paste onto each square (you may wish to leave a little sheet spare at the top for rolling, I didn't bother!)
  7. Top the avocado paste with the grated/shredded cucumber and carrot
  8. Then add the sprouts, followed by the bell pepper
  9. Roll up your squares (if you left some of the sheet spare, then you can moisten it with water to make it stick to the rest of the roll
  10.  Plate up - and serve with tamari dipping sauce or simply by themselves
A close up of the filling
Raw veggies, seaweed and avocado - yum!

German Marble Cake

I don't want to turn this into a baking blog, so I shall upload something savoury too; however, by popular request I am posting the following recipe as it is divine!


Background: I like to bake and recently it was a relative's birthday, so I decided to make them a birthday cake. In the past, I have made them the usual (for England) victoria sponge and the more exotic coconut and lime malibu cake, but this time I was reading a German magazine and noticed a lovely looking recipe for a marble cake.

Marble cake is pretty popular in Germanic countries. In the past I have bought a pre-made cake from certain German supermarkets, who shall remain nameless; along with 'the nasties' (additives/preservatives etc), they always seem to have a strange flavouring that I can't stand and is perhaps synthetic. I had always thought this type of cake would be a hassle to make because you end up with two cake batters at one point, but I was proven wrong. It really is not that bad - apart from washing up two bowls instead of one.

The theory behind this cake being that it should be more vanilla sponge and less chocolate sponge; I seem to have ended up with them being pretty equal. I shall alter it slightly next time, but it really doesn't matter that much. I have altered the amount of white and dark chocolate used for the topping because the original recipe had too much dark to white in my opinion (you can change it as you desire).


Ingredients:
250g soft/room temperature butter or margarine = 1 cup
1 pinch salt (I omit this)
200g sugar (I use caster as I am in the UK) = 1 cup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs (I used medium)
300g self raising flour = approximately 2 1/3 cups - for all purpose plain flour use the same amount of flour but add 3 teaspoons of baking powder and mix it before use
150g creme fraiche = 2/3 cup
2 dessert spoons of cocoa powder (the type of spoon you eat cereal with) = approx 4 teaspoons
3 dessert spoons of milk or milk substitute
75g of dark chocolate (2.5 ounces will do)
75g of white chocolate (2.5 ounces will do)
  1. Oil or grease (with butter/margarine) a large loaf tin. Mine measured 25 cm long, so approximately 9 to 10 inches long would be ideal.
  2. Preheat the oven to 175 C/350 F (conventional) or 150 C/300 F (fan).
  3. Take the butter, salt (if using), and sugar and cream together in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon or electric beaters. When the mixture is pale and fluffy/creamy, add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate each one thoroughly. Add the vanilla extract and gently stir to combine. 
  4. Using a metal spoon, add the flour (and baking power, if using), and fold it into the mixture. Add the creme fraiche and fold this into to loosen up the mixture.
  5. Take another mixing bowl and remove between 1/2 the mixture. You should now have two bowls with mixture in them.
  6. Use a sieve or flour sifter to add the cocoa powder to the mixture, at the same time add the milk and fold the two ingredients into the mixture with a metal spoon (be careful not to overmix/beat as you will lose some of the air).
  7. Take the vanilla/yellow cake mixture and add it to the loaf tin, then add the chocolate/brown cake mixture on top. Smooth with a knife and then take the handle of a spoon and swirl it through the mixture from one end to the other in a continual wiggly 'S' shape - this gives you the marbling of the two cake mixtures.
  8. Bake for between 50 to 60 minutes. I checked mine at 45, and then again at 55. The cake is ready when you can insert a skewer into the cake and it comes out clean with no mixture stuck to it. 
  9. When cooked, remove the cake from the oven and leave to stand in its tin for 5 minutes.
  10. Loosen the cake with a palette knife and turn it onto a wire rack to cool.
At this point you can just eat the cake as it is, or you can make it even more special by following these steps:
  1. Melt the white chocolate and dark chocolate separately - I use a bain marie/porringer pan.
  2. Drizzle the dark chocolate first over the cooled cake - I used a palette knife to smooth the extra dark chocolate over the sides.
  3. Then drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cake, taking care to fill in any gaps on top where you did not put dark chocolate. If you wish, you can then take a wooden cocktail stick and use it to drag vertical lines the length of the cake, which will give your cake a marbled topping.
  4. If possible, carefully leave put the cake in the fridge to 'set' the chocolate, otherwise just leave it for a few hours or more so the chocolate can cool right down.
Recipe adapted from: Neue Post Magazine 20 March 2013