Raw Liberty

Green Coconut Dream Juice

I’m always on the look out for something new to drink that will fill me with life and energy…..

Yesterday I came across this video on you tube…

Yes, this really inspired me.

HealthForce Nutritionals Greener Grasses, contains five different organically grown whole leaf grasses with fibre (ground into a fine powder) which have been grown under ideal conditions and therefore contain extremely high nutrient levels – including: vitamins, minerals, phytonutirents, and chlorophyl, and 100% pure grass juices.

When blended with coconut water, you get a fabulously creamy energising drink, ideal for relaxing in the sun….

Adding more greens into my life on a daily basis is one of the biggest changes I’ve made to my diet, and I really notice the difference. It makes me feel sooo alive. Green juices and green smoothies are one of the first things I crave when away from home.

I’m loving pesto!

I’m just loing pesto at the moment – it’s so versatile. This is one of my favourite recipes. (It keeps for 3 days in the fridge)

1c basil
1 clove garlic
1/4c pine nuts
1T olive oil
1/4t salt
2t lemon juice
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leave some texture.

I made a large batch the other day, used some to stuff marinated mushrooms…

Some to dress a salad…

Chop sugar snap peas, mange tout, cherry tomatoes, soaked sundried tomatoes and place in a bowl with rocket, fresh peas and pine nuts. Toss with pesto.

and some tossed with courgetti, avocado, coriander and olives. (pasta and pesto was an old cooked favourite of mine, but never soo delicious!)

Golden Curried Noodles

My husband ordered a take away curry last night – sooo not my thing, but so we could eat together I made my own curry – and guess who didn’t suffer ant after effects!!!!

1 butternut squash

1 mango

1 apple

1 yellow pepper

10 cherry tomatoes

8 sticks of baby sweetcorn

10 sugar snap peas

1 stick celery

2 carrots

1 avocado

1T curry powder

1/4c raisins, soaked

2 dried apricots, soaked

1T agave

Juice of 1 lime

Handful coriander

Use a spiral slicer or julienne cutter to make noodles from the butternut squash.

Dice the mango, apple, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, baby sweetcorn, sugar snap peas, stick celery and carrots.

Place in a bowl and mix.

Put half of the vegetable mix in a blender.

Add the avocado, curry powder, lime juice, agave, raisins and apricots. Blend ‘til smooth.

Chop coriander and add half to the blended sauce and half to the chopped vegetable mix.

Put noodles in a serving dish.

Top with vegetable mix.

Pour sauce over top.

Serve.

Alternatively, mix the curry sauce into the chopped vegetables for a curried vegetable salad.

If you feel you’d like to taste any of my recipes why not sign up for one of my classes. Check out the Raw Liberty Class page. The next class is only 3 weeks away – May 22nd. Only two places remaining!

Chia breakfast

Usually my breakfast tends to be very light – a shot of wheatgress, maybe a celery and cucumber juice or a piece of fruit. This will see me  through the morning until green smoothie time! However, this morning I had to get up far earlier than usual to take my daughter and her friend to a gymnastics display rehearsal in Liverpool.

So when the rest of the family was surfacing for toast (after I’d been up for 3 hours!) I decided my usual breakfast just wasn’t going to work for me today. So, I had a rummage around my store cupboards and came up with the following breakfast – a sort of cross between museli and porridge.

Soak chia seeds in water till ‘gloopy’. Meanwhile blend banana with a little water and 1T lucuma powder. Stir the two together and sprinkle on goji berries, coconut chips, yacon root and raw chocolate. Simple yet delicious.

Chia seeds are one of the most powerful, functional and nutritious superfoods in the world! The chia seed is an excellent source of fibre, packed with antioxidants, calcium, full of protein, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and the richest known plant source of omega-3. Not only do they give you a boost of energy, they provide you with stamina and endurance. Because chia seeds absorb so much water and have high soluble fibre levels, they help release natural, unrefined carbohydrate levels slowly into the bloodstream. Unlike flax seeds, chia seeds do not have to be ground up before you ingest them as they can easily be digested by the human body. Chia seeds are very versatile and can be added to smoothies, salads, cereals etc. a wonderful store cupboard item!

Goji berries- one of my favourite snacks! – contain 21 trace minerals including zinc, copper, iron, calcium, germanium, selenium and phosphorus. They are also rich in beta carotene and contain vitamins B1, B2, B6 and  vitamin E. They contain 18 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids which makes them a ‘full protein’ food. They are actually 11.7% protein!

Lucuma is a nutrient dense fruit from Peru and tastes a bit like maple syrup.It is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates (which gives us sustained energy), fibre, vitamins and minerals, and has a high level of niacin (vit B3), beta carotene and iron.

Yacon root is also native to Peru and is related to the sunflower. It has a mild sweet flavour similar to pineapple. It is also nutrient dense and has an excellent balance of over 20 amino  acids. It is abundant in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Yacon can strengthen and activate the good bacteria in our gut which helps our immune system to work more efficiently.

So having enjoyed the taste of my breakfast – my body is now reaping the benefits!

Get Creative – part 2

As well as the peacock, I made a variation of dips and crudites – playing with the food to create appealing shapes, rather than just veg sticks, and using peppers as bowls for the dips!

The dips were adapted from Nomi Shannon’s Raw Food Celebrations.

Tomato – Olive Tapenade:

Finely chop Cherry tomatoes (deseeded), red pepper, pitted olives, red onion, garlic. Mix well adding olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Sunshine Pate:

Blend soaked sunflower seeds, red pepper, lemon juice, tahini, coriander, spring onions, tamari, garlic and paprika.

Pistachio Pesto:

Combine pistachio nuts, basil rocket, lemon juice, lemon zest, water and salt in food processor and pulse chop till well mixed but still chunky.

A fabulous way to start the meal!

Smoothie, Two Ways

Feeling spring in the air -  sun shining, daffodils lining the paths, lambs bleating – I decided to bring some sunshine into my food, so created two delicious but oh so simple smoothies!

Sunshine Smoothie

Blend 2 bananas, freshly squeezed orange juice and a handful of goij berries. Sit in the sun and soak in the joys of spring!

Green Sunshine Smoothie

As above, but add a huge handful of spinach. Simple!

Beets

I am just loving beetroot at the moment, and have come up with a super recipe for beet smoothie, which not only has great liver cleansing powers, it’s also my favourite colour….Purple!

The liver is the largest gland in the human body and is responsible for several functions which keep our bodies in good health including the production of  bile. A healthy liver can benefit all parts of the body an so if it doesn’t function properly, the body can’t function at peak capacity either. My liver has taken a bit of a battering of late  and I can feel that my body isn’t performing at it’s optimum level so it’s time to I did something to redress this situation. NOW!

Beetroot is one of the few vegetables which you can enjoy both their roots and leaves. Studies have shown that beets can help to protect liver cells from harmful chemicals as they contain the compounds betacyanin, a red pigment which is found in red beetroot and betaxanthin, a yellow pigment found which is found in yellow beetroot. Both of these pigments can provide the body with powerful antioxidant protection. Beetroot is also rich in folate, a water soluble B vitamin which is important for a healthy heart and is also essential for the growth of tissues in the body. The red pigment in beetroot raises antioxidant enzyme levels in the liver and may also promote detoxification in the intestines, blood and liver.
Beet greens are also delicious and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They contain almost twice the potassium of the beetroot. as well as high levels of folic acid.

Dandelion leaves have also been used as a powerful liver tonic. Dandelion is thought to increase the flow of bile in your body, and thus improve liver function. Dandelion tea is recommended for anyone who feels run-down, sluggish, and over-stressed. Dandelion greens contain vitamin C,  high in beta-carotene and rich in iron and calcium, and have the advantage of being freely available in your garden!!!

This smoothie contains both beetroot and dandelion leaves and is a gorgeous rich purple colour which fills you with that feel good factor!

Simply blend

• a small beetroot
• a handful of beet green leaves
• a handful of dandelion leaves
• juice of
• ½ lemon
• 2 apples
• 2 cm of fresh ginger (or more to taste – it has a warming effect in winter months)
• 1 cup water

Pour into an elegant wine glass and savour – purple bliss!!!!

Lisa’s Melaine Smoothie

This is a dreamy recipe I created yesterday. Unfortunately, I was only able to savour half as my daughter, (who usually turns her nose up at green smoothies), polished off the remainder and then asked me to make more!

Simply blend half a melon, a head of romaine lettuce, a banana and two kiwi fruit and savour! x

Supergreens

Today I really felt the need to have some serious green for breakfast, and boy did this hit the spot!

I blended a cucumber with a handful of watercress, parsley and coriander and two cubes of frozen wheatgrass, adding a dash of lemon juice….WOW!

Wheatgrass is a highly nutritious superfood containing folic acid, vitamin C, protein and phytonutrients which help boost well being and vitality.

I have tried growing and juicing my own wheatgrass but to prepare a shot every morning amid the choas of getting everyone out to school and work, just wasn’t working for me and I found myself skipping this vital health boost. Then I discovered frozen wheatgrass cubes from Aconbury Sprouts www.aconbury.co.uk/ . These have all the benefits of wheatgrass juice without the hassle of daily juicing. Each morning all I have to do is pop a cube in a glass, add a dash of water to quicken the defrosting time and hey presto – no more excuses for not including wheatgrass in my diet!

Un-Roasted Vegetable Tower

This is a meal I created yesterday. We were having friends to dinner and I was having to prepare a fish dish and a meat dish. As I used to eat cooked vegetarian food, I didn’t want my friends thinking that all I eat now is salad so I decided to create something with a bit more WOW! As I was making cooked roast veg I came up with this idea….

The crackers were made by blending then dehydrating  1c tomatoes, 4 sundried tomatoes, 1T italian seasoning, 1T agave, 1T lemon juice, 1/2c ground pumpkin seeds and 1T ground sunflower seeds.

This was topped with wilted spinach, marinated dehydrated peppers and courgettes, and cashew creme (blended cashew nuts, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt). The layers were then repeated to create the tower.

I have to say that I loved my meal and was not even tempted by the cooked food I’d produced for my friends. It’s amazing how your tastes change, and food you once loved just loses it’s appeal!