organic vegetables – Page 2

Little Juicers

August 27, 2014August 27, 2014Leave a comment

So here it is! I’m a mother, a devoted juicer, sometimes vegan and most of the time a conscious eater. My children? Not so much. I cook mainly with organic vegetables, meats and dairy and I also use gluten-free bread, pasta and flour. However, all goodness is hidden – otherwise they don’t want it! Yes – no ‘conscious’ eaters here. I hide pureed veggies in sauces, I pretend the toast is normal when it’s gluten-free, the coconut yoghurt is served as ‘normal’ yoghurt, the pancakes are made with almond flour and coconut etc. The truth is that my children would run a mile if they were told to drink a green juice. Go figure!

Luckily my daughter’s friend stopped by yesterday and look excited when I brought out the juicer and the kale. ‘I love kale’ she said. My daughter almost fainted. ‘You LOVE kale?’ she inquired shocked and in disbelief. Fast forward 20 minutes and sure enough they were all having a ‘toast’ with green juice which I managed to get a picture of. It may be the last time it happens. The friend loved the juice, my children gagged. I think I need to put a bit more apple in next time but I’m going to persevere – seeing a friend eating/drinking something is obviously 100 time more effective than me asking. So there you are… Happy Wednesday! x

The Nutritious Super Smoothie

August 23, 2014Leave a comment

Being back at home with my juicer and blender is more exciting than it ought to be. I didn’t think I could miss two machines as much as I have – but the truth is I feel 100% better drinking green juices and smoothies than when I don’t! Simple as that. After a month of going off piste in all kinds of foodie directions, not necessarily bad ones (although some were) and not consuming the amount of vegetables that I normally do, I started to feel really tired and lethargic. Spots were appearing out of nowhere (really?) and I just didn’t have the same amount of energy as I’m used to having. Time for action! After a massive vegetable shop my fridge is now full of goodies and this Green Swede is going back to basics.

Today’s smoothie recipe was filling and delicious as well as jam packed with nutrients. Here’s what my trusted book ‘Natural Wonderfoods’ says about the ingredients in it. Drink it and feel FABULOUS.

Avocado – monounsaturated fats, lecithin (improves brain function), high content of vitamin C, E and whole range of B, lutein (protects against eye problems and cardiovascular disease, tryptophan, folic acid (help to turn the tryptophan into serotonin, aka feel good hormone), potassium (staves off fatigue, depression and essential for healthy blood pressure and muscle contraction),rich in fibre, high in omega-3 fatty acids (fight against wrinkles) and contains more protein than any other fruit.

Celery – known to stimulate kidneys and flush out our system, full of vitamin B and C, detoxifying, liver cleanser, useful antiseptic for urinary tract problems, calcium, iron, magnesium and selenium to normalise the body’s acid-alkaline balance.

Ginger – stimulates and promotes detoxification and circulation, fast acting cure for nausea, relieves indigestion, wind and colic, aids general absorption of nutrients, ease constipation, helps against fungal infections, regulates blood sugar, rich in zink (immune system), combats colds and influenza, clears congestion, expels phlegm and relieves coughs, antiseptic, ease pain and inflammation, used in treatments of joint problems, stimulates circulation and lowers blood pressure. Use in juices, smoothies or add to hot water and drink as a tea.

Cucumber – one of the best diuretic foods (Egyptians, Greeks and Romans knew a thing or two), mineral rich, kidney cleanser, alleviates puffy eyes and sunburn, anti-inflammatory, rich in fibre, ease constipation, rich in erepsin (enzyme that help break down protein), silica (strong hair and nails), magnesium, potassium. The minerals are clustered in the peel so make sure you buy organic as otherwise you’d remove the peel and could lose valuable nutrients.

Kale – high in beta carotene (body turns this into vitamin A), lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids (helps prevent eye disease), B6 and B12 (boosts brain power and prevents memory loss), improve energy and supports immune system, calcium, silica, detoxifier, flavonoids (aids circulation and stimulates immune response), vitamin C (anti-oxidant), vitamin K, iron, zink and rich in fibre.

Banana – tryptophan (promotes serotonin), ease depression, aid restful sleep, high levels of vitamin B, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, maintains healthy nerve and muscle function, lowers blood pressure, rich in fibre, acts as antacids (heartburn or ulcers), banana skin can soften corns and calluses.

The Nutritious Super Smoothie

(Makes 2 tumblers)

1 avocado

1/2 cucumber

2 handfuls of shredded kale

1 banana

2″ piece of ginger root

1 carrot

2 celery sticks

coconut water

1 large tbsp coconut oil

1 scoop green protein powder

Mix all in blender and enjoy. Enjoy and have a wonderful Saturday! x

Asian Kale Salad

May 3, 2014May 4, 2014Leave a comment

Fresh organic ingredients for the Kale salad.

Lately, I’ve been developing somewhat of an obsession with looking at healthy/green food blogs. Not very rock n’ roll, I know, but it is incredibly inspirational and enlightening to see whats trending, not to mention the many talented and creative people who are willing to share their wisdom, recipes and blog techniques to enable others to develop their own voice. Respect!

During one of my recent surfing sessions I came across Cookie + Kate, a vegetarian website celebrating the eating and cooking of whole foods. My aim was to search for an inspiring kale recipe and that is how I found Kate’s blog which features one of the best kale salads I’ve ever tasted, Chopped Kale Salad with Edamame, Carrot and Avocado. As I didn’t have all of the ingredients at home, this is a bastardised version that still was a perfect 10 in my book.

Kale and other salad ingredients mixed and squeezed, prior to dressing.

Chopped Kale Salad with Edamame, Carrot and Avocado (serves 4):

Author: Cookie and Kate

Salad:

1 bunch kale

fine-grain sea salt

1 cup chopped snow peas (slice off tough ends first)

1 large carrot, peeled and ribboned with a vegetable peeler

1 small red pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 heaped cup organic edamame (if using frozen edamame, defrost by tossing into a pot of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes)

1 avocado, pitted and sliced into small chunks

1 large shallot, finely sliced

handful coriander, chopped

handful Thai basil (or regular basil), chopped

Tamari-Ginger Vinaigrette:

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari (or other low-sodium soy sauce*)

2 teaspoons lime juice

3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

Remove the tough ribs from the kale and chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the kale with a dash of sea salt and use your hands to massage the kale by squeezing the leaves in your hands until the kale is a darker green and fragrant. Toss the remaining salad ingredients with the kale.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together all the ingredients until emulsified. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve. Voila!!

Note: As you can see I didn’t have any edamame beans, nor did I have the snowpeas but I added more basil leaves and some chopped salad onions instead. It worked a treat and I absolutely loved this salad. It would work equally well on its own as with a piece of grilled fish. Perhaps with a glass of chilled white too…. Happy Saturday x

Kate’s salaad mixed with the tamari-ginger vinaigrette – heaven!

Buddha platter with Hawaiian purple sweet potato

April 13, 2014May 4, 2014Leave a comment

The beautiful islands of Hawaii are always full of surprises and tonight’s trip to the local supermarket proved to be no exception. I selected a couple of fat, juicy and innocent looking sweet potatoes that I was going to oven roast for our evening meal. Back home I quickly realised I had returned with the purple sweet potato variety, aka Okinawa sweet potato, instead of the regular orange kind. They look like normal sweet potatoes but when you cut them up you are met with bright purple flesh. What to do? After a bit of research I managed to find out that the purple sweet potato was a staple of the Hawaiian kitchen and jam-packed full of nutrients such as Vitamin C and Antioxidants. The good news was that I could still treat it as any other sweet potato, i.e. roast it, mash it etc. which was a relief as I was preparing the infamous Buddha platter for dinner – a mixture of various veggies and grains, topped with a dressing/sauce for Uncle G and myself.

A Buddha platter can consist of pretty much anything you happen to have in your fridge but is made extra interesting if you have a variety of colours and flavours to play with. A dollop of quinoa, some grated carrots, a handful of spinach, a piece of salmon, cucumber, tomatoes, humus, roasted veggies and so on. The sky is the limit and you can be as imaginative as you like. Here is the Saturday recipe we used tonight:

Hawaiian Buddha Platter

Serves 2

1 large purple sweet potato or regular sweet potato, cubed

1 can chick peas (or Garbanzo beans as they are known in the US), rinsed

1 cup quinoa

2 carrots, grated

8-10 asparagus, lightly steamed

1/4 cucumber, sliced

1 avocado

Hummus

Heat oven to 180C. Peel and cut up sweet potato in small cubes and place on baking tray. Using your hands add a good dollop of olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika to the cubed sweet potato and mix well until all pieces are coated. Place in oven and roast for about 1 hour. If you are using the purple variety you may have to cook it slightly longer as they are slightly firmer than the orange variety.

20 minutes before sweet potatoes are done, take out baking tray and add the chick peas, making sure they get a good coating of oil and spices. In the meantime, rinse and cook the quinoa. Steam the asparagus for about 5 minutes until just softened – you still want to retain a crunch. Get everything on stand by, ready for dishing up.

On two plates I added little equal mounds of the various dishes I’d made. A dollop of sweet potato/chick peas, a dollop of quinoa, grated carrots, asparagus sliced cucumber, sliced avocado, a large spoonful of hummus and garnished with flat leafed parsley. As I am always keen on a little juice I needed to add some vinaigrette to sprinkle on the veggies that I made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, a hint of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Happy Saturday x

Tag: organic vegetables

Little Juicers

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The Nutritious Super Smoothie

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Buddha platter with Hawaiian purple sweet potato

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