Wild Rosehip Syrup Recipe....

So for regular readers you may have noticed a lack of posts over the last couple of months. I have had a really tough time this year, so I have been taking some much needed time out to focus on my mental and physical health and make some changes to my lifestyle to help rejuvenate and nourish and bring about a healthy mind and body.... its a work in progress :)

One of these big changes has been discovering the joys of making fermented foods (Kefir, Kombucha, Saurkraut etc...) and upon being introduced to Susan Weed by Stina from Mother Mountain Herbals have been inspired to attend a number of herbal workshops and have since been testing out making my own herbal medicines. I started with nettle infusions and then onto an immune boosting elderberry syrup which although really yummy and potent (no colds for me this season) never turns out as tasty as the Pukka one, so after joining an awesome Facebook group got the courage to go wild foraging and make some rose hip syrup......which is not only divine but packed full of nutrients and the all important Vitamin C!!!

Dog Rosehips

I posted the above picture on Instagram and got the thumbs up from my followers for publishing the recipe so here it is with a bit of an explanation first....

Rose Hips
 Rose hips are a great source of Vitamin C, they contain 50% more vitamin C than oranges. They also contain Vitamin A which is also benefical to the immune system, and can help prevent and fight off infections.

I used Dog Rosehips as these were the only ones I could find locally. Rose hips should ideally be red not orange, plump but not too hard or too soft and with no blemishes or wrinkles, as you can see from the photo below a lot of mine were a bit squishy but it turned out fine, I suppose the better quality the better the nutrient content

Raw Honey
 So unlike most recipes I found online I have substituted the suggested sugar for raw honey. Raw Honey is basically honey that has not been heated, pasteurized or processed in any way. It is more expensive than mass produced honey but worth the extra pennies as unlike the processed stuff has all the immune boosting vitamins and minerals still intact... plus it tastes so much better, you will never go back once you try it!


The recipe below is for a small batch as this is all I could get this late in the year, if you are lucky enough to find a good wild crop then just multiply the ingredients to what you have. Next year I will get out there early !!

Ingredients

300g Rosehips
400mls Boiling water
1/4 cup Raw Honey (or until tastes good and is the right consistency for you)

1)  Find your Rosehips!

2) Rinse the rosehips in a sieve and dry

3) Using a blender roughly wizz up the rosehips 

4) Put the rose hips into a large saucepan

5) Pour on 400mls of hot water and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 mins

6) let the mixture cool slightly then pour into either a jam bag or a doubled up muslin.  Leave hanging (if you can, i just put the muslin over a seive) to drip down into a bowl to drain for 30 mins.

7) With clean hands, squeeze the remaining fluid out of the rosehips and disgard/compost.

8)  Poor the fluid through the muslin again just to get rid of any bits

9) Reheat liquid then take off the heat and add the honey, stirring until melted. If you dont have raw honey you can add shop brought or sugar to taste

10) Put into your sterilised bottles and keep in the fridge.... enjoy!!!

Serving suggestions: Straight off the spoon, on porridge or pancakes, in sparkly wine :)
 

Rosehips and Luigi ( My son wanted him in the photo)

All opinions are my own, external links are just for reference, I am not paid by or affiliated to the companies :)

Recipe...... Immune boosting Vegan Harira...

I discovered this Vegan Harira recipe in a newspaper supplement about 10 years ago and make throughout Autumn and Winter to boost my immunity and clear away colds...... working in a hospital i need all the help i can get. The soup contains Saffron which is a super disease presenter, anti-depressant and great for digestive health, Chickpeas (Garbanzos) which are full of Iron, and calcium , and  Coriander (Cilantro) which helps reduce blood pressure, aid digestion and help with menstrual symptoms.. among others

This is a really delicious, tasty version of the Moroccan soup which usually contains meat... this recipe is quick and very easy to follow. It does require canned chickpeas not dried as you also need the liquid!

All the ingredients and measurements are in England, English, but i am sure google can translate if needed.


Recipe

1 large bunch coriander
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
2 teaspoons Cumin
3 x 400g can chickpeas (including liquid.... don't discard)
Generous pinch of saffron
1 dark vege stock cube
400g of tomatoes, roughly chopped (sometimes i use the hand whisk to blend them up)
Juice of 1/2 -1 lemon (depending on how citrus-y you like)
Tobasco
Salt and Pepper

It is also nice with a little flat leaf parsley added at the end, but this is optional

1) Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry onion until browned. Add the garilc, celery and cumin and fry for another minute

2) Add one can of chickpeas (with the fluid), and the saffron, crumble in the stock cube and heat until bubbling gently, stirring to disolve the stock cube- about 5 mins

3)Add the remainning chickpeas and fluid with an extra 250ml water, leave on  gentle heat for about 25 minutes

4)Add the chopped or blended tomatoes, 2/3 of chopped corrander, lemon juice, tobasco and salt and pepper, stir for a minute then remove from the heat

5) Garnish with the remainder of the coriander, and serve with slice of chunky bread

Recipe: Butternut Squash Base Pizza.....

Last weekend I visited VegeFest, the largest Vegan event in the Uk that just so happens to be held in my city, Bristol. Whether you are Vegan or not Vegfest is a great place for any foodie up for trying new and exciting foods . This year my favourite find was a Vegan Butternut squash Pizza from Paradise Unbakery, a London based Raw and Vegan 'bakery' based in London and run by Lithuanian native Egle.

Inspired by her beautiful Pizza i trawled the internet and found a great recipe to try from  Wholehearted Eats, and was so pleased with the results I thought I would share the recipe with you guys. Not only is it a vegan Pizza but it is also Gluten free!

Base Recipe: 
3 Cups Mashed Butternut Squash (1 large squash) 
1 Cup Ground Almonds (Almond Flour) 
3/4 Cup Gram Flour (Garbanzo Flour) 
1/4 tsp Sea Salt 
1/8 tsp Black Pepper 
2 Tbsp. plus 1 Tbsp. Ground Linseeds (flax) 
1 tsp Dried Oregano  

Toppings:  Green Pizza Sauce (recipe below)  
A handful of pitted Kalamata olives 
1 Cup cherry tomatoes (chopped) 
A couple of handfuls salad leaves
Avocado
Yellow or Orange Pepper

Procedure:  Begin by preparing the squash for roasting. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Lay cut side down in a roasting pan and fill halfway with water. Cook in a 200 C (400 F) oven for 40minutes to 1 hour (adding more water as needed to top up), or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh of the squash. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh.  

In a small bowl combine the 2 Tbsp of ground Linseed with 4 Tbsp water. Let sit for 5 minutes.  

In a larger bowl combine 3 cups of squash with the soaked Linseed meal, gram flour, ground almonds, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and extra ground linseed. Stir to combine.  Spread the mixture onto a parchment lined (and greased) tray and create a 30 cm (12 inch) circle, making sure that the edges are a little bit thicker. Bake in a 220 C (425 F) for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are crisp and golden and the centre is set (and can peel away from the paper). Top with pizza sauce, tomatoes, and olives, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let sit a few minutes before garnishing with greens.     

Green Pizza Sauce

Recipe:

1/4 Cup Cashews
1/2 Cup packed basil
1 Cup packed spinach
1/2 Lemon, juiced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
8 Tbsp. Olive oil
(I also added a Clove of Raw garlic)

Procedure:

In a food processor puree the cashews, basil, and spinach until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and oil, mix to combine.

Incredible Squash Pizza from Wholehearted Eats

I urge you to give this awesome recipe a try and check out Wholehearted Eats other recipes, and if you are lucky enought to live in London check out Paradise Unbakery and Egles beautiful cakes!!

Recipe: Hearty Minestrone Soup

Hearty Minestrone Soup

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Although Spring is around the corner I am still craving big bowls of hearty nutritious soup. Minestrone is one of my all time favourites and given the chance I could eat the whole pan! I posted the above image on instagram and got a couple of requests for the recipe so thought I would share

This hearty Minestrone recipe is Vegan but can be easily adapted to suit meat eaters, or gluten free diets. I have included details of where to add the pancetta, and obviously just replace Pasta with Gluten free pasta.. simple

It really is a very simple recipe.

Ingredients

• 200 g cannellini or borlotti beans, fresh or dried and soaked overnight (or a tin of beans)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
• Optional..... 60g Pancetta , finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, cut into 1cm slices
• 1 carrot, cut into 1 cm slices
• 1 potato diced
• 2 teaspoons of tomato puree
• 400g tin of tomatoes
• 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 liters of stock
• 2 courgette cut into 1.5 cm slices
• ¾ cup pasta shells
• ¾ cup fresh sweet corn (or frozen)
• 60g green beans, cut into short lengths
• 150g Kale , Spinach or Chard
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• Tobasco
• Optional...... Pesto

1) Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water overnight. Drain and rinse (A tin of beans would work just as well)

2) Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and onion (if adding pancetta add now as well) and cook for 8 -10 minutes until softened

3)Add the celery, carrot and potato to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, tomato, basil and drained beans. Season with pepper. Add the stock and bring slowly to the boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1.5 hours

4) Add the remaining vegetables, parsley and pasta. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Check for seasoning and adjust to taste.

5) Serve with a shake or two of Tobasco and crusty bread..... or a dollop of Homemade Pesto

Food for Thought : Buddha bowls

Autumn Bounty Bowl

Super food Bowls via The Vintage Mixer

Chickpea and Crispy Polenta Bowl via Half Baked Harvest

The Big Vegan Bowl via Oh She Glows

Rice Noodle Bowl

My new years resolution was to try Veganism for a month. I made this decision for many reasons, one being I always seem to eat the same foods and I think it is about time I got more adventurous. Although there are hundreds of wonderful recipes out there sometimes I just want to use up what is in my cupboards but cant think of how to throw it all together to ensure i have a balanced meal....

One solution is the Buddha Bowl, a dish I keep seeing on Pinterest and food blogs . A bowl full of a yummy nutritionally balanced foods.... Usually containing , quinoa, chickpeas, butternut squash or sweet potato and avocado..... Heaven!!!

If you fancy giving it a go.... here are the Basics of making a Buddha bowl.... enjoy!!

.1) Starch:
Roasted sweet potato cubes; Cooked quinoa, buckwheat, millet, rice, amaranth, barley, couscous, etc…; Cooked or raw corn kernels; Roasted white potato slices; Cooked winter squash, noodles or pasta

2.  Protein:
Cooked beans or lentils; Cooked tofu, tempeh or seitan; Peas; Edamame; Leftover Chili; Cooked, crumbled or sliced veggie burgers or cutlets

3.  Extras:
Any nut or seed; Grated coconut; Apple slices; Raisins or dried cranberries; A sprinkle of granola; Olives; Sun-dried tomatoes; Nutritional Yeast; Roasted Red Peppers; Pickles

4.  Veggies
(cooked, or raw, or a combo of both): Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Carrots, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Sprouts…

5.  Dressings:

Tahina + Apple Cider Vinegar + Stevia + Paprika

Tahina + Lemon + Garlic + Water

Peanut Sauce (peanut butter, vinegar or lime, maple syrup, soy sauce, water)

Salsa + Hummus

Olive Oil + Lemon Juice or Balsamic Vinegar

Recipe Source

Recipe: Minestrone Verde...

My Minestrone Verde Ingredients

I am always scouring Pinterest for Healthy recipes, and now I am on Maternity leave I have taken the opportunity to make some I have been drooling over...  A couple of days ago I made this beautiful Minestrone Verdi.... it is seriously one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten..... and I love food!!

I am going to share with you guys the recipe but all credit is due to 'The Healthy Chef' who is my new food guru!

For the Soup
1 large  leek, sliced
2 celery stalks, cut into small chunks
1 large green pepper, cut into chunks
2 Courgettes, cut into small chunks
100 g / 3  1/2 oz  kale, calvo nero or silver beet chopped
250 g / 8  3/4 oz  green peas
1 litre vegetable stock
 ( I also added Asparagus as it is in season and cheap in England at the moment)

For the Salsa Verdi
1 bunch green basil
1 bunch parsley
1 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
½  tsp sea salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons cold pressed olive oil
(Try and get the basil and parsley from the greengrocer as supermarket packets are small, inferior and usually double the price)

Sauté the leek and celery in a large saucepan over a low heat for 2 minutes until soft.
Add the stock, Courgette, Pepper and kale or calvo nero.
Simmer over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
Add the peas.
Simmer for another 3 minutes.
Season with freshly ground white pepper if required.
Combine salsa verde ingredients into a good high-speed blender until a gorgeous green paste forms.
Adjust consistency and taste if necessary, adding a little more cold pressed olive oil or lemon.
Ladle the green minestrone into serving bowls.
Enjoy as is or  top with a generous drizzle of salsa verde.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

 The Salsa Verde is awesome on toast with avocado too!

Recipe and Bottom Image from 'The Healthy Chef'

Gabriele Galimberti, Delicatessen With Love

Normita Sambu Arap, 65, Oltepessi (Masaai Mara), Kenya. Mboga and orgali (white corn polenta with vegetables and goat).

Julia Enaigua, 71, La Paz, Bolivia. Queso Humacha (vegetables and fresh cheese soup).

Susann Soresen, 81, Homer, Alaska. Moose steak

Serette Charles, 63, Saint-Jean du Sud, Haiti. Lambi in creole sauce.

Isolina Perez De Vargas, 83, Mendoza, Argentina. Asado criollo (mixed meats barbecue).

Isn't this Photography project wonderful? Kind of reminds me of Martin Parr's work. Here Gabriele Galimberti pays homage to all the grandmothers of the world and to their love of cooking up a plate of good nutritious, homemade grub!

Gabriele travelled the Globe Photographing the grandmothers in their own homes, with the ingredients and cooking up their own recipes, including Moose steak in Alaska, caterpillars in Malawi, shark soup in the Philippines and spicy hot curry in India (yum!)


Images from InstituteArtist.com

Recipe Post: Healthy home made Miso

Yummy Home Made Miso

I thought I would share one of my favourite recipes. It is for two people but it is so yummy I always end up eating it all to myself.

Miso Soup

1 Garlic Clove, peeled and thinly sliced
2.5 cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 packet instant miso soup
100g skinless boned white fish, cut into chucks (can be substituted with tofu)
8 mangetout
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 pak choi, finely sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1 handfull beansprouts
1 handfull fresh garden peas

1) Bring 500ml water to the boil in a medium sauce pan. Add the garlic, ginger and miso. Add the garlic, ginger and miso. Boil for 1 minute and then add the fish, mangetout and red pepper. Bring back to the boil and skim any foam that accumulated. Cook for 2 minutes

2) Add the pack Choi and spring onions and cook for a further minute

3) Divide betweens bowls, add beanspouts and peas

enjoy :)

Dhal

Dhal

I was off work today as I slipped in the snow and hurt my knee. When you are feeling sorry for your self there is nothing nicer than a spicy bowl of Dhal and a Japati. Here is a great recipe

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 cup (300g) red lentils, rinsed well
3cm fresh ginger, grated
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbs (40g) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam marsala
1 green chilli chopped
2 tbs lemon juice
pinch of salt
Chopped coriander leaves
Japati, to serve

Method
Place lentils, ginger, bay leaves and cinnamon in a large saucepan with 3 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring to prevent sticking for 10-12 minutes. Discard spices and set aside.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, garam marsala and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt.
Add the lentils to the pan and mix well. Cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in coriander and serve hot with naan bread or pappadums.

Rose water sorbet

For a super-smooth treat, freeze in an ice-cream maker, preferably one big enough for 3 quarts. You can substitute orange flower water for rose water. Rinse pistachios, and pat dry with a paper towel to remove salt. Prep: 35 minutes; Cook: 5 minutes.

Yield

Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients

• 1 1/3  cups  sugar
• 1/2  cup  light corn syrup
• 1/4  cup  mild honey
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  (about 1/2 envelope) unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2/3  cup  rose water
• 1  tablespoon  finely grated lime zest
• 1  to 2 drops each red and yellow food coloring, if desired
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped pistachios

Preparation

1. Bring first 3 ingredients and 6 cups water to a boil in a large, heavy, nonstick saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.

2. Remove pan from heat, add gelatin mixture, and stir to combine. Mix in rose water and lime zest; add just enough food coloring for a dark, warm, rosy hue, if desired. Transfer sorbet mixture to 2 (1-quart) preserving jars, screw lids on tightly, and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to make sorbet.

3. Transfer sorbet mixture to the freezer container of an ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Store in freezer until ready to use, letting sorbet soften 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before serving, or divide among individual serving dishes, top with pistachios, and serve immediately.

Suzanne Williamson Pollak, Cottage Living, MAY 2007