Raw Creamy Dill Dressing.

Oh, wow. I have so much to tell you. I've been on a little journey of self discovery (Yeah. I know. Another one) but this time my mind ticked over my own fear of flying. I became afraid of flying about six years ago, post having a panic attack on an airplane. I'm not really sure what sparked it. A mix of being somewhat hungover, in a cramped space and in a bad relationship at the time, I dare say. Since then, every time I have gotten on a plane, the thoughts that have flown through my head become more and more imaginative. I'm not even going to describe the horrors I see. They're just too graphic.

I have spent the last week in Bali, and I'll go into that in more detail another time. The weeks leading up to the flight had me imagining all kinds of certain death.

At one point I came to terms with the fact that getting on the flight would be the end for me. It's so ridiculous. I started to look for ways to help me overcome my imagination. I started listening to self-hypnosis tapes. I did guided meditation and reiki with a dear friend of mine. I did visualisation and deep breathing exercises. It was at this point that I started to completely realise something which I knew but hadn't fully thought out- Descartes theory of dualism is a crock.

The mind, spirit and body are not separate. Every cell in our bodies is amazing and we don't have to separate them into something bigger than we are to know just how special being alive is. How you treat your body has a profound effect on your mind/ spirit and vice versa. In order to feel entirely good, healthy and in control, we must treat ourselves well in every aspect of our lives. Our bodies were made to move. It feels good not only physically, but mentally, too. Deep breathing helps to calm the cyclone of thoughts in our mind. Challenging our minds helps us to stay lucid and have physical balance. Our hearts well with emotions when wrapping our arms around those we love.

Every little cell in your body deserves nourishment- from your mind, to your heart, to your lungs, to your muscles. Feed it. There is nothing supernatural about it because every single little part of us, and the world and the universe is entirely natural. Astounding and natural. Feel special. You are.

Be whole.

We are all made of stars.

Raw creamy Dill dressing.

Time: 10 minutes.
Makes: Half a cup.

Ingredients:

•Half a cup of cashews.
•One lemon, skin and seeds removed.
•About a Tablespoon of chopped fresh dill, or to taste.
•About a quarter of a cup of water. More or less depending on how you like your sauce.
•Salt and pepper, to taste.

I didn't, but I imagine you could add a clove of chopped garlic to this, if you're a garlic fiend.

Method:

Place the cashews and lemon in a food processor and grind for about a minute. I use a mini food processor which makes small batches of foods easy. It was $15 at Target.
Add the rest of the ingredients and process for another full minute.

Enjoy with salads or on a baked potato.

Raw Strawberry "Cheesecake" and The Cake Liberation Front meeting.

I've popped this recipe up for Kate. Have fun making it! :)

I caved. I bought a Thermomix. It's secondhand and refurbished so it was a bit of a bargain. I am so excited to have a high powered blender. It makes the creamiest cashew cream I have ever made. There seems to be a big rivalry between the Vitamix and the Thermomix. They're blenders. I really don't have time for all of the passion and energy that goes into choosing a side. Seriously, I have read some really personal attacks on forums between the two teams. So fucking crazy. Some people really like their high horses.
The first thing I made in my fancy pants new blender was this raw cheesecake for the Cake Liberation Front meet up yesterday. I was so happy to have new people along. For the last few months, it's been me, my mum and a guy named Don. Hopefully now that the weather is heating up more people will come along. I honestly don't have any close friends that are vegan. I have plenty of friends that are vegetarian and open to vegan food, but none that are full crazy vegan so it's nice to go to play dates like this and chat with other people that are passionate about the same issues and plainly just "get it". Oh, and swap recipes. That's the important bit.
You can make this recipe in a regular food processor too. The cashew cream may be a little grainy but still super delicious. I had many lovely comments about how good this tastes. It's rich, too, so you don't need to eat a tonne of it to feel satisfied.

Time: 10 minutes to prepare, overnight to set, so make it the day before. 
Serves: 8 to 10.

Ingredients:
Base:

• One and a half cups of macadamias.
• One cup of dates.
• Half a cup of coconut.

Filling:

• 3 Cups of Cashew which have been soaked in water and drained. 
• Flesh of 2 lemons.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
• Half a cup of sweetener like agave nectar, rice syrup or maple syrup.
• Half a cup of coconut oil.
• A pinch of salt.
• One punnet of strawberries, tops removed.
• Quarter of a cup of water.

Topping:

• One punnet of strawberries. 
• Quarter of a cup of rice syrup. 

Method:

For the Base:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until its crumbly.

Pour into a pie tin and press until it resembles a pie crust.

Place in the fridge whilst you make the filling.

The filling:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Leave about a half a cup of the filling separate if you want to use it to do fancy piping around the edge. Place in the fridge overnight. Get out your cake decorating gear and pipe the filling around the edges. Fill the inside with the following topping. 

The topping:

Place the strawberries and rice syrup in the blender/ food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. A few chunks is still ok. Pour on the top of the cake once the cake is set. 

Then eat and watch everyone get excited. This really is a good cake. There really aren't that many different ways to make a raw cheesecake. You can use this basic recipe and simply change the flavours. Maybe add some chai spices or cocoa instead of strawberries, or perhaps some mango or lime. Have fun and play. :) xx

No Bake (Yes, that means Raw) Apricot Bars.

I love apricots... And macadamias... And I don't really know what else to write about at this particular moment. It's 02:44 in the morning and I have just eaten this Apricot bar. I do like to make a raw treat for my night shift lunches. This helps me avoid the machine that delivers me potato chip goodness in tiny foil packages in exchange for $1.80.

Time: 10 minutes.
Serves: 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of macadamias.
• 1 cup of dried apricots.
• 1 and a half cups of shredded coconut, plus two tablespoons.
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice.
• One teaspoon of lemon zest.
• Two tablespoons of water.

Method:

Place the macadamias and apricots in a food processor and process on high until they become small crumbs.
Add the other ingredients (except the two tablespoons of coconut) and mix until it all clumps together, scrapping the sides as need be.
Take the ingredients from the food processor.
Line a small baking tray or container (I'm talking 10 cm by about 20 cm. I think that is 4 inches by 8 inches) with baking paper.
Place the mixture in the tray on top of the baking paper and press it down into a slice.
Sprinkle a little coconut over the top and pop in the fridge for a minimum of an hour, preferably overnight.
Slice into bars or squares and enjoy.

Choc Chia (Pet) Pudding or Raw CoCoPops.

It seems my health kicks last from Monday to Thursday an then all bets are off on the weekend. I think it's a mixture of not being prepared for the weekend and having many social engagements. It's fun. I have no complaints. I must admit I had some pretty tasty vegan pizza from Godzilla's on Brighton Road yesterday. It. Was. Good.
Anyway, on with the 'It's Monday and I'm prepared for greatness' show.
Last night I got out my trusty little jar that I have been using to make chia pudding. Chia, in case you've been living under a rock, is a relatively recent superfood that was supposedly used by the Aztecs and provides a lot of protein. Personally, I think every natural and non processed food is a superfood. Fill your body on the good stuff. And seriously, chia? The seed that grew in our Chia Pet's? That's so 80's.
PS This tastes very similar to CoCoPops. Eat this for a super tasty breakfast or dessert.


Makes: 4 serves. 
Time: ten minutes plus overnight.


Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup of chia seeds.
• One and a half cups of nut milk (I like homemade almond or rice).
• One tablespoon of natural sweetener, such as agave or stevia.
• One tablespoon of cacao powder.

Method:

Place these all in a jar and give them a good stir.
Place the jar in the fridge and in the morning it will be ready to eat.
Should keep for about 3 days.

Raw Spicy Avocado and Corn Soup

If you are scared of the word "raw", you can call this a non-tomato based gazpacho.
It's summer and I love soup. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that soup is a passion of mine so any excuse will do.
Also, I went to a natropath as I get hayfever, sinusitis and stomach aches a lot. I've been to many a GP about these situations and as a nurse, I know that unless there is something showing in my blood or in a physical examination, there isn't much modern science can do.
I do believe in food as medicine. The medicines that we use in everyday life are generally of a plant based origin so it just makes sense. The way that so called foods these days are produced is ridiculous and literally makes stomachs turn. Next time you are eating a food, look at the ingredients list and type those numbers into google. You will be shocked at what you find is in this "food". Often you will find petroleum products amongst a range of weird and wonderful things.
These things are often what causes simple issues like hayfever and IBS, leading onto more serious cases of cancer and heart disease. The only ways to avoid these illnesses is to not eat these products.

Makes: 4 Serves.
Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• One avocado.
• One cob of corn. Remove the corn and use this.
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari.
• One clove of garlic.
• Quarter of an onion.
• Quarter of a cup of parsley.
• A pinch of dried chilli.
• One tablespoon of olive oil.
• A few shakes of pepper.
• Half a tomato, chopped to garnish.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Feel free to add a little warm water if you like it a bit more runny.
Place into a bowl and add the tomato on top prior to serving.

Dehydrated Pear & Almond Crackers.

The omni's in this house loved the smell and the taste of these little crackers. They are perfect with hommous or just on their own.
I often use my dehydrator and my slow cooker to cater for the excess fruit and veg I find. Last week, I found a huge bag of pears for $2 at my local markets. Right now, I have some of these little dudes stewing in the slow cooker and instead of making the usual dried fruit, I made something sexy and delicious- these darn crackers.
I've never been a massive fan of dehydrated crackers after a batch I made that were predominantly flax seed. That stuff makes my stomach do back flips.
These on the other hand are tasty and easily digestible. They're also a little sweet and somewhat cookie like.

Time: 10 minutes to prepare, 8 hours to dry.
Makes: One medium container full. I know that's not really a good example... Let's say the equivalent of four cups worth if they were stacked on top of each other.

Ingredients:

•6 Small to Medium Pears.
•One cup of almonds that have been soaked in water overnight and drained.
•Half a cup of dates, which have also been soaked in water and drained.
•Half a cup of buckwheat.
•One tablespoon of cinnamon.
•One tablespoon of sweetener, like agave, rice syrup, maple syrup, etc.
One small pinch of salt.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I actually placed the almonds and dates in a blender with two cups of water and blended for about 4 minutes and drained through a sieve/ cheesecloth/ brand new dishwashing cloth. This liquid is almond milk. Store it in the fridge.
Use the leftover almond meal for the crackers and placed them in the blender with the other ingredients.

Once smooth, take the ingredients and spoon into your dehydrator.
My dehydrator doesn't have sheets, so I place baking paper down on the trays.
Spread the mixture out. You want a thin layer- not too thick. About half a centimetre. You could make one giant cracker that needs breaking up as I've done, or many small round ones depending on how you lay the mixture down.

Put the dehydrator on and let it do it's thing for about 8 hours or until dry.
Once dry, break into cracker size pieces and store in an air tight container.
Should keep for about a week.

Call it Creamy Raw Pasta. Call it Creamy Zucchini Salad. Call it what you will. Just call it. xx

Welcome to yet another instalment of my little "must make my body like me" saga involving all things good and delicious. It really is not a chore eating all these spectacular foods. At the end of this week I am heading over to Melbourne for a couple of days and need to eat all the veggies that are in my fridge. I assume that when I get back, the baby rocket  that has sprouted from the seeds of last season will have grown in my veggie patch and I can eat them with my baby eggplant and marinated tomatoes.

I must apologise. I am currently being sidetracked by the movie "Into the wild". It's about Christopher Johnson McCandless who up and left his life and gave all his money to charity to travel in the wilderness. It's a dream that many of us have shared. It's a touching and amazing story. Something you just gotta watch/read. I think the closest the rest of us get to this is a camping trip away or a road trip. Travelling clears your mind and opens your heart in way that is hard to understand until you're a part of it. And you are a part of it. This grand, ol' majestic earth and everything that's in it and surrounds it. Vast infinity both grand and minute. Le sigh.

So... where were we? Raw pasta. I love how raw recipes call themselves things like "pasta" when it's more akin to "salad". But you know what? It tastes good. And it kinda tastes like pasta. It's amazing what the raw food revolution has produced. Who knew you could do so many things with such simple and bare ingredients? Who tricked us into thinking that chemicals are food? It's funny how people don't realise that these so called foods and the mass production of disposable objects is a relatively new thing, only really starting en masse about 40 years or so ago. A good program to watch about the history of western, specifically UK food is Supersizers Go. It's witty, lighthearted and informative. This one is about the 70's which was the birth of non-perishables and TV dinners.






Time: 7 Minutes.
Serves 2.


Ingredients: Seems like there are a lot, but there's really not. 

• 2 Zucchini, grated or sliced in super thing long strips. This, darling, is your pasta.
• One sprig of spring onion.
• A small handful of fresh basil leaves.
• One mushroom.
• One quarter of a cup of sun dried tomatoes in oil.
• One tomato.
• Half an avocado. 
• Ten raw cashews.
• Quarter of a red onion.
• Quarter of a cup of water.
• One half a clove of garlic.
• Pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper.
• As many olives as you like.
• A pinch of dried chill (optional).

Method:

Place the zucchini on a plate.
Place all the other ingredients except the olives into a food processor and process until creamy. A few chunks in the mix is a-ok.
Place the sauce over the pasta and decorate with the olives.
Serve this little dish of deliciousness to yourself and someone you love. Or, just save it for lunch tomorrow.
xx

Fresh Beetroot Salad with Almonds and Baby Spinach. Who says you can't win friends with salad?

After this massive festive season, I'm feeling the need to apologise to my body. If I don't do it now, it's never going to happen because soon it will be Gordy's birthday, then Australia Day, the Big Day Out and a variety of other public holidays, weddings and birthdays. Then mad March begins with the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Womadelaide, the Clipsal and some other festivals. March is the most amazing time to be in Adelaide.

On with the salad.
It's pretty. It's colourful. Your body will love you for it. Most of all, it's delectable.
Hope you're enjoying the beginning of this year! For me, my weekend has come to a close and I have to go back to work tonight. I can't wait for the day a lost relative leaves me their fortune and I can stay home and paint and write books.

Time: If you have a food processor, five minutes. If using a grater, 15 minutes.
Serves: 2 large, 4 small.


Ingredients:
• One grated raw beetroot.
• One grated carrot.
• One grated green apple.
• One cup of baby spinach.
• Quarter of a cup of sunflower seeds.
• Quarter of a cup of chopped, raw almonds.
• One teaspoon of chia seeds. (optional, of course, as is everything.)
• One teaspoon of black sesame seeds (optional.)
• One Tablespoon of flax oil (use olive oil if you can't find flax. Flax or linseed as we call it in Australia, is high in omega 3 fatty acid and helps lower cholesterol.)
• Juice of half a lemon.


Method: Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, except the oil and the juice. Pour the oil and juice over the top of the salad.

It's now ready to eat.
Simple.
Take care :) xx

Raw Food, Vegan Breakfast Scramble.

I'm on a little health kick at the moment. I don't know how it happened. I went from a macrobiotic/ raw food vegan to one that craves cupcakes, sandwiches and beer. You can't say that I'm not in tune with the cravings of my body. That's for sure.

After a Wednesday night spent drinking a vast amount of vodka & soda and somehow dancing on stage from the beginning until the very end of the Flaming Lips concert dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, my body informed me very politely that it didn't enjoy this hedonism anymore. It was craving fresh, nutrient dense food. Food that adores my digestive system as opposed to destroying it. Thus, here I sit on yet another health kick. I'm feeling good.

Health kicks are a funny thing. They imply a duty to our health that make it seem as if, at other times, we have been wayward, little rebels with nil to no will power. This isn't the case. I just enjoy living. Sometimes I enjoy a sugar high. Other times that feeling makes me feel like I’m spinning around fast, looking at the sky. Puke city. It's all about balance.

This brings me to this breakfast scramble. I am staying away from processed foods and at this current time, trying not to eat too much high GI food. Normally, I would have either a fruit salad or a soup for breakfast. I've never been a cereal person. I wanted something savoury, but not fried. I wanted something that was fresh, but not salad. Ah ha! Thank you, raw food revolution.

Makes: 4 serves:
Time: 10 minutes.
Keeps: Approx. 4 days in the fridge.
Ingredients:

• Half a cup of cashews. (Use 1.5 cups of seeds if you have a nut allergy.)
• Half a cup of sunflower seeds.
• Half a cup of walnuts.
• One clove of garlic, chopped.
• Half an avocado.
• One sprig of spring onion, chopped.
• One third of a cup of capsicum, chopped.
• Two tablespoons of parsley.
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric.
• Quarter of a cup of water.
• One third of a teaspoon of rock salt.
• A few shakes of pepper.

Method:

Throw all of the ingredients into a high powered blender and blend for a few minutes until the mixture comes together. Stop occasionally to scrape the sides down.
You may need to add more water, although you don't want the mixture too smooth. It should be kind of chunky.
If you don't have a high powered blender, one trick I use is to grind the nuts and seeds in a coffee grinder beforehand to make a fine powder. This really helps get that creamy consistency and a coffee grinder only costs $40, as opposed to two weeks wages.

Serve on a bed of lettuce and alfalfa, or with crackers.

It always surprises me how tasty and flavoursome raw food can be.

Cool as a Cucumber Salad

Yesterday, the weather here in the driest state in the driest country on earth was freaking hot. So for some crazy arse reason, I decided to make a vindaloo for my friend and fellow artist, Anna Goodhind. I needed something to cool the dish down, and ensure that my nose will not drip like a tap. The answer? 

Cucumber Salad. 

Serves: 4 as a side.

Time: 5 minutes, not even.

Ingredients:

• One cucumber, cut in half lengthways and sliced.
• One spring onion sprig, sliced.
• One Tablespoon of sesame seeds (I used black ones).
• Quarter of a cup of Apple Cider vinegar.
• A small pinch of salt.
• A few shakes of Pepper. 

Method:

Place the cucumber in a bowl and then add all the other ingredients on top.

I left it in the fridge for about 15 minutes so that it was nice and cold before we ate it.  Delicious. Cool as a...

Vegan Raw Banana and 'White Chocolate' Chip Ice Cream.

This is pretty fantastic. It's decadent, smooth and delicious. Best of all it has no numbers and is all natural. **** Yeah!
Time: 10 minutes plus freezing time.
Serves: about 8.
Ingredients:
•Two very ripe bananas.
•Two cups of cashews, that have either been soaked in water for an hour or ground in a coffee grinder.
•One Tablespoon of raw cocoa butter, chopped.
•Half a cup of oat/ nut milk.
•A few drops of vanilla essence.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until super smooth.
The cocoa butter will still be a little chunky.
Place in either an ice-cream churn and follow directions, or just put it in the freezer.
It won't be fluffy if you don't use the churn, but it will still be yummy. If you don't use one, take the mix out of the freezer after about half an hour and give it a real good stir. Also, take it out of the freezer about five minutes before serving to soften a little before you eat it.
If you use a churn, ignore that part.
In the photo, I served the ice-cream with coconut cream, that was skimmed from the top of a can. Thick and creamy, it's my new favourite cream substitute.
Enjoy! Xx

Home Cured Olives... Yumz!

One of my neighbours has a massive olive tree that overhangs the footpath. There are so many olives on the tree that I barely put a dent in it when I collected two buckets full. That was three months ago and I'm thinking of doing another batch as the tree is still full and the olives have turned purple. It's a pretty easy method but it does take time and patience.

Makes: well, that depends on how many olives you have.
Time: about five minutes a day for a month.


Ingredients:
•Olives.
•Water.
And later:
•Salt.
•Lemon juice.
•Garlic.
•Chili.

Method:
Wash your olives in some cold water. Slice a slit in each one like in the photo.
Place in a big jar or bucket.
Change the water once a day for about 30 days or until the bitterness has left the building. They'll be crunchy and a little bitter, but nothing the brine can't deal with.
Now for bottling.
Gather enough jars to fit all the olives.
Sterilize the jars by boiling them in water for a few minutes.
Take them out of the water and fill with the olives, slices of garlic, chili, or any other herbs you fancy.
Pour a brine made of one part salt, one part lemon juice and ten parts water in the top of each jar.
Put the lids on and then let stand in the cupboard for at least a month.
They should then be ready to eat!
So I guess the idea is to do a massive batch at once, so then you can reap the rewards for months to come. Seriously. Who thought of this? If you have ever eaten an olive fresh off the tree, you'll know just how bitter they can taste.
I love olives... Xx

Chocolate and Coconut Truffles (shhh... they're raw!)

I had just made the coconut milk recipe that is on this blog and had a cup full of shredded coconut that I needed to use. I had originally anticipated this recipe without the coconut but hey, I do like coconut and it does lend these truffles a "Bounty" style feel. Not bad for a guilt free snack. They keep well in the freezer too.

Time: 10 minutes.

Makes: 30.

Ingredients:

• Three cups of walnuts.
• One cup of shredded coconut.
• Two cups of dried currants.
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
• 1/4 cup of agave nectar or other sweetener.
• One cup of cocoa or cacao powder, plus extra to roll the truffles in.

Method:

Place the walnuts in the food processor and blend until they resemble biscuit crumbs. Blend some more until the oils are released from the walnuts.

Add in the other ingredients and blend until the mixture clumps up into something that you can roll into balls.

This should take a few minutes.

Take a spoon and scoop out small parts of the mixture. Using your hands, roll these into small balls.

Roll the balls into the spare cocoa. Put the balls in a container and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Delicious. Healthy. Killer of chocolate cravings.

Raw Vegan Orange and Cardamom Mini Cheesecakes.

If you have never had a raw vegan cheesecake before you have to put it on your to-do list. They are smooth and creamy and taste even better than the dairy/sugar/fat laden types. The flavour combinations are endless and are a winner with everyone- omnivores included.

AND!! the guilt factor is minimal as they are made completely out of fruit and nuts. No sugar high. All decadence.

Makes 12.

Time: Twenty minutes prep time and a minimum of 6 hours to set (preferably overnight.)

The Base

Ingredients:

• One cup of almonds or macadamias.
• Half a cup of dates.
• Half a cup of coconut.
• A tiny pinch of sea salt.

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process on high until the mixture resembles cookie crumbs and sticks together when pressed. Press about a tablespoon each in patty pans or silicon cupcake holders (I recommend the silicon. everything is less likely to stick and they are reusable). Set aside.

The Filling

Ingredients:

• Two cups of cashews. If you don't have a high powered blender, I'd recommend grinding the  dry cashews in a coffee grinder until they make a powder. Otherwise, soak the cashews in water for at least an hour (preferably over night) and drain before adding to the blender.
• One orange sliced, plus the juice of another orange.
• Two tablespoons of grated or thinly sliced orange rind.
• Two tablespoons of agave nectar.
• One teaspoon of ground cardamom.
• A tiny pinch of sea salt.
• One tablespoon of melted coconut oil.
• One teaspoon of ground soy lecithin (I found this at my local health food shop. It can be left out but it does help to bind the ingredients.)

Method:

Put all of the ingredients except the oil and the lecithin into a blender and blend until nice and creamy. Add the oil and the lecithin in and blend a little more. Top the bases with this mixture and then pop them in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Take the cakes out of the pans and serve. I haven't gotten to this part with the current batch yet, hence there are no photos.

This is a photo from a raspberry lemon cake, so you can see the texture. The base here was made with macadamias. Have a play. To make the raspberry and lemon cheesecake, substitute the orange for 3/4 a cup of raspberries, and substitute the orange juice and rind for lemon juice and rind. Delicious.

                                  

These are almost too good to share. Enjoy!

Vegan Raw Energy Bars

These are not only quick and easy to make but also a quick and easy snack for when you're on the go or need a little treat or pick me up. Plus, you've body will love you for it!

I take these to work for snacks or sometimes even have them for breakfast.

Time: 10 minutes.

Makes 12.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of pitted dates that have been soaked in water.
• One cup of raw nuts.
• One cup of dried apricots.
• One quarter of a cup of dried cranberries.
• One quarter a cup of dried pineapple.
• One tablespoon of black sesame seeds.
• One tablespoon of chia seeds.
• Half a cup of shredded coconut.

Method:

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until it's quite chopped up.

Eventually, you should be able to easily form it into small bars.

Turn off the blender and take out a ball just a little bigger than a golf ball.

Shape into a bar size and place into a container big enough to store all 12.

Keep in the fridge or freezer. They store really well in the freezer. Enjoy xx

Sweet Apricot and Pineapple Popsicles

Summer is really getting started. These iceblocks are really delicious and healthy. I love making iceblocks- it's so much fun!

Makes 8.
Time: 15 minutes plus freezing time.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of apricots, peeled and diced.
1 cup of chopped, fresh pineapple.
1 teaspoon of flax oil.

Method:

Put the ingredients in a blender and blend very well.
Put the mixture in iceblock containers and freeze overnight.

Yum!

With the leftovers, I added half a cup of coconut milk and popped it in the ice cream maker and made a sexy sorbet. It's so good! Seriously! It tastes so sweet, creamy and delicious.

Roast beetroot salad with Swiss brown mushrooms.

I am eating this salad as we speak and it is divine. I can feel all the little vitamins and minerals flooding into my bloodstream making my body so happy. Ok, maybe not but after this festive season I have actually been craving lettuce. I swear, craving. So for this recipe, I added together lots of delicious ingredients whilst pondering what vegetables to put into my new veggie patch...
Ingredients:
Four large cos lettuce leaves, ripped to shreds or sliced as you will.
One beetroot, skinned, chopped and roasted (to roast it, put it in a pan. Drizzle olive oil on top with a shake or two of pepper. Put in the oven at 180C or 360F for 30 minutes, turning after 15).
8 cherry tomatoes, halved.
One Swiss brown mushroom, sliced.
About half a cup of chopped cucumber- I like it chunky.
Two tablespoons alfalfa sprouts.
One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
One teaspoon or so of your favourite oil (flax, olive or truffle works well).
Method:
Really all you need to do is chuck it all in a bowl, drizzling on the oil and vinegar last. Maybe add a few shakes of pepper and some chopped basil.
Serves one to two as a main and I'd say, serves four as a side.

Fresh Avocado Dip

Please forgive this photo! It was taken from my lunchbox about half an hour after running for the bus. Still tasted damn tasty though!

Take:
One avocado.
6 plump cherry tomatoes.
Quarter of a red capsicum.
One clove of garlic.
Juice of half a lemon.
A few shakes of pepper.

Throw it all in the blender until it's nice and squishy.

Mix in some chopped up spring onions and serve with your favorite type of dipping sticks.

I like carrots. Carrots are my friend.

Raw Chocolate Recipe

This recipe I literally whipped up in ten minutes. I'm starting night shift tonight and the temptation to eat nothing but pure sugar at four a.m. is a big one. So in an effort to stay away from the vending machine, I thought I might fill my bag with a bundle of heavenly delights. And what do you know? Their good for you too! They are super sweet as well, guaranteed to satisfy any sugar craving.

You will need:
About one and a half cups of dates, no need to soak unless they are super dry.
Quarter of a cup of cocoa nibs.
Two tablespoons of raw cocoa butter.
Quarter of a cup of almonds.

Throw the dates, nibs and cocoa butter in the blender at medium speed for about five minutes. It's a bit scary at first, but persist until either the mixture is all smooshy or you think the thing might explode. Then add the almonds and process until they become small chunks and the mixture is joining together to become one big clump. Stop the blender and roll into small, bite sized balls.

If you live in Adelaide, the best place to get these ingredients from is one of my favourite shops, Goodies and Grains in an Arcade between the Central Markets and China Town.Yee-ha!

My current favorite salad... Rocket, walnut and pear.

I ate this salad everyday for two weeks, it's so delicious. Take a couple of handfuls of rocket, quarter of a cup of walnuts that you've chopped and one pear, sliced. Put these in a bowl and add one tablespoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Add a shake of cracked pepper and mix with your hands. Sexy, simple and delicious. Bring me the salad...