Perfect Pesto

I went to the Farmers market this morning, which by the way is my idea of a perfect Sunday...LOVE IT!!  Anyway I got my hands on a lovely bunch of fresh organic basil and decided it was pesto time.

So here it is, my recipe for fast and fabulous pesto. 



Fresh basil, minutes from the farmers markets smells delicious

Ingredients:

1 bunch of basil
80gm Pine nuts (you can also use walnuts)
50gm Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of cold pressed olive oil
salt & pepper


Method:

Pre 'wazzing'

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz on high until you get desired consistency. 

You may need to occasionally scrape down the sides of processor to make sure that everything mixes well.

Spoon into glass jar (for some reason it just stores better in glass) making sure that you don't leave any air pockets (tap jar on counter top). 

Then pour a little olive oil on top and seal jar.

Store your pesto in the fridge.

This won't last long . . . . trust me.

It can be used in lots of delicious ways. 

I am going to be using mine this week on my slightly tweaked version of 'Very Vege Lasagne' from one of my favourite new blogs Farmer K's Kitchen.

Enjoy xx

Almond Milk

This is a super powerhouse of goodness if you aren't a fan of regular milk or soy.  I have been buying it fresh made at a local farmers market but it is sooooo expensive.  After reading a few different websites/recipes I decided to give it a go myself.  Success!!  It is absolutely delicious and super easy to make.

Health benefits of Almonds

• Almond nuts are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals and packed with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; the kind of well-balanced food ensure protection against diseases and cancers.
• These nuts are rich source of energy and nutrients. They are especially, rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleicand palmitoleic acids that help to lower LDLor "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol." Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet, which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids helps to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.
• The nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E; contain about 25 g per100 g (about 170% of RDA). Vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant, required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin by protecting it from harmful oxygen free radicals.
• Almonds are free ingluten and therefore, are a popular ingredient in the preparation of gluten free food formulas. Such formula preparations are in fact healthy alternatives in people with wheat food allergy and celiac disease.
• These nuts are packed with many important B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates. These vitamins functions as co-factors for enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism.
• They are also rich source of minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. 

Equipment:

Blender
Nut milk bag
Bottle/Jug for finished product
*you can buy nut milk bags online from a wide variety of suppliers/retailers, they cost around $15-$17

Ingredients:

1 cup insecticide free or organic raw almonds
Water for soaking, plus 3 cups of cooled boiled water
Pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt (or celtic sea salt). 
(I found that the above ratio of ingredients makes approx 1ltr of milk)

Recipe:

1. Soak the nuts overnight in enough water (plus pinch of Himalayan rock salt) to cover them.  Soaking the nuts activates them.  Activated nuts are easily digested and more nutritious than raw or roasted nuts. Raw nuts contain enzyme inhibitors that make them difficult to digest, inhibiting our body's ability to absorb nutrients.
2. In the morning rinse the nuts thoroughly.
3. Place them into a blender and add 1 cup of water and blend until finely ground, then slowly add the remaining 2 cups of water and allow to blend for around 1 minute.
4. Place nut milk bag inside a bowl or jug that is deep enough for the bag.
5. Pour contents from blender into the nut bag and then simply gather the top of the bag together and squeeze to remove all the liquid. 
6. Tah dah....you have just made your first batch of almond milk.  It might sound time consuming but it literally took me about a total 5-10minutes and tastes amazing.

You may wonder what you can do with the pulp that is left over, well some would just throw it away but you can also freeze small portions  for later use in smoothies to boost protein or you can make a yummy hummus, check out this great recipe from one of my favourite blogs My New Roots.

Let me know if you give it a go and how it turns out for you.

Fail Safe French Toast!!

This is my go to breakfast for the lil guy.  It is a huge hit, tastes great and is fantastic if you need to get on the move in the morning because you can take it with you.

You will need:

• *One slice of thick sliced raisin bread (or regular bread)
• *One organic egg
• 1 heaped tsp Coconut oil
• Blueberries
• A sprinkle of love

Gently whisk one egg, dip bread into the egg and let it soak in on both sides. Heat coconut oil in small pan (you can use butter or another oil of choice if you prefer), then place the egg soaked bread into pan and allow to brown on each side.  Remove, allow to cool, cut up into fingers and serve with fresh blueberries (or which ever fruit you like).

Another version of this recipe is to add in a mashed ripe banana to the egg mix and then soak the bread.  This version is particularly popular in our house.  It is nourishing and filling for little tummies.

If your little one has any gluten allergies you can always use GF bread or try sprouted bread which is quite dense but very easy to digest.

Enjoy!!

Banana Berry Muffins

It is raining today and I felt like baking so had a crack at these delicious muffins.  I wasn't sure how they would turn out but rest assured....they are yummy.  I licked the bowl clean after I poured the mix into the muffin tin and then couldn't even wait for them to cool before I turned one out (evidence above) and gobbled it up.


makes 12 medium sized muffins

200 g almond meal
100 g desiccated/shredded coconut
1 large ripped banana
3 eggs
4 tbsp melted *coconut oil (you could also use butter)
1/2 cup yoghurt
10 medjool dates (seeds removed)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
a sprinkle of love2 handful of berries (defrost first if frozen)

Set the oven at 180c
Add all the ingredients into food processor except the berries and mix for a minute.
Add the berries and stir around with a spoon.
Use a spoon to divide amongst muffin tin and bake for approx 15mins (or until golden on top and toothpick comes out clean).  Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a rack.  


I don't know that I would freeze these muffins but I actually don't expect they would last long enough to even bother.


*check out this link to Sarah Wilson's blog for info on Coconut Oil
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2011/11/why-i-get-excited-about-coconut-oil/

Raw Cacao Smoothie....

This has become a firm favourite of late, especially when the sometimes fussy 17mth old is refusing everything else.  I was inspired by two blogs I follow, www.greenkitchenstories.com and also www.mynewroots.blogspot.com I tweaked them to suit the lil mans taste buds (and mine).

*1 ripe banana
1/2 avocado
Handful of frozen berries (I use blueberries)
Handful of ice
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp raw cacao
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp chia seeds
1 cup of filtered water (I have also used fresh coconut water which is delicious, you can also use coconut milk/cream)
**A sprinkle of love

Place all ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.  Pour into tall glass, sip and enjoy......you may even need a spoon to eat it.

*tip: when bananas are in season buy a few extra and when they are nice and ripe cut them into chunks and freeze, then you can use them in smoothies/baking etc

**please note that this ingredient can't be purchased in stores, it comes from the heart and a little is all you need as it is quite strong.