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Raw Cacao Chocolates

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cacao-1

I make these chocolates far too frequently, I make them if you come to one of my essential oil classes, I often make them as a gift and I indulge when I have that chocolate urge.  I’ve always been a chocoholic but these days I’m very fussy about the type of chocolate that I eat.  Processed chocolate that you eat in the shops tastes nothing like unprocessed, pure cacao nor does it offer any of the same health benefits (see below). You can also remove the guilt by not eating the ton of sugar in regular chocolate and instead opt for healthier alternatives like maple syrup, raw honey or a little coconut sugar (make sure you grind it first to a fine powder or your cacao will be gritty).

I always get compliments about this chocolate but the real secret is in the essential oils I use, not only do they offer an intense flavour but they also support your health too. Peppermint helps support digestive health and can enhance focus and concentration. Wild orange can help to improve your mood and boost your immune system.  Please don’t use oils that do not clearly state they are for internal use so if you don’t have any, then consider adding a little grated ginger or some orange juice with a little of the grated rind, you could even try a sprinkling of cinnamon.

If you don’t have molds, you could even turn it into a chocolate slab like this one

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Reasons to eat pure cacao:cacao-2

  • It is one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium (70% of the population is deficient and it is required for over 300 enzyme reactions in the body), in fact if you are strongly craving  dark chocolate it can be a sign you are magnesium deficient.
  • Studies have shown that it is higher in antioxidants than blueberries and Acai.
  • It has been shown to protect the skin against sun damage because the flavanols increase skin density and hydration.
  • Epicatechin the flavanol which gives cacao the bitter flavour (incidentally removed from commercial chocolate) has been linked to improving insulin sensitivity and potentially preventing cardiovascular disease.
  • It’s been linked to reduced rates of coronary heart disease.
  • It is a prebiotic so it has been shown to feed your good bacteria in your gut microbiome, which is shown to be the key to immunity.

Do we need any more reasons?  Just choose your cacao wisely!

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Raw Cacao Chocolates
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Prep time: 
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Serves: 26
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of cacao buttons or 100g of cacao butter
  • 3 tablespoons of cacao powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to desired sweetness
  • 2 drops of wild orange doTERRA essential oil
  • 2 drops of peppermint doTERRA essential oil
  • A pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Heat the cacao butter on a very low temperature on a bain marie NB it is important to not overheat the cacao butter so take your time melting the butter and take off the heat if it is melting too quickly
  2. Add the powder and maple syrup and whisk quickly to incoraporate
  3. Split the cacao into 2 amounts and add the essential oil
  4. Pour into chocolate moulds and refridgerate for an hour
  5. Pop out and devour!

 

Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Stuffing (Paleo)

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I find Christmas a fairly easy time of year to remain healthy, I eat a fairly high fat diet so I never feel deprived in the way I would have been on a low fat diet.  Historically, I would have justified dieting in January and eating whatever I wanted but eating fat has had the consequence of managing cravings although I certainly indulge in a little refined sugar-free cacao!  Read more about how to staying healthy over Christmas here.

I do remain gluten free and although most of a standard Christmas meal is easy to avoid gluten, I do love stuffing which traditionally is always made with breadcrumbs.  I was lucky enough to find fresh cranberries in Planet Organic the other week, I knew this is what I wanted to make.  Cranberries can be quite sharp when fresh so I’ve combined this recipe with fresh grated apple but you could substitute with dried cranberries if you cant find fresh.

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stuffing-3Cranberries are full of  health benefits, they are very high in antioxidants, higher than blueberries, which protect you against free radicals which help keep your cells from aging prematurely.  They are low in sugar, high in Vitamin C and many other minerals and vitamins.   They are also high in quercetin which is useful at lowering inflammation in the body.

Cranberries have historically been used in studies for the treatment of urinary tract infections for women.   Cranberry extract was found in this study to be as effective as the drug trimethoprim without the side affects that came with the drug.

It has also been shown to have an inhibitory responses to cancer cells causing death induction via apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy.  More studies are needed but this is such a simple food to add for it’s protective mechanisms.

Wishing all my readers the healthiest and happiest of Christmas celebrations!

With love Vanessa x

 

 

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Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Stuffing (Paleo)
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Serves: 9
 
Perfect for a Gluten Free Christmas
Ingredients
  • 400g pork sausagemeat
  • 1 cup of fresh cranberries
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 large handful of chopped walnuts
  • A sprig of rosemary
  • 1 apple grated
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ of a finely grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon of all spice
  • Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Mould into balls or stuff into your turkey!
  3. Put balls in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up, this mixture made 9 large stuffing balls.
  4. Cook in the oven in and oven proof dish for 35-40 minutes at 35 degrees until just starting to brown.

 

Beetroot, Fennel and Dill Ferment – Perfect for Beginners

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Beetroot-ferment

This is my daughter’s favourite ferment, she has it most days in her lunch box and loves it. Fermentation is what has been used for generations before refrigeration and is the perfect preserved food that wont spoil but has so many health benefits.  The beetroot gives it a really sweet flavour and the dill adds the most incredibly delicious smell whilst you are making it.

Beetroot-Ferment

If you’re new to fermentation, this is a great one to start with.  Beetroot contains betalin which powerfully supports detoxification of the liver.  This animal study shows the reduction in toxins in the blood when given beetroot extract.  The naturally occurring nitrates have also been shown to improve athletic performance and boost stamina.

Fennel has some wonderfully healing properties for anyone with gastrointestinal issues.  It is not only full of fiber but boosts the excretion of gastric juices so supports digestive function.  It has also been shown to be effective in reducing menstrual pain in girls.

Full of health benefits this ferment is a must to make!

Quick Tip

Beetroot ferments very quickly so make sure you only ferment for a few days and I put my jar in a bowl in my cupboard in case some of the liquid escapes from the top of the jar!

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Beetroot, Fennel and Dill Ferment
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Ingredients
  • 1 bunch of fresh beetroot
  • 1 bulb of fennel
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon of sea salt (NOT table salt)
  • 500ml mason jar
Instructions
  1. Grate the beetroot - I use my food processor and the 4 ml grated blade so that it doesnt release too much of the liquid of the beetroot
  2. Finely slice the fennel
  3. Put your dill through the food processor too for speed and finely chop
  4. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and cover with the salt and squeeze until the beetroot until it releases the juice.
  5. Add the ingredients to the mason jar and push down until the liquid covers, allow at leat 3 cm at the top of the jar for the vegetables to expand
  6. Close lid and put in a dark cupboard for 3-5 days to ferment
  7. NB It might be worth putting a bowl underneath the jar just in case the liquid spills.

 

Fermented Lemon Chutney

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lemon-chutney

Very easy to make and a great accompaniment to most dishes, this is the perfect fermented foods to start when you’re new to cultured foods. Enhancing the nutritional properties of this low sugar fruit, fermentation adds beneficial microbes that will give your immune system a boost.

Lemons are renowned for their cleansing properties but what most people don’t know is that most of the nutrition is locked in the skin or zest of the lemon and this is often the part we throw away.  More vitamin C than an orange and powerful at supporting liver detoxification, this is a great way to utilise all the nutritional properties.

Lemons help the liver produce more bile and protect the liver from oxidative damage (see study). Lemons are also commonly used for their natural pectin which has appetite suppressing capabilities.

I personally love this with Moroccan tagines or curry.

No need to peel, you can use the rind too but make sure you use organic lemons without wax.  This only takes a few minutes to prepare with a grater blade on the food processor, I even threw in a couple of limes for good measure too!

 

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Fermented Lemon Chutney
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Recipe type: Fermented foods
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 10 lemons
  • 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon of sea salt (not table salt)
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
Instructions
  1. Push the lemons and limes through the grater attachment of the food processor
  2. Mix with all the other ingrediants
  3. Add to a medium sized mason jar or I used 2 small ones
  4. Push the mixture down to ensure the liquid covers the lemon chutney
  5. Store in a dark cupboard for 3-10 days

 

Wild Cranberry and Seed Chocolate Covered Slices

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cranberry-seed-slice

These are the perfect treat for those who are following a GAPS, AIP, SCD protocol.  These are what I made for my daughter when she couldn’t tolerate eggs and had birthday parties to go to.  Sugar free, vegan, nut and egg-free these cater for most people suffering with food intolerances.

The cranberries give an incredible sour flavour to the bars and there is very little sweetner in these but I challenge you to eat only one (or is that just me!).

 

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Wild Cranberry and Seed Chocolate Covered Slices
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Recipe type: Raw Food
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 16
 
Ingredients
  • For the Base
  • ½ cup of pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup of sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup of desiccated coconut (additive free)
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of wild dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey or maple syrup for a vegan version
  • For the Chocolate Topping
  • ½ cup of cacao butter
  • 3 tablespoons of cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey or maple syrup
  • 3 drops of wild orange essential oil (optional but please only use therapeutic grade oils suitable for internal use, see here for more details)
Instructions
  1. For the Base Save back 1 tablespoon of the cranberries and add the rest to a food processor and blend until a fine crumbly texture. this may take several minutes depending on the power of your processor.
  2. Add in the other tablespoon of cranberries for more texture.
  3. Press firmly into an 8 inch brownie tin lined with grease-proof paper and chill in the fridge
  4. For the topping Gently warm the cacao butter on a bain-marie, melting gently
  5. Stir in the cacao powder until combined
  6. Remove from the heat and add the sweetener of choice and the essential oil (optional)
  7. Pour on top of the cooled base and return to the fridge to allow it to harden before cutting into squares.

 

Fermented Mayonnaise

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I love mayonnaise and this creamy home-made variety tastes in my opinion far superior to shop bought ones.  If you use free-range (preferably organic) eggs you also get a completely different colour mayonnaise and grass-foraging chickens have healthier Omega 3 containing eggs. I’m sure you’ve noticed the difference in yolk colours but when you crack an egg from a free range egg, you get a vibrant nearly orange coloured yolk, compare this to a barn coloured egg yolk and you’ll get an insipid pale yellow mayonnaise.

Having used olive oil in the past, I prefer avocado oil, it doesn’t have the overpowering flavour coming through the mayonnaise.  Avocado oil is also high in Vitamin E which is reputed for its health benefits to the skin.  Avocado oil has been used in studies for healing wounds and found particularly useful for those who suffer with psoriasis.

I used to be nervous of making mayonnaise thinking it would curdle or take ages to make but moving towards a whole-food life, I decided to make this healthier swap and I’ve never looked back. This takes me 3 minutes maximum from start to finish and then you can ferment the mayonnaise in the most natural way possible using whey that you can extract from your kefir.

To obtain the whey from kefir watch my YouTube clip

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Fermented Mayonnaise
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Recipe type: Fermented Mayonnaise
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of avocado oil
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • Juice from half a lemon
  • ½ a teaspoon of mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons of whey
  • Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients apart (from the whey) to a mason jar
  2. Place a stick blender in the bottom of the jar and blend on full power until the mayo emulsifies and thickens, takes about 1 minute
  3. Stir in the whey
  4. Close the lid on the jar and allow to ferment at room temperature for 5 hours.
  5. Then place the mayonnnaise in the fridge where it will keep for several weeks, although it never lasts that long in my house!

 

Fermented Spicy Salsa

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I love salsa, what I don’t love is the sugar and other fillers that are added to shop bought salsa.  Most people who endeavour to eat healthily will make their own whole-food equivalent of their favourite food but the biggest challenge is keeping it fresh without preservatives.

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This is the beautiful thing about fermentation, you can make one big batch of your favourite food, allow it to ferment for a period of time (according to ferment) and then it will keep fresh for several months. Not only is it completely safe, (there has never been a recorded person in history becoming seriously ill from fermented foods) but fermentation also enhances all the nutrition in that food and provides trillions of beneficial bacteria to your body. Check out this post for more information about the healing capacity of fermented foods.

This salsa is nutritionally superior and tastes amazing.  Add chilli amount to taste, I add the seeds because I like it hot but leave them out if you prefer a milder salsa.

Spicy foods have been proven to improve satiety so have also been used as a weight loss tool.  Research also suggests that capsaicin can increase fat burning by 16%.

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Fermented Spicy Salsa
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Recipe type: Fermented Spicy Salsa
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Ingredients
  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
  • 5 large tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 hot red chilli
  • bunch of fresh mint
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons of natural sea salt
Instructions
  1. Put all the ingredients apart from half an onion into a food processor, squeezing the juice from the lime in and adding a little zest, continue to blend until combined but still has some texture - you don't want a sauce!
  2. Add the extra half an onion in chopped small so that it add more crunch to your salsa
  3. Stir in the salt and put into a mason jar, close lid and add leave for 7 days before transferring to a refrigerator, this is a delicious accompaniment to some fish or on top of a jacket potato.

 

 

 

 

Beetroot, Fennel and Mandarin Ferment

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beetroot-fennel

Guest post from Jamie Raftery, Michelin trained chef.  Jamie has worked with an amazing variety of inspiring mentors throughout his career, including Michael Caines, Gordon Ramsay, after winning the Ramsay scholarship in 2007, Rasmus Kofoed, the gold, silver and bronze Bocuse d’or culinary super-hero from Denmark, Marcus Wareing, Heston Bluementhal, Corey Lee, Clare Clarke and Angela Hartnett.

Jamie is currently studying holistic nutrition. Drawing on his experience and knowledge he is developing techniques, dishes and a range of products with the ultimate goal of opening his own restaurant and inspiring people with healthier food. Jamie is currently showcasing his products and dishes through a combination of pop-up dining events, collaborations with holistic practitioners and restaurant consultancy throughout the UK and can be found here as The Holistic Chef.

Here is one of Jamie’s simple but mouthwatering recipes that I can’t wait to try.

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Both Jamie and I can be found at the Fermentation Masterclass at Newlyn’s Cookery School, 28th June 2015, where Jamie will be serving lunch and sharing knowledge and recipes, click here for more details.

 

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Beetroot, Fennel and Mandarin Ferment
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Recipe type: Fermentation
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 large red beetroot
  • 2 heads of baby fennel or 1 large fennel
  • 2 mandarins
  • 1 tablespoon of Malden salt
Instructions
  1. Grate the beetroot
  2. Very thinly slice the fennel
  3. Squeeze the juice from 2 mandarins
  4. Add the vegetables to a kilner or mason jar
  5. Cover the beetroot in the salt and kneed to release the juices
  6. Mix with the juice and fennel and push down firmly into a kilner / mason jar
  7. Close lid and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days
  8. Transfer to the fridge and serve

 

Fermented Ginger and Orange Carrots

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ginger-orange-carrots

Fermented ginger carrots supply the perfect marriage between sweet, citrus carrots and tangy ginger, I love this combination and it’s perfect paired with a crisp salad on a summer day.

Really simple to make, the liquids release really easily from the carrots as they start to produce lactobacillus, the sour tasting lacto-fermented form of bacteria.  Fermented foods are full of probiotic goodness giving you abundant health but most of all it tastes really delicious and like sauerkraut is a really simple way to start.

If you don’t like ginger you can leave it out or interchange it with some garlic or a freshly grated apple.

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Fermented Ginger, Orange Carrots
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Recipe type: Fermented Ginger Carrots
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large bag of carrots
  • 1 cm root of fresh ginger
  • Juice and zest of half an organge
  • 1 tablespoon of natural salt
  • Either 2 tablespoons of whey or an extra 1 tablespoon of salt
  • 1 litre mason jar
Instructions
  1. Grate the carrot using the large grate on your standard grater
  2. Peel the ginger to remove the outer skin and use the fine grater to grate the ginger finely
  3. Grate half an orange and squeeze the juice.
  4. Add the ingredients into a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt and / or you whey is using
  5. Kneed and squeeze the carrot and ginger in a bowl to release the natural juices from the vegetables
  6. Push the carrots and ginger into a mason jar and press down firmly
  7. Keep pushing until the juice rises above the carrots then close the lid and leave to ferment for 3 days

 

Curry Kraut

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currykraut

This week I have Michelle Knox guest posting one of her wonderful recipes.  Michelle can be found at Sprouts, Krauts and Spice and has a real passion for adding unusual spices to her fermentation recipes. These wonderful spices have some incredible health benefits, check out this article with scientific literature about the benefits of black seed also called Nigella Sativa.  I can’t wait to try this recipe and we certainly share a passion for sprouts that are so easy and nutritious to make.  Please read Michelle’s amazing healing journey below and be encouraged to give fermentation a try.

My name is Michelle Knox. After being sick and in pain for forty years, I finally discovered the link between good health and good Food!!! I was crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diverticulitis, Fibromyalgia, Hiatal Hernia, Migraines, Ankylosing Spondylitis and many other potentially serious diagnoses for decades… I was Eating what I believed to be the ‘Most nutritious diet” in the world… I was a Vegetarian/Vegan/Raw Vegan…. And I was getting steadily sicker and collecting yet more dread diseases!!! How could that even be???  I listened to my doctors for years telling me “If it hurts, rest it!!” And I obeyed.. Spending hours and days and years curled on the couch with heating pads that I would move from area to area in hopes of alleviating the pain…

And then… I got really tired of all that!!!  I discovered that eating The Most Nutritious Food that you can possibly find, will help you rid your body of the symptoms that plague you!!!  Eating foods that have No ingredient label, No spokesperson, No commercial, No pyramid scheme, and Nothing fake, can have a tremendous difference on how you feel!!!  Now in my fifties, I am in better health than I Ever have been, I ditched my prescriptions, started going to a fitness class, and I have entirely changed the way I eat, and how I feel about food!!

I’d like to take you all on a journey.. My journey… Discovering Fresh, Clean, Wholesome food and learning how to prepare it in such a delicious way that it’s really irresistible!! Discovering fermented foods and how they can work to heal your gut – and your whole body!! Discovering healing spices from around the world and learning how they can not only impact your health, but make your food seriously Wonderful!!!

Michelle Knox can be found at https://sproutskrautsandspice.wordpress.com/

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Curry Kraut
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Prep time: 
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Ingredients
  • 2 heads of cabbage - chopped ( not too finely)
  • 2 T sea salt
  • 1 red onion - chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 T hot curry powder
  • 1 T ground turmeric
  • 1 T nigella Sativa seeds
  • 1 T Ajwan seeds
  • 1 tsp Sumac
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1T chopped garlic
  • 2 T grated ginger
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix together and beat it up til the brine is about an inch deep on the bottom you your bowl.
  2. Press tightly into a ½ gallon mason jar.
  3. Weight down and close tightly.
  4. Put in a dark cupboard for a month without messing with it!!!
  5. I put a plastic bowl underneath the jar just in case
  6. Waiting a month is the hardest part!!!