- Mix 1 large cup of 60% polenta and 40% ground almonds with a small pinch of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Gently heat, chopped and pitted dates (1 cup) and blend into a puree and leave to cool.
- Grate 2 large peeled carrots and mix into the polenta mix. In another bowl mix the date puree with one beaten egg (optional, however this helps the cake to hold better).Add the egg/date mix to the polenta/carrot mixture, mix well and then add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. The mixture should be moist but thick.
- Place this mixture into a greased oven proof dish or cake tin and bake at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes until golden brown and the knife comes out clean from testing the cake. Allow to cool before adding the cashew cream.
- For the cashew cream simply blend 200g of raw cashews with the juice of 1 large lemon, zest of 1-2 large lemons (make it really lemony!), and a little water so to create a creamy consistency. When you have a smooth cream, roughly smooth over the top of the cake.
- Blend with a hand held blender a generous handful of fresh parsley and fresh basil with a small garlic clove, 1table spoon of olive oil, 1/2 table spoon of ume boshi paste (see below recipes for info), 1 1/2-2 table spoons of white miso (see below recipes for info) and 4 table spoons of ground almonds. You may need to a little water to adjust the consistency.
My adapted version of a recipe by a large Health Food store.
This recipe is very easy to make, great for afternoon tea, birthday parties, special occasions etc...and not just for children!
- Mix 1 cup of 60% polenta and 40% ground almonds with a small pinch of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Gently heat, chopped and pitted dates (1 cup) and blend into a puree.
- Grate 2 peeled and cored eating apples, 1 large peeled sweet potato and mix into the date puree, adding one beaten egg too.
- Add this to the polenta mixture and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.
- Place this mixture in a greased oven proof dish or baking tin and bake at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes until golden brown and the knife comes out clean from testing the cake. Allow to cool a little before slicing into squares.
This recipe is very simple and a real crowd pleaser for parties, special occasions...and not just for children!
- Heat up some rice milk (3-4 cups), 1 tsp of vanilla essence, 2-3tbspns of Agar Agar flakes, rice syrup to taste (roughly 2-3 teaspoons), a pinch of sea salt, and finally 1-2tspns of Kuzu mixed with a small amount of water so it becomes a white liquid. Gently boil all of this together for 15mins. Meanwhile place a clean plate in the fridge to cool slightly.
- Test the Agar Agar by placing a few drops of the liquid onto the cooled plate to see if it sets easily. You should see this by gently moving/pressing the drops on the plate which should now be solid. If they are not you may need to add more Agar Agar and boil for a further 15mins.
- Place some biscuits in a shallow round dish (you can use naturally sweetened wholewheat/spelt biscuits or gluten free biscuits if you or your children are sensitive to wheat gluten) and then top with your chosen chopped fruit.
- Once the rice milk mixture is ready, add the zest of 1 lemon, mix well and ever so gently and slowly pout the mixture on top of the fruit and biscuits. Allow to cool and set for an hour or two and then serve!
AGAR AGAR: Available in flakes that are an excellent gelatin alternative that is 100% vegetarian as the flakes are made from the sea vegetable agar agar. Ideally use the flakes not the powder which has been processed.
KUZU: Is a natural thickener available from most oriental sections of supermarkets. Most famously known for its medicinal purposes as it has a very good binding property which counteracts loose bowels. Do not use if you or your child has a cold/flu with excess mucus.
- Saute 2 onions with a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for 10-12 minutes.
- Add one large diced carrot, mixed dried herbs or a bay leaf and cook for a further 5-6 minutes.
- Add 3 - 3 1/2 cups pf cold water, a cup of polenta and stir continuously for 10-12 minutes. Add some green peas or chopped green beans and cubes of smoked tofu (optional) and cook for a couple more minutes. You should start to see the polenta thickening (continue stirring to remove any lumps) and remove the bay leaf before pouring into individual bowls/glasses and allow to cool.
- Gently remove each sand castle from the bowl/glass when it has completely cooled and set.
- Serve with the beetroot sauce (see below for recipe).
by Emma Bradford. An adapted version of a recipe by a leading UK supermarket
A gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, dairy free cake but 100% delicious!
- Get 1 pack of dates, remove the stones, chop into fine pieces and blend into a paste (you may need to heat the dates with a dash of water in a saucepan before blending to create a smoother consistency).
- Mix 150g of polenta with 100g of ground almonds, and a tiny pinch of sea salt (to bring out the sweetness of fruit).
- When the date paste has cooled mix it with 2 tbspns of olive oil. Separate 2 free range organic eggs, beating together 3 yolks and one white. Add the polenta/grounded almond mix to this and mix well, also adding the zest of 1 lemon and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Also add 3 tbspns of rice milk to add some more moisture.
- Mix in 400g blueberries and 250g of raspberries into the cake mixture.
- In a separate bowl whisk the 2 remaining egg whites until they form soft white peaks.
- Add this to the cake mix, gently folding into the mixture. Pour into a greased cake tin (so it is 2inches thick) and bake at 180 degrees until the knife comes out clean from testing the cake.
Beetroot Pasta Sauce by Montse Bradford
A wonderful versatile sauce for pasta, lasagne, pizza etc, full of veggies and less acidic for the body compared to tomato sauce. See the Beetroot post on the main blog page for health benefits.- Saute 2 onions with some olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for 10 minutes until they are transparent.
- Add 6 sliced carrots, 1tsp of dried oregano and a little water - bring to the boil and cook with a low flame for 15 minutes.
- Strain and save the liquid in a jug (you may need to add some liquid back to the sauce later), blend the vegetables with 1 large cooked beetroot. If the sauce is very dry and a little of the vegetable stock back to the sauce.
- Add 1 tbsp of Umeboshi Vinegar (important not normal vinegar) and 3 tbsp of Apple Juice Concentrate.
by Emma Bradford
Perfect to drizzle over fruit kebabs.
- Mix 1 tbsp of peanut butter (sugar free is best) with 2 tablespoons of rice syrup and a pinch of cinnamon in a small saucepan.
- Mix in a small bowl 1 tsp of cornflour with a little water 1/3 or 1/2 of a small cup and add to peanut butter mixture.
- Bring to the boil, stirring continuously for a few minutes. In the last minute add 1 tsp of lemon zest and mix in thoroughly. Take of the heat and allow to cool a little before serving.
Colourful and absolutely scrumptious. By using beetroot in the form of a dip along with corn chips this is a great way to introduce beetroot to your children if they have not already tried this great versatile vegetable.
- Blend 1 packet of plain cooked beetroot (even better if freshly cooked yourself) along with 1tspn of Umeboshi Paste, 1 tsp of White Miso, 1 tbsp of peanut butter (brands without added sugar is best) and 1 tsp of lemon zest.
- Serve with lightly salted corn chips, rice/corn cakes or other vegetable sticks.
Avocado Pate by Montse Bradford
Perfect with vegetable sticks and delicious with pan fried asparagus, beetroot or as a dressing for salads, fish etc.
- Remove the skin and stones from 2 large ripe avocados and blend with 1tsp of Umeboshi Paste (see below recipes for information) and 1 tbsp of White Miso (see below recipes for information), 1tbsp of cold pressed olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.
OK so no vegetables in this recipe but its what you serve it with that counts! Vegetable sticks are prefect such as carrot, celery or cucumber.
- Boil one block of fresh Tofu for 15mins in a little water. When done, remove the water and blend with the following ingredients...
1/2 cup of walnuts, 1 and a half table spoons of Mugi Miso, 1-2 table spoons of cold pressed olive oil, 2 table spoons of Apple Juice Concentrate and some (optional) chopped parsley.
TOFU: An excellent source of protein made from soya beans, helps lower cholesterol, great for everyone - not just vegetarians! Available from health food shops and most supermarkets.
Homemade Hummous - By Emma Bradford
- You will need 1 jar of cooked chickpeas (the brands that don't have any added salt or sugar are better), 1/3 teaspoon of Umeboshi Paste, 1 teaspoon of Tahini, 1 table spoon of cold pressed Olive oil, and the zest of 1/3 of a lemon (unwaxed is best). Blend together and serve with vegetable sticks. Also great in sandwiches.
Alphabet Soup by Montse Bradford
- Saute 2 onions (diced) in a little Olive oil and a small pinch of sea salt until the onions become soft and transparent (10-12minutes).
- Add 3-4 cups of water, a little Wakame (pre-soaked and chopped into pieces), a bay leaf, 1/4 cup of sweetcorn, 1/3 cup of alphabet pasta, 2 carrots (diced), and cook with a medium flame and lid for 10 minutes.
- Use 1/3 of a broccoli head and cut into small florets (size of a 50p coin), add to the soup and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes only.
- Remove from the heat and season with White Miso to taste. The easiest way to season is by removing a little of the soup stock into a bowl and mixing the Miso in the bowl before adding it back to the rest of the soup. Normally 1-2 table spoons should suffice.
Thank's
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