Posts Tagged With: celiac

Raw Green Thai Soup

Posted on June 10, 2012 by leroy watson

Thai soup – in the mix

Here is a classic Thai soup, only this time served cold. This is without doubt the finest chilled soup I have ever tasted. You just have to look at what goes into it to realise that it is going to be a taste sensation! Coconut, lemon grass, chilli, lime and ginger. That’s the taste of food heaven.

If there is any food which mirrors a country, it is Thai. Vibrant, colourful and unique. The combination of ingredients and fresh, fresh flavours make my mouth water.

Jane and I met not far from Thailand (well the Philippines, but close enough!) We both love Asia for many reasons, but the people and food really stand out. Thailand cannot be beaten for food. A bold statement, but anyone who has visited and trawled the street food and markets will agree. Great food made simply but with super fresh ingredients. The soups alone are almost alchemical, their vapours can revive the soul and the flavours dance in your mouth like a dragon.

Thai’s love food. In a way that us Europeans cannot comprehend. For example, my friend Toum took me to a local market in a suburb of north Bangkok and I have never seen such care taken in the selection of produce. I was reprimanded for holding some green leaves the wrong way round, and soon realised that I had much to learn in the respect and handling of food… we carried our vegetables home as if they were newly born babies.

You can see the real identity of countries and cultures coming through in what they eat. Most Thais eat very well, regardless of social standing. In fact, they seem to eat the same things, in the same places. Namely the street. There is a movement towards a more westernised capitalist culture in the upper and middle classes, but it’s all done in a very Thai way. I can never see the big mac taking over from the pad thai.

This will be very refreshing come summer (it is coming I hope), the flavours are as intense and fragrant as you would expect from things Thai.

Bangkok Street Food

The Bits

There’s lots of bits in this one, but that’s what makes it so very tasty!

6 mushrooms, 6 tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cm fresh ginger (or 1cm galangal if you can), 1 lemon grass stick, 1 red chilli, 4 dates, 6 lime leaves, juice of 2 limes, bunch of coriander, 120g fresh coconut chopped, 125g spinach, 1 apple, 2 tbsp tamari

Do It

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender and keep your finger on the button until all the herbs have been blitzed.

Serve

In a big bowl with a few sprouts and coriander leaves on top, a whole heap of love, and the biggest spoons you have!

We Love It!

It is such a taste explosion and takes us back to happy memories of a wonderful land (just one spoonful of this and we now want to go back!). This is authentic thai, without the jars of paste.

Thai Lotus Flower

Foodie Fact

So essential to Thai cookery, coriander (celantro to some) is actually native to the Mediterranean and is rich in anti-oxidants that help against heart conditions. It also contains high levels of vitamin C and many different minerals. It is one of the richest sources of vitamin K and has a very high vitamin A content. Quite a herb!

Categories: Healthy Eating, Raw Food, Recipes, Soups, Vegan | Tags: asia, bangkok, celantro, celiac, cold soup, coriander, countries and cultures, culture, dairy dree, food, fragrant, fresh, gluten-free, healthy living, lemon grass, low carb, low fat diet, market, photo, photography, raw, raw vegan, recipes, restaurants, soup, street food, summer soup, taste sensation, thai food, thai soup, thailand, travel, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian recipes | 10 Comments

Raw Carrot Dip

Posted on June 8, 2012 by leroy watson

Raw Carrot Dip

It was time to wish Savannah goodbye and good luck for her trip to Spain, so we made her a beach house special raw lunch. Over the last few days I have come to realise I LOVE preparing food raw. It is a new found passion for me! It’s so quick, easy, the washing up takes two minutes, and I am learning about some amazing ingredients that make everything SO tasty. Plus the herb garden herbs are becoming so bushy of late they are just perfect.

This makes a jam jar full 🙂

The Bits

3 large carrots, half an onion, chopped parsley, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp tamari, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 4 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp water

Do It

Chop the carrot and onion (we used the grater blade in our blender which grated everything perfectly), put everything into the blender and blend for a couple of minutes and then have a little taste – YUM!

We Love It!

This adds a nice bit of richness to our salads and can be used for dipping or spreading on your favourite things.

Foodie Fact

Tahini has an incredibly high nutritional content, full of most of the vitamin B’s and calcium. In most diets, calcium is taken in via cows milk which is not great for the digestive system, potentially leading to irritation and other difficulties. Many people believe that tahini has the highest calcium content of any food.

Fresh coco and nut yogurt

We thought we’d add this little snack on, we made it as a fatty number to be eaten 3 hours after our sugary morning fruit salad and before dinner (see our Raw Food No No’s for why?) We chopped up fresh coconut, a handful of mixed nuts (unroasted) and a good blob of soya yogurt.

Happy dippingX

Love, JaneXXXX

Sunshine lettuce

Categories: gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Raw Food, Recipes, Sauces, Side Dish, Snacks and Inbetweens, Superfoods, Vegan | Tags: calcium, carrot, carrot dip, celiac, coconut, cows milk, dairy free, dip, food, garden herbs, healthy eating, herb garden, lunch, raw, raw carrot, raw food, raw recipes, raw vegan, recipes, snack, soya yogurt, tahini, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarian recipes, vitamin B, wheat free | 1 Comment

Rough Oatcakes

Posted on January 30, 2012 by leroy watson

Super Oats

Frugal and nice with anything (and on their own). I’m a purest with the humble oatcake. I love ’em with a nice lump of local cheese or even with a little of Janes Mum’s Marmalade, they are versatile and an ever-present in our ‘Oat Cake’ tin.

The Oatcake originated in Scotland, where historically they were the only grain that grew up there on the wild northern part. Oats are really healthy and I would say that they are a ‘superfood’ for sure. My Dad used to say that porridge put hairs on your chest, but it didn’t work for me (and thankfully, my sister!).

Of course these crunchy delights can be meddled with, but the toasted oat flavour is enough for me (but sometimes I do add a handful of toasted sunflower seeds).

For people who are looking to eat less gluten. If you make them thicker and add a tsp of baking soda, bake them for a little longer, you have a substantial substitute to bread.

This is as simple as it gets. Rough oatcakes are best, so the rougher you are here, the tastier the cake. It’s basically porridge, flat and baked:

The Bits

A quantity of medium oats (judge by eye how many you’d like to make, 1 cup will make around 5 nicely sized oatcakes).

In a bowl, add half cold filtered water and half boiling out of the kettle (stir until a thick paste is formed)

A decent swig of olive oil

A nice pinch of nice salt and a good few twists of cracked pepper.

Do It

Traditionally, I believe a heavy skillet was used to make these. I’ve tried it out and its a lot easier to whack them in the oven (we always try to bake a few things at a time, not to waste all that heat).

Preheat oven to 1800C.

Handle the oatmeal paste like dough, with some spare oats as your flour being used for dusting the surface and the dough. If done properly, not much should stick to your fingers. I flip them over a few times on an ‘oated’ plate and fashion a roundish shape with my fingers (for neat ones, use a round cutter), then place them on a lightly oiled tray. The oatcakes should have a rough look and texture.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn them and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Leave to cool on a wire tray.

Serve

Anything you fancy. They are a great substitute for bread, we eat them with soup for example. But for me, they are the finest accompaniment to a strong flavoured cheese, like a Welsh ‘black bomber’ cheddar or a Stilton (long clawson is the finest).

We Love It

They remind me of my Scottish roots (as does my ginger beard!), I lived in Glasgow for years and have fond memories of persistent drizzle and good whiskey.

Foodie Fact

Oats contain Beta-glucan, which slows the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, lowering the chances of any dramatic changes in blood sugar levels. It’s also packed full of fibre. Excellent roughage. Oats hang around in the stomach, making you less hungry, probably leading to losing a little weight. They also help to ease hyper tension or high blood pressure. You see. ‘Superfood’!!!

Categories: gluten-free, Recipes, Snacks and Inbetweens, Vegan | Tags: celiac, food, gluten-free, good sugars, Low carbs, oats, recipes, snacks, Super Foods, vegan, vegetarian | 2 Comments

Ensalada de Kami – Coconut and Peanut Salad

Posted on January 27, 2012 by leroy watson

Ensalade de Kami

This salad will shine all over the mid January slump. Peanuts for energy and coconuts to remind you that Pina Coladas do still exist.

It comes straight from Panamanian jungle, via Jane’s lovely friend Kami. Jane popped over to see Kami for a couple of weeks recently and came back all shiny and radiant, all down to Kami’s raw food and salads.

The fruits aren’t quite as good as Panama in North Wales, but we have continued the trend and I must say that a day started with this salad is a brighter place to be!

Lovely and crunchy, an interesting mix of veggies and fruit, with a smooth peanut and coconut sauce, its tastes amazing and will get your system buzzing first thing.

This is a versatile little number, you can also use it as a conventional salad for lunch or dinner. We make a job lot in the morning and it keeps us going until late, sometimes making two days dressing in advance (saves on washing up!).

This is most definitely a Beach House favourite.

Makes two big bowls.

The Bits

We tend to use what we have fruit and veg wise, it can change daily, but here’s an idea.

1 orange, 1 apples, 1 pear, 2 large carrots, 1 stick of celery, chunk of cucumber, bit of exotic fruit as a treat(we used a bit of pineapple today, or papaya, mango etc..) all diced into pleasant shapes of your liking.

For the sauce – 3 tbsp coconut milk, 2 tbsp organic peanut butter, 1 orange, pith off and chopped, 1 apple, 1 large carrot, both chopped, dash of water (to get it going)

Treat version – Sometimes some chopped walnuts, or finely diced dates (not too many).

Do It

Easy as pie…….

Chop up the fruit and veg.

Add all the sauce bits to a blender and pulse up, leave it a little chunky if you like.

Pour over salad and mix in.

Serve

We put it into our finest big bowl and enjoy looking at it all day. I sometimes add a little muesli and yoghurt, or roasted sunflower seeds add even more crunch and energy.

Makes a great side dish to a slightly exotic main course, Thai or Indian food for example.

We Love It

The odd sweet burst of a date and the all over fresh crunchiness and vitality.

Foodie Fact

We stay clear of bananas with this one, sugary fruit and acidic fruit ferments in your belly, which is bad for people with sensitive stomachs.

In Ayurveda, fruit is meant to be eaten before a meal, never after or with, as it putrifies (nice word) in the stomach. Sugary fruits also react with cereals, but sometimes, I live dangerously!

Thanks Kami

Categories: Breakfast, gluten-free, Lunch, Raw Food, Recipes, Salads, Snacks and Inbetweens, Vegan | Tags: B.H.K Favourite, breakfast, celiac, food, fruit, gluten-free, good fats, good sugars, Kami's, Low carbs, raw, recipes, salads, vegetarian | 3 Comments

Super Spinach Smoothie

Posted on January 26, 2012 by leroy watson

A shot of pure green goodness

This smoothie will kick any day off with a natural sugar hit and good dosing of iron to wake you up and feed your sleepy body. Sweet and smooth with an iron fix.

It is so simple and quick to make and is Janes favourite morning booster. You won’t be craving biscuits for elevensies either, the banana will see you through!

The Bits

1 1/2 bananas per person (ideally, I have two because I’m like a sloth in the morning)

2 tbsp coconut cream

Two good handfuls of spinach

A splash of water (to get it all blended nicely)

Need balast? Add a handful of oats.

Do it

Stick it all in your blender and whizz until smooth.

Serve

Jane eats it from a bowl with a spoon, topped with some finely sliced veggies, celery is nice. I glug from a glass, which is scrapped out after with a spoon.

We Love It

Its so easy and nutritious and its very green!

Foodie Fact

Spinach is famous as a good source of iron, but surprisingly not as good as much as most beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Even a dried apricot has more iron!.

Bananas are packed with natural fruit sugar (frustose), the highest of any fruit by a jungle mile. This is still relatively low compared to most maufactured sweet foods. They are great for the digestive system, with lots of fibre and also rich in Vitamin C and Potassium.