Posts Tagged With: Low carbs

Raw Emerald Soup

Posted on June 5, 2012 by leroy watson

Raw Emerald Soup

A creamy raw soup that is deep green and delicious. This is raw food at its finest, a lovely texture and flavour and also packed full of nutrients. It is thick and filling. This is the perfect soup for a nice lunch in the summer garden. No emeralds are used in this recipe! This soup is so vividly green it must be good for you.

Savannah and Jane made this one last night and they both commented on how easy it is to prepare. It’s funny in raw food that the ingredients list normally outweighs the preparation list. It’s quick. There is also less washing up to do!

Raw food is dense in nutrients and I am eating less for meals. One bowl of this and I was well sated.

The inspiration for this soup came from the brilliant raw food book ‘Eat Smart, Eat Raw’ by Kate Wood. It is written specifically for raw fooders in the UK. It is fast becoming our raw food recipe bible.

All vegetables here are grated beforehand to make it easier to blend.

The Bits

These bits are per person:
4/5 carrots, two large handful of spinach, 1/2 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 apple, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 tbs miso paste, 1 tbs flax seed oil (we used rapeseed oil), 1 teas dried seaweed, 300ml water.

Do It

All goes into the blender and puree until smooth.

Serve

Mix mung bean sprouts in and scatter on top with some freshly chopped parsley and I added a scattering of sunflower seeds.

Foodie Fact

Spinach is full of iron: two out of every three women in the UK are iron deficient.

Categories: Healthy Eating, Lunch, Raw Food, Recipes, Soups, Vegan | Tags: avocado, bean sprouts, book, carrot, chopped parsley, delicious, eat raw, eat smart, emerald, flax seed oil, food, garlic, iron, Low carbs, low fat, miso, miso paste, nutrients, rape seed oil, rapeseed oil, raw, raw food, raw food recipe, raw vegan, recipes, soup, spinach, vegan, vegetarian | Leave a comment

RAW! The Beach House goes raw in June

Posted on April 11, 2012 by leroy watson

Fancy a juice?

The Beach House Kitchen is going RAW for June (maybe longer). We are really looking forward to the challenge and the obvious health benefits. Our inspiration for this was a great man named Rob, his enthusiasm for all things raw convinced us to give it a go.

I have some experience with raw food, but would love some advice/ tips/ recipes from avid raw ones. Any ideas would be brilliant.

We are planning to acquire a good juicer/ blender and are fortunate to have a few good organic producers nearby, we may look on-line to get some ingredients in. It won’t all just be juices, I plan on making cakes, raw soups, stews etc. It really is a very diverse and little known area of cooking (or non-cooking). I fully expect a surge in energy levels and a full dose of shiny energy.

All tempting food stuffs will be banished to the garage, the cravings will be tough for the first few days I’m sure. Better that the muesli and coffee is kept under lock and key.

This may sound strange to non-raw folk, but your energy levels go through the roof when you cut out cooked and carbs. We will be going down the raw vegan route, so the lack of dairy gives the system a rest also. One of the primary reasons for the surge in energy is that so much of our energy is diverted to digest the food that we are getting energy from. It’s a roundabout process. Raw food cuts out the work of digestion and leaves the energy to flow to other parts of the body, most notably the brain. You get a real buzz from the raw diet and creativity levels soar.

Here is good Rob’s raw food site, with excellent information on all things raw and juice:

http://www.squidoo.com/raw-food-today#module154034673

I know Rob is a big fan of Matthew Armstrong, so I checked out his stuff. He is certainly an active chap with bags of energy:

This clip goes some way to dispelling the theory that raw foodists suffer from a lack of energy!

We will be keeping a daily (I hope) blog on the Beach House Kitchen about all of our antics, struggles and successes. I hope you join us for the ride.

Categories: Detox, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Juices, Raw Food, Smoothies, Vegan | Tags: dairy free, food, health, healthy living, healthy-living, juice, juices, Low carbs, matthew armstrong, no carbs, nutrition, raw, raw food, raw juices, raw smoothies, smoothie, vegan, vegetarian, worlds healthiest diet | 3 Comments

The Buzz Smoothie

Posted on March 30, 2012 by leroy watson

The Morning Zing!

It’s called ‘The Buzz’ for a reason. It’s a real lipsmacker!

This beats a double espresso buzz any day. One glass and you’re de-fuzzed. After drinking this concoction, the fruit sugars (fructose) and vitamins get to work and the morning coffee jolt seems a little beige in comparison.

It’s a vibrant looking number and bursting with citrus, sweet apple and carrot flavours. Packed full of all the good stuff that you need in the morning to get you fired up for another day of life. It’s a wake up call for the body and mind.

We don’t have a juicer (yet) so we blitz it all up in a food processor. I imagine these ingredients will make an amazing juice, maybe you’ll need to throw in another carrot or so.

Organic fruit and veg will make all the difference in your juices and smoothies with bags more flavour and juice, even if they cost a few pennies more. They will definitely have more nutrients in them, keeping your insides and outside in better condition. After visiting a few shops in Spain, I feel fortunate that we have the choice of organic in Britain. The carrots in this were particularly special, from Hootons Homegrown, Farm Shop on Anglesey (thats in Wales for global readers). We are blessed with some amazing producers in these parts.

Enjoy responsibly, this is full-on juice!

This recipe will make enough for 4 glasses of what is more a chunky juice than a smoothie. We keep some in the fridge for later, it’s so full of good things that it takes care of any mid-morning hunger pangs.

The Bits

All chopped into chunks – 1 apple (unpeeled), 1 carrot (unpeeled), 2 oranges, 1 grapefruit (a squeeze of lemon if you really want a hit!), 2 cups of filtered water (or 1 cup of water, 1 1/2 cups of ice)

Do It

Put it all in a blender and whizz it up. Taste and add more water if needed.

We Love It!

The colour alone helps get my juices going. We like the balance of sweet and acidic in this one.

Foodie Fact

Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi or Paradise Citrus in Latin) is full of vitamin C. On average, half a grapefruit contains 75% of your required Vitamin C for the day. It also contains the super antioxidant lycopene.

Without getting to grim and technical, eating more grapefruit (and Organic fruit and vegetables) lessens your chances of catching things and dying in general. Hooray!

The usual suspects

Categories: Breakfast, gluten-free, Juices, Low G.I. (glycemic index), Organic, Raw Food, Recipes, Smoothies, Snacks and Inbetweens, Vegan | Tags: breakfast, dairy free, espresso, fructose, fruit, gluten-free, good sugars, grapefruit, healthy living, high energy, high nutrients, hootons homegrown farm shop, juice, juicer, juices, Low carbs, lycopene, morning buzz, nutrition, organic, organic fruit and vegetables, raw, recipes, smoothie, snacks, vegetarian, Vitamin C | 2 Comments

Omega Seed Sprinkles

Posted on February 27, 2012 by leroy watson

Or what my Dad calls ‘bird food’.

Not really a recipe, but a necessity for our kitchen and definitely a Beach House Favourite. These sprinkles will crunch up any salad, yoghurt, cereal, bread, etcetcetc there are so many uses for these wonder seeds. I normally nibble them, sparrow-like, throughout the day. They are a lot cheaper than nuts and have bags of energy, nutrients and omega oils.

Seeds are one of those things that, if eaten regularly, are best bought in bulk. The small packs you are likely to find are normally quite costly. Have a look online, you can get bulk bags of seeds, rice, pulses etc and the delivery is normally free (if it’s over a certain amount). Order for a month.

It saves so much time and resources, when you consider the driving to the shops and time wasted standing aimlessly pondering a desirability/cost = happiness equation for a packet of Moroccan spices. I do this.

I struggle with British supermarkets on many levels, but the myriad choices of everything is incredible. I go into a cold sweat as I approach the muesli section! We are such a refined consumer society. I can tell you, it’s very different in Spain! No muesli for a start.

If I ever have the distinct displeasure of visiting a hyper-market environment, I go into some sort of consumer trance. Like a zombie, occasionally grabbing a shiny product. I do like wine sections though. It’s like travelling, in bottles.

These sprinkles will work with most seeds and if you feel like nuts, stick a few in. The linseeds and flax seeds don’t add a huge amount of flavour, but are very, very good for you. They are all toasted together to give a richer flavour and add a bit of crunch.

You can blend these seeds up, add a dash of water and make a brilliant seed butter (this is a real winner).

You will need a frying pan full of seeds, just enough to cover the bottom.

The Bits

Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseeds and flax seeds

Do It

Heat the frying pan on a medium to low heat, add the sunflower and pumpkin seeds first (or larger seeds/nuts). Heat and toss for around ten minutes, keep them moving, don’t hurry them. Then add the flax and linseeds and heat for another couple of minutes. They may pop a little and will darken in colour. The key is not to burn them, if they are getting too hot and dark, tip them onto a large plate and spread them out to cool.

Cool fully and keep in a jar.

We Love It

They go on anything and are a great, nutritious snack on their own.

Foodie Fact

These little gems are packed with super omega oils and energy. Russia is the leading producer of sunflower seeds globally. One sunflower head contains hundreds of seeds. They are full of energy in the form of poly unsaturated fats and mono-unsaturated fats which can lower cholesterol. They have one of the highest levels of complex vitamin B group and vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant)…….These little beauties are will keep you shining. Put them on everything!!!!

Categories: Budget, gluten-free, Healthy Eating, Salads, Snacks and Inbetweens, Superfoods, Vegan | Tags: budget, dairy free, food, gluten-free, good fats, healthy living, high energy, high nutrients, larder, Low carbs, omega oils, salads, seeds, snacks, Super Foods, superfoods, vegan, vegetarian | Leave a 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.