Posts Tagged With: vegetarian

Seabuckthorn – The Wonder Berry

Posted on January 27, 2012 by leroy watson

Wonderberries

In late 2010 I was walking around the Himalayas, up in Spiti Valley and stumbled upon the little NGO named Ecosphere in Kaza, ran by Ishita.

I have many fond memories of my time up there and Ishita has recently been in touch, reminding me of the amazing jams that they make from the Seabuckthorn berry.

I’d never heard of it before and was please to see that it had some ‘wonder’ food qualities, bags of Vitamin C and E and tastes nice on toast. It’s not just jam, there is a whole range of products made from this brilliant little berry.

Seabuckthorn has been used for centuries, the Greeks named the bush ‘glittering horse’. It made good horse feed. According to legend, seabuckthorn leaves were one of the preferred food of Pegasus. It was used as a folk medicine throughout the Roman Empire, Mongolia and Russia. The oil of seabuckthorn was used by the armies of Genghis Khan, apparently making them stronger and more agile.

Considering this, seabuckthorn is surprisingly native to England also. Mainly growing around the South East Coast and found in the slightly less romantic setting of motorway hedges.

Some info. via Ecosphere:

The Seabuckthorn berry (‘Hippophae Rhammonides’), popularly known as the ‘Wonder Berry’ easily fits this category due to its unique composition of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and essential fatty acids usually only found separately from different plants and sources. In the high altitude regions of the Trans-Himalayan belt, nature has endowed Seabuckthorn with properties that are worthy of calling this fruit ‘an ambrosia fit for the gods’. The natives of these regions have utilised the wondrous nutritive properties of this superfruit for centuries and continue to do so till date.

Seabuckthorn is known to contain 10 different vitamins, 24 trace elements/ mineral compounds, 18 amino acids, proteins and many bioactive substances. It is also one of the richest known sources of Vitamin C in the world, containing almost 4-100 times more Vitamin C than lemon. Seabuckthorn is on top of the list for vitamin E, beta carotene and flavonoid content and contains omega 3,6,7 & 9 oils essential to our health and well being.

http://www.spitiecosphere.com/organics_seabuckthorn.htm

Seabuckthorn can also be grown in the U.K.:

http://seabuckthorn.co.uk/

Here is an interetsing article from the forager guy on Hugh Fearnley’s programmes:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/13/how-make-sea-buckthorn-fizz

Seabuckthorn and Champagne. Why not! It’s certainly come a long way since Genghis Khan.

Buy the bush in the U.K.:

http://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/sea_buckthorn.html

A view of Spiti Valley, India

Categories: photography | Tags: berry, food, fruit, high nutrients, india, jam, Super Foods, vegetarian | 1 Comment

Mum’s Broccoli and Potato Soup

Posted on January 27, 2012 by leroy watson

Like this, but soup

Proper winter warmer and so easy.

My Mum may be like yours, everything she touches turns tasty. This soup is an ace in Mum’s repertoire and makes me feel at home wherever I eat it.

Makes a nice big pan full.

The Bits

2 onions, chopped, 5 cups vegetable stock (homemade if you’re Mum), 6 potatoes, 2 lge broccoli heads, 1 garlic clove pressed, 2 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste

Do It

Combine onions, vegetable broth, potatoes, and broccoli in a large pot.

Cook until vegetables are tender.

Puree mixture until creamy.

Return to pot add lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

Serve

Particularly good with Avocado slices on top or grated cheese if you fancy.

We Love It

Because as Jane’s Dad would put it, ‘this is good fuel kid.’

Foodie Fact

Broccoli can help to maintain healthy bones, it is rich in indoles and sulforaphane compounds which have Cancer fighting properties.

Abundant in Fibre, Folate, Vitamin- C Vitamin- K. Calcuim, Coenzyme, Q10, Carotenoid and under a microscope looks like a magic green fractal kaleidoscope.

A snap of Mum on Christmas morning. Thanks MumX

Categories: gluten-free, Lunch, Recipes, Soups, Vegan | Tags: cooking, gluten-free, Good iron, Mum's, recipes, soup, vegan, vegetarian, Vitamin C | 3 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.