Freshly baked bread

There is something about baking your own bread and smelling its delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen that is just so life affirming. I feel so happy that after several attempts at making bread recently and failing due to not being able to read Norwegian as well as i thought (and leaving out the crucial ingredient, thinking that it was in the flour mix already) i finally have 2 loaves in the oven and they are already smelling heavenly AND rising! The key seemed to be when i brought out my grandmothers wonderful bread bowl which has been languishing at the back of the cupboard for some time, it was the missing piece (along with the yeast) because then it all just klicked into place. Kneeding the bread in that bowl brought back wonderful memories of her and her delicious bread, as she always made her own. Infact she made everything herself and was very very good at it.

She was endlessly creative making us clothes ( even well into our teens and they were beautiful), dolls, the interior for the dolls house that my grandfather made us and among other things always delicious food. She was also very bright and interesting and had an incredible memory, being able to recall historical dates and events from almost any era and she often retold wonderful Greek Myths and legends from memory. She was someone that was loved by everyone that met her, she had such a gentle angelic energy and was unfailingly generous with her time and her love. She sadly died in 1992 of Leukemia and she has been hugely missed ever since. I still feel the need to pick up the phone or to pop down to her cottage in Hampshire to chat to her while she worked out in the garden or while she baked. She was the perfect grandmother in every way.

We shall see if my bread turns out as well as hers once did, it has been a long time since i baked 'normal' bread with yeast. It's for my husband and son whose stomachs are fine with this kind of bread ( it is spelt bread as it is a little gentler than wheat and they both do better on it. I try to keep the grains i use on a regular rotation and i don't use too many with gluten), but i shall simply enjoy the heavenly smell and perhaps bake some things from Naomi Devlins recent post from her blog "Milk For The Morning Cake". She bakes such delicious gluten, dairy free and SCD friendly cakes, breads, muffins and much much more. It is a treat just to visit her blog as she writes so beautifully and creates such inspiring recipes.

I also made a quick Banana Bread from Lucy Burney's "Optimum Nutrition for Babies and Young Children" ready for my sons lunch box tomorrow. It is one that i can have and have therefore already been munching on, too eager to wait for it to cool. Raw treats are still the ultimate treating food for making me feel good afterwards but this is comfort food at its best.

Banana Bread 

Ingredients 

100g (4 oz) Self rasing wholemeal flour or gluten free flour 

1.5 teaspoons of mixed spice

50g (2 oz) butter or coconut oil

75g (3 oz) sun-dried raisins

225g (8 oz) banana i.e 2 large bananas

1 organic egg, beaten.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C /350degrees F/ Gas Mark 4

Mix the flour and spice in a bowl. Rub in the butter/coconut oil and stir in the raisins.

In a separate bowl, mash the banana and egg. Stir into the flour mixture and put into a well greased rectangular loaf tin.

Turn the oven down to 160 degrees C /325 degrees F/ Gas Mark 3 on the middle shelf for 1 hour or until cooked.

Grandmothers are unique and can be uniquely amazing, mine certainly was and like the bread she baked she will live on in my memory forever.

The ritual of sharing tea

The thought of drinking tea makes me smile and brings back many happy memories of tea parties and drinking mugs of steaming tea with friends and family in almost every situation.
Tea drunk from beautiful china in places like West Hampsteads Bake a Boo tea shop in London, a tea place that has a vintage feel and a delicious range of speciality cakes and treats that are free from gluten and dairy ( they also do egg and sugar free treats). My sister and i would often cycle there to meet and share tea and gossip when i lived in London.

Bake a Boo, 86 Mill lane, West Hampstead, London

Memories of tea shared in friends homes when the moment arose- i think i have shared many cups of tea on my friend Nicole's comfy sofa with her and her husband Justin (our favourite for a while was Sleepytime tea by Celestial Seasonings), birthday parties and celebrations, tea shared out in the forest in the snow or on a beach on a cold day/evening when your hands and your body need warming, and one of the best cups of tea that i have ever had, not because of the taste but because it was so needed, was just after the birth of my son Theodore. It was the strongest black tea i have ever consumed, which normally isn't my thing, but somehow after a 13 hour labour it was all i felt like and it really did help to restore some energy. Infact for both myself and my husband it was just perfect timing, although i think he would have liked a good shot of whisky in his!

Now i turn to tea for my son. Firstly so that we can have lovely tea parties together with herbal tea brewed and left until luke warm when it is ready for him to gulp down with glee out of proper china cups.

But secondly as a recent addition to help him sleep, we have been brewing up a chamomile tea for him to drink while we have stories tucked up into bed together. Apart from that being a heavenly experience in itself it has been helping him to sleep better recently which makes for a very happy mama, papa and son.

I love the ritual and i love the sharing that goes with drinking tea together.

Luckily my family and many of my friends love it just as much as i do.

Spicey Millet cakes

OK it's not cake cake but it is a delicious savoury recipe by Susan Jane Murray that will have you coming back for more..and more and more. They are so easy to make, delicious to eat and really useful when you are out and about for lunchboxes for yourself or your children. I made them on sunday night and wasn't able to put any in the freezer simply because they vanished from under my nose, and not just into my own tummy.....honestly see for yourselves!

Susan Jane Murrays Millet Curry Cakes

dangerously delicious

1 &1/4 cups whole millet flakes

3-4 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 banana, diced ( it sounds odd but it simply adds sweetness, you can't taste any hint of banana flavour. I also added a handful of chopped apricots)

1 large carrot, grated

3 tablespoons mild curry powder

squeeze of lemon juice

2 crushed garlic cloves

4 scallions ( spring onions) chopped

1 cup of desiccated coconut

extra-virgin coconut oil to fry

(Addition: handful chopped coriander)

Susan Jane Murray says: "This recipe makes 8 chunky kind of burgers; 6 for the freezer, and 2 for tomorrow’s lunch. That’s 4 lunches in total (bonus!) provided you don’t wolf them all down while hot.
Cooking with millet may be entirely new to you and your apron. If so, lucky you found this ravishing recipe because I have uncovered some spectacularly appalling recipes during my research, which I vow to protect you from! All recipes in my book cater for digestion problems, but particularly those including millet. Remember, look after your gut and you will stave the aging process, boost your immunity, and jump start your libido. "

1. Dry-fry the millet on a low heat in a heavy based saucepan until a nutty aroma fills hits your schnez (approx 2 mins). This is called ‘toasting’ the grain to bring out the flavour.

2. In a cup, pour boiling water over the curry paste and stir. Add to the dry millet, with remaining cups of boiling water (the best bit - bubbles like a cauldron!) Cover with a tight lid for 20-25 mins on a low simmering heat. Watch it until it soaks up the liquid, and taste to see if it is cooked sufficiently.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. When millet has absorbed all the liquid, remove from heat and add curry powder. Replace lid immediately and let stand off heat for 15 minutes. We’re aiming for a dry and fluffy mash.

4. Remove lid, stir in the rest, and adjust seasoning to liking. It may need more coconut to bulk up and soak up moisture (although cooking in a heavy based saucepan eradicates this)

5. With slightly damp palms, shape into large burgers the size of your palms while warm. Do not allow mixture to cool and solidify before moulding. It’s quite beligierent and will cruely crumble on you, refusing to stick.

6. In a large frying pan, heat virgin coconut oil on high and fry one minute each side until golden brown. Note excessive flipping causes crumbling. Allow cool.

7. If freezing, do so before frying and fry upon defrosting. Allow to cool before packing into lunch box. Will keep in fridge for 3 days.

Serve with a huge green salad and SJM's Avocado Whip: avacado, lemon juice/cider vinegar, water, seasoning and then blend together, hmmm, it is official: Susan Jane Murray truly is a culinary genius.

Inspiration Cafe

My friends and i had such a fabulous time on sunday at the aptly named I n s p i r a s j o n s  k a f é . It is a once a month or sometimes twice a month Raw Food cafe run by raw food chef Anne Madhumavi Olsen in her home at Stubberud gård, Sørkedalen, Oslo. It was truly inspiring and i think if you had filmed us eating the Abundance tallerken/plate it would have made a fabulous advert for what she does. We were in raptures over every mouthful and were very voluble about how amazing we thought it all was. Each item was truly delicious and we ate our way through so many wonderful tastes and different types of raw food, it was just a treat to sample it all. We had raw pizza, raw pasta made from courgette with the most delectable sauce and  salads with delicious dressings and tapenardes. It was a wonderful tapas experience. We even found room afterwards to share some raw cakes, mmm what heaven and all eaten out in the sunshine looking out onto a beautiful view.

Her home is a beautiful old farmhouse called Stubberud gård out in the countryside to the west of Oslo ( we walked most of the way from the Røa T-bane past a large lake and the Bogstad gård, so worked up a good apetite) and the perfect setting for it all. It is has big, light rooms (good for the talk they had that afternoon and when the weather isn't so good and to live in too!) and a big balcony/patio out at the back where we sat to soak up the sun and sample the delicious food. It was a beautiful experience and very special to be welcomed into her home with such warmth and love. I loved having the opportunity to talk to people and sample various raw food items for sale and even have shots of wheatgrass ( not to be repeated on its own for me, although it was sweeter than i thought. I have previously only ever had it in powder form mixed with something else). She also had some some raw food kitchen equipment for sale and there were raw food books and magazines to browse through.

To sit out in the sun and munch our way through a heavenly feast of raw food that set our tastes buds on fire was just the perfect way to spend a sunday. We are already looking forward to the next one!
But next time i will definately bring my camera, so i apologise for the pictures here as i feel they don't come close to capturing the magic.

TRULY AN INSPIRATION


(P.S Update: Anne Madhumavi Olsen has now set up with Lars Grini the Helt Rå Food Cafes in Oslo and Sandvika. )

Moontime

I bought a MoonCup some months ago now (from the Helios health food shop here in Oslo, distributed by http://www.froya-natur.no/ ) thinking what a great thing it would be to make the tampons that i hate using a thing of the past, and to save some money into the bargain. But it took a conversation with someone who actually uses one to inspire me to finally use mine. What was putting me off? I think i just thought it was more complicated and more messy to start than it actually was and then i forgot about it once i had put it in the cupboard. My period actually started at the weekend so i tried it out yesterday and now i wonder why i haven't been doing it for years.

But what is a MoonCup you may ask? Well it's a reusable menstrual cup designed by women to be a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. It offers an end to the waste and expense of disposable sanitary protection.

It's "around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. It is worn internally a lot lower than a tampon but, while tampons and pads absorb menstrual fluid, the Mooncup collects it. This means it doesn’t cause dryness or irritation, and also that it collects far more (three times as much as a ‘super-absorbent’ tampon’!). Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too.

The MoonCup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising."

The first time i found it a little tricky to insert as you have to fold it first to make it small enough to go in, so that was a little messy, but the next couple of times were fine.  When it came to removing it to empty, as brilliantly advised by said friend ( i think i would have panicked otherwise), i found i needed to use my pelvic floor muscles to push it forward in order to get hold of the stem and pull it out. She also gave me a good tip to empty it out in the bath/shower when you are at home as it tends to pool in the bottom of the loo and doesn't go away very easily, infact even after many flushes!! All you need to do when you are out and about is to carry a bottle of water to rinse it out with and then pour it into the loo. It is a brilliant idea and once you have used it once or twice it is as easy as using tampons.

I had been using Natracare sanitary products for years before this as their products are made from 100% certified organic cotton ( and have the only fully certified organic cotton tampons available in the world today)  as it was a natural alternative to most of the widely available sanitary pads sold today which contain a blend of chlorine-bleached pulp, polypropylene, polyacrylates and plastics. But no matter how organic they are they still fill landfills and it is expensive so i wanted to go one step further in using the MoonCup. I would also like now to use reusable cloth pads.....when i find some for sale here, although of course there are many washable and reusable cloth pads available for sale on the internet, like the LunaPads  and different websites that can help you to make your own. No excuse at all then!

Celebrate your moontime in a different way!

The Natural Recovery Plan

Alison Adams book "Chronic Fatigue, ME and Fibromyalgia- The Natural Recovery Plan"

I was sent this wonderful book recently and felt it was incredibly important to share a review of it here. I believe it will help a huge number of people with fatigue related illnesses and i love the fact that the author writes about many of the things that have helped me to recover from Chronic Fatigue so i know that this works.

As someone who had chronic fatigue for over 10 years and who had to find their own path to wellness i only wish that Alison Adams Book had been available years ago. This book is an absolute godsend for anyone with M.E, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases or even simply for anyone who wants to improve their general health. It looks at the symptoms of fatigue related syndromes and their causes and sets out clear guidance for a multifaceted approach, giving concrete solutions to help heal from this complex and devastating illness.

Some of the changes she suggests include:

o Diet and supplementation to support the body’s routes of elimination in order to help the body detoxify from such things as toxic metals, viruses/bacteria, Candida and parasites.

o Addressing old emotional wounds and issues - "Our illnesses are our greatest teachers and the greatest test of our strength"

o Cleaning up your environment by reducing further exposure to some commonly occurring toxins (such as from cosmetics and toiletries and diet as well as from environmental toxins, pharmaceuticals, amalgam fillings and vaccinations)

o Possible need to review dental work and remove an on going source of toxicity from amalgam fillings or dental infections such as root filled teeth, cavitations and gum disease.

She also gives you a wonderful understanding of your own body and about why the pharmaceutical approach is not working for these illnesses and just what incredible results this natural approach can produce. It is a book that gives you reassurance that recovery is possible, that you can heal and not only get your life back but a better one into the bargain.

"This book is a clear, insightful, informative and sympathetic guide for sufferers and practitioners alike, from someone who discovered the information the hard way" (quote from the backcover of the book)

See Amazon and the Book Depository for more reviews and information and also Alisons website www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/

 There is hope!

Raw Carrot Cake Delight

I love the idea of having Tea and Cake at the weekends, infact anytime i am a sucker for this. Is it because i am English? hmm i'm not sure, but it certainly makes me happy. It is especially lovely to feel good after eating delicious things, so i am ecstatic to find this delicious RAW carrot cake recipe. If it lasts the night we will be enjoying it this weekend too, hopefully outside in the sun as the forecast looks like it will be a warm and sunny one. I hope you enjoy yours too......out in the sun if possible!

For the Carrot Cake

(original recipe from the Two Blue Lemons Blog via the Childhood Magic Blog)  

4 cups shredded carrots (about 1.5 lbs)

1 cup dates (about 16 dates)

1 cup walnuts

3/4 dried apricots

1-1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins or currants

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

( Not wanting to wait until i could go shopping  i made mine without dates or apricots and used one shredded apple instead. Childhood magic added fresh lemon juice and a small piece of vanilla bean pod to the main recipe and the frosting)

For the Cashew Frosting

1.5 cups raw cashews

2 tablespoons honey or agave

3 tablespoons water

Additions: Fresh lemon juice and a small piece of vanilla pod

Alternate frosting:

Store-bought cashew butter sweetened with agave or honey to taste

Preparation - Carrot Cake

1. Grate the carrot in a food processor fitted with the grater attachment. (God bless you if you're going to grate all that carrot by hand!) Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. In the food processor, now fitted with the blade attachment, blend the dates, apricots, and walnuts until combined but not a paste . Add to the shredded carrots and mix.

3. Add the spices to the carrot mixture and blend.

4. Transfer the mixture to the food processor and blend in two batches until the mixture comes together and holds its shape.

5. Fold in the coconut.

6. Using a dry measuring cup (I used a 1/3 cup measure but you are your own Carrot Cake master) portion out the mixture and frost each cake with a heaping tablespoon of cashew frosting.

Preparation - Cashew Frosting

1. Whirl the cashews in the food processor, continuously scraping down the sides, until the cashews form a thick paste (a.k.a. cashew butter). This could take a while... just be patient and keep scraping! You can add a few tablespoons of water to encourage the cashews if you get impatient.

2. Add the honey (or agave) to the food processor and blend until incorporated.

Russell James also has a wonderful Raw Carrot and Orange Cake recipe but as i don't have a dehydrator i prefer the recipe above!

Wishing you a happy weekend lovely people