From Issue 21 of News From The kitchen

Serves 1 – 2 people

5c (500g/1.2lb) small broccoli florets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari

- Mix all ingredients together a in large bowl and massage with your hands until the broccoli becomes softer, then leave to stand for 10 minutes.

- Transfer the broccoli to a non-stick dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 4 hours at 105 degrees F. You may find it useful (but not essential) to turn the tray around halfway through as the broccoli closest to the fan will dry quicker.

For the sauce

1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon yacon syrup or agave
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons tamari
1/2 a garlic clove
1/2 a small de-seeded chili
1/2cm cube of fresh ginger

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

- Mix with dehydrated broccoli when ready to serve

- Serve with the parsnip “rice”

For the parsnip “rice”

1.5 cups (275g/10oz) peeled parsnips
1.5 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon light miso
1 tablespoon cold-pressed sesame oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped

- Grind all ingredients, except the spring onions, in a food processor until fluffy and rice-like.

- Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped spring onions

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 20 of News From The kitchen

Flax Cracker Base

Either use your own flax cracker recipe, flax crackers you already have, or use this recipe.

1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
6 medium tomatoes
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons dried Italian herb mix
3 medium onions
1 clove garlic

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor

• Spread evenly and thinly over 2 Paraflexx dehydrator trays, right to the edges and then use a knife or spatula to score into individual squares .

• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 3 hours then invert onto another mesh dehydrator tray to finish drying in the dehydrator for a further 10 – 18 hours.

Pine Nut Cheese Spread

1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup macadamias
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor.

Tomato Sauce

4 medium tomatoes, de-seeded
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
1 soft date
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Pesto

2 cups basil, tightly packed
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1/4c pine nuts
1T olive oil
1/4t salt
2t lemon juice

• Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leaving some texture to the finished pesto.

Assembly

• Start with the flax cracker as a base to which you’ll add a layer of the nut cheese spread.

• Next comes the tomato sauce and then top off with some pesto.

• Garnish with olives, capers and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.

Variation: This recipe works great using marinated whole mushrooms as a base instead of flax crackers.

• Marinate 12 mushrooms in 1/4c tamari and 1/4c olive oil for 2 hours or more.

• Fill the mushroom caps with the nut cheese, tomato sauce and pesto. Going heavier on the amount of pesto works really nicely with mushrooms.

• Once the mushrooms are stuffed, place in the dehydrator at 105 degrees F to warm through for 1 – 2 hours.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 19 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe.

For the base

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon melted cacao butter
1 teaspoon agave
1 teaspoon lemon juice

- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until they bind.

- Press into a 9” springform cake pan and place in the fridge to set.

For the filling

1 cup Irish Moss paste*
1 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups cacao powder
3 cups grated or chopped cacao butter which has then been melted
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and pour on top of the base.

- Leave in the fridge to set.

*Irish Moss paste can be made by soaking 1 cup Irish Moss in water for 3 – 5 hours and rinsing THOROUGHLY until rinse water turns clear (there’ll be a lot of sand in the moss). Then blend the rinsed moss with 2 cups pure water in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Leave to set in the fridge if not using straight away.

Chef’s tip: Add 1 drop of peppermint essential oil to the filling mixture for a mint chocolate variation.

For the cream topping

1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons Irish Moss paste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon macadamia oil (optional)

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

- Serve with chocolate torte and fresh berries.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 18 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe.

For the marinated vegetables

3c portabello mushrooms
1 1/2c aubergine (eggplant), peeled & diced small
1c peas
1/2c broccoli, cut from the stem into 1cm mini-florets
6 medium tomatoes, diced small
1T lemon juice
2T tamari
2T olive oil
2T curry powder
2t salt

• In a large bowl mix the mushrooms, aubergine, peas, broccoli and tomatoes in lemon juice, olive oil, curry powder, and salt.

• Spread onto a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 2 – 3 hours at 105 degrees F.

For the curry sauce

1 red pepper
1 clove garlic
1t lemon
1/2T tamarind pulp*
1cm cube of fresh ginger
1/2c fresh coriander
1T curry powder (try to get curry powder without salt in it)
1/2c fresh coconut from a brown coconut
1/4c water
Salt to taste, depending on whether your curry powder had salt in it. Start with 1/4t.

* Tamarind paste can be made by soaking tamarind in water until it goes soft (the seedless type you can buy in a packet in fine for this) and straining through a sieve. If you don’t have any tamarind available, simply leave out.

• Blend all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more water depending on what type of coconut you used.

• Mix the softened dehydrated vegetables with the sauce and return to the dehydrator in a large covered bowl to warm before serving.

For the parsnip rice

2c peeled fresh parsnips
3T mac nuts
3T pine nuts
1T olive oil
2t agave nectar
1t lemon juice
2 pinches salt
1T white miso

• Pulse in the food processor until rice-like.

For the spiced mango chutney

2 medium mangoes
2 pinches salt
2t lemon Juice
1t apple cider vinegar
1t minced ginger
1/2t cumin

• Finely dice one mango and set aside.

• Blend all remaining ingredients in a high power blender.

• Add the diced mango to the blender and blend on low for a few seconds.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 17 of News From The kitchen

This recipe was heavily inspired by these. This time the cacao part is much more ‘crackly’ and the whole thing is very reminiscent of the choc-ices I used to have when I was younger.

Click ‘more’ for full recipe.

For the ice-cream

1 1/2c cashews
1/3c agave
1 vanilla pod, insides scraped out
3c almond milk
3T maca root powder
2t lemon juice
Pinch salt

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
• Pour into an ice-cream maker. Alternatively you can pour into a container and place in the freezer to set hard. Once it’s frozen, cut into chunks and run through a juicer with the blank homogenising plate on. This gets rid of any ice crystals that may have formed.
• When ice-cream is soft enough to work with shape it into a cylinder (a metal ring is great for this) and re-freeze.

For the cacao crackles

1/2c cacao butter
1/4c cacao powder
1/4c agave
3T cacao nibs

• Blend all ingredients except the cacao nibs in a high-speed blender.
• Use a spoon to drop small amounts of the mixture onto a non-stick surface, such as a Paraflexx sheet, to form circles only slightly bigger than the ice-cream cylinders.
• Leave to set hard.

Assembly

• Take the ice-cream cylinders from the freezer and let them soften slightly for a few minutes. That way the next stage will work better.
• Sandwich each of the cylinders between 2 pieces of the cacao crackles. You may want to return them to the freezer at this point so the whole thing freezes together as one.

From Issue 14 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe and ‘how to’ diagram.

For the samosa wrappers

T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
c = cup measurement

5c peeled courgette (zucchini)
3T olive oil
3t Lime juice
1/2t chili powder
2t garam masala
1t salt
1/4c flax meal*

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

• Add flax meal and blend again until smooth.

• Pour mixture onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet and spread evenly into a square. you can choose the size, but for the ones in the photo the mixture was spread 26cm x 26cm square.

• Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees F, or until able to peel of the sheet.

• Once the dehydrator sheets are removed, return to the dehydrator for 30 mins, until both sides are dry to the touch but still pliable.

* Flax meal is flax seed that have been ground in a coffee grinder or similar, to produce a fine flour.

For the samosa filling

1c courgette (zucchini), peeled
3T water
1c sunflower seeds
1t dark miso
1T lemon juice
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2t fresh ginger, minced
2T garam masala
1/4t turmeric
1t agave
8 sun-dried tomato halves
1/2t salt

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving some texture to the mixture.

• Add the following ingredients and pulse* in:

1/2c tightly-packed spinach, chopped small
2 sliced spring onions (green onions)
1/4c diced tomatoes
1/4c coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1/2c peas

*Pulsing in done by switching the on/off switch several times in short bursts, so to chop the ingredients, leaving plenty of texture. Some food processors actually have a pulse button.

To assemble

Step 1 – Cut the wrappers into strips approximately 7cm by 25cm, and fold over the corner of one end.

Steps 2, 3 & 4 – Fold the pointed end created by the first fold over as in step 4.

Step 5 – You will now be able to open the wrapper up into a cone.

Step 6 – Fill with the mixture.

Step 7 – Tuck the corner in so it doesn’t stick out.

Steps 8, 9 & 10 – Start folding the remaining part of the wrapper around so it forms that familiar triangle shape.

Steps 11 & 12 – Wet the remaining corner of the wrapper and fold into place to seal the samosa.

Step 13 – The completed samosa.

• The samosas can be eaten as they are or can be returned to the dehydrator for as long as you like. I like to do this as they will be warm and ready to eat in a few hours.

For the cucumber mint raita

1/4c cashew nuts
1c cucumber
2t agave nectar
1t apple cider vinegar
1/2t salt
¼c mint
1/2 clove garlic
1/2t cumin
1t lime Juice
Pinch cayenne

• Blend all ingredients in a high-power blender.

Tip: for a really nice dip for crudités, add extra cashews or avocado and blend to get desired thickness.

From issue 13 of News From The kitchen.

For the tortilla

3c peeled courgette (zucchini)
3T olive oil
2t lemon juice
Pinch cayenne
1t ground coriander
1/2t salt
1/2c flax meal*

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

• Add flax meal and blend again until smooth.

• Pour mixture onto 2 dehydrator sheets and spread evenly into a circle on each.

• Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees F, or until able to peel of the sheet.

• Once the dehydrator sheets are removed, return to the dehydrator for 30 – 60 mins, until both sides are dry to the touch but still pliable.

* Flax meal is flax seed that have been ground in a coffee grinder or similar, to produce a fine flour.

For the falafel

1c pumpkin seeds
2T fresh dill, finely chopped
1t ground coriander
2t cumin
8 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked for 1 to 2 hours and then chopped
3T fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 clove garlic
2 shallots
1/4c olives, stones removed
2t oregano
Pinch cayenne
Pinch pepper
1/2t salt
1T lemon juice

• Process all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed.

• Form into Falafel and dehydrate on a Paraflexx sheet at 105 degrees F for 6 – 8 hours.

For the hummus

1/2c mac nuts
3T lemon juice
3T tahini
1/4t salt
1/4c water

• Blend all ingredients in a high-power blender until smooth.

Optional “roasted” Mediterranean vegetables

1/2c courgette (zucchini), sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 a medium red onion, sliced
1/2c fresh tomatoes, sliced
3T olive oil
1T lemon juice
1/4t salt

• Marinate all ingredients for a couple of hours, then place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 1-2 hours, until soft.

• You could just miss out the marinating & dehydrating part of this recipe to save time, and eat the veg crispy.

To assemble

• Start by arranging a selection of your favourite salad leaves at the bottom of the tortilla, so it covers half the tortilla, leaving a small gap at the bottom.

• Arrange the vegetables in a line along the salad leaves.

• Place 3 – 4 falafel along the top of the vegetables.

• On top of the falafel, spoon over a generous helping of the hummus.

• Fold up the left and right hand sides of the tortilla.

• The bring the bottom of the tortilla up over the 2 sides that have already been folded up.

• Using your thumbs, and keeping the sides and bottom rolled up, roll over the main part of the wrap towards the top so it starts to form the wrap and keep everything tightly packed together.

• Once completely rolled, cut at a diagonal with a sharp knife.

From Issue 12 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe.

For the base

3/4c cashews
1T agave
1t vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2t lemon juice
1T desiccated coconut

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor.

• Press into 2 small individual cup or cake moulds of your choice that has been lined with plastic wrap.

• Dehydrate for approximately 3 hours until the shells are strong enough to hold together without the case, and then remove from the case to dry for a further 6 hours or overnight.

For the filling

1/2c cashews
3T coconut oil
2T lemon juice
2t vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2T water
1T agave
1/2c cherries*, stones removed
1/2c mango, flesh only

*You can substitute cherries for any other fruit, such as pineapple or bananas, depending on what you like and what’s available in season.

• Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender under smooth, it’s nice to have some chunks of mango or cherry stirred in at the end so you get little bursts of flavour.

• Pour into an ice-cream maker or freeze in a tub, if doing the latter then once frozen pass through a juicer with the homogenizing attachment on.

• Fill the shells with the ice-cream and garnish with slices of mango. Easy!

From Issue 11 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe.

For the base

500g (approx 3c) buckwheat, sprouted for a few days until it has a small ‘tail’
2 avocados or 1/2c almond butter
1/4c olive oil
1/4c fresh basil
3T Italian seasoning
1/2c sun-dried tomatoes
3T lemon juice
1/2t salt
3 medium tomatoes

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until you have a paste consistency.

• Spread onto a Paraflexx sheet in a circle and dehydrate for a few hours or until you are able to turn it upside down onto another dehydrator tray and peel off the plastic Paraflexx sheet.

• Dehydrate for another 8 to 10 hours or until base is dry enough to hold together.

For the caramelised onions

5 large onions, sliced thinly (use a mandoline if you have one)
1c soft dates
3T tamari
2T olive oil
1/4c water

• Blend all ingredients except the onions in a high-speed blender, until smooth.

• In a bowl, hand-mix the date mixture with the onions until they are thoroughly covered.

• Dehydrate on a Paraflexx sheet for 2 to 3 hours, so they soften and take on a cooked appearance.

For the pesto

2c basil
1/4c pine nuts
1T olive oil
1/4t salt
2t lemon juice

• Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leaving some texture to the finished pesto.

For the tomato sauce

10 basil leaves
1c sun-dried tomatoes
1c tomatoes
2t lemon juice
1/4 of a medium onion
1 soft date

• Blend all ingredients in a high-power blender until smooth.

For the cheese

1c macadamias
1 1/2T lemon juice
1/4t salt
1/4c water
1T nutritional yeast

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until you have a fluffy consistency.

To serve, spread the tomato sauce onto the base then sprinkle the pesto, macadamia cheese and caramelised onions evenly to produce a beautiful layered and textured pizza.

From Issue 10 of News From The kitchen

Click ‘more’ for full recipe

3c carrot, finely grated
2c pecans, ground in a food processor
1/4c raisins, roughly chopped
1t nutmeg
1 1/2t mixed spice*
Date paste**
1/2t salt
1/2t orange zest
1/2c desiccated coconut

* Mixed spice is a blend of cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

** Make the date paste by grinding 1c soft dates and 1/2c orange juice in a food processor until smooth.

• Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

• Shape into individual cakes or press into one large cake, ready to be cut at the end.

• Place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 8 – 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can simply place the cake into the fridge to set.

For the frosting

1 1/2c cashews
1/2c water
2T agave
3T coconut oil
1T vanilla
1/4t salt

• Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

• Place in fridge to achieve a thicker consistency and spread on cake when you’re ready to serve.

• Garnish cake with nutmeg.