Millionairs shortbread (Bagsu cake)

Millionaires shortbread

For some reason I found this being sold in dharmsala (India) under the alias of Bhagsu cake too?!

Perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. 

Shortbread layer

Ingredients

3/4 cup oat flour 

1/3 agave

1/4 cup ground pine nuts

1 cup ground almonds

In the nutribullet or vitamix pulse all the ingredients to form a dough.

Press into a baking tray and dehydrate for 1 hour. Leave to cool and then place in the freezer.

(As with all these recipes if you don't own a dehydrator use the oven on 100 but no higher or you will destroy all the nutrients).

Caramel layer

4 tbs coconut oil (melted)

2 cup of dates soaked in water

Pinch of Himalayan salt

1 scraped vanilla bean 

Blend the dates (water removed) with the salt vanilla and oil, add a little of the water if needed. Spread onto the shortbread and put back in the freezer.

Chocolate layer

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/3 cacao powder

4tbs agave

Stevia 

Melt the coconut oil and combine the ingredients then spread the chocolate onto the caramel layer. Place in the fridge to firm up.

Slice Into squares.

YUM!

Raweos (Oreos)

For my brothers at Rainbow city... Summon the sun to stay out or let's manifest a dehydrator when I return and these shall be yours next week. Xx

When I was making these my mum said "Melly! You can call them Raweos"...

 Apparently the original Oreo biscuits are actually vegan! but... full of harmful other ingredients and not raw.

Oreos / Raweos

Biscuit ingredients

1 1/2 cups (150g) pecans

1 cup (200g) dates

Himalayan salt

30g cacao

15g carob powder

1/2 tsp lucuma 

Stevia

1/3 cup (20g) ground oat bran

1tbs warm water

Grind the dates and nuts into a paste.

Add the rest of the ingredients and the warm water to make a dough.

Roll out in between cling film or greese proof paper to 1/2 cm thick and cut out roughly to 18-20 discs.

Dehydrate for 1 hr.

Cream

Ingredients

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup macadamias

2 tsp coconut oil

1tsp agave

2tbs warm water 

1 pod vanilla beans

Add everything except the water to the blender and then slowly add the water until a smooth consistency is formed.

Place in the fridge to harden a little as the coconut oil sets.

When the cookies are cooled and the cream is a little less liquid you can just assemble them like the well known favorite biscuit.

Don't put too much cream in the biscuit as the weight of the top one will make it splurge out the sides.

These are pretty incred!

Lasagne RAW

I was asked by Ashley from http://www.thirstysoul.ca to provide a couple of recipes for her 28 day coaching program and this lasagne (apart from being raw/vegan) is also a food combining dream... Just nuts and a huge varied selection of veggies prepared in different ways... 

Everything here will digest super easy and doesn't create any fermentation in the stomach... A beautiful delicious dish I know you will enjoy. 

I was inspired to create my own version of the lasagne after working in the Simply Rawgeous cafe with Pete at restfest. 

Serves 8 

Pasta layer 

This makes two layers

Ingredients 

2 medium courgettes

Simply peel the green outer layer and then set about making your pasta sheets... I used a cheese peeler to get thin "pasta".

Mince "meat" layer 

This makes 1 layer.

Ingredients

26 medium sized mushrooms

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp miso

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp sage

A pinch of Himalayan salt

Pulse all the ingredients together but just gently so that some of the smaller chunks of the mushroom are left intact to give it a meaty texture. 

Spread thinly onto your greesed tray or baking sheet and Dehydrate for 1 1/2 hours. The mushrooms will turn a nice dark brown colour. 

You then can use a fork to break up and drag through the mushrooms to make it into mince meat.

Cheese sauce

This makes 2 layers

Ingredients

2 cups cashews

2tbs pine nuts

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1 yellow pepper

1/2 lemon juice

1 tsp probiotic powder

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp parsley

Pinch Himalayan salt

6-8 tbs of water

Blend all the ingredients together until completely smooth. Add the water bit by bit until the desired consistency is formed. It should be fairly thick.

Spinach

This makes 2 layers

Ingredients 

1 bag spinach leaves washed and dried

1 tbs olive oil 

Pinch Himalayan salt

2 1/2 tbs dried oregano

Massage the ingredients together and set aside to marinate.

Peppers

This makes 2 layers

Ingredients

2 Red peppers

2 yellow bell peppers 

You can use orange peppers too if you like for even more vibrancy and colour however please refrain from using green peppers as these are actually underripe red bell peppers.

Simply slice the peppers very thinly.

Marinara sauce

This makes 2 layers

1 tsp paprika

1 clove of garlic

2 cups sundried tomato

2 cups fresh tomato

1/2 a small red onion 

4 olives

1 tsp lemon juice

Ping of Himalayan salt

 

Blend everything together and set aside.

NB. Because of the water content in the tomatoes you will find that when the dish is assembled the juices collect at the bottom of the dish. I drain this off and drink it like soup just before serving as the flavor is too beautiful and intense to throw away but  you can also lightly strain the tomato marina before asembeling the layers but you will loose some of the flavor.

Assembling...

1. Layer of courgette pasta

2. Layer of cheese sauce 1 1/2cm thick

3. Layer of mixed peppers

4. Layer of mince 'meat' mushroom 

5. Layer of spinach

6. Layer of marinara sauce 

7. Courgrtte

8. Peppers

9. Cheese (grind some black pepper over this layer).

10. Spinach 

11. Tomato 

Finished! 

You can also freeze this lasagne and defrost it as and when you want it.

Dairy free delicious hot choc

Makes one mug

Ingredients

2 tsp carob

1/2 tsp tahini (optional)

1/2 tsp macca (optional)

1/2 tsp lucuma (optional)

1/4 tsp mixed nutmeg & cinomon 

Stevia (to taste)

5 pecans

100ml warmed almond milk

100ml hot water (not boiling)

Blend everything in the nutribullet or vitamix until smooth and creamy. Done!

You can use cacao powder if you like but I find it too stimulating and am bouncing off the walls if I have a mug of hot choc made with cacoa powder so prefer carob.

Also this drink is good food combining as no dates are added for sugars which makes it low GI too! So the drink will digest easily as long as you don't add dates or bananas etc to the mix.

Simply Rawgeous (& the naked sauna)

I met Pete from the Simply Rawgeous cafe at over the moon festival in 2011 when I had just first become interested in the raw way of eating. 

Three years later and just off the back of my raw chef training I arrived back in England and woke up one morning last week and Pete just instantly came into my head... I googled him, found his number and called up to see if he needed any staff at his next event... Yes he did.. and I was on my way to Rest Fest in sailsbury the next week with all my camping gear.

Pete's "Simply Rawgeous cafe" was set up as a traveling raw food cafe and sauna... I spent the next five days preparing, serving and eating their delicious gourmet raw food and then also thawing out my freezing bones in their wonderful sauna twice a day. 

The simply Rawgeous team... There were about 10 of us, all from different walks of life...  a sheep farmer, a couple of people living off grid, a guy that trained at The Tree of Life in Arizona, a raw beauty from Portugal, a singer/doula, a Jedi, a model from the 90's, myself and of course Pete who started the cafe as part of his awakening journey, Pete's an incredible guy who just wants to spread the love and healing through what he does... And that's why I connected to this because I've come to discover that's what I feel my offering is to the world. 

The food - All raw... Vegan... Wheat and gluten free... Just Medicine... Delicious medicine!

We had banoffie pies, pizza, curry, lasagne, apple pie with custard, rich chocolate torte, lemon cheesecake, super green smoothies, almond milk chai, hot chocolate...the scrummy list went on and on.

I've never worked a normal job before...

Going straight from drama school into acting/modeling... but serving people whilst mid recipe making and talking to people over the counter at the festival about healing, raw living and the "alternative" has been the most soul enriching job I've ever done... Forget the money and modeling bikinis in Cannes! I'm 100% serious!!!! I have so much passion for this food and love for these people that are open and willing to try this, open to hearing about natural cures for healing... There is another way to live.. there is another way to eat... It's not accepted by society as successful or deemed "normal" but it's true health and happy making to the extreme. 

The sauna...

I first came across the concept of the (naked) sauna at the secret garden party a good few years back and I rember how shocked I was... it was as though the screen had been rolled up on a 70's film set... I couldn't believe people would just wander around naked, sunbathing and jumping into the lake... A few years on and a newbie nudist (at appropriate occasions) I love this part of Simply Rawgeous almost as much as the food they served, the pure freeeedom to be your authentic naked self. 

I'll admit I was opposed to the freezing cold shower on the first morning before work but after the initial shock of it I was converted after jumping into the steaming  wooden sauna and learning about how many toxins you sweat out from it and then wash away in the shower.. It's all part of the detoxing process. 

I particularly loved jumping naked on the trampoline and waving good morning to the sheep on one side of the fence  and the people at the festival on the otherside. hahaha!

I met some crazy, fun and wonderful people in the sauna over my time there including some magical healers, a shaman an alchemist and various musicians that included Billy and Theo from the group "The undercover hippies" that had just played at Glastonbury this year.  Your time in the sauna really wakes you up, it massages you deep, defrosts you... prepares you for the day, a full power natural energy boost... Being teetotal is the way for me... Just having a Sauna and petes raw cacao hot" chocolate - those are the reals highs... 

The love and philosophy...

Pete's flyer says it all really and the synchronicity of my loose plan to open a raw food/chill out/healing/yoga/music cafe in Goa (arambol) has aligned with the fact Pete and his girlfriend Eloise are heading out that way to do exactly that... so a collaboration might be in the process of manifesting.

I was only required to work 5 hours a day but loved it so much Pete couldn't get me off the counter and after 6 hours straight...

and not having eaten yet... one of the beautiful souls I had met the day before came and managed to drag me away to an eye opening foraging walk and talk which was led by a women called Stella who had cured herself naturally of M.S... 

We learnt about the edible grasses and I got stung about a million times when trying to copy how she ate the stinging nettles... 

Apart from our cafe there were beautiful activities to get involved in - laughter therapy, sound bath meditation, shamanic journeying workshops, no wifi bliss, conscious talks... I eased myself back into yoga every morning which was a gentle flow and perfect for me as I've been out of practis for a good month following a motorbike accident in Bali.

My mum and dad came to pick me up to give me a lift back (I still only drive a moped) yes they stuck out like a pink cloud, but they felt accepted by this hippie community, even they got carried away on the love energy and the vibe and thought the raw food was delicious.

They definitely felt the beauty and pureness from the festival and the group of people I was working with. I'm so gratful I got the experience of working in a fully fledged raw kitchen.

Thank you universe/higher self for the divine intervention of brining Pete and his raw cafe into my consciousness last week one random morning when I woke up... 

Living with trust and surrender and no fully fledged plans desires or goals leaves way for the most beautiful soul nourishing people and experiences to come in. 

Waheguru!!! 

Here's a little video of me at Rest Fest in the Simply Rawgeous cafe.

http://youtu.be/NnEGK2FnLNA

Find Pete and the Rawgeous cafe at:

http://www.simplyrawgeous.com

Or follow on FB - simply Rawgeous 

Next event we will be at: Festival of Life (13th sept in London) see you there 😋

What I eat in a day

What I eat in a day...

Today I decided to do a no fruit day, I've been eating a lot of fruit - dried and fresh because I've been busy recipe testing but noticed my tounge was starting to get sore. Ive managed to tune into my body and it's signals to what it needs and what it needs less of, you learn to catch the signals early, the body becomes sensitive when you look after it and you learn to communicate to its best advantage. On my detox training we were taught about food combining which is pretty crucial to good digestion... It takes eating raw to the next level. Il do a sepperate post on food combining later, but for now... This is my no fruit day, daily intake :)

I always start the day first thing with 1ltr of water (body temperature) with 1/2 squeezed lemon juice added, I then wait about an hour until I eat anything as drinking while eating depletes the effectiveness of the digestive enzymes.

Breakfast...

I'll post the full recipe for this in the next few days but I wouldn't be without this brekkie it's such a powerful combination of super foods and protein, there is so much energy and power contained in this breakfast. I literally love it.

Hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, ground flaxseeds, Chia seeds, Macca, Lucuma, Oat bran, carrot, almond milk, stevia, cinnamon.

Lunch 

Red pepper hummus with added hemp protein powder and seeds, a selection of raw veggies, raw onion bread , raw burger, olives.

Dinner 

Raw veggie crudités, 1/2 avacado, Flax crackers, Raw veggie pattie and nut cheese, Raw spicy squash soup made with hemp seeds, tahini, cayenne pepper,

Paprika, cauliflower & carrot. 

There are so many things we can eat on a no fruit day, it's just about preparation... 

Cheeses, crackers, pizzas, lasagnes, zucchini pasta... Etc etc

Haaaaappy tummy ☺️

Lime and strawberry cheesecake

      Lime and Strawberry cheesecake

    Ingredients

Filling 

•2 avocados

•7tbs melted coconut oil

•1tsp Irish moss paste 

•Stevia

•1/2 tsp vanilla beans

•1/2 cup fresh like juice

•6 tbs agave (substitute with stevia water mixture or a date juice if you don't like to use agave).

Blend the mixture together and put in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.

Base

•1/2 cup cashew or almonds 

•3/4 cup coconut flakes 

•1 cup mix dry fruit (gojis go well with the taste of the filling) 

•1tsp ground flaxseed

•Pinch Himalayan salt

Blend everything except the dry fruit so a powder is formed. Then add the fruit and blitz up to form a dough. Press into a 6-8" pan and dehydrate until the moisture has been reduced by 1/2. Leave to cool in the fridge.

Line a clean cool pan with cling film and transfer the "biscuit" base into it, scoop the lime filling out and spread evenly on top. Set back in the fridge to set.

Strawberry layer

•1/2 tsp psyillium husk powder

•1tsp Irish moss paste

•6-8 strawberries

•Agave or stevia to sweeten

Blend the ingredients together and stand aside to firm up. Check the consistency and then spread on top of the lime layer.

Decorate with lime zest and sliced strawberries.

When the cheesecake is set after a couple of hours remove from the pan and peel off the cling film. 

It won't loose it's green color because the lime juice stops the avocado from oxidizing. 

Enjoy :)