It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, well it is in our house, apart from the fact that we all have a sore throat, so we've not been singing festive songs as much as usual!
I've been having sea salt baths with lavender and tea tree, downing shots of turmeric, ginger and lemon and eating loads of Immune boosting soup and fermented garlic!
I always use drugs as a last resort once I've given all my natural remedies a chance to work! I'm feeling better but now Kathryn and Laura have a sore throat!! Its always the same at this time of year!

Anyway I'm still in full on festive food mood and have a few more brilliant recipes to share before Christmas!

I came across this recipe on the awesome Kellie Andersons excellent blog food to glow
she has some incredible recipes, mostly plantbased and all delicious and healthy.
Her blog is well worth a look, I love her style of cooking and the flavour she manages to pack into her recipes is amazing!

So back to this great recipe... 

These wee crackers would make a great gift, presented in a wee bag and tied with twine or ribbon. You can be creative and cut out all sorts of shapes. That's the brilliant thing about making your own stuff, you know exactly what the ingredients are and you can personalise most recipes to suit your own tastes and preferences. 

Kids would also love making these and they make a nice change from sweet biscuits covered in icing! These crackers actually taste a little sweet and have a lovely crunch and festive flavour. They would be perfect with a Christmas cheese board (lots of dairyfree vegan cheeses around too) or as an accompaniment to dips or just plain as a wee snack!
The recipe makes lots of crackers so I have frozen half the dough and will make more crackers next week when we've eaten all this batch!

I used avocado oil in mine but olive oil or any mild tasting oil would work. Kellie's original recipe added 50 ml orange juice and the zest of a small orange but I didn't have any so I added a bit more water instead and used 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice instead of ginger.

The trick is to try and roll the dough out fairly thinly for nice crisp crackers. Just be sure to flour your work surface well or use 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and roll the dough on the paper with one sheet on top. You can then put the greaseproof paper directly onto an oven tray.

I just lightly greased and floured 2 baking trays and the crackers crisped up nicely and didn't stick at all!
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So here is the slightly adapted recipe..

CRANBERRY & HAZELNUT CRACKERS

Ingredients

• 120 g wholemeal flour
• 100g porridge oats
• 50 ml olive, avocado or rapeseed oil
• 50 g chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or linseeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 25 g dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, rice syrup or honey
• 120 ml warm water
• 1/2 to 1 tsp mixed spice, cinnamon or ginger

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160 C for a fan oven/ 180 C conventional / 350 F
2. Put the flour, oats, salt, flax seeds and poppy seeds in a large bowl.
3. Toast the hazelnuts for 10 mins in a moderate oven, then cool them and rub them between your fingers to remove the skins. Either put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin to break them up. Put a tea towel underneath to deafen the noise!
4. Add the hazelnuts, chopped cranberries and mixed spice to the bowl and mix it all together.
5. Add the oil, syrup and the water and mix until you have a cohesive dough. You can just use your hands for this. Add extra warm water if the dough is a bit dry. Similarly if the dough is too wet or sticky then sift a bit more flour and mix it in until the dough is smooth. It depends on the flour you use, exactly how much water you need but its not crucial to use exact amounts. Just use your own judgement!
6. Put the dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins to firm up and make it easier to roll.
7. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and work with one piece at a time. I actually froze half so just used half the dough which makes plenty of crackers!
8. Dust your work top well with flour and your rolling pin and roll the dough out as thinly as you dare! Cut out shapes using whatever cutters you fancy or if you don't have any cutters you can use the top of a glass dipped in flour or just roll the dough into a rectangle shape then using a sharp knife mark the dough into squares, rectangles or fingers.
9. Transfer your crackers to a lightly oiled and floured baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the trays halfway through to bake evenly. 
10. Cool on a cooling rack then store in a tupperware container, where they will keep happily for around 2 weeks, if they last that long!!

                   .....your health in your hands.....

Well I can't believe that the summer holidays are over and the kids are all back at school! It's not been much of a summer, although we have made the most of it! We are now the proud owners of an old classic VW Camper Van called Bruce and I just love him. Its so much fun, its like camping but all nice and cosy with a pull out cooker, a really comfy bed, an excellent cool box and loads of storage for all our stuff.
I have decided to extend my holidays until October to make the most of Bruce before the weather changes and the nights are shorter! I'm so good to myself!
We are going to a 3 day Festival in Inveraray at the beginning of September which I'm most excited about!
I'm also heading back to Wales to another Vegan Cooking Retreat run by my cool dude buddy Lee Watson of Peace & Parsnips fame, my favourite vegan cookery book!
So lots to look forward to and enjoy, lucky me!! 

I have a blessed life indeed.

So back to sharing some healthy recipes with you lovely people!

Another of my healthy obsessions is cookery books and the latest addition to my collection is; 

                               Veggie Desserts and Cakes by Kate Hackworthy

so for my first blog post in a while I thought I'd share a really simple recipe from her book.

I love veggies and eat shed loads of them so this book appealed to me big time!

I think we are all familiar with Carrot Cake, but this book takes the use of veggies in cakes to new levels! Parsnips, beetroot, cauliflower, kale, peas, sweet potatoes, aubergine, spinach, swede, and sweetcorn all get a mention!

I'm all for using sweet veggies in cakes but I'm yet to be convinced by cauliflower and kale!!

I once made a chocolate and cauliflower cake for the BBC Kitchen Cafe Programme which I was a guest on. The very smell of it was awful and was not improved  by the most luscious chocolate frosting. I couldn't even try it, the cauliflower smell was so strong and off putting! Maybe I just used a particularly strong cauliflower but I thought at the time that some things are just wrong and cauliflower and cake is one of them!! So needless to say I won't be trying that again!

On the plus side, there are many lovely recipes to try, so I thought I'd start  with these Beetroot Seedy Squares! I'm a big fan of beetroot and always have a few vacuum packs in the fridge.  
I adapted the recipe a bit, I used half the amount of beetroot and rolled them into balls instead of cutting them into squares. Beetroot although sweet has a strong earthy taste which can be overpowering and I didn't want to make a whole batch then discover that no one liked them! I can't stand waste so I played it safe and I'm delighted with the results.  These wee bites are a lovely colour so I decided not to roll them in seeds or coconut. I like them bare!! The beetroot flavour is very subtle and perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the dates. Mixed seeds, ( I used sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseeds ) add texture, loads of good fats, protein and minerals, oats contain soluble fibre and dates are just packed with everything a body needs!
So these wee nutrient dense power bites make a delicious healthy snack at any time of day or when you feel in need of an energy boost!
Also great for packed lunches and hungry kids!!
So overall verdict for these wee bites is a big thumbs up!  Next on my list are Pea and Mint Cupcakes, Sweet Potato and Pecan Blondies and Cucumber and Lemon Cake with Gin Icing!! I was sold at the Gin icing!! 

Kate also has a blog which is well worth checking out.

​So here is her recipe, slightly adapted...
BEETROOT BLISS BITES
Ingredients
Makes 25 wee bites

• 100g (2 small beets) cooked beetroot (I used vaccuum packed)
• 150g, 2/3 cup of pitted dates
• 150g, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 215g, 1 1/2 cups, unsalted mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, linseeds, chia, etc)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1.  Add the beetroot, dates, oats, vanilla extract, half the seeds and the coconut oil to a food processor and blend until well mixed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times to get it fully combined.
2.  Put the mixture into a large bowl and add the rest of the seeds, mixing well with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the seeds.
3. Wet your hands and take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls. You should get around 25 depending on how big you make them! 
4. I left mine bare but you could roll them in desiccated coconut, powdered seeds, sesame seeds or raw cacao powder.
5. Store them in the freezer and eat them at your leisure! They will keep for ages.
6. You could replace some of the seeds with nuts and some of the oats with coconut for a wee change.

​

I haven't shared a beetroot recipe recently so thought I'd share this humdinger of a beetroot casserole with sweet potatoes, herbs and mushrooms with a good glug of red wine to lift the flavour to dinner party fancy!! I assure you, its that good! If you love beetroot and hearty casseroles then you will absolutely love this recipe!
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Beetroot ticks a lot of boxes for me, its cheap, readily available, delicious, a fabulous colour and has lots of health benefits! It can lower blood pressure, improve memory and brain function by basically improving blood flow and relaxing the arteries, all down to nitric acid which beetroot has lots of! Its also a very effective internal cleanser, due to the powerful antioxidant betacyanin and supports kidney, liver and gallbladder function. Its also a great source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and easily digestible carbohydrates for a wee energy boost!
It's also extremely versatile and lends itself well to juicing, cakes, dips, soups, salads and casseroles!

I really do love the humble beetroot, whats not to love?
​
Anyway back to this fabulous recipe, the idea came from the awesome Anna Jones cookbook A Modern Way to Eat. I love Anna Jones, she makes the most delicious vegetarian food, wholesome, flavoursome and nutritious. A fabulous book if you want to transition to a more plant based way of eating, full of family favourites, lovely photos and simple, easy to follow recipes.

So back to this one...
​
I used vacuum packed beetroot, instead of fresh beetroot. I always have packs of beetroot in the fridge for dips, houmous, salads and soups and it's already cooked so can just be added for the last 10 to 15 minutes. Fresh beetroot can take up to an hour to cook, so if you are using fresh then cut into smallish chunks, to speed up the cooking time.

Puy or dark green lentils are another favourite ingredient of mine. They are packed with fibre, protein, minerals and vitamins and support health on every level. They are really filling and make a great substitute for meat. They don't require soaking prior to cooking and cook in around 20 minutes. All the supermarkets sell puy type lentils now, they hold their shape well and don't go mushy, which the more common red lentils do! I always have a selection of lentils in my cupboards, they are so versatile and delicious and great for adding fibre and protein to a meatless meal.

Sweet potatoes add lots of beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A and supports skin and digestive health. They contain a wonderful sugar called fructo-oligo-saccaride  which acts as a food source for good bacteria in the gut, producing a chemical called butyric acid that can repair and strengthen the gut wall and rejuvenate the digestive tract!  We should all be feeding our good gut bacteria and sweet potatoes are just so delicious this is just another excellent reason to eat loads of them. Even though they are naturally sweet, they contain blood sugar regulating properties and improve the cells responsiveness to insulin, so won't spike your blood sugar!

So all in all a very healthy dish to make for dinner, its just full of beneficial veggies, lentils, herbs and lots of garlic to boost the immune system and add lots of flavour!
We had this served with a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes and steamed green beans and Jenna used the leftovers by adding more mushrooms, stock and potato and blending it to a smooth velvety pink delicious soup!

We never waste food at Nourished by Nature!!

So here is the recipe, please leave a comment if you try it!

BEET BOURGUIGNON

Ingredients Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
8 to 10 small cooked beets, quartered or fresh beetroot peeled and diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into dice
4 bay leaves
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
250 ml red wine
1 litre vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 cup (200g) small dark lentils, rinsed and drained
handful of mushrooms, halved (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft and sweet.
2. Add the sweet potato, lentils, tomato puree, stock, wine and herbs, bring to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for around 30 minutes. If you are using fresh beetroot then add it now.
3. Add the beetroot and mushrooms, if using, give it a good stir and simmer for another 15 minutes or so, until the sweet potato and lentils are cooked.
4. Check the seasoning and add sea salt if needed and a grinding of black pepper.
5. Serve with a big pile of mashed potatoes, some greens and a nice glass of red wine!

​                                      ....your health in your hands.....