Feeling a bit fed up with the weather at the moment and as usual I turn to food, for something to do!
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I am still enjoying my fun game of adding as many sources of prebiotics to my food as I can, so my wee gut buddies get a treat, and so do I!
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So I made some twisty sourdough breadsticks using sourdough discard and added some nettle seeds & sesame seeds.
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Decided to go for a green dip so green olives, lemon zest, spinach, chickpeas, thyme, oregano, flat leaf parsley, fermented garlic and my best extra virgin olive oil blitzed in my Vitamix then topped with more nettle seeds became my fab probiotic/prebiotic dip.
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Lots of fibre and polyphenols for my gut buddies and plenty of flavour for me!!
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Avocado would also work well in this or natural yoghurt or tahini instead of the oil.
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The beauty of a dip is you can just add what you have and pile in the good stuff!!
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Here is my recipe,

Ingredients
So I used

• a jar of green olives, (175g)
• a tin of chickpeas,
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• big handful of baby spinach,
• 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs, flat leaf parsley, thyme or oregano all work well
• 2 spring onions,
• 2 big cloves fermented garlic 
• zest of a large unwaxed lemon
• tablespoon lemon juice
• nettle seeds for garnish

Method
Simply add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
Taste and add more lemon juice if you like more zing and add a touch of salt and black pepper to your taste. Olives are quite salty so I didn't add any salt to mine.
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This will tide me over till dinner!
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Does anyone else choose food to feed their gut microbes, or is it just me....
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So I have a new game, which I have to admit I am really enjoying!
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Here are the rules!!
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Add as many different sources of prebiotic fibre to your food as you possibly can!
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I made these wee beetroot bliss bites yesterday, I first shared this recipe on my blog a couple of years ago but this new improved version is even better!
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Guess how many different sources of prebiotics I managed to cram into these??
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So here is my new improved recipe, I hope you love it, I know my gut bacteria will be having a prebiotic party!!
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BEETROOT BLISS BITES
Ingredients - makes 20 to 24

• 100g to 125g cooked beetroot, approx 2 medium beets.
• 150g dates, prunes or figs
• 100g oats
• 50g dessicated coconut
• 2 tbsp flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp raw cacao
• 75g pumpkin seeds
• 75g sunflower seeds
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp inulin (optional)

Method

1. Simply blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until they come together.
2. Take spoonfuls and roll into balls.
3. Sprinkle with raw cacao
4. Store in fridge or freezer

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I used a mixture of dates and prunes and added a tbsp of inulin, which is a sweet white powder, derived from chicory roots. Its a preferred prebiotic, our gut microbes love it and its so easy to add to any recipe. Can cause bloating in sensitive souls so recommended dose is 2tsp per day. I tbsp in 24 bliss bites is well within the recommended dose.
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Diversity is key when it comes to nourishing our gut bugs and its not that difficult to add different sources of fibre to our recipes!
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Its all about making better choices and thinking about our wee gut microbe buddies!
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I managed to add 11 different prebiotics to these!
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I made these rather delicious wee pastry rolls for lunch last week, using some puff pastry I had in the freezer, which conveniently is vegan!

My thoughts are always on how I can nourish my wee gut bugs and enjoy delicious food at the same time.

Now we all know that puff pastry isn't very healthy and even less so when filled with a greasy assortment of dodgy ingredients so my delicious gut healthy version is harnessing all the prebiotic power of leeks, red onions, spinach, garlic, courgette and chick peas. I also added some cubed vegan feta cheese which we are all loving, its so creamy and delicious!

Adding great flavour and polyphenols with lemon zest, flat leaf parsley and thyme from the garden.

A wee extra garnish of sesame, poppy and linseeds makes these look most appealing and of course, adds more nutrition!

So its not that difficult to make better choices for our health and keep our wee gut microbes well nourished, so they will be working hard on our behalf.

We all enjoyed these, so I am sharing my recipe, so you can enjoy them too!

We just love a puff pastry but no-one wants a soggy bottom so the key thing to remember is to make sure your filling is fairly dry and cool it a bit before you make up your wee rolls.
You don't need to add the vegan feta, some frozen sweetcorn or peas would also be good to bulk the filling out and could easily replace the courgette. Just use what you have available!

I am sure these would be equally good eaten cold for a picnic lunch but we ate the lot straight from the oven!

So here is my recipe, hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1 pack of ready made puff pastry
• 2 to 3 medium leeks, washed, halved lengthways and sliced
• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
• 1 medium red or white onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1/2 bag of baby leaf spinach
• 1 courgette, grated
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained
• 100g vegan feta, cut into small cubes (optional)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, flat leaf parsley, sage, oregano, thyme or rosemary
• couple tablespoons plant milk
• 1 tsp linseeds, 1tsp chia seeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a large pan, with a pinch of salt, add the leeks and onions and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and sweet.
2. Add the grated courgette, garlic, spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so then add the drained chickpeas.
3. If your mixture is wet then drain any excess liquid, then transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the chopped herbs, lemon zest and some sea salt and black pepper.
5. Add the cubed feta, if using.
6. Leave the filling aside to cool
7. Heat the oven to 220C
8. Unroll the puff pastry onto a floured surface, then cut in half lengthways so you have 2 long thin rectangles.
9. If you are using a block of puff pastry, then you will have to roll it out into a thin rectangle, then cut it into 2.
10. With the long side toward you, spoon half your filling mixture along the middle of the rectangle, shaping it into a sausage shape with your hands.
11. Brush the far away edge of the pastry with some plant milk.
12. Pull the near side of the pastry over the filling, then carefully pull the milk washed side on top and press it to seal.
13. Carefully turn the whole thing over so the join is at the bottom, then cut the roll into 6 or 8 equal pieces.
14. Repeat with the other rectangle.
15. Put the rolls onto a lightly greased baking tray, brush with plant milk and sprinkle with the seed mix.
16. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
17. You may have to turn the tray halfway through for even baking, if your oven has a hotspot.
18. Enjoy.

These wee crackers are simple to make and so good! And a great way of using up discarded or past its peak sourdough starter! 

The addition of ground flaxseeds adds extra nutrition with a wee boost of good fats from the olive oil!

Rolling the dough thinly results in lovely crisp crackers, a perfect accompaniment to a vegan cheese board or with a dip or just as they are for a lovely wee healthy snack!

You can easily customise this recipe by adding different herbs or spices. We have tried rosemary and lemon zest, wild garlic and also smoked paprika, all delicious!

This recipe is from The Spruce Eats, and is the simplest and best sourdough cracker recipe I have tried to date!

So without further rambling, here it is!

Seeded Sourdough Crackers

Ingredients
​1/4 cup sourdough starter
3 tablespoons wholewheat flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed/linseeds
4 teaspoons olive oil or rapeseed oil
1 tablespoon seeds, sesame, poppy, sunflower, chia, nigella all work well

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 F 175 C
Lightly flour a baking tray or use a silicone baking sheet.
Add all the ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a cohesive dough.
Turn the dough onto your baking tray and roll it thinly into a rectangle shape.
Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to score the dough into squares, rectangles or diamond shapes.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes then break into crackers.
Enjoy!