RAW RED PEPPER & WALNUT SAUCE

I hope everyone has been out enjoying all this fine weather and topping up their vitamin D levels!
I certainly have and apologies for not posting anything on the blog last week but to be honest I have just been chilling out, doing some gardening and spending time with my lovely hubby Alastair. We found ourselves in the most unusual position this bank holiday weekend of having the house to ourselves, apart from the three dogs! 

Kathryn and Laura had gone to London to stay with their cousin Sarah and catch up with their big sis Emma and Jenna is currently living it up in a stately home in Oxfordshire! She is helping in the gardens!

Anyway we have had such a lovely time and we bought an outside wood-fired pizza oven! 
I'm so excited about it, it only cost £99 from Aldi!

Since we don't eat meat, we are not huge BBQ fans but sourdough wood fired pizza is a different thing altogether!

I attended a sourdough workshop last week too so I can now add sourdough to my ever expanding range of fermented foods and drinks. My gut is going to be extremely happy!!

Anyway enough of my ramblings, I just wanted to share this very simple, delicious raw red pepper & walnut sauce.
Its extremely versatile and perfect for the summer months when red peppers are in abundance and cheap as well.

Red peppers have a high water content which helps to flush toxins from the body and are also packed with vitamin C, beta carotene and lycopene.
I added olives which give it a Meditteranean flavour and of course garlic, which I add to pretty much everything!

Sun dried tomatoes give it a delicious intense flavour and of course are packed with lycopene too, which protects us from cancer.

Walnuts are another of my favourite foods and as their shape suggests they support brain health due to high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. They are also a great source of protein, fibre and vitamin E.

Extra virgin olive oil and olives adds more omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants and keeps our heart healthy.

Tahini is one item I couldn't live without, its packed with calcium and magnesium to support bone health and its alkaline so easy for the body to absorb. It adds a delicious creaminess to any dish and is especially useful for dips, dressings and sauces.

Right so all you do is add all the ingredients to your blender or food processor and that's it, leaving you lots of time to relax and enjoy the sunshine!
It will keep in the fridge in a covered container for a week or so.

Over the summer months we don't want to be spending hours in the kitchen so expect lots of fast, simple and delicious recipes, all tried and tested! I only share favourite recipes and my criteria are flavour, simplicity, nutrition and versatility.
There are so many recipes out there which use loads of ingredients, are very time consuming and don't even taste that good!

So if you like what I share, consider subscribing to my blog so you won't miss any of my brilliant creations! 

So here is the recipe I promised......!

RAW RED PEPPER & WALNUT SAUCE

This is the most versatile sauce. I use it like pesto stirred through pasta, as a sauce with spiralised veggies, as a topping for bruschetta, pizza topping, 
as a dressing for salads thinned down with some water. It can also be mixed with some cream cheese (vegan options) to make a lovely topping for baked potatoes or a delicious dip with oatcakes or raw veggies.

Ingredients
1 red pepper, deseeded
6 sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup olives, pitted
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons of your best oil, extra virgin, avocado, walnut or flaxseed
1 tablespoon tahini
Himalyan sea salt to taste
1 drizzle of raw honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup (optional)

Method
Simply add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
Taste the sauce and add a drizzle of sweetener if you like!

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