SPIRALISER MAGIC!

I’ve actually wanted to buy a Spiraliser for ages but just made do with my julienne peeler until I noticed a Dexam Spiraliser on offer at my local Wholefoods, for £19.99 and I couldn’t resist!

Boy am I glad I did, it’s the best fun ever!

What a brilliant way to cram more raw veggies into our diets and who doesn’t need to be eating more veggies?

So far I’ve spiralised piles of sweet potato which I’ve oven roasted at 160C for 15 to 20 minutes with some rapeseed oil, paprika and Himalayan sea salt. You need to shake the tray and turn them so they crisp up nicely and don’t burn. Put them in a single layer on the tray,the more you have the longer they take to crisp up, so allow up to 30 minutes if you have lots. So simple!  

DELICIOUS doesn’t do them justice, they are rapidly becoming a very healthy obsession!!

I could eat loads of them, totally guilt free and boost my vitamin A levels, improve my skin, eyesight and bones and supply all the good bacteria in my gut with a great food source!
                                                
Result for me and my microbes!

Then I tried another favourite vegetable of mine, beetroot;

Wow so crispy and crunchy and well moreish! What’s not to love and it just looks fab all piled up! Beetroot is just delicious and features a lot in my life and recipes and it’s so good for us. It has powerful detoxifying properties and helps to cleanse the liver, gallbladder and kidneys. It also opens our blood vessels to reduce blood pressure, contains fibre to support digestion and is a great source of natural sugars to provide energy and its delicious and such a vibrant colour!

Next I tried spiralising a lovely organic apple ( no pesticide residues for me!) which I ate as a wee snack with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chia seeds and cinnamon. For me it’s all about adding nutritional value and chia seeds and cinnamon are so easy to add to sweet and savoury dishes and will give your body a wee helping hand!

Chia seeds are quite rightly classed as a superfood, a great source of protein, soluble fibre, omega 3, magnesium & calcium, all things we need more of.

Next I tried spiralising my homegrown courgettes, popularly known as courgetti! These are rather fun and a healthy gluten free replacement for spaghetti and have become rather trendy in food circles, especially among the raw foodies and the gluten free brigade! 







I tried them raw with a delicious raw red pepper and walnut sauce, recipe below and also lightly cooked (plunged into boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes, then drained) as a healthy spaghetti replacement with Beetroot Marinara. http://www.blognourishedbynature.com/blog/beetroot-marinara  
My daughter had half courgette, half spelt spaghetti which is still healthy and a great way of sneaking more veggies into your kid’s food or husbands for that matter!! Some husbands are worse than kids!!

Red Pepper and Walnut Sauce


Ingredients

1 red pepper, halved, de-seeded and chopped

6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup walnuts, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

Method
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water to thin if needed.
I also tried carrots which looked stunning along with the beetroot, such a vibrant colour and equally good as spirals or ribbons!
Next I tried the ribbon blade attachment and ribboned a whole cucumber in seconds! I served this with a lovely apple and mint dressing, which was totally delicious and refreshing.

Here is the recipe: 

Apple & Mint Dressing
1/2 firm apple chopped, handful of fresh mint, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, I tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil & sea salt to season.
Simply add all the ingredients to a small food processor or blender & blitz until well blended. You can add a tablespoon of water if you want a thinner consistency but I left mine thick and just served a spoonful with each portion!
Mint is great for the digestion, apple cider vinegar is a superstar, lemon is alkalising, oil is high in Omega 3 & apple has soluble fibre & adds a lovely sweetness so this dressing is a winner in my book! Give it a go, it's delicious, simple & healthy!

One point to note that the spiraliser produces one extremely long ribbon or spiral so you have to cut or break it into more manageable pieces or the first person gets the lot!

We all need more raw veggies, which provide us with a great source of vitamins, plant enzymes, antioxidants, minerals and fibre and a Spiraliser is a great and fun way to do this.

In conclusion the Spiraliser is a great investment, its simple to use, with 3 interchangeable blades which click into place and the other two are cleverly and safely stored in the base.

To be honest I can’t see why you would need to spend any more, it’s a simple gadget and the Dexam does all you need it to with ease and it’s easy to clean.

Amazon has the same spiraliser for £23.99 so the Wholefoods price is a bargain, snap one up while you still can! They are still on offer at Wholefoods Giffnock and last time I checked they had plenty in stock!

SO GO BUY ONE, START SPIRALISING AND ADD SOME RAW VEGGIE FUN TO YOUR LIFE….
                          ....your health in your hands......

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