NOURISHED BY NATURE
  • HOME
    • Blog
  • My Story
    • Values & Vision
  • Workshops
    • Sourdough
    • Fermented Veggies
    • Fermented Drinks
    • Taste of fermentation
  • RECIPES
  • LEARN
  • Contact

nourished by nature

WORKSHOPS
recipes

Immune Boosting Soup

4/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Now it seems a bit out of season to be posting an immune boosting soup when its supposed to be spring but hey its been really cold in Glasgow and poor Laura has swollen glands and a stinker of a cold. Sometimes the change in temperature, returning from sunny holidays to the cold of Glasgow can take a bit of adjusting to!
Laura also has exams all week so she's a bit stressed too, which doesn't help. So I've been making her apple kuzu drinks ( a macrobiotic drink which is very strengthening and soothing), giving her ginger compresses, to speed the healing process and I specially made a big pot of the most healing soup on the planet, and its also rather delicious.

                       The best kind of medicine!!

This soup is crammed full of all sorts of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and vitamins, it will literally stop any infection in its tracks.  It’s absolutely brilliant for relieving the symptoms of colds and flu, will put your immune system into super-drive and send all those “nasties” into oblivion; it also tastes great and is really easy to make.

Both shitake mushrooms and goji berries contain a similar polysaccharide which stimulate the immune system by causing an increase in the production of white blood cells.
Garlic is the mother of all natural antivirals; it is also antibacterial and antifungal.
Ginger is a strong anti-inflammatory and also stimulates circulation which increases the rate at which white blood cells move around the body fighting infection and removing waste products from infected tissues.
Chilli has painkilling properties and can thin out mucous making it easier to remove from the body.
Sweet potatoes contain various anti-inflammatory compounds including beta carotene/flavanoids.
Turmeric is an incredible anti-inflammatory agent due to a group of chemicals called curcuminoids - as good as many powerful drugs, including hydrocortisone, but with none of the nasty side effects. 
Coconut milk is full of good fats which are antifungal, antibacterial & antiviral.
So you really can't fail to feel better if you fill yourself up with this most soothing, healing, nutritious soup. Your immune system will thank you!


Ingredients
·         1 red onion, chopped
·         3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
·         3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small dice
·         1 red or green chilli, finely chopped
·         1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
·         1 punnet shitake mushrooms or 2-3 dried shitakes soaked in hot water for 30minutes
·         1 handful of goji berries
·         500ml vegetable stock
·         1 can coconut milk
·         1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
·         1 level teaspoon turmeric
         sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to season 
         


Method 
1.      Add the finely chopped onion, ginger and chilli to a pan with a tablespoon of oil and sauté for a few minutes until the onion softens.
2.      Slice the shitake mushrooms.  If using dried, discard the stalks which are tough and bitter.
3.      Add the mushrooms, diced sweet potato, goji berries, garlic, turmeric, coconut milk and stock.
4.      Bring to the boil, and then gently simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft.
5.      Puree with a hand blender, season with sea salt and enjoy!

I'm happy to report that Laura is feeling much better now!

        .......your health in your hands.....
0 Comments

FESTIVE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

12/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I've had a lovely week, it was my birthday and I was spoilt rotten with flowers, chocolate and Prosecco, three of my favourite things!
I have to admit the after effects of too much chocolate and wine are not great but sometimes worth it!  

So I thought I'd share one of my favourite healthy chocolate truffle recipes. These truffles are delicious, pretty much free of everything bad for you, incredibly quick and easy to make. In fact they are so delicious it's hard to believe they are packed full of healthy ingredients.
They are a perfect wee sweet treat to end a meal, and make a fabulous last minute Christmas gift for a health conscious friend.!

These truffles are vegan so dairy free, contain no saturated fat or added sugar.  All the sweetness comes from the dates and coconut, both natural ingredients with health benefits.

I love dates, they are deliciously sweet and although they are fairly high in sugar, they more than make up for it with the dazzling array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre, supporting health on so many levels.
The walnuts and sunflower seeds add protein, fibre, minerals and omega 3 fats so these truffles can definitely be enjoyed guilt free!

Medjool dates are the king of dates and are sweet, caramelly and moist and are always my first choice. Deglet Nour Dates are also delicious. Lidl are selling them for £1 a bag just now and they are also pitted which saves you precious time!  It's well worth having a few bags on standby. Some of the dates are really quite dry and need to be soaked before you can use them and they are never sweet or sticky enough, don't buy them!
You really need a food processor to make these. The dates need to be blitzed to a paste, although I guess at a push you could use a hand blender. Dates are so sticky though you would have to do it in batches and blitz the nuts and seeds first. Always make sure there are no stones in your dates, that could wreck your processor. Another point to note, for those of you lucky enough to own a Vitamix, don't use it for dates! They are just too sticky and there was a horrible burning smell from mine when I tried it
You have been warned!
If you have any sweet superfood powders like lacuma or maca, you can add a spoonful to up the health benefits even more. Chia seeds are also a good addition!
These truffles are best kept in the fridge to firm them up. I'm not too sure how long they will keep, ours are always scoffed within a few days, but I guess they would be fine for a week or so!
 
Preparation: 30 minutes
Makes: 20  bite size truffles
 
Ingredients

  • 240g  pitted dates, Medjool or Deglet Nour
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder plus more for coating the truffles
  • 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 50g sunflower seeds (if you don't have sunflower seeds just double the quantity of nuts)
  • 50g walnuts or any other kind of nuts
 
Method

  1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until well mixed
  2. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and shape into bite size balls.
  3. Coat the balls in cocoa powder or desiccated coconut
  4. Put in the fridge to firm up for an hour or so
  5. And enjoy :)

.                         ......your health in your hands......
0 Comments

leek, oat & coconut soup

11/6/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
This is one of my absolute favourite winter soups, its just so nourishing, creamy and delicious. I adapted the recipe from a macrobiotic one and it just ticks all the boxes for me on flavour and nutrition.
I served it last night to my guests at the launch of my Gourmet Vegan Supper Club and everyone thought it was delicious and much more interesting than leek and potato soup!
In Scotland, a soup thickened with oatmeal is called a ‘brose’. Oats can lower cholesterol due to the high amounts of soluble fibre and are easy to digest. Books have been written on the benefits of coconut but 3 key benefits are in lowering inflammation, boosting your immune system and boosting metabolism. Leeks and garlic fight infection and combined with ginger make this an inflammation busting super soup!  The addition of coconut and lime gives this soup an exotic twist and it tastes absolutely delicious! Give it a go and impress your family and friends!

​                         Ingredients
  • 3 or 4 leeks, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon root ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 tablespoons coconut oil or rapeseed oil
  • 1 x 400 ml can of coconut milk
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tablespoons pinhead oatmeal
  • 750ml  vegetable  stock
  • Freshly chopped coriander
  • Sea salt to season
Method
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot with a pinch of sea salt, add the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes until softened over a medium heat.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another few minutes.
  3. Add the coconut milk, stock and oatmeal, bring to the boil then cover, lower the heat and simmer for around 30 minutes.
  4. Add juice of a lime, sea salt and black pepper to taste.
  5. Add more stock if the soup is too thick.
  6. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.
                      ...........your health in your hands.........
3 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

        Janice 

    🍃 Health educator🍃
    -Obsessive fermenter
    -Passionate foodie 😋
    -Food Blogger
    -Plantbased 🥦🥒🥑

    Follow me on Instagram                   
    ​                  👇🏻

    Categories

    All
    Baking
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Cakes&Desserts
    Chocolate
    Coconut
    Dairy Free
    Dessert
    Dinner
    E Book
    Fermented
    Fermented Drinks
    Fermented Veggies
    Festive
    Giftcards
    Gluten Free
    Healthy Living
    Kids
    Lunch
    Natural Beauty
    Organic
    Salad
    Snack
    Snacks
    Soup
    Soups&Starters
    Sourdough
    Sweet Bites
    Treat
    Treats
    Treats & Snacks
    Vegan
    Workshop

    RSS Feed

    any question? 
    I'm  here to help you on your fermenting adventures

Submit

    Let’s stay in touch!
    More recipes, tips & special promotions, delivered to your inbox.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Glasgow, scotland - 2018

  • HOME
    • Blog
  • My Story
    • Values & Vision
  • Workshops
    • Sourdough
    • Fermented Veggies
    • Fermented Drinks
    • Taste of fermentation
  • RECIPES
  • LEARN
  • Contact