Happy Raw Christmas! Chocolate chestnut torte and christmas granola recipes...

I really love this time of year, the beautiful decorations, how everybody seems to be a bit happier and nicer to each other, the excitement and anticipation in the air, the smell of christmas spices...

Yes that's right, I too love the traditional christmas flavours and treats. And I'm here to tell you that you can stay healthy over the christmas period whilst enjoying these things...with a little creative magic in the kitchen that is!

I have been busy in the kitchen experimenting with some new recipes to share with you for the christmas season. Last year I made a delicious raw christmas pudding recipe, and it went down a treat, but this year I wanted something a bit different. Max and I were enjoying some freshly roasted chestnuts the other day, I absolutely adore the flavour of chestnuts and thought what a brilliant combo they would make with chocolate. Not just any chocolate though, it had to be a dessert or cake of some kind. I decided to make them part of a delicious rich chocolate truffle torte. There had to be cinnamon somewhere, and a vanilla topping as well...oh dreamy deliciousness!

Now many of you know I do not advocate eating a 100% raw diet (unless you want to that is), and this recipe is a beautiful example of how you can make something mostly raw but still enjoy old comforting flavours and ingredients as well. It really doesn't have to be all or nothing, 100% raw or 100% cooked, you can choose to do whatever percentage raw you like, whatever fits in with your goals and lifestyle. I am about 70% raw on average, slightly less in winter and slightly more in summer, and that suits my life and what I choose to eat and feed my child. This recipe is great as you have the amazing health benefits of the raw chocolate, the nuts, plant butters, spices and dried fruit, and you get the beautiful christmassy luxurious flavour of the roasted chestnuts in there as well. And it is also free from refined sugar, wheat, soya, gluten, dairy and eggs. Heaven!

Raw chocolate chestnut torte


Base:
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup medjool dates, de-stoned
1/2 cup cacao nibs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt


Topping:
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 heaped tbsp. coconut sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
1 ripe avocado
4 tbsp. raw cacao powder
5 tbsp. coconut sugar
1 cup chopped roasted chestnuts
3/4 cup melted cacao butter
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut water or pure filtered water, room temperature (not chilled from fridge)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

First roast your chestnuts in the oven according to the instructions on the pack. Then peel them (easier to do when they're still warm), roughly chop and set aside to cool.

While the chestnuts are in the oven you can make the base. Put the nuts, cinnamon and salt in the food processor and blitz to a coarse crumb consistency. With the motor running, add the dates down the chute. You are looking for the point where the mixture will stick together when pinched between your fingers. You may need to add a couple more or less dates to achieve this so just check as you go. Once the mixture holds together, add the cacao nibs and just pulse to combine, you don't want to break these down at all, they're there for texture and crunch. Press into a 7 inch loose bottomed cake tin, or use a silicone heart shaped one like I did. Make a nice even layer on the bottom of the tin and chill in the fridge.

Good tip - always start with the lightest layer you will be using the blender for so you don't have to keep washing it between stages. So next you'll make the topping as this is white and the filling is brown. Put the cashews in the blender and blitz to a flour consistency. Scrape the sides down to free any stuck cashew flour. Then add the other topping ingredients and blend until smooth. Put into a bowl and set aside while you make the filling (not in the fridge though).

For the filling, blend the cacao butter, avocado and maple syrup until smooth. With the motor running, trickle in the coconut water. Then add everything else and blend until completely smooth. Spoon this mixture evenly over the base and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then pour the topping evenly over the filling layer and return to the freezer for a few hours to firm up. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon and cacao nibs and decorate with something christmassy and sparkly!

Another delicious recipe that came out of my kitchen last week was some yummy raw christmas granola. Granola is great to have on hand as it means you can have a delicious healthy raw breakfast that is as quick to prepare as making a bowl of processed cereal, and you have an easily transportable healthy snack for when you're out and about and don't want to be tempted by all those unhealthy christmas treats in the shops and cafes at the moment! Just add a couple of handfuls to a sandwich bag or small tupperware tub and you're good to go.

I wanted to make my granola a bit special and festive to match the time of year. I decided to add some mixed spice, cinnamon and ground ginger, as well as dried cranberries, raw chocolate powder and vanilla. Yum yum! What a delicious breakfast to wake up to on Christmas day, paired with some gorgeous chilled hemp or almond milk and some fresh fruit. I like it with chopped banana and cherries. I used my dehydrator for this recipe, but if you don't have one and you don't mind it not staying raw, you could bake it on a low setting in your oven. I haven't tried this though so not sure about length of time, you'd have to keep an eye on it, and when it feels crunchy and dry it's ready. Mmmm...the smell that filled the kitchen when this was dehydrating was heavenly....spicy, chocolaty and very christmassy!

Raw christmas granola

Paste:

12 medjool dates, de-stoned

1 large ripe banana

1/2 cup coconut water or pure filtered water (or you could try orange juice)

3 tbsp. raw cacao powder

1 tbsp. maca (optional)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon

1.5 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. mixed spice

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Granola:

1 cup buckwheaties (soaked, sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat grains, if you don't have these substitute with soaked buckwheat or omit and add extra nuts and seeds)

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (could use walnuts if desired)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup goji berries

3/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries

3/4 cup dried white mulberries (or use raisins if you can't get mulberries)

1/2 cup de-hulled hemp seeds

Put the granola ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Put the paste ingredients into your blender and blitz until smooth. Pour the paste mixture into the bowl and mix thoroughly to combine everything really well. Spread out over 2 dehydrator trays lined with paraflexx sheets and dehydrate at 115°C for 8 hours. Place another tray with mesh over the top and flip over, then peel the paraflexx sheet off. Repeat for the other tray and return to the dehydrator for another 4 - 8 hours, depending how chewy or crunchy you like it to be, the longer you dry it, the crunchier it will be. When it's done, break it up into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight tub or jar. It will last for a week or so, longer in the fridge. 

Have a fantastic christmas.

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Happy Halloween...Raw Pumpkin Pie..!

Hello beautiful friends,

Mmmm....I love pumpkin pie...sweet and spiced just right. There is no reason you can't have a raw version of this delicious dessert. Here is my pumpkin...and my yummy raw pumpkin pie recipe...

Can you see the image I have carved here?

Raw pumpkin pie recipe:

Base:
3/4 cup almonds
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup soft dates (if dates are dried, soak in pure water for a few hours)
Pinch pink Himalayan salt

Filling:
2 cups 1/2 inch dice pumpkin or butternut squash
4 tbsp. coconut water
1/2 cup unsulphured dried apricots, soaked for a few hours in pure water
1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed to a liquid
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch pink Himalayan salt

To make the base, put the nuts into a food processor and process to a breadcrumb consistency. Add in the salt and with the machine running, add the drained dates. The mixture is ready when it sticks together when pinched. If is seems a bit too dry, add a couple more dates, or a tablespoon or two of the date soak water. Press into an 8 inch loose bottom cake tin, making sure you press the mixture about an inch up the sides to form a pie crust. Set aside while you make the filling. 

To make the filling, put everything except the coconut oil in the vitamix or other high powered blender and blitz until smooth. If you don't have a high powered blender, you can use a normal blender, just break up the pumpkin or squash in the food processor as much as you can before putting in the blender, and you may need to use a little extra coconut water, but try to use as little as possible. You'll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Once you have a puree, add the coconut oil with the motor running until smooth. Pour filling onto base and pop in the freezer to set for 4-8 hours. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Feel free to garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or some desiccated coconut. YUM YUM!

Max loved this...he kept asking for more and more. I told him: 'You'll turn into a pumpkin if you carry on like that'...He didn't believe me...

But....

Mummy's are always right...

Look what happened....

Happy Halloween from me and my little pumpkin..!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Autumn raw food ideas

There is a definite chill in the air and summer has unfortunately come to an end. But what a summer it was! I don't know about you but my family and I really enjoyed all the juicy summer fruits and salad veg. We enjoyed beautiful smoothies, juices, mouthwatering salads, dips and dressings. But now the season is changing and the food offered by mother nature is changing as well. I always recommend eating as seasonally and locally as possible. If you think about the fruit and veg available in the summer, and also from tropical climates - it all has a very high water content. These foods have a definite cooling effect on the body and are perfect to consume when the weather is hot. But when the temperature begins to drop we need foods that keep the body warm, to nourish and sustain us. Enter the autumn/winter crops - root veggies, kale, apples, squash, onions, mushrooms etc. This food is denser and does not cool the body like the summer (or tropical) produce does. I always get asked about how to continue eating raw foods when the weather turns cold and this is one of the things I suggest. Eating what is in season. Now obviously there is some room for other ingredients here; I'm not saying you should only eat root vegetables and kale! But basing your meals around the denser vegetables will have a more satisfying effect on your body. So far this autumn my family and I have been enjoying dishes such as butternut squash & carrot soups, wilted kale salads, apple and pear pies and crumbles, grated root veggie slaws, 'roasted' (dehydrated) root veggies, mushroom nut loaf etc... All raw, satisfying and delicious! I have included a couple of recipes for you to try below.

Kale and mushroom pad thai:

4 chestnut mushrooms

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. tamari

1 cup chopped kale, washed and stalks removed

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. Himalayan or sea salt

1 courgette

Sauce:

1 tbsp. raw almond butter

1 tbsp. raw tahini

1 tbsp. tamari

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp. agave

1 tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. dried chilli flakes (optional)

Peel and slice the mushrooms and place in a shallow dish. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. tamari. Mix to coat and leave to marinate while you do the rest. Put the kale in a bowl with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. salt and massage into the kale to wilt and soften. The kale will release water, just drain this away. Spiralise the courgette. If you don't have a spiraliser, simply get a vegetable peeler and peel long thin strips from the courgette, going evenly around it to make four sides, so you are left with the seedy core in the middle. Take your courgette slices and stack a few together, then with a sharp knife, slice lengthways so you end up with flat ribbons like pad thai rice noodles. Put the sauce ingredients in a big bowl and whisk until smooth. Put the kale, courgette noodles and drained mushrooms into the bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Spiced squash soup:
250g diced butternut squash
1 large carrot
3 unsulphured dried apricots
1/4 cup pine nuts, soaked 4 hours or more
1/4 cup cashew nuts, soaked 4 hours or more
1.5 cups pure water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Himalayan or sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.

If you have a high powered blender, put everything in and blend for a few minutes until the soup is warm and creamy. Make sure you can comfortably keep your finger in the soup and it does not burn you - that way you know it's still raw. If you have a normal blender, break down the carrot and squash in the food processor first so it is easier to blend. You'll also want to make sure your nuts are well soaked - at least 4 hours in pure water, and finely chop your apricots. Add more water if needed. Pour into two bowls and garnish with hemp seeds and a swirl of olive oil.

As well as enjoying the changing produce, autumn is a great time to detox the body. After the extravagances of summer - boozy barbecues with friends, garden parties, festivals, holidays and the like - the body needs and deserves a bit of a break. This has the effect of allowing the body to reset itself, clearing out toxins and debris from the colon and digestive system, thus allowing proper absorption of nutrients from your food and ensuring the immune system is in tip top condition to stave off those winter colds and flu. If you are thinking about doing a detox, it's best to do it sooner rather than later, before the weather turns really cold. Autumn and spring equinoxes are traditional times to detox. To help you with your detox I have created a seven day raw food and juice detox plan. The program is delivered to you via email and you simply read through the info book about raw food and detoxing, and schedule your detox on a week that suits you. I have included a full seven day menu plan, plus all the recipes you need, and I have even included done-for-you shopping lists to make it super easy! The plan has been created to fit in with your busy life, and so the recipes are all fast and easy to prepare, and of course, delicious! For more information go to the website.

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x
rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Raw Food Potluck and Workshop Availability

Raw Food Potluck

I spent my bank holiday Monday at a raw food potluck on Hove beach. It was a gloriously sunny day and we had such a beautiful array of raw food dishes to sample and share. The delicious dishes included: Raw cherry chocolate cake (made by me), coconut macaroons with raw chocolate icing, raw chocolate brownies, raw falafels, raw vegan tzatziki, sea spaghetti with tahini sauce & watermelon, mixed salad, avocado, pesto stuffed mushrooms, banana and blueberry cookies, durian ice cream, plantain & blueberry ice cream and more!

I made a little video about it, I hope you enjoy:

Raw Food for Beginners Workshop

The Raw Food For Beginners workshop being held on 15th September still has a couple of spaces remaining.

You will enjoy a nourishing green smoothie as we talk about different aspects of raw food preparation, equipment, time saving tips, food shopping and sourcing, plus we will make and eat a yummy raw food lunch, a delicious healthy dessert, and some raw chocolate truffles for you to take home. You will also get handouts with all the information we cover plus recipes to refer back to at home.

Get £5 discount each when booking with a friend!

You can read more about the workshop and book online, click here to be taken to the page.

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x
rawlifestylecoach.co.uk
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All Hail Kale - My Superhero Green

Kale is the true superhero leafy green food. It is massively high in most minerals, chlorophyll, vitamins, enzymes and vitality. Notably, on a per calorie basis, it provides more iron than beef, and more calcium than milk. It is also high in vitamin C (needed for a healthy immune system and for proper absorption of iron, isn't nature clever!), and the elusive vitamin K (for cancer prevention, bone health and blood clotting). Kale also contains protein, omega oils, and sulphur. Sulphur is known as the beauty mineral as it's great for the skin, increasing collagen production and circulation, regulating sebum production, and aiding in the renewal of cells. It is also important to help the body in detoxification and vitamin utilisation. Obviously kale is best eaten raw to preserve its amazing nutritional qualities.

As you may know, kale is quite fibrous and most people have only ever eaten it cooked. So how can you get more raw kale into your diet? There is a way that raw foodists prepare kale to soften and wilt it. We remove the tough stalks, chop the leaves and massage it with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. As you do this, you will see the kale magically 'cook' before your eyes! It will decrease in size as it releases water and take on a darker green colour and soft texture. You can then mix it with other salad ingredients and your favourite dressing. It makes a really filling and satisfying salad. Or, we mix it with a thick sauce and dehydrate it to make crunchy kale chips. Mmmm...sooo delicious! If you don't fancy it in a salad and you haven't got a dehydrator, keep reading for some delicious recipes that hide the kale completely...good one for the kids maybe..?

Hidden kale and mixed berry smoothie:
1.5 cups frozen mixed berries
2 frozen bananas (or 2 unfrozen bananas and 4 ice cubes)
1 large handful kale
2 tbsp. shelled hemp seeds
4 tbsp. goji berries
1-2 dates to taste if desired
3 cups pure water

Put the fruit in the blender first, then the kale and other ingredients. If you don't have a high speed blender like a vitamix then you may want to remove the fibrous stalks from the kale and chop the dates. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water if it's too thick. Give to your children and smile knowing how much nutrition you are infusing into them!

Pumpkin seed, kale, olive & sun dried tomato pate:
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours or more in pure water
1 large handful kale
1 small handful basil
1 cup pitted black olives, rinsed well
6 sun dried tomatoes (the ones that come in oil. If you have dried ones, soak for a few hours first)
2 tbsp Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, or extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. water
Freshly ground black pepper

Udo's Choice oil is a blend of flax, sunflower, sesame, evening primrose, coconut, rice bran and oat bran oils, plus it has lecithin and tocopherols (vitamin E). This is available in health food shops. If you don't have this then just use olive oil, or flax or hemp oil. Put everything in the food processor and blitz until a coarse pate consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust the lemon and pepper if necessary. Store in an airtight tub in the fridge. Will keep for a couple of days. Eat with raw crackers, wrapped in cabbage or lettuce leaves, with crudités, or as we did, wrapped in nori sheets with strips of carrot, cucumber, pepper, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and shredded lettuce. Mmmmmmm.....!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x
rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Acai power berry smoothie, new raw food workshops and raw cake!

I have been enjoying the benefits of the beautiful acai berry recently. Many of the superfoods used by raw fooders are native to South America, and this wonderful fruit is no exception. It is rich in anthocyanins and flavenoids, both of which are powerful anti-oxidants, helpful in preventing diseases such as heart disease and cancer. These substances also help neutralise free radicals and so have an anti-ageing effect! My favourite way to use the acai powder is in this delicious smoothie:

Acai power berry smoothie:
1.5 cups frozen mixed berries
3 tbsp. goji berries
1 tbsp. acai powder
2 frozen bananas
2 tbsp. shelled hemp seeds
1 tbsp. maca
3 cups pure water

Blitz in the blender until smooth.

I am proud to admit that my raw food enthusiasm is starting to infuse out into my circle of family and friends. It was my brother in law's birthday last week and he requested a raw birthday cake! Of course I could not refuse, I love making raw cakes, and I love giving presents so I couldn't wait to get started! I decided to do a chocolate cake as I knew that's what Dan would like best. So I made a layer of squidgy chocolate cake made from brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, cacao powder, cacao butter, dates and chocolate covered mulberries. Then I made a sticky toffee layer from dates, almond butter and cacao butter. The final layer was a chocolate icing crafted from cacao butter, coconut butter, cacao powder, agave, almond butter, hemp seeds and lucuma. I then made raw chocolates with fillings inside to go on the top of the cake as I wanted it to look extra special. I filled some with almond butter and some with coconut. I will show you a pic of the finished product but I am keeping the recipe a secret for now as I plan to put it in a new book I am working on, so watch this space for more details about that!

Announcing my new Raw Food for Beginners Workshop! You are invited to join us for a fun and informative half day workshop, learning all about raw living foods. Take part in making and eating a selection of dishes including a nourishing raw green smoothie, yummy raw lunch, mouthwatering raw dessert and luxurious raw chocolate truffles to take home. You will also learn about the basics of raw food, equipment, how to set up a raw prep area in your kitchen, food shopping and sourcing, time saving tips, my top 5 most harmful foods and my top 5 most beneficial foods. You will also receive all information printed out in beautiful handouts, recipe sheets, access to a private Facebook group, and a special bonus free gift from me.

The next workshop is taking place in Rusper, West Sussex on 15th September 11am - 3pm.
Places are strictly limited and are going fast so book your seat today! Only £60 including all teachings, smoothie, lunch, dessert, truffles, materials, hand outs and recipes, private Facebook group and special bonus free gift. Book with a friend and receive £5 discount each, two places for only £110!

Book online at: http://www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk/#!workshops/c1krl

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x
rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Strawberry picking and raw carrot cake...

Aaaahhhh....British strawberries, is there anything better? Have you seen the price of them in the supermarkets these days though? A great way to save some money and have a nice afternoon out is to go to a local pick your own farm. That way you also get to choose your own fruit, and you know that it is local to you, which makes it all the more special. David, Max and I managed to find one close to where we live, so we took a trip down there a couple of days ago. Max absolutely loved it and was gobbling the strawberries and raspberries all the way round!

We had a huge basket and managed to fill it up with beautiful ripe fragrant strawberries!

Then we headed over to the raspberry field and had a great time finding the nicest looking raspberries for our box.

So what did we do with all that beautiful fruit? Well we did just eat a lot of it plain and unadulterated which was delicious, but as you know berries have an extremely short shelf life so in order to preserve them a little longer (we obviously picked too much!) I made some raw strawberry ice cream, and some delicious raw raspberry jam.

The jam was so easy to make, just put a cup of raspberries or strawberries in the blender, add 1/2 cup medjool dates and blitz until smooth. Store in a screw top jar in the fridge. Will last for a week or so. Yum!

I always have loads of carrot pulp from making juice. I never throw this away, I put it in a sandwich bag, label it and store it in the freezer until I am ready to use it. I wanted to make a carrot cake with it this time. Warm and spicy with a creamy vanilla icing, mmmm. It turned out delicious! 

Carrot cake:

2 cups carrot pulp (squeeze out excess moisture if possible)

2 cups almond flour (finely ground almonds)

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup soft dates (soaked if dried)

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

Pinch Himalayan salt

Put almond flour, oats, spices and salt in the food processor and blitz to a flour. Add dates and process again to form a dough. Add carrot pulp and blitz again to incorporate. Add coconut oil and blitz again. Finally add pecans and coconut and pulse to combine. Don't process too much as we don't want to amalgamate and break down the nuts and coconut too much, we want to create texture and crunch with these. Put the dough in a silicone mould or a 6 inch loose bottom cake tin lined with cling film and put in the fridge to firm up while you make the icing.

Creamy vanilla icing:

1 cup cashews, soaked 4 hours or more

1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. vanilla powder (or more extract)

2 tbsp. coconut oil

Drain and rinse the cashews. Put everything in the blender and blend until creamy and smooth. You may need to keep stopping and scraping down. You may also need to add a small amount of water if it is too thick for your blender. Just remember we want the end result to be a thick cream icing consistency so don't add too much water. Spread or pipe over the cake. To pipe, it is best to put the icing in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm up. Then put in the piping bag and pipe over the cake. If it firms up too much just leave it out to soften a bit.

Let me know if you make any of the recipes here or in previous posts, and leave me some feedback or ask any questions that come up, I'm happy to help if I can!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie.

rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Summertime Raw Food Ideas

I've been doing a lot of yoga over the past week. I have started teaching in a beautiful local yoga studio, and I also teach two of my own classes per week as well. I love doing yoga outside when the weather is warm like this, it's like doing a hot yoga class but you don't have to pay to heat up a room, plus you get a nice breeze as well!

Max was practicing with me today, his downward dog is coming along really well!

I have felt really drawn to hemp seeds recently. They are by far my favourite seed, and I really feel like they have the power to save the world! They are a complete protein and with a huge 9g per 30g serving, they are the worlds most complete and bio available protein source, and take so much less water and energy to produce than the same amount of animal protein. Hemp seeds are also high in Omega oils 3 and 6. They contain 2.3g Omega 3 per serving which takes care of your daily needs, and they contain 400mg Gamma Linolenic Acid (Omega 6 GLA) per serving as well. The hemp plant is one of the most eco friendly and sustainable crops on planet earth. It is one of the fastest growing crops, ready for harvest after just four months, and the whole of plant can be used, seeds and fibre. The seeds form the most nourishing, satisfying and health giving food known to man. The fibre or straw has many uses, including sustainable building materials, paper and fabric. Did you know that one acre of hemp can produce as much fibre as 4 acres of trees! Another amazing use of this wonder plant is that it can actually be turned into clean burning eco- fuel. Hemp fuel does not contribute to global warming like petroleum does.

Some really great reasons to start adding hemp into your diet today! Here are a couple of recipes we have been eating recently that use hemp seeds:

We started our day today with banana hemp smoothie. Creamy, sweet and satisfying. As it has hemp seeds and protein powder, it makes a satisfying and filling breakfast, but would be great to have after a workout too!

\

2 frozen ripe bananas
2 tbsp. shelled hemp seeds
2 tbsp. Sunwarrior vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. agave
2-3 cups pure water

Put everything in a blender with 2 cups of the water and blitz until smooth. Add more water depending on how thick you like your smoothies, (the consistency also depends on the size of the bananas). You can also use non frozen bananas and a handful of ice cubes. The riper the bananas the sweeter and more flavourful the end result.


This is my super refreshing cucumber and avocado soup. It is light, tasty and toddler and husband approved!

Chilled cucumber and avocado soup:
1 large cucumber, peeled
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. shelled hemp seeds
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Pinch Himalayan salt
6 ice cubes
Garnish:
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced

Chop the cucumber into chunks and put in the blender. Slice the avocado open, remove the stone and scoop the flesh into the blender. Add in the lemon juice, hemp seeds and garlic, salt and ice and blend until smooth. You can add a couple of tablespoons of pure water and blend again if it is too think, it all depends on the size of the cucumber! Pour into bowls and sprinkle with the garnish ingredients, and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.


I hope you get a chance to try these recipes as they're delicious and nutritious!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

Happy International Raw Food Day!

Hi everyone,

This is my first post this month, I have been very busy over the last few weeks here at Raw Lifestyle Coach HQ, developing new recipes, hosting a very successful June retreat and working on a new top secret VIP programme I think a lot of you will love! Stay tuned for updates and sneak previews about that.

Other things I have been up to recently, I went to see the amazing Michael Buble in concert at the O2. It's the second time I have seen him now and it was a fantastic show. If you haven't seen him before, I highly recommend his shows, his charm, sense of humour and stage craft make for a truly unforgettable experience. Oh, and there's glitter and confetti!

My family and I have been loving the long awaited sunshine. A lot of people find it so much easier to eat raw when its warm outside. We have been enjoying refreshing salads, pates, juices and smoothies. I give Max half an hour outside in the morning (before 10am) with no sun block on so that his body can make some vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D stores well in the body, and because we're in the UK where this sort of weather is rare to say the least, I recommend taking advantage and getting out there, exposing as much skin as possible and getting your vitamin D levels up for when the weather goes back to normal again! It is always advisable to stay out of the sun or cover up and wear a natural sunscreen between the hours of 11 - 3pm. We also supplement with a sublingual vitamin D spray.

Here's Max outside getting his vitamin D and enjoying his green smoothie!

As it's International Raw Food Day today, I have a couple of delicious new recipes for you. I'd also like to tell you about the official website for IRFD, http://internationalrawfoodday.com 

Go there and sign up today and they will send you all sorts of free goodies, raw food ebooks, free talks and magazines etc, it's a great thing to be part of. 

We have been enjoying the beautiful organic British strawberries in this delicious smoothie. It also has goji berries in it. Gojis are a true superfood, high in antioxidants, essential fats, and all amino acids, making them a complete protein. This smoothie is protein packed, fruity, creamy and satisfying, keeping you full until lunchtime!

Strawberry goji smoothie recipe:

10 strawberries

1/4 cup goji berries

2 tbsp. Sunwarrior protein powder

1 tbsp. maca

1 tbsp. white almond butter

2 frozen bananas (or 2 bananas and 4 ice cubes)

2 cups pure water

Blend until smooth, starting with 1 cup of water and adding more to achieve desired consistency. Serves two.

How about a delicious sweet treat to celebrate IRFD in style? You could try making my raw banoffee pie recipe! This always comes out perfectly and is a real winner with guests and kids!

Banoffe pie recipe:
Base:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup peruvian carob
2 tbsp. agave
Pinch Himalayan salt

Toffee:
2 very ripe bananas
2 cups soaked dates
2 tbsp. almond butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
Pinch Himalayan salt
Pure water to blend

Cream:
1 1/4 cups raw cashew nuts, soaked 1 hour
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
3/4 cup pure water

Filling:
2 very ripe bananas

Garnish:
Raw chocolate bar

To make base, grind nuts in a food processor until fine crumbs. Don't over process though or you'll start making nut butter! Add the rest of the base ingredients and pulse to combine. Press into a 9 inch loose bottom cake tin lined with non PVC cling film, or a silicone cake mould. Chill in freezer to set.

Put all toffee ingredients in a blender, adding a few tablespoons of water and blend until smooth, adding more water if needed to achieve a thick, smooth toffee cream. Spread this over the base. Slice bananas and arrange neatly over the toffee layer, then put cake back in freezer.

Put the cream ingredients in the blender (after rinsing clean), starting with half the water, and blend, adding more water to achieve a thick whipped cream consistency. Spread the whipped cashew vanilla cream over the banana layer. Grate some of the raw chocolate bar over the top to decorate and pop into the fridge until ready to serve, or go ahead and cut yourself a nice big slice and enjoy right away! Happy International Raw Food Day!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

21 day juice detox - day 21

So last day of the juice detox. I have been eating solid food over the past few days in order to get ready for Max's birthday gathering yesterday, but I only had light raw foods, and still had plenty of juices. In total over the whole experience I lost 10lbs. That wasn't the reason for my detox though, and as I regain my normal diet my weight will come back up and equalise out, as 8st is a little on the light side for my height of 5'5". It was an amazing experience and one I will be repeating, with better timing next time so I don't have a special occasion in the way! As I said at the beginning, if you would like to try a detox like this, please make sure you have proper guidance if you have never tried anything like this before.

We have lots of salads left over from yesterday so that's what  Max and I will be eating today. I also bought a load of pineapples and grapefruits as I was going to make a nice fruit punch but didn't end up having time, so watch this space for some creative recipes over the next few days! I am feeling a fresh salad with pink grapefruit segments, seeds and a tangy dressing of some sort, and a pineapple dessert recipe. Perhaps a pineapple upside down cake with a caribbean twist, and pineapple ice cream. Mmmm...I'm off to start experimenting!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

21 day juice detox - day 20

Max's birthday gathering today. I was up super early and was still preparing food when the guests arrived at 2pm!

I made some raw mushroom and squash burgers with salsa and sour cream, layered russian salad inspired by Tonya Zavasta's gorgeous recipe in the last issue of Funky Raw magazine, taken from her book, Beautiful on Raw, and Max's delicious chocolate coconut cream cake.

Raw mushroom squash burgers:

6 portabella mushrooms, peeled

2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 red onion, chopped

 3 tbsp braggs liquid aminos

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup pumpkin seed meal

First put the garlic in the food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the squash and process until a puree consistency. Add mushrooms and onion and process until a coarse pate is achieved. Add other ingredients and process again so that everything is thoroughly combined. Either just spoon onto paraflexx dehydrator sheets, or do what I did and use a ring mould to shape into small burgers and then dehydrate for 12 hours at 115 degrees. You want the burgers to still be moist in the middle so do keep checking on them. As soon as the tops are dry enough you can flip them onto the mesh sheet and remove the paraflexx sheets so that they dry evenly. 

Salsa recipe:

5 tomatoes, quartered

1 small clove garlic

1/2 red onion

Juice from 1/2 lime

1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt

Finely chop garlic in the processor, then add onion and repeat. Then add tomatoes and pulse until roughly chopped. Mix in salt and lime to taste by hand and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Sour cream recipe:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours or more

juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt

Pure water as needed

1/2 bunch finely chopped chives

Drain cashews and put in high speed blender with a little water (barely covering the cashews). Blitz until smooth, adding more water a tablespoon at a time to achieve the desired consistency. Then add juice from 1/2 lemon and the salt. Blitz to mix, then taste. Add more lemon and salt if it still tastes sweet or cashew like. When you have got the flavour right you can pour into a bowl and stir in the chives by hand. Mmmmm!

Max's chocolate coconut cream cake:
Cake:
1 cup almond flour (almond pulp from making almond milk, dehydrated and powdered)
1 cup buckwheat flour (raw buckwheat soaked 1 hour, dehydrated and powdered)
1 cup coconut flour (can be bought or just powder unsweetened shredded coconut)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup agave
1 large ripe avocado
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut oil
Pinch Himalayan salt

Process everything to a smooth batter in the food processor. Split into two and put into two 8 inch loose bottomed cake tins lined with cling film. Shape in the tin and then take the two cakes out and place onto  mesh dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate for 8 hours until firm but still moist and springy to the touch.

Coconut cashew cream:
3 cups shredded coconut
1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours or more
Coconut water

Put the coconut in the food processor and process until it turns into coconut butter. Remove and set aside. Put the cashews into a high speed blender with a little coconut water (barely covering) and blitz until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the coconut butter and blitz to mix in.

Chocolate icing:
2 large ripe avocadoes
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup agave

Put everything in the food processor and process until smooth.

To assemble the cake:
Put one of the sponge cakes back into the tin. Pour the coconut cashew cream on and smooth over. Put the other sponge on top. Then spoon over the icing and smooth out with a spatula. Ease out of the tin carefully and decorate with cacao powder or shredded coconut or goji berries if desired. I left mine plain just with the number 2 candle.

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

21 day juice detox - day 19

Today I was really busy preparing for Max's birthday gathering which is happening tomorrow. So busy at the supermarket and starting to make some things to go in the dehydrator. Mmmmm....we're having mushroom and squash burgers, layered russian salad, thai salad and Max's birthday cake - chocolate coconut cream cake....YUM YUM!!

I went to my sister in law Shakira's house and she made us a beautiful avocado and mango salad with hemp and pumpkin seeds, which I am going to recreate at home as I have loads of mango and avocado at the moment. She also made a delicious smoothie which was invented by our friend and fellow raw food educator and naturopathic nutritionist, Sarah Barber. Sarah has a nutrition consultancy business and she also runs workshops in raw food and raw chocolate. Her business is called Pure People, you ca check out her site here: pure-people.co.uk The smoothie Shakira made is on Sarah's website. It's called Cherry Garcia and is an amazing marriage of two of my favourite flavours, chocolate and cherry. It was  heaven in a glass, I really felt like I was drinking the nectar of the Gods. You really should try this one!

Here is the recipe from Sarah's website:

1/2 cup frozen cherries
1 frozen banana
2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
2 tbsp. hemp seeds
1 tbsp. agave
1/2 - 1 tsp. spirulina or chlorella
1 1/2 cups pure water

Blend until smooth. Sip and savour like the God or Goddess you are!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk