Kerfir soaked spelt blueberry and vanilla muffins

After a long break from blogging due to pregnancy and also a hectic catering schedule here is a very simple and nourishing muffin recipe inspired by the muffin recipe in nourishing traditions by Sally Fallon, I soaked the flour for 24 hours and once done it is elastic and resembles the texture of sourdough. Soaking grains has many nutritional advantages the main one been easy digestion. If you have every tried any of the eithopian flatbreads or indian breads they are all fermented up to 3 days in water or a culture to make them more digestable, we don't do it much here in the western world but its well worth investgating for your families gut health.
Here is a great little article for more info

3 cups spelt flour (I grinded mine from grain in a thermomix but you don't have too!)
2 cups home made kefir or buttermilk
3 tablespoon raw honey
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 fresh organic eggs
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon seasalt
1 cup blueberries

Method
In a large bowl sift the flour and add the kefir or buttermilk
Cover the bowl with a teatowel and leave in a warm place in the kitchen for 24 hours
Grease a muffin tin with some coconut oil or butter
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Whisk eggs in a clean bowl
Take your mixture that has been fermenting for 24 hours and add the raw honey, coconut oil or butter, vanilla, eggs, baking soda and seasalt
In each little hole of the muffin pan add 4 blueberries then ladle in the flour mixture and add 5 more blueberries on top
Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes
I have added cultured cream to my muffins just before eating which is delicious or have some yoghurt

Turkish eggplants

This recipe came about with 2 eggplants and a bunch of random ingredients I had on hand, it was really delicious and my client has asked for them again on the menu. Eggplant is great for clearing heat in the body also bringing energy to the uterus for women I love eggplant as a great vegetarian base for many dishes and its fleshy chewy texture. Its also great with pasta and in moussaka of course with lamb mince.



2 whole eggplants
1 cup cooked basmati rice
1/2 brown onion, diced finely
1 teaspoon cumin ground
1 teaspoon coriander ground
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
1 zucchini, diced small
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons of currants or dried apricot cut very fine


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Cut eggplants in half and rub olive oil into each one and bake for 25 minutes until tender (can poke a fork through easily)
Set aside
Heat a fry pan with some ghee and fry the onion, ginger and garlic until cooked, add all the spices and stir around releasing the aromas, remove and put in a bowl.
Add the cooked basmati, spice mix you have just cooked with aromatics, pine nuts and zucchini.
Scoop the cooked eggplant out leaving a shell and add the cooked eggplant to your rice mixture, mix around with your hands
now put this mixture back into the eggplant shell and cook for another 15 minutes rubbing some olive oil or ghee on top before baking to keep moist

Serve with white fish or by themselves

Organic ghee

Ghee is a traditional food product that has been used for thousands of years in Indian food preparation and is one of the main ingredients for nourishing women's health and hormones in traditional ayurvedic medicine.

In France and commercial cookery kitchens it is often referred to as clarified butter. As you can see from this photograph above the milk protein starts to bubble up and then separates creating a golden amber liquid which is your ghee. When cooking for our clients and catering we love to use ghee, it is particularly helpful with fertility and conception as part of a natural food diet and I consumed quiet a bit a while on a pre-conception nutritional eating plan and am sure it helped with conceiving my little bub.


If you fancy you can add cinnamon sticks, garlic, a red chilli, and ginger while the cooking process is happening to add some heat and fire to your ghee. In Ethiopia they add these spices to there ghee which enhances flavour and is truly delicious. I keep my ghee at room temperature in a stainless steel container I purchased from a Fijian supermarket in Newtown which is a special ghee container with a little spoon. When making a new batch I usually do 2-3 sticks or organic butter so that it lasts longer.

Start experimenting and adding it to your daily cooking methods. Ghee enhances the flavour of the ingredients and acts as an efficient vehicle for transporting minerals and vitamins to your body. It is rich is essential fatty acids and also good for brain health.


Recipe


2-3 sticks top quality organic butter (makes a big difference in the quality of ghee)

1 saucepan

Spices if you wish - cinnamon, fresh ginger, cardamon pods, garlic, red chilli (just strain at end)


In a medium saucepan add the butter and turn heat up until the butter starts to lightly bubble, then turn heat down to a simmer so that the butter is bubbling and you can see the separation starting to happen, cook for around 15-20 minutes when you see the milk protein floating on the bottom of the pan and the white foam is separating on top.

When cooled strain with a fine mesh strainer and you can keep the crunchy proteins if you wish and eat on toast (a tip from an ayurvedic chef) or throw them away. Use ghee in replacement of butter when sauteing or oil and notice the difference in flavour, taste and texture of foods.


It is super yummy in curries and also scrambled eggs and omelette's!

Gluten free orange and almond hazelnut teacakes

After a longtime away from blogging due to a new pregnancy and nausea I'm now back in the kitchen cooking up a storm!

These beautiful tea cakes are inspired by my nana who provided the main ingredient, succulent oranges that grow in her backyard. Not been a highly acclaimed baker I can testify these are very simple to make and are truly delicious - light and nutty.
It's hard to stop at one (especially when your pregnant!)

We have a new cook on our team the gorgeous Lucia who is an Italian girl specialising in gluten free baking, we may feature some of her recipes on our blog if she will let us!

This recipe can also be converted to a full cake and I'll list instructions below.

You need to start in advance as the oranges take a few hours to cook down.


2 oranges preferably organic as skin is used
250g rapadura sugar (ground into castor sugar in food mill or thermomix) or organic castor sugar
150g ground almonds
100g ground hazelnuts
6 free range organic eggs ( room temperature)
1 teaspoon baking powder


Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Wash oranges and with skin on cook for 2 hours in saucepan until soft
Once cooked pulp in a blender until smooth
In a large bowl beat 6 eggs and add the sugar blending until smooth
Using a wooden smooth hand stir in the nut meals both almond and hazelnut and also add the oranges and baking powder
Mix gently until all ingredients are combined well
Either spoon into cupcake patties we used fancy biodegradable ones we picked up or if you prefer lightly grease a spring form baking tin with some real butter and spoon in the mixture

For cupcake size bake for 20-25 minutes

If using a cake tin bake for 75 minutes until golden

Basmati rice and broccoli jambalaya patties

Yesterday we got delivered a thermomix for home and work, its very exciting to be able to have this new cooking device in our kitchen. This recipe came via a recipe that kind of went wrong in the thermomix because I failed to read the manual before breaking it in. My step daughters are over the moon as they can froth milk and make hot chocolates in it too

You don't need a thermomix for this recipe just a sense of adventure and spirit.

Many cultures and cuisine create whole meals out of rice, this started as a vegetarian jambalaya (a traditional rice dish originating in the Caribbean and used in Creole cooking) in mine I put turmeric, spanish onion, garlic and ginger plus some vegetable stock, paprika and a little chilli with fresh coriander. The next day with the left overs I created the patties.



2 cups basmati rice (low GI)
4 cups vegetable stock (hot)
small knob fresh turmeric and ginger peeled and grated
1/2 spanish onion
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika and chilli powder
fresh coriander


In a large saucepan heat organic ghee or coconut oil and gently saute the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and onion until fragrant. Add the paprika and chilli and stir with a wooden spoon, add the rice and the hot vegetable stock which has been warming in a small saucepan and put a lid on the pan, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Now either eat as is or create these magical patties below.

All you need to do is add 2 fresh eggs and a head of broccoli that has been blitzed in a thermomix or food processor. Form into patties then fry in ghee or coconut oil until toasted golden on either side. It works well if the rice has been in the fridge overnight or at least cool so you can get formation of the rice and egg.

Buckwheat and raspberry pancakes

Here is my breakfast this morning lucky for me I had all the ingredients ready to go. I really like a sweet pancake for breakfast but the beautiful thing about this one is the buckwheat flour is slightly bitter and the raspberry is sour so they make a wonderful marriage.

There is a lashing of organic Canadian maple syrup but that is to you, it might be just sweet enough with the raspberries.

We cook these in bulk so there is left over for afternoon tea or a snack which can be served with some good quality organic yoghurt.



1 cup organic buckwheat flour
1 cup oat/almond/rice milk
1 organic egg
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
extra virgin coconut oil or organic ghee to fry in




In a large bowl place the buckwheat flour and run a balloon whisk through to break up any lumps. Add your egg and oat milk and whisk until combined. Spoon in your raspberries and if they are frozen try and thaw out before hand otherwise it will thicken the batter and not look good at all !

In a cast iron fry pan (or what ever you have) add a little coconut oil or ghee and spoon batter into, once the batter starts to bubble flip over and cook the other side and then serve hot.