Ingredients

• butter or oil, for greasing
• 225g/8oz self-raising flour
• half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a level teaspoon baking powder
• half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 180ml/6¼fl oz sunflower oil
• 225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
• 3 free-range eggs, separated
• 150g/5oz raw beetroot, peeled
• juice of half a lemon
• 75g/3oz sultanas or raisins
• 75g/3oz mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin and linseed)

For the icing

• 8 tablespoons icing sugar
• a little lemon juice or orange blossom water
• poppy seeds, to garnish

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease a rectangular loaf tin (20cm x 9cm x 7cm/8in x 4in x 3in), then line the base with baking parchment.
2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. Beat the oil and sugar in a food mixer until well combined, then introduce the egg yolks one by one, mixing after you add each egg yolk. Grate the beetroot coarsely and fold it into the egg mixture, then add the lemon juice, sultanas (or raisins) and the assorted seeds. Pulse until combined.
4. Fold the flour and raising agents into the egg mixture whilst the machine is on a slow setting.
5. Beat the egg whites until light and almost stiff. Fold gently but thoroughly into the cake mixture, using a large metal spoon (a wooden one will knock the air out). Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, covering the top with a piece of foil after thirty minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness. The cake should be moist inside but not sticky. Leave the cake to settle for a good twenty minutes before turning out of its tin onto a wire cooling rack.
6. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough lemon juice or orange blossom water to achieve a consistency where the icing will run over the top of the cake and drizzle slowly down the sides (about three teaspoonfuls), stirring to remove any lumps. Drizzle it over the cake and scatter with the poppy seeds. Leave to set before eating.

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

½ head of broccoli, divided into florets

1 green pepper, chopped

½ cup barley

½ cup Arborio/risotto rice

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Juice of half a lime

Olive oil

Half of a low-salt vegetable stock cube

• Cook the onion and crushed garlic in the olive oil (with the lid on) until soft.
• Add the broccoli and green pepper and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the barley and rice and stir in about half a litre of hot water as well as the stock.
• Grind in lots of fresh black pepper.
• Cook for about 20 minutes or until the rice and barley begin to get soft.
• Add the basil and the limejuice and cook until the barley is just soft.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Barley has lots of health benefits. It is high in fibre and niacin (a B vitamin), which means it can help lower cholesterol. It is also a good source of selenium, manganese, phosperous, and copper, as well as being high in tryptophan – an essential amino acid that contributes to the production of serotonin and melanin and helps prevent depression and promotes healthy sleep. For more information, see:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127

2oz dessicated coconut

6 tbs applesauce (approx 2 cooking apples)

3 tbs honey

2 tbs sunflower oil

• Mix the sunflower oil, honey and applesauce together.
• Stir in the oats and coconut
• Press into a baking tray and bake at 180° for around 30 minutes. The mixture will still be soft. Mark it into squares and allow to cool in the tray. It will become more crisp and crunchy as it cools.

You can create your own variations by adding chopped dried apricots or dates, raisins, seeds or nuts.

Enjoy!

For this juice you need a mixture of fruits and vegetables.  Always remember the greener the juice the more potent the nutrition.   However to ensure good taste and a hint of sweetness its always good to try to add some fruits in along with your vegetables.

Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any dirt or chemicals. A handy hint for removing any excess residue from chemicals particularly if your produce is not organic is to soak everything in a sink full of cold water and add some freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Do not cut fruits and vegetables too small – cut to a size that fits comfortably into the chute.

When juicing leafy vegetables, roll into a ball and push through followed by harder fruit or vegetables.

Don’t try to juice bananas, avocados or very over ripe fruit – this will clog up the juicer.  Use these only in smoothies.

Pineapple   (Fresh is best   about half)

Celery        (half a head)

Carrots        3 large

Apples         2 large

Lemon         ½ peeled

Ginger         (optional 1 cube fresh root grated)

Serves 4-6

4 Tbsp   Olive Oil

4 big carrots peeled and sliced

½ head celery, sliced

2 red onions, peeled and chopped

big knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

225g red lentils

2 litres vegetable stock

juice of 2 lemons

black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot and sweat the carrots, celery, onions, ginger and garlic for five minutes, without allowing them to colour.

Rinse the lentils in a sieve and then add to the vegetables, along with the stock.  Bring up to a simmer and then cook gently for 40 minutes or so, until the lentils are soft.  Taste and season, then whizz it in a blender or food processor.   At this stage, you could add some more raw ginger and garlic, along with the lemon juice and lots of black pepper.

Taste and serve!

Adapted from recipe by Domini Kemp

Trying to eat healthy?  Why not try these coconut treats!  Healthy and delicious.  They are simple to make and eaten in seconds!

100g almond nuts soaked overnight and drained

200g dessicated coconut

6 dessertspoons agave syrup

2 dessertspoons lemon zest

2 dessertspoons lime zest

Mix in a food processor using the ‘S’ blade

Form into bite size balls

For chocolate lovers, melt some raw chocolate

Dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with some coconut

Refrigerate if you can resist!

Fresh juices provide the body with an abundant source of nutrition all in one power packed punch of goodness!   Into your body in one fell swoop comes vitamins, minerals, live enzymes, and amino acids to name just a few.    The nutrients in juices are absorbed rapidly and efficiently with very little stress on the digestive system.

There are many different combinations of juices to choose from but it is always better to include as many green vegetables as you can and a small amount of fruit to provide a hint of sweetness.

Recipe for juice

3 large cucumbers    

2 heads of celery       

1 to 2 cm in diameter of ginger peeled and finely chopped

1 large or 2 small carrots

1 punnet of Blueberries or Blackberries    

1 large or 2 small apples (Fuji or pink lady red)

1 large pear             

1 whole lime flesh and juice included

For extra green chlorophyll and energy add in 1 large handful of parsley or spinach

This produces about one and a half litres of juice.  For smaller amounts simply reduce your portions of each.

Use locally produced organic vegetables when you can!

1 large carrot, grated

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 mug of red lentils

Olive oil

Optional: small glass of red wine

• Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil with the lid on until soft and transparent.
• Add the grated carrot and chopped celery. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes (and wine) and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the lentils.
• Simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft (they should still have a bit of bite)

Add a splash of water while cooking if the ingredients start to stick to the pan or dry out. You can serve this with pasta, or simply by itself. It’s tasty and filling and best of all – you won’t miss the meat!

Blueberries are one of nature’s wonder foods.  They are full of fibre and packed with juicy goodness and plenty of those antioxidants that we hear so much about.  That’s what makes them blue and purple in colour.  They are a great source of Vitamin C and this together with their exceptional antioxidant activity makes them qualify as a superfood.  A superfood is a food that can offer a multiple of health benefits by eating it.   

Some studies being carried out have shown that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effect of age-related conditions.   In plain terms this means that eating just a handful of these berries every day can help us improve our learning capacity and motor skills.  Another benefit is found in improved vision and protection against failing eyesight.  They are a traditional remedy for both constipation and diarrhoea.  They also can help eliminate urinary tract infections.  And finally they taste delicious!  Try them mixed with other fruits or on cereal with Greek yoghurt or ice cream (The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods).

This tea will relieve that hacking, persistent cough that troubles so many smokers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon flaxseeds
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon

Bring the water to a boil.  Stir in the flaxseed and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then strain. Stir in the honey and lemon and drink.