Two of the things that help me eat a lot of yummy raw food are:

1. The flexibility I give myself to eat high-raw (about 80% of my food) rather than 100% raw.

If, for example, I use a bought vegan pesto and use a few spoonfuls of that on my raw noodles, then that’s OK with me. These few spoons of not raw ingredients will ensure that the rest of my plate is raw. If I put pressure on myself to make a raw pesto when I don’t have the time, ingredients or the interest, then chances are I might find it a good excuse to not eat raw at all and say ’screw it, if I can’t eat 100% aw then I may as well eat beans on toast’!

2. Raw noodles!

When I ate more cooked food, I would eat a lot of pasta: first regular pasta, then I switched to wholewheat pasta, then gluten-free noodles. After all, pasta is quick and simple to make, and yummy too!

Of course, if I ate some cooked pasta now it wouldn’t be the end of the earth (I might not feel so energized though), but I have found from experience that one can quickly slip back into old habits. ‘Just this once’ turns into ‘well, that was easy yesterday, I’ll just have it one more time’ and soon you are eating cooked food when you can quite easily find a simple, speedy, yummy raw alternative that will not leave you feeling sluggish or guilty!

I can’t even count the amount of times when I have been so close to asking Christoffer to throw in some extra pasta when he has been making some, but then I will remember just how simple it is to make a raw version, and save myself a sluggish evening!

So here is a quick recipe for you. If you are in a hurry then use bought pesto. But please do try and get a non-dairy one. Regular pesto contain cheese (usually Parmesan) and this is very acidifying on the body. When our bodies are acidic we are prone to stress and disease. Look in the ‘Free-from’/special diet section of supermarkets and in health food shops for dairy-free pesto.

To make raw noodles you can either just peel strips off a courgette (zucchini) with a vegetable peeler, and then stack the strips on top of each other and slice into thinner noodles. Or you can use a gadget called a Spiralizer/Spirali or use a special teeth-like attachment for a mandolin. The former can be found online (scroll down for stockists), the latter can probably be found in cookware stores.

Noodles with Parsley Pesto
Serves 1 as a main meal or 2 as a side dish

Make noodles from one large courgette (zucchini), stir in some pesto (recipe below), chopped olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, a little salt and pepper and some fresh herbs such as rosemary, basil or oregano. You can also add chopped fresh tomatoes and bell peppers if you like!

Parsley Pesto
Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)

Parsley is high in iron and vitamin C and is also a food source of vitamin A, folic acid, potassium and calcium. This recipe is a great way to add more of this nutritious and tasty herb to your food!

1 cup (tightly packed) parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup nuts/seeds (cashew nuts,almonds, sunflower seeds or pine nuts)
1 large clove garlic
Sea salt (or herb salt) and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Blend everything together using a hand blender, or in a food processor. Give it a taste; add more garlic, lemon or salt and pepper if you think it needs it!

Store in a jar in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.

Stir into pasta or raw noodles, spread on wraps/sandwiches or use as a dip for raw veggies. You can also thin it down with water and use as a salad dressing.

You can find a Spiralizer/Spirali online here:

Råvarubutiken (Scandinavia)

The Fresh Network (Rest of World)

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I am very excited to announce two very cool things!

1. I have just launched an exciting project I dreamed up a few years ago:
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Cafe Inspire: A perky blend of raw cake and inspiring speakers!

This is the place where I will be bringing you raw cake and inspiring events. I will be running both live and on-line events (if it’s an on-line or recorded event then you will be gifted a recipe for raw cake so you can make it yourself!) I don’t have an actual cafe, but will be using various venues around Stockholm, and eventually the world!

2. My first guest presenter is amazing!! In October Kate Magic will be holding 2 raw food classes, full of cutting edge info, gorgeous raw cake (made by Miss Magic!), and lots of lovely books and treats to buy!

So hop on over to Cafe Inspire and find out more!

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I discovered Nakd bars several years ago at a raw food / vegan festival in London. Immediately I fell for the taste, the cheeky packaging (declaring that the bars are “gleefully made in Wales’”) and the nice vibe I got from Natural Balance Foods, the company behind them.

Since discovering their new raw food bars this summer, I have I admit gotten a bit of a crush on this company. I totally love their cheeky little Raw Nakd Nudie bars, especially the Cocoa Orange which offers a perfect little hit of dates, nuts and cocoa (5%, not raw) and tastes truly delicious – and as you know by now, dear Reader, I am rather particular when it comes to my raw treats!.

Apart from the fact these these are yummy-licious raw bars, and are free from dairy, gluten and added sugar, I also love their size. The other bars they do are about twice the size, which is absolutely fine, but having these 35g bars is so very handy. If you are flagging and need a quick boost of energy then one of these bars will keep you going until your next meal. And if you have longer to wait, then eat two! Or three!…

I like to make sure I always have one or two of these in my bag to turn to either when I am hungry, or need a boost of energy, or am out and about and want a raw treat while other people are tucking into cakes and cookies.

So I have been enjoying these on planes, in cinemas (perfect with a carton of Coconut Water, a true treat!), walking down the street (I don’t usually like spoiling a perfectly good eating occasion by walking at the same time, but sometimes we busy girls need to eat on the run), in a park with a take-away peppermint tea, in the car, at my desk, on a walk in the woods…!

Apart from the lovely Cocoa Orange, you can enjoy these bars in the form of: Cashew Cookie, Ginger Bread, Pecan Pie. I think the names are so perfectly descriptive that I don’t think you need me make you drool onto your keyboard by going into too much detail; the best thing to do is try them for yourself.

You can find these cheeky little bars on line from Natural Balance Foods >>>

You can also find them in health food stores and other well stocked shops such as Goodstore >>> on Södermalm in Stockholm – perfect for enjoying in the park next door, or treat yourself to some coconut water (also from Goodstore) for a perfect cinema combo!

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I have just returned from a perfectly dreamy week in the UK. Of course the weather didn’t exactly suit the summary wardrobe I had packed (when I left Sweden the temperature had been reaching the 30s (celsius) (over 86 F) for over a week), but then again the UK is not somewhere you go to to get a sun tan!

What made it so dreamy was my family and the things we did. From just spending a whole day drinking tea and chatting with one of my sisters, to celebrating her birthday with the whole family, to lounging in a health club, going on a yummy shopping spree (a rare event for me to buy clothes and not food!), and a lovely trip to the welsh hills and coast, all mixed in with laughs, hugs and lots of love.

When I stayed with my older sister, we started the day with a fantastic breakfast. First I would make a smoothie using the strawberries from my sister’s garden, and she would make a pot of Pau D’arco tea (great for preventing and fighting infections, excellent when traveling I find) and her gorgeous chocolate ‘power bars’.

Now, we had a bit of a light-hearted disagreement about these power bars. We both agreed that they are out-of- the-universe tasty and satisfying, but I felt that ‘power bars’ sound far too functional and not yummy enough. ‘Superpower bars’ would probably be more apt…because they are chock full of nuts, and raw cacao and nibs, and gojis and dried fruit, and coconut; and not only do they give you a great energy boost and keep you going until lunch time, but they also give you a cheeky little buzz.

And so we would spend the mornings first slurping our banana and strawberry smoothie, that for some reason tasted like a yummy bubble gum, or candy floss (could be thanks to the home-grown organic strawberries), and then chit-chat all morning over our tea and ’superpower bars’. And then to spend the rest of the day ‘doing lunch’ or shopping or soaking in a jacuzzi… well, I smiled constantly for a week!

So, I would love to share with you, not only this nice ritual, but also the recipe for the smoothie. I will see if I can extract the recipe for the ‘(super)power bars’ from my gorgeous sister. In the meantime you will just have to use your imagination with the help of this photo!

Candy Floss Smoothie
Serves 2

• 2 bananas
• about 1 C (500 ml) of frozen strawberries
• water
• a pinch of vanilla powder or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I haven’t had a strawberry and banana smoothie that was as dreamy as this before, so I think it is due to some key things, so follow these instructions carefully!

First, you need to select the perfect banana. It needs to have a few brown flecks on the skin, to make this a yummy and rich smoothie. (I made this with a not so ripe banana one day, and it really wasn’t as amazing!) Peel these, break in to chunks and pop in your blender. Now add enough water to reach the 1 cup (500 ml) mark on the blender jug. Add the strawbs and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy.(I started by pulsing for a bit to get things going and this seemed to make it nice and frothy) Pour into a pretty glass and share with someone you love!

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When I was younger I was a girl guide. Yep, complete with blue uniform and life-saving badges. I think I stopped going when I got old enough to be aware of the lack of ‘cool’ factor about this activity. But I did learn one thing from my experience as a helpful, if not rather mischievous little girl guide, and that is from their motto ‘Be prepared’.

If I could only give one tip to help people succeed at eating yummy, healthy, energizing food it would be just that: be prepared. We need to plan a little and think ahead to make sure that we always have access to the food that best serves us. If not, then when energy levels drop, or hunger strikes we are at the mercy of convenience stores, vending machines, or the nearest restaurant, which may not even have a salad bar.

If, however, you have thought a little ahead then you will have something to snack on to keep you going, keep your mind alert and keep you away from life-draining temptations. And this pre-planing doesn’t even need to entail a lot of work. Just by buying or ordering in some suitable snack bars to keep in your handbag or desk, you are giving yourself a much better chance at staying true the foods you know keep you happy and healthy. Of course fruit is a great option too, but it’s also good to have something with a longer shelf life so you can have some emergency stashes dotted around your person/office/car/home.

This week I tried a great bar from Juice Mastercalled ‘Veggie Juice in a Bar‘. As they say themselves ”It’s juice…but in a bar”. Made from 100% raw vegan ingredients this yummy, moist bar is packed full of goodies such as dates, almonds, wheat grass juice, green vegetable juice, sea vegetables and algae. No nasties in this bar what so ever. Just yummy goodness, and that’s what we want, right!? Of course, you can’t beat freshly juiced veggies, but having them so conveniently stored in a bar is a fab idea

I liked this bar, not only because it’s packed with juicy raw goodness, but also because all the green seems to balance out the sweetness of the dates. So although it tastes sweet, it has a more of a sweet-savoury taste. I didn’t feel over-sugared by it either, as I can sometimes feel from date based treats.

It has a nice balance of carbs and protein so would make a great snack before or after working out too. I will be stocking up on these for sure. And I am not the only one who has a soft spot for these bars. Last year they won the Best New Food Product Prize at the Natural and Organic Awards.

The bar also comes in a super fruit variety containing acai and goji berries, which I will want to try next. Purely in the name of research, of course!

Oh, by the way, my bar was sent wrapped in paper, which seems to be a good idea as the paper absorbed a little moisture from the bar. So you may want to wrap this bar in a tissue or something if you keep it in your handbag, in case it leaks a little juiciness. I am queen of having to peel squished raisins and the like from my dairy or mobile phone, or tying to get rid of other squashed food stains from inside my handbag, so I can definitely recommend a little preventative action here!

Stock up with a box of the yummy Veggie Juice in a Bar and Super Fruit in a Bar from Juice Master here >>

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Finally, finally the winter grey has disappeared! Gone are all traces of snow, frozen lakes, sleeping trees, and scarily high heating bills. Now I am treated to lush green trees, gently scented blossom, gossiping birds, fluffy bumble bees, and a cheery sun. Just ten days ago I had to wear a warm hat and gloves when I was out for my doggy walk, so now that I can pad around bare foot and in summer clothes, I am truly blissing out!

So, to celebrate the arrival of life here in Sweden, I would love to share with you a yummy, cooling recipe from my e-book ‘Loving Life-Loving Desserts’. In fact this is the dessert that made it to the front cover of my e-book!

This frozen dessert is one of six super quick, easy and yummy ‘Ice Dreams’ that I have included in my book. No ice-cream machine needed! If you have a freezer and a food processor you are all set. Pre-freeze the bananas over night or so and when the urge calls throw everything into the food processor and you have a gorgeous dessert in about 5 minutes (including washing up!). Now how cool is that? (ha ha!) And if that wasn’t enough, this dessert is fat-free, and also free from added sugar, dairy, nuts and soya! You can perhaps see why I eat this dessert all the time!

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

Blueberry Ice Dream
Serves 2-3

6 frozen bananas (slice and freeze for at least 12 hours)
1 cup frozen blueberries
Small pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla powder / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Allow the bananas to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor to make a soft and smooth ‘ice cream’. This may take a couple of minutes, and you will need to stop it a couple of times to scrape down the sides. Serve immediately.

Enjoy this delicious frozen desserts as it is or top with goodies such as:

• Raisins or goji berries
• Chopped nuts (raw, not roasted)
• Dried coconut
• Sliced fresh peaches or berries
• Fresh fruit salad (see page 41 of my e-book)
• Chocolate chips, carob chips or raw cacao nibs
• Agave or maple syrup
• Fresh raspberry sauce (see page 26 of my e-book)
• Nut moja (see page 27 of my e-book) or whipped soya cream
• Chocolate or carob sauce (see page 28 of my e-book)
• Peanut butter dough (see page 30 of my e-book)
• Mix yellow raisins, chopped dates, gojis, raisins – so pretty!
• Melted dairy-free chocolate. Drizzle this on your ice cream. It sets and goes all
crispy.

‘Loving Life – Loving Desserts: 43 delicious, but secretly healthy, recipes to make you smile’ is available from www.miss-best.com

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I have two things to mention before I lead on into this post’s yummy recipe. First, I just wanted to explain that I haven’t lot interest in my blog or anything. You may have noticed that I haven’t been blogging as much as usual. I am currently making some exciting adjustments to Miss Best ) and I have also been busy working on a lovely free product for you (more details on both of these things shortly). So I do hope you’ll forgive me!

I also wanted to announce the results of the prize draw to win a copy of my e-book ‘Loving Life-Loving Desserts’. The winner has been chosen at random from those of you who entered into the draw after recently taking part in my survey. So a big congratulations to ‘P.L. Maples’! I hope you will love the recipes and the desserts that you make from them! And a big thank you to the rest of you who so kindly took the time to give me your feedback, and let me know how I can tailor my gifts to help you. I have also drawn the winner for the slightly different survey that I announced in my newsletter, and will be announcing the lucky recipient next week.

Now, I know that many of you have said that you enjoy my raw food recipes, so I hope you wont be disappointed when I share this cooked recipe today.

The reason why I am sharing a cooked recipe is that I, like many of you, am not 100% raw. It is often easy to overlook the cooked side of food when we spend so much energy and attention on figuring out what raw food to eat.

So I love to explore what cooked food can help support my high raw diet. This recipe has been doing just that.

As I am sure many of you will agree, bread and wraps are a really convenient food. You can make a sandwich or a wrap in a few minutes and have something tasty and satisfying to keep you going. Now, unless you are disciplined and productive with your dehydrator, (ahem – I can’t say that I am!) then you are left with choosing between perhaps regular bread/wraps or a lettuce/cabbage leaf if you want something sandwich-like.

(If you would like a recipe for yummy raw, dehydrated crackers, you can find one here)

On some days – especially in cooler weather – I really don’t fancy a 100% raw wrap. Well I would if I had a raw dehydrated wrap to hand! It’s just that I don’t always fancy a lettuce leaf around my lovely raw filling. Sometimes I want something more bread like, and I don’t want to eat a regular wrap or bread as I do my very best to avoid gluten.

So this is my solution to the problem. A yummy, gluten-free, quick and easy crepe, which can be made either as a savoury wrap or as a yummy dessert crepe that can then be filled with 100% raw goodies, giving you a high-raw meal.

RECIPE

Gluten free Crepes
Makes about 4 crepes
Feel free to double the recipe. Freeze any uneaten crepes!

Basic recipe:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons potato flour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
About 1 ¼ cups water

For extra yummy savoury wraps: add 1-2 teaspoons herbs such as oregano and basil. You can also add a little chili powder, and even ½ teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin powder if you wish.

Sweet crepes:
Add ½ tablespoon maple or agave syrup and 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or cinnamon.

To make the crepes:

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Heat your frying pan to a semi-high heat. If you are using a good quality non-stick pan then you don’t need any oil. If you are not using a non-stick pan then I suggest you use some coconut or rapeseed oil.

Whisk the water into the dry ingredients so that you get a smooth batter. You don’t want it to be too thick. Add the syrup, if making sweet crepes.

Pour in a little of the batter, and swirl the pan around. You are aiming for a nice thin crepe so that when you add your raw filling you will end up a meal that is mostly raw with just a little cooked!

When the crepe sets on top, gently flip over a fry for a few more minutes.

Repeat with the remaining batter. Eat immediately, if possible.

Here are my favorite fillings:

Fill with any of the following. I tend to go crazy and have a bit of everything!

Sweet crepes

These are wonderful for a weekend breakfast. Just promise that you will fill them with yummy healthy raw goodies!

- fruit salad or sliced fruit and berries e.g. banana and strawberries
- agave syrup or maple syrup
- fresh lemon juice
- raw chocolate spread (Mix raw coconut oil with agave syrup and raw cacao powder) or melted raw chocolate.
- raw Ice Cream such as my Chocolate Ice Dream
- raw vanilla sauce (see recipe in my e-book)
- yummy raw nuts such as pecans

Savoury crepes/wraps

- avocado slices or raw nut cheeze
- Parsley pesto (find the recipe here >>)
- salad leaves
- olive oil or nice raw salad dressing
- raw spicy salsa
- sliced veggies such as cucumber and bell pepper
- diced tomatoes
- yummy raw nut burgers with raw ketchup (I will give you a recipe for this very soon!)

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If you read my last newsletter then you will know that we have been redecorating our living room. Hardly front page news, I know, but the reason why I am sharing this with you is twofold. One reason is that the gorgeous colour of our walls reminded me so much of a recipe that I wanted to share it with you (see below), and number two is that doing something so ‘mundane’ as redecorating has triggered such huge changes in other areas of my life.

Even before we came to look at the house in December 2008 I took in instant disliking to the living room. The walls were an orange-salmon colour, and the wooden floor and ceiling had an orange tint to them from age, so that the overall effect was, well, rather orange!

However, since we had more urgent projects to take care of when we bought the house, changing this livable, but hideous, room wasn’t a major priority. I realize now that it should have been. Even though we used the room (mostly in the evenings) neither of us actually enjoyed being there, and if Christoffer wasn’t in there, then I would prefer to sit at my desk in my studio than sit in a boring orange room!

So one weekend, a few weeks ago, we could stand it no more, and by the following weekend we had already made a start on ‘project de-orange’. Even though we didn’t finished the project in one day, merely making a start sparked something in our lives. On a practical level, the little furniture that was in the living room (we hadn’t really made ourselves at home there, so there wasn’t much) was relocated during the renovations. But their new homes suited them so well, that suddenly our other rooms had a whole new feeling and function, and our house is consequently feeling more of a home.

But on a more subtle level, we noticed several changes. Firstly, we both felt that we had finally honoured ourselves and that we felt that we ‘deserved’ a nice room. This recognition of our self-worth has trickled into other areas of lives, and I know for sure that my tolerance towards things that don’t serve me well has reduced considerably, and I am making changes to ensure that I treat myself as well as I should.

Secondly, within the following few days opportunities somehow presented themselves to allow me to tick off several big things that had been on my ‘to-do list’ for months. It was really weird. I didn’t have to initiate anything all I had to do was accept the opportunities that we presented to me. And I am not going to even start on how good it feels, for example, to get my accounts in order, or get the car finally fixed and how clearing that mental clutter is allowing new things to grow.

And all these small things are in turn triggering other things inside me, so I feel that there are more exciting changes ahead, both at home and within my business!

The living room is nearly finished, but is still looking like a bit of a building site, so I can’t share any photo’s with you today. I admit that it is a bit trying living around a half-decorated room, but I have been using my techniques for making effective changes that I shared in April’s newsletter to keep me focused, and stop me loosing my enthusiasm.

What I can share with you, however, is that two of our walls are now such a beautiful colour that I just wanted to grab a straw and stick it into the paint bucket and slurp it all up. I haven’t become a paint junkie or anything, it’s just that it looks just like a gorgeous blueberry smoothie. Such a sexy, rich purple colour!

Blueberries are such brilliant a source of anti-oxidants and are just so tasty. I am very lucky because when they are in season, I can pick them from our neighbouring woods. I often munch on them during my walks with Pixie the dog, and she loves them too!

So, dear Reader, here is a recipe for a super quick, yummy and nutritious smoothie for you. Just remember to drink it and not smear it on your walls!

Blueberry Smoothie
Serves 2

2 cups nut milk (you can find a recipe for this in March’s newsletter)
1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 large bananas (you can use frozen ones for a super thick and creamy drink)
A pinch of vanilla powder, or a few drops of vanilla extract
Ice (if not using frozen fruit and berries)
Half an avocado (if not using frozen bananas and you want a richer smoothie)

Blend it all up and enjoy!

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A few weeks ago I managed to do something, I hadn’t previously achieved. Did I get through the day without eating a single avocado? Nope. Did I get round to finally sorting out that box of memories that I have moved from house to house to house for the past 10 years? Afraid not. But what I did do, for the first time ever, was to use up the contents of the organic veg box we get delivered in almost one go. Usually, after we have gleefully devoured the crisp lettuce and fragrant tomatoes, turned the firm green courgettes into raw noodles, and made something creative with the tasty mushrooms, there will be one vegetable that sits in the fridge until either I have found out what it is, and how to prepare it, (I had never come across Black salsify root for example), or I have the inclination to use up ‘yet another celeriac’, when we have received one a week for the past 6 weeks!

But on this day in mention, I was utterly delighted to open the box and instantly know what we were going to have for dinner that evening. In fact, when I emptied the contents on to the kitchen counter, I felt just like a chef from the TV show Ready, Steady Cook! when they are presented with a bag of ingredients and have to make something using all of the food, plus a few store cupboard staples.

The organic goodies we received that day were:

broccoli

onions

mushrooms

ginger

carrots

lime

apples

courgette (zucchini)

bell pepper

avocado (OK so I didn’t use that in the meal, but I NEVER need to think about how to eat those green beauties!)

lettuce – ditto

And since I had been craving sea vegetables of some sort, I thought it would be a perfect occasion to make an Asian inspired dish. Imagine a stir fry, without frying it. So, more of a ’stir’ than a ’stir-fry’ then!

So here is the recipe. It’s a bit of a bonus recipe, because you can use the various components in other dishes. Marinated mushrooms, for example, make an exceedingly good addition to salads or sushi (or nori rolls). The marinated broccoli makes a great side-dish or snack, and the marinated arame makes for a yummy way to include more mineral rich, cleansing seaweed into your beautiful body. The courgette (zucchini) noodles are fantastic in salads, or eaten instead of spaghetti or egg noodles.

Miss Best’s ‘Stir don’t fry!’
Serves 4

Marinated arame (see recipe below)
Marinated broccoli (see recipe below)
Marinated mushrooms (see recipe below)
Asian style salad (find the recipe here)
Courgette (zucchini) noodles (see recipe below)

Place the noodles onto plates. Mix everything else together and serve on top of the noodles. Top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a little fresh parsley or coriander.

To allow time for your veggies to marinate, I recommend you make this meal in the following order:

1. Start by putting the arame to soak
2. Make the broccoli dish
3. Make the marinated mushrooms
4. Rinse, drain and marinate the arame
5. Make the asian style salad
6. Make the courgette (zuchini) noodles

Marinated Arame

2 cups arame (not usually strictly raw, but still super healthy!) or raw sea vegetable or your choice
2 cm piece ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon tamari
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon (preferably an organic or unwaxed lemon)
1 tablespoon cold pressed sesame oil

Soak the arame in warm water for about 10-15 minutes (or until soft). You can leave it soak while you prepare the rest of the dish. Drain and rinse the arame, put into a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes. Keeps for about 2 days in the fridge in a lidded container.

Marinated Broccoli
This is a simplified version of my popular curried broccoli

One small head of broccoli
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Wash your broccoli. Cut off the stem and trim away any hard knobbly bits, then thinly slice the stem and the head. Place in a bowl and pour on the lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper and give it a little massage. Allow to marinade for about 30 minutes.

Marinated Mushrooms

1 box of mushrooms (about 250 g / half a pound)
Half a small onion, thinly sliced (optional)
½ cup tamari
1 clove garlic, crushed

Wash and dry the mushrooms and thinly slice. Place into a bowl together with the onion, and stir in the tamari and garlic. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes. Store in the fridge in a lidded container for up to 3 days.

Courgette (zucchini) noodles

Allow about half a courgette per person for this dish. Make into noodles using wither a special tool called a spiralizer, a mandolin with a teeth-like attachment, or by cutting into strips using a vegetable peeler. For the latter, stack the courgette ribbons on top of each other and then cut into noodle-sized strips.

Place in a bowl and drizzle on a little olive oil or sesame oil, a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

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Oh, I am just crazy-bonkers about avocados. So rich and yummy, and incredibly versatile! I have heard some people state that they don’t eat avocados as they are high in calories and fat, and then they tuck in to a bag of crisps (chips)! Yes, for a fruit, they are rich in healthy fats and calories, but when you eat natural, raw, mono saturated fats, your body processes them in a very different way than the fats you will find in animal products or cooked, or processed food. Plus, they are full of goodness, and are a good source of vitamin E, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin K, beta-carotene, fiber and folic acid.

I usually eat about 2 avocados a day. We are all different, and some people may not feel energetic after so many, but (so far) I feel great from it, and love the different ways I get to use them:

In smoothies to make them rich and filling
In Life-Loving desserts (like the ones in my e-book)
On (raw) crackers or bread (with a little sprinkle of salt) instead of butter or cheese
In sushi or nori rolls
In a fruit salad
On it’s own with a little lemon juice
In salads to add richness and substance
In dips and dressings
On pizza, instead of cheese

Having avocados around really helps me keep to a high-raw lifestyle. If I don’t have something ’substantial’ in the fridge such as a raw pate, or nut cheese (and if I can’t be bothered to make one) then an avocado will really boost my meal in both the satisfying and the taste department!

Recently, I heard Kate Magic mention using cacao in guacamole, and in a shot I was in the kitchen fondling my lovely avocados to find a ripe candidate for surely such a perfect combination. I like her idea to not just use cacao in sweet foods, so that you can have the cacao goodness, taste and – let’s be honest – hit, without having a dessert, if you are not in the mood for one (yes, even I don’t always want a dessert!)

So, dear Reader, I share with you today a recipe for Cacaomole, and one for Guacamole.

I have split the recipe up here so if you don’t think you will fancy the cacao-spiked version, then you can enjoy the calmer version (also known as Guacamole) just as much.

Also, if you want to keep things simple, in both time, ingredients and effort you can eat this as it is. But I have also added a list of delicious extras that you can add to really boost this dish, in terms of taste, texture, and nutrition.

And finally, for those of you with access to superfood powders, there is a little suggestion of what you can add to this dish to add an extra whooosh!

Guaca/Cacaomole!
Serves one, maybe two, depending on if you are as greedy as we are!

Guacamole – Basic recipe:

1 large avocado
1 small clove garlic, crushed
¾ tablespoon lemon or lime juice, or to taste
salt and black pepper, to taste

Very yummy additions:

I add all of these, but feel to pick and choose and will!

1 small tomato, diced
Sprig of parsley or coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds – mineral and protein rich with a yummy crunch!
2 sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in water, if not stored in oil), chopped
fresh or dried chili, to taste
4 olives, stones removed, and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed (or ½ teaspoon ground coriander)

Make mine a Cacaomole!

Add 1.5 teaspoons cacao powder

Superlove, me baby!

For a super-dooper nutritional boost, add any, or all of the following, which you will find in on-line raw food shops such as Råvarubutiken (Scandinavia).

½ teaspoon purple corn – high in antioxidants
½ teaspoon reishi mushroom powder – great for the immune system
1 tablespoon goji berries – high in vitamin c, contains B vitamins, and all of the essential amino acids
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes – high in B vitamins, also adds yummy savoury taste. (Not raw. Folks in Sweden can buy this online from Goodstore or at their store in Stockholm.)

How to make it

Mash the avocado with a fork, and stir in the remaining ingredients. If you are making a large batch of this, you can whizz up the avocados in a food processor, but stir in the extras by hand to maintain the contrast in texture.

Divine served in a nori roll with strips of cucumber, carrot, red bell pepper, apple and some green leaves and sprouts e.g. alfalfa or sunflower sprouts.

Or, you can serve as a dip with yummy raw veggies.

And, of course, you can serve with Mexican food!

** note, if your avocados are the not the best, and are a little pale and watery, you may want to add 1 teaspoon olive oil, to add a little richness. If using cacao, then ½ teaspoon agave syrup will help your naughty avocado regain a sense of roundness!

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