Sweet Corn, Potatoes and Homegrown Lettuce

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

10 medium organic potatoes *

4 cups sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)

As much homegrown lettuce available: rocket, spinach, red lettuce etc.

In a steamer pan add 400ml water and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, chop all potatoes into bite size chunks and add to the pan, cover. Steam for 30 mins until soft. When cooked, strain and add to a huge bowl, top with sweetcorn (if frozen just run under the tap until thawed) and add the lettuce. Serve, simple and sweet. 

* I keep the skin on mine because that's where the most nutrients are and it saves time and tastes great. 

Sweet Beet Salad

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

10 medium tomatoes

5 medium cooked beetroot

1 stick celery

1 head lazy lettuce 

2 cups fresh or frozen organic sweet corn 

Blend tomatoes, beetroot and celery in blender or with a hand blender until smooth. Tear lettuce into a huge bowl, pour over the lettuce and top with sweetcorn. (To defrost fast - rinse under hot water). Mix Together and serve. Delicious! 

Sweet Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

(Serves 1-2)

1 large head cos lettuce

500g red grapes

500ml freshly squeezed or bought orange juice (not from concentrate) 

Blend grapes, then add lettuce a little at a time, then add orange juice. Blitz until smooth. Yum! 

Rainbow Rice

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

2 cups (dry) Thai fragrant rice 

In a pan gently wash the rice, drain and add 2.5 cups water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until all water absorbed. Remove the core of the peppers and chop into bite size pieces, mix into rice and serve. Easy. 

Summer Fruits Frosty Smoothie

Ingredients:

(Serves 1 or 2)

3 cups frozen apple pieces

2 cups frozen blackberries and/or raspberries

1 cup pitted soaked dates

500ml water

In a blender add all the ingredients and blend together until smooth. Yum! 

Refreshing Mineral Soup

Ingredients:

(Serves 1)

5 cups cherry tomatoes (slightly withered)

2 large sticks celery

Fresh basil

In a blender add the cherry tomatoes and celery torn into small pieces. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and top with basil. Simples. 

Beat the Winter Snivels Juice

Ingredients: 

(Serves 1 or 2) 

15 large navel oranges (in season this winter)

Use an electric citrus squeezer or just a hand squeezer. Chop oranges in half and squeeze out all the juice into a large jug (It should make about 1.5 litres). Pour into a pretty glass and enjoy its awesomeness! Perfect for preventing the winter snivels. 

Mild Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

1 large white onion

2 cloves garlic

1 large parsnip

2 large carrots

1 medium cooking apple

1/2 orange bell pepper

1 tin drained and rinsed chickpeas

1 tbsp tomato purée 

1 corn on the cob

4 cups rice (see previous post on instructions)

Fresh basil

Spices:

1/4 tsp Ginger

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1/4 tsp Cinammon

1/2 tsp Cumin 

Heated wok with 2 tbsp water, cover with lid. Peel onion, slice finely and dice garlic add to wok. Finely dice carrots and parsnip add to wok, cover. Steam, add more water if required. Finely slice apple and bell pepper add and steam for another 2 mins. Take off heat, add spices combined in pestle and mortar and the tomato purée, stir. Add 400mls water and chickpeas and simmer until bubbling, don't over cook, then allow to sit for 1 hour + (brings out the flavour). Reheat on medium, add corn on the cob and water if needed, cover and simmer for 12 mins while rice is cooking. Serve and top with fresh basil. Perfect! 

Winter Warmer Soup

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

3 sticks celery

1 large leek

3 medium potatoes

3 large carrots

1 cooking apple

2 cups frozen mixed veg (sweetcorn, peas etc) 

Fresh basil

First place all veg (apart from mixed veg) in a large salad spinner, fill with water and wash veg, no need to peel. Boil a kettle of water. Dice the celery and leak, add to a large pan and pour boiling water over the top until just covered. Then chop into cubes the potato, carrots and apple and pour on the rest of the water until covered. Then cover, cook until tender but not disintegrating. Take off the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, drain some of the water into a jug, then blend with a hand blender.  Add the drained water until desired consistency. 

Rinse frozen veg under cool water until defrosted then add to the hot soup. Top with lots of fresh basil.

Sunshine Sharon Smoothie

Ingredients:

(Serves 1)

4 plump squishy slightly transparent sharon fruit (persimmons) *

4 large ice cubes 

100 ml water

In a blender add the Sharon fruit (green tops removed), ice and water and blend on high until well combined. 

Top with fresh mint, wonderful! 

*found very cheaply at my local market (24 fruits for £1! Crazy deal) 

Warming or Refreshing

Ingredients:

15 Medjool dates pitted *

Water

Rich Smoothie:

Add 500ml water and the dates to a high speed blender, allow to soak for 10 minutes, blend on high for 30 second intervals for about 3 minutes until no more floaty pieces are seen. 

Frothy Drink:

Add 750ml water, 4 large ice cubes and dates to a high speed blender, allow to soak for 10 minutes, blend on high for 30 second intervals for about 4 minutes until no more floaty pieces are seen. 

Both delicious, it depends what mood your in, thick and warming or cool and refreshing :) 

* Medjool dates can be ordered online or bought from some green grocers. 

Hint: recipe makes more than shown in the photos so feel free to top up your glass.

Raw Sweet Potato Persimmon Curry

Ingredients:

(Serves 1-2)

1 cucumber 30cm

1 large carrot

1 medium organic green apple

2 sticks celery

1/2 cup raw sweet potato peeled

3 cups red cabbage 

4-6 squishy persimmons (Sharon fruit) *

In a food processor with the grater attachment, grate all ingredients apart from the persimmons and add to a bowl. In a separate jug blend the persimmons with a hand blender and pour over the grated ingredients. Done! Deliciously Refreshing. 

* persimmons fresh and ripe from my local market

Persimmon Platter

Ingredients:

(Serves 1 or 2) 

14 beautifully ripe plump squishy persimmons (Sharon fruit) picked up from my local market for only £2! 

Just dig in to them one by one or remove the leaves and blend into a rich delish smoothie. 

Blackberry Beauty Iced Smoothie

Ingredients:

(Serves 1/2 -1)

1 cup frozen blackberries 

1 banana 

1-2 cups water 

In a blender add all ingredients, blend on high speed until smooth and icy. 

Mango Sunshine Salad

Ingredients:

(Serves 1) 

1 head lettuce

1 courgette 

2 large ripe mangos (squishy to touch) 

1 tomato

Chop up the lettuce into small pieces and spiralize the courgette, add to a large bowl. Score the mango skin and peel off, slice off the flesh (suck the stone and skin) and blend up for the dressing. Pour over the lettuce and courgette, then slice up the tomato and display. Delicious! 

Sweet Fruity Pyramid

Ingredients:

(Serves 1-3)

2 pears

2 apples

7 spotty bananas

300g deglet noor dates 

Sprinkle of cinnamon 

Soak dates in 1.5 cups of water for as long as possible (overnight would be good). Slice pears and apples into thin rounds and bananas into thin strips (lay on side and slice). Blend the dates with the water until a thick paste forms. To display place one layer of pear, then apple, then banana then date paste and repeat until all ingredients are used. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Wonderful!