raw carob and white chocolate balls

I know some of you are avoiding cacao for its caffein content. (even though its caffein is quite different from caffein in other sources such as coffee and tea)
you might love a taste of carob, and you may not. I have to say I like carob but it is not my "cacao"
Anyway mixing carob and cacao butter is my way of getting close to the chocolate flavour we love.
Cacao butter is the fat portion of the cacao nib, which caffein is concentrated in. thus no caffein in cacao butter.

Because Carob is naturally sweet you don't even need to add any sweetener. just a natural energy packed ball, perfect for snacking ;-)

Carob and white chocolate ball

1 cup melted cacao butter

2 cup almond, grounded to powder

1/2 cup raw carob

pinch of salt

extra carob for coating

Process all the ingredients in a food processor and roll the dough into balls. 

coat with more carob powder

fig and balsamic vinegar dressing

I have been using these beautiful balsamic vinegar at the cafe. Fig and balsamic vinegar are such a classic combination. Enjoy this dressing on your favourite salad. It is quite sweet so it would be good to combine with salad with some bitter greens such as rocket or mustard green. 


Fig and balsamic vinegar dressing

ingredients:

1 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

6 large dry figs

1/2 cup coconut balsamic vinegar (if not available use normal balsamic vinegar)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blend all the ingredients together

recipe for raw beetroot and pine nut dip

 I was at the cafe creating a dip for lunch this afternoon. I have been blessed with beautiful pine nuts lately and have been making different dishes, including raw crackers, pesto etc. I was going to make pesto again with rocket but no rocket today and saw a beautiful beetroot in a basket. This is how I love getting the inspiration.   Beetroot is abundant in winter and usually reasonably priced. We love its vibrant colour as well as its powerful blood purifying quality.  

here is a (brief) recipe

2 medium size beetroot, scrubbed clean but skin intact

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup activated pine nuts

1-2 tsp your favourite salt

juice of 1/2 lemonade or lemon

1/4 cup olive oil (optional)

food process garlic, nuts and salt. 

Add chopped beetroot and lemonade juice and process further till your desired consistency is achieved. 

Enjoy with your favourite crackers, bread or vegetables. 

If you know how I make dishes, you know I just don't measure things… so all the measurements are not exact. Enjoy experimenting yourself, have fun with tasting as you go (just don't wear a white top!)

Have you tasted lemonade this winter? It is cross between myer lemon and true lemon. deliciously tangy with a slight sweetness, just like lemonade. 

love

yoko

raw recipe for stuffed tomato with sunflower pate

If You have  come to have dinner with us in April, this is one of our entree dish.  Simple but effective, great for entertaining too.

Stuffed tomato with sunflower pate

ingredients

4 round tomatoes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

sunflower pate

1 cup sunflower seeds,

soaked over night (can be

sprouted )

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley,

chopped

1 tsp tamari, or coconut

amino

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

slice tops off tomatoes. Reserve tops. Scoop out tomato flesh and seeds, being careful not

to break tomato shells. Marinate the shells in balsamic vinegar (I like coconut vinegar,
balsamic style) for a couple of hours. Dehydrated for about 2 hours until tomatoes just start to soften.

Meanwhile make a stuffing
drain and rinse soaked sunflower seeds. Place the seeds in food processor along with
other ingredients and process until it becomes pate consistency. It should still be chunky.
when the tomatoes are ready, Fill each tomato with the sunflower mixture. Dehydrate for
another 2-3 hours until the stuffing has a little crust on top.
Serve with your favourite salad and maybe a drop of green pesto.

December newsletter

The december issue of newsletter is out now. If you haven't registered yet. Please do so and I can send it to you. This month I have attached some info on super fermented food "natto" and recipe for rejuvelac, corn soup (raw or cooked) and cashew and raspberry mousse tart.

newsletter November

I know I have been away from blogging for a while. Sorry!
Please register for my newsletter I have just sent out the november issue. This month an article about adrenal exhaustion (if you feel you are always tired???) and the recipe for creamy green soup and flax cracker.

I will have an exciting news to share with you soon so I will be back soon :-)

raw blueberry jam filled cookie recipe included

I love spending time in the kitchen, especially when I am creating something new. But there is something else I love doing. that's spending time with my daughter.
So when I get to combine the two together it is just so perfect!!!
while our pastry is getting dehydrated we go outside together.

Now that the weather is getting warmer we started doing more in the garden. We have planted many fruit trees including apples, fijioas, nashi pears, red currant, blackberries, citruses, etc etc… My vegetable garden is not too exciting at the moment but still producing wonderfully spicy rockets and other salad leaves like mizuna, chinese greens to pick at the moment.
 Layla sometimes help in the garden but her favourite thing to do in the garden is making things with what she finds.

Layla's fairy garden

raw blueberry jam filled cookie

pastry

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup date syrup

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbs coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt  

Mix almond and coconut flour in a food processor. 

Add the remaining ingrediet and process untiol dough is formed. You may need to add some liquid either water or nut milk.

 with a rolling pin, roll out the dough, about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to desirable shapes. Cut half of the cookies with a circular cutout and half without.

Dehydrate till crisp. (about 10 hours)

assembly

spread about 1 tb spoon blueberry jam on a cookie without the cutout then top with the cutout one.

blueberry jam

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberry

1/4 cup saltana ,soaked in water to soften for 1 hour

1tsp vanilla

blend to chunky consistency. Place in a dehydrator for 3 hours or so till it thickens. 

 have one with your favourite beverage.
the use of the jam is endless. I love it with whipped cashew cream and fresh berries to make parfait, stir in with your breakfast. keep the jam in the fridge.

the date for the next cooking class is set. It is 11th November 1pm -4pm
Please email me to secure your spot
shokuiku.life@gmail.com

raw hazelnut tart with olive tapanade and vegetable spirals

I have been posting many pictures of sweet treats that I have been making. Oh how I am in love with making them. However it is not only thing I make!

If you like what you see make sure you sign up for newsletter. The october issue is to be out in a week or so. Also I will be running a group cooking class in November 11th. Email me if you are interested shokuiku.life@gmail.com

Here is what I had for lunch today. 

Raw hazelnut tart with olive tapanade and vegetable spirals

serves 2

1/4 cup activated and dehydrated hazelnut

1/4 cup activated and dehydrated buckwheat

1 tsp ume vinegar

1/4 cup zucchini

1/8 tsp salt

food process all the ingredients and place the mixture into a ring mold to form a base

Dh for 6 hours

1/8 small zucchici

1/8 beetroot

2 tbs hempseed

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbs lemon juice

spiralise zucchici and beetroot and toss with hempseed , salt and lemon juice

olive tapanade

1/2 cup pitted olives

1 clove garlic

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp thyme

food process all the ingredients till chunky consistancy is achived

Assemble

Place the base then top with the tapanade and vegetable mixture

If you like what you see make sure you sign up for newsletter. The october issue is to be out in a week or so. Also I will be running a group cooking class in November 11th. Email me if you are interested shokuiku.life@gmail.com

raw snickers bar

I have to share this.
a couple of my friends have been talking about snickers bar that they had last week. it inspired me to make this.
Ok this is definitely a healthier version. Not only they are raw. I have only used sweetness from dates.
the caramel was made with dates and also mesquite and lucuma powder which are the key to the flavour.

yum yum :-)

frozen strawberry treat with carob and lucuma syrup

I am welcoming these warm weather!
As the weather gets warmer naturally we crave something light, a bit tangy and cold.  If you crave something that is not so healthy when the time is like this there is a plenty of healthy alternative.
Here I made ice-cream with strawberries, coconut and banana, with hardened carob and lucuma syrup. only sweetened with natural sweetness of fruits...

recipe...

icecream square

2 cups strawberries

1 banana

1 cup fresh coconut meat

blend till smooth and creamy. place the mixture into a mould and a stick each in a middle.

put them in a freezer to harden

when the icecream is ready, make carob and lucuma syrup

2 tbs raw coconut oil melted

1 tbs raw carob powder

1/2 tbs lucuma powder

mix all the ingredients together.

Now take out the frozen square and gently pop them out of the mould. (I warmed the outside just a little bit so it poped out easily)

drizzle the syrup. it will harden on the frozen surface.

definitely something to be eaten outside :-)

raw bread with oats, lotus root and hemp seeds

when I am talking to people who are currently on mainly raw diet, I have noticed common things that they miss. Dairy products and bread.

there are many great raw recipes and products for crackers but raw breads are harder to find.

I am not really a bread person but I do sometimes crave for things that are dry and dense. 

I have made raw bread a few times but this is actually quite nice. 

sprouted and dehydrated oat flour, sunflower meal, dry lotus root, hemp seeds and chia seeds.

heaps denser than mainstream fluffy bread that you may miss... but the texture here is a bit like those essene bread. very satisfying and filling

 

if you are not on my mailing list and interested, please register. you will receive newsletters and free recipes monthly.

raw chocolate cake layered with gojiberry and beetroot vanilla cream

Chocolate cake layered with Giji berry and beetroot vanilla creamRecipe by Yoko Inoue, photography by Adrian Lander and styling by Adair

Ingredients
Serves 6 (3 cakes)

Cake base1 cup activated walnuts
1 cup activated almonds
1 cup sprouted oat flour
1-2 tbs water
4 tbs raw cocoa powder
1 tbs raw carob powder
6 majool dates
2 tbs coconut oil, melted

Method
In a food processor pulse all the ingredients till a dough forms. Press into a round shape using a ring mould,  pack the mixture so it is smooth the top. Remove the ring carefully and repeat until you have 9 bases

Goji berry and beetroot vanilla cream1 cup cashew, soaked for a few hours to overnight
1 cup almond milk
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup goji berry
1/8 cup chopped beetroot

Method
Blend all the ingredients above till smooth.

Ganache100ml coconut oil, melted
3 tsp raw honey
3tbs raw cocoa powder

Method
Blend till smooth

8 strawberries for decoration

To assemblePlace one of the base on a plate and cover the top with the cream
Carefully place another base and repeat with the cream and top with a base
Place halved strawberries on top and drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake
Chill till the chocolate hardens.

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cauliflower sushi on food feed blog

Cauliflower SushiRecipe by Yoko Inoue, photography by Adrian Lander and styling by Adair

serves 4
Ingredients 
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1 tsp ume vinegar
1/4 bunch coriander
1/8 cup almond

Put all the above ingredients in a food processor and blend until the consistency of the cauliflower becomes similar to sushi rice.

4 nori sheets1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced into thin strips
1 cup carrot, julienned
4 lettuce leaves

MethodLayer a nori sheet on a rolling mat, shiny side down. Place a lettuce leaf on nori and put ¼ of the cauliflower all the way across the bottom edge of the nori. Spread evenly, making sure to leave clear about ⅕ of the top.

Place avocado and carrot lengthways on the cauliflower.

Starting with the side close to you, roll the sushi away from you.

Once roll is wrapped, wet your fingers and dab along the top edge to seal; repeat with the remaining. Carefully slice roll into a few pieces.

Tahini and tamari sauce2 tbsp unhulled tahini
1 1/2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp lemon juice or brown rice vinegar
½ tsp grated ginger
Water to thin the sauce if needed

Combine all ingredients and serve with cauliflower sushi.

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make your own miso traditional and chickpea miso experiment

I make my own miso every year. Usually in winter so apparently miso has a gentle start to start fermenting as the temperature is not too high.
If you have made miso yourself before you know that it is not as hard as lots of people assume.  I have always made miso with soy beans but have been wanting to try to make some with chickpeas.
The thing about miso is (like other fermented products) you make it but you don't see the result straight away. It is not up to you. You provide the source and the environment and hope for the best. out of your control! :-) it is kind of philosophical isn't it?
Anyway making miso yourself is great, obviously because of the taste and assured quality. Also it is said to provide you sort of probiotic bacteria that YOU need because the miso was fermented with them in your environment. There are very good quality miso that you can buy in Australia, such as organic MUSO and SPIRAL brands. But if you would like to make some yourself I have included a step to take

Ingredients






soybeans or chickpea 600g
filtered water
Koji 600g
salt 190g plus extra (use good quality salt!)

1. rinse the beans briefly and cover with filtered water over night. Make sure to put plenty of water as the beans expand quite a lot

2 drain the soaking water. (It is not traditional but I have sprouted the beans as you can see. fermentation makes the otherwise hard to digest beans more digestible anyway but sprouting also does the same. it improves nutritional levels too. If you don't want to wait till the beans to sprout that is fine.)

3 cover with fresh filtered water. cook till the beans are beautifully soft to the consistency that you can mash with your finger. I have used pressure cooker for this. It took only 30mins or so but if you are cooking the beans in a pot it may take for a couple of hours. Make sure to keep adding the water.







4 leave the cooked beans in a pot with the cooked water over night. it will encourage all the flavours to be reabsorbed into the beans.

5 Next day prepare koi by mixing together with salt. use your hand so they are mixed together really well.








6 heat the beans once more till it starts to boil. Turn the heat off.

7 drain the beans and start mashing (I have cheated by using a food processor because i was making bigger batch but using pestle and mortar is ideal) reserve drained water and add if needed
It shouldn't be too smooth tough. it is best to leave it quite rough.

8 when the beans are cool enough to handle, about body temperature mix in the prepared koji mix. make sure they are well mixed

9 Now it is time to put the mixture into a container. The important point is to press it down firmly so that no air is trapped in between. It is best to do it in small batches to make sure of this.

10. smooth out the surface then cover with the extra salt.
11 cover with either a cloth or baking paper and put on a heavy weight to press down to accelerate the fermenting process, as well as prevent the air to spoil the miso.

12 you can start using the miso from 6 month if you would like. longer you leave the miso stronger the flavour is.

my gourmet lunch today.raw tart with macadamia cream and nuts free banana and chocolate tart

I usually eat very simply. But today I am in an experimental state of mind. 

So this is what I made today for my lunch. with this kind of raw food it does take a bit of preparation. Soaking , dehydrating does take time and also a bit of planning. But when its done the reward is definitely there!

 tart shells made with almond and chia seed.
fill with finely cut broccoli and red onion that has been soaked in water.
Cover with macadamia cream (simply blend soaked macadamia and water, lemon juice, garlic and seasoning)

then pop them in a dehydrator.

after about 6 hours or so.

then dessert time :-)

I have been trying to cut down the amount of nuts in general.  Raw desserts are the greatest but they tend to contain a lot of nuts and make them quite high in fat. Don't get me wrong. unprocessed fat is so much better than processed fat, especially cooked or deep fried. They oxidise above certain temperature and become quite harmful to your body.

raw unprocessed fat from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, coconut, avocado etc retain much more nutrients and I believe we all need them. 

But sometimes I do go overboard. avocado, nuts and seeds and those coconut butter ohhhh......

anyway this is nut free decadent layer tart.

crust with coconut, pumpkin seeds and prunes

vanilla layer with banana, lucuma and dates

chocolate layer with avocado, dates and strawberries

 

top with chocolate alphabets. how would you spell yours?

cashew dip recipe

Another recipe posted for FoodFeed Blog

this is a simple raw food staple made from cashew. very addictive.

I use it as what you would with cream cheese. goes well with crackers, vegetable sticks, stir in with cooked or raw vegetable pasta or even with soups. Endless options.

Enjoy!

Cashew dipRecipe by Yoko Inoue, photography by Adrian Lander and styling by Adair 

Ingredients
2 cups cashew, soaked for minimum 3 hours to overnight
1 tsp probiotic powder ( I use Ethical Nutrients Inner health dairy free powder)
1 tbs shiro miso
1/3-2/3 cup water

Blend all the ingredients above in a a blender transfer into a cheesecloth and leave the mixture at the room temperature for a few hours to overnight.

Divide the mixture into three. You can experiment with different flavouring but for this recipe I have added the following.

HERB
1/2 tsp spring onion
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp basil (dry)
1 tsp thyme (dry)

GARLIC & PAPRIKA1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

AU POIVRE1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp nutmeg (grounded)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper

apricot and date rolls recipes contributing for Food Feed blog

This is a great snacks to keep which is nutritious as well as delicious. check out the recipe on FoodFeedBlog, blog that I am contributing to.

 as always beautiful picture by Adrian Lander

oat and blueberry cake with banana and caramel filling (raw) eat this for breakkie!

I knew I was in for a treat today. I made a raw oat and blueberry cake last night and put it in a dehydrator.
when I got up I quickly made banana and caramel filling to layer the cake with and that was my breakfast.

Ok. It sounds quite unhealthy, right?
cake for a breakfast? Me?

Not to worry. this is the healthiest, ultimately satisfying breakfast. why eat oatmeal if I can have this!

the measurement is really rough but below is what I used

cake
2 cups sprouted oat flour
1/2 cup sprouted lentil flour
1/2 cup goji berries
4 dates
1/4 cup activated almond
1/2 cup blueberry (frozen)
filling 
1 1/2 banana
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, soaked
2 tbs lucuma powder
1 1/2 tbs mesquite powder
2 tsp cinnamon
 1 tsp vanilla, scraped

I have been trying to cut down on nuts lately. I don't avoid them entirely I love them and I think they contain valuable nutrients. But In raw diet it is easy to consume a lot.
Instead of relying on nut flour I wanted to make something with more grains/ legumes.

Benefits of oats
-high in dietary fibre
beta-glucans found in oats has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol.
high in tocotrienols, which are anti oxidant and inhibits cholesterol synthesis.
-controls blood sugar
oat beta-glucan slows the rise in blood glucose levels
-anti cancer
contais many phytochemicals. Lignans found in oats have been linked to decrease risk of hormone- related diseases.
-reduce hypertension
-regulate bowel function
-high in protein and have a good balance of essential fatty acids
-good source of thiamin, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid and vitamin E. also contains zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium.

contributing on a beautiful food blog.

I have started contributing for this food blog. We will be updating with new recipes regularly so make sure to follow it! grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented people.

http://foodfeedblog.com/post/28315673618/spicy-roasted-cauliflower-with-sweet-apple-and#.UBZfd-2UBhA