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.

Share on facebook

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.

Share on facebook

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

take a break from your busy life a little

when people ask me how I have been or how the week has been I have caught myself saying "great. busy but being busy is good for me" most of the time.
When did I start thinking that being busy is good for me I don't know.
It is easy to lose touch with ourselves when our busy everyday routines leave us no time to think and to realise how we are surrounded by beautiful  pleasurable things everywhere.

My daughter is nearly 9 years old now. She knows I am busy with work and it robs our time together that we used to have when I was not working. I am so fortunate to have her support and patience. One day after school we came home and as usual I started to think what I need to do. She came in a bit later and said to me. " mum, can i say something?" I asked what it was. She replied "Look, I have been making a boat" She showed me what she made with leaves and flowers she picked from our garden. Then she continued "Mum, I would love it if you would make one with me" I was about to say "No i can't. I have to do some work" but I didn't. I said ok and sat down with her to make a boat, just like what we used to do. We used to collect little nature things and made all sort of things. boat, bouquet,  pretend meals, house etc. I have forgotten I wonderful it was.
We made a boat each with little flowers inside and we placed them in a paddle just outside our house together.
Thanks Layla for reminding me

 "There is more to life than increasing its speed." 

--Mahatma Gandhi

"When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another - and ourselves"
--Jack Kornfield

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

interview by a guest blogger Vienda Maria

You may remember a beautiful post by a guest blogger Vienda maria
I have an honour to interview her to share with you. If you haven't already have a look at her site. You can learn a lot from just reading the posts!

So here we go

1. you are working on “building your own business and blog website guide”. why did you start on this and why do you think it is necessary for people to have a guidance and support for this community

I once read a business book by two very switched on guys called Rework and a point that really stuck with me was that there is no such thing as waste. All experiences and processes we go through are valuable, not only for ourselves but also to help others. When I first create my online presence I didn't have a clue what I was doing and therefore did enormous amounts of research and learnt so much form many different sources in order OT be able to build the image and brand that I wanted. After some time other bloggers and friends started asking me how I did it so I decided to compile a little e-guide with everything I have learnt from the process so far. For me clearly my site is an ongoing project and I'm no web whizz but I can share what I know and that's how the Create Your Own Business Blog guide was born. I've finished the copy and just have to start working out the design so hopefully it'll be available soon!

2. Do you have a favourite blog post that you have done 

I'd say my favourite post at the moment is What's For You Won't Pass You By

http://www.viendamaria.com/2012/01/whats-for-wont-pass-b

3. Do you have a favourite blogger 

There are so many fantastic bloggers in so many different facets that I adore and admire so there's no way for me to choose a favourite. I really appreciate all the talented people who share their unique gifts and viewpoints on the web with all of us.

4.How do you find your own voice, do you read lots of other bloggers fro inspirations and ideas? 

Finding my own voice was certainly a process but I've come to realise that I write the best when I am completely myself, authentic and voicing my own opinions, thoughts and ideas without worrying what others may think. For me, reading other people's work doesn't influence my own writing, I think if it did my writing style would change and would no longer represent who I am and what I want to say.

5.Were you always a spiritual person?

I believe we are all spiritual beings enjoying a physical experience. Whether we connect with that spiritual part of ourselves or not is entirely up to each of us. I personally went through an enormous inner transformation in my early 20's where I became clear on what is true for me in a metaphysical sense and how I connect with my inner source which changed my life. 

6.What degrees and training do you have? and having that helps you in any ways? any particular course you did that you’d recommend to people

I have a degree in psychology and have studied life coaching, NLP, Reiki and read a lot of books on personal development and so on. I love to learn and continue to do so every day and really value the studies I have undertaken but I don't believe that there is one route that suits everyone. There are so many ways to learn and the greatest lessons come from life experience. If I were to recommend something to people I would say, learn to listen to your inner guidance system. Your connect to source or spirit or whatever you would like to call it. That is where the truth and wisdom for each and every one of us lies. Courses can be a valuable way to teach us what we want to learn and confirm the wisdom that already lies within you but I don't believe that they are a mandatory way to move forward and succeed in life.

7.You have travelled extensively and you are away again. how does it help with your personal development. do you dream about settling down at one place?

Do you have a place that calls home?

Everyone is different. I was born into a nomadi life so travelling is simply a part of me. It's in my blood, it's my life. I love the sensation of being between places. Travelling opens our minds, our hearts, our perceptions of life and the diversity that exists on this planet. It makes us more accepting of ourselves and of others, recognising that there are many ways to be happy and live a good life. Travelling teaches patience, letting go of expectations and trusting that what is happening is exactly what is meant to happen. It also shows us how good, kind and generous human beings across the globe are. I do dream of having a home where I can rest my laurels and store my treasures but I will always be a wanderer. In general, home is simply where I place my love, it is where I am. There is no specific place that I call my home.

8. You mention self realisation. can you define that for us 

Self realisation is a term coined by a psychologist known as Abraham Maslow. You can read a more detailed outline of his theories here, but for me self realisation is simply recognising WHO YOU REALLY ARE. Which is much more than just this physical body and experience. You are a whole and complete entity of which your physical part is only a small aspect. You have god-like manifesting powers through your heart, intuition and your mind. We are all powerful infinite beings, recognising this is self realisation. 

9. Do you have a fovourtite quote or stories 

I do have some favourite stories which you can read here 

10. you have a great knowledge to help people in  a deeper level. Do you personally  have moments that you are uncertain about yourself (like I am not good enough moments!) and if so do you have ways to shake off that feeling. Haha, this is a great question! I am a human being just like everyone else which means I absolutely have moments of self doubt, insecurities and fears. This is a good thing because when these crop up, they show me what areas in my life I need to work at and heal underlying disruptive thoughts that I have picked up long ago and are no longer in line with who I am and where I am going. The fastest and easiest way to shake your feelings of uncertainty is to first recognise them and where they come from, which is like shining a light on them. This part of the process may feel uncomfortable but is so important. It's like cleaning a cut before you place a plaster on it. Then you start changing your thought process by telling yourself what you want to believe around that situation, even if it doesn't feel true for you right now. Beliefs are simply repeptitive thoughts so when you repeat them enough, they become true for you.

11. You have a few posts with healthy recipes. why do you think it is important to nourish our bodies with good food. Nourishing our bodies is critical because what we put in we get out. You literally are what you eat so when you out good, healthy, whole, nutritious food into your body you receive a heightened life experience as opposed to when you put crap into your body which makes you feel tired, sluggish and unmotivated. Also, feeding yourself good food is an excellent way to practise self love which is so important. You will always be treated the way you treat yourself so why not show the world that you want the best for yourself.

12. Are you a savoury or sweet person or both? 

I love food so both sweet and savoury tastes are most welcome in my mouth!

ABOUT THE AUTOUR

THIS POST WRITTEN BY VIENDA MARIE. SHE IS A WRITER AND LIFE COACH, WHO HELP OTHERS WITH THEIRE SELF REALISATION.

YOU CAN READ MORE OF HER POWERFUL POSTS HERE. THEY HAVE OFTEN HELPED ME THROUGH. 

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.