Thursday 28 July 2011

Raw Flapjacks

One of the cooked foods we used to have in the house a lot, because Pras just loved them, was flapjacks.  Even now, about once a year, I can be found making an occasion batch of regular cooked Flapjacks  (yes, with butter, sugar etc etc) because he misses them (it suspect it's the Scot in him that loves those oats so much!).  He's not really so great with dairy and sugar though, so putting the raw/cooked side of things aside, regular flapjacks just aren't a brilliant option for his health.

Pras almost always prefers raw vegan desserts to the typical kind anyway, so this week I finally got around to experimenting with a plain and simple flapjack recipe which has a lot of potential for variation.  This is how they looked <3


What I absolutley adored about these is that they take about 5 minutes to make and they don't need any dehydration.  I don't have anything against dehydrated flapjacks but, I'm not so keen on dry and heavy foods and dehydrated flapjacks can be a little too crumbly for my liking. There is a lot to be said to the convenience of how quick these were to make. They got the thumbs up from Pras too, which is the most important part of this experiemnt!  He's now hopeful that he'll get to have Flapjacks more than once a year :)

I'm sure I'll be back in the future with some variations and spin off from this base recipe.  Of course, they can be made with either raw or regular oats, whichever is prefered.

Monday 25 July 2011

Marazion Raw Tea Party ~ September 27th

Jacqui in Marazion is organising a Raw Food Tea Party for Sunday the 25th September.  It's going to start around 4pm, aiming to finish for 6pm.

If you're interested in going along, visit the Facebook event page so Jacqui knows to expect you....

Saturday 23 July 2011

Next Weeks Orders ~ ♥Goji Berry Love♥

Hello lovelies,

Just a quick message to you all. A big thank you to all of you who have placed orders for Monday!  There are lots of packs of mixed cake squares and goji brownies due to arrive with customers on Tuesday morning/early afternoon   

The mixed cake packs seem really popular.  Please let me know if this is something you would like me to offer again in the future.   
 

There is only 1 pack of goji brownies left - it's a pack of 6 and if you would like it, then email or message me through facebook.   Each pack contains 3 brownies topped with pollen and 3 brownies topped with gojis

Goji Berry LOVE     Photo taken by Danaliese Radley

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

♥ What the Raw Faerie learned when Kate Magic came to Cornwall ♥

A week ago, Kate Magic was in Cornwall, giving talks in Archie Brown's Penzance on Friday night, and Archie Brown's Truro on Saturday night.  The talks were followed by a Raw Magic Food Prep Workshop on the Sunday. 

So often when people talk about a workshop they went to, they describe what happened.  I thought that rather than that, I'd share will you all what I got from attending them.  Often knowing what others gain from an experience can be far more useful than a description.  I'd never been to one of Kate's events before.

So, I think it's important to first fill you in with where things have been for me of late, because that's particularly relevant to what I took from the workshop.  I have been on a predominatly raw diet now since 2009, being all but 100% raw for the first year or so and then maintaining a high raw diet (70%+) from then onwards.  On my high raw diet I quickly become used to having lots of energy and 'sparkle', and when I juice feast (at least once a year) I usually feel like I have a brilliant lightness and masses of spare energy.  That's how you're supposed to feel when you're on a raw diet, right?

Well, aside from a drop in my kidney energy during the winter months, it's how I normally felt.  Then a few months ago things started to change.  I have been struggling with coming to grips with the how and what of what's going on. It's been frustrating at times because it's just not what I've come to expect.  My energy levels have been a lot lower than usual. I've been very tired and needing lots of sleep.  There are many factors that contributed to this change and I can post about them later. It certainly wasnt solely diet related.  When Kate's visit happened, it was perfect timing.  I really needed to sit back and listen to what she had to say about successful raw diets and reconsider the dietary aspects that contribute to my energy levels. 

I'm not going to go into the ins and out of what I do and don't eat right now. I can post that another time.  But what I will say is that in addition to the raw vegan foods I eat, the cooked foods in my diet are organic and unprocessed.  The reason I mention this is that people often assume that because I'm a Raw Food Faerie that I must be 100% raw and 100% vegan all of the time, which is just not true.  I'm not a 'hardcore' raw fooder who believes that 100% raw is the only way.  I think there are a lot worse things I could do than eat some organic vegan home cooked foods.  That said, I know without a doubt, that I feel at my best when I am almost totally raw.

Over the weekend, Kate shared with us her Magic Triangle and the ratios of the different raw foods that are generally considered to make for a successful raw diet. Kate wasn't talking about success in the short term, but success in the longer term. So during the talk and the workshop I was considering where I may have drifted away from where I wanted to be with my largely raw foods diet.

I suspect that everyone present at the event probably took something different away with them, depending on where they were at on the Raw Food journey.  Some people were new to raw, some just dipping their toe in and others had been eating raw for a while.  So, what did I take away from Kate's teachings?

I realised that whilst I have a well equipt raw kitchen, with lots of wonderful ingredients, I haven't been that conscious of late about really thinking about the balance of what I am including in my own meals.  I've been a little too focused on making and pouring love into foods (i.e. cakes) for others that I kind of lost focus on what I was including in my own diet. I have had lots of energy pouring out without keeping my batteries well charged so that I can keep going!  I think that the 'raw' has become such a normal and routine thing that I've forgotten to tune in as much as I used to to my body's messages, getting stuck in a groove of eating certain foods without thinking much about it.  When I listen, I clearly know what I need more or less of.  That's something I need to remember to listen in to, particularly when I'm really busy!

Kelp Noodles
After attending the sessions with Kate, I'm planning to consciously increase my intake of sea vegetables.  I've always known they were important and have several types in the cupboard - irish moss, nori, dulse etc - but I haven't recently been thinking to add them to my meals as much as I used to.  Not only am I going to be increasing my intake of sea vegetables, I'll definately be expanding the range that I eat to.  On Sunday, Kate shared an amazing Thai Curry recipe which was served with kelp noodles and it was the best raw curry sauce I've tasted :)  You can find the kelp noodles at Raw Living, That weekend was the first time I had tried Kelp Noodles and I really enjoyed them!  They are definitely being added to my shopping list :)

Essential Fatty Acids was another area that needed a review.  As I've blogged about it before, Pras and I have been drinking hemp milk for many years now, since well before I'd even considered a raw food diet.  Once we got used to the earthy taste and created some recipes where it tasted great, we included it in out diet almost every day.  Over the last while we had been drinking more almond milk than hemp milk, so that's something that I have been shifting over the past weeks.  This wasn't just a 'head' decision.  I made some almond milk and I made some hemp milk and found that when I really tuned into what my body needed, which of the milks made me happy, it was the hemp milk without a doubt.  I'll be taking a break from almonds for a while, until my body starts to ask for them again.  So, we're now back to making hemp milk for our daily superfood smoothie and, Pras and I are both feeling a huge change already.  Kate suggests drinking hemp milk regularly, made from whole hemp seeds - this is the way that we've always prefered it.

Chia is next on the list for increasing in my diet as it's another great source of EFAs.  There has been quite a few bags of chia sitting in my cupboard for some time now and I just hadn't gotten around to doing anything with them so, Kate's talk was great to kick start me into digging it out.  In the past I've had the greatest of intention of experimenting with chia seeds but, I'd never gotten further than soaking it and then not having the time to invest in experimenting with it. I totally appreciate the properties of Chia, both nutritionally and for the potential they hold for use in recipes.  We're now having chia daily.  In the past week we have been enjoying daily Chia puddings, fruit pies and the best crackers I've ever made.  If I hadn't glanced at what Kate was planning to have for dinner on the Saturday night I may not have become so Chia inspired!  I find that looking at foods that have been made by others usually gives me a jump start to thinking up many other ways of incorporating ingredients into the diet.  This was certainly the case on this occasion.  

Greens!  Well yes, I already eat a lot of greens (in fact our fridge is often overflowing with them) but Kate's talk left me thinking that I could incorporate even more of them.  Pras and I already consume a lot of blended greens in our smoothies, I also add fresh greens to cakes (yes, and it works well believe it or not!) and salads.  We've decided to add even more salads greens, especially while we're in the seasonal months for them and add more green superfood powders.  Chlorella is one of my favourite green powders but I'm going to go back to adding in spirulina too.  Because I can't stand the taste of spirulina, I'm opting for superfood enemas (yes, you read that right).  The enema subject is one I generally steer clear of here as this blog is about food but, if you want to know more about these, there is a great Raw Food World video on YouTube where Matt and Angela interview Kate Magic about superfood enemas.  If enemas are something you do then, it's worth adding some superfoods.  The colon is amazing at absorbing water and nutrients so it's seems a shame not to take advantage....

Personal Phi Harmoniser
Through discussion at the events I was also led to think more about energising our water.  For some time we have been wanting to locate a local water spring where we could collect water but, as yet a nearby one has not come to our attention.  There are a few in Cornwall that we know of, but they are really too far away for us to make a regular trip to collect.  We do filter all our water though and have done for many many years.

Something that is available through Raw Living is the Phi Personal Harmoniser.  it's small, portable and can be used to give protection from Electromagnetic pollution.  They can be used to energise your water or be worn as jewelley.  This is something that I am really keen to try.  Once I get one and try it out, I'll report back and let you all know what I think!  What I really like about these is that we can take them travelling with us, along with some adya clarity and feel a lot better about the water we're drinking.

CIR Vortex Energiser
Something else that is available from Raw Living, which I'd be keen to try in the future (after we move house), is the CIR Vortex Energiser which can be attached to the water inlet pipe on your house to instantly and constantly energise your water.  A friend in Australia uses something similar and she noticed a positive difference straight away.  She felt calmer and her husband started to get a better quality of sleep.

According to what Kate shared about superfoods, I'm doing pretty well really, including around the right quantities in our daily intake.  I generally include a good range but am thinking about adding suma to my list!  It's not one that I've gotten around to trying yet so I'll be looking at getting some of that soon too.  On the Sunday, Kate included a number of superfoods in her recipes and there was an opportunity for those who were new to these ingredients to touch and taste them to see what they were like.

Kate shared some recipes during the workshop and we all got to try some of each. For me, the curry was the shining light from the group but, that's because I love really good raw savoury dishes.  That may sound strange coming from someone who loves to make raw cakes and puddings but, it's really true.  My tooth is nowhere near as sweet as many assume.  The chocolate recipes Kate shares were great for getting loads of superfoods in.  Because I've always made food and loved cooking and, now make lots and lots of raw food myself, I always love to see how other people do things in the kitchen.  I wish I had been to one of Kate's classes nearer to the beginning of my raw food journey, when I was just jumping in to it all. 

On the Raw Faerie side of things, I did have a  moment of inspiration here and there, little ideas of things I must try when I get some creative time in the kitchen but, that wasnt my primary reason for attending.  I was there for me on a more personal level. 

What's really exciting is that Kate is hoping to return to Cornwall again sometime next year for another workshop.  I'm sure Archie Brown's will keep us posted closer to the time but, if I hear of the when and where's I definitely be posting them up to help spread the word.

Raw Food Cakes without nuts ~ do they really taste that good?

 Recently I made a Cake for a lovely lady who had numerous allergies, including all nuts as well as other ingredients too.  She was visiting Cornwall around the time of her birthday.
I'm always up for a challenge so, when she contacted me to ask if I could make something special for her birthday, I was keen to make something really nice for her :)  I remember what it used to be like in my non-raw days when I was vegan, wheat free, sugar free, processed food free etc etc... it was pretty much a nightmare trying to find anything decent to eat unless I made it myself.

My general attitude toward such things is that unless you're allergic to everything, then making something amazing should almost always be possible.
The cake we decided on for her was a slightly modified version of my nut-free cacao torte.  
This is what she had to say about her cake:
Can I just say that the nut free cacao torte was the very best Birthday cake I have ever had.  I ate the last piece a week after it was made and it was definitely the best bit.  It is amazing how the flavour develops.  Thank you. x
I'm so very pleased that she enjoyed it!
 

Friday 22 July 2011

Organic & Raw Coconut Butter for mothers and babies

 As promised.... here is the article about the benefits that coconut oil can introduce to mother and baby




Virgin Coconut Oil Increases Beneficial Properties in Human Breast Milk
by: Cori Young

VIRGIN OCONUT OIL FOUND BENEFICIAL FOR LACTATING MOTHERS...
The unique composition of human breast milk fat includes the fatty acids, lauric acid and capric acid, which have potent antimicrobial properties. These fatty acids offer the nursing infant protection from viruses such as herpes and HIV, protozoa such as giardia lamblia, and bacteria such as chlamydia and heliocobater.

A study published in 1998 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk. Thus, the milk supply has increased amounts of the protective antimicrobials , which will give even greater protection to the nursing infant.
Pregnant females store fat to assure successful lactation. Any lauric acid and capric acid in the diet becomes part of the adipose stores. The milk fat of a lactating mother is made up of these stores as well as her current diet. If her diet doesn´ t contain lauric acid, then generally her milk fat will contain around 3 lauric acid and round 1 capric acid.

When a lactating woman adds foods rich in lauric acid to her diet, the amount of lauric acid available in her breastmilk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid. In countries where coconut oil is a diet staple, levels of lauric acid in the mother´ s milk can be as high as 21 and capric acid can be as high as 6 giving her infant even more protection against viruses, bacteria, and protozoa.

Coconut oil can be used instead of butter in cooking and baking. You can stir it into oatmeal or even use it as a spread. Also, this oil´ s antimicrobial properties are beneficial for the skin. Pregnant women in many cultures the world over rub cocnut oil on their expanding bellies to keep skin soft and prevent itching.

Virgin coconut oil can also be used to massage baby... 




This article wasn't written from a raw food perspective, but it really does spell out what an amazing food coconut butter is and the great effects it can have when added to the diet during pregnancy and the postpartum.  If looking for ways to incorporate raw coconut butter into meals, it can be blended into smoothies, sauces, soups, or curries.  It's also a great ingredient to include in raw desserts and treats :) 


 I will follow up with a post about the benefits of eating dates during pregnancy and the postpartum really soon 

Raw Foods benefits for mothers and babies


In addition to my Raw Faerie Creations activity I also spend a lot of my time supporting mothers through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum.  I have tended to keep these two areas very seperate but what seems to be happening quite organically over the last months, is a merging of the two.  I'm finding that the many of the soon to be new mothers that I meet and work with are keen to choose the healthiest food options for both themselves and their new baby.  A healthy body that is fuelled by the right foods in the postpartum can help make for an easier recovery.

I'm not talking about supporting pregnant mothers to 'go raw' during pregnancy, I want to make that really clear.  What I'm tallking about is helping them to increase the quantity of nutrient, mineral and enzyme rich foods  in their day to day diets. Pregnancy is not a suitable time to be starting a detoxifying or cleansing diet, but it can be a great time to increase the quality of the foods in the diet.  Ideally, changes to the diet can be made during pre-conception preparation, but if that's not possible then there is no reason why you can't start during pregnancy.  Adding extra foods such as raw greens, hemp, coconut and dates can bring benefits.

Coconut Butter is an amazing healthy fat that brings with it many benefits to new mothers and their babies.  For this reason, it is one ingredient in the New Mama Cakes that I make for mothers in the postpartum.  Coconut Oil and Dates both have positive effects and are great to incorporate into the diet throughout pregnancy and the postpartum (For the New Mamas who need a low GI diet then it would be best to be careful with the dates are known to be a higher GI fruit).


There are many ways to incorporate coconut butter into the daily diet.  It can become part of your desserts, added to cakes or salad dressings and it is also a stable oil for cooking food and baking. 


The New Mama Cakes that I make to order are intended for the mother to enjoy (and share of course!) either at the end of her pregnancy or in the postpartum.  They have a date fudge-like creamy filling on a seed and nut base and they are available with either a carob or white chocolate and vanilla icing.  Containing lots of raw coconut butter and dates, they are great for new mothers.  For those mums who need to avoid dates, there are other options available.  Cakes are Raw, Vegan and free from processed sugar, wheat and gluten.  All ingredients are natural and whole foods.


Read my next post, an article by Cori Young, to find out more about the benefits (to mother and baby) of incorporating coconut butter into your diet


 

Thursday 21 July 2011

Goji Brownies and Mixed cake packs

Raw Vegan Cake and Brownie Treats!

I've been busy in the kitchen getting everything ready to fill the Raw Faerie orders for this coming Monday.
There are a few packs left over so if you'd like to order one, there is more information to follow.

These mixed packs won't be on offer again anytime soon but are a great chance to try a variety of cakes.

The cake packs on offer right now include:

Pack of 6 cake squares: 2 minty maddness, 2 ginger crunch, 2 Love Bomb  ~   £12.00 + £5.90 post

Pack of 6 Goji Brownies   ~    £12.00 + £5.90 post


The Love Bomb Squares are made with fresh organic strawberries, maca and rose. Topped with superfood milk chocolate.

Minty Madness Squares and made with fresh mint and greens and topped with dark chocolate boosted with green superfoods.

The Ginger Crunch Squares have a mild ginger and white chocolate layer and a slightly crunchy ginger base, again topped with chocolate. 

Goji Berry Brownies are full of Goji Berries and raspberries, dipped in raw chocolate and topped with gojis and pollen.



To order, email rawfaeriecreations@gmail.com

Raw Food Potluck ~ August 27th in Lostwithiel

Our next Raw Food Potluck Picnic (lets cross our fingers for good weather!) is on September 27th.  It will be in Lostwithiel again and if the weather is cold or wet we'll bring it up to the house.  It will be from 12.30 to 14.30 and you are best to park in the free village car park.  We'll be in touch with more details closer to the time.  If you'd like to let us know that you're planing to come along, please get in touch and we'll invite you to the event via facebook.

The last potluck in Lostwithiel was in June and we had lots of new people come along, which was fantastic :)

It was the first Lostwithiel potluck to go ahead (the first time we tried we had to cancel due to snow) and the food that was shared was just gorgeous. We had a small Raw Faerie Cake Shop too, for those who wanted to take some Minty Madness or Love Bomb cake squares away with them.  For the August potluck I will be having the wee cake shop again but with some different cakes on offer this time.  I will also be ordering in some organic young coconuts, so if you're coming and you'd like me to get some coconuts in for you, get in touch via email or facebook.


Wednesday 13 July 2011

Fermented Superfood Cheesecakes ~ Available for a limited time

Collection Only
Throughout the remainder of the summer I am offering one of my favourite cakes that I have not offered before.  I seldom make this cake because it requires a lot of planning and preparation. 

It is a raw, vegan cacao and superfood cheesecake that is made with fermented nut cheese.  It is amazing because it has that gorgeous sweet and sourness that all cheesecakes should have.  

They will be available until the end of August and a minimum of three weeks notice is required.


This cake is available as a deep 6" or shallow 8" and the cost is £28.00

Would you like to try Organic Young Baby Coconuts?

Just a quick post to let you all know that I am offering to order in organic young baby coconuts to coincide with our Raw Vegan Potlucks.

If you would like to order a coconut or two (or three or four :) ) then get in touch.  Coconuts will be £3.01 each and you will need to pay on ordering (I will provide you with my account details so that you can make a direct transfer).  The coconuts can be collected at the Pot Luck events, if you can't make it to the pot luck but you still want some coconuts, you are welcome to arrange collection another time (please keep in mind that the use by date is limited so the sooner you collect the fresher your coconut will be).

Please note: As things currently stand, I am not making a profit by co-ordinating the orders of these coconuts so I take no responsibility for how happy you are with your coconuts!  I thought that this would just be a great opportunity to make good quality organic young coconuts available to those who attend the raw food pot lucks, so it's all being arranged through good will  :)

Love to you all  ♥ ♥ ♥

Why I choose 'Organic' Young Baby Coconuts

Coconuts are very porous and anything put on them (e.g. chemicals) soak into the coconut.  Antifungals and Formaldehyde have both been associated with coconuts, being used to prolong the life of the coconut during shipping.  I don't know about you, but I don't want these things in my diet!

Check out this video for some more information about regular coconuts and an experiment that was done which seemds to quite clearly indicate just how permeable the coconuts are.




For our future Pot Lucks I am adding Organic Young Coconuts to the Raw Faerie Shop.  If you would like to order a coconut (or a few), for collection at the pot lucks, then let me know.  Coconuts cost £3.01 each <3 <3 <3