Raw Cakes Penzance May 8th

On the 8th of May I will be heading down the A30 from Bodmin to Penzance. 

If anyone in the Penzance area would like any raw cakes for around then, please do get in touch as I will be able to deliver them that afternoon. 

If you're interested please email me to request the list of cakes and treats.

One of my raw gourmet favourites

Mostly I thrive on fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, smoothies and juices.   But from time to time I like to make something that is raw and gourmet.  It might be a little more time consuming and take some extra planning, but I find that it's worth the effort if you're wanting to have something extra special!

I would find it dificult to eat raw gourmet everyday but I suspect it's the only way my husband could ever change over to high raw. He really loves raw foods that come out of the dehyrator and I'm guessing that's because they are warming.  Warm raw food served straight from the dehydrator and on to warm plates is an excellent way to get some raw but warming foods in the colder months.

Making gourmet raw food recipes is really rewarding.  I like making a more complicated and attractive looking meal that is completely raw.  But only from time to time.  That said, this recipe is almost as easy as raw gourmet gets.

I made this meal last week and it is from a recipe that is available free online from the raw chef (Russell James).  It is full of fresh herbs and almonds and has an Italian flavour. I like to serve it on sliced spinach and fresh raw vegetable pasta.  You can find the Raw Chef recipe here.

Raw Faerie Visits to Truro & St Austell this week

Macaroons

Goji Brownies

This week I'll be visiting the St Austell and Truro areas.  If you would like a Raw Faerie Cake, Macaroons (available in minted, malty, chilli, ginger) or Goji Brownies, please drop me an email.  Orders would need to be received today.


Delivery would be complimentary as long as you are enroute to my destinations.  Deliveries for Truro will be made on Thursday morning and for St Austell it will be early Wednesday evening.

Last minute birthday order....

 

When I'm asked about how much notice I need to make a cake, I almost always advise a week as certain things need to be done well in advance to make most of my cakes.  Well, a beautiful friend of mine, a doula from Wiltshire, called me on Saturday with a special request for a birthday cake for her friend in Devon.


On impulse I decided to do it even though I had a pretty full schedule.  She was happy to leave it to me to decide what type of cake it was and thankfully, she was happy with what I created for her.

This is a raw vegan cake made with raw 'milk' chocolate topped with a fudgish-caramel layer and decorated with raw chocolates.   


Cakes can be collected by prior arrangement.  Delivery may be possible at extra cost.

Green Hemp Smoothies

Quite a few years ago, not long after we had first moved down to Cornwall, we drove up to Glastonbury for a weekend.  Having not visited before our plan was to explore a little and see what was there.

We booked accomodation for a couple of nights at ShekinAshram, a short walk from the centre of Glastonbury. I can't comment on what they curently offer as it has been some time since I've visited but, there was vegan food only allowed on the premises and Monday was a day for fasting.  The people who were running the Ashram were healthy, vibrant and appeared to have lots and lots of energy.  They all seemed to be happy and peaceful people.  

It was at Shekinashram that I was introduced to hemp milk.  They provided jugs of fresh hemp milk made from whole hemp seeds to have with muesli and fruits and they would also serve green hemp smoothies. Those who lived at the Ashram always started their days with hemp milk and they raved about the benefits.  Over the couple of days we were walking around Glastonbury we were quite literally being handed hemp milk fliers by shop owners, all giving information about what I wonderful source of nutrition it was.  Now I am not a nutritionist so I'm not going to write about the nutritional benefits of RAW hemp, but if you google it and are selective about which links you chose you will certainly find a nutritional profile somewhere.

At that time I was still working in a stressful and unfulfilling job and I was vegan (but not raw), but I saw hemp milk as something else I could start incorporating into our diet to benefit our health.  My approach has always been to add things in along the way and eventually when I felt that I needed to, I made the change to raw foods.  I think my transition to raw wasn't too difficult because I made so many changes in the years leading up to going raw.   

So for many years now, thanks to that stay at the Ashram in Glastonbury, we have been benefiting from hemp milk.  Over time I have come to  incorporate it into our diet in a variety of ways, from flavoured milks, to smoothies and in desserts too.  I find that hemp works particularly well with raw cacao or carob but I find that it works equally well in a green smoothies.  My husband absolutely loves hemp milk, in fact when I go through phases of not making hemp smoothies he eventually starts asking me to make them.  He misses them in his diet because he feels so great after drinking them.

These photos are of the green hemp smoothie that we shared for breakfast this morning.  I made just over a litre, which gave us one and a half large glasses each (these glasses really could be likened to bowls). 

Raw Faerie Mother's Day Orders

♥ Raw Faerie Cake orders for Mother's Day need to be finalised by Tuesday at the latest ♥

Tuesday 29th March 

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Raw foods and Insulin Levels

An old friend who has been dipping her toe in to raw foods for the past while has asked me about raw food diets and how they can effect insulin levels.  So, here is a great clip about a DVD from the US called Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days.

The programme is the work of Dr Gabriel Cousens from The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre in Arizona.  This film shows just how amazing the transformation from a standard diet to a raw diet can be - on so many levels.  It is a must watch for anyone looking for an alternative to medical management of diabetes. 

This film can be ordered through the website Raw for Thirty Days

What's been happening in the Raw Faerie Kitchen this week?

Kale salad with rustic crackers

It's been a busy week for me so I've made an extra big effort to have a range of easily transportable raw foods at the ready - some fresh and some dehydrated.  One of the things that makes the biggest difference for me is planning ahead.  I find that a little forethought makes raw foods a lot easier. 

Right now there is a huge kale salad in the refrigerator, it's full of tomatoes, avocados and hemp.  There is also some courgette pasta and a lovely Italian flavoured almond meal which is great served with a rich tomato sauce.  That's based on a Russell James recipe and I won't say too much about that now, I'll post some pictures and a link to the recipe later.  

Dried raw green chilli

There has also been a range of raw vegetable powders being ground, ready to be added to raw food dishes.

I've been dehydrating garlic bulbs, chillis and almonds.   I find it really useful to always have raw garlic and onion powders available, they are really convenient when making raw dishes like flans, quiches and crackers.

Beetroot Juice

We've enjoyed quite a few almond milk smoothies and on the desserts and treats front I have been meddling with the RAW Minted Mud Cake recipe and tinkering with some chilli-cacao macaroons (they are shaping up very well, even if I do say so myself).




And of course, as always, there has been a lot of love going into all the foods coming out of the Raw Faerie Kitchen.....

RAW Minted Mud Cakes

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♥ RAW Minted Mud Cake ♥

I made these on Tuesday evening while avoiding studying for my upcoming massage exam papers!  I've been in such a great Raw Faerie flow lately so it's been a little hard changing gear to studying.







This cake is rich in raw cacao & fresh raspberries,  topped with a thick minty cacao creamy icing and drizzled with chocolate.

♥ RAW Minted Mud Brownies ♥

♥ Contains sprouted buckwheat ♥

                          



The minty cacao cream layer is made with real fresh mint, leaving a subtle minty after taste.  The Base of this cake contains sprouted buckwheat to give a little extra minty crunch at the same time adding the nutritional benefits of sprouted grains.

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Carrot and Raisin Bread

Served warm, straight from the dehydrator

This was the first time I've made these but I have been thinking about putting a recipe together for them for a while now.  I think I was very lucky that they worked out so well!

It's a Carrot and Raisin bread packed with raw carrots, apples and dates.  I put this batch in the dehydrator on Friday morning and it was ready for breakfast on Saturday.  I really love these because they are naturally sweet - no need for any added sweeteners like agave.


The closest texture I can compare these to is a dense bread or toast.  They are easily torn or cut, not hard like a cracker or biscuit or crumbly like a cake.  We enjoyed these with some freshly made raw berry jam for breakfast on Saturday. 

Strawberry Nutshakes

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This morning we had a raw-style milkshake for breakfast, there was just no 'milk' in it.  I thought I'd take some photos along the way and post them up along with telling you how to make this for yourself. 

The first reactions a lot of people have when they hear about raw food diets is that it must be very complicated or boring (do you live on salad?), socially isolating (where do you go to eat out?) and they feel that there would be a lot of sacrifices to be made.  There are several blog posts wating to be written based on that last sentence alone but that is not what I am here to write about now.  What I want to say now is that increasing raw foods in your diet can be as easy as adding a raw-style milkshake, it doesn't need to be complicated. Raw foods don't have to be all or nothing.  There is a lot of benefit in adding just a little extra raw food here and there where you can fit it in.  It all helps.

♥  A freshly blended Strawberry Nutshake ♥

This is one of my favourite drink recipes because I love strawberries.  It's really easy too.  Growing up I always loved milkshakes (especially strawberry) but never really liked the after taste of the milk so much.  The milk made me feel sluggish and looking back I now suspect I had a problem with lactose.  When I became vegan I would have a lot of soy milk, but it's now known that too much processed soy isn't good for you and soy milk is a highly processed food.  In the year leading up to my transition to a raw food lifestyle I discovered raw nut milks.  I was in heaven making raw shakes and smoothies with fresh, raw homemade almond milk.

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How to make Almond Milk
To make the almond milk you need to soak 1 cup of almonds overnight.  Just put it all into a container or a covered bowl in the refrigerator.  You need to allow lots of extra space in the container/bowl because as the almonds soak they will expand.

Soaking the almonds not only makes them easier to break down and blend but it also activates the enzymes in the nuts.

Yum!

In the morning strain the almonds, discarding all of the soak water and then rinse the almonds thoroughly under fresh running water.

Put the almonds into the blender along with three cups of water and blend till the almonds have broken down.  Now, using a nut-milk bag (or a piece of muslin cloth), strain the milk into a bowl, squeezing all of the fluid out of the nut pulp.   I reserve the nut pulp for making other recipes.  It can be frozen or dehydrated for use later.

The shelf life of almond milk is 1-2 days in the refrigerator so take care to only make what you need. Almond milk is also excellent on cereal if you're wanting to find a healthy milk substitute. 

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The Nut-Shake
To make the strawberry nutshake photographed here, return the nut milk to your blender (I suggest you rinse your blender first) and add 2-300g of fresh strawberries, 2 bananas and 1 Tablespoon of raw honey (optional) and blend till smooth.

A nut-shake has no syrups, dairy products or additives. No preservatives or E-numbers.  Just whole raw foods bursting with nutrients and vitamins.


As well as being a great breakfast drink, it's also really great to have it in the refrigerator for when the kids come home from school or to have as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.   

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So, tell me about the ingredients in your cakes?

Irish Moss

Often when people try my cakes they find it hard to imagine how I've made them.  The idea of a cake that hasn't been cooked and that contains no processed foods or animal products can be hard to digest for those new to raw foods.  My creations contain no dairy, cheese, flour, eggs, sugar, milk or cream - all the main ingredients used in baking are nowhere to be seen.

Berry Sauce

I choose my ingredients really carefully.  Most ingredients in my creations are organic.  I would love for all of the ingredients to be organic but unfortunately it's not always possible as some organic ingredients can be difficult to source (e.g. passionfruit).

My creations can contain a wide range of ingredients ranging from seeds, nuts, coconut, cacao, fruits, goji
berries, seaweeds and superfoods such as maca, mesquite and lucuma.  When it comes to the fruit that goes into my cakes, I always try to source local or organic first.

Blueberry Heart

All ingredients are vegan and also wheat & sugar free.  These cakes are great not only for those who are enthusiastic about raw food but also those who are vegetarian (there is no gelatine), vegan, have food intolerances or just looking for a guilt free dessert :)

Sometimes there are fresh berries inside too!

All creations are filled with love and made especially to order.  I'm always happy to answer any questions or enquiries about my raw cakes, just don't ask for my secret recipes!

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Breakfast Bread

Last week I posted up a picture of an apple, cinamon and ginger cake that I'd thrown together.

Well, since then I've been messing about with the recipe and trying out some different ideas.  I've come up with a sweet tasting bread-like recipe. I've been having it for breakfast every morning, straight from the dehydrator.  It's a little bit like making kale chips though, if I didn't dehyrate these overnight, I would eat them all before they were ready :)

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I took a sample of these along to the pot luck in Newquay last weekend and everyone seemed to like them.  Once I start to offer raw snacks to order by post, these will be near the top of the list. 

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Raw Chocolate Torte

A rich, creamy chocolate torte made with nuts, hemp and boosted with maca powder.  Drizzled with white chocolate and oozing with raw superfoods!


This is one of the favourites at our house, the recipe has been evolving over the past 6 months or so and the current version reminds us of the chocolate-hazelnut flavour of Nutella spread.

This cake was collected on Saturday and enjoyed as a Birthday Cake.  I've received some feedback saying it was absolutely delicious.  Apparently it's great served with fresh strawberries!

This cake can also be made without nuts

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Drizzled with raw white chocolate

Banana Berry Torte

A creamy banana & white chocolate filling topped with a layer of berry jam.

So. here are the photos of my most recent creation. 

We shared this cake at the raw food pot luck today and I am pleased to say that it received some really positive feedback!  It was really pretty when sliced as there was a layer of fresh blackberry's inside the filling  :)

Cake sizes and prices will be posted soon.  Once the pricing is organised for this cake I will be adding it to the list of cakes that I offer to prepare to order. 

All cake orders need to be received a least one week in advance to allow time for planning and preparation.  

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March Raw Food Pot Luck

Just back home after attending the Raw Food Pot Luck at Janey's place in Newquay.  Having it on the weekend seemed to work really well.  A HUGE thank you to Janey for hosting it.

It's always great to meet up with lots of lovely new people, those new to raw food as well as the raw food 'regulars'! 

We had a good range of salads, juices, dips, dressings and even a raw casserole.  There were quite a few desserts too!

I created a new Raw Faerie cake for todays pot luck, it was a sweet concoction of banana, cacao and berries.  I'll post more about that and include photos in my next blog post  :) 

If you're interested in raw foods and would like to come along to one of the raw food pot luck events, events are listed on Facebook or you can get in touch and we'll let you know when future pot lucks are happening.

Also, if you'd be interested in coming along to a raw food pot luck in Loswihiel sometime, please get in touch.  If there is enough interest I'll host one in the summer.

x

Raw Cakes Truro area

Raw Blueberry 'Cheesecake'

Just wanted to let you all know that if you're in the Truro area and interested in ordering a Raw Faerie cake (or maybe some cacao-goji brownies?), I am in Truro on Raw Faerie business at the end of next week :)

So if you feel inclined to place an order and don't want to go far to collect, I can meet you in Truro, or drop by with your order if you live nearby!
I can be contacted at rawfaeriecreations@gmail.com or 07742613563.

Hope you all have a great weekend, and I will hopefully see some of you at the raw food potluck in Newquay on Sunday.

x

The Faerie's Fudge Cake

Toward the end of last year I was experimenting with creating a creamy caramel torte filling and came up with my Faerie Fudge Cake.  It tastes very sweet and has a distinct yet subtle flavour.  

Currently available to order

 I've been quietly concerned with all the fuss about Mesquite that is happening at the moment as it means that I might have to stop offering this dessert if Mesquite is banned! I love the DYW Mesquite powder and am really disappointed that it has now been removed from sale.  If you're interested in lending your support to help keep Mesquite available in the EU then visit this link where you can sign the petition.

Last night I spent some time experiementing with the recipe again as I've had to change the yacon syrup that I usually use and I'm slowly adjusting my recipes so that I can offer a smaller cake size.  I absolutely love the yacon syrup that used to be sold by Earthfare in Glastonbury - it is so divinely creamy, very sticky and has a gorgeous caramel flavour.  Unfortunatly I've run out and can't source it at the moment.  The one I have right now is totally fine but I always like to test out new ingredients before using them in cakes for sale.

The Fudge Cake is made with mesquite to give extra sweetness and nutrients and the chocolate icing on this cake has added Maca Root for an extra boost and to bring some maltiness to the the chocolate. 

 So.... We have just cut the cake and it tastes amazing, the cacao and carob works beautifully with the fugde filling and I'm very happy with the new Yacon Syrup :)

Pras says this is one of his favourites but then he also says that about the Chocolate Torte, the Goji Brownies and the Blueberry Cheesecake! Of the cakes I've made though, I have to say that I love this one the most.

The Faerie Fudge Cake is currently available to order for collection from Lostwithiel or Janey's Raw Food Pot Luck's.  If' you'd like more information my email is in my profile.



 A smaller Fudge Cake will be available soon!

Amazing Raw Chocolate Course

Last Saturday I drove up to Dorset to attend an Advanced Raw Chocolate Course with OOSHA.  The course was absolutely fantastic, I learned so many new things which I'm really excited at now being able to play with in the kitchen to make some raw faerie chocolates ;)

Amy covered how to make filled chocolates, truffels, praline, crystalised ginger and more.  Aside from the course itself being great, it was lovely to meet more peeps who love raw food and are really into their raw chocolates too.

If you're looking for a course to extend your skills and knowledge in making raw chocolate, and want to learn from someone who really knows what their doing, then Amy's course may be for you too.

I'm really looking forward to Amy's book!  

The chocolates were delicious, I photographed them in the car so we could enjoy them on the long drive home.

Apple Cinnamon and Ginger Cake

For the past couple of days I've been thinking of an apple and ginger flavoured cake with a creamy icing.  This morning it was time to experiment in the kitchen and see what I could come up with.  I'm looking forward to playing with the recipe over the coming weeks to see what variations I can come up with. 


This is it!

Apple, Ginger and Cinnamon cake served with a creamy orange icing

A Little About Me

Hi and welcome :)

Choc-Goji Brownies

I have been delaying starting this blog for a long time but I've finally decided to get started and hopefully I'll keep it going.
 
I have been on a living foods diet for over a year now, before that I dabbled for a long time with raw foods, just experimenting but not really taking the extra step to become more raw than cooked.  I was vegetarian for many years and then vegan for many years.  In August 2009 I took a four week holiday from work to visit Glasgow (where I used to live) and during that time I decided to leave my reliable STRESSFUL job and leave cooked food behind in favour of living foods.  I experienced a strong desire to flush all that was toxic from my life.  When I returned home from my holiday, I started eating raw and handed in my resignation.  I haven't looked back :) 

The raw foods I love to play with the most are desserts, cakes and icecreams.  I do make savoury dishes and juices and smoothies too but, it's the desserts that really inspire me.  So, I'm going to use this blog as a place to post up about what I'm making and let you know what I'm up to in the Raw Faerie Kitchen :)