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FFX

Prawntastic!

Play me an aria and I’ll give you a prawn,

Not just any prawn, a Kingly prawn.

Organic and sustainably sourced,

Deliciously simple with no need to be sauced!

This recipe is a clash of bells with the merriest sound; it is restaurant food at home, made easy. It is what you might eat on a boat floating along the beautiful backwaters of Kerala, and I assure you, it is very hard to get this recipe wrong.

The key ingredient, as my little ditty highlighted, are prawns. There are two kinds of prawns, cold-water prawns and warm-water prawns. My taste buds prefer the warm-water kind. I cannot highlight enough how important it is to buy organic ones, or those from a certified fishery.

They may be hard to come buy, though are seriously worth the search and expense. Prawns prepared in this way, will leave you wanting more. The lingering taste of spice and sea gives way to thoughts and ideas that welcome change and growth!

I promise!!!

I read this the other day and it brought comfort to me…

New Beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.

Lao Tzu

A lyric in Florence and the Machine’s “Shake it out” has a similar message,

It’s always darkest before the dawn.

I’ve been doing some deep sea diving of my own recently, metaphorically speaking! It’s funny, because it is without a doubt that the hardest times are the brightest too in a sense, I mean that the torch which gives insight, compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude is often given extra batteries to help the light/hope reach that bit further.

It’s Friday, and I have a special Feeling Food message for you…

I want to say, love the self, that is you!

Nurture the self, that is you!

Be kind to the self, that is you!

Forgive the self, that is you!

Forgive the other, who hurt the self, that is you!

Let go of the hurt, and heal the self that is you!

Be strong always beautiful friends, and I hope you enjoy the "secret elixir" that is, sea salad, with its potent mix of minerals, together with freshest prawns, one can't help but feel swimmingly fantastic! Prawntastic!!! Here’s to a lovely Fish Friday!

FFX

Spiced Prawns in Sea love

SERVES 2

Olive oil, 1tbsp

Cumin seeds, 1 tsp

Turmeric, ½ tsp

Chilli powder ½ tsp

Sea salad, 3 tbsp

Fresh Pure grey King Prawns, 250g

Lemon wedges to garnish

HEAT non-stick pan over a high heat.

POUR in the oil wait thirty seconds before adding the cumin seeds.

COOK until they begin to pop.

SPRINKLE over the turmeric and chilli powder.

SCATTER in prawns and cook until pink on both sides, roughly 3 minutes.

GARNISH with lemon and serve with simply boiled wild rice.

Heron a Moment

It took me by surprise. I walked alongside the still bird, mistaking it for a statue, then it twitched, stretching elegantly, without want. After a few seconds I reached for my camera, as I focused the lens, the battery went. This moment was uncaptured, it was free, like the heron itself. As it opened her wings, a nearby father with his toddler looked on in wonder, the little boys eyes lit up. Expect miracles, was my morning affirmation, and what was most lovely about this unexpected, unplanned and totally unpredictable encounter, was that it was as welcome as the sunshine on a cloudy day, and a rare sighting amongst the sirens and hum of the city, that reminded me of the ethereal qualities that is only present with natural beauty.

Now, this golden jade jewelled recipe, rippled with dreamy spices and speckled with Indian magic had a similarly surprising effect, not least because my teenage son who is recently adverse to eating vegetables, loved it. Quite simply, everyone whose tried it does.

One of the main ingredients in this recipe is turmeric. Turmeric is to spices, what Christmas lights are to pine trees – the body ripples with healing nourishment upon eating it. Turmeric is a potent healer and you’d be wise to start cooking with it, if you don’t already. Chilli powder brings a sharp and necessary kick to the mash, with popping cumin and sprightly green peas ornamenting it. I served it with a spoonful of tiger prawns on top, it will go with a simple steak just as well - whatever you prefer.

I call it feminine mash, as that is how someone described it, and I think it’s apt. I hope you give it a try. It would also work well as part of a Halloween Dinner party!!!

Happy Weekend to you,

FFX

Feminine Mash

Per person you will need

Sweet potato, 250g peeled and roughly chopped

Olive oil, 1 tbs

Cumin seeds ½ tsp

Turmeric, ½ tsp

Chilli powder, ½ tsp

Frozen green peas, a handful

SIMMER sweet potato in lightly salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.

DRAIN and set to one side with lid on.

POUR oil into a pan, over a medium heat.

THROW in cumin seeds and add the turmeric and chilli powder once they begin to pop.

SAVOUR the spice moment – half of the joy of making this dish is the fragrance it gives.

REMOVE from the heat after a minute.

STIR spiced oil into the sweet potato and mash until smooth and silky.

SCATTER over peas and replace lid, there is no need to cook them, the steam from the potatoes does the trick.

Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

Smell of the earth,
One I do not know.

Taste and see,

One may find flow...

This Chocolate cake has a surprise and welcome guest... a couple... Firstly introducing an earthy purple presence, that is truthfully a depth of indulgence to enjoy - beautiful Beetroot. 

I love beetroot! In fact one of my most popular posts is this Beetroot Pie - I wanted to see how the majestic root would work in a chocolate blend.

Dark chocolate is a wonderful antioxidant and with beetroots plethora of goodness – on paper these ingredients seem like a match made in heaven? Proof is in the pudding, and sure enough the taste buds were jubilant.

Dark moist chocolate sponge, with a flavour of the earth is the result. And if mud were sweet and edible, this cake may be likened to it. 

A very long time ago, I used to make mud cakes, out of actual mud! I never ate them of course, though the soothing simplicity brings to mind this recipes charm. And upon reflection, I remember also scattering rose petals around them - and so... welcome another special ingredient to the mix! Rosewater! 

Now I know that comparison may not sound appetising, and for the truly sweet toothed Cadbury lovers out there, this may not be your cup of tea – it is similar in texture to a carrot cake, though with its super food nourishment and betain benefits, namely the bodies natural mood lifter serotonin, combined with chocolate, well all I can say is whoosh!!! One is left sweetly full and feeling great, my kind of fabulous favourite Chocolate cake. The most important part is that it is indeed delicious.

Sift over some cocoa powder to serve with a quenelle of cream on top for an uber moment of beetroot meets chocolate magic.

I hope you enjoy!

What's not to enjoy?

FFX

CHOC BEET CAKE

Plain flour, 175g

Baking powder, 10g

Cocoa powder, 75g

Soft brown muscavado sugar, 225g

Eggs, 3 organic medium

Raw beetroot, 175g peeled

Hemp seed oil, 200ml

Rose water, a drop (it's potent stuff, so I really do mean a drop!)

For the piece de resistance AKA Ganache

Dark chocolate, 200g – or your favourite chocolate

Double cream, 200ml

PRE-HEAT oven to gas 6, 200’C.

GREASE and line 20cm cake tin.

BLITZ beetroot in a blender.

ADD eggs, rose water and hemp seed oil and blitz again until smooth.

SIFT dry ingredients into a large bowl and fold in the beetroot mixture,

BAKE for 35 minutes.

MEANWHILE heat cream up until simmering point.

POUR into a bowl and stir in chocolate until melted.

CHILL and spread luxuriantly over the beetroot choc cake!

SCRUMDIDLEY  for now, is a time for perpetual dawns and deep healing bear like yawns!

Peace and Pie

Orange is the colour of warmth and kinship, and it is also said to stimulate the appetite.

Sunshine on rowan berries is one of my favourite autumnal shades, bright and gently warming.

This recipe is terracotta terendipity (one of my favourite words is serendipity, sorry! Couldn’t help myself). 

It’s a humble pie, with a curiously coconut base that is sweet and soulful. This pie is a nourishing hug for the taste buds - and you'll be left feeling as light as a fluffy cloud! The star of this recipe is the pumpkin, though any winter squash may be used in place. If coconut is not your cup of tea, then try using almond or macadamia oil instead.

Stevia gives this pie its sweetness and is now widely available; it is a naturally sweet herb from South America and has been used for centuries. Stevia has very few calories and makes sweet treats healthy – if you can’t find it, muscavado sugar will be just as delicious, though not as healthy and you’ll need to use four times as much to get the same level of sweetness.

I believe the food we eat affects every part of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being. And I take great pleasure in sharing my recipes and ideas with you. I recently took part in a nutrition workshop, which further sparked my growing interest in nutrition, something we discussed overlapped with an interesting article I read the other day. Essentially what we eat, shapes who we become – in such a profound way, that our first few years of life imprint the rest. 

“In the first few years of life, 700 new neural connections are formed every second. Neural connections are formed through the interaction of genes and a baby’s environment and experiences, especially ‘serve and return’ interaction with adults… These connections build brain architecture – the foundation upon which all later learning, behaviour and health depend.”

Last weekend we had a little gathering to celebrate my sons first birthday. It was lovely; the rain retreated for one glorious afternoon, sandwiched between a week of flooding. As we sang Happy Birthday a gust blew, the candle flickered on his Blueberry Birthday Cake, and out it went. We sang on, re-lit the candle and Leo, with a little help from me, blew it out. You see, in that second of the candle blowing out, I closed my eyes and held him that bit tighter, LOVE is what makes the world go round, no question about it, and if what we eat today, effects our future generations, indeed 

You've heard the saying, "You are what you eat." While there is truth behind that statement, epigenetics show diet may also influence your DNA and the DNA of future generations. That means, your grandchildren are what you eat.

To you, I wish peace,

To you, I wish tender touch,

To you, I wish a heart that feels love,

To you, I wish a life that fits like the softest glove.

Lots of love,

FFX

Pumpkin and Coconut pie

SERVES 10 

FOR THE CRUST

Rolled oats, 60g

Walnuts, 60g

Sweet freedom, 60g

Coconut oil, 50g melted

Vanilla extract, 1tsp

Salt, ½ tsp

Whole grain flour, 75g

FOR THE FILLING

Pumpkin, 500g cut into chunks

Ground nutmeg. ¼ tsp

Ground ginger, ¼ tsp

Ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp

Salt, ¼ tsp

Maple syrup, 4 tbsp

Stevia, 1 tsp

Eggs, 3 large

Soya cream, 200ml

PRE-HEAT oven to 350°F gas 4 180’. 

BLITZ crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse to mix.

GREASE a 22cm tarte tin with a little coconut oil and press crust evenly along the bottom of the pan, gently spreading it up the sides.

HALVE pumpkin and scoop out seeds.

LAY pieces over a baking tray.

SPRINKLE with spices and maple syrup.

COVER with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

COOL pumpkin and then scoop out the flesh.

BLEND all remaining ingredients together.

POUR over the tarte crust and bake for 45 minutes.

REMOVE tart from oven and allow to cool and then cover with foil and keep in the fridge.

SERVE chilled with a dollop of cream or Greek yogurt.

Blackberry Blues

Berrilicious bubbles of vitamin c,


Bursting life into your cells.


Antioxidants glide in deepest purple hue,


Oh ho! These berries are mightily good for you!!!!

I love blackberries, and I’m learning a lot about antioxidants at the mo, if vitality is a destination you’d like to live, it is in berries and other such like freshlings that you'll find it, not in a five a day way, instead in a fifteen a day a way! 

Think fresh, think rainbows, feel great!

The other day I watched with rapture “Nigellisima”, she oozes food lore and loveliness, her recipes look and sound delicious, but how they configure with the bodies blood sugar levels, is another thing altogether.

There is a school of thought that believes our emotions really are found/ felt in our guts! In fact studies have shown that our cellular memory is held in the gut, the very core of our being. Is it any wonder so many people use food as a means to cope and self medicate, rather than to nourish and heal?

My mantra is “Balance, beautiful balance,” there is of course a time for meatza and cheesecake, though luscious smoothies and fresh juices are simply begging your bodies to dive into everyday. 

SPLASH!

I love nothing more than to sip some lemon water each morning (alkalising is the way forward), followed by a juice and my favourite breakfast, porridge with seasonal berries. Right now, you guessed it – Blackberries!!!

PS – Better than drinking blackberries, picking them with loved ones in the autumnal sunshine and making jam!

Lots of love,

FFX

Blackberry Smoothie

SERVES 4

Blackberries, 120g

Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp

Smooth orange juice, 250ml

Milk, 500ml

Ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp

Honey, 1 tbsp

Vanilla extract, 1 tbsp

Rolled Oats, 1 tbsp

BLITZ all ingredients in a blender for a minute or so.

POUR into a chilled glass for a morning wake up that will bring freshness and plenty of goodness to your day.

Apples in Autumn

The entrance to the Apple Orchard

Hello! I hope you enjoyed a relaxing and restful summer, I'm back now with some yumtastic recipes and restorative thoughts to share. I'm feeling nourished and natures great outdoors has inspired my cooking.

The lovely thing about being healthy, is that LOVE becomes the guiding force, not fear, and as with all things made with love, the result is beautiful, more love! Just like you! There's a song that comes to mind... one of my favourties.

Here is a picture of my two sons, that I took over the summer.

Summer...

A time for quiet and laughter. And a time for cherishing and thinking about, long after.

That’s the best bit about special times; they linger on and transform our outlooks, etching positivity into every moment. Sometimes, it's what we don't say that's most revealing, and truth is not always as clear and pure as we may like, especially when it’s got a motive attached. Summer gave me the time to sift through my thoughts and the break has left me feeling clearer, thank goodness for that! 

Autumn whispers and summer’s relaxed adieu begins - AND - what a summer? Deeply peaceful and calm. The first, in a few years, and very much appreciated. 

I’m sharing a recipe for a healthy yet sweet humble Angel Apple pie, with a hint of citrus and a caramel longing, the softly baked apples  are irresistible.

Think of falling apples, gently landing on soft golden meadows where the freshest of air lulls the senses, and sipping hot sweet tea with your nearest and dearest along with a slice of Angel Apple Pie. It is a celebration of autumn, it is gluten-free, it is fuss free and to the point - it is fresh and delicious, yet crumbly and mouth watering all the while. It is made with fallen apples and dusted with Angel glee, share some with a loved one, it's to good not too.

Love to you, and may autumn bring golden times in abundance to you!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Be true, be you!

FFXOX

Angel apple pie

FOR THE PASTRY

Rice flour, 250g
Fruit Sugar, 1tbsp

Orange essence, 2 tsp

Butter, 150g cut into cubes

Baking powder, 1 tsp

Egg, 1 beaten

Salt, a pinch

FOR THE FILLING                                                                                                                                             

Apples, 5 (a selection of your favourite) cored, peeled and cut into chunks

Butter, 50g

Rice flour, 1 tbsp

Fruit sugar, 3tbs                                                                                                                                                               

Cinnamon, a generous sprinkle, if you like, otherwise leave out

Chai tea or Earl Grey, 60ml                                                                                                                                                  

FOR THE GLAZE

Milk, a dash

Maple Syrup, 1 tsp

PRE-HEAT oven to 220, gas 7.

MAKE pastry by sifting flour and salt into a bowl/ food processor.

ADD fruit sugar and butter, rub between your fingers until the mixture is crumb like, alternatively blitz for a few seconds.

POUR in orange essence and beaten egg into the mixture, work to a soft dough.

CUT pastry dough into two halves, wrap in clingfilm and pat into discs.

REST for thirty minutes in the fridge.

FOR THE FILLING

MELT butter and stir in flour to form a paste.

ADD fruit sugar and Chai tea, stirring all the while, when thickened to a sauce, turn of the heat and leave to one side.

FOR THE PIE

UNWRAP dough and leave sheet of cling film on surface.

ROLL  pastry to line the base of a 25-30cm (10-12in) greased tart pan/ or oven proof dish, take care here, the rice flour makes for a crumbly and more delicate dough, TLC is needed.

SPOON apple and raisins onto the base, to form a little mountain of yumminess.

POUR over sauce and sprinkle with cinnamon, to your taste.

ROLL out second dough ball to cover the apple mixture.

FLUTE the edges of the pie and cut four steam slits on the top of the pie, but don’t join the slits.

BAKE in the centre of the oven at gas 7 for 15 minutes, then reduce to gas 4, 180 for roughly 40 minutes.

BEST served warm with crème fraiche, double cream or vanilla ice cream.
ENJOY