Breakfast Super Smoothie

A lot of people might be surprised to learn that for me, eating fruit doesn't come naturally.  If I want a snack, I very rarely want to grab a piece of fruit to snack on.  So to ensure I do get the fruit my body needs, I make brekky smoothies each weekday morning.... not just to get some fruit into me, but also because I'm always in such a rush in the mornings and smoothies are the ideal quick and nutritious breakfast for me.  The recipe below is my fave, though I do like to mix the recipe up throughout the week for a bit of variety.

Ingredients (serves 1):
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (or other milk of choice - I often use my raw nut milk)
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- A couple of handfuls of leafy greens (today I used rainbow chard)
- 1 Medjool date, pitted
- 3/4 cup of frozen organic mixed berries (or other fruit)
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Optional - 2 tsp superfood powder (today I used 1 tsp maca and 1 tsp lucuma)

Method:
Pop all the ingredients into a blender or Thermomix and blend on high speed for 1 minute (sp9 in Thermomix). Enjoy!

Raw Nut Milk

I frequently make raw nut milks at home.  They are so easy to make and much more economical than buying.  And not only that, you know exactly what goes into them!  The picture above is organic cashew milk that I just made this morning - I soaked the cashews for about 3 hours beforehand.  Different types of nuts need to be soaked for different periods of time in order to de-activate the enzyme inhibitors - this makes the nutrients within the nuts more available for absorption by your body.  If I'm making almond or hazelnut milk, I will soak those types of nuts for closer to 12 hours.  I use these nut milks for my morning breakfast smoothies.  The leftover pulp can be used as well - I have used mine in raw vegan desserts.  If you're not using it straight away, just make sure you pop it into a ziplock bag and freeze it until use.   

Ingredients (makes 1L)

1 cup raw nuts, soaked in filtered water

4 cups filtered water

Optional - small amount of sweetener such as rapadura/maple syrup - I used 1 date

Method:

1.  Drain and rinse the nuts.  Tip them into Thermomix or blender.  

2.  Add 4 cups of water, and sweetener if using.  Blend for approximately 1 minute on high speed (speed 9 in Thermomix).

3.  Strain the nut milk through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag.  Store the nut milk in the fridge and consume within 4 days.
    

Homemade Fruit Cordial

It is not easy to find additive free cordial that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!  But it is so easy to make your own!  You can use any fruit combo you like and this is a good way to use up any over-ripe fruit you have laying around. 


Ingredients (makes approx 1.25L)
2 cups roughly chopped fruit (for the one above, I used a mix of strawberries, blueberries and frozen organic raspberries)
3 cups filtered water
2 cups rapadura or raw sugar

Method
1.  Add fruit and water to saucepan.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes.    Take off the heat.  Using a stick blender, blend until fruit is finely chopped.

(In Thermomix, add fruit and water to TM bowl.  Chop 10sec/sp5.  Then cook 10min/90deg/sp2)

2.  Strain mixture into a large bowl or jug.  Discard the fruit pulp and pour liquid back into the saucepan.  Add sugar and cook, stirring on low-medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.

(In Thermomix, add strained fluid into TM bowl.  Add sugar and cook 10min/90deg/sp2)

3.  Pour into sterilised bottles and allow cordial to cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

4.  Use as you would commercial cordial - diluting approximately 1 part cordial to 10 parts water, or to taste.