Rdeči DETOX smoothie

Po napornem decembru, prenajedanju in rajanju je čas za novo poglavje. Novo leto – nov začetek, kot pravijo. In da bo dober, morajo biti tako um, duša kot telo neobremenjeni. In čisti. Kot list papirja, pripravljen za pisanje nove zgodbe. Če sem se naučila eno stvar odkar imam diabetes, je to ta, da je najbolj pomembno poslušati lastno telo. Ko se enkrat ustaviš in prisluhneš, pričneš drugače reagirati in kar naenkrat se počutiš veliko bolje. Detox in več športa. Kozarec vina pa zamenjan za smoothie.

Tale smoothie je v zadnjem času nadomestil kar nekaj mojih običajnih zajtrkov. Mogoče ne vsebuje vseh tistih superfood praškov, zagotovo pa vsebuje superfood. Zjutraj sem mu primešala kakšno žlico ovsenih kosmičev in konopljinih semen, najraje pa sem ga pripravila za popoldansko malico.

Rdeča pesa je odličen vir folne kisline in kalija. Vsebuje antioksidante in hkrati pomaga pri razstrupljanju. Res je, da ima več ogljikovih hidratov kot ostala zelenjava (5g OH/75g), vendar to niti ni tako problematično, saj vsebuje precej vlaknin. Lahko jo jemo kuhano ali surovo. Pa še nekaj, kar sem zasledila v literaturi: v antiki so bili pesini list zelo cenjeno živilo. To niti ni presenetljivo, saj vsebujejo do 25% magnezija. Pripravijo se na podoben način kot špinača. Superfood.

Korenček A, B, C, E, K. Nuff said.

Pomaranče so najboljše zimsko sadje. Ko sedim in pišem tole, se po prostoru širi omamen vonj moje cvetoče pomaranče (sicer ne gem, kako je mogoče, da cveti, vendar se ne morem pritoževati…). Pomaranče so seveda dober vir vitamina C in pomagajo krepiti imunski sistem v zimskih mesecih. Pa še nasvet: navadno so najbolj sočne tiste pomaranče, ki so tudi najbolj težke.

Jagode so vir antioksidantov, folne kisline ter vitaminov B in C . Imajo visok delež vode in ugodno vplivajo na prebavo. Poleg tega imajo pa še nizek glikemični indeks.

Zeleni čaj naj bi bil boljši za zdravje kot črni, ki je sicer bolj razširjen. Razlog za to je način pridelave oziroma predelave, pri kateri ne pride do oksidacije in zato zeleni čaj obdrži več antioksidantov in vitaminov.

Chia semena imajo veliko vlaknin in upočasnjujejo prebavo. Bogata so z omega 3 in 6 maščobnimi kislinami ter minerali, kot na primer kalijem, kalcijem in železom. Z visokim deležem proteinov so super za dopolnit sadne in zelenjavne smootije.

Ingver je dober vir vitaminov in mineralov. V alternativni medicini se smatra za zdravilno rastlino. Imel bi naj pozitivne učinke na prebavo in dihalni sistem, prav tako pa ugodno deluje proti slabosti. Priporočen dnevni vnos je med 3 in 10 g. Ima značilen limonkast, vendar zelo oster okus. Nariban bo s časom pridobil ostrino, v kolikor pa iz njega iztisnemo sok in zavržemo vlaknine, bo obdržal bolj blago aromo.

Sestavine:

• 1 korenček
• 1 srednje velika pesa (surova ali kuhana)
• 100 g jagod
• 1 pomaranča
• sok pol limone
• 2 žlički naribanega ingverja
• 2 žlici chia semen
• 1 skodelica zelenega čaja

Priprava:

1. Napravite skodelico zelenega čaja in ga ohladite.
2. Operite in olupite sadje ter ga narežite na večje kose.
3. Vse sestavie dajte v blender in zmiksajte na največji hitrosti.

Creamed spinach pasta with oven baked carrots

I rarely eat pasta. I think it’s because I like the sauce better. So no, this post won’t be about how to make homemade pasta. It will be about fresh homegrown spring greens topped with some colorful goodness.

Probably the easiest way to prepare carrots is to toss them in the oven and let it do its work. No matter how good it will look or smell, be patient: roast at low temperature for at least an hour. This will bring out all the sweetness there is in carrots. You will get a sort of caramelized veggies without adding sugar.

Swiss chards

So, I cheat with pasta… wholegrain or buckwheat would be your perfect choice for this dish. At least baby spinach leaves come from my mom’s garden…

For creamed spinach I’m using slovenian fresh cheese called skuta. It’s something special and so far I haven’t found anything similar anywhere ease in the world. It’s similar to cottage cheese, but it’s not. The closest thing to replace it is ricotta. But still, that’s another thing. For me skuta should be categorized under superfood: it has 10 g of protein per 100 g and is really healthy. Without even talking how versatile it is to use: from appetizers to mains to desserts. Anyway, I’ve just bought a new book on cheese making, so as soon I learn how to prepare it, I’ll post it here.

Ingredients:

serves 2

• 5 carrots
• 250 g spinach
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• lemon and mountain thyme
• 4 Tbsp fresh cheese or ricotta (you can also use cream cheese instead)
• 90 g wholegrain or buckwheat pasta
• olive oil
• salt, pepper to season

Preparation:

1. Cut carrots, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and mountain thyme. Slow roast at 180ºc for about an hour or until softened.
2. 10 mins before the carrots are ready put pasta on.
3. Chop garlic really fine. Heat olive oil, add garlic and roast for 30s. Be careful not to burn it, it’s ready when it starts smelling nice. Add spinach and stir to release the water. Season with salt and pepper. Put a bit more salt than you would normally – cheese is not salty at all.
4. Remove from heath and mix with fresh cheese. If it’s too hot, the cheese will release water.
5. When pasta is cooked, mix in creamed spinach.
6. Serve with roasted carrots on top, sprinkled with lemon thyme and some olive oil.

 

 

Coconut carrot mi-cuit

Coconut carrot cake upgrade Nº3: coconut carrot mi-cuit

Mi-cuit comes from french and literally means half cooked. When ordering a dessert in France, you’ll opt for mi-cuit au chocolat. It’s a chocolate cake whit a liquid chocolaty middle part. It is baked really quickly so that it gets crust on the outside but stays liquid on the inside. Since my carrot cake is really moist and dense and contains no eggs you will get juicy carrot mi-cuit.

Chia will do the trick!

Chia has high fiber and protein content and is rich with omega-3 fatty acids. What’s even better: it has binding properties. When combined with water, It forms a gel that can be used as an egg replacer.

The main formula is: 1 egg = 1 Tbsp chia seed + 3 Tbsp water.

Ingredients:

• raw coconut carrot cake recipe
• sweetened greek yogurt
• coconut chips
• raspberries
• roasted nuts

Preparation:

1. Follow raw coconut carrot cake recipe.
2. Put mixture in individual pie molds and bake at 170ºc for approx. 30 min.
3. Let cool and serve with greek yogurt topped with coconut, raspberries and some crushed roasted nuts.

Raw coconut carrot cupcake

Coconut carrot cake upgrade Nº2: raw cupcake with coconut frosting

For this recipe I was actually inspired by raw lemon cupcake prepared by Barbarella – green chef that I’ve tried at Open kitchen – food market in Ljubljana that’s open every Friday when the sun comes out. I’m sure my recipe has nothing to do with hers, but those flavors were so remarking that I just had to try something similar on my own.

Frosting is a must!

The cupcake itself is pretty dense, so you need to balance it with something light. The best is to use coconut whipped cream. When I was preparing this, I didn’t have any so I’ve mixed some greek yogurt with coconut oil, left it in the fridge for couple of hours and what came out was simply delicious.

Ingredients:

• raw coconut carrot cake recipe
• coconut oil and greek yogurt or coconut whipped cream
• coconut flakes and strawberries to garnish

Preparation:

1. Follow raw coconut carrot cake recipe. Use small cake ring to form cupcakes.
2. Prepare whipped coconut cream or mix 1/3 coconut oil and 2/3 greek yogurt for frosting.
3. After letting sit everything in the fridge for couple of hours, garnish cake with frosting, strawberries and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Raw coconut carrot bites

Carrot cake upgrade Nº1: coconut carrot bites

I love coconut balls, but usually they’re made of butter or coconut oil, sugar, powdered milk and coconut flakes. I wanted to try something else. Healthier and more fresh. And since too much fat blows up my sugar, I wanted something without any additional fat. After many tries I finally came up with the recipe I adore. It’s actually raw coconut carrot cake upgrade.

Ingredients:

• raw coconut carrot cake recipe
• coconut oil (I didn’t use it, but you can always add a spoon or two)
• coconut flakes

Preparation:

1. Follow raw coconut carrot cake instructions.
2. If using additional coconut oil, stir in the mixture and let sit overnight.
3. Make small balls and roll them in coconut flakes.

Raw summer pie

Light delight for hot sunny days: raw coconut carrot cake

The last thing you need in those hot summer days is to spend your day cooking and heating up the house. Fresh, light and raw, full of vitamins and water to rehydrate your body. That’s what we should enjoy in the summer.
This cake was actually created in wish to find an alternative to classic cheesecake, which I adore but I wanted something low carb and without any milk products. The texture has nothing to do with it, but the taste gets pretty close.

There’s no need to remind you how healthy carrots are but usually all that peeling and grating just turns you off eating them. For this recipe I’m using a blender or if you like Vitamix. It’s so easy to prepare them that you have no more excuses for not doing it anymore.
Since there’s a lot of lemon juice in the mixture, you have to balance it with something sweet. Applesauce is great for that. It’s pretty low carb and adds some sweetness. That allows you to reduce overall sugar content.

And coconut… it’s a summer thing par default. If you’re not by the sea, it will sure get you there. What I’ve discovered since I started using coconut in my recipes is that it comes in many different forms. Apart from the raw thing, what you can get in the supermarket is coconut chips, coconut flakes and coconut flour. I’m using different coconut flours. The one from Amanprana has more strong taste, so I use it when baking. It goes well especially with chocolate. The one from Vegalife is mild in taste and more neutral, so I use it mostly in raw recipes. Coconut flour is also great because it has really high fiber content. The one from Vegalife has approx. 40 g of fiber per 100 g. It also contains a lot of good fats, but you should keep in mind that there’s approx. 60 g of fat in normal coconut flour or flakes. That means that you don’t have to add that much additional fat to your recipes. I often add coconut flour to my post-workout smoothies. There I prefer using fat reduced coconut flour from Vegalife that has only 17 g of fat per 100 g.

What I like about his recipe is that it can be used in so many ways and always turns out delicious. To find out more go to the upgrades:

• Raw coconut carrot bites
• Raw coconut carrot cupcake
• Coconut carrot mi-cuit

Ingredients:

• 350 g carrot
• 50 g nuts (I used 30 g cashew and 20 g almond)
• 70 g coconut flour
• 30 g coconut flakes
• 100 g applesauce
• lemon peel of 2 organic lemons
• juice of 2,5 lemons
• 3 Tbsp chia seed
• 50 g coconut nectar or agave syrup (I used 20 g agave and 3 Tbsp sucralose)
• 20 g oat flakes
• chocolate, almonds and coconut flakes to garnish

Preparation:

1. Use blender to grind peeled carrots with applesauce until completely smooth.
2. Use grinder or mortar to grind oat flakes, chia seeds and nuts. Grind separately to get flour consistency.
3. In a separate bowl combine carrot mixture whit all the remaining ingredients.
4. Use a cake ring or a cake mold to form a pie. Press well.
5. Let sit in fridge overnight.
6. Sprinkle with chocolate bits, coconut flakes and nuts.