Last weekend I went to the markets on Sunday afternoon. As many of you would know, visiting the markets at the end of the week has it’s upside – you get loads of produce very, very cheaply! The downside can be the sheer volume of people with the very same idea, which is one reason I don’t tend to go on a Sunday. Anyway. This particular Sunday I bought a LOT of strawberries (a lot of very ripe strawberries) which needed immediate attention. After the recent success of my Raw Raspberry and Vanilla Chia Jam, I decided to create an equally delicious jam, only this time using fresh strawberries. As with the last recipe – jam was never easier to make, mark my words! Oh and a special little shout out to the gorgeous Catie at The Staple Store, who is one of the most loved functional food store owners going around (in Melbourne). She rocks.

You’ll need:
1.5 cups fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 orange, peeled
1 teaspoon orange peel or zest (I literally just sliced a little of the peel, omit if you prefer less tang)
Seeds of one vanilla pod (or vanilla essence)
Sweetener to taste (I used 4 drops of liquid stevia, the orange is quite sweet so you don’t need much).

Simply throw all your ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Cover and pop in the fridge for a minimum of an hour or overnight. The jam should last in your fridge for up to a week. If you prefers yours runnier, add 1/4 cup water to the blender.

Source: theholisticingredient.com

Kimchi is a spicy and tangy fermented food originating from Korea, where it is typically eaten with every meal, thus making it is a day-long family affair. Kimchi works well in fried rice, in spicy kimchi soup, or simply as a side dish. It is a great digestive aid to get the juices flowing before dinner. And, if you have never ventured into the world of fermented foods, Kimchi is a great place to start.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, fermented foods are a very important part of our diet and have been used in many cultures to preserve foods, aid digestion and promote the balance of health bacteria within the gut. Read more about the benefits of Fermented Foods here.

It is important to note that fermented foods (e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut) differ from cultured foods in that they ferment by way of bacteria naturally present in the food. Cultured foods (e.g. yoghurt, tempeh, kombucha) add bacteria and require a starter. Both fermented and cultured foods add ‘good’ bacteria to your digestive system, they just do so through differing processes.

With all this talk of bacteria, you’re probably wondering, “…am I going to get ill from this bacteria laden kimchi?” Let me assure you, it is only good bacteria we are talking about, and this recipe is completely safe. Keep it in the fridge once prepared though, ok?!

So, as promised, here is a delicious recipe for kimchi. Adapted from a book by Sandor Ellix Katz “Wild Fermentation”, this recipe was given to me by a delightful Gwinganna Naturopath, Sarah McKenzie, during my recent visit to the extraordinary lifestyle retreat. This is a great project to consider for the weekend as the recipe takes two days to complete.

You’ll need:
Sea Salt (or Celtic/Himalayan)
Half a large drum cabbage
12 radishes
2 carrots
1 onion
1 large chilli
1/2 bulb of garlic
3 tablespoons fresh ginger

Mix a brine of about 1 litre of filtered water and salt to taste (approximately 1 tablespoon). Taste as you go and add the salt gradually so as not to over salt. Stir to dissolve. The brine should be salty, yet palatable.

Coarsely chop the cabbage, slice the radishes and carrot (I like to use purple carrots). Let these vegetables soak in the brine overnight, covered with a plate to submerge. At this stage you may ad other vegetable if you so wish (seaweeds, green beans, beetroot etc).

The following day, prepare the herbs and spices. Grate the ginger, chop the garlic and onion, remove the seeds from the chilli and chop finely (or throw them in whole). Kimchi can absorb a lot of spice so go for it! Don’t worry to much about perfecting quantities.

Drain the vegetables that were soaking, and reserve the brine, If the vegetables taste too salty you can give them a quick rinse with cold water. If not salty enough, add more salt and give a good stir.

Mix the vegetables with the ginger/garlic/chilli/onion paste, then pack into clean glass jars (500ml or 1 litre). Pack tightly and press down on the vegetables until the brine rises. If necessary, add a little of the reserved brine to submerge the vegetables. If you chose to screw on the lid at this stage you may want to open it every few days in order to let out some pressure. Or you may chose to cover the top of the jar with a muslin cloth and affix with a rubber band.

Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place. Taste the kimchi every day. After about a week of fermentation, and when the mix tastes ‘ripe’, affix the lid and store in the fridge. Done! This recipe will keep for a couple of months, but let’s face it, it’s quite unlikely to last that long.

Speaking of gut health, if you’d like to know how to make your own coconut yoghurt at home, you can find the recipe in A Nourishing Morning. I was actually very surprised at how simple it was to make. Affordable too.

Source: theholisticingredient.com

If I could bake this loaf every day, I would. Laden with so much goddam goodness, it is seriously deeeeeeeLISH! This loaf made its first glorious appearance in my A Nourishing Morning eBook and it’s been a standard in my kitchen ever since. An all-round good guy in the nutritious and delicious stakes, it’s a dead-set winner. Need I go on?

Okay, I will. So where do I start? Well, firstly, there’s the hero of the loaf – turmeric. A powerful anti-inflammatory with a list-as-long-as-my-arm of benefits. Goats curd, high in calcium and great for anyone with a dairy intolerance. Onion, not often given much cred, but a wonderful immune-booster. And finally, those little nutritional powerhouses, seeds, including the little dynamo of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed.

Eat it on its own or top it off with some extra goats curd or my kale pesto and you have yourself a meal. Me thinks, sorry knows, you’ll love it!

Makes 1 loaf

1 2/3 cup white rice flour
1 ½ cup mixed seeds
150g goats curd, coarsely crumbled
4 eggs
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1 brown onion, peeled, finely chopped
½ cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup flaxseeds
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon turmeric, ground
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

In a large bowl place the white rice flour, turmeric, bicarbonate soda, salt, pepper and mixed seeds. Add the onion, garlic, goats curd and herbs, mixing gently to incorporate.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs until foamy then incorporate the coconut oil. Pour the egg mix over the dry mix and combine.

Scatter half the flaxseeds over the base of the loaf tin. Add the batter to the tin. Scatter the remaining flaxseeds on top. Cover the loaf with foil, place in oven and cook for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

For more turmeric love, try my golden turmeric milk – a great accompaniment to this recipe – or maybe these moorish Roasted Turmeric and Chilli Cashews.

Remember to let me know if you love this recipe as much as I do – any and all feedback is always welcome down below. Oh and and any topping combos you try – we love a little inspiration around here.

It’s giveaway time!

This week I am giving away THREE copies of my A Nourishing Morning eBook, full of super healthy, gluten and refined sugar-free delicious recipes, 75 of them in fact (for any time before noon).

All you need to do is share in the comments below one simple thing you do in your morning routine to boost your health or happiness, by COB Friday 2nd December. No more than 50 words (and don’t worry if it’s the same as anyone else’s, the winner will be chosen by random number generator). I’m rather looking forward to reading everyone’s tips!

Conditions of entry: you must be a THI subscriber. If you’re yet to join this tribe you can do so by popping your email address in towards the bottom right of this page. 

Source: theholisticingredient.com