Mango Salsa

Sensing a theme! With a box of 12 Mangoes I have been inspired!

 

We love our lentil burgers and they are a great easy and quick meal. To liven them up I decided team them with a Mango Salsa, Avocado Guacamole and Sweet Potato Fries (baked in the oven in a fry shape!) Man did this get wolfed down!

 

Mango Salsa

2 Mangoes

1 small red onion

1 tbs chopped coriander (cilantro)

1tbs chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

juice of half a lime

Dice the mango and throw into a bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Finely chop the coriander with the parsley and red onion and mix in with the mango. Add the lime juice and stir. With 2 young kids I have opted this to be chilli free- but some nice green chilli’s would go a treat in here!

Avocado Guacamole

2 Avocado’s

1 small red onion

1 tbs chopped coriander

7 cherry tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

juice of half a lime

dash of olive oil

Cube the avocado and place in bowl with the lime juice and dash of olive oil. Roughly chop the onion and tomatoes (i like my guacamole chunky) add to the avocado and season with salt and pepper. finely chop the garlic with the coriander and add to the bowl and mix through.

Raw Mango Jam

My favourite fruit is Mango. Packed with great nutrition like Vitamin C I love their sweet juicy sometimes tangy taste. I really missed the Asian Mangoes when I lived in the UK. Now I have found my supplier from India I am set and am buying them by the box. even though the whole family loves them I wanted to make the most of them being in season right now.

I have read loads of recipes for Raw Jam and it seemed so easy- sugar free and hassle free just 3 ingredients! I love Chia too. It is tough getting my daughter to eat it, she is resisting it even though she sees her brother and I have it every morning. But she has her muesli so I am not complaining! This however is a great way to get her to eat it! On our pancakes, on flatbreads and even in her muesli she is gobbling it up. I am also adding it to my green drinks and Chia and coconut yoghurt for breakfast for my son and I

Here it is on my Quinoa Flatbreads

Recipe

2 Ripe Mangoes (flesh)

2 tbs Chia seeds

1 tbs of water.

Depending on how what consistancy (rough or smooth) you like your Jam you can either mash the mango flesh or blitz it in the blender with the water. Add to a jar. Mix in the chia seeds and place in the fridge to ‘set’. I’m not kidding it is as easy as that. I love it. Of course you can do the same with any fruit you like! mix it up a bit- I am going make Pina Colada next with coconut and pinapple and a squeeze of lime, Jackfruit, mixed berry and the cherries and lychee season has begun!!

Sprouted Lentil Slaw and Hummus

Every week we have a vegetarian and a fish night. Now that summer is on its way there will also be a raw night. I believe 80/20 ratio fits my families lifestyle completely. 80% of the time we are incredibly healthy- always cook fresh and have a good mix of protein, carbs and fat. the other 20% of the time we have what we want when we want it. I find this helps when we eat out, when the kids are given those foods I dont give them myself by well-meaning others and if you can eat what you want when you want it you are less likely to binge or somehow ‘fail’ oursleves.

In this vein Easter was a little indulgent. There was some rubbish chocolate involved, but there was also some great nutrition there too. I even got my husband a little inspired by raw foods. Since then I thought I would start to get creative with my vegetarian options.

I love salad, craved it in my last pregnancy and would happily eat it every day of the week. My husband is Irish ( he loves his potatos, bread and simple foods). We compromise with meals. Tonight was a big compromise on his part. He ate it but he didnt like it. Thats ok, I enjoyed it and my 10 month old son ate it all up, but my daughter (who is coming up to 3 and a half) decided that she wasn’t having any. Fine too. I explained that there was nothing in there that she didn’t like, and to be fair she tried it. I think we forget how much they absorb and watch. Since my husband was making a fuss- so did she. There was little chance she was going to eat it when she had a model (one she massively looks up too) to copy. Who knows what might have happened if it was just the 3 of us round the table. Think about how many times we say my kids wont eat that, they are fussy eaters. What would happen if we only ever said- lets see what they like and if I am sitting there eating it maybe they might pick up their forks and absorb and watch. 10 times (kid and adult alike) you have to try something before you taste buds adapt. Most of it is all in your head. As long as the taste buds receive sweet, salty, bitter and spicy- they are happy!

Anyway here’s my new fav salad:

Sprouted Lentil Citrus Slaw and Sprouted Lentil hummus

1 cup of soaked and Sprouted lentils (soak for 12 hours then keep wash lentils morning and night for 2 days while they grow shoots 1-2cm long)

1 large grated carrot

1 Peeled and grated apple (up to here is what my 9 month old son had)

1 cup of finely sliced red cabbage

!/2 Onion finely diced

1/2 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley and mint

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

Dressing;

juice of half an orange

juice of half a lemon

1/2 tbs Apple cider vinegar

1tbs Olive oil

pinch paprika (had my daughters mix without this ingredient)

Salt and pepper

(whisk together)

Hummus (Whizz all ingredients together in a food processor until reach desired consistancy- add oil and cooking water sparingly)

(3 handfuls of the above lentils)

3 cloves of garlic (roasted-makes the garlic a little sweeter)

1 tbs vegetable cooking water (or stock)

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs sesame seeds (beware when giving this to infants- can be allergenic. I have had no reaction from my son when they have been previously introduced)

salt and pepper and a little of the above dressing

I am very happy- what do you think?

 

Here is where I got some inspiration for my recipe;

http://deliciouslyorganic.net/lentil-hummus-recipe-grain-free/

http://gnowfglins.com/2010/05/27/3-dishes-from-sprouted-lentils/#

Coconut Yoghurt

This is my favourite thing to add to my Chia porridge for breakfast. The taste is so vibrant and alive yet still naturally sweet and a great yoghurt tang. I use my dehydrator to incubate it but you could use a yoghut maker or even a bain marie (inside a bowl inside a bowl filled with warm/hot water and cover with a towel! It doesn’t have to be complicated just an even warm temperature for about 12 hours for this yoghurt.

 

1 cup of coconut meat

a drizzle to 1/2 cup coconut water/milk kefir (depending on the wetness of the meat)

Add the meat to a blender or food processor. Add a little kefir to get the yoghurt started. Blend on slow to start with and then on high adding more kefir as necessary until you reach a cream consistency (incidentally this is how I make my coconut cream). Add to your vessels- this makes about 8 portions of yoghurt (with each portion for me and my son being about 3 tbs). I put in my dehydrator at 100 degrees (Fahrenheit- because that is what the dial measures in- normally work in centigrade so its confusing to me) leave for 12 hours! This also means this is a raw yoghurt.

Store in the fridge! Delicious

 

Homemade Iced Mocha With Almond Milk

This takes quite a bit of prep, but when its made its awesome! I have been making Mocha concentrate. You can keep it in the fridge so you just pour it out straight into the glass 50/50 with milk. Add ice and go. I am not the biggest coffee fan, but ever since I got pregnant with my son I crave it. Less now he’s born but I still fancy it now and then. It makes me feel really weird so I can only have decaffeinated  This is a good link to describe different ways of making coffee decaffeinated- http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/decaffeinated-coffee-safe-drink I use the ‘naturally decaffeinated’ coffee for mine and raw cacao powder for the chocolate. I also added some coconut sugar and vanilla essence just to take the edge off (can you tell I don’t really like coffee!!). It can be made straight with coffee to your own taste

100g coffee

to a litre water ( to adjust to make more/less)

50g Cacao powder

2 tbs Coconut sugar (optional)

1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence (optional I also like Hazelnut Essence)

Put coffee, sugar and cacao in a large glass bowl. Pour over water and stir. Leave to sit for at least 8 hours, stirring from time to time. Pour into sieve through a muslin cloth (at the very least a coffee filter or paper towel) Allow to sit through strainer for another 15-20 mins. Use a spoon to press last water through. Add vanilla essence. Put into a container to refrigerate.

When you want to use it use milk (Coconut,Oat or almond are delicious) 50/50 mix in the glass, add ice and enjoy with some beetroot brownies…