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Blackberry Chia Jam – refined sugar free!

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I was foraging my collection of blackberries when a lovely lady said to me I’ve just made 3 jars of jam with mine.. mmmmm I haven’t had jam in years since I quit sugar but it instilled enough desire to go and make some.  Here is my refined-sugar free super quick recipe for making blackberry jam, I don’t have a very sweet tooth so I like to sharpness of these berries and you can always add a little extra raw honey if the little ones prefer it sweeter but a great recipe to convert them to some healthier options.

I was a little unsure what to eat my jam with, we don’t eat bread, one day I’ll get round to making a healthier alternative but quite honestly, I rarely find the time so we had ours dolloped on Sunday brunch pancakes which was divine.  Let me know what you pair your jam with?

If you have not used Chia seeds before they have this amazing gelling quality when used combined with liquid which is why no pectin is required for this jam.  Chia seeds are rich in fibre so great for digestion and they also contain Omega 3 fats so studies have shown they are great for balancing blood sugar and reducing inflammation.

Blackberries this time of year are Mother Nature’s gift when you live in this country, they are abundant everywhere! Free from chemicals and pesticides they are also full of vitamins when growing wild.  High levels of Vitamin C to boost immunity but low in sugar content, they are also high in Vitamins A, E, K and B Vitamins.  Their dark colour exemplifies their super high antioxidant content which scavenges free radicles within the body preventing our cells from aging but have also shown protective mechanisms against cancer. Wild blackberries have also been shown to have a neuroprotective affect, therefore great for supporting our brain health.

Warm these berries very gently so that preserve all that goodness!

 

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Blackberry Chia Jam - refined sugar free!
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Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups of blackberries
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
Instructions
  1. Put 1 cup of the blackberries into a wide bottomed pan and warm gently while pressing with a potato masher to release the juices for about 5 minutes
  2. Press the blackberries through a sieve with a wooden spoon to remove the seeds
  3. Pour the pureed blackberries back into the pan and add the other ½ cup of berries, mash these remaining berries and leave in the mixture for more texture
  4. Finally turn off the heat and stir in the raw honey and chia seeds
  5. Combine well and pour into your jam jar of choice
  6. Place in the fridge overnight for the chia seeds to absorb the juice and gel
  7. Serve with paleo bread / crackers or we love it with some coconut yoghurt as a dessert

 

 

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Homemade Tomato Ketchup

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Did you know that in 15ml of your standard Heinz Ketchup there is 1 teaspoon of sugar?!  That’s a lot of unrefined sugar and most of us wouldn’t dream of giving our child a teaspoon of sugar with a main meal!

I set about making my own homemade version for my daughter’s birthday party last year, we had a forest school birthday party in the woods in November, everyone thought I was crazy but it worked beautifully.  I decided whatever the weather they needed to have warm food and for a BBQ most 6/7 year olds demand ketchup so I had to create something that would pass the young person test! With this recipe I had not a single complaint, all was gobbled up and even the adults couldn’t quite believe it wasn’t Heinz!  The best bit, I didn’t have to use a ton of sugar or salt either.

My little secret!!…. Beetroot powder, not only does it give the ketchup the most authentic colour (goodness knows how Heinz achieves it but I’m guessing it doesn’t come from tomatoes) previously a paler orange in colour but it also adds a delicious natural sweetness to the ketchup.

I make my ketchup in an enormous batch (just over 1 litre size bottle) because, honestly I don’t have the time to keep knocking up ketchup but feel free to half or quater my quantities if you want to use less tomatoes.  The ketchup has kept fresh in my fridge for a good few weeks but I have been known to ferment it too by adding some kraut juice or goat milk kefir whey, leaving it out for a few hours and then transferring to the fridge.  I prefer the kraut juice to ferment with because I don’t like the slightly effervescent texture from whey in my ketchup, in my mind, credibly ketchup should taste silky in texture.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are full of health benefits, I buy on the vine organic tomatoes, I’m sure like myself you’ve realised the superiority in taste but this also allows the tomatoes to retain more nutrients and antioxidants, otherwise they are picked very early to ripen in stores.  Tomatoes are known for the nutrient Lycopene which is shown here and here to have cancer protective capabilities.  Lycopene has been shown to increase its bio-availability through cooking and it is also fat soluble so tomatoes need to be cooked with a fat like this recipe.  Tomatoes are also known for their anti-inflammatory benefits and high levels of vitamin C boosting natural immunity.

 

5.0 from 7 reviews
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Homemade Tomato Ketchup
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Cuisine: Side
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Ingredients
  • 900g of large tomatoes chopped
  • 400g of cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 2 cloves of garlic sliced
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon of garam masala
  • Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of beetroot powder
  • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of runny raw honey (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the tomatoes, red onion and celery and cook gently until soft
  2. Add the spices, salt and pepper and continue to simmer until the vegetable juice releases and the liquid halves in quantity stirring occasionally, allow this to take about 20-30 minutes
  3. Allow to cool and then blend in a liquidiser, I used my vitamix
  4. Add back to the pan and continue to simmer until the ketchup has reached the desired consistency, I like to thicken mine further
  5. Allow to cool again and add the balsamic, beetroot powder and raw honey, I shake mine in the jar to ensure it is well combined.
  6. A delicious addition to your every day meals and a firm favourite with children without the junk!

 

Easy Creamy Guacamole

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guacamole

I’m a big fan of avocado and I really love the buttery texture of guacamole but when you buy it in the shop it always seems to contain wheat, sugar, vegetable oil or if you’re really lucky.. all 3!

Guacamole takes me 5 minutes to make it and then I adore it as a side serving on salad, on scrambled eggs, topped on fish or just dipping crudites into it.

Avocado is full of healthy monounsaturated fat which has been demonised by the low-fat industry for far too long, read here.  It has been a key part of the heart healthy Mediterranean diet for decades and it is one of the most nutritionally dense fruit you can eat.  It is full of B Vitamins – great for sustaining energy levels, high in Vitamin C – boosting your immune system, keeps your skin looking glowing with Vitamin E and it is packed with minerals such as magnesium and potassium to name a few.  Avocados have even been shown to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancer cells.

How do you like to eat guacamole?

5.0 from 5 reviews
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Easy Creamy Guacamole
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Recipe type: Sides
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Ingredients
  • 1½ avocados
  • 1 large tomato
  • ½ red onion
  • ½ big bunch of coriander leaves (not stalks)
  • 1 drop of doTERRA Cilantro essential oil (optional)
  • juice from half a lemon
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until creamy with a little texture
  2. Transfer to fridge

 

Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Stuffing (Paleo)

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stuffing-1

I find Christmas a fairly easy time of year to remain healthy, I eat a fairly high fat diet so I never feel deprived in the way I would have been on a low fat diet.  Historically, I would have justified dieting in January and eating whatever I wanted but eating fat has had the consequence of managing cravings although I certainly indulge in a little refined sugar-free cacao!  Read more about how to staying healthy over Christmas here.

I do remain gluten free and although most of a standard Christmas meal is easy to avoid gluten, I do love stuffing which traditionally is always made with breadcrumbs.  I was lucky enough to find fresh cranberries in Planet Organic the other week, I knew this is what I wanted to make.  Cranberries can be quite sharp when fresh so I’ve combined this recipe with fresh grated apple but you could substitute with dried cranberries if you cant find fresh.

stuffing-2

stuffing-3Cranberries are full of  health benefits, they are very high in antioxidants, higher than blueberries, which protect you against free radicals which help keep your cells from aging prematurely.  They are low in sugar, high in Vitamin C and many other minerals and vitamins.   They are also high in quercetin which is useful at lowering inflammation in the body.

Cranberries have historically been used in studies for the treatment of urinary tract infections for women.   Cranberry extract was found in this study to be as effective as the drug trimethoprim without the side affects that came with the drug.

It has also been shown to have an inhibitory responses to cancer cells causing death induction via apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy.  More studies are needed but this is such a simple food to add for it’s protective mechanisms.

Wishing all my readers the healthiest and happiest of Christmas celebrations!

With love Vanessa x

 

 

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Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Stuffing (Paleo)
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Serves: 9
 
Perfect for a Gluten Free Christmas
Ingredients
  • 400g pork sausagemeat
  • 1 cup of fresh cranberries
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 large handful of chopped walnuts
  • A sprig of rosemary
  • 1 apple grated
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ of a finely grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon of all spice
  • Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Mould into balls or stuff into your turkey!
  3. Put balls in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up, this mixture made 9 large stuffing balls.
  4. Cook in the oven in and oven proof dish for 35-40 minutes at 35 degrees until just starting to brown.

 

Kale Crisps

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Kale-crisps

For all you crisp fans, this is as close as you’ll get to a crisp, while eating healthily and requiring very little effort so definitely worth trying.

I’ll be honest, chocolate is my food of choice but we seem to fall into 2 camps, chocolate or crisp lovers i.e. craving sweet or salty.  The problem with crisps isn’t so much the fried potato, it’s the fact they are nearly always cooked in vegetable or sunflower oil, making them highly toxic to our body.  The other issue I have with them is that they are smothered in table salt which ultimately loses all nutrient minerals that natural salt contains.

It’s kale season at the moment and kale is the highest nutrient dense vegetable there is, so there’s a pretty good reason to eat more of it.  Kale is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, calcium and copper.  What many people don’t know about green leafy vegetables is that the nutrients are easier to absorb by the body when eaten with fat, how perfect is that!  Pair your kale with extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, I’ve even made it with beef dripping before although it sticks heavily to the leaves, sprinkle with sea salt and you have the perfect snack.

Tip: You want to cook these on a low heat so that you get the ultimate crispy texture.

Tip: Store them in a tin lined with parchment paper and a few grains of rice to keep them crispy for a few days.

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Kale Crisps
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Recipe type: Sides
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Serves: 4
 
Quick healthy alternative to crisps
Ingredients
  • Large bag of Kale
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Wash the Kale leaves and dry thoroughly, I try to do this in advance and let them dry out on a tea towel.
  2. Remove the leaves from the stalks
  3. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan and allow to cool slightly
  4. Put the leaves in the oil and massage into the leaves to coat fully (be careful not to burn your hands)
  5. Put the leaves on parchment paper on a baking tray
  6. Cook at 140 degrees for 20 minutes
  7. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!

 

Parsnip Fries

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parsnip-fries

Who thought healthy eating entailed going without fries?  We just need to switch it up a little so throw out that bag of processed fries in the freezer and have a go at making these instead.  Cooked in coconut oil with a little kick of spice, you don’t have to feel any guilt eating these because they are my healthy alternative.

These fries would go perfectly with a big juicy steak or maybe even a salmon steak, add some of my watercress pesto and you have the perfect home cooked meal for any day of the week, easy peasy!

I use Cayenne pepper on these fries for a little extra spice, depending on how hot you like the heat increase or decrease the amount accordingly but it’s certainly worth adding a little.  This little spice is renowned for its powerful medicinal qualities, used for pain relief, prostate cancer, lowering blood pressure, it even speeds up your metabolism so it should definitely be a valued addition to your spice collection.

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Parsnip Fries
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Recipe type: Side dish
Cuisine: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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Serves: 2
 
Side vegetable dish, perfect to go with meat or fish.
Ingredients
  • 2 large parsnips
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Instructions
  1. Peel the parsnips and cut into thin slices the size of fries
  2. Melt the coconut oil either in a pan or I melted mine on the baking tray for a minute in the preheated oven.
  3. Coat the parsnips in the oil and spices and put in the oven on 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden.