Apricot muesli bars

I made a big batch of these the other week to take with me to college and for Jaakko's coffee moments when he wants something sweet. I don't know if you can call them muesli bars but that's the closest thing they were for me! I even cut then into muesli bar slice sizes how cool is that.

Here's something interesting. A great thing i've learnt over the past year is soaking seeds and nuts. Because I have a dehydrator I soak my almonds and sunflower seeds in salty water overnight and then dehydrate them so that they are crispy again. This is the best way to get the most nutrients from nuts and seeds and make them more digestible. In my Nourishing Traditions book it explains how nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors. Soaking in salt water activates the enzymes that neutralize the enzyme inhibitors and makes the nutrients more availabe. You can also dry nuts in seeds in the oven at a low heat after soaking them.

Another great addition to these is dried apples! See if you can find dried apples and apricots without those nasty sulphur presrvatives.

Apricot muesli bars
Handful of dates pitted
Handful of dried apricots
Handful of almonds
1 Tbls sunflower seeds
A pinch of cinnamon

Pulse the nuts and seeds first in the food processor. Then add everything else and mix until a sticky ball texture. Press out onto baking paper (so it doesn't stick) in a square or rectangular container/tin to desired thickness. Freeze or put in fridge until firm and cut into pieces.
I keep mine stored in the freezer. They are nice and chewy and are best when straight from the freezer or fridge!

Essential oils

Hello!

Today I made sure I bought some new batteries for my camera so I can have it ready in the kitchen to snap a picture of everything as it happens as a lot goes on around here:) And the foods I make sometimes get eaten before I have a chance to take a photo. I thought I'd share with you my latest two essential oils that I bought, tea tree and sweet orange. Essential oils are slowly joining my family and I am finding ways to use them more and more. My number one favourite way of using them at the moment is for cleaning floors. I put some hot water in a large bowl and add a few drops of an essential oil in the water and use this to wipe the floors in the bathroom and kitchen. So simple and leaves a nice scent. Another thing I'm going to do is make my own body and hair mist. I have this organic patchouli-sweet orange mist in this cute little spray bottle I bought a while ago. I looked at the ingredients and was like I bet I could make that myself! So when it is empty I'll take the bottle and fill it with some filtered water and a few drops of my own essential oils. And maybe I'll hunt down some vegetable glycerin to make it uber cool.

Over the past few years I've been moving away from using cleaning products that are toxic and contain harmful ingredients. I mean it just doesn't make sense to "clean" with toxic chemicals now does it? I've found lots of good natural non toxic products by looking around and knowing my ingredients. And I have also started making my own by using things that most of us have our kitchen. For example a few drops of essential oils in a water and white vinegar mixture makes a great all purpose cleaner. I use this for wiping cupboards, doors, getting rid of mold and and cleaning the shower. Oh, and don't forget baking soda! I love baking soda. It cleans all sorts of things and can be used for so many purposes.

If you have any ideas or ways you like to use essential oils add a comment and let us all know!

Love Katja

Lacto-fermented Honey Dill Mustard

My own little jar of honey dill mustard.

I came across this recipe at GNOWFGLINS and it looked so good I went straight away and bought some mustard powder, got some fresh dill from the garden and got out my raw honey to whip up this tasty loooking sauce. And boy was it good!! And super easy to make. I have already made my second batch and it was a perfect amount to put in a little jar that previously had store bought mustard in it.. mine is so much better:) The hardest bit is letting it sit on the counter for 3 days. It smells so tasty and I can't wait to use it so I have to stop myself from constantly opening the lid and smelling it and looking at it.

Lately I've been experimenting in the world of fermenting. Fermenting is a traditional way of preserving foods and boosting their nutrient availability. Fermented foods are more easily digested plus full of healthy bacteria and enzymes for the digestive sysytem. By putting vegetables in salt or whey with some water and letting it sit in room temperature for a few days lets the sugars and starches convert into lactic acid, which is friendly bacteria. Modern store and processed foods lack beneficial bacteria and nutrients due to processing, pasteurization and using vinegar instead. That's why it's time to get back to traditional ways of preparing food like our ancestors did:) So far I've fermented lots of beetroots since they are my favourite. I have also made some pickles once but I didn't like them too much so I still have to work on them..

Making some ginger carrots and beetroot today. About to be put in jars and left to ferment!

Lacto-fermented Honey Dill Mustard
This mustard is nice and spicy and makes sandwiches taste heavenly. It is also great in mayonnaise and in salad dressings especially. If you don't like garlic you can leave it out of the recipe. Check out the link above for the original recipe as there is a apple cider vinegar version that is not lacto fermented.

1/2 cup mustard powder
3 tablespoons whey
2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 small garlic clove chopped up finely

Mix everything together in a bowl and then put into a glass jar with a lid. Let it sit on the kitchen counter in room temperature for 3 days then put in the fridge.

Broccoli salad

Time to eat some raw broccoli!

We had this for lunch the other day and with dinner tonight. I love new ways of eating raw veggies. I used mayonnaise that I had made myself (check my last post!) and the apple in the salad makes it really nice. I never used to like fruits in salad but apple is such a good addition in creamy salads like this.

1 head of broccoli
1 apple
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 tbls raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 handful of alfalfa sprouts

Chop up broccoli into small pieces. I used the stems and cut them into small pieces as well. Add apples that have been cut into small pieces, thinly sliced onion rings and alfalfa sprouts. Mix together with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Add a little salt and pepper.

Homemade Mayonnaise

One of my sisters is a cook and she would make mayonnaise from scratch to put in potato salads. I thought if she can do it I should give it a try too! There's nothing better than fresh homemade mayonnaise. You don't need to worry about all the sugar, additives and the vegetable oils they use to make it in the store. That's why I love making things myself because I can choose what ingredients to use and make sure they are good quality and healthy. I use extra virgin olive oil in my mayonnaise recipe. It gives it a distinctive taste and more yellow colour and we love it. I usually make double this recipe because then it makes enough to put in one glass jar. Oh yeah, I love glass jars I collect them for all sorts of things as the are great to store things in!

And if you want to be cheeky I've also added how to make your mayonnaise lacto-fermented! Lacto-fermented means that your mayonnaise will last for longer and it contains enzymes good for your digestive system.

Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 tsp dijon mustard
2tbls lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp raw honey
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Himalaya salt and pepper

Make sure the eggs and all ingredients are at room temperature when you start. Put the egg yolks and everything else except the oil in a bowl and whisk until mixed together. Start adding the oil one drop at a time and whisk. After a while you can start adding a little bit more oil in each turn while whisking. At the end add a little salt and pepper to taste.

You can do it!

Lacto-fermented mayonnaise
Mix 1tbls of whey in finished mayonnaise and let it sit on kitchen counter in room temperature for 7-12 hours. Then store in fridge.

Whey: Put a coffee filter in a sieve on top of a bowl and put a few tablespoons of yoghurt in the coffee filter. Let it sit for a few hours and the bowl will collect clear white liquid -this is whey!

P.S. the yogurt then becomes a bit like cream cheese as it thickens so you can use it to make spreads and dips or use it like a thicker Greek style yogurt.

Curried cauliflower rice

Cauliflower stole the show at dinner last night. Dinner was super yummy. (And that in the picture was only my first serving haha). Salmon, Asparagus stir fried in butter with garlic, sprout salad and curried cauliflower rice. The cauliflower looks like couscous and tasted awesome. I was so excited with this new creation that I think i'm gonna be making it alot because it was so good. All I did was put cauliflower pieces in the food processor and pulsed it into small pieces. Then I fried it on a pan with some coconut oil, onion, turmeric powder, curry powder, cumin seeds, black pepper and himalaya salt. You have to try it! Oh yeah and squueze a little lemon juice on top, delicious.

Flu fighting

I've been sick with the flu for the last few days and have been resting to the max. Sleep is the best. Today I sat outside in the sun for a while, it's warmth and light just always makes me feel happy.

I also made a smoothie this afternoon, it was a real random one today with everything I could find I put in. Thought I'd try some parsley in there too for the first time since we always have some growing in our garden.

Avocado, coconut oil, parsley, banana, rock melon, orange, hempseeds, flax seeds and some green powder. Was lovely and so was drinking one with hubby who loved it too.

Here are a few of my friends.

-Thieves Essential Oil Blend by Young Living. My lovely aunty in Tasmania got me into these when we were there, I love it. I take a drop onto my tongue. It's antibacterial and supports immune system.

-Amla berries. Contain naturally a lot of vitamin C. It's a wholefood vitamin c source, not synthetic or isolated.

-Awesome green powder, has probiotics and enzymes in it. The digestive system plays a huge role in our immune system so good bacteria is important.