caramel chia & kingsize

I’ve been swept up in a whirlwind of something new.  Something I thought was wildly beyond my reality.  A place I’d be in my dreams, gone the instant I opened my eyes.  However this is not a dream.  This is real and I'm still pinching myself.

I’ve earned a spot in the Kingsize studios 2015 scholarship programme. 'Kingsize'  is New Zealand's largest stills-video gear hire and rental studios - a kind of hub for New Zealand's leading photographers and amateurs like me alike. The programme means I'll be attending photography classes for the next three months, meeting renowned photographers and embarking on challenging assignments using different lighting techniques.   

I think about the chain of events that got me to this place. The smallest of actions, which, if not for them, life might be very different right now...

February.  A haircut and I’m early.  A magazine in the waiting area.  I turn a page and there's an advertisement for a summer school photography programme at a place called Kingsize.  Perfect - only I’m two weeks too late. An apprehensive phone call anyway, and a welcoming voice.  Biting the bullet and saying yes to a week long intensive course just for me.  Apprehension – my first day.  Learning what the most basic buttons on my camera mean.  Switching from ‘auto’ to ‘manual’ mode for the first time.  Yes this was not much more than 2 months ago.  And now here I am.  Surrounded by the most talented creative individuals and I have earned a spot among them.  How did that happen?? 

I won’t waste my time in wondering (there’s too many other things to learn right now). I’ll just marvel at the fact that life can be pretty darn wonderful…  xx

caramel chia

Makes 1 large or 2 small servings

• 1 cup of homemade almond or pecan nut milk
• 1/2 a frozen banana
• 2 medjool dates (pitted)
• 2 tsp mesquite powder*
• 2 tsp maca powder*
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• a pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt
• 1/4 cup of chia seeds

how to:

1. Start by soaking chia seeds in 3/4 - 1 cup of water and leave to sit for 1/2 an hour minimum.  You will need to stir once or twice during the half hour.  The chia will form a thick gel like substance but shouldn't be dry. 
2. Once ready, blend all other ingredients (excluding chia mix) in a high speed blender, until smooth.
3. Turn blender to it's lowest setting and add soaked chia seeds. Pulse very gently 2-3 times to mix in the seeds, making sure to keep them intact. (If you blend too strongly and break the seeds you will end up with a thick sludge - not such a nice consistency on the tongue =)).  Alternatively you can stir in with a spoon.
4. Serve directly.

variations

If you prefer a straight up smoothie, omit the chia seeds and increase to one and a half frozen bananas.  

*mesquite & maca 

I'm sorry, this blog is supposed to be about food, however my life stories seem to be taking over.  Oops!  For those of you who aren't familiar with mesquite and maca, they are both superfood powders originating from Peru, which can be purchased in your local organic shop. 

Mesquite has a distinct caramel flavour making it a perfect addition to the flavour profile of this recipe. It's high in protein, calcium and magnesium, and is well known for having a balancing affect on blood sugar levels.  Maca (the one I accidentally tipped upside down whilst doing this shoot), on the other hand, has a distinct malty flavour which matches mesquite in a lovely way. It is well known for it's hormone balancing affects as well as being rich in a number of vitamins and minerals (including vitamins B, C and E, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and amino acids).  In short mesquite + maca = thumbs up!  

life

Uninhibited feelings of joy, love and sadness.  I have experienced all these this past month.  This is a story about profound and beautiful emotions and a collection of photographs since the start of 'hope'.

Four weeks ago I found out I was pregnant.  Not longer than a week ago, I found out our baby had no heartbeat.  An unexpected dream bringing an unknown happiness, shattered in an instant and replaced by an all-encompassing cloak of grief.  A cloak that suffocated my whole being.  Not just for the baby I had lost, but also for me, and a sense of hopelessness in life itself. For these past few months pursuing my dreams, have not been all that easy and I have wondered whether a part of me welcomed my pregnancy as a release from my struggling. I will never forget my lowest moment the night our bad news was confirmed, tears streaming down my face, body shuddering, searching for a job in my old line of field.  Yearning for mind-numbing security, to replace the scariness of the unknown.

However. Despite the intense heartbreak that led me to question my ‘hope’, I will remember this month of profound emotions as being the most beautiful of my life. 

What I remember is the extreme elation as Fred and I adjusted to our new situation and as our thoughts wandered and wondered about life ahead.  The even deeper closeness and bond we felt for each other because of the new being growing inside of me.  The great love and support from our friends and family, both in sharing our good news and bad - love which is ever present, but not so rawly felt as it is when certain things happen. It was a special time and I am grateful for every minute. 

A dear friend told me that while life is full of many challenges and adventures which we can never predict, it all turns out beautiful in the end if we ride the waves with an open mind and heart.  This is just so true.  I didn’t get further with my job search that night.  In the short time since then I have styled the food for a Kinfolk gathering and made talented new friends. I have been accepted into a photography scholarship at a renowned studio. And I have met someone whose work I previously admired from afar, who wants to create something together with me.  And so while in my deepest darkest moments of grief I have wanted to run away from doing what I love, today my 'hope' does feel beautiful.  I am looking forward to continuing this journey.  

Thank you for being with me this far.

 xx

watercress, avocado & cucumber

Beautiful, green, culinary art with simple flavours.  The salad form of this dish is something I'll often feel like when life is feeling busy, cluttered or full of uncertainty (the latter being something I am very prone to worrying about).  Stripping back to a few clean flavours (rich in green) inherently seems to balance me back into feeling grounded and happy. Like an automatic slow down button - even though it's associated with the act of eating.  Taking the time to prepare something beautiful is also medicine in itself to me. Working slowly... attention to detail... playing around with where the flower sits best... choosing the most beautiful green leaves.  This process takes me to another place where I am incredibly focused. A form of meditation like the feeling I get from early morning yoga.  Flow...  This feeling is a good feeling =)  Yes, culinary art is something I am extremely passionate about, and I feel happy to say that these shots embody my form of culinary art.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  Have a lovely week dear friends xo 

watercress, avocado & cucumber

cucumber sliders

• 10 cm piece of cucumber slided on a mandolin (thick enough to be used as the base for the cucumber sliders) 
• 1/4 cucumber sliced thinly on a mandolin and rolled as shown above
• avocado guacamole (below)
• watercress leaves dressed lightly in vinaigrette (below)
• 1 Tbsp shallot thinly sliced or diced
• thin strips of nori, white sesame seeds and edible flowers for garnish

1. Place 2 Tbsp of avocado guacamole on each 10 cm cucumber length.
2. Top with shallot, watercress, rolled cucumber pieces, nori strips, white sesame seeds and edible flowers.

salad

• 1 large handful of watercress
• 1/4 cucumber thinly sliced on a mandolin
• 1 Tbsp thinly sliced shallot
• thin strips of nori, white sesame seeds and edible flowers for garnish

1. Dress watercress and shallots in a bowl with a small amount of the vinaigrette below.  
2. Roll cucumber as shown in the photos above.
3. Place half the avocado mixture in the middle of a plate and surround with the watercress and shallots.
4. Insert desired amount of cucumber rounds at random in the salad.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds, nori strips and edible flowers.

avocado guacamole

• 1 large avocado
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• juice of 1 lime
• pinch of sea salt

Smash avocado with the back of a fork and then mix in the other ingredients.

vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp organic red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp filtered water
• 1 tsp miso
• 2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a high speed blender.

green feijoa bowl

Happy belated Easter everyone!  I hope you’ve all had a wonderful time wherever and with whomever that may be.  I spent Easter with my family at Papamoa beach, one of my most favourite places.  Here I always find myself happily content trotting back and forth to the beach, to walk, to swim in the calm seas, play in the wild seas, breathe, find balance and just be.  Medicine for my soul. Fredrik and I had a couple of days to ourselves at the start of the holiday weekend and this combined with getting away from our little flat in Auckland, brought a welcome and unexpected burst of creativity.  We've had a few things going on in our lives recently and perhaps because of that, I've repeatedly been feeling that my food and photographs are a bit boring.  But anyway, I found myself shooting this green feijoa bowl and a watercress, cucumber and avocado combination, with a very happy result.

For those of you outside of New Zealand that haven't heard of a feijoa before, I guess I should apologise!  You've probably figured out that they are the small green fruit you see in the photographs.  I don't think I've ever seen a feijoa outside of New Zealand, apart from once in the exotic fruit section at a supermarket in Stockholm - for an exorbitant price of course!  I'm glad I didn't give in to my homesickness and buy one!  To provide some context however, I've found out that feijoas are also known as 'pineapple guava' given that the taste is similar to a combination of these two fruits.  While I'm not too familiar with guava, I can definitely agree with the pineapple undertones while the gritty texture closer to the skin, reminds me of a pear.  For those of you from New Zealand, you’ll probably have many memories slurping the sweet flesh, or scooping it with a spoon.

When we have extra time, for example on the weekends, or even as a weekday lunch, I'll enjoy my smoothies in a bowl as I've done with this recipe.  I'll top with a favourite granola for a fulfilling contrast in texture, and increased fullness.  Here I have topped with Little Bird Organics fig and ginger raw grawnola (buckwheat based), which is utterly delicious.  

Our small dwelling in Auckland is surrounded by neighbours that have an abundance of beautiful fruit trees.  This post has therefore been complemented with some of my adventures up the road (post Easter), capturing beautiful shots of feijoas in the early morning light. I hope you like it!

green feijoa bowl

Makes one large or 2 smaller bowls

• 1 large handful of leafy greens for e.g. spinach, chard
• 1 cup of chopped pineapple
• 3 medium feijoas or 1 pear
• 1/2 a frozen banana
• 1/2 a grapefruit
• 4 ice cubes
• 2-3 cm piece of ginger (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  Add some filtered water if needed.

Pour in a bowl and top with your favourite crunchy granola and fruit.  

** For a simpler feijoa bowl, you can omit the pineapple and increase to one whole frozen banana. I am a bit obsessed with grapefruit so you can choose whether you want to omit this part also.  Have fun with different combinations!

peaches in earl grey & vanilla

I've definitely heard of 'peaches and cream' before, but 'peaches and earl grey'? Hmm... this a bit of an experiment. The combination arose out of my "Flavour Bible" (by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page).  A food bible, literally, with a dictionary of almost every ingredient you can think of, matched with their flavour/ingredient affinities. I use it a lot of the time, but especially when I have a beautiful ingredient I'd like to do something different with - or something unfamiliar to me at least. In any case… lets's see what you think.  I have paired my earl grey peaches with a simple raw and vegan vanilla cream that has a base of soaked cashew nuts and coconut. Soaked cashew nuts are often used in raw food for creams, dressings, desserts (a lot of things!), for their neutral flavour.  In the shot my cream is quite runny however you will find that by adding coconut oil (as I have done in the recipe), this will make it firmer.

I'd just like to mention that this recipe (with the exception of the peach tree), I shot a few months back, whilst I was still at my parents house at Papamoa beach and before my photography course at Kingsize.  It’s interesting revisiting these photos, given that I have a wee bit more knowledge of my camera now.  Although that’s not to say that taking pictures is any easier!  In any case it’s nice to reflect and recognise progression over these past few months =).  I hope you like the pictures and the recipe and have a lovely week!  xo

how to:

Prepare the following components of the recipe, and plate for e.g. as I have done above.  

peaches in early grey tea

serves 4

• 2 peaches
• 1 cup of organic early grey black tea

Make 2 cups of earl grey tea, according to the given instructions. Leave to cool completely.

Slice peaches and place in shallow bowl.  Pour tea over peaches so that they are just covered and leave to marinate for 10 -15 minutes..  Alternatively place peaches and tea mixture in dehydrator for 30 minutes at 42 degrees celsius (105 degrees fahrenheit).

raw & vegan vanilla cream

• 1 cup of cashew nuts soaked in filtered water for a minimum of 2 hours
• 1/2 cup of agave syrup 
• 1/2 cup of fresh coconut meat 
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
• seeds scraped from 1/2 a vanilla bean
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp filtered water
• 1/4 tsp himalaya mountain salt or sea salt

Blend all ingredients except for the coconut oil, in a high speed blender until completely smooth.  When smooth, slowly add coconut oil whilst the blender is still running on a low speed.  (Note: you will have quite a lot of cream left over which can be used for different desserts such as a fruit salad topping).

activated walnuts

Soak half a cup of walnuts in filtered water for 8 hours or overnight.  Rehydrate in a dehydrator or oven at 42 degrees celsius (105 degrees fahrenheit) until dry.  

If you would like the walnuts to take on a caramel flavour, mix the nuts with 1 tsp of maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt before dehydrating.

If you are not fussed about raw food, you could alternativley roast walnuts for a few minutes in the oven.  

tropical green smoothie

Hi everyone!  Sorry I’m a little late with last weeks post.  I’ve been working on perfecting my earl grey peaches and cream recipe, however it’s still not quite where I want it to be.  Tropical green smoothie has therefore jumped in to save the day.  Thank goodness!

As I write this, it actually clicked that I haven’t even posted a single smoothie recipe yet.  What??!!!  Surely not!  That is completely wacko as smoothies (particularly green ones), have been such a huge part of Fred’s, and my, daily routine for the past 5 years.  (Since I met the beautiful Josefine Jäger and since we both read Victoria Boutenko’s ‘Green for life’, to be exact).  I’m pretty sure this lack of attention to smoothies is because since launching my blog, I have been trying to challenge myself by doing completely new and different things.  This has been great and I have been learning loads however, sometimes it's not always the best answer to take on overly complicated things.  Sometimes it's better to go with the simple solution right in front of your nose – or on your nose, in my case, in a bright green blob.  Ha!  In any case, that is what I have done this week while earl grey peaches and cream has some more time to develop.  This means  you’ll get a taste of what I’ve been having for breakfast lately =)

I want go over all the ingredients in this recipe, however it's passionfruit season in New Zealand and I am currently in love with this beautiful fruits refreshing flavour and unique texture.  If it's not passionfruit season where you are, simply garnish instead with your favourite superfoods.  

I also have a sweet spot for coriander/cilantro which I know, is not everyones cup of tea. If this is you, just up the amount of leafy greens. 

 On a photography note, these pictures I shot last week using my new 100mm Canon macro lens (it was the first time ever actually!).  I'm really amazed by the differences in the picture quality and detail.  Previously I had been using a 24-70mm lens, which came with my camera (I use a Canon EOS 6D).  Anyway, I hope you like the pictures and the recipe - have a great week!  xo

tropical green smoothie

Makes 1 large or 2 smaller glasses

• 1 large handful of spinach or other dark leafy greens 
• 1 handful of coriander/cilantro*
• 1/2 mango
• 1 large grapefruit or orange
• 5 cm piece of cucumber
• 1 passionfruit
• 2-3 cm chunk of ginger
• pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients, excluding the passionfruit, in a high speed blender.  I find that the citrus and cucumber  gives enough liquid to get the smoothie going, however you may need to add some filtered water (or if you prefer a thinner consistency).

Stir in passionfruit for an exciting texture.

* If you don't have an affinity for coriander/cilantro, simply increase the amount of greens.

Drink or slurp mindfully and enjoy!

3 plant milks

This post is all about flavoured plant based milks (i.e. 'milk' made from nuts or seeds).  Yay!  I find they are a fun alternative to juice (especially for those who don't tolerate dairy).  Often you'll see them included as part of a cleanse package, providing more of a dessert like treat after a day of juicing.  They are incredibly healthy and also very simple to make.  All you need is a juicer, a blender and a nut milk bag.  If you haven't made a nut milk before, that too is not difficult - I have included some guidelines at the bottom of this post. 

Feel free to play around with the juice to milk ratios in these recipes as well as the level of sweetness according to your palate. 

tumeric, ginger & carrot milk

This plant milk is one of three that I did as part of my final project at Matthew Kenney culinary school, the others being a reishi chocolate milk, and a matcha green tea milk.  My inspiration is that I wanted each of the milks to be based upon an ingredient that is immensely beneficial to the body.  In this plant milk, that super ingredient is of course turmeric, well known for it's anti-inflammatory effects.  Turmeric itself is rather strong, so the sweetness of the carrot juice balances nicely whilst also bringing a dose of vitamin A to the blend. Yay! I've also added ginger this time around (more anti-inflamatory super powers!), and manuka honey as a sweeter - this plant milk is pretty great!  

Makes approx 2 cups

• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 1/4 cup tumeric juice
• 1 Tbsp manuka honey 
• 2-3 cm chunk of ginger
• seeds of 4 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  

*Tips 1 - watch out when dealing with tumeric juice as it will stain!  Also, if you think juicing tumeric is a bit much you could add in 2 - 3 small tumeric roots when blending.

*Tips 2 - I find I like this milk a bit better when it has a thicker consistency.  I like to add 1 Tbsp chia seeds after blending and then I'll leave the milk to develop in the refrigerator for 1/2 an hour.  After this time, I'll re-blend the milk and strain the mixture through a sieve to remove chia bits.  Alternatively you could blend 2 Tbsp cashew nuts (soaked for 2 hours), for thickness.  

caramel beet milk

Beets bring such a beautiful colour to - well almost any food really (just don't blend with greens in a smoothie or juice as you will get an unappealing brown colour!). Beets are inherently sweet and when paired with medj0ool dates, nut milk and cinnamon each component seems to enhance the other into a whole that is caramelly and delicious.  You could boost this milk with maca powder, a superfood known for it's regulating effects on hormones as well as being beneficial to the thyroid.  

Makes approx 2 cups

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk (alternatively hazelnut milk)
• 1/2 cup beet juice
• 1 medjool date 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  

green milk

This milk combines a potent green juice blend with brazil nut milk   A far more pleasant experience than closing your eyes and knocking back green bitterness in the name of good health, whilst ensuring you still ingest all the green good stuff.  

Makes approx 2 cups

• 1 1/4 cups brazil nut milk
• 3/4 cold pressed green juice (my blend was cavalo nero kale and celery)
• 2 medjool dates
• seeds of 4 cardamom pods
• pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  

basic nut milk

1. Soak 1/2 cup of nuts (hazelnuts, brazil nuts or almonds in this post), in filtered water for approximately 6 hours or overnight*.
2. Rinse thoroughly and mix in a high speed blender with 2 cups of filtered water for 30 seconds.
3. Strain blend through a nut-milk bag, into a bowl.  The remaining nut pulp can be dehydrated and used as a flour, or alternatively used as is  for e.g. in a raw cookie or dessert base recipe. 

*In raw food, we always soak our nuts and seeds before using them.  This removes the natural enzyme inhibitors protecting the nuts and seeds, thereby making them easier for the body to digest.  

photography

Photography challenges me everytime I pick up the camera – challenges me into not going into too much detail. That less is more.  And yet I am still learning.  Will never stop learning....  I still take what seems thousands of photographs each time I shoot.  Still seem to be ladening my shots with flowers, and then finding that the best shots, the most beautiful shots, are those without all the fluff.  Uncluttered, as with life itself. I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to achieve this art of balance. I find it applies to everything I do – recipe development, food styling, photography, to just being me.  My goal you could say, the beauty of simple. 

As I am putting together todays post, I’m reflecting on the above musings I wrote a couple of weeks back.  Since then something truly exciting has happened.  I attended a weeks long intensive photography course at Kingsize studios!  To say I learned a lot would be a huge understatement! Thank you so much to Luke, Andre, Adam, Fraser and Bob for helping me through this.  Because of this week, I am a little behind in editing my recipes, (there was a lot of food preparation!) so I would like to share snippets of the photos that I took.  I hope you like them and I promise to get these recipes to you eventually!! 

I am inspired by nature, the seasons and simple organic styling – my goal is that this is reflected in my photographs.  Right now it is late summer in Auckland and we have an abundance of stone fruit.  Apples and pears have also resurrected again, and these are the muses for the two carpaccios.  It is also the season for passionfruit and this year I have discovered a soft spot for lemongrass – so a white chocolate and lemongrass cheesecake with passionfruit topping became of that.  Chocolate ganache… not so seasonal, but do you need an excuse for chocolate?  A lot of people liked this on social media at least! The beet salad with vegan 'goat' cheese, apple, dijon and honey cashew dressing is my 'Sweden' salad (although not particularly Nordic in terms of flavour).  It is dear to my heart as it is the salad that seemed to be in almost every cafe when we first moved to Stockholm and I believe it was influential in kindling my love of plant based food.

I come up with a vision of doing a ‘plant food’ series in colours (green, yellow and red), represented by the colours of some of my plant based nut milk recipes (which I'll be putting on the blog).  These shoots were incredibly fun but tricky given my camera wasn’t tethered!  I recently went back to the studio and shot a “purple” scene however whether that gets shown is yet to be decided – the kumara and eggplant styling looks hmmm…  a little rude to say the least =)

 All my recipes are 100% raw and vegan with the exception of manuka honey which was used as a sweeter in the chocolate ganache and dijon and honey cashew dressing (beet salad).  You'll also notice that the white backgrounds in my pictures can tend to differ - this is something I am learning and find incredibly difficult!  How unexciting would life be though, if everything was easy =)  

I'd love for some comments and feedback so don't hold back!  Aimee xo

mango & kaffir lime mousse pops

From mango coulis on a chia pudding... to mango mousse in a cup... to mango mousse pops... to mango mousse in passion fruit cups…  This recipe can be enjoyed all of the above ways and I have tested them all in getting to this post!  My problem is that a simple mango mousse in a cup (the sensible and easiest option) seemed a bit ho hum to take pictures of (despite my Nanna’s beautiful crystal glass).  I have a bit of a nervous twitch you see, in that I like to be a bit different…  but still finding that balance between simple and beautiful vs too flowery and over the top.  Anyway, the end result is mango mousse pops and I think they look quite beautiful. I hope you do too! 

how to

Freezing the mousse pops in moulds is not all that tricky.The moulds I have (which came from 'The Warehouse' for those in New Zealand), come in two identical pieces (see below).  To make mousse pops, divide the mousse mixture in two and fill corresponding sides of the moulds.  The key here is that the mousse lies flush on top, and that you fill the correct moulds, (I learnt this by doing it wrong the first time!). Press the moulds together and place in freezer. 

When ready to serve, take the moulds out of the freezer and insert sticks.  Garnish and serve directly as mousse pops become melty like ice-cream!

presentation & styling variations

mango mousse pops

Makes approximately 4 mousse pops or serves 1 to 2 as a traditional mousse

• 1 large mango
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp coconut butter (I used Artisana brand)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup 
• 1/2 kaffir lime leaf *
• pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt

* Kaffir lime leaves come in two pieces as shown above.  For this recipe I used only 1 of the two leaves.                             ** Optional - add 1/2 a frozen banana to the mixture before blending. My mousse pops are made without banana as I'm not much of a banana smoothie person =)  Bananas and mango do however work as a classic flavour combination.

Mix all ingredients excluding the kaffir lime leaf, in a a blender.  Once blended, add the kaffir lime leaf to give small bursts of green (in colour and in flavour!).  For mousse pops, freeze mousse mixture in moulds (see above). Once frozen, remove top mould and insert sticks when preparing to serve. 

Garnish with passionfruit pulp drizzled on top and organic shredded coconut.

spiced ginger macadamia nuts

If you are going for a traditional mousse, I like to garnish with spiced ginger macadamia nuts.  The crunch in these provides a nice off-setting texture to the soft mousse.  Prepare by soaking 1/4 cup of macadamias overnight. Rinse in filtered water and then marinate in 1 tsp of maple syrup, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, a small squeeze of lemon or lime juice, and a pinch of salt.  Dehydrate in a  dehydrator for 24 hours or until the nuts become crunchy.  

kale, kaffir lime & pineapple salad

Hi again!  I love salads. They are my all time favourite food. Sometimes I'll even eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  And, if you don't mind me naming  favourites,  this salad with kale, pineapple and kaffir lime could be The One.  Since about last autumn to be precise, which was was when kaffir lime popped up out of some other ingredient stratosphere, and moved into my kitchen. Like a new favourite piece of furniture. But kitchen furniture I guess... or plant furniture. It's funny how ingredients you've not really been exposed to can do that. I love it!

And kale, we'll yes... I probably should mention I have a love affair with that too. Our first introduction I believe, was stir-fried in cream on a Swedish smörgåsbord way back in 1993.  Given the fuzziness of this memory though, I'm not sure whether kale made much of an impression at that point.  Back then I was more excited about eating pickled herring...  (what??).  But anyway, I love kale, especially in salads.  And, particularly in this salad where the bitterness of the kale marries with the sweetness of the pineapple, the zing of the kaffir lime, the tangy caramel of the simple balsamic dressing, the fatty avocado and umami from the shallot or spring onion. It gets me every time...  

how to tips:

In the recipe, I recommend massaging the kale in olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of either himalaya mountain salt or sea salt.  For those that haven't worked much with kale before, massaging kale breaks down the fibres, aiding in digestion.  Think of it as like a kick-start to the digestion process. In terms of massaging, literally do this with both hands until the kale softens. I also recommend massaging the kale in a separate bowl to the one you will be 'plating' on. By doing this, you won't have an oily plate when you put the salad together.

garnish ideas:

Although not shown in the pictures, I strongly recommend adding torn shreds of my raw carrot and onion crackers, to the salad like croutons.  It adds another dimension. The dill in the crackers does surprisingly work nicely with the salad flavours, although another idea would be to flavour the onion bread with  2 Tbsp of coriander seeds.

Other ideas for garnishes are activated cashew nuts, coriander, micro greens.  Here I also garnished with some fancy lettuce leaves I had on hand, which is why the kale is a bit hidden in the final shot!  Oops! 

recipe: 

Serves 1

• 2 large handfuls of kale leaves (I used purple kale)
• 1/2 avocado chopped
• 1/2 carrot sliced on a mandolin, chopped into chunks or spiralised
• 1/3 cup of pineapple chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 kaffir lime leaf
• 2 cm spring onion finely chopped, or 2 tsp chopped shallot
• sliced green peppar (optional)
• 1 tsp cold-pressed olive oil 
• squeeze of lemon juice
• pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt
• fresh coriander, edible flowers, and micro greens for garnish
• simple balsamic dressing
• raw onion bread crackers

how to:

1. Tear the leaves of the kale from the stalks.  (The leftover stalks can be used for juicing).
2. Massage the kale in olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of either himalaya mountain salt or sea salt (see 'how to' tips above). 
3. Transfer kale to serving plate and assemble avocado, carrot, pineapple, shallot/spring onion, green pepper and torn carrot and onion bread (see 'garnish ideas' above).
4. Finely chop kaffir lime leaf into small pieces and sprinkle over salad.
5. Drizzle over simple balsamic dressing, season with salt and garnish as desired. 

Let me know if you have any ideas for variations or just your favourite kale salad recipe!

Aimee xo

 

backyard summer salad

I’d love to share a very simple salad, which came about while I was living with my parents in Papamoa beach, putting hope & organic together.  This was a time spent mostly on my own…  adjusting… finding my ‘writing voice’, learning about light, my camera and exploring a deeper inner-self.  It was a time of holistic beach jogs and walks, outdoor showers, salty unwashed hair, no phone, no shoes and a number of bikes (but that’s another story!).  All in all, a different world to the lifestyle I had for a long time been immersed in. 

My Mum and Dad, John & Kathy, have a modest garden at the back of their house.  It can be hard for things to ‘take’ given the sandy beach-soils and kale-loving caterpillars. However, there are a few things that have thrived this summer.  An abundant patch of purple kale, some wild rocket, a strawberry plant, parsley and three tomato vines.  It was the tomato vines that came to life in the last week of my stay.  Green ornaments for the duration of the Christmas holidays, seemingly, out of no-where started turning red and excuse the analogy – “dropping like flies”.

That week also coincided with the perfection of my carrot, dill and onion crackers recipe and my Mum bringing home the most beautiful avocados from her work on 'Matakana', a small island on the East Coast of New Zealand.

And so this little salad came about, and became my sustenance during the days before hope & organic came to life.  The think I like best about it, is that it is seasonal, inherently local and beautifully simple.  xo

backyard summer salad

• one large handful of wild rocket, kale, or other bitter leafy greens
•  in season tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 - 1 avocado
• fresh herbs of choice for e.g. flat-leaf parsley (optional)
• lemon juice
•  cold-pressed olive oil
•  sea salt &  cracked black pepper
• simple balsamic dressing
• carrot, dill & onion crackers

Toss the greens in cold-pressed olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and sea-salt. If using kale, massage lightly to soften.  

Compile salad (chopped tomato, avocado, and greens), as preferred.  Drizzle over simple balsamic dressing and season with cracked black pepper & extra sea-salt if desired.  Serve with carrot, dill & onion crackers.  

Eat mindfully, and savour!   

dress me

A simple dressing marries flavours and can really bring a dish to life - which is why I love them!  I also think that everyone needs a myriad of simple dressings in their plant prep toolkit. Whether creamy and cashew-based, tart and vinegary, herby or citrusy. 

I will be updating this post with simple dressings as they come to light =)   

simple balsamic

When we first moved to Stockholm, I quickly became addicted to a salad comprising beets, goats cheese, honey, walnuts, leafy greens and a tangy balsamic dressing.  With the exception of the goats cheese, looking back I'd say this salad was one of the early instigators in my plant based adventure.  Here is a simple balsamic dressing, ready and waiting until my version of the 'early Sweden' salad is in place.  

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp filtered water
• 1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil
• 2 medjool dates
• 1/2 tsp raw honey (I like to use New Zealand manuka honey)
• 1 tsp chopped shallot
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or himalaya mountain salt

Blend all ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a high speed blender.  Once blended, slowly pour in the olive oil while the blender is running on low speed.  

Tips:  

• Experiment by adding your favourite chopped herbs for e.g. parsley, chives, thyme etc.
• Try varying by adding 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard to the blend.  Mustard and balsamic vinegar are great friends!

carrot, dill & onion crackers

I simply love it how food can evoke a memory... transport you back to a time or place. Dill does this for me which is why I love to use it.  One taste of it's frilly fronds and I am transported back to Sweden.  To celebrations.  To Marie's (Fred's Mum's), kitchen in Gothenburg.  Funnily enough though, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to recognise dill in a herb line-up before we moved to Sweden!   

These raw carrot, dill and onion crackers are a lovely accompaniment to salads, as a snack, or on a party platter.  And, they are also really good for you, comprising nutrient rich seeds such as linseed, chia, sunflower and pumpkin. The recipe does require a few different steps, however I hope that doesn't deter.

Just to clarify, my crackers are 'raw' meaning that I have dehydrated them for a long period of time at a low temperature (42 degrees celsius/105 degrees fahrenheit).  The purpose of this is to preserve the nutrients in the ingredients, which can be compromised at higher temperatures.  'Raw food' therefore implies that the nutritional benefit to your body is greater (yay!). If you are not fussed about your crackers being raw, then i'm sure the recipe would work equally well baked at a higher temperature in the oven.  

I really like this recipe because it is a wonderful base for creating your own favourite flavour combinations.  Perhaps you have an affinity for a particular herb, like me and my friend dill?  Sometimes I'll spice things up by adding a  teaspoon of curry powder to the mixture. Experiment and have fun!  

Aimee xo

carrot, dill & onion crackers

• 1/2 cup of whole linseed
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (soaked for 2 hours)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 3 medium sized red onions
• 3 cups of grated carrot 
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp tamari
• 3 Tbsp agave syrup
• 3 Tbsp chopped dill
• pinch salt

1. Combine linseed and chia seeds in a bowl with filtered water and leave to soak for 2 hours.  The linseed and chia will absorb the water during this time.  If the mixture appears too solid, some more water can be added.
2. Soak sunflower and pumpkin seeds separately in filtered water for 2 hours. Rinse when done.
3. Once the soaking mixtures are ready, chop red onion into quarters and place in a food processor with the sunflower seeds.  Process until the onion is in small pieces (about half a cm).
4. Add lemon juice, tamari, agave syrup and a pinch of salt to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix the ingredients.
5. Combine mixture with the linseed-chia mix and add the grated carrot, pumpkin seeds and chopped dill (reserve some dill fronds for garnish). Mix as shown above.
6. Spread mixture onto dehydrator trays lined with teflex, or oven trays lined with baking paper.  The thickness should be just below 1 cm (it will become thinner during dehydration). Use an off-set spatula or the end of a spoon to make square shapes if desired.
7. Dehydrate at 42 degrees celsius (105 degrees fahrenheit), for 24 hours or longer if needed.  After half of the time (or when the crackers appear crisp on top, flip so the underside is exposed). If you don't have a dehydrator set your oven to the same temperature, however allow some air flow by leaving the oven door slightly ajar (I have done this by placing a spoon in the door of the oven).
8. Enjoy topped with your favourite toppings, crumbled on top of a salad, or as a side on a party platter. 

licorice, lime & chocolate

We met with a green juice and now it's time for something sweet...

Bliss balls, O balls, raw balls or ‘råbollar’ as they’re known in Swedish.  I’ve seen them disguised in different shapes and many sizes. They are everywhere!  Sometimes I can wonder just why they are so popular? In any case, I’ll just call them ‘balls’ and this is my version – licorice, lime and chocolate. They are inspired by the beautiful Josefine Jäger.

You might also be thinking 'balls' are nothing new, however, I want to keep things simple to start with. I think there is an important lesson in doing so.

As I’ve mentioned life for me has taken a different direction. But even though I'm flying with my heart, there is still a lot that is strange and new. I'm finding it's easy to get overwhelmed. Easy to overthink and get stuck in the detail. Easy to stray from the track when things get difficult - when someone else isn't deciding what I think and do.  So to keep things uncomplicated, a simple recipe is in order.  Like training wheels I suppose, until my great adventure gets more familiar.  

For some of you raw food may be something that is strange and new.  If this is the  case, then I think these simple balls are just right to start off. Perfect to introduce to your friends and family (especially your children who may be skeptical to anything that doesn’t come out of a packet or an icecream tub!), or to impress as morning tea at the office. I have done all the above (although I don’t yet have any children so do nieces and nephews count?). 

Maybe it's just the flavours that are something different? Or for those of you already familiar perhaps, like me, they were your first experience of a raw dessert?

In any case, as a result of all my pondering of late, I think I know the reason why these balls are so popular (that is, apart from the fact that they taste so wonderfully good!).  For me it is because they are simple in all respects. A lovely reminder not to over-complicate things.  Not now, or anytime... 

Aimee xo

licorice, lime & chocolate

Makes 15 -20 balls

• 1 cup cashew nuts
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/3  cup shredded coconut plus extra for rolling the topping
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 15 medjool dates (pits removed)
• 1/3 cup carob powder
• Zest and juice of two limes (reserve some of the zest for rolling the balls in later)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp licorice powder
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil (I melt mine over a water bath)
• 2 Tbsp filtered water 
• pinch of sea salt

1. Mix cashews, almonds, hemp seeds and coconut into a flour like consistency in a food processor.  
2. Add remaining ingredients except coconut oil.
3.  Pour coconut oil into the food processor whilst running on low speed. The mixture should gradually start to stick together in a clump.  If not then more water can be added.
4. Put the mixture into the fridge to cool for 10 minutes, before rolling into balls. 
5. Roll in shredded coconut mixed with lime zest, or sifted carob. 

Tips: For an antioxidant boost, try substituting carob for raw cacao powder!

a green start

Hi!

I’m Aimee and welcome to the start of hope & organic.  I’m turning over a green leaf and I’d love for you to join me. 

This leaf is about looking my dreams in the eye.  My dreams of working wholeheartedly with organic, plant based food.  It’s about acknowledging that a bigger space is needed for dreams in my life.  I have a goal you see, and that is to spend every day doing what I love... and to share this with the world!

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My dreams of working with plant based food have played an enormous role in shaping who I am over the past few years.  However I have kept them hidden, except from only those who know me well.  I have spent weekends photographing food, experimenting on my husband, friends and family. I‘ll fall asleep with cookbooks. I even learned Swedish from recipes by Anna & Fanny Bergenström and Monika Ahlberg.  The closest I came to making my dreams real, was taking 2 months away from my corporate job to train at Matthew Kenney's raw food culinary school in Santa Monica. However, for some reason, fear of the unknown brought me back to the job I left.

But then there are turning points in life.  Certain events that open our eyes as to how precious the gift of life is.  How easily it can be taken away.  That make us aware that we are denying this gift by spending our time doing something that does not fulfill. 

So hope and organic is about taking a leap of faith.  New beginnings.  A plunge into the unknown. I'll be sharing my plant based recipes, my thoughts and dreams, and my photos.  I have a lot to share and a lot to learn. So let us learn, share and inspire together.  

"Take a deep breath.  Lift my head.  Take my hand…  as we plunge together. 

To make our dreams our 'everyday'.

To spend every day doing what we love".  

Aimee xo

green leaf juice:

Makes 1 large or 2 small glasses

• 2 large handfuls of dark leafy greens, for e.g. kale, spinach, chard
• 2 stalks of celery
• 10 - 15 cm piece of organic cucumber (remove skin if not organic)
• 1 grapefruit
• 1/3 fennel bulb
• small handful of mint leaves /alternatively a 3cm piece of ginger 
• 1 cup chopped pineapple or 1 apple for sweetness (if desired)

Press all ingredients through a juicer.