 Did that get your attention?? Also known as cleavers or sticky weed (or about 8000 other names for this funny little weed!) This lovely little plant grows EVERYWHERE even in urban areas and honestly once you open your eyes you’ll spot it all the time, especially at this time of year. ____________ It’s related to the coffee plant and chicory so apparently (haven’t tried this) makes a good alternative to coffee for those trying to give up the black stuff ☕️ ____________ It’s almost impossible to kill this weed 💪 which I love #whennaturewins. It’s quite a powrful astringent (=makes body cells contract) so probably not advisable to consume this regularly in very large doses. It’s great for cleansing the lymphatic system (think of it like a spring clean which is appropriate as it grows in spring🌿) ____________ It can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked up and eaten with spring greens or spinach, kale etc. Or wash and slice the stems and add to water; leave to infuse and enjoy as a great lymphatic tonic. ____________ Other things you can make with cleavers: infused cleaver oil to help with cracked or inflammed skin. Just made this as a topical application for my husbands #psoriasis. ____________ Lastly I found this quote: “hung over the doorway of a home it invokes a loving atmosphere around all those that pass under it” 💕💕which I love and have duely hung around the doorway of our home. Like a springtime mistletoe! 💚 
0 Comments
 A new one from me to introduce some new herbs or plants that I am learning about. That’s what I love about my job, always learning! Here we have ‘Jack by the Hedge’ also known as ‘Garlic Mustard’.
____________ Best eaten in spring when the leaves are new, it has quite a distinctive leaf shape, white flowers and smells garlicky! Can be found in woodland or hedgerows (hence the name) but this was found in a city park! ____________ Lovely in a salad, quite a distinctive taste (as you’d expect for something called Garlic Mustard!) and also makes a great pesto. Can also eat the flowers I believe. Not so well known or trendy as #wildgarlic but just as great for people new to foraging!  Seems weird to post this two weeks after Easter right? But if you (like us) found yourself inundated with Easter eggs again this year and unwilling to face the inevitable chocolate storm if you give them ALL to your children / eat them all yourself, you might find quite a few leftovers.
____________ My tip (as I can’t bear food waste or anything waste really - must be the Scot in me!) Melt down the leftover chocolate in a Bain Marie and combine 50:50 with good quality dark 70% cacao chocolate. 🍫I also added a little almond milk and hey presto 🎉 we have chocolate fondue! ____________ The kids had a great time dipping fruit and nuts 🍡into the bowl and I felt it was a TINY bit more balanced than just scoffing an enormous Easter egg. ____________ Also meant I wasn’t seen as the fun police for banning all chocolate = WINNER  Not really a tip today, just a remember: nature provides, teaches and heals. We need to give back.
____________ Kudos to the XR warriors on the streets of London today, whatever your political beliefs, climate change is a reality and those people are fighting for us all. 11 years and counting...✨  These 👆are black bean and sweet corn filled lettuce tacos with fresh guacamole and tomato salsa, pickled red onions with a side of apple and celeriac salad AND parsnip fries. This was off-the-hook-good 👌 and I would quite happily order this in a restaurant. Who says Easter has to be about overindulgence?? But yeah I agree, the husband has to work on portion control (still ate every last vegetable!) Completely #plantbased and bloody delicious. Happy bank holidays ya’ll! 🌞
 Anyone who knows me well knows I suffer madly from seasonal allergies. Not just a runny nose and some itchy eyes but symptoms to the point of being unbearable. Antihistamines simply do not work for me, I have tried every brand and prescription going.
____________ From a point of view of natural solutions, there are a few things which can alleviate symptoms which I thought I would write about this year. Fresh nettles is one of them. ____________ At the weekend I went foraging for fresh nettles which grow pretty much everywhere! This is the best time of year to get them with their spring shoots. A few rules for foraging nettles: 1. Pick the young leaves from top which are the most potent 🌿 2. Try and forage from the centre of the bush (to avoid potential for dog wee 🐕) 3. Wear gloves! ____________ You’ll need around 1 cup fresh nettles with two cups of water. Bring to the boil, simmer for two minutes then leave (covered) for 5. Strain out the leaves and enjoy! Like any herbal remedies being introduced to the body best to start slowly and increase dosage. Start with one cup of nettle tea daily and increase to x3 a day. There are tons of other uses for nettle tea too including arthritic pain, skin conditions and UTI’s. ____________ Other lovely recipes to try are nettle soup and nettle pesto and nettle gnocchi - recipe to follow! If using in cooking it can be treated as a leafy green vegetable - absolutely no difference. P.s. As I’m sure someone will want to know - no they don’t sting once they are cooked...! ____________  This looks like meat right? WRONG! This little piece of gorgeousness is jackfruit and is the trendy thing in the #vegetarian and #vegan world at the moment.
____________ Jackfruit is a brilliant fruit grown mostly in India but can grow in any tropical climate. One tree can reportedly grow up to three tonnes of the stuff so an excellent and eco friendly alternative to meat and to the worlds growing population. Sustainable food - yes please! 👏It is sweet in taste yet when it’s unripe and cooked it takes on a savoury flavour and a texture very similar to chicken or pulled pork hence why it’s making such waves in the #vegetarianfood community. ____________ Nutrition wise it’s got a good whack of protein and fibre (though less fibre than meat so great to combine with another protein rich food such as beans) plus rich in vitamin C, A and magnesium. I buy it tinned (@bionaorganic sell them) and most of the recipes I have found are BBQ or Mexican but it would work equally well in curries also. Enjoy peeps if you are feeling adventurous 🌍🌎🌏 ____________  Man this really is the marmite of the health and wellness world at the moment. Some people absolutely raving about the stuff and many (mostly qualified nutritionists) slating it. So ok to break it down:
____________ It is a bit of a fad all resulting from a man called The Medical Medium who is claiming celery juice everyday drunk on an empty stomach can cure many many ailments such from eczema, to acid reflux, Epstein bar virus and shingles. Pretty amazing stuff right? ____________ Well there isn’t much scientific evidence as far as I can see. But that’s not necessarily to mean it’s all rubbish. You only have to look at #celeryjuice to see the reems of anecdotal backing. ____________ Celery and it’s juice is very high in vitamin K (a decent serving of vitamin K is around 99% of recommended daily amount depending on the person) and lots of potassium so potentially useful for bone health and blood pressure (amongst other things).💪 ____________ And guys at the end of the day despite the lack of science this is CELERY JUICE! There is not much downside to drinking a glass of this everyday. I’ve tried it myself to see what all the fuss is about and although my skin didn’t glow like I was promised, it didn’t do me any harm. I just wasn’t so partial to the taste to be honest. Many nutritionists like to advise on a glass of green juice everyday 💚I don’t necessarily disagree, but I don’t actively encourage clients as I don’t think it’s always very practical for everyone. Celery juice contains very little calories, some lovely vitamins and minerals to start the day and of course the added benefit of hydration. And it’s cheap! Celery is not a mega expensive vegetable and probably not one used a lot in the average western diet so yeah include it more 🙌 ____________ I’d probably recommend buying #organic as celery is on the #dirtydozen list. But honestly if you’re going to start incorporating it and you don’t fancy drinking it or don’t own a juicer, eating the stuff would be just as good if not better as juices don’t contain fibre. But otherwise good luck to you and bottoms up 🍹 ____________  After a truly sucky week (really, what else could go wrong ?!) including having no fridge (WHAT FUN🎉) I’ve had to keep it really simple food wise. I got this idea from the lovely @5oclockapron who is a great person to follow if you don’t already - apologies if this recipe wasn’t exact! Steamed broccoli (big up huge amount of vitamin C - HOLLER) until it’s super soft, mashed with a fork and cooked down further with garlic + Parmesan + lemon + olive oil. 👉The lemon juice not only tastes great but further helps your body absorb any iron from the broccoli or leafy greens btw 🙌) Served here with whole meal spaghetti and some chopped nuts on top. Job is a good’un and no working fridge required.👩🏻🍳
____________ Actually the whole week has been a very good exercise in keeping mealtimes nice and simple sometimes - especially where children or lack of time are involved. And therein lies the secret sometimes - I am not a chef. I am a Mum. I like my nutrition and I love my food but it’s a balance for sure when it comes to cooking for kids. Here’s to having a fridge back though!  Gah this weather is so miserable after last weeks freaky heatwave! Felt the need to make a quick warming pick-me-up for after school snacks. ☝️
____________ And that’s why I LOVE chia jam. 💖It is waaaay quicker to make than normal jam and has the added boost of a little protein in the form of chia seeds. ____________ Chia seeds get a bad rep sometimes as they are expensive. But as mentioned they are great form of plant protein and omega 3 (in the form of ALA) plus fibre. They are wonderful at balancing blood sugar levels as fat+protein+fibre = boom 🧨 slow release energy. ⏳And yes they are expensive but the beauty is you don’t need to use a lot of them as these little beauties expand in liquid. ____________ I used 500g of berries, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds plus 2 tablespoons of sweetener (maple syrup, honey or date syrup) Put in a saucepan and cook for 20 minutes mashing down the fruit. And voila you have homemade SCRUMPTIOUS jam 👌👌👌 Best served on toast, but equally yum in porridge, granola, on crackers, with yoghurt...the list goes on... |
AuthorLouise Cullen Archives
June 2019
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed