Thousands of pumpkins are carved every Halloween and sadly a huge amount of perfectly edible flesh ends up in the bin! So if you’re wondering what to do with your left over pumpkin flesh why not try our Spicy Pumpkin Soup?

Ingredients:

500g of Pumpkin
3 Carrots
2 small/medium onions
3 cloves of garlic
1tsp of chilli flakes
1tsp of ground corriander
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
1tsp of coconut oil for frying

Method:

1. Roughly chop Pumpkin, carrots, onions and garlic.
2. Fry onions in coconut oil until they start to soften.
3. Add the other veg and sprinkle over spices. Stir until well coated.
4. Pour over stock.
5. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20-30minutes until veg is soft. Allow to cool a little then blitz with hand held blender and then serve.

Enjoy! X

When people go gluten and dairy free, often the first thing they think is, "Oh no! I can't eat pizza!" However, this doesn't have to be the case. There is always a way to do things with a little imagination. This pizza recipe is not only gluten and dairy free, but also maize and yeast free. 

The base couldn't be easier. It's basically Gram Flour (made from chickpeas) and water. Use a mug full of each, whisk together and fry in some extra virgin  olive oil  or Coconut Oil. You may want to fry a minute or two  longer the normal to ensure they are firm before adding your topping. Place into a baking tray or pizza tray if you have one. 

Cover your base with chopped tomatoes or passata. Did you know that tomatoes release an important antioxidant called lycopene on heating? Lycopene is important for cancer prevention and is especially helpful in prostate health. 

For your topping, simply fry some onions and other vegetables that you have available such as mushrooms, peppers or courgettes in a pan until soft. Then simply cover your tomato sauce  with your veg and a few delicious olives. Season with some sea salt and black pepper and a good sprinkle of oregano or mixed herbs. Add some cold meats (if you prefer) and your choice of cheese. (Both Sainsbury's and Tesco have a range of Dairy free cheeses to suit your palate.) 

Finally, pop in a medium pre-heated oven or under a grill for a minute or two to melt the cheese and serve. Simple as that! You could make this when you're super tired and have next to nothing in the house. I did! Enjoy with a crunchy salad.

The base obviously has the texture of a pancake but I have to say it tastes absolutely delicious! 

The advantage of using gram flour is that it is high in magnesium, calcium and  folate and B6 (making it ideal for pregnancy!) It's high fibre along with protein means that it supports energy and weight management through supporting blood glucose. 

​Bon appetit! x

I made these delicious coconut cakes a couple of weeks ago when I fancied a sweet treat on a Sunday afternoon. I decided to have a go with some coconut flour which I had in typical fashion, bought a couple of months ago and then forgotten about. If you haven't tried coconut flour before it's a great alternative to regular grain based flours. Unlike regular flour coconut flour is high in fibre, protein and good fats.

Benefits of Coconut Flour:

• It boosts the metabolism thanks to medium chain fatty acids which are easily utilised by the body.
• It helps maintain healthy digestion thanks to it's high fibre content.
• It has a low glycemic index which means it won't spike blood sugar.
• It helps keep your heart healthy. Coconut flour lowers 'bad' LDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides in people with high cholesterol.

Coconut flour can also be a cost effective flour as thanks to it's highly absorbent quality a little goes a long way. These yummy little cakes are a great treat which can be whipped up quickly. The original recipe is by The Sugar Free Londener but I have made a few tweaks (as usual!). Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:

1. 4oz Coconut Flour
2. 100ml of Melted Grass-Fed Butter (Use coconut oil if you prefer).
3. 6 Organic Eggs
4. 100ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk (you could use coconut if you like)
5. 1tbsp of Vanilla Bean Paste (We like this brand and I love the speckles).
6. 2tsp of Baking Powder.
7. 3oz Coconut Sugar
8. A Sprinkling of Dessicated Coconut.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (in a Fan oven, 180 conventional).
2. In a big bowl whisk the butter, eggs, milk and vanilla bean paste.
3. Add the flour, sugar and baking powder and mix until combined and the batter is smooth.
4. Pour mixture into a baking dish. I used a 21 x 21cm square Pyrex roaster similar to this. I like to use glass as it doesn't have any nasties in it.
5. Sprinkle with a handful of dessicated coconut.
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes until they are golden and a skewer comes out with a few crumbs on it. It may seem quite moist still but that's normal with coconut flour. Be careful not to over bake as you don't want to dry it out.
7. Leave to cool and then slice into 16 bite-size squares.

Enjoy with a lovely cup of Earl Grey and a sunny afternoon/best friend/good book. If you have a go please let us know how you get on.

If you would like to find out more about the benefits of coconuts feel free to pop into the shop to find out more. We have lovely organic coconut flour, oil and sugar in stock. :)

Harriette xx

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It may sound from the name that Buckwheat is a grain, but it is actually a seed which is high in both protein and fibre. As it is a seed, it is naturally gluten and wheat free. 

Benefits of eating Buckwheat? 

• Buckwheat has been shown in studies to help reduce inflammation and lower unhealthy cholesterol levels and help to prevent heart disease. 
• Buckwheat is a great source of plant based protein and contains 12 amino acids that support energy, growth and muscle synthesis. 
• Buckwheat contains amino acids, lycine and arginine which are not found in many cereals or whole grains. For vegetarians and vegans Buckwheat is a great source of these proteins which the body needs. 
• Buckwheat supplies 6 grams of dietary fibre in ever cup which can help improve digestion and prevent constipation. 
• Buckwheat is low on the glycemic index compared to other carbohydrates and grains 
• Studies have found that when diabetics consumed Buckwheat for two months, they experienced improvements in blood sugar control and reduced insulin resistance without any form of medication. 
• Contains a number of essential vitamins and minerals including essential B vitamins which are important for energy and manganese, magnesium, zinc, iron and folate. 

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This Buckwheat Pancake recipe is very simple and only requires two main ingredients; Buckwheat and Water! 

Recipe

​1 tablespoon coconut oil for frying 
I mug of Buckwheat flour
I mug of water 


This will make about 4 or 5 pancakes depending on how big you make them. 

Now you can sit back, relax and enjoy Pancake day! 

​FAST FOOD at it's best! Simple, tasty. Thrown together in seconds!
Tonight's dinner was one of those meals I throw together when I'm in a rush, hence I'm calling it fast food! It's also super easy to prepare and packed with goodness. 
The veg are both organic:
Sweet potato cost 70p for my portion
Tender stem broccoli at 75p
The two pieces of lamb were £3 and as the lamb is grass fed it is naturally higher in Omega 3. Yay! 
To prepare the chips, just peel and slice sweet potato. I used one for myself. Warm up some coconut oil in your baking tray and add chips in at around 190' (depending on oven) for half an hour or so as preferred. Part way through cooking rub your lamb chops in the hot coconut oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt, black pepper and rosemary or herb of choice.
Cook for 20 mins with your chips. Just before serving, steam broccoli for a few mins and dinner is served! 
This is such a simple meal but very nourishing. The only effort involved was to peel a sweet potato. The other things just kind of get thrown in. Most ready meals take around half an hour in the oven. This meal is ready in half an hour. I know which one I prefer! And all at a cost of around £4.45. You could even put your feet up with a nice cuppa while this lot is in the oven...... or is that just me?! Enjoy x

Oooh! Sunday treats!
This super healthy rhubarb and strawberry crumble is packed with goodness.
Did you know that the humble rhubarb which is in season just now is such a nutrient dense food? High in vitamin K, and antioxidants A and C it is a delicious comfort food if ever there was one!
My crumble is of course super healthy too! Made with virgin coconut oil and coconut sugar from Coco Veda , along with high fibre ground flax and buckwheat flour it couldn't be more nutrient dense!
The ground flax and buckwheat are ideal for managing blood sugar and won't give you the spikes that regular wheat based flours do. Add to that some fabulous coconut oil which promotes good cholesterol and reduces the bad as well as supporting the immune system and....... coconut sugar which is less than half the glycemic index of regular sugar and we have a winning desert to delight everyone!
Recipe:
chop rhubarb into small pieces and top with sliced strawberries for sweetness. 
Crumble:
4oz or 100g ground flax 
4oz or 100g buckwheat flour
2oz or 50g coconut oil 
Rub these together with fingertips to make a crumble. 
Then mix in either 1 or 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar to taste and bake in a moderate oven about 35-40 mins around 170c
Wonder if her majesty uses coconut oil yet?!
Gorgeous!
‪#‎rhubarbcrumble ‪#‎coconutoil ‪#‎coconutsugar ‪#‎lowglycaemicindex‪#‎nourishinginsights ‪#‎cocoveda
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Now here's something we haven't had in years! As a child an ice cream float was a real treat! We were just enjoying a rare afternoon in the sun and wondered if we could make a healthier version....
So...
This one is made with fizzy water which I had to go out and buy!
The ice cream is dairy free and made from nuts! Primarily pecan and cashew nuts and maple syrup it is a divine dairy free alternative. Made without refined sugar, this is one to look out for in your health shops. Portion control is still ideal and don't worry, the price tag will ensure you don't go crazy!
For this... Simply place a desert spoon or two of Booja Booja ice cream into your glass and top up with fizzy water (slowly!) and mix with a spoon. Enjoy your creamy bubblicious treat! 

The wonderful thing about stir fry is the amount of colour and phytonutrients you can get in it! 
This dish has onion, celery, carrot, green beans, broccoli, courgette, red peppers, all sliced and fried in coconut oil.
Whizz up yet more colour and nutrients in the form of half a thumb size of fresh ginger, no need to peel.
Add some chilli (With or without seeds depending on how hot you like it!) and half a bulb of garlic and add this to your dish with a can of full fat coconut milk.
I stirred in some ready cooked chicken from last night's roast.
Then for yet more flavour, colour and amazing detoxifying nutrients add in a few handfuls of fresh coriander! Coriander is a joy to work with and just the aroma is sheer medicine for the soul! 
Oh, and I served this with cauliflower rice which added even more nutrients!
Just whizz up some florets in your food processor, 3 or 4 per person and in 15 seconds you have rice which you can steam for five minutes. Simple! 
I forgot to take a photo of the finished article as was too busy diving in! But you get the picture. Absolutely wonderful. 
Something for tonight maybe...
‪#‎10ameal ‪#‎colour ‪#‎phytonutrients ‪#‎nutrientdense ‪#‎joy ‪#‎aroma‪#‎foodasmedicine 
‪#‎choosehealth ‪#‎nourishinginsights ‪#‎inverurie ‪#‎aberdeen ‪#‎glutenfree‪#‎dairyfree ‪#‎grainfree
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This immune boosting winter warmer is absolutely divine! So many bugs still on the go and this is just the medicine to fight off unwanted visitors to the respiratory tract!
Simple to throw together.
Ingredients are ...
A Whole cauliflower broken into florets 
Half a broccoli
A red onion 
3 carrots 
A pepper
A mug and a half of red lentils
Can of full fat coconut milk
1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, turmeric and Garam masala. 
Half a bulb of garlic 
Thumb size piece of ginger grated
A fresh chilli with seeds
A good few grounds of fresh black pepper to activate curcumin in the turmeric!
Method 
Fry onions in coconut oil Chop veg, throw into pot. Add spices one by one. Add coconut milk and lentils and enough water to cover the veg. Cook slowly on low heat stirring often to stop lentils sticking to pan. Cook around 40 mins until lentils cooked through. The cruciferous veg will break up nicely and some bits can be left nice and chunky.
Serve as is for a warming, healing meal. Absolutely wonderful and great to make big batches for the freezer!
‪#‎nourishinginsights ‪#‎nutrition ‪#‎winterwarmer ‪#‎lentils ‪#‎vegetarian ‪#‎vegan‪#‎immuneboosting ‪#‎choosehealth ‪#‎simple ‪#‎inverurie ‪#‎aberdeen

Rhubarb crumble anyone?!
Well back on the subject of menopause, I always remember a nurse I met years ago telling me that whenever she ate stewed rhubarb from her garden her hot flushes improved! So. I did some digging. Sure enough there are a number of studies which demonstrate a benefit from rhubarb including a large study at the University of Frankfurt which showed a significant reduction in hot flushes using an extract of rhubarb. 
A daily serving a rhubarb which is packed with many nutrients also gives us 45% of our daily requirement of vitamin K which is even better news for us ladies of a certain age keen to protect our bones! 
Of course if you add regular sugar you will be in danger of compromising hormones so here's the way to do it...
I used 8oz buckwheat flour this time or you could do half and half with ground flaxseeds ( buy in tesco or health foods) which are both great for fibre, protein and hormone balancing.
Mix 2oz of either butter or coconut oil to a crumble with your fingers
Add a desert spoon of low GI coconut sugar at the end
Cover fruit and bake around 180c for 20 mins, you could add a sprinkling of any nut or seed mix at this point to add crunchiness and nutrients! 
To stew the rhubarb in the pan you can add a little coconut sugar but I used a punnet of organic raspberries to sweeten the rhubarb so you won't need much if any sugar. Takes minutes to soften on a low heat with a drop of water and you can just enjoy stewed rhubarb without the crumble.
Lovely with a dollop of co-yo yoghurt! 
‪#‎rhubarb ‪#‎menopause ‪#‎crumble ‪#‎familyfavourites ‪#‎treats‪#‎hormonebalancing ‪#‎bloodsugarbalancing ‪#‎nourishinginsights ‪#‎inverurie‪#‎aberdeen ‪#‎nutrition
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