Monday, April 26, 2010

QUINOA AND PUMPKIN SALAD


Sandy is an amazing inspirer that runs Semillas Kitchen, a teacher of Seasonal organic wholefood cooking, that appeals that to the soul as much as the palate.


Sign up for one of her cooking classes here and make this at home, it sensational...

Quinoa & pumpkin salad


We've been roasting beautiful Golden Nugget pumpkins and mixing them through salads, adding them to a spicy black bean stew or simply serving them as a side dish. Sliced into wedges, seeds, skin and all, once roasted they look rustic and taste velvety. If you don't have Golden Nugget use Jap.

1 1/2 cups of red or white quinoa


2 bay leaves


1/2 a small pumpkin, washed & sliced into wedges, golden nugget or Jap


2 handfuls of fresh parsley, roughly chopped


6 small potatoes, washed and sliced, about 5mm thick


2 red or green capsicum, thinly sliced


sea salt


freshly ground black peppercorns


1/4 cup roasted pepitas


1/2 cup roasted walnuts, roughly chopped


3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar


3 tablespoons olive oil


3 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed


1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds, crushed


1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed

Preheat oven to 200. In a large deep baking tray combine the pumpkin, garlic and potato with crushed spices sea salt and olive oil. Bake until vegetables are caramelized, around 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place the quinoa with the bay leaves and 3 cups of water in a large pot. Cover, place pot over medium heat, bring to the boil then turn heat down to lowest setting and simmer until quinoa is well cooked, about 20 - 25 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Combine quinoa in a large mixing bowl with the roasted vegetables, capsicum, parsley, walnuts, pepitas and vinegar. Taste, then add salt and pepper as desired. Serve.



ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods


Monday, April 19, 2010

Where to start, why organic?


By Angela Gioffre


Our health is our vitality, our energy, our lives. Without our health, we have nothing. So, it makes sense that in order to encourage our own health we must encourage the life that sustains us.


The plants and animals, the foods that we consume give us vitamins, minerals, nutrients, energy, protein and fats, which are the basic building blocks for sustainable and healthy living.


It's no secret that fresh food is the most nourishing for our bodies, but what some people don't realise is that conventional produce (grown with the use of pesticides) can have adverse effects on our health.


Specifically, it's the highly toxic pesticides that leave residue in and on conventional produce. Once consumed these pesticides can wreak havoc on healthy vital organs and lead to long term damage.


In an alarming study conducted by the British Medical Society in 1995, they linked pesticide residues with possible neurobehavioural and neurotoxic effects, possible birth defects, carcinogenic (cancer causing) cells, and allergic and other immuno-regulatory disorders.


In 2005, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked pesticide residues among the top three environmental cancer risks!


Most recently, a study published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on children's health and pesticide residues, revealed more unsettling facts about the effects of conventional produce. The study of 195 children aged between 6-7 years old found that 95% of those who ate conventional produce had alarmingly high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, some of which exceeded 'safe' levels as set by the government.


So it makes perfect sense to limit our exposure to foods that can have this impact on our bodies.


Enter organic foods…


Organic foods are untainted by artificial chemicals, herbicides, chemical pesticides, waxes, free from genetically modified organisms, they are real foods, and in turn they offer our bodies more nutrition and no toxic pesticides or chemical residues.



Organic foods offer increased vitamin and mineral content, study after study has concluded that fresh organic foods contain more vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients than conventionally grown crops. A report released this year by The Organic Centre, has confirmed across the board significant increases in the nutritional content of organic produce, some up to 88% higher.


What about the environment?


The current agricultural practices of conventional farming, the use of pesticides and artificial chemicals are contributing greatly to the erosion of our topsoil and pollution of our waterways. Going organic means that soil structure is enhanced, wildlife is encouraged, and less carbon is produced. Organic farming is sustainable farming. It supports the environment, instead of depleting it. Organic farming gives back what it takes. It protects our environment, our farmers, and us.


How do you 'go organic'?


Organic farming is labour intensive, the growing is slower and generally there are smaller yields per hectare, hence the higher prices. It's quite easy to make a positive impact both in terms of your diet and the world without radically increasing your cost of living.


Like anything in life if you make changes in small increments, you are most likely to sustain them. Try changing one product that you normally buy each week to an organic product. Then before you know it, your cupboard and fridge will be stocked organically! Start with a product that you use moderately, that your children enjoy.


Make a positive change; it only takes a decision to be more conscious of the foods we eat, take responsibility for what we support in terms of farming methods. Here's to your continued good health.




Monday, April 12, 2010

Fennel Salad

This is the easiest and the best way to munch on fennel.

1 bulb of fennel

1 cucumber

Organic Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt to taste

Wash and clean fennel, discard the long stalks.

Chop up the bulb of a fennel finely, leaving out the centre. Chop up the cucumber in half length ways and then chop diagonally into 2 cm slices. Combine fennel and cucumber. Dress with a generous drizzle of balsamic and olive oil, sprinkle with salt and enjoy.

Chewy Muesli Bars

Ingredients

1 cups organic rolled oats

cup organic oat bran

cup organic wholemeal plain flour

cup organic dried fruits (sultanas, apples etc)

cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 tbsp coconut flakes

cup organic apple juice concentrate

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla essence


1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 28 x 18cm baking tin with foil, leaving a good some foil hanging over.

2. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix

3. Spoon the mixture into the foil-lined baking tin. With moistened hands, press the mixture into an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm. Using the foil overhang, carefully lift out the muesli cake and cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into 12 bars.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Whats in Season

Apples

figs

table grapes

lemons

limes

mandarins

almonds

pears

plums

quince

rhubarb

asian greens

beans

beetroot

broccoli

cabbage

capsicum

carrots

celery

chilli

cucumber

eggplant

fennel

mushrooms

onions

parsnip

peas

pumpkin

tomatoes

zucchini

Monday, April 5, 2010

YUMMY HEALTHY VEGIE JUICE

This is a great juice to have in the morning, an invigorating start to the day packed with Beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur.


This recipe is enough to make two serves,

3 organic carrots,

1 organic apple

½ organic orange

1 organic celery stick

1cm organic ginger


JUICE ALL AND ENJOY