Breakfast Muffins

Not something quite new....but very tasty! With the early spring glut of eggs from all our feathered friends we are having fun creating new twists on good food....here is another favourite.

Rebel Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

Spring onion, mushrooms & red nnion chopped fine (or anything you have)

Cheese 1 cup grated (smoked or strong goat cheese is lovely)

Fresh coriander, parsley, basil etc. diced

Finely chopped sea weed flakes

Bonita Tuna or other fish – 1 cup flaked (optional) 

Eggs 6 to 12 beaten with 2 tbsp milk, black pepper & sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200C

Grease your muffin tin – best to not use papers, they stick!

Sauté the veg lightly in olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, then add the vegetables along with cheese, tuna etc. into a large mixing bowl, pour beaten egg mixture over top – then lightly stir by hand to blend. Place muffin pan on the center rack of preheated oven - bake for 22-27 minutes or until muffins are golden to light brown (they will puff up). 

Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin pan – then turn out onto a board or plate to cool down a bit before eating. Can be stored in the fridge for a couple days – seem to freeze ok, but nicest when fresh with a piece sourdough toast......

Rebel Breakfast Muffins 

A Seasonal Favourite.....Cinnamon Swirl Cake

I was delighted to have my recipe for this cake featured in last weeks Southern Star newspaper in Nora Strong's column... it was also lovely to meet Nora and show her a little about our life here and all we are trying to do. 

So, for those of you who are not living locally here in West Cork here is another one of our favourite recipes for winter (and nearly anytime of the year! LOL) - we love Cinnamon Cake around here. It's a great warmer, tastes lovely and has anti-inflammatory properties that are supposed to be great for balancing blood sugar.

And, this recipe is so easy.....especially once you make it a couple of times and memorize it. Then, you can adapt it to nearly anything such as carrot cake (omit the cinnamon and brown sugar) add in 1/2 cup grated carrot and some spices such as cloves and allspice....Hmmm...that sounds nice too!

Nothing like a little piece of cake on a rainy afternoon along with a cup of dandelion coffee.....and to make it extra special, I make my own Bourbon vanilla extract which adds a lovely element to any baking. As well as my own eggs, our goat's milk and fresh yogurt. With all of this goodness, this cake can't be beat. 

Make your own at home and drop by my market stall for a slice.....

April Danann's Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Cake
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder (or a little more)
pinch salt
1 cup milk plus 3 tablespoons if needed
2 – 3 tablespoons yogurt
3 eggs
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp homemade vanilla extract if you have it

Swirl
1 cup butter (soft, not melted)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour

Topping
½ cup powdered sugar
1 - 2 teaspoons goat's milk

To make the cake sift the dry ingredients together in a deep mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together with milk, vanilla and yogurt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mixture, mix well. Add the extra 3 tablespoons milk if batter too thick.

In the meantime, melt the butter over low heat – cool a little, then slowly add to the cake batter folding over until well blended. Scrape into a square, greased or lined baking tin (deep is better) until evenly spread over the bottom.

To make the cinnamon swirl place all ingredients into a bowl or small pot and mix well until it is thick and creamy looking. Spoon this carefully over top of the cake batter starting from each corner, working your way in – then using a knife, pull the cinnamon mixture throughout the batter.

Bake at 180C for about 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean at the centre of the cake. Let cool in tin. Before serving, mix together powdered sugar and milk into a thin icing and spoon overtop.

Cut into squares….enjoy with a herbal coffee!

April

Cinnamon Swirl Cake - available in my market stall Bantry & Skibbereen 

Sugar Free Easter Treats - Coconut Fudge

Last night was a late night for me, I was up until all hours making a few Easter treats for the children – I  ended up with some Coconut Balls (raw figs, dates, nuts, almond butter), Fig Newtons, Cashew & Date Bars and Coconut Fudge.

The one thing I have mentioned to people time and again about the way we eat, is how we are never deprived. How I don’t miss sugar or any other addictive substance because we eat so much better and are quite satisfied with our food.

There is a way around everything and a way to have your cake (or cookies or dessert) without  adding or using anything nasty in the recipe. This is just good wholesome food the way it was intended to be – homemade of course.

So – for a treat at any time of the year and something that I would consider to be far superior in taste – try some Coconut Fudge. It can be made with any number of things, we like to use fresh organic orange zest, but I also like lime and lemon too or sometimes a few berries.

The taste of coconut and orange is refreshing without the guilt or after taste (I never like the way my body felt even an hour after eating sugar)  of eating sugar. This fudge also nice crumbled over a cake or some other dessert as a topping.

Coconut Fudge

1 package creamed coconut

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

To make coconut fudge is easy! All you need to do is melt the creamed coconut in a small saucepan over a low heat. As it melts, add in the honey and keep stirring gently to ensure it is all melted.

Once there is only liquid in the saucepan turn off the heat and stir in the orange zest. You may also use lime or lemon if desired. For a little extra citrus taste add 1 tablespoon orange juice.

Pour out this coconut cream into a shallow dish (I cover the bottom in parchment paper) and place in the fridge to cool until it is set. As it cools it will harden – you can then cut it into pieces – just like any other fudge.

This tastes great and the best part – it’s sugar free!

April

Cooled down and ready to cut - Coconut Fudge

Repairing the Body's Nutritional Status

This week and perhaps for the next month or so (yikes!) I plan on re-nourishing myself – like never before. After doing this last cleanse to remove parasites I can see how much they were affecting me and  ultimately depleting my system.

Right now I feel as if I have no reserves left – and have been wondering if indeed I ever did have any in the first place (LOL) – or if this was a clever illusion. I knew I certainly have adrenal exhaustion and perhaps this is all part of the picture of never feeling exactly right.

However, I have eaten so well for many years – organic, homemade, home grown/raised, free from sugar, caffeine, alcohol, additives – yet it took this work I have just done to pare it all back to basics and show me my exact nutritional status.

Taking out a part of that equation such as parasites – has revealed the extent of being run down (and how much these nasty creatures were taking from me) but now allows me the chance to build myself back up to healthy levels of energy.

Of course this is to be done with food and water….and I am busy now thinking of things I would like to fill my body with to restore my internal nutritional status. Right now I am craving meat and have been for a few weeks.

I could eat a horse (I know where to get some real cheap! LOL) but other things will do just as well. I actually feel as if I am starting over in some way. But it’s just that I now have the opportunity to feed my body the types of foods I would have liked to have been fed as a child.

It wasn’t all bad food for me growing up – I did eat lots of wild game and fish, however, there were enough of the other foods on hand that I would never feed to my own children such as hot dogs, sausages, packaged meals (mac and cheese) and horrible milk.

Now, I can choose all the lovely, fresh foods such as – well everything really, to put into my body. Much of which we are raising ourselves and is organic, gently treated and loved.

I am off to a good start here and am really looking forward to my meals….

April

The Way Forward in Health is Better Food

Today I am preparing a few dishes for our Easter celebration – and other family events we have coming up soon after I finish my parasite cleanse. It keeps me busy as well as helps to exercise my creative side.

Of course one cannot help but be creative when all the food we eat is made from basics – homegrown and fresh. I am conscious of a couple of things here with eating this way – I want to keep our food interesting, but I also want to enjoy it’s other qualities.

I have been having some great conversations of late with friends and colleagues regarding our spiritual connection to food and exactly what this has come to mean to me over the years of following these sacred paths.

It seems there are far more elements and dimensions to our food when we produce as much as we can our selves (it doesn’t go through a factory to have it’s life force systematically removed). And certainly when we prepare it with our own hands – these energies become a part of our bodies.

Eating this way should and does enhance our relationship with food, health and family relationships – and also with ourselves. Our spirituality is not separate from the earth – she delivers it to us – on a silver platter as it turns out.

We cannot expect to grow, develop and reconnect on the deeper layers of our inner beings when our diets consist of food many times removed from the earth and her energy.

Life force, once depleted will not be breathed back into something that is long dead – no matter how much we bless it. And it does a body no good whatsoever.

Learning to prepare a few dishes from scratch, expecting more and better from your food for your body, this is the only way forward - in health.

April

Chickpea Flat Bread - Oven Fried

This is a recipe you have got to try! 

If you are anything like me, you have things in your cupboards you use seldom - or go through little phases of using them and then forgetting about them for awhile. For me there are several items, some of which I have mentioned on here.

Well, another one is gram flour or chickpea flour. Not so long ago I did use this far more often but it fell out in favour of spelt flour for breads and baking. This week I decided to bring it back and redo some of my favourite recipes with it.

I ended up making a gram flour bread type of pancake - often called Socca - of course my recipe is a little different (what else is new!) but we think it's even better with a few tweaks...

Here it is:

Oven Fried Bread

2 cups of gram flour

400 ml water

finely diced onion

fresh and dried Rosemary

Olive oil or coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

salt

cumin

pepper

Mix the gram flour and water together - blend really well to get out any lumps - then allow to sit for at least 2 hours or even over night. 

Once the flour is ready - add your spices and baking soda, except the fresh rosemary, and blend lightly again to make sure everything is evening distributed. 

In the meantime, set your oven at 190C and prepare a round tin or deep pizza pan by covering with parchment paper. Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the parchment, add the onion to the batter and then gently pour the batter on top of the oil. 

Once the batter is in the pan - carefully mix or draw the oil through the mixture (it will float to the top) and then sprinkle with a little more salt, pepper and the fresh rosemary. 

Place in a hot oven for about 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Take out and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes, then serve with a meal.

This is lovely with anything or on it's own.

April

Lovely!!

Fritters - Yellow Split Peas

So, remember all those yellow split peas we all have sitting in our cupboards? Well, I have the recipe for at least some of them...these look, smell and apparently taste very good - if the children eating them all in one go is any indication! 

They were also very easy to make (and quick) which is also a bonus. The only thing is I would recommend you soak the peas at least overnight because anything soaked for awhile is more digestible and we all want to go easy on our hard working guts.

I soaked a bowl full of peas overnight in cold water - adding more water as it was soaked up by the peas. Then today I took about 2 cups of the peas and ground them in the food processor even though these are often made with dry peas.

Once ground, I put the pea mixture into a separate bowl and added finely chopped onion, garlic and fresh parsley. Next I added a generous teaspoon (or a bit more) of ground cumin, a little salt and pepper and some coconut flakes (in place of oil).

This was all mixed thoroughly - but here is where I did something a little different. Instead of frying them in hot oil I dropped tablespoonfuls onto a parchment covered baking pan and placed them into a hot oven (about 180C).

Once they were in the oven for about 10 minutes I lightly brushed some olive oil over top of each fritter and put them back in for another 10 minutes or so, until starting to brown on top and very fragrant. Then out they came....

I don't think they even had a chance to cool down - they were gone! 

April

Yellow Split Pea Fritters

Almond Citrus Cake

For another take on using oranges in our baking I decided to mix two of my favourite food together - almonds and oranges. I wanted to use up some oranges but also to bake using less flour and more of other, different ingredients.

Almonds are lovely because they grind down into a floury powder, yet retain that deep taste that goes throughout a dish. And they pair up well with citrus - especially orange. I also like the texture of cake, cookies or other foods like nut loaf when made with almonds.

Cakes are easy to make with nearly any combination of ingredients and are just as easy to freeze for those days when something a little sweet would be nice with your dandelion coffee. 

This recipe is really straight forward and easy to follow - I had my children working with me on this one too - we usually bake something on Fridays for our home school project....

Almond Citrus Cake

2 cups ground almonds

1 cup whole grain spelt flour (or white spelt)

1 large organic orange

3 eggs (I use duck eggs)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

pinch salt

7 to 8 tablespoons orange water

Place the orange in a saucepan cover it with water and bring it to a gentle boil for about 1 hour. It should cook gently, otherwise it will be tough. Once boiled, take off the heat and cool. Then cut it open and remove the seeds. The orange then needs to be blended into a pulp together with one or two tablespoon of the water it was boiled in.

Turn on the oven to 180C and prepare a baking tin - I usually use a bundt pan for cakes.

In a deep mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients and sift them together (flour, almond, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt). Break the eggs in a small bowl and whisk together with the maple syrup. Next, add the wet ingredients (including the orange pulp) to the dry almond mixture and start to mix together - you will need to add the orange water here - add enough to ensure it is wet but not sloppy. Usually around 7 or 8 tablespoons.

Spoon this batter into a prepared tin and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Once a toothpick comes out clean - turn off the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack. This is lovely served with orange sections, or drizzled with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Almond Citrus Cake

Herbed Oat Cakes

I just realised I don't often mention Oat Cakes on here - these lovely little crackers used to be a staple in our diets, until I stopped buying processed/packaged foods! LOL So, now they are an occasional treat whenever I make them.

Even though there are so few ingredients and they are tasty, they are far better homemade then anything you can find in the shops. So, please try this out at home - or any variation of this recipe, because they are lovely, good for you and kind of fun to make. Especially if you have children...

When you make them at home you can jazz things up a bit, (which is the same thing we have found out about everything else we eat) and make some different combinations using herbs, grains, nuts, seeds, spices or whatever, to suit yourself.

A basic Oat Cake (herbed) recipe would be:

Thyme Herbed Oatcakes

2 cups ground oatmeal or oat flour

2 tablespoons spelt flour for rolling

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 tsp salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

9 -11 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat your oven to 180C - in a deep bowl place the oatmeal, baking soda, thyme and some of the salt.

Carefully measure out the olive oil and add to the oatmeal mixture. Mix well - then slowly add the boiling water, 1 tablespoon at a time - be careful around spoon 8 - you might not need much more. If the dough is too dry - add up to 11. 

I usually stop somewhere between 9 and 10 tablespoons of water. The dough will be warm and soft but hold together well. Roll out flat onto a floured parchment to about 3mm thickness. Using a cookie cutter cut into round shapes - sprinkle a little salt over top and place on a baking sheet. You might also want to sprinkle more thyme at this point too. 

Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly golden - then allow to cool and enjoy with nut butter, jam, chutney, cheese, smoked fish or anything you wish. These are lovely on their own too. 

April

**Intuition for Business Class start 5 March in West Cork

Thyme Oat Cakes 

Why Eat Organic? Food Consciousness....

Over the years I have been one of those people who have insisted on sourcing and eating organic food as much as humanly possible. And my body has thanked me for it. I know it has made a difference in my health, my life and it a far better choice of food for my children. 

Yet....

Every now and then I see in the media (or mass-mis-information system) how there is either little difference between organic and non-organic foods, some study or piece of research will pronounce how little health benefits there are to be gained and any other negativity they can send forth.

So, why do I intuitively feel better mentally, physically and spiritually when I eat organic foods, grow my own as much as possible and enter the entire scene of rising food consciousness? Perhaps there are a few reasons and each of them very important.

One of the most important things I see in my own life, is how because I am seeking out organic vegetables and fruits I am far more involved in where my food comes from. I speak (in many instances) to those who grow it and I ask where it is from - choosing Irish grown when available.

It also means I frequent local farmers markets and some local farms who produce some vegetables of their own. Leading on from there, I then also require seeds compatible with my region (and also locally grown) for encouraging a few plants to come through the soil in my own garden.

Yet, this is not all - over these many years of eating only organic, natural and back garden sources of food - my palate has become far more discerning and sensitive. I remember a few years ago having wanted grapes so badly at Christmas time, being unable to find organic ones (it must have been one of those years) we ended up with 'ordinary' grapes from a supermarket.

Our tongues burned after eating one grape and they were quickly abandoned to the compost heap. At the time it left us wondering what we had been eating all those years which was now missing from our food - and how toxic was it!

This is just the tip of an iceberg for me here - I could go on about organic foods. Especially when it comes to re-esestablishing a connection with your food, spiritual and otherwise. There is just no comparison to eating foods produced with care and thought given to the soil, the local area, the plants themselves and most of all health benefits of the consumer.

This alone completes the cycle of sustainability - when we look after our environment, feed our bodies well, nourish our minds and spirits - they take care of us. 

April

It's a little snow day in West Cork! 

If You Think Changing Your Diet Is Too Much Trouble...well...

If you think changing your diet is too much trouble and too much work to cook, eat at home, peel vegetables, learn a few recipes, get organised in your kitchen...

Wait until you are sick or ill because of the way you have been eating. Then trying to back track and reverse all those years of playing Russian roulette with your body - well, that takes far more, time, energy and effort then making a few small changes right now.

The beginning of a new year is just that - a fresh start. A time for renewal and with that possibilities. Absolutely everything that makes life worth living is stored deeply within our bodies. And the only way in is through treating your body well with good clean food, water and of course exercise.

A few years ago when I started making changes (and I had just as many to make as anyone else) I took things one at a time - literally week by week until I had completely reoganised my lifestyle, my diet and myself. Once I knew and felt I was on the road to better health, then I was able to relax.

During that time, each week I would take an area of my life and make a change for the better. I even remember spending a weekend getting rid of everything in the house that was not organic. We were left with a clean slate and started over.

Then another week I stopped buying boxed cereal and have only ever made breakfasts since with things like porridge, home made muesli, kippers and toast, roasted sweet potatoes with nut butter (lovely by the way!) and so forth.

Moving forward into the next week I got rid of the dairy, meats and animal products. That may not be for everyone, but at the time, I wanted to really clean out my body - so we spent the next 6 or 7 years vegan and vegetarian. 

We replaced these foods with beans, lentils, peas and other great sources of protein. We kept going until we all felt, looked and knew we were in much better health. And I have never looked back...

The difference is - you have to stick with it. You have to alter your lifestyle, your habits, set up your life to provide a framework supportive of good health. Otherwise, you end up frustrated and going back to old habits.

Once you make each of the changes you are needing to make - reorganise your life to suit your new way of living.

It really is this simple...

April

Homemade Hazelnut butter - Yumm!!!