Recipe of the Month Split Pea Soup with Moroccan Spiced Butter
A Chaga Recipe from Anthony William
Anthony William is a blogger and author on natural healing that I admire a lot and when I read this recipe based on the therapeutic properties of Chaga mushrooms I immediately wanted to share it here. I’m in no position to personally endorse anything as an anti cancer agent but, given the proliferation of the disease in today’s society, I feel that people should be aware of its potential and given the choice to use what they choose alongside of, or indeed in place of, conventional treatment. Here’s his take on Chaga and a suggestion on how to use it.
Spiced Creamy Hot Chaga
Nothing quite hits the spot and soothes the soul like a warm drink on a cold day (or anytime of year!). Add in the incredible medicinal properties of Chaga mushroom and some special healing spices, and you have yourself a deeply therapeutic and delicious drink to enjoy. This recipe would be wonderful to serve to friends and family or to savor on a quiet morning or evening alone. read more →
Recipe of the Month – Savoury Porridge
A delicious alternative to traditional porridge and a great autumnal breakfast, this is a great base recipe that can be jazzed up with herbs, spices and vegetables. Why not try with diced peppers, ground turmeric or with a soft poached egg on top!
Ingredients (serves 1)
½ Onion, diced
Olive Oil
½ Cup Organic Vegetable Stock
½ Cup Oats
Sea Salt & Pepper
Method
– Drizzle a small saucepan with olive oil and place over a medium heat
– Add the onions and cook down until soft
– Crumble in the stock cube and mix through
– Add the oats, along with 1 cup of water
– Stir through and then allow to gently cook until it is thick and creamy
– Season to taste and garnish with spring onions or parsley
Recipe of the Month – Homity Pie
The recipe this month is an old favourite of mine and comes from the Cranks Recipe Book. You should really give this a go if you are looking for a truly comforting and tasty dinner, just serve with a green salad! It’s ok to load up on the carbs sometimes and once you have tasted this potato and onion pie I think you’ll agree!!
Homity Pie
Potato & Onion Pie Ingredients:
300g Wholemeal shortcrust pastry (see below)
350g Potatoes
450g Onions
3tbsp Oil
25g Butter
15g Chopped parsley
100g Grated cheese
2 Crushed garlic cloves
15ml Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
Roll out the pastry and use to line an 8″ (20cm) flan tin. Boil or steam the potatoes until tender.
Chop the onions, then sauté in the oil until really soft.
Combine the potatoes and onions, add the butter, parsley, half the cheese, garlic, milk, and season to taste.
Cool, then pour the mixture into the flan case. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven at 220oC (Gas mark 7) for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Alternatively you can make six individual 4″(10cm) potato and onion pies and cook for 20 minutes.
Wholemeal Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients:
200g Wholemeal flour
2tsp Baking powder
100g Butter
3 tbps Water
Method:
Place flour and baking powder in a bowl. Rub in the fats until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add sufficient water to give a soft but manageable dough.
Recipe of the Month – Ollie’s Fuel Food Veggie Bake
As we get closer to our cookery demo day with Oliver McCabe in Murphy’s Barn on Saturday May 7th we’re enthusiastically trying lots of recipes from his book. Both Ruth (full credit to her for these beautiful images of her creation!) and I cooked his Fuel Food Veggie Bake and were in agreement that it was hearty, comforting, wholefood at its best so it’s the recipe we want to share with you now. What can I say? If you don’t have the book it’s well worth the purchase (we have signed copies for €20) and if you’d like to take it a step further, meet Olly and hear about his unique food philosophy at first hand then put Saturday May 7th in your diary right now.
I was so impressed with the use of millet in this recipe and felt this powerhouse grain needed looking into more, want to know more on millet, just click here.
Ingredient Focus – More About Millet
Think magnesium, think millet.
It’s not everyday I cook millet, in fact I always thought it rather bland. My mind was changed when I made Oliver McCabe’s delicious FoodFuel Veggie Bake where millet makes up one layer with vegetables, lentils and a sweet potato topping – yummy!
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Maganese
- Tryptophan
- Phoshorus
- Fibre
- B vitamins
- Antioxidants
Recipe of the Month – Ollie’s Mammy’s Stew
What? Cocoa in a stew, who’d have thought?
I’m really loving Oliver McCabe’s new The FuelFood Cookbook and it was a great pleasure to have him signing copies in Only Natural recently. We’re equally excited at the prospect of having him do a demonstration day in Murphy’s Barn on Saturday May 7th. It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity to benefit from Oliver’s unique wholefood cookery knowledge at first hand, on top of which we’ll be throwing in a delicious and wholesome lunch with recipes from the book and all in the most inspiring setting not far from Wexford town. Why not keep the date free? Tickets are now available online here.
Anyway back to the recipe. It’s Oliver’s mammy’s very own recipe for Irish Stew and, what with Paddy’s Day just round the corner we thought it might be good to remind you that, even in today’s multi cultured food world, our own tradition of simply prepared, wholesome dishes deserves to be honoured and enjoyed. This Irish Stew however has a bit of a twist, yes cocoa! I’ve added chocolate to chilli before and I must say that this works too. The result is a rounded, mellow flavour where the strong taste of the lamb isn’t quite so dominant. The quality of the ingredients is everything in a recipe like this so we’d suggest (A) supporting your local Craft Butcher for better quality meat and (B) buying organic vegetables where possible. The chilly season isn’t quite over yet and trust me, this is what you want when it’s cold and rainy outside. Do give it a try!
