Chutneys on a cold winter’s day…

There’s something deeply comforting about opening a jar of home-made chutney, particularly when you can see the plot of garden where the produce has been grown! Dee Knight grows, forages and cooks the most delicious condiments.

This morning I had the pleasure to meet with Dee to photograph her latest produce. Her chutneys, jellies, jams and flavoured oils are the perfect blend of local, seasonal and utterly delicious.

What a pleasure to photograph – the colours were a delight to capture!

Dee loves her garden and her passion for home-grown ingredients shines through – chillis, garlic, onions, butternut squash and raspberries are just a small selection of her harvest that she transforms into tasty delicacies. As I visit her Mill House Kitchen on this freezing cold morning, the light streams through the windows and I can see a chicken wandering about the garden, seemingly lost without the visiting pheasant friends that frequent this peaceful spot. Even in the middle of winter, it’s clear to see how much this garden is loved and cared for. Dee has already planned to extend her large vegetable plot – the kids have been promised a new spot for the climbing frame!

Some years ago, it was a glut of vegetables from her garden that prompted Dee to set up a little stall outside her house with an honesty box. Soon enough people where queuing up on a Sunday, waiting for the freshly made chutneys and jams! These days, she can be found at fairs and markets around Warwickshire. With both her kids in school now, she is happily planning, stirring, simmering and preserving. I can see the beautifully labeled jars neatly stacked in her cupboards and Dee is already looking ahead to the afternoon’s task – a new batch of egg-free lemon curd.  For more details you can contact Dee here.

And I will head straight back into my kitchen for some more crackers with dairy-free cream cheese and Plum & Pink Peppercorn Jelly. Dee-licious! 😉

Here are some of today’s photographs…

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Switching off the ‘bad’ food list in your head.

Tags

bad foods, Biscuits, cookies, dessert, Food photography, good foods, healthier biscuits, naughty foods, Oats, Party, prunes, recipe, Vegan Food Pyramid, vegan nutrition, vegan recipe, Vegetarian, walnuts

Are you trying to be ‘good’ this January? Are you avoiding the ‘bad’ foods from your ‘naughty list’? I think it may be time to rethink your inner monologue.

I’ve got a real thing about it when food is labeled as ‘good’, ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’. Our internal monologues can be incredibly mean and demoralising.

Particularly where food and weight is concerned, we seem to turn into our own harshest, most cruel critics.  Obviously, some foods have very little nutritional goodness while others are healthier, less processed, more nutrient dense. But surely, it’s the balance that makes our diet varied and interesting. How often can we hear parents calling chocolate ‘naughty’ in front of their kids? What would be your reaction if you’re told you can’t do something? ‘Forbidden fruits’ and all that comes to my (somewhat stubborn!) mind. I’m really trying to help my boys understand that chocolate for example is delicious and tastes great, while at the same time, eating too much of it isn’t good for their health or teeth. I’d love them to enjoy food when they eat it instead of feeling guilty or even rebellious.

Listen out for your inner voice – make it a little mission today – and occasionally switch off that grumpy old so-and-so! By embracing all kinds of foods and by allowing them a space in your diet I hope you will start to feel a sense of liberation and choice.
The vegan food pyramid chart below is a brilliant resource for general meal combining. I’m quite happy that in between the lines, my pyramid shows up the occasional Squishy-Squashy Cupcake, Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding and Cheeky Chaps Biscuit.
© Joshua Wold http://veganfoodpyramid.com 

So how about this… if you fancy some cookies today but want to cut down on the heavily processed ingredients in the shop bought varieties, these little beauties will fit the bill. The dried prunes, walnuts and rolled oats make me almost forget that they are still cookies. As I said… balance is everything.
Could I get away with calling them health-food? Nah, I didn’t think so either 😉

Cinnamon Cookies with Prunes and Walnuts

Makes 2 large trays full
This made quite a big batch which was great for sharing. You could freeze these or make half the quantity if you prefer.

3/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup muscovado sugar
1 cup self-raising flour (mix white and wholemeal as required)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
a generous pinch of ground clove
3 cups rolled oats
10 ready-to-eat prunes, chopped
a small handful of walnut pieces
up to 1 cup of dairy-free milk

Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
Mix the sugar and margarine together until fluffy. Add the spices, chopped prunes, walnuts, oats and flour and baking powder. Stir in the soya milk until you have a soft, sticky dough. Don’t worry if it’s quite soft as you don’t have to shape the cookies with your hands.

Use about a tablespoon of the mixture and drop it onto a lined baking tray (with the help of another spoon). Leave some space between the cookies as they will spread a little.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges turn a golden brown colour. Cool on a wire rack and then store in an air-tight container.

Click on www.flavourphotos.com for more simply delicious food photographs.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or health professional. If you have specific questions about diet and nutrition please contact a registered nutritionist for further advice.

Super-Muesli for busy Super-Parents

Tags

Bircher Muesli, Breakfast, Food photography, Mango, Muesli, Oats, Raspberry, Vegan, Vegan Food photography, vegan recipes, Vegetarian, Yogurt

Are you on the lookout for a quick and easy breakfast that will keep you fuller for longer? Banish the mid-morning hunger pangs with this oatilicious super-breakfast to keep you satisfied and well-nourished for the day.

Of course not just for parents…

We probably all know that most typical breakfast choices are quick and convenient but not necessarily brimming with nutritious goodness. If your house is anything like mine, mornings are mayhem. Well, technically speaking, they are only mayhem when I get the kids up!  While I frantically search for mislaid school jumpers and clean socks for my boys, I’m trying to get ready for the working day ahead… a ‘normal family morning’, I guess. When it’s my partner’s turn, however, he has a way to make the clock seemingly tick just that little bit slower and somehow he appears to breathe that little bit more deeply and slowly too. I’ve been trying to watch and learn for nearly 17 years 😉

Our family-run hairdresser has this sign up on the wall.
Made me chuckle. The label came from this lovely site.

For now though, I need something delicious that can be ready in a flash. In the past, the whole ‘Birchermuesli thing’ sounded too bland and worthy for my liking…. how wrong was I? The yogurt adds a delicious creaminess and the almond milk soaked oats, fruit and nuts become a delectable base that complements the fresh fruit flavours perfectly. Healthy, but somehow decadent too.
I now make this on a regular basis, either for breakfast or as a take away lunch. Keep this muesli refrigerated until you’re ready to eat it.

Oatilicious Super-Muesli

You need a jar with a tight-shutting lid. Look out for the sugar content in your muesli. Some varieties are surprisingly high in sugar and salt. Why not make your own by combining rolled oats with seeds, nuts and dried fruit?

Muesli (about a cup)
enough almond milk (or other diary-free milk) to cover
cinnamon
soya yoghurt
fresh fruit

Add a generous shake of ground cinnamon to your muesli and cover it with dairy-free milk. Let it soak overnight in the fridge.
In the morning,  stir it and add a dollop of soya yoghurt on top. Serve chilled and decorate with freshly sliced fruit. Go for your favourite fruit or something a bit exotic if you can get it, such as peach, nectarine, mango, raspberry, strawberries…

I’d love to hear what’s on your plate first thing in the morning. What’s your breakfast of choice right now?

For more cruelty-free eye candy click on the picture below.

New Year’s Resolution Salad – Vitality In A Bowl

Tags

diet, Food photography, Honey and mustard, New Year's resolution, raw, Vegan, Vegan burger, vegan recipes, Vegetarian, Vegfest, Vitality Salad

Are you ready to get the healthy eating back on track after the indulgence and partying of 2013?
Whether your trousers are feeling a bit tight or whether you simply want to banish the sluggish feeling of winter comfort eating… it’s time to feel re-energised and ready for a healthy, happy 2014.

Did you make any foodie New Year’s resolutions this year? I’ve already spotted lots of great blog posts about reducing meat, dairy, refined sugar etc.
I haven’t made a resolution as such, but I would really like to include more raw food into my diet this year – one of the big motivators was Vegfest London back in October. The cookery demonstrations were great fun and featured lots of raw food ideas that got me really excited. ( I never thought I would write ‘raw’ and ‘excited’ in the same sentence!)
Chad Sarno, an awesome chef and speaker, delivered an inspirational cookery demo on how to incorporate creative raw meals in our diet… and the urgent need for a mandoline food slicer in my life! (Surely, a food photographer cannot live without one.) Oh yes, we’re having ‘julienned and wafer-thin everything’ in our salads and stir-fries at the moment. I do like a new kitchen toy 😉

For the first January post, I’d like to share my favourite Vitality Salad with you and hope it inspires you to add more raw awesomeness into your life! It’s brimming with superfoods to satisfy your tastebuds and give you lots of energy and nutrients for a healthier start to the year. The vibrant, rich colours always cheer me up when the weather is dull and grey outside.

New Year’s Resolution Salad with ‘Honey’ and Mustard dressing

I brought a big bowl of this to our New Years Eve party and it vanished in minutes!

A bunch of dark green leaves (such as spinach, rocket, watercress)
Some pretty red leaves, e.g. red chard, young beetroot leaves, radicchio (a great liver cleanser!)
one avocado
black grapes
pomegranate seeds
walnut pieces
two spring onions
fresh parsley

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar
pinch of sea salt

The little soya burgers in the picture above came courtesy of my family in Germany. The organic ingredients include chickpea flour which gives them a similar texture and taste to falafel.
Great if you are struggling for time as you literally have to add warm water and let it sit for five minutes before you can cook them! As usual, I can’t follow instructions as simple as this 😉 and added a sautéed onion, some finely chopped walnuts and a handful of chopped parsley to the mix which really boosted the flavour.

Happy cooking, baking and sharing! I’d love to know if you have made a resolution for 2014. Once you have put it in writing here, it will be a lot harder to forget by the end of next week 😉

For commissioned food writing and photography visit www.flavourphotos.com