Apple, pink grapefruit, strawberry and ginger drink: good for what ails you

I always try to take extra good care of myself when life isn't in smooth sailing mode. Sometimes when I feel depleted I like to prepare myself a concoction containing a hit of concentrated vitamins and nutrients. I'm lucky in that I have a juicer and a blender.

The whole process of making myself a potent elixir feels balancing: choosing the recipe, preparing the fruit, pouring the drink into a beautiful glass, admiring the colour and the pleasing taste. I’ve even stopped dreading about having to clean the juicer and blender afterwards. Now cleaning and reassembling to be ready for next time is part of the positive exchange between me and my juice-making.

A favourite combinations is apple, pink grapefruit, strawberry and ginger. You can play around with amounts and the varieties of apples. You can juice everything or choose instead to blend it all and enjoy it as a smoothie (making sure to first remove seeds and any undesired peel).

For this recipe I juiced the apples and ginger and then blended with the whole grapefruit and strawberries.

Apple, pink grapefruit, strawberry and ginger drink

Makes two small drinks or one large.

6 strawberries, frozen or fresh

2 apples, juiced

1 pink grapefruit, peeled, sectioned and seeds removed

1 inch piece of ginger, juiced or blended

ice (optional)

Wash apples, slice and juice. Juice the piece of ginger. Pour juice in the blender. Add one whole grapefruit, peeled and seeded, and the strawberries. Blend well. Add ice if none of your fruit is frozen.

Pour into pretty glasses and garnish with peppermint.

Raw caramel squares

I don't tend to visit the past unless something jogs my memory. When I bit into one of these raw caramel squares a vivid memory appeared:

I'm a university student hosting a small impromptu dinner gathering at the place I'm renting. For desert I serve the only sweet thing I have around: a frozen Mars bar.

It's frozen because it’s been sitting all day on the dashboard in my father's car in frigid winter temperatures. His car is in my driveway because he's in town for a meeting or convention and he bought the chocolate bar for two-hour car ride. I also remember that he was always loaning me his car. He was very generous about that.

Having nothing sweet in the house I run out and get the chocolate bar, bring it inside, cut it into thin slices with a heated butcher knife, arrange the pieces on a plate and serve.

Which brings me to this recipe.

Like that Mars bar I served for desert all those years ago, these squares are served straight out of the freezer, too.

What makes these squares special is the combined three layers, especially the caramel layer.

Unlike traditional caramel (usually made with sugar, water and cream) this one is made with dates, almond butter, maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Great if you want a caramel experience without the dairy.

You will need a food processor or blender to make this recipe.

Raw Caramel Squares

Base:

3/4 CUP (120G) ALMONDS

1/3 CUP (25G) DESICCATED COCONUT

6 FRESH DATES, PITTED

1/4 CUP (60G) COCONUT OIL, MELTED

Place the almonds, coconut, dates and oil in a food processor and process for 1 - 2 minutes or until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Press the mixture into the base of a 20cm x 20cm pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until set.

Middle:

12 FRESH DATES, PITTED

1/3 CUP (95G) ALMOND BUTTER

2 TABLESPOONS MAPLE SYRUP

2 TEASPOONS VANILLA BEAN PASTE. I used vanilla extract and it worked fine.

PINCH SEA SALT FLAKES

Place the dates, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a food processor and process for 1 - 2 minutes or until smooth. Spread over the base and return to the fridge.

Top:

1/3 CUP (35G) CACAO POWDER

1/4 CUP (60ML) COCONUT OIL, MELTED

1/2 CUP (180G) RICE MALT SYRUP. Honey works as a substitute but makes it much sweeter.

Place the cacao, oil and rice malt syrup in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir for 2 - 3 minutes or until smooth. Pour the mixture over the date caramel and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Freeze for 30 minutes before slicing into bars to serve. This recipe needs to be served chilled. You can also keep them in the freezer until ready to serve if you prefer a harder set.

Life changing crackers

A gluten free cracker recipe is by far my most popular blog post. Not the recipe for Raw Chocolate Chewy Squares or Pineapple Upside Down Cake but a wholesome flaxseed cracker recipe.

I think this gluten free cracker recipe is even better.

I prefer the consistency of the dough and I prefer rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper instead of trying to successfully spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.

These crackers taste truly wonderful. So much flavour and the satisfying crunch of a light crisp bread. The oatmeal and maple syrup lend them a subtle sweetness, too. What a bonus that they’re also high in nutrients and fibre!

Scroll to the bottom for a couple of my favourite topping ideas.

Life Changing Crackers (original recipe here)

Makes about two regular size cookie sheets of crackers.

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup flax seeds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp chia seeds

4 tbsp psyllium husks, 3 tbsp if you use powder

1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 1/2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.

In another bowl mix oil, maple syrup and water. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. If the mixture is too dry add more water, a little at a time. The dough should be thick but manageable.

Gather into one ball or two. Dividing dough into two balls gives you nicer sizes to manage, plus you can flavour each differently if you like.

Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, firmly roll into a thin sheet. The thinner you can roll the dough without it ripping the better. Then you get a nice crisp cracker.

Remove the top layer of parchment and set aside for later use.

Score the dough into the shapes and size you want.

Grab the edge of the baking paper and slide onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove cookie sheet from oven. Place the extra piece of parchment (from earlier) on top and flip over. Slide back on cookie sheet and bake another 10 minutes until dry, crisp and golden.

Let cool completely before storing in a lidded container for up to three weeks.