TARTE TATIN FOR MUM.....

I woke up being very tired after helping out a friend at another cooking workshop.....although it was beautiful outside...very sunny...I decided to stay the morning at home and do some baking....Mum asked me for a long time to make her my great "tarte tatin" and I thought today to be the perfect day for that!
As I like to keep my rules within the kitchen..this version of tarte tatin is a healthier version than the original one.....

For starters I make sure only to use organic fruits..these amazing appels come from Coín, a tiny cute spanish town up in the mountains here in Southern Spain where there is a lot of organic produce...In the normal version a lot of butter (very french) and sugar is used which for me and mum are a no no....instead..using more olive oil and tiny bit of sugar will do enough....then I add herbs on my tarte to give an extra flavor to it...and the result is absolutly lovely..you really must give it a try.....
Herbs are from my own garden...here is Spain it´s so easy to grow herbs...they grow like crazy..great for creating great looking and tasty plates!

For this recipe I have used:
- 6 apples (any kind aslong as they are organic!)
- Gluten free puff pastry (look in health stores,they usually have it)
- Herbs of your liking (i used oregano, thyme and basil,all fresh and organic from my garden)
- A tiny bit of butter, about a table spoon
- Same goes for olive oil, a table spoon
- A table spoon of sugar

In a pan or baking tray put the butter and oil, then on top add the sugar, try to spread the sugar as this will coat the apples later on...the peel the apples and cut them in quarters or halfs if you prefer big pieces, and put in tray in a circle (see picture below)...leave this on a medium heat until sugar has caramelized.
While you are doing this, preheat oven at 180 degrees.
Take the puff pastry and make a round shape to cover the pan, it is better to be a bit bigger and then you can fold the leftovers around as it will look nicer.
When the sugar has turned in a nice brown color, take it from heat and put the pastry on top to cover the apples completly. Then put it into the oven to bake for about 25 min or until pastry turns nicely brown.
Take it out from oven and with a flat big plate(must be bigger than pan) and wearing gloves (make sure you wear gloves, caramel when hot is very very dangerous as you can get burned very bad), turn the tarte around. And voilá..your tarte tatin is ready....enjoy!!

The "extra" pastry is nice as you can make nice folds to create a lovely shape of the cake....

Now that the pastry is nice and brown it´s time to turn it ..remember to always use gloves PLEASE!

The herbs as you can see go on top and creates a lovely combination of colors and flavors....mmmmm!!!
My Mum loved it and so did I!!!!
Love, E

THE TASTE OF MOTHER EARTH ON A PLATE.........

Here in Marbella there are still beautifull sunny days in October but little by little we can feel the cold creeping in...today was one of those days where all you wanted to do was stay under a warm blanket with a nice book (nutrition book for me!) and a warm cup of  this beautiful earthy lentil soup....
I am reading some articles on nutrition these days to check "what´s new" as I need to be up to date with all the great findings on food nutritional facts and diseases and so on...my workshop is coming and must be ready to tell more and exciting stuff about how foods are the essential part of what we are....
This soup is all one needs for cold weather....high protein content, fiber...iron among other minerals...vitamins...I added some carrots to add some good betacarotenes and of course greens...never forget those greens...we need chlorophyl..loads of them!
For this recipe I have used the normal lentils (not a beluga nor the little cute orange lentils)....organic of course....unlike Tarifa, where I had a eco shop just under my house...now one must take the car in order to get to the eco shop....so not very happy about that but what can we do...just smile and take it as it comes, right??:-))

Legumes if not well cooked can give some "gas issues"..even when cooked and depending on your digestive tract it can give some gases, a good tip to avoid this is by adding cumin powder or even ginger as they are carminatives..meaning they reduce gas...

Recipe:
- 300g organic lentils (soaked in water over night)
- 2 carrots, organic
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 tbs cumin
- 1 cup mineral water
- 2 tbs olive oil, extra virgin
- Juice of one lemon
- Sea salt


In a deep pan, add olive oil, chopped onion and garlic, then add cumin, stir for 5 minutes, add the carrots , stir another 5-10 minutes and add lentlis at the end. Stir for another 5-7 minutes and add water (if you have home made veggies stock you can add this instead of mineral water). Let cook for about 20-25minutes at medium heat. Take from heat when tender, make sure lentils are very tender in order to avoid bad digestions.
Serve into bowls and add more raw olive oil and lemon juice (remember, vit.C helps absorb better the iron within the lentils!)
Try it...it´s not just yummy but very very healthy....for those who need good quality proteins (vegetarian and vegan) don´t forget to add some cereal with your legumes to make sure you have you 8 essential aminoacids ...with lentils I usually take whole rice...it combines great! Enjoy!!!

BYE BYE TARIFA...

It has been a hectic week of moving things...preparing new home...saying bye to this job...having two jobs is exhausting...I will explain...In Tarifa I was working for a foundation for the protection on marine mammals...the whale watching season has ended and therefor im off to Marbella, my home town to give my 100 % of time to FOODRUSTIC..my clients...my nutrition workshops....my foodphotography and a long etc of great things to come!
As a marine mammal vet and researcher where I have studied the toxics affecting these amazing creatures, I know how to deal with issues like the fish we eat...the risks in taking all these toxics and of course how to avoid them....although we don´t eat marine mammals (thank God) we do eat the fish they eat...the bigger the fish the more toxic material accumulated in their bodies...this I have already mentioned before in previous posts so I will not get into it again...:-)
Now, back in Marbella..where I am continuing with my workshops and consultations on holistic nutrition ..today I have my second workshop at the shop D'OLIVA, specialized in extra virgin olive oil. I am preparing a great sweet salmon tartar and ceviche..which is a marinated fish with fresh cilantro and lime juice..very yummy!!


CEVICHE:

RECIPE:(2 persons)

-300g fish, white if possible, consistent fish of any kind
-1 large red onion
-1 clove garlic
-3-4 limes,for juice
-Bunch of fresh cilantro
-Olive oil, extra virgin
-Salt and pepper

Cut fish in small squared pieces, cut other ingredients in small pieces as well. Add into a bowl, season it, add juice of the limes. Leave to marinate for at least 10-15 minutes and serve with some toasts, adding few drops of raw olive oil on top.

SWEET SALMON TARTAR:

RECIPE (2 persons)

-300g fresh and raw salmon
-1 large red onion
-Bunch of fresh dille
-honey, 2 tbs
-juice of 1 lemon
-100g melon, cantaloup if possible
-salt and pepper
-Olive oil extra virgin

Cut salmon in very small pieces, together with the rest of ingredients, add lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and dille into another bowl, mix well and add into solid ingredients.Mix all together until salmon turns a bit lighter in color and serve with some blinis.

Must leave you now as I must prepare for the workshop!

Have a beautiful day and try this recipe..you will not regreat it!!!Enjoy!!!

 ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SEASON WHEN EATING...

If you want to get the most of your veggies and fruit make sure to take those which are in season..not only they are fresh and more delicious but further more much cheaper, so important these days with the economical crisis...a good source of these products are local markets and local farmers at your own town.
Here in Tarifa I know some farmers that grow their own veggies at home mainly for their families and sometimes they are growing so much they are left with a lot , so  if you have good contacts you can always buy from them, they will be happy to get some extra money in they pockets aswell..
I buy my veggies there and also at the eco shop which luckily for me is at the corner of the place I am staying here in Tarifa town.
Yesterday I was hoping to get some nice season veggies to make myself a nice salad...as I have been eating a lot of hot soups theses days and one must not forget to eat raw food every day....this is the best way to get all the nutrients and  enzimes into your body.
At the eco shop I found what I wanted...a bit of beets...a bit of sweet potato..a bit of radish, parsnips and a nice piece of fresh pumpkin...flavors...colors....mmm!!

 In September and October, the veggies that are in season are:
-Zucchini                                           -Lettuce
-Squash                                            - Mushrooms
-Onions                                            - Eggplants
-Green beans                                    - Artichokes
-Green and red peppers                    -  Swiss chard
-Leeks                                              - Cauliflower
-Tomatos                                          - Cabbage
-Carrots                                            - Endives
-Red beets                                        - Spinach

So for this delicious salad...the recipe is:

-3 long radishes, sliced
-1 big white parsnip, sliced
-1 big piece of pumpkin, sliced
- Bunch of cilantro leaves
-10g of nuts, any kind you like

For the dressing I used a very simple one, juice of a lemon, olive oil,extra virgin and eco, salt , pepper and some poppy seeds to make it look prettier...Enjoy!

AUTUM DETOX PLAN....

The best time to make a detox program is during the change of the season, more so at Autum and at springtime...reason for this is the "normal" overload of food and specially toxic material, fats etc that we have put into our bodies.

Springtime comes just after winter time including X-mas..meaning...parties...family reunions with loads of sweets, roasted meats, alcohol...and so on.....the body needs to clean itself before entering summer to be prepared to battle against high temperatures and more body activity.

Autum is also a great period for a detox program as summer brings aswell a lot of night outs with friends, vacation periods where we might be traveling and trying new and local foods...alcohol...fats....and again, the body needs to be ready for winter, where cold weather kicks in and we are more vulnerable for infections.

I have designed a detox program which consist of 21 days, I offer aswell shorter period detox programs but I seriously believe that to have an efficient detoxification of your body, 21 days is the minimun time to do so....you will understand this when I tell you that 5 to 6 months of not so healthy eating can not be arranged in a 7-day detox program.

These short detox programs are good for people who have been taking good care of what they were eating where the body is not so full of toxic waste. 

If you are a very busy person with very little free time on your hands, I can understand you taking the 7-day detox plan as it´s better to detox a bit than nothing at all.

Of course, with all this I am not telling you that the ideal thing is to eat bad and all you want during the entire year as you are going to be doing twice a year the detox program anyway. The best thing is to eat well every day of the year, if this is your case than detox can be done once a year.

Why I still consider detox to be necessary even though you eat very healthy during all year round is because even though we do our best to eat healthy, we still have no control (not 100%) at least, of what we really put into our systems..therefor I always recommend doing some detox.

My program consist of a three week program where I allow the body to adapt to a lighter and more liquid diet.....then for some days I propose just taking your food in a liquid form, those days are fully packed with yummy fruit and veggie juices, veggie broths and herbal teas....these days it is important to stay relaxed, not too much activity as the purpose is to let your body concentrate on releasing all waste from your body....you might feel bad and sick during the first two days...this is normal, this is your body telling you that it is releasing all toxic material into the blood.....if this feeling prolongs into time that is not such a good time and I will advice you to stop or at least take it slowly.....

Then after these "juicy days" I will put you back into a normal solid diet little by little, again, letting your body adjust to a normal situation.....

When approaching the end of the detox program, you will feel great..actually you can start feeling absolutly great already the first three to four days....you will have so much energy that you might have trouble falling a sleep in the beginning...all this is normal....so please, DO NOT take sleeping pills as again, you will be adding toxics into your body, exactly what we don´t want....instead, take valeriana tablets or herbal teas...

When going back to eating normal..it´s recommended you keep eating healthy...this is the point of the detox plan! :-)

I will offer you a great range of healthy and delicious recipes for you to make at home...you will see that eating healthy is not just about a simple salad..there is so much more to it!

I hope you will contact me for this program....you will not regreat it...you will feel amazingly good, full of energy, happy ...always in a good mood and important for women....you will shine...your skin will look amazing and you will look so much prettier.....try it!!!!!

Love, E

HAVING RAIN FOR TWO DAYS.....!

After work I was heading home here in Tarifa..streets were soaking wet...pools everywhere....no one to be seen..somehow people here in Spain seem to be affraid of rain...with sunny days you will see no one staying at home....the streets are full of people....on rainy days you wander what happend and ask yourself where everybody went...is there a big party that nobody told me about??..no no....it´s raining..don´t you see? we can´t go out......strange....and sad really.....feeling the rain and dancing under it is an amazing feeling..this reminds me of lasts year trip to New York, when together with other friends we finished our tantric yoga class swetting like crazy...we came down into the busy streets and rain was falling down like I have never seen....we took our shoes off and started running thrue the crowds...it was a great sensation!!!!woowww...I felt sooo freee......I loved it and would do it all over again......:-))
So..back to Spain...to Tarifa...heading back home...what could be better than a nice "cuppa" warm soup in front of the tv???? mmmm....right at that moment..nothing! I opened my fridge, took my fresh veggies and started cooking this lovely warm and "Autumy" soup..............

Recipe:

-1 large red paprika
-1 zucchini
-1/2 yellow onion
-2 cloves garlic
-1 large ripe tomato
- 1 tbs Curry powder, madras
-Olive oil, extra virgin
-Salt and pepper
- 2 cups of water

In a pot, add olive oil medium heat, add the onion, previously chopped, garlic and curry powder, leave it two minutes cooking then add the chopped paprika, chopped zucchini, let cook again for 5 more minutes and at the end add the chopped tomato..leave cooking for another 10 more minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring everything into a blender, be careful as the soup at this point is very hot, make sure you close the blender well before turning it on. Blend well until smooth texture.

Serve in cups or bowls and garnish with some fine zucchini slices and some drops olive oil...enjoyyyyy...mmmmm...I know I did....hehe!

Love, E

GRAPES....THOSE LOVELY FRUITS....

GREAT ANTI-OXIDANT ACTIVITY!!!

Grapes are very in a polyphenolic phytochemical called RESVERATROL, which is a powerful anti-oxidant that plays an important rol protecting against cancers like colon cancer and prostate, also against coronary heart disease , degenerative nerve diseases like Alzheimer and agaisnt viral/bacterial infections.

 If this wasn´t enough, grapes are also a great source of other type of polyphenolic anti-oxidants, called ANTHOCIANINS, which seem to anti-allergic, anti-inflamatory and anti-cancer properties.

Also present in grapes are CATECHINS, which are a flavonoid tanins, another group of anti-oxidants specially found in the white-green varieties, these also have protective activity for the body.

Above all this..grapes have a good range of diffrent minerals, of which, Potassium is highly concentrated.

When it comes to vitamins, they are a good source of vit. C, which helpsin these autum days preventing you to catch a cold :-)

Make sure you have some!

Enjoy!