recipes

Here are some strategies to create infinite different kinds of meals.

muesli
This takes care of one meal a day and with fresh fruit and vegetables is enough to live on for a couple of weeks.

Linseed, nuts, dried apricots or dates, can be ground in a coffee grinder or blender. A few oats can be added to stop them turning into a paste ball.

The nuts and oats can be toasted on a tray in the oven for taste and crunch. Raw is better.

The seeds and grains can be sprouted for a day or two or soaked overnight.

A pulverised 1000 microgram Vitamin B12 tablet can be added as an economical way to take the supplement.

Add water. Soak for a half an hour or even overnight to give a sweet rich creamy texture. Milk or soy milk might not be needed because the ingredients provide ample fats sugars and proteins.

soaking
Seeds, nuts and grains release enzymes and other nutrients soon after beginning to soak. They start to grow. Their oils and proteins become more easily digested. At this stage they can be blended into a paste or nut milk and used raw or in cooking or dehydrating recipes.

Their nutrient value continues to change as they sprout.

sprouting
Put seeds or grains in a glass jar. Cover the top of the jar with mesh. Secure it with a rubber band. Pour in water and let them soak. Hard seeds need to be be soaked overnight or longer. Seeds that swell quickly or are quick to decompose like chickpeas can be soaked for about four hours. The higher the temperature the less soaking time and the faster sprouts grow.

Rinse them every day in a cool environment or two or three times a day if its hot to keep them moist and clean so they don't rot (lentils don't need much rinsing - chick peas need frequent rinsing). Turn the jar upside down to drain.

After a day or so they begin to sprout. After two or three days they put out roots and tops. A few more days and they green up if they are in the sun. They can be eaten at each stage and are a different food at each stage.

They travel well. Just add water, rinse and drain. Keep a couple of jars at different stages of growth.

Linseed can be sprouted with grains but by itself it is too mucilaginous to rinse.

cultured food
Fermented foods help restore the balance between micro-organisms in the gut after it has been disrupted by stress, toxic food or antibiotics. Some micro-organisms improve feelings mood and vitality by influencing the brain and hormonal systems.

Cultured and fermented foods include coleslaw, tempeh, water kefir, yogurt, natto, miso, tamari, rejuvelac, kambucha and cheeses. They can be made at home with a little research and starter cultures. Look online for recipes, demonstrations and starter cultures.

Most vegetables can be fermented – cabbage, carrot, leafy greens, beetroot, radish, leek or anything really. A mix can include a little chilli, onion or ginger as well to make a spicy sauce or relish. Cucumber is traditionally done separately.

Cabbage (sauerkraut) can be done wild using just the cultures in the air without adding a seed culture. If you seed a ferment you know what’s in it. Both fresh and dry cultures are are best refrigerated. Source as locally as possible to limit the time in transit.

Someone with upset digestion might start with small amounts of ferments to begin with.

cheeses
Vegan cheeses can be cultured from soy and other plant bases to taste very much the same as traditional cheeses. Compounded vegan cheese substitutes are not as appealing or nutritious as the cultured ones. Tempeh or tofu can stand in for cheeses in some recipes. Tahini with a touch of miso and lemon tastes similar on pizzas .

freezing
Fruit and veg can be better frozen than old or poorly stored. Freezing destroys some nutrients but can work reasonably well if used immediately on thawing.

Fruit can be frozen and blended with or without spices into smoothies or frozen deserts which can taste and feel so much better than ice cream.

Veggie and fruit mixtures can be juiced and frozen and used to keep a lunch pack cool and drunk at the end of the day while they still have some ice keeping them near freezing point.

dehydrating
Low temperature dehydrating cooks food slowly so it is no longer really raw. Freeze-dry the same food and check the difference. Freezing does diminish the quality of some nutrients but not as much as dehydrating. Most thawed foods go off and lose nutritional value quickly and so are best used immediately.

Dehydrated foods can be stored and are great for travelling - light and compact – just add water or eat as is.

Dehydrating is less destructive the lower the temperature – usually below 45°C. An oven with a fan and the door open slightly for ventilation and a thermometer will usually work. Or sun dry if there is enough heat and ventilation.

Grains like wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye and seeds like linseed or sesame can be sprouted, then lightly blended or pressed and laid flat and partly dehydrated to form cake, pudding, biscuits or pizza base. This can be sweet by including dried fruit or savoury with dry olives or seaweed.

the secret ingredient
The secret of food is the feeling that goes into it. In the preparation and in the eating. Who is preparing and who is eating and how they are feeling. Being hungry is essential.