Raw In Scotland

My Christmas present to you - Christmas dessert recipes :-)

Raw desserts are fresh, delicious and nutricious - and can be rich, sweet and traditional enough to please whoever is lucky enough to eat your food this Christmas. Here are recipes for 'Christmas pudding' and creamy vanilla custard flavours and textures but in a quick-to-prepare pairing of a fruit salad and a creamy raw sauce whipped up in a blender. The only equipment you need is a good knife and a blender, any blender.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING FRUIT SALAD

OK, it hasn't got a puddingy texture, but the flavours are spot-on, and by the time you are eating it with the custardy sauce it really is good enough to be classified as Christmas pudding. These quantities are guidelines, just vary them according to what you have, how many people you are feeding and how much citrus zest, ginger and cinnamon you like in things.

3/4 cup each: raisins (Big soft lexias if possible)

                      currants

                      sultanas

2 tsps orange zest (that's very finely grated peel)

1 tsp lemon zest

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 2 oranges

1 level tsp ground cinnamon

I tsp very finely grated fresh ginger

Approx 10 apples and or pears.

Mix everything together except the apples and/or pears and leave the juice and flavours to soak into the dried fruit. Leave for several hours until the dried fruit has soaked up quite a bit of the juice and is soft and moist. Then chop up the apples/pears into little chunks about the size of the dried fruit and mix all together straight away. Leave covered at room temperature for the flavours to mix well. Serve at room temperature rather than fridge-cold.

RICH VANILLA CUSTARD

I cup cashew nuts

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raw agave syrup

seeds scraped from a vanilla pod

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil

1/2 an avocado (really) a just-ripe but not over-ripe one, chopped

I cup water

Soak the nuts in cool water for a few hours(overnight is ideal) and drain them. If the walnuts still taste slightly bitter, soak and rinse again. Blend the soaked nuts with the cup of water, the coconut oil, salt and agave until very smooth. It doesn't matter if the coconut oil is in solid lumps to start with because the motion of the blender will warm it just enough to melt it. When you have a thin smooth cream blend in the avocado until all is creamy and smooth. The avocado adds that extra-smooth custardyness. Keep at room temperature to serve poured over the fruit salad.

This combination really does touch the right Christmas dessert tastebuds, without being over-sweet or heavy - but still sweet and rich enough!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and the best of New Years 

Eating raw-ish out and about

One good snack that is relatively easy to find is cucumber and hummus.

Find a corner shop, delicatessen or supermarket and you'll probably find a cucumber and hummus. Get hummus with olive oil if you can, and of course organic when there's a choice.

Hummus isn't totally raw. If you are lucky the lemon juice, olive oil and tahini are though, even though the chickpeas won't be. However with the cucumber it's a very satisfying dip kind of a snack or meal, it's almost all raw, it's very good food value and it is a well balanced combination.

Great if you have a knife available, but still workable when you don't! Celery is a good alternative, just as long as you don't have to eat any mud along with it, or you might find those packets of mixed veggie sticks.

bon appetit.