Tag Archives: linseeds

Deliciouso Italiano raw linseed crackers

20 Oct

Italian raw crackers and smashed avo…the perfect raw emergency desk lunch

If you’re anything like me, you’ll more often than not be chained to your desk over lunchtime – making it unnecessarily ambitious to eat well.  If I’m in a hurry and short of green leaves, I usually grab the emergency oat crackers from my drawer and smash some  on some avo with a splash of lemon juice. In the spirit of pursuing rawdom – I decided to explore raw cracker production with my beloved dehydrator.

The raw ingredients
1 cup of raw linseeds
1.5 cups of water (I used filtered but that’s another story)
Dash of salt
Tablespoon (or more) of oregano (but also think basil, wasabi powder, chilli…it’s endless)

Linseeds crackers on the way – thick layer – predehydration

 The recipe
Soak the linseeds in the water and salt overnight until they’re nicely swollen and plump. Add the oregano (or other flavourings) and spread thickly on a dehydrator mat (or oven tray if using the oven). Dehydrate on 45 deg C for 16 hours  – and there you have it – raw Italian crackers.

For the record:

Linseeds are a product close to my Australian heart and heritage. Roughly some time in the 30’s, my great Grandfather established a company called Meggitt Linseed Oil, which fed highly nutritious omega oils to various livestock throughout Australia until more sophisticated mass produced feeding systems were introduced.  Meggitt Linseed Oil also oiled the nation’s cricket bats…

Getting back to the facts – described by the Guardian newspaper as power houses of nutrition, linseeds are very low in cholesterol and sodium but rich in magnesium, phosphorus and copper, as well as providing an excellent source of dietary fiber, thiamin and manganese. Also according to Vital Health Zone – linseed seeds contain many beneficial nutrients, such as protein and minerals and omega-3 fatty acids in the form of lignans. Lignans are phytoestrogens, which have a positive hormone-like action in the body. Lignans have very strong antioxidant properties as well as strong anti-cancer properties. Various studies have shown that phytoestrogens can possibly prevent some types of cancer, including oestrogen-dependent breast cancer, as well as colon and prostate cancer.

Every day I add a tablespoon of linseeds to my raw porridge soaking them in coconut water beforehand…but from now on I’ll also be smashing my avo on my raw crackers…

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Raw Porridge is the Ultimate Comfort Food

19 Mar

I used to love porridge the way my Mum makes it; boiled for a long time in warm, sugary, full cream milk and honey, with a blob of salty melting butter and dash of cinnamon on the top. As incredible as it is – it is a total no go in terms of maintaining a daily raw diet, or even a basic, fat managed diet for that matter, but that only spurred me on to find a raw version that comes close in flavour.

raw porridge is better than cooked porridge!!!

raw porridge is better than cooked porridge!!!

The first place to start when making the perfect raw porridge is to get the base flavour right. The base, of course, is the oats. I took my inspiration from the traditional Dr. Bircher-Benner’s muesli recipes and soaked my oats overnight in a variety of nutritious (non dairy) liquids. These included coconut juice, lemon juice and water, water, apple juice, apple and ginger juice, carrot juice and rice milk. 

In order of increasing sweetness, I recommend rice milk, coconut water or apple juice.

 
The ingredients (for two)
2 cups of raw gluten free (if possible) oats
1 handful raisins
1 tablespoon linseeds

Soak those ingredients in 1 cup of freshly juiced apple juice (I love Braeburns) overnight then add the following for your perfect comfort breakfast:

1 grated apple
4 x almonds (crushed)
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon

How to make it
Mix up and eat up. The raisins are sweet and plump, the linseeds also juice it up while the nuts add texture.

Tip 1
Of course you can add your favourite seeds, nuts, dried fruits (soak them overnight too), fresh fruits and dessicated coconut. Mashed banana is also sensational and maple syrup with pecans or grated 100% cocao make for a decadent flavour.

Tip 2
And – if you like a semolina texture – blend it. It’s really yummy, but personally, I prefer it chunky.

Tip 3
If linseeds aren’t enough and you really need some extra roughage – add pysllium (stir it in the morning and eat it quickly).

This porridge is not the same buttery, hot, comfort porridge as Mum’s – it’s better.  Sorry Mum! It’s just as delicious and a million times more nutritious. Raw comfort food at its best.

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