Mango Salsa

Mango season is upon us! Let the celebrations begin! Mangoes are up there with bananas as a staple food for me. They make a great base for smoothies and can hang out with both the sweet and the savoury crowd. In this recipe we are replacing the tomatoes that are commonly used in salsa for delicious ripe mangoes. You can use this how you might use a traditional fruit chutney. It’s sweet and sour and tangy and goes fabulously with savoury dishes. I like to scoop it up in fresh crunchy cos leaves but you could just as easily mix it into a salad or serve with a cooked lentil curry or gluten-free vegan pie.

Measurements are very rough, just use what suits your tastebuds. Unlike baking & other cooked recipes, the flavour of raw food dishes will vary depending on the produce that you use. So always taste your food as you are preparing it!

Mango Salsa

1 mango, cubed
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
finely diced red chilli to taste (seeds removed)
juice of half a lemon
tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
tbsp chopped fresh mint
salt & pepper to taste

Red onion can be replaced with spring onions if that’s what you have, red bell pepper would also be a nice addition.

Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis  – Lemon Balm


Part used – Dried aerial parts, or fresh in season

I even add this one to my risottos as it has wonderful lemony mint flavour.

Indications – Lemon Balm is an excellent carminative herb that may relieve spasms and wind in the digestive tract, so things like colic, indigestion, flatulence.  Herbalists use it  commonly as part of the treatment for anxiety and sold sores.

This one is great to make us feel calmer and happy.  It may also help relieve nervous insomnia, tenseness, irritability.

Contradicated in Hypothyroidism

Spiced Apple Chia Porridge

Spiced Apple Chia Porridge

Serves 4

4 cups fresh raw almond milk*

2 medjool dates

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 sweet apples, chopped

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup raisins

pinch of himalayan or sea salt

Method

Blend 3 cups of the almond milk with the dates and spices in a blender until smooth

Add in 1 chopped apple and pulse until roughly mixed

Pour into a large bowl and stir in the chia seeds

Leave to sit for 15-30 minutes to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid

Serve in smaller bowls topped with chopped apple, raisins, almond milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Above are white chia seeds before they are soaked. You should be able to find them in most health foods stores and many supermarkets are carrying them now also. You can get black or white chia, both are fine to use in this recipe.

*To make fresh raw almond milk

Soak raw almonds in water overnight

Drain and rinse

Blend 1 part almonds to 3 parts filtered water, if you have time, let this sit for 10-20 minutes to thicken

Strain through a nutmilk bag or mesh bag or through a fine sieve

It’s also ok to use it unstrained, it will just be more fibrous

Save the pulp to use in other things such as raw crackers, raw cookies or fruit & nut balls