Quick rhubarb fool

Quick rhubarb fool

I adapted this from Nigella’s recipe that’s loaded with sugar and based on dairy cream, which many people with dairy sensitivity don’t tolerate very well.  If you are one of these check out my dairy-free rhubarb food recipe. I’ve been working for some time on a dairy-free version of cream and now I think I’ve cracked it – the result has that lovely “mouth-feel” you get from cream and is pretty good for you too.  Use the rosiest, pinkest rhubarb you can find for your rhubarb food.  Or (if you can be bothered) use cochineal, a natural pink food colouring, or some beetroot powder (health stores), to achieve the desired effect.  See “larder & shopping” for more info on unusual ingredients like cochineal.

For 6

1 kg rhubarb, washed, trimmed and coaresly sliced

4 heaped tbs xylitol* or 30 drops of pure stevia
1 teasp vanilla extract*
500ml whipping cream
Optional: 4 sprigs of mint to decorate
Optional colouring: cochineal extract or beetroot powder (from health shops)
*Check out my “larder & shopping” section for where to buy all unusual ingredients

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C.  Mix the rhubarb and the xylitol together in an ovenproof dish.
  2. If the rhubarb is wet don’t add water, otherwise add a few tablespoons (45ml).  Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and bake for 45-60 minutes until the fruit is completely soft.  Allow to cool slightly before straining off the juice if there is a lot.  [If you like, you can use this juice to add to a glass of prosecco or champagne, or for drizzling over natural yoghurt or porridge].
  3. Puree the rhubarb with 1 tsp vanilla extract and process until smooth.  Ajust the sweetness if its too sour for you, and, if you like, the natural colouring to make everything pink. I recently used green rhubarb and needed about 30 drops of cochineal to get the pink colour I wanted.  If you don’t own a liquidiser or food processor you could simply beat it with a spoon for a rustic effect. Chill this mixture.  Put a large bowl (for whipping your cream) in the fridge as you get a better effect if everything is very cold.
  4. Whisk the cream in the chilled bowl till thick but not stiff.  Carefully swirl in the chilled rhubarb puree and pile into 4 glasses.  If you have some mint, place a sprig on each.  Refrigerate until needed.

Variation:
To make this recipe even healthier, use stevia drops instead of xylitol.  Note: if you use stevia, take the dessert out of the fridge half an hour before you want to eat.  You will taste the stevia’s sweetness better if the food is not too cold.

Why this recipe is better for you
Using xylitol (or stevia) instead of sugar means you are not releasing vast amounts of sugar into your bloodstream by eating this dessert.  Xylitol is safe for diabetics for this reason.  Amazingly, sugar is much more harmful for your heart then cream!  It is not cholesterol per se, but the oxidisation (damage) of cholesterol and the inflammatory process, that damages arteries.  There are two types of LDL (so-called “bad” cholesterol) – one type is large and fluffy and harmless and essential for your brain function, the other has tiny sticky particles that are problematic in excess.  Only private labs test for these important cholesterol subfractions.  The total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol figures you get from your doctor are not really very useful in predicting cardiac risk.  Ferritin levels, trigluceride and GGT levels are much much better predictors. Unfortunately it takes average 20-25 years for scientific research to become common in medical practice. Sugar increases oxidation of cholesterol and cell damage.  So if you want a healthy heart, reducing sugar is one of the keys.  We now eat much less saturated fat than 50 years ago and yet heart disease has skyrocketted.  Sugar also depletes B vitamins.  B vitamins are needed to keep artery-damaging homocysteine at low levels.  If you decide to use stevia instead of xylitol, this zero-calorie sweetener is even healthier.  See “larder & shopping” for details. 

Quick rhubarb fool

Quick dairy-free rhubarb fool

I adapted this from Nigella’s recipe that is far too sugary and based on dairy cream, which many people don’t tolerate very well.  I’ve been working for some time on a dairy-free version of cream and now I think I’ve cracked it – the result has that lovely “mouth-feel” you get from cream and is really good for you too.  Use the rosiest, pinkest rhubarb you can find.  Alternatively you can use cochineal*, a natural non-toxic pink food colouring, to achieve a pink colour.  Or not bother…

For 6

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and coarsely sliced
4 heaped tbs xylitol* or 30 drops pure stevia (health shops)
2 teasp vanilla extract*
400g tub Coyo or Abbot Kinney’s Greek style plain coconut yoghurt, straight from the fridge*
400g tub natural unflavoured soya or almond based yoghurt, straight from the fridge*
Optional: cochineal food colouring or beetroot powder (health shops)*
Optional: 4 sprigs of mint to decorate
*Check out my “larder & shopping” section for where to buy all unusual ingredients

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C.  Mix the rhubarb and the xylitol together in an ovenproof dish.  Don’t add water.  Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and bake for 45-60 minutes until the fruit is completely soft.  Allow to cool slightly before straining off the juice if there is a lot of it.  [You can save this delicious juice for later to add to a glass of prosecco or champagne, or for drizzling over natural yoghurt or porridge].
  2. Puree the rhubarb with 1 tsp vanilla extract and process until smooth.  Add more xylitol/stevia if needed, and, if you like, cochineal or beetroot powder colouring to make everything pink and blitz or beat again. I recently used green rhubarb and needed about 30 drops of cochineal to get the pink colour I wanted.  If you don’t own a liquidiser or food processor you could simply beat the rhubarb with a spoon for a rustic effect. Chill this mixture.
  3. Now empty the 400g tub of Coyo, 8 rounded tbs of natural soya yoghurt and a teaspoon of vanilla extract into a bowl.  Whisk until well mixed and lump-free – this only takes a minute.  Fold in the rhubarb puree and pile into 4 glasses.  If you have some fresh mint, place a sprig on each.  Refrigerate until needed.

Variation:
To make this recipe even healthier, use stevia drops instead of xylitol. This will vary depending on the rhubarb.  Note: if you use stevia, take the dessert out of the fridge about half an hour before you want to eat.  You will taste the stevia’s sweetness better if the food is not too cold.

Why this recipe is better for you
Coconut “yoghurt” contains vitality-boosting medium chain triglycerides or MCTs.  MCTs are used directly by your body to make energy instead of being stored as fat – good news if you don’t want to gain too much weight.  MCTs are also fantastic for brain function, especially for people experiencing cognitive decline.  Using xylitol instead of sugar means you are not releasing vast amounts of sugar into your bloodstream by eating this dessert.  Xylitol is safe for diabetics for this reason.  Sugar increases oxidation, ageing and cognitive problems.  So if you want a healthy body and mind, reducing sugar is one of the keys.  Sugar depletes vitamins and minerals and lowers the immune-boosting activity of the thymus gland.  If you decide to use stevia instead of xylitol, this naturally zero-calorie sweetener is even healthier.  Food colourings of the chemical variety disable your ability to digest protein at the meal by disarming the digestive enzymes called proteases – not good news for overall health if you have them regularly. See “larder & shopping” for details of products.  

Fancy rhubarb fool

Fancy rhubarb fool

I adapted this from Nigella’s recipe which has far too much sugar.  The straining of the rhubarb and boiling down of the liquid to a syrup means that when you eventually fold everything – rhubarb, cream, syrupy juice – together, you can get a lovely swirled effect.  Use the rosiest, pinkest rhubarb you can find.  I couldn’t get pink rhubarb so I got a pink colour by using the juice and puree from a cupful of thawed freezer raspberries instead.  You can alternatively use cochineal, a natural pink food colouring, to achieve the desired effect, or not bother…

I also have a “quick rhubarb fool” recipe on this blog, as well as 2 gorgeous dairy-free versions one fancy and one quick so help yourself…

For 6

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and coarsely sliced
4 heaped tbs xylitol or 35 drops of pure stevia*
1 tsp vanilla extract*
Optional: 1 cup frozen raspberries* thawed in a sieve over a bowl to catch the juice (if the rhubarb you have got is not the pink stuff then this helps you achieve that gorgeous pink colour but you don’t have to bother)
500ml whipping cream, ideally organic
Optional: 4 sprigs of mint to decorate
*Check out “larder and shopping” for unusual ingredients

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C.  Mix the rhubarb and the xylitol together in an ovenproof dish.  Don’t add water.  Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and bake for 45-60 minutes until the fruit is completely soft.  Taste for sweetness, adding a little more xylitol if needed.  Allow to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, if using raspberries set aside and keep any raspberry juice that has drained through the sieve.  Then puree the berries by pushing through the sieve with the back of a spoon.  Discard the seedy pulp and keep the puree.
  3. Drain the rhubarb in a sieve and save the juice separately.  In a liquidiser or food processor, puree the rhubarb with the raspberry puree if using and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  If you don’t have a liquidiser, simply beat well with a wooden spoon.  Chill in the fridge.  Also put a large bowl (for whipping your cream) in the fridge as you get a better effect if everything is very cold.
  4. Pour the reserved rhubarb and raspberry juice into a saucepan.  Check for sweetness, adding some more xylitol if you wish, then heat and let bubble away until reduced by about half.  Pour into a jug and leave to cool.  Don’t refrigerate in case the juice crystallises and loses its lovely pink clarity.  Puree together the rhubarb, raspberry puree if using, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.
    You should now have: a pink coloured rhubarb puree and a small jug of thickened cooled syrupy juice.
  5. Now whip your cream in the chilled bowl until its thick but not stiff.  Don’t panic if you forgot to chill the bowl, its not crucial, just desirable.  Carefully fold in the rhubarb puree, then some of the syrupy juice, so the mixture is streaked and marbled.  Pile into 4 glasses and, if you have it, top each with a sprig of mint.  Refrigerate until needed.

Why this recipe is better for you
Using xylitol instead of sugar also means you are not releasing vast amounts of sugar into your bloodstream by eating this dessert. Xylitol is safe for diabetics for this reason.  Amazingly, sugar is much more harmful for your heart then cream.  It is not cholesterol per se, but the oxidisation of cholesterol, that damages arteries.  Sugar fuels oxidation, inflammation and ageing.  So if you want a healthy heart, reducing sugar is one of the keys.  We now eat much less saturated fat than 50 years ago and yet heart disease has skyrocketted.  Sugar also depletes the B vitamins.  B vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12 are needed to keep artery-damaging homocysteine at low levels.  

Fancy dairy-free rhubarb fool

Fancy dairy-free rhubarb fool

ThisSwirled creamy dairy-free rhubarb fool is amazing!!  I adapted it from Nigella’s recipe based on traditional dairy cream, which isn’t tolerated well by many dairy-sensitive people.  I’ve been working for some time on a dairy-free version of cream and now I think I’ve cracked it – the result has that lovely “mouth-feel” and thickness you get from whipped cream and it’s really good for you too.  The straining of the rhubarb and boiling down of the liquid to a syrup means that when you eventually fold everything – rhubarb, cream, syrupy juice – together, you can get a lovely swirled effect.  Use the rosiest, pinkest rhubarb you can find.  I couldn’t get pink rhubarb so I got a pink colour by mashing and straining a cupful of thawed freezer raspberries to give me 25-30ml of puree.   Alternatively, use a few drops of cochineal*, a natural pink food colouring, to make the rhubarb pink.  If achieving the pink colour is too much of a faff, don’t bother…

You can also see my “quick dairy-free rhubarb fool” recipe for a simplified version.

 

 

For 6

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and coarsely sliced
4 heaped tbs xylitol*
2 teasp vanilla extract*
Optional: 1 cup frozen raspberries thawed in a sieve over a bowl to catch the juice (if the rhubarb you have got is not the pink stuff then this helps you achieve that gorgeous pink colour but you don’t have to bother) OR about 30 drops of cochineal*
400g tub Coyo plain coconut yoghurt*
400g tub natural unflavoured soya yoghurt* or almond-based yoghurt (e.g. Abbot Kinney’s0
Optional: 4 sprigs of mint to decorate
*Check out my “larder & shopping” section for where to buy all unusual ingredients

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C.  Mix the rhubarb and the xylitol together in an ovenproof dish.  Don’t add water.  Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and bake for 45-60 minutes until the fruit is completely soft.
  2. Meanwhile, if using raspberries for that lovely pink colour, set aside and keep any raspberry juice that has drained through the sieve.  Then puree the berries by pushing through the sieve with the back of a spoon.  Discard the seedy pulp and reserve the puree.
  3. Drain the rhubarb in a sieve, reserving the juice.   Pour the rhubarb into a liquidiser or food processor (or beat with a wooden spoon for a more rustic texture).  Add the raspberry puree if using, 1 tsp vanilla extract and process or beat until smooth, adding more xylitol if needed.  Chill this mixture. Put a large bowl (for whipping your Coyo and soya yoghurt) in the fridge as you get a better effect if everything is very cold.
  4. Pour the reserved juice from rhubarb and the raspberries (if using)  into a saucepan. Heat and let bubble away until reduced by about half.  Pour into a jug and leave to cool.  Don’t refrigerate in case the juice crystallises and loses its lovely pink clarity.  You should now have: a pink coloured rhubarb puree and a small jug of thickened cooled syrupy juice.
  5. Now empty the 400g tub of Coyo, 8 rounded tbs of natural soya yoghurt and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the chilled bowl.  Whisk until it’s well mixed and lump-free.  Carefully fold in the rhubarb puree, then some of the reduced juice, so the mixture is streaked and marbled.  Pile into 4 glasses and, if you have some mint, place a sprig on each.  Refrigerate until needed.

Why this recipe is good for you
Using xylitol instead of sugar means you are not releasing vast amounts of sugar into your bloodstream by eating this dessert.  Xylitol is safe for diabetics for this reason.  Amazingly, sugar is much more harmful for your heart then cream.  It is not cholesterol per se, but the oxidisation of cholesterol, that damages arteries.  Sugar increases oxidation, ageing and inflammation.  So if you want a healthy heart, reducing sugar is a major key.  We now eat much less saturated fat than 50 years ago and yet heart disease has skyrocketted.  Sugar also depletes the B vitamins.  B vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12 are needed to keep artery-damaging homocysteine at low levels.  See “larder & shopping” for details.   People with cholesterol levels ABOVE the medical ideal are at hugely REDUCED risk of Alzheimers.  Shocker.  If you would like to read more about this send me an email via the website or give me a call.

Decadent chocolate cherry mousse cake

Decadent chocolate cherry mousse cake

We ate this for dessert last night, and I indulged again after a full breakfast this morning so am sitting here feeling a bit stuffed!  This delicious mostly cake is very decadent and has a lot of good-for-you stuff.  Technically its not all raw as cashew nuts are steamed after harvesting to make them edible. You can make this up to 5 days ahead if you like.  The recipe is adapted from  one by Laura Wright but I have reduced the syrups and given you alternatives for those hard-to-find ingredients.  I also use cooked beetroot instead of raw, which simply doesnt break up well unless you have a super high speed food processor.  Sometimes I make individual servings in mousse rings and store in a box in the freezer.  I find that this cake quantity makes at least 10 so sometimes I make half the quantity for a smaller gathering.

It’s really important to use the mousse ingredients at room temperature not straight from the fridge – otherwise it solidifies instantly into an un-pourable mound with a grainy texture.  I found out this by experience!!

For 1 x 22cm cake (to serve 10-12):
Remember to check out “larder & shopping” section in this blog for suppliers

Base:
310g raw almonds
30g raw cacao powder
¼ level tsp Himalayan or Atlantic Sea Salt
40g dried sour cherries (or use dried cranberries if you can’t get cherries)
8 medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 rounded tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

Mousse:
325g raw cashews, soaked overnight in filtered water, at room temperature
330ml almond milk, at room temperature
155ml/140g extra virgin coconut oil, gently warmed to a liquid
60ml/4 level tbs/85g raw honey, raw agave nectar or maple syrup, at room temperature (tip: use a hot spoon to measure honey, if using)
Juice of 1 lemon, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ level tsp Himalayan or Atlantic Sea Salt
115g frozen, pitted cherries (or raspberries if you prefer), thawed, at room temperature – or use pitted fresh cherries if in season
1 small cooked beetroot, chopped, at room temperature (shop bought will do)
1 x 22cm spring-form cake tin
A little extra coconut oil for greasing the tin
A food processor
Cling film (if making ahead and storing in the freezer)

1. To make the base, place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until chopped and resembling breadcrumbs.  Add the cacao powder, salt, dried sour cherries, dates, vanilla and rounded tbsp coconut oil and blitz until the dried fruit is evenly distributed throughout the mix.  When the mixture holds together when pinched, it’s ready to use.  Grease the sides of your tin with a little extra coconut oil or rapeseed oil.  Evenly press the base mix into the bottom of the prepared tin and set aside.
2. To make the mousse, remember that all the ingredients need to be at least at room temperature or else the mix thickens too quickly and becomes grainy and unpourable.  Drain the cashews and combine them in the food processor with the almond milk, coconut oil, honey/maple syrup or agave, lemon juice and salt.  Blend until smooth.
3. Pour all but 500ml (about half) of the mixture into the prepared tin.  Add the pitted cherries and chopped beetroot to the remaining 500ml of the mixture.  Blend until smooth and pour all but 250ml of this mixture quickly into the centre of the cake.  Lightly drizzle the remaining mousse mixture around the top of the cake creating a decorative marbled effect.
4. To set the mousse cake: cover the tin with a plate and place in the coldest (bottom) shelf of the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.  Alternatively, stretch cling film over the top of the tin and slide gently into the freezer for 6 hours or overnight.  The cake will keep quite happily for a couple of weeks in the freezer.  Remove from the freezer to thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.  When its soft right the way through (test with a needle), place in the fridge until you want to serve.

Dietary note:
Virgin coconut oil is a great source of medium chain triglycerides, a special type of fat that goes straight into energy production in your body instead of being used to make fat. For this reason, it is a healthier fat than butter.  Coconut oil also contains capryllic acid, which has anti-fungal properties – good news for anyone with bowel issues or cystitis linked to candida.  Cherries, red berries and beetroots are high in proanthocyanadins which strengthen connective tissue and the lining of your digestive system, reducing the tendency to diverticulitis, hernias and saggy skin.  Raw almonds (and cold-pressed or “extra virgin” oils) contain vitamin E.  This vitamin naturally lubricates and moisturises your skin, reduces the production of wrinkles, and also helps dampen down allergic reactions.  Healthy skin does not need body moisturisers.  “Raw” cashew nuts are, bizarrely, not raw at all – the nuts have to be steamed in order to be extracted from their hard shell.  Cashews are a sweetish and healthier substitute for cream cheese, sugar and other not-so-great ingredients that tend to be used in desserts.  Desserts like this one should be used as occasional treats and not eaten at every meal.  They are still rich in natural sugars and if you eat them all the time, provide more calories than you need.  A normal daily intake of raw nuts and seeds would not exceed a tablespoon or two.

Creamy banana ice

Creamy banana ice

Last night we ate scoops of this creamy, delicious banana ice piled in chilled cocktail glasses.   Its incredibly simple to make but totally delicious.  The recipe is adapted from one in Agnes Marshalls Book of Ices which came out in 1885.  This is very sweet even when made with lemons.  Children love it.

Serves 6 (allowing 2 scoops per person)
6 ripe bananas (with spots)
100g xylitol/erythritol
300ml water
The juice of 2 oranges or lemons
A blender/food processor, and (if you have it) an ice cream maker

1. If using an ice cream maker, turn it on to start chilling straight away.  This takes at least 10 minutes.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree well.
3. Now either freeze the mixture or churn in an ice cream maker until solidified (this takes around half an hour).  Eat immediately or store in the freezer.  If you don’t use an ice cream maker, then removing the mix from the freezer after an hour and beating it with a whisk before replacing in the freezer will make it creamier.  Its not vital, though.
4. To serve, remove from the freezer for half an hour to soften.  If you have a metal ice cream scoop, dip it in a jug of hot water between scoops to achieve perfectly-shaped scoops (I was in a hurry, forgot to boil the kettle, and didn’t bother, which is why the photo above looks a bit too rustic…).

Why this is good for you:
Bananas are a rich source of fructo oligo saccharides (FOS for short), which help feed beneficial bacteria in your gut.   Xylitol is a healthier alternative to standard sugar as appears not to deplete nutrients and has a much lesser impact on blood sugar levels.  Even diabetics can eat xylitol.  Fresh lemon juice is high in health-boosting antioxidants and is supportive of liver function – good news if you want to balance hormones, enhance energy or have perfect skin.   If you want to avoid upsetting blood sugar levels (bananas are a high sugar fruit), eat this ice as a dessert after a protein meal or eat some protein/healthy fats alongside.  A dollop of Coyo or Abbot Kinney’s dairy-free yoghurt (from health stores) would be a good thing to top this.  Or sprinkle 1 tbsp of gently toated almond flakes on top before eating. 

Super simple papaya dessert

Super simple papaya dessert

Last weekend I craved some fresh, gorgeous, ripe papaya so we visited the Asia Market in Dublin 2 where we picked up an enormous specimen for about €7.  We cut about a third off, scooped out the spherical black seeds, peeled the section with a potato peeler, and cubed it before piling it into bowls and drizzling with lime juice.  The rest we kept in the fridge for the next day, and the next.  A real taste of southeast Asia.  This is the simplest dessert in the world after a weekday dinner.  If you wanted to make this into a snack, serve a cupful of papaya pieces with a heaped tablespoon of delicious (dairy-free) Coyo coconut “yoghurt” from health stores.  I get my Coyo from Ennis butchers in Inchicore who also sell great meat and fish, and from Nourish health stores.

1 ripe papaya (you will want enough to make 2 teacupfuls of bite-sized cubes)
1 lime, cut in half

1. Peel and scoop out the seeds of a piece of papaya large enough to yield 2 cupfuls
2. Pile into 2 bowls and hand around a lime half to drizzle over.  Delicious.

Why this is good for you:
Papaya contains the enzyme papain, which helps digest protein.  It’s often in digestive enzyme supplements.  Papaya eaten as a dessert after a meal of fish, eggs, meat, or beans helps you digest the meal.  Papaya also has anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in minerals.