Tuesday 9 September 2014

Beeswax Wraps, Cauli pizza and raw food treats


Gotta love the lure of hibiscus to conjure up the idea of warm weather
in the throes of a cold winter spell!
Beeswax Wraps
I have read online, about beeswax food wraps, and finally bought one at Wild Earth in Tauranga. After checking it out, I wondered if it would be simple to make a few more - the answer - yes!  I heated some of my beeswax and painted it onto a small piece of 31 x 31cm cotton cloth.  It makes a great glad-wrap-free alternative to keeping sandwiches, cheese or snacks fresh.  Because the beeswax makes the fabric pliable, it even takes on the shape of bowls, so wrapping a bowl of left-over soup, is a wrap in the dark!  When painting the beeswax on, keep heating the beeswax as it cools down, and keep dipping the paintbrush so that the wax on it does not harden.  


The unfolded bees wax wrap I bought

My home- crafted beeswax wraps
I have been using my wraps every day for several weeks now - to great success.  When I found that the folding creases were losing their wax, I simply popped my wrap in a warm oven for a few minutes and the wax redistributed itself.  As new.
Raw food fruit and nut bliss balls made with Green Superfood Berry powder gifted to us by our Raw Foodie friends!

3 types of raw food treats, From left to right; Chia Almond Energy Bars, Raw Chocolate muffins, Date Bliss Balls

Chia Almond Energy Bars

1 cup soaked dates
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (I use Carob Powder)
3/4 cup almonds rough chopped
1 Tbspn LSA
Blend almonds and chia seeds, add remaining ingredients gradually till all blended.  Pop into a wax-paper lined shallow dish.  Press firmly into dish and refrigerate till hard enough to cut into fingers or squares.
The hardest part of this recipe is not eating them all at once.  The chia seeds also get stuck in your teeth, but it's worth it.  Keep a tooth pick handy!


G/F Cauliflower Pizza


Take one unassuming cauliflower

Chuck half into the blender, add 250g tofu, salt, 2 Tbspn G/F flour, 2 Tbspn dried basil,
1 clove chopped garlic, and 1/4 cup  LSC.  Blend and shape into a pizza base.
Bake at 180degC for 15mins, add toppings, zap back into oven for a further 15mins.
One can squeeze the excess liquid from your cauli mix before baking, but I didn't and it
was fine, slightly moist but delish!

Gluten-free cauli-pizza with sundried tomatoes, olives, tomato paste and cheese!
I have read about nut milk bags and finally bought one online for about $15, delivered!  Can't wait to try it out - mostly I want to be able to use it when I am separating pips from my little cherry guavas.  Squishing it through a sieve is a pain in the poof ..... so watch this space for nut milk bag uses!......
Samson Nut Milk Bag