Banana Fritters

These banana fritters are great for breakfast when you've got lots of ripe bananas you need to use up.  A friend of ours has a roadside fruit stall, and we get about half a box of bananas most weeks for free... so we eat lots of banana ice-cream, smoothies and banana fritters!  Sometimes I use spelt flour, sometimes buckwheat - like pancakes, they're pretty versatile.  We also like them with half banana, half berries - delicious with a little pure maple syrup drizzled over!  The kids eat any leftovers cold for a snack at morning tea time.

1.  Grind grain in Thermomix on speed 9 for 1 minute, or until fine (buckwheat takes about 30 seconds):
- 120g spelt grain, or hulled buckwheat

2.  Add and mix on speed 5 for 20 seconds, and scrape down:
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 110g water

3.  Place a bowl on top of Thermomix lid, reset scales, and weigh in bananas, chopping them as you go:
- 500g ripe bananas (about 4 or 5 bananas), chopped in small pieces (or part bananas, part mixed berries)

4.  Tip bananas into Thermomix and mix on reverse, speed 3, until mixed in.

5.  Heat oil in medium-hot frying pan:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter/ghee)
     Drop large spoonfuls of batter into hot pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.

6.  Serve with a little honey or pure maple syrup drizzled over.

Variations: Try adding some berries, or replacing the banana with blueberries - so good!

Raw Dairy Free Cheesecake

I've always found it very difficult to resist cheesecake, especially a good, homemade one, covered in cherries or berries (and chocolate)! And in our family, cheesecake is always popular at Christmas... thank goodness for a dairy free cheesecake - I can still avoid dairy, and not feel deprived :) Whip this one up in about fifteen minutes, pop it in the freezer, and you've got a fancy dessert ready for Christmas day! This recipe makes two cheesecakes in regular sized pie pans. (I made one for my dh's birthday the other day, and the other's in the freezer ready for Christmas.)

Note: If you want a quicker version of the crust because you don't have any Sprouted Buckwheat Granola already made up, just grind up 400g raw almonds and 400g raw dates until they are all mushed together, and press into pie plate - instant crust!

This recipe is based on one in Serene Allison's "Rejuvenate Your Life" cookbook (changed to suit my taste) - hope you like it! 

(I use my Thermomix for this recipe - if you don't have a Thermomix you can use a good quality food processor, but it may take a little longer to grind and mix.)

Granola Crumb Crust:

1. Place dates in Thermomix bowl and grind on speed 9 until mushy, about 20 seconds:
- 400g pitted dates

2. Add, and crush using bursts of turbo speed until desired consistency (about 6 bursts):
- 280g Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Granola
- 170g raw almonds
- 30g extra virgin coconut oil (or other mild-tasting, extra virgin oil)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt

3. Line two pie pans with baking paper, divide crumb mixture into pans and press firmly onto bottom and sides with greased hands. (See photo)




Berry Cheesecake Filling:

1. Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix on speed 9 for about 2 minutes, using spatula to help move mixture around, until it's smooth and creamy:
- 130g freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 250g raw pine nuts
- 250g raw almonds
- 130g raw sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 300g frozen or fresh mixed berries (or strawberries/pitted cherries, etc)
- 170g agave syrup or pure maple syrup (or to taste)
- 2 tsp psylliam powder (opt.)

2. Divide filling between two crusts, and place in freezer while you make the topping.

Berry Crumble Topping

1. Make a batch of Berry Nougat and sprinkle it over the cheesecakes. Drizzle with chocolate if you like - you can make your own raw chocolate with this recipe if you use agave syrup for the sweetener - I use! Rapadura, so it's 'almost raw'! :)

2. Cover cheesecakes and freeze. Thaw for about 20 minutes before slicing.

DELICIOUS!!

Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Granola

This is a great recipe which I like to make for breakfasts and snacks. The buckwheat is sprouted, then mixed with the other ingredients and dried in a dehydrator to make a crunchy granola-style cereal. Very good for you - it contains no gluten, bad fat, over-processed grains or refined sugars like you usually find in breakfast cereals! You can add more or less sweeteners as desired. The original recipe is from Serene Allison's 'Rejuvenate Your Life' raw food 'cookbook' - the Apple-Almond version is my own 'tweaked' version. I use my Thermomix to grind up the seeds, chop the nuts and dried fruit, and grate the apples.

First, sprout your buckwheat. You'll need:

- 1 very large colander or 2 medium size (stainless steel is best)
- 1 large pot for soaking

- buckwheat kernels (about 4 - 6 cups or so - make lots and dry them to use in granola and treat balls)

1. Put your buckwheat kernels in large pot and soak overnight with plenty of water to cover - they'll expand quite a bit, maybe over twice their size, so don't fill pot more than half full of buckwheat!

2. In the morning, pour your grains into your colander to about half full. (You may need to use more than one colander.) The buckwheat will produce a natural mucilage (like linseeds), so rinse this off really well, then place the colander on a plate or in a large bowl to catch the drips. Cover colander with a tea towel.

3. Rinse sprouts really well, for a minute at night and a minute in the morning, for one or two days, depending on the weather. If you live in a hot climate, be careful not to leave them too long and rinse them well, or they'll go brown and 'sour'. They usually only take about a day for me. If you need to save water, fill your sink with fresh water and dunk the colanders, running your fingers through the sprouts to rinse. They should look like this:

Buckwheat Granola/Muesli:

1. Mix together really well in a huge mixing bowl (or a wok):

- Approx. 14-16 cups sprouted buckwheat

- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 3/4 cup raw honey

- freshly ground linseeds (a cup or so)

- freshly ground sesame seeds (2 cups or so)

- add lots of raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, chopped dried fruit (unsulphered apricots, dates, figs, etc) - whatever you like

- a good sprinkle of cinnamon or a splash of vanilla extract or flavour to taste

2. Spread on greased mesh dehydrator sheets, and dehydrate overnight or longer, until crispy. (The smell will make you hungry - smells divine!)

[If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry this on baking sheets in a very low oven - if you prop the door open a little this will lower the temperature. I'm not sure how long it would take in the oven, so keep an eye on it.]

Enjoy with milk of your choice, or some yoghurt if you can have it, and fresh fruit - yum!

My Apple-Almond Variation:

(Photo at top)

1. Grind up a good couple of handfuls of pitted dates in Thermomix (speed 9 until desired texture)

2. Add to Thermomix 4 - 6 peeled, cored apples and grate on speed 5, 5 seconds.

3. Add to above recipe, leaving out pumpkin seeds, and adding lots of chopped almonds (or pecans or walnuts). I also use apple juice concentrate and agave nectar to sweeten it instead of honey, and add lots of cinnamon and nutmeg.

I don't really measure amounts, just keep adding, mixing and tasting til it's how I like it :)