If I had to choose a word to describe Turkey, just one single word, if it was even possible, if I had no other option and my life depended on it, it would be nothing other than ‘quintessence’.



I am not one to idealise anything, but I do know what an ideal vacation involves and Turkey had the exact essence of perfection. Whether it was something I needed at the time or truly is a heavenly oasis doesn’t really matter, what I know is that it made its way right to my heart, put a spell over me, got me dreaming about it at night and that I will be back!



Ten days of bathing in joy, Elliot and I spent most of our time on the beaches of beautiful Antalya, took boat trips and tours to the ancient ruins of Olympos, calcium and mineral rich waters of Pumukkale (wow!!!), finishing off with vibrancy of Istanbul.



Turkey has so much to offer, its soul so rich with history, topography plentiful of diversity, skies full of stories, sea water heavenly and the food- the food so... nourishing. That was certainly the last thing I expected, as hunting around for a healthy bite is usually the biggest and often the only challenge on a holiday. There was of cause the opposite option, but because there was even AN option at all was a miracle and not only that, there was more than just an option, much much more!


Our hotel dinner alone had (and yes I counted) 14 different varieties of salads for dinner. Fourteen! Everywhere you turn, you can get a freshly squeezed orange juice or pomegranate juice and for breakfast (much to Elliot’s disapproval and my delight) we figured it must be their custom to serve a plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. I was in Raw Food heaven.

Speaking of Raw Food and the country that influenced me in such a big way, I came home with more than just an inspiration to create the first ever ['first ever' because there is NOTHING on the Internet for me to copy :)] Raw Food Turkish Delight. I came back with a determination to give back at least a little for being given so much.


It wasn’t exactly easy. A traditional Turkish Delight is mainly sugar and cornstarch after all. The cornstarch is what gives it that gooey gummy bear texture, so since that was not an option I had to settle for the fruits with pectin to create a jam like thickness and Agar Agar for a jelly (jello to my American friends) like consistency.

The outcome- scrumptious! Not exactly like a traditional Turkish Delight I won’t lie, but in my opinion WAY better and I will choose it over the traditional any day even if I wasn’t health conscious...




1 Tbsp Agave
½ Cup water
1 Tbsp Agar Agar flakes
½ cup hazelnuts (or your favourite nuts)

Optional: Lukuma powder for coating




Ingredients

8 Medjool Dates
½ Cup Orange Juice
1 Tbsp Agave
½ Cup water
1 Tbsp Agar Agar flakes
½ cup hazelnuts (or your favourite nuts)

Optional: Lukuma powder for coating



-For Blueberry Delight: Blend blueberries, dates and agave until smooth
-For Fruity Delight: Blend dates and orange juice to a creamy paste

-Boil the water and let the flakes sit in it for 5 minutes

-Bring the water to boil again and gently simmer until all the flakes dissolve completely

-Add to the ingredients already in the blender and blend

-Manually mix with hazelnuts and transfer into a small container (I had mine lined with plastic wrap so I can easily pull the contents out later)

-Let it set overnight in the fridge, but if you prefer a ‘prettier’ outcome freeze for an hour and slice up into even squares and coat in Lukuma powder

[to see what I mean about 'prettier' just look at photo with the Blueberry Delight that has only been in the fridge and compare to the evenly cubed Fruity Delight, that has been frozen]

I just luuuuuuve birthdays! I love Queen's Birthday for giving many a Public Holiday, I love Jesus's Birthday for giving everyone the festive spirit, I love my family and friends' birthdays for an excuse to celebrate and I especially love MY birthday! Nothing much has changed since I was a kid in a way of looking forward to the day. Even now I actually begin to get excited a whole month ahead and welcome getting older with sincere joy, as though I am turning 5 again. And I never stop being overwhelmed by the birthday wishes I receive- thank you so much all my beautiful people, you don't know how much it means to me. Seriously though, take my word for it- I can hardly sleep the night before, so you really make my day!

If there is ever a reason to make a Three Course Meal, our only family in the whole of UK is it!

Elliot's sister Alex came to dinner at our house last week with an open mind (as I put it) and 'intrigued and interested' (as she put it) to her first All Raw Experience.

To try something new and different, you do have to be open minded, 'intrigued and interested', but this still didn't change the fact that I spent most of the day preparing something that would not alienate a rookie and did my best to create a meal that would resemble your typical diet.

I can assure you though, if you try the below recipes yourself, it won't even take you a combined 2 hours in prep. I however wasn't going by any recipes and trial and error are big time robbers indeed.



It was such good evening catching up and what a perfect way to get Elliot to eat at the table. And the food was De-li-cious! I certainly thought so, but the real proof is in the pudding... Alex you are the pudding- will you comment? :)

So first we had my Savoury Italian Flaxseed Crackers with Guacamole (Avocado+Lime+Salt+Pepper) and Dejon Cashew Cream Mayonnaise, then we had Raw Cannelloni 'Pasta' and for Desert, it was a scrumptious Banoffee Pie!!




For the sauce
2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
1 Cup fresh basil leaves
½ Cup Sundried Tomatoes (soaked in warm water 1 hour)
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Garlic powder

-Process the Sundried Tomatoes first, put the water it was soaking in aside
-Add the rest of the ingredients into the Food Processer and pulse it into a sauce
-If the consistency is not runny enough, add the tomato water slowly
-If you prefer a creamy sauce, transfer to a blender

For the cannelloni wrap
1 Large Zucchini
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt

-Use a mandolin to slice the zucchini lengthwise. Alternatively use a knife to make the slices as thin and even as possible
-Lay them out on a plate, brushing each layer with a little Olive Oil and sprinkling with salt
-Leave to marinate for ½ hour- 2 hours, depending on thickness





For the filling
½ Cup Almonds (soaked overnight)
½ Cup Pecans (soaked 1 hour)
½ Cup Sunflower Seeds (soaked 1 hour)
½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds (soaked 1 hour)
2 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1 tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Cinnamon

-Put all the ingredients in a Food Processer with an S Blade
-Process for about 2 minutes or until the nuts are very finely chopped
-Take some of the nut mixture and squeeze with your hands into tubes (these can be as thin or as thick and as long or as short as you like your cannelloni. I was running out of time so I made large ones for everyone to have one each
-Depending on the length of your cannelloni filling, you will need 2-3 slices of zucchini, overlap them on a work bench with the ends facing you
-Place the filling near your end and roll carefully

-Serve Cannelloni on top of the Sauce with your favourite Salad





For the crust
1 Cup Almonds (soaked overnight)
1 Cup Pecans (soaked 1 hour)
1.5 Cups Dates

-Use the Food Processer with an S Blade to chop up all the ingredients well
-Line 8 cupcake tins with cling wrap, so when set, you can pull the pies out with ease
-Scoop 8 equal amounts into of crust mixture into each tin and press down

For the Filling
½ Cup Cashews (soaked one hour)
2 Young Coconuts
2 bananas
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

-First blend the cashews with ½ cup coconut water to a smooth and creamy consistency (drink the rest of the nutritious water or keep in the fridge for another recipe)
-Scoop all the meat out of both coconuts and add to the blender
-Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend to a cream (if you don’t have a high powered blender, it will be best in 2 stages- food processer, then the blender
-Place in the freezer for 5 hours or overnight


For the Chocolate Topping
1 ripe Avocado
2 Tbsp Cacao Powder
2 Tbsp Mesquite Meal
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar

-Use a food processer to process everything together (if the blades don’t cover the ingredients, you can manually mix everything with a fork by mashing the avocado first)
-Add to the pies just before serving

The key here is to freeze this desert first and thaw it in the fridge for 2 hours before serving. If served frozen, it will be too hard and if left at room temperature or even in the fridge for too long, it will fall apart

So good. And so much... Better Raw