So the word on the street is that lockdown rules are about to ease off and soon we’ll be amongst crowds once again.

This is good news for most, but definitely not the time to lose sight of your nutrient intake. 

We’ve all been self isolating without exposure to the outside world (a.k.a vital germs that keep our immunity muscle flexing and getting stronger) for far too long.

This means that once we are free to roam, we are ALL more vulnerable to diseases (that’s all diseases, not only the virus) than ever before and the only real protection we have is the confidence that we’re consuming immune boosting foods every chance we get.

I’ve put together a selection of seven recipes for you to get you started.

Enjoy and be well!

DRINK:  Feijoa & Pineapple Smoothie

BREAKFAST:  Pumpkin Pancakes

DIP: Spiced Pumpkin Dip

MEAL:  Борщ - Raw Russian Borscht

CAKE:  Blueberry Cheezecake

FROZEN SNACK:  Ice Lollie Wedges

BAKING:  Vitamin C Cookies

Feijoa & Pineapple Smoothie

Just 3 feijoas account for over 50% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C, only 1 kiwifruit has 100%+ of RDI of Vitamin C and pineapple has more Vitamin C than oranges (plus a whole added bonus of manganese which helps to suppress coughs and loosen mucous). If you can’t get feijoa, either use guava or extra kiwi.

1 cup Feijoa/ Guava pulp (approx. 10-20 feijoas)

1/4 pineapple, peeled and cored

2 kiwi fruits, peeled

1 banana, peeled

Optional: handful of kale leaves

1. Blend on high and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkins and squashes are loaded with immunity boosting goodness. For one, they’re seriously high in beta-carotene, which your body turns into Vitamin A. It’s this vitamin that strengthens the immune system and helps fight infections. There’s also lots of Vitamin C, which increases white blood cell production and helps wounds heal faster. Even if you’re not a pumpkin fan, you’d enjoy these soft delicious pancakes, which are practically identical to everyone’s favourite ‘Best Ever Sweet Potato Pancakes’ from Nurtured Books. 

1 cup (240ml) milk of your choice

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 egg or 1 vegan egg (1 tbsp flaxseed and 3 tbsp water)

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp Himalayan salt

1 cup (150ml) gluten free flour

1 cup pumpkin dip (or 1/3 pumpkin, peeled and boiled)

coconut oil for frying

1. Pour the milk into a blender jug, add vinegar and leave for 7-10 mins. This turns it into sour milk so the pancakes are yummy like buttermilk pancakes.
2. Then make the vegan eggs by combining the flaxseed and water in a bowl, leave to one side for a few minutes.
3. Add the vegan egg (or a whisked hens egg), soda and salt to the jug and blend to combine.
4. Add the flour and boiled sweet pumpkin (or dip) and blend till creamy.
5. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add ½ teaspoon of coconut oil. Make sure the entire base of the pan is greased. Using a large soup spoon to keep size consistent, distribute scoop-fulls around the pan. I get 4-5 pancakes each time. When the surface starts to bubble a little, turn over and fry for approximately 2 more minutes.
6. Remove from pan and store in a warmed lidded pot while finishing the rest. Serve with a berry compote and honey. 

Spiced Pumpkin Dip

Refer to notes above because the pumpkin benefits are worth reading about twice :) I’ve made this dip more times than I can count over the lockdown period... it’s been incredible as a warm dip with pita breads (kids’ favourite!), as a soup blended with extra mylk and veg stock and of course as pancakes (recipe above). 

For roasting:

1/4 pumpkin, peeled and seeds scraped out

1 apple, peeled and cored

4 large garlic cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

For blending:

1/3 cup milk of your choice

2 tbsp lemon juice (approx 1/2 lemon)

2 tbsp olive oil

Optional: 1-2 tsp camu camu powder

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Roughly chop the pumpkin and apple into 3cm cubes and place them into a large bowl, along with whole garlic cloves.
3. Sprinkle with spices, give it a shake, then drizzle with oil and shake again to ensure even coverage. Distribute evenly over a baking tray and use a soft spatula to collect the oily seasoning from bowl to drip over the pumpkin. Roast for 30-40 mins until edges caramelise.
4. Transfer the roasted ingredients into your food processor, add the ‘blending’ ingredients and whiz until well combined.
5. Serve warm with vegetable dippers, corn chips, pita breads or anything you like. 

Борщ - Raw Russian Borscht

This absolute beauty is a recipe from The Uncook Book, and since it’s jam packed with Vitamin C and Antioxidants among many countless other benefits, it belongs on the list of immune boosting recipes! I was never interested in Borscht while growing up in Russia, and now watching my own children put up their nose to it, I was determined to find a way to get even a little of this nutrient powerhouse into them. That’s when I started to blend it with avocado which they love to drink like a smoothie or mash it with boiled sweet potatoes which they can easily finish a whole bowl of.

For the liquids:

1 beetroot, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped

1 stalk celery (about 100g), chopped

1 inch ginger

2-3 garlic cloves

1 cup orange juice (about 2-3 oranges)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Optional: 1 avocado or cooked sweet potatoes

For the solids (optional):

Sauerkraut (another recipe in The Uncook Book), herbs and walnuts, or carrot, beetroot, cabbage, herbs and walnuts

1. Transfer all the ‘liquids’ ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This may require 3-4 minutes of blending and pulsing for the vegetables to really break down.
2. If you’re feeding children, add 1 avocado to your blender and let them dip it like a smoothie. Alternatively boil 1 large peeled and chopped sweet potato, discard the water, add 1 cup of borscht and mash it for their meal.
3. For adults: Sauerkraut is just insane in this recipe and makes for a truly authentic dish. Scoop a large spoonful into a soup bowl, pour over with the liquid Borscht, sprinkle with herbs and walnuts, then serve. Alternatively, thinly slice peeled carrots, beets and cabbage to use instead of Sauerkraut. 

Blueberry Cheezecake

Blueberries are no rookie to the superfood scene. In fact, they were the original superfood, that’s how potent they are in their health, healing and immunising properties. I also used honey here instead of other sweeteners and if I had access to manuka honey when I made this recipe, I would’ve totally used that! This is a decadent dessert, which happens to be nutritious enough to eat for breakfast! (And all the equipment you’ll require is a basic blender).

For the base:

1.5 cups shredded coconut

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp runny honey

For the Cheezecake:

2 cups dry cashews, soaked overnight (will yield 2 3/4 cups)

3 punnets (375g) frozen blueberries, thawed

1 cup coconut oil, gently melted

1/4 cup runny honey

1 pod or 1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1. Stir all of the base ingredients, except coconut oil and honey, in a bowl. Drizzle with remaining ingredients and stir well for even distribution. You may need your hands to really massage everything in.
2. Transfer the mix into a 20cm cake tin with adjustable base and press it in using your fists. You can try using a soft spatula to press it in at the end if your hands become sticky. Place the whole tin into the refrigerator to set.
3. Rinse the cashews and transfer all of the Cheezecake ingredients into a blender jug, then blend on high until creamy. You may need to use a tamper or pulse a few times to ensure the ingredients are always touching the blade. Pour over the base (use spatula to scoop out every last bit) and tap the cake tin to even out the surface. Transfer to the fridge to set for a minimum of 4 hours or to the freezer for 2 hours (do not leave in freezer!). 

Ice Lollie Wedges

How adorable are these frozen treats?! They are so easy to make and kids of all ages (read: 70 year old kids included) looove them! Plums are packed with Vitamin C and also contain phytonutrients, particularly phenols, which have antioxidant effects. Antioxidants prevent cell damage that may lead to every disease including good ol’ covid. 

3 oranges

3 plums, de-stoned

3 tbsp manuka honey

1 banana or papaya, peeled

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1. Slice each of the oranges into halves and very carefully scoop out the orange, while keeping the skin in one piece. 
2. Transfer the orange without its skin into a blender jug, add the remaining ingredients and blend on high.
3. Fill all of the orange skin bowls with the purée and use the back of a butter knife to smooth out the surface.
4. Transfer to the freezer to completely solidify, then slice each orange ‘bowl’ into 2-3 wedges and enjoy. 

Vitamin C Cookies

We don’t go anywhere without superfoods (top faves include Cacao powder, Spirulina powder & Algarroba) and since we couldn’t go anywhere at all during the lockdown, Lake and I have been doing aaaaalot of baking with superfoods. Whatever we baked, I made sure it contained a good amount of camu camu powder during these days. This magical powder is made from Amazonian berries which are ultra high in Vitamin C. So high in fact that only a 2.5g spoon provides 375% of the RDA. Here is a simple cookie recipe, which everyone in the family will love whether you keep it plain or add choc powder.

1/2 cup milk of your choice

3 tsp chia seeds

1/2 pod vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 + 3/4 cups flour (I used a mix of coconut flour and standard flour)

1 cup coconut or brown sugar

3/4 cup dairy free spread or coconut oil, soft but unmelted

2 tsp camp camu powder and/or 2 tbsp cacao powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Stir seeds of vanilla pod with chia seeds and mylk. Continue to stir periodically for 10-15 mins until the chia seeds expand and soak up the liquid.
3. Transfer everything into a cake mixer or the food processor with a ‘dough attachment’, then mix on high to combine ingredients.
4. Taking a spoonful of mixture at a time, roll it into a ball and press between your palms to create a pancake. Spread the ‘pancakes’ over a lined baking tray and transfer to the hot oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges caramelise. 

Do you plan to try one of these out for yourself? Which recipe will be the first? Tell me in the comments!

Do you want even more scrumptious plant-based, nutrient packed recipes? Here’s more:

FREE:  24 hour on raw recipes >>

FREE: 10 most popular recipes from Nurtured Books >>

PAY WHAT YOU CAN: Nurtured - plant based recipes for kids >>

I don’t know about you but for some reason I’m enjoying the festive season even more than ever this year.

Maybe it’s got something to do with this Xmas being the last one of this decade!

Maybe it’s got something to do with having little children (that help you to become aware and be in awe of every little thing).

Maybe it’s because I don’t have a giant 8.5 month preggie belly like I did last year and in 2015 (so I can do cool and ‘dangerous’ things like ice skating!)

Maybe it’s the giddy thought of our forthcoming flight to California and spending Christmas Day the American way with my best friend, aka Lake’s Godmama.

Maybe it’s the ecstatic feeling of making New Year’s Eve plans with my sister and the thought of seeing more of her in 2020. (A very Russian belief says that the people you’re welcoming in the new year with are the people you’ll be spending a lot of time with over that new year. It may be superstitious but I’ve always enjoyed choosing my NYE crew thoughtfully- you’re guaranteed a great party if nothing else).

Maybe it’s because I finally feel like I got my health back and I’ve lots of energy and extra hours in my day to enjoy being alive! (Thanks to LMS Wellness for all the advice and to my fellow Hay House author, Medical Medium for all the info on celery juice, which I’m now drinking for the forth week in a row).

Or maybe it’s all because of our Christmas tree in The Living Room. 

Or the fact that this is the only month of the year, that we're holding not one, not two, but three Festive In The Wild Afternoon Teas.

Or maybe it's the fact that I had a stall at my first ever (which also happens to be my favourite ever!) Christmas Market this year. Walton Street Market was seriously the best! Reindeer, camels, owls, jazz, traditional organ grinder, the Xmas carols quire, hot kombucha, my cheezecakes not melting, festive vibes for dayzzzz!

Or maybe it's because 1st of December landed on a Sunday this year and we kicked off the 2019 festivities at a Christmas lunch with special friends.

I made this nut-free Mango Chai & Lime Cheezecake on a Gingerbread Base and it was a hit and a half! Now you too can make it...

Mango Chai & Gingerbread Lime Cheezecake

(nut free, dairy free, gluten free, raw) 

GINGERBREAD BASE

1 cup (90g) jumbo oats

1 cup (100g) desiccated coconut

1 cup (150g) pitted dates

1 tbsp grated ginger root

1 tsp cinnamon powder

pinch salt

1 tbsp maple syrup

-Process all the ingredients except maple syrup until completely broken down.

-Add maple syrup to the food processor and process some more until a large ball develops.

-Transfer to a 7 inch springform tin and press using your hands or the back of a spoon.

GINGER LIME LAYER

1 cup (240ml) hot boiling water

3/4 cup (135g) xylitol

1 block (200g) creamed coconut

3/4 cup (155g) extra virgin coconut oil or vegan butter, melted

1 ripe avocado (150g of flesh)

1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice, approx. 2-3 limes

2 tbsp grated ginger root

1/2 tsp spirulina powder, optional

-Dissolve xylitol in boiling water, inside a blender jug. Chop up the block of creamed coconut and add it to the blender, then blend on high using a tamper rod. 

-Add all remaining ingredients and blend again until creamy.

-Pour over GINGER BREAD BASE and smooth out the surface with back of spatula.

MANGO CHAI LAYER

1/2 cup (120ml) cold water

1 tbsp agar-agar flakes

200g ripe mango flesh, approx 1 mango

8 soft pitted dates or 3 medjool dates, de-stoned and soaked if too dry

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp spice mix (mine had cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom)

-Pour water into pan, sprinkle with agar-agar flakes and heat without stirring until boiling. Reduce heat, simmer and stir occasionally for 5-10 mins until flakes are completely dissolved.

-Transfer the agar water and all remaining ingredients into a blender. Blend using a tamper rod until smooth.

-Pour over GINGER LIME LAYER and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.

-To set, transfer to the fridge overnight or to the freezer for 4 hours. Store refrigerated at all times and serve cold.

Every month, I team up with My Chelsea (the hotel we’ve been in from day one) to host my favourite event of all time…

In The Wild Afternoon Tea.

We stick to the vegan, half-raw-half-baked, gluten-free, dairy-free, healthful-comfort-food, plant-based, handmade, devilishly-delectable-goodness theme, but each month is a little different. 

Last month, a friend came back from visiting my parents in Ecuador and brought back a parcel from them. One of the things inside was a box full of stunning rose petals that my parents grew in their organic high vibration garden, picked, washed and dehydrated over low heat and many hours.

I was immediately inspired to create something beautiful and sharable. 

That’s how my raw white chocolate macadamia blondies were born. 

We served them with the award winning teas at our March event and they were such a big hit, I thought you’d enjoy making them at home for everyone you love, so I’m sharing the recipe below.

The next In The Wild Afternoon Tea is happening tomorrow, but if that’s too little notice for you, check out all future planned dates, here>>

(BTW that link above stays Live and every time more dates are announced, that's where you'll find the details. Keep the link bookmarked for later!)

Raw White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies

For the blondies

2 cups (280g) almonds

50g coconut sugar

1 tbsp (10g) maca powder

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

2.5 cups (300g) pitted dates*

1/8 cup (30g) cacao butter, gently melted

90g macadamia nuts

For the dipping chocolate

Dark vegan baking chocolate or this recipe here, grated

*If your pitted dates are quite dry and hard, soak in boiling water for 1 hour, then squeeze the water out well before using in recipe. You are after soft (almost sticky) dates.

METHOD

-Place all the ingredients, apart from dates, cacao butter and macadamia, into a food processor with an S-blade.  Process till all the almonds are broken down to a fine powder.

-Add the dates and melted cacao butter. Process till the entire mixture forms one big sticky ball. You may need to stop your food processor several times to scrape down the sides and back onto the blade.

-Using a wooden spatula, break up the mixture to evenly cover the blade. Sprinkle macadamia nuts all over and pulse the processor till nuts are slightly broken down and folded into the ‘dough’. You’re looking for nice chunks here so they are visible when you score the final slab into many blondie bites.

-Get a decent sized container (mine was 17cm/ 6.5 inch square), line it with cling film so it sticks out the sides of container and transfer the mixture inside it. Using your fist, really press it into the container so it won’t crumble later. Transfer to the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or freezer for 1 hour.

-Holding onto the cling film, pull out your set slab of blondies and score into equal sized squares. You can then slice each square in half to form rectangles like I’ve done with mine. Transfer to the freezer if you are going to dip yours in chocolate and leave there until the moment you’re ready to dip.

-Gently melt down your grated chocolate in a double boiler, remove from heat. Take out the blondie bites out of freezer and dip a corner, edge or one half of each piece into your chocolate. Dip and remove each piece quickly, so the entire chocolate mixture doesn’t begin to solidify inside the bowl from the coldness of frozen cake. Store in a cool dry place inside a sealed container.

This is quite possibly the best dessert I've ever made.

The almond cookie crust, the salted caramel, the vanilla coconut cream, ripe bananas.

It's the most perfect combo and definitely going into the Kids' Recipes eBook which I'm currently working on.

To be the first to know when the eBook launches, make sure you're on the list>>

So without further ado...

The best ever Banoffee Pie

...which just happens to be vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and raw

For the crust

1 cup (150g) pitted dates

1 cup (140g) almonds

1/2 cup (45g) GF jumbo oats 

5 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

optional: 1-2 tablespoons cacao powder

For the caramel layer

*1 cup (150g) pitted dates, soaked 4-6 hours*

1/2 cup (105g) extra virgin coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup (65g) coconut palm sugar

1/4 cup (60ml) hot water

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

For the cream layer

*1 can (400ml) coconut cream*

1 vanilla pod

optional: 2 tablespoons xylitol, powdered

For the topping

3 bananas

Optional: dark chocolate, roughly chopped

*Some prep time is required here. Read the method below at least 12 hours before starting on recipe.*

METHOD

You will need a 7 inch/ 18 cm tart dish for this recipe. Ensure it has a removable base so you can lift the whole pie out.

Begin with the crust. Process almonds, oats, coconut sugar and cocoa powder (if using) in a Food Processor, using an S blade.

Add the dates and continue to process until fully broken down. Finally, add the melted coconut oil and process until the crust is no longer crumbly and has a consistency of mouldable grainy play-dough.

Transfer the full mixture into your pie tin, distributing evenly. Using your hands, bring the mixture up the sides and press gently, squeeze the excess around the rim back inside or remove it and use to make the base thicker. Place in the fridge.

Start on the caramel layer by squeezing excess water out of soaking dates. (Retain the sweet water for another recipe like a smoothie). Put all the caramel ingredients into your Food Processor and process till you get a gooey cream without any chunks. (You may need to open up the machine and scrape sides down once in a while). Pour into the prepared pie shell and transfer into fridge for a minimum of 4 hours to set or speed up this process by transferring to a freezer.

To prepare the cream layer, you must first ensure that the can of coconut cream hasn’t been shaken for at least 8 hours. You might already have a can in your pantry, so carefully open it, scoop out all the set cream into a soup bowl and discard the liquid. (Note if the can has recently been brought home from the shops, it may have been shaken on the way and the creamy part would have become too runny. Stand it up in a cool place overnight before opening).

Scrape out the seeds from a whole vanilla pod. To do so, slice the pod in half lengthwise, then use a teaspoon to literally scrape all the seeds out until the inside of the pod is dry. Add the seeds as well as powdered xylitol, if using, to the bowl with cream in it. (The purpose of the xylitol is the same as of icing sugar- to make the frosting sweet and to help it set. This additional sweetness however is not needed here so if your cream isn’t super runny, then feel free to leave out xylitol). Stir with a fork till well combined. Make sure to press out all the clumps so the cream is as smooth as possible. 

When the caramel is set and you’re ready to serve, remove the pie from its tin and onto a flat dish which would allow for easy slicing. Top with coconut cream, spreading it to the edges. Slice the bananas and fan them in a spiral starting in the middle. Sprinkle with optional chocolate shavings. 

So now that you officially have the best recipe for raw Banoffee Pie there is, there's only three things left to do:

1. Make it!

2. Comment below squealing just how much you loved it!

3. Reserve your spot on one of our famous Afternoon Teas, where I show case a new raw dessert every month. Check for availability>>

Oh and just because I couldn't resist that light and 4 week old Banksy couldn't resist a milky smile after he too sampled that very slice...