I'm BaAaAaaCK!

Not only am I back to blogging (I know I know I haven't posted anything since LAST year :)), but I am back in London from what now seems like a a very distant dream of a holiday away...


Elliot and I spent six blissful days skiing in Andorra with friends over New Year's and then got back only to simultaneously swap ski gear luggage for bikinis and head to New Zealand.


"$#*t New Zealand is beautiful!!!" Please excuse my french, I too surprised myself with what came out of my own mouth, as I looked out the window, landing at Auckland airport. Wow Kiwi land, you have really outdone yourself this time or perhaps it is I who has been away for far too long. You really truly are the most gorgeous, breath-taking, awe-inspiring 'land of the white cloud". Double Wow.

The much too familiar Arrivals Hall brought mixed emotions however. This was the place that could make me miss a heart beat in anticipation to see my jumping parents each time I returned from travelling. I knew mum and dad are living in Ecuador now, but still couldn't hold myself from eagerly searching the crowd for those two happy crazy dearest beings.

"Am I really home? Can I still call it home if my entire family consisting of mum, dad and sister are no longer living in New Zealand?"


Luckily I had no time to dwell on such questions, as we spent amazing days with Elliot's family, explored new places on both North and South islands, caught up with close friends and met some of their beautiful babies, watched Matt (Elliot's brother) and Jen say 'I do', ate plum sized cherries, picked ripe apricots, sunbathed, jet skied and swam in a summer heated ocean.

All that in the shortest nine days of my life.


What a dream that was. And its not over yet, as I plan to be tasting that dream until all the honey runs out! Yep, there was no way I was to leave New Zealand without its infamous Active, raw, unpasteurised, heavenly, nutritious Manuka Honey. Yum.


A little bit about Honey: Raw unpasteurised honey has been used therapeutically for centuries to treat sore throats, coughs, high blood pressure, stomach issues and provide a calming effect. But Honey has also been used externally on wounds and burns. When looking for the best honey, go for Manuka and watch for the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor)rating. The higher it is (e.g. UMF 10+) the more anti viral and anti bacterial properties it contains. It is also known as ‘active’ honey, because of its special enzymatic healing qualities.

I've had alot of fun making up new recipes over the last two weeks and there is one in particular I really want to share here, because I think I may have just come up with something rather genius. Genius, mainly because I finally came up with something super delicious made from left over pulp after making almond milk and also because it tasted so much like a baked cake, but fresher lighter and juicier-




Essentials
Blender
Cake tin (I used a 20cm round, but you can use a larger one to make a thinner cake)

Ingredients
4 x Ripe Conference Pears (all cored and deseeded)
2 x Ripe Avocados
2 x Cups Almond Pulp (what's left after making milk with about 3,5 Cups Almonds)
1 x Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup x Coconut Butter/Oil (about 4 heaped Tbsps)
3 x heaped Tbsp Manuka Honey (or any raw honey)

Instructions
-If your cake tin doesn't have an adjustable bottom, line it with foil so you can pull it out later
-Chop 2 pears into small cubes, chop 1 pear roughly to be blended up and slice the last pear from the top of the core to the bottom into eight equal slices)
-In a large bowl, mix the Almond pulp with walnuts and 2 cubed pears
-In a blender, scoop out all the avocado flesh, add one roughly chopped pear, honey and melted Coconut Butter. Blend
-Carefully fold in the blended ingredients with the mix in a bowl.
-Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and press down firmly with your hands to even it out
-Place the sliced pears around the top of the cake with the skin facing up and thinnest part of pear towards the middle.
-To set, place in the fridge for a few hours/overnight or for 2 hours in the freezer if in a hurry (just remember to take it out). Use a thin knife to loosen cake from tin. Store in the fridge at all times.