AUTUMN HARVEST

STUFFED ZUCHINI FLOWERS

12 zucchini flowers
Olive oil

Filling:
240 gms ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
Salt/pepper

Clean the zucchini flowers carefully, gently wash and pat dry the outside, remove the stamen of the flower and make sure there are no insects inside.

Prepare the filling by mixing together all the ingredients. Fill the centre of the flowers with spoonfuls of this mixture.

Place stuffed zucchini flowers on a lightly oiled oven-proof dish. Bake them for about 15 minutes.

FRESH RAW PASTA SAUCE

6-8 large tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Handful fresh basil

Salt and pepper

Chop tomatoes finely, stir in garlic and basil, add in a sprinkle of salt and dress with olive oil. Sit for around 1-2 hours, toss through pasta, or onto of vegetables. mmmmm

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Whats in Season

Apples

Strawberries

Persimmons, figs

Grapes

Nuts

Melons

Pears

Pomegranates

Rhubarb

Asian greens

Avocado

Beans

Chilli

Eggplants

Lettuce

Onions

Sweetcorn

Tomatoes

Zucchini    

Avocado-the green goodness

Very few items in your organic box can lend themselves to both sweet and savory, like the humble avocado. Made up of good monosaturated fats, the avocado can be sometimes incorrectly thought of as fattening, the truth of the matter is that humans need fat, but good fats, and avocado are full of them. One of the monosaturated fats oleic acid may help lower cholesterol levels…

Loaded with vital nutrients, namely Vitamin C, vitamin A, E, B and K, and potassium (there is more potassium than in a banana) high in dietary fibre and antioxidants, especially Glutathione. Studies have shown that this antioxidant can help slow down the process of ageing. If that's not enough to get eating them, how about the fact that they are a great source of zinc, making them great for your skin and sexual health.

There are so many ways to use an avocado, fresh in salads, as a spread instead of butter, as a face mask but did you know that avocado's can be made into chocolate pudding, don't be scared, it tastes delicious, why not give it a try.

Chocolate Pudding

1 organic avocado, diced

1/2 c organic raw agave nectar

1/4 c organic raw cocoa powder

1/4 c water

2 t organic vanilla extract

1/4 t sea salt

Put the avocado, agave nectar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sea salt in a blender. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to achieve a creamy consistency. You can then refrigerate to make it a little firmer or eat it straight out of the bowl… serve with some raw grated chocolate or berries.mmmm

Or maybe try some easy peasy guacamole

4 organic avocados, peeled and diced
2 organic tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 organic red onion, or two spring onions finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
juice of one lemon


Add the tomatoes, red onion/spring onion into a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice and sprinkle sea salt and let them sit till ready to serve, when ready to serve, mash the avocado in a bowl and add it to the tomato mix and enjoy.

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Shrove Tuesday

Pancakes is the name of today, so lets get straight to it, could these possibly be the worlds best pancakes, both raw and cooked...give them a go

COOKED PANCAKE MIX

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk, set aside:
2 cups organic flour
2 tbsp organic raw sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp himalayan fine salt
Combine the wet ingredients in a second bowl, whisk:
2 cups buttermilk
4 tbsp organic melted butter
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
2 organic free range beaten eggs
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined. Fry in a pan with butter. Top with organic maple syrup and devour. Sensational.....


RAW PANCAKE MIX , this recipe was taken from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen" by Ani Phyo

COCONUT BREAKFAST CAKES
2 cups organic whole flax seeds or 3 cups flax seed meal
2 Tbsp. organic liquid coconut oil
1/2 cup organic agave or maple syrup
1/2 tsp. himalayan sea salt
1/4 cup water
Combine flax, oil, agave, salt and water in a large bowl and mix well. Form 4 balls and flatten into a pancake shape, about 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Top with sliced fruit (bananas) and/or chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds. Drizzle with syrup
Optional: Mix blueberries or walnuts into cake batter. Batter will last 4-5 days in the fridge.

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Pear and Rocket Salad

1organic pear of choice, finely sliced
2 cups rocket lettuce
Parmesan cheese, shaved

DRESSING
1 clove garlic
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Crush garlic in a bowl, add balsamic, oil, walnuts and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.Pour dressing over pears, rocket and Parmesan and toss to combine.YUMMO

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

NUTRITION IN PEARS

High in complex carbohydrates, vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, folic acid, calcium, Chlorine,copper, Iron, magnesium, sodium, sulphur and pectin.

Packed with antioxidants protecting the body from free radical damage, they are also a hypoallergenic fruit (one that's not likely to cause an allergic reaction) and they are generally one of the the best fruit to give infants when they are starting out on solids.

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Varieties of Pears

Pears are a member of the Rose family, they generally have a round bottom and taper at the top. Seasonally they are available from late February till October.

There are so many varieties of pears, around 3000. So to make it easier, let's look at the ones that are coming off the tree now.

Buerre Bosc: They have a cinnamon brown colour. They have a honey-sweet flesh with a smooth texture. Great to eat fresh as well as cooking

Howell: it's a large fruit; the skin is yellow on one side and red on the other. A heirloom variety with a delicious sweet taste

Williams: also known as a Bartlett pear has a traditional pear shape, and the green skin turns yellow when it's ripe. Sweet taste

Nashi: Super juicy pear, shaped like an apple. A refreshing pear.

ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods