Supercharged Bircher

When it comes to breakkie, we like minimal effort, maximum flavour and spoonfuls of goodness. In our humble opinion, there is no better way to tick all of these boxes than Bircher muesli. You can make a batch that sees you through from Monday to Friday (yummier each day), it’s super easy to make (5 mins tops), it’s a whole lot cheaper and better for you (and your waistline) than buying breakkie out, and you can mix it up with a different topping each day. An all round winning breakkie!

The recipe below serves up 5 average-sized portions of Bircher for 2 exceptional individuals:

Ingredients

• Unstabilised oats (400-500g)
• Dehydrated coconut (2 tbsp)
• Ground cinnamon (2 tbsp)
• Dried goji berries (2 tbsp)
• Dried fruit of your choice – dates, raisins, cranberries or apple (1  handful)
• Lemon (1 whole)
• Apple juice (200ml)
• Water (100-200ml)

Preparation

• Chuck all dry ingredients in a tupperware
• Squeeze in the lemon juice, every last drop!
• Slowly mix in the juice and water, stirring thoroughly
• Leave to stand for 2-3 hours
• Place in the fridge overnight
• Serve with fresh fruit and a dollop of yoghurt or 50ml of almond/rice milk*

*We recommend fresh figs, fresh berries, banana or mango

Enjoy!

We're having a winter makeover!

We love summer (except when it rains for weeks on end) but we also love the colder months, and why not... winter means cosy knits, scarves and mittens, boots in all their shapes and sizes, cute PJs, having an extra excuse to cuddle up under the doona... and (last but definitely not the least) the brand spanking new Urban Remedy winter menu. Yep, it's time to get excited folks. This one's a good'un.

From Sunday 6th May, we'll be dishing up 3 new breakfast smoothies, 2 gorgeous winter soups and our dessert smoothie has had a mini-makeover.

Check out the 10 winter juices, soups and smoothies below:

In the meantime, have a great Easter weekend and don't eat too much chocolate! ;)

Green smoothie heaven!

We’ve been busy bees testing new recipes for the autumn/winter ’12 menu, even thinking as far ahead as spring/summer! There are some mouth watering treats heading your way soon and to get you in the mood, we thought we’d share one of them with you… This super green coco and vanilla smoothie is low in carbs (no apple or orange in sight) and high in essential fatty acids (yep, fat that’s good for you).

Ingredients
• ½ avocado
• 1 medium-sized banana
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut (or 2 tbsp fresh coconut meat)
• 1 whole vanilla pod* (or 1 tsp natural vanilla essence)
• 1 tsp black or white chia seeds
• 150ml water

*You can put the vanilla pod in whole or scoop out the inside.

Preparation
• Chuck all ingredients in blender
• Blend
• Chill
• Serve
• Drink
• Yum

If you want a bit of zing you can add the juice of half a lime. And if you're feeling posh, garnish with mint and raspberries. Voilà!

How to add some kick to your food, the healthy way.

If you're a flavour-seeker and worry healthy food equals no taste, we have some new ingredients that will spice up your food life.

If you like it hot and spicy:

• Cayenne – boosts your metabolism
• Garlic – fights off bacteria and infection
• Ginger – helps soothe upset tummies
• Home-made chilli sauce* (just because)
• Freshly chopped chillies – nothing beats the real thing!


If you like it sharp and tangy:

• Umeboshi vinegar – helps beat the bloat
• Apple cider vinegar – stimulates digestion
• Sauerkraut
• Pickled veg

If you like it salty:

• Gomasio – Eden Foods do a great one
• Himalayan pink rock salt – your adrenals' best friend
• Tamari sauce – like soy sauce but good for you
• Liquid amino acids – try Bragg's if you can get your hands on it

If you like it rich and oily:

• Extra virgin olive oil – no surprises here
• Coconut oil or coconut butter – an oil that helps you lose weight and balances the bacteria levels in your gut! You can even substitute it for butter. Need we say more?
• Home-made guacamole
• Tahini


If you like it sweet or creamy:

• Manuka honey – more expensive than regular honey but well worth it as it doesn't feed the bad bacteria in your gut!
• Stevia – a bit of a taste divider: some like it, some don't
• Nut butters – we like Loving Earth's Raw Organic Coconut Chocolate Butter and Melrose Foods' ABC spread (almonds, brazil nuts and cashews)
• Coconut milk

*Super quick recipe for home made chilli sauce: healthy oil + a dash of tomato paste + finely chopped fresh mixed chillies + crushed garlic + rock salt and ground pepper to taste. Yum.