Living, Raw Foods

When it comes to food, we are like little experimental scientists here at the UR HQ. We like nothing more than creating something from scratch and sometimes, literally watching it grow!

One of our latest experiments has been sprouting our own, well, sprouts! It’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing .. but what’s even more embarrassing is buying sprouts when you can grow your own, pretty much whilst you are sleeping.

So why eat sprouts? Well, a healthy seed, once sprouting becomes a growing, live organism – no longer dormant – it activates different metabolic systems. Sprouts, in that moment of their life cycle, have a high level of vitality. They are packed with a high quantity of living enzymes, vitamins, minerals and proteins despite their tiny stature.

As an example – a sprouted mung bean has a carbohydrate content of a melon, vitamin A of a lemon, thiamin of an avocado, riboflavin of a dry apple, niacin of a banana, and ascorbic acid of a loganberry. *

Biologically efficient than raw or cooked seeks, sprouts give you more in a lot less. And just in case you aren’t convinced, the sprouting process creates Chlorophyll which makes for healthy blood and immune function.

I bet you wish you could go back in time and eat that egg and alfalfa sprout sandwich your mother tried to force-feed you.

So then, how to get sprouting now?

•  Your sprouts need to be fresh – choose alfalfa, chickpea, lentil, adzuki, garbanzo, pumpkin, and  sunflower.        
•  Use filtered or bottled water - Sprouts are smart and won’t grow in contaminated water
•  Soak your chosen sprouts overnight in a covered bowl or jar
•  Rinse your sprouts in the morning, drain leave covered on the bench top.
•  Rinse 2-3 times (you can’t ever rinse too much!) per day
•  Watch your sprouts grow – depending on the seed and the weather (sprouts need light) they’ll be ready between 3-5 days
•  Rinse to wash, store in a clean container in the fridge and eat on salads, garnished on eggs, sprinkled in soups, sautéed with mushrooms – any which way you like.

We use a sprouting tower, but a glass jar would work well too.

Enjoy and Happy Sprouting!

Claire

* borrowed from www.living-foods.com

Boost your immunity this Autumn!

It's that time of year when everyone starts to get sick. You can almost feel the cooler Autumn air climb into your chest and sinus cavities, setting up shop for the season. The tickle in your throat, the night-time cough, the runny nose. Your body is sending you signals, waving a white flag in surrender. But, do you actually take heed and listen?

There are a few simple acts of self-love that can really help you in boosting your immunity and staving off the worst of the season's colds. And the best bit, you won't have to reach for that dreaded and unnecessary dose of anti-biotics.

1) Thyme tea:
Thyme helps calm the non-stop coughing, soothing the throat and relieving headaches. Thyme is an expectorant, which means it helps to shift the mucous build up in the chest. Don't reuse the thyme, use a couple of fresh sprigs for each boil.

2) Hot water, lemon + manuka honey tea:
A classic remedy but one that works. The anti-bacterial honey, the alkalising lemon and of course the warming hot water make this the perfect combination to nourish, hydrate and flush out the flu.

3) Steam:
Boil a big pot of water, add in fresh thyme or eucalyptus oil. With a towel over your head and the pot, inhale the steam for a good 15-20 minutes. This will help break down the congestion.

4) Chicken soup:
The famous chicken soup. The natural anti-biotic. You'll want to cook up a big pot with chicken and bones. It's the fat which is anti-microbial and will give your body energy to heal. Add in lots of nourishing veggies: spinach, leek, kale, carrots, pumpkin, red capsicum, barley, parsley, thyme and a touch of chilli.

5) Sleep:
The best armour against colds and flus. Rest. Now isn't the time to push yourself. Rest, rest, rest. And if sleep doesn't come easily spend some quiet time at home, meditate, do some gentle stretches or wind down in a hot bath.

Don't wait until the last moment when it's too late. Take the time to switch into your body and notice the little clues it’s leaving you. With a little t.l.c you can hopefully skip the flu season altogether!

Take care,

Claire

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!

Easy peasy almond milk!

Claire (our lovely new PR Manager and the brains/heart/soul behind the Saha Space and the Wellness Project) shared a super yummy almond milk recipe with us so we thought we'd share it with you...

Almond milk is so easy to make, it’s almost ridiculous to buy it! And, if you buy a big 1kg bag of almonds you can use half to make 2 litres of almond milk and the remaining 500g as a snack – don’t forget to soak + dehydrate your nuts first!

Ingredients:
• 1 kg of almonds
• Filtered water
• Himalayan rock salt
• 2- 3 seeded (pre-soaked) dates (optional)
• Muslin cloth, fine sieve or nut milk bag
• Large glass bottle

Preparation:
• In a large pot/bowl pour in your 1kg of almonds, add water and a teaspoon of salt
• Let it sit overnight for at least 8 hours
• In the AM, drain and rinse
• Separate out 500g of your almonds and place on a baking tray in the oven, 60 degrees for 8-10 hours. Use the rest for your almond milk!
• Place 2 cups of almonds and 5-6 cups of filtered water into your blender at a time
• Blend until really smooth
• Pour into your sieve/muslin cloth or bag over a big pot and let it drain. You can get more out by pushing through the sieve with a spoon or squeezing the cloth/bag
• The left over mixture is your own homemade almond meal – keep this in containers in the freezer and use it for cookies, baking, adding to muesli or smoothies
• Once you have drained your almond milk, place it back into the blender and add in the dates. Blend away to mix it all well. The dates are a perfect way to add natural sweetness to the milk. If you want you can add any of the following: vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cacao etc
• Pour into a glass bottle and store in the fridge for 4-5 days

Drink in your coffee, tea, smoothies, or on its own! Yum.

Dairy alternatives made simple!

Last week we looked at the controversial topic of dairy and the choices we have when it comes to consuming it – ‘normal’ or organic, homogenised or unhomogenised, pasteurised or raw, skim or full fat! But what if you voluntarily choose to skip the dairy or if your body rejects the stuff?

Lactose intolerance

If you have a lactose intolerance, you may find you are OK with butter, hard cheeses and even full fat milk in some cases. The higher the fat content, the more likely you are to be able to digest it. It really is a case of trial and error though – some people can only do butter, others butter and hard cheese, and some can tolerate dairy in moderate quantities but start to have symptoms past a certain threshold. 

Other types of dairy

If you have an intolerance or allergy to cow’s dairy, it could be to do with the fat-protein structure. Without getting too technical, the chemical composition of goat’s and sheep’s milk is different to that of cow’s and they are often easier to digest. Buffalo milk is another popular but slightly less readily available alternative.

Skipping the dairy altogether

If you can’t do cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s dairy, or you simply want to steer clear of it for reasons of your own, there is a whole range of dairy-free alternatives at your disposal.

Here are the most popular dairy alternatives:
• Soy milk
• Rice milk
• Oat milk
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk

Soy is a controversial topic in itself, and one that requires a separate blog altogether! In a nutshell, some people do OK on it, others not so much. In large quantities it can have effects on the thyroid and on oestrogen receptors.

If you go for rice milk, make sure you choose one that uses brown rice. Oat milk is a bit of a divider when it comes to taste – some love it, some hate it (personally we are not fans). Almond milk is delicious but can be pricey and often contains added sugar. We recommend making your own (in fact, we have a nice easy peasy recipe coming your way next week!). As for coconut milk, it’s a great substitute in cooking and in smoothies.

The one thing you absolutely must remember, whichever non-dairy alternative you opt for, is to read the ingredients label carefully and avoid added sugars, malt, processed oils, refined salt (rock salt OK in small quantities), preservatives and any other unnecessary additives.

Stay tuned for our yummy almond milk recipe next week…