Miss Best's Blog

I have been living in/near Stockholm for over two years now. In this time I have been getting to know the places where you can find raw food. Each time I discover a place, I want to share it with others. If I find a shop near a cinema where you can grab yourself some raw treats and juice to have instead of pop corn and soda then I want others to know about it! If I eat a really good salad somewhere, then it should jolly well be made public! If I walk into a super market and see raw agave, raw coconut oil and raw treats, then surely you would want to know where it is, right?!

So I had this idea. Why not create a site where we can share our favorite raw spots in and around Stockholm? And so Raw Food Stockholm was born. It is my pleasure to launch this site today and share with you the places I have found so far. I really hope others can contribute to it too so that other people can be sure to find raw food when living in, or visiting, Stockholm!

www.rawfoodstockholm.com

Enjoy, dear Reader, and please do pass the link on to others!

I discovered Nakd bars several years ago at a raw food / vegan festival in London. Immediately I fell for the taste, the cheeky packaging (declaring that the bars are “gleefully made in Wales’”) and the nice vibe I got from Natural Balance Foods, the company behind them.

Since discovering their new raw food bars this summer, I have I admit gotten a bit of a crush on this company. I totally love their cheeky little Raw Nakd Nudie bars, especially the Cocoa Orange which offers a perfect little hit of dates, nuts and cocoa (5%, not raw) and tastes truly delicious – and as you know by now, dear Reader, I am rather particular when it comes to my raw treats!.

Apart from the fact these these are yummy-licious raw bars, and are free from dairy, gluten and added sugar, I also love their size. The other bars they do are about twice the size, which is absolutely fine, but having these 35g bars is so very handy. If you are flagging and need a quick boost of energy then one of these bars will keep you going until your next meal. And if you have longer to wait, then eat two! Or three!…

I like to make sure I always have one or two of these in my bag to turn to either when I am hungry, or need a boost of energy, or am out and about and want a raw treat while other people are tucking into cakes and cookies.

So I have been enjoying these on planes, in cinemas (perfect with a carton of Coconut Water, a true treat!), walking down the street (I don’t usually like spoiling a perfectly good eating occasion by walking at the same time, but sometimes we busy girls need to eat on the run), in a park with a take-away peppermint tea, in the car, at my desk, on a walk in the woods…!

Apart from the lovely Cocoa Orange, you can enjoy these bars in the form of: Cashew Cookie, Ginger Bread, Pecan Pie. I think the names are so perfectly descriptive that I don’t think you need me make you drool onto your keyboard by going into too much detail; the best thing to do is try them for yourself.

You can find these cheeky little bars on line from Natural Balance Foods >>>

You can also find them in health food stores and other well stocked shops such as Goodstore >>> on Södermalm in Stockholm – perfect for enjoying in the park next door, or treat yourself to some coconut water (also from Goodstore) for a perfect cinema combo!

As you may recall from my last post, I have recently been in the UK visiting my family. I miss them extra much when I have just returned home from a trip to see them, so the other morning I awoke with a bit of a gap in my heart. Since I think nothing is more cosy that a pot of tea and a mountain of toast, my first reaction was to pile a tray high with these and sneak off to the sofa for a little bit of comfort eating. Well, that really wouldn’t get me anywhere, and it certainly wouldn’t get my work done for the day, so I didn’t act on these instincts. Luckily, I remember the lovely comforting breakfast I had with my lovely sister, which I wrote about in my last blog.

So I whizzed up a lovely smoothie and set about making some superpower bars that I could munch on with a pot of tea, instead of toast. And it did the trick! This makes a great snack or breakfast, and keeps you smiling and going for a long time

My lovely sister Flynn hadn’t really written down the quantities for the ingredients used in this recipe, so I have tried to replicate it as best as I can. Here it is for you today, dear reader. May it give you a comforting hug and an energy boost all at the same time!

Flynn’s Superpower Bars

½ cup almonds
¾ cup dried shredded coconut
¼ cacao powder
½ cup raisins
¼ cup flax seeds (grind these in a seed mill/coffee grinder)
Pinch of vanilla powder / a few drops of vanilla extract
Pinch salt
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon agave syrup (or more, according to taste)
2 tablespoons water (or more if needed to get a nice sticky dough)
2 tablespoons goji berries
1/2 teaspoon purple corn (optional)
2 tablespoons cacao nibs (or more for an extra buzz!)

Grind the nuts and seeds in a food processor. Add everything except the water and cacao nibs and whizz. Add enough water to get a nice dough, then stir in the cacao nibs by hand.

Roll out and slice into bars, or press into a container and cut into squares. Sprinkle liberally with coconut, and place in the fridge to firm up for an hour or so.

Keeps in the fridge for a week or so (if they last that long!)

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I have just returned from a perfectly dreamy week in the UK. Of course the weather didn’t exactly suit the summary wardrobe I had packed (when I left Sweden the temperature had been reaching the 30s (celsius) (over 86 F) for over a week), but then again the UK is not somewhere you go to to get a sun tan!

Me totally blissed out on the gorgeous, blustery welsh coast

What made it so dreamy was my family and the things we did. From just spending a whole day drinking tea and chatting with one of my sisters, to celebrating her birthday with the whole family, to lounging in a health club, going on a yummy shopping spree (a rare event for me to buy clothes and not food!), and a lovely trip to the welsh hills and coast, all mixed in with laughs, hugs and lots of love.

When I stayed with my older sister, we started the day with a fantastic breakfast. First I would make a smoothie using the strawberries from my sister’s garden, and she would make a pot of Pau D’arco tea (great for preventing and fighting infections, excellent when traveling I find) and her gorgeous chocolate ‘power bars’.

Now, we had a bit of a light-hearted disagreement about these power bars. We both agreed that they are out-of- the-universe tasty and satisfying, but I felt that ‘power bars’ sound far too functional and not yummy enough. ‘Superpower bars’ would probably be more apt…because they are chock full of nuts, and raw cacao and nibs, and gojis and dried fruit, and coconut; and not only do they give you a great energy boost and keep you going until lunch time, but they also give you a cheeky little buzz.

And so we would spend the mornings first slurping our banana and strawberry smoothie, that for some reason tasted like a yummy bubble gum, or candy floss (could be thanks to the home-grown organic strawberries), and then chit-chat all morning over our tea and ’superpower bars’. And then to spend the rest of the day ‘doing lunch’ or shopping or soaking in a jacuzzi… well, I smiled constantly for a week!

Flynnie's Superpower Bars

So, I would love to share with you, not only this nice ritual, but also the recipe for the smoothie. I will see if I can extract the recipe for the ‘(super)power bars’ from my gorgeous sister. In the meantime you will just have to use your imagination with the help of this photo!

Candy Floss Smoothie
Serves 2

• 2 bananas
• about 1 C (500 ml) of frozen strawberries
• water
• a pinch of vanilla powder or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I haven’t had a strawberry and banana smoothie that was as dreamy as this before, so I think it is due to some key things, so follow these instructions carefully!

First, you need to select the perfect banana. It needs to have a few brown flecks on the skin, to make this a yummy and rich smoothie. (I made this with a not so ripe banana one day, and it really wasn’t as amazing!) Peel these, break in to chunks and pop in your blender. Now add enough water to reach the 1 cup (500 ml) mark on the blender jug. Add the strawbs and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy.(I started by pulsing for a bit to get things going and this seemed to make it nice and frothy) Pour into a pretty glass and share with someone you love!

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I have just finished re-reading ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. God, I love that book. And I know the film is going to be gorgeous. I get excited shivers just watching the trailer.

It’s a beautiful sunny day today, and I want to turn my deceased window boxes into a herby heaven rather that sit at my desk for too long by explaining just what turns me on about this book. Before I go and get all soily, I just wanted to share with you this passage, which I adore. It’s about happiness. Since life is a complex inter-woven state, I feel I cannot separate happiness, contentment, (indeed emotions in general), success and fulfillment from the food we eat, and the way we treat our bodies and minds. Our bodies, minds, lives can either be as lifeless and somber as a deceased window box, or they can be as lush, fragrant, life-giving and tasty as a healthy herby heaven. I aim for the latter. It’s far more fun!

Enough about me, this is what Gilbert writes:

“I keep remembering one of my Guru’s teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel round the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don’t, you leak away your innate contentment. It’s easy enough to pray when you’re in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments.”

Of course, praying does not have to mean praying to a specific God in the traditional sense, if that does not suit your beliefs. And happiness is not a selfish thing to pursue. As Gilbert continues:

“ The search for contentment is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefiting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people.”

So, please, on this beautiful day, allow yourself some happiness. Eat well, and enjoy other people!

Thinking of you

xx

Extract taken from ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert © 2006

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When I was younger I was a girl guide. Yep, complete with blue uniform and life-saving badges. I think I stopped going when I got old enough to be aware of the lack of ‘cool’ factor about this activity. But I did learn one thing from my experience as a helpful, if not rather mischievous little girl guide, and that is from their motto ‘Be prepared’.

If I could only give one tip to help people succeed at eating yummy, healthy, energizing food it would be just that: be prepared. We need to plan a little and think ahead to make sure that we always have access to the food that best serves us. If not, then when energy levels drop, or hunger strikes we are at the mercy of convenience stores, vending machines, or the nearest restaurant, which may not even have a salad bar.

If, however, you have thought a little ahead then you will have something to snack on to keep you going, keep your mind alert and keep you away from life-draining temptations. And this pre-planing doesn’t even need to entail a lot of work. Just by buying or ordering in some suitable snack bars to keep in your handbag or desk, you are giving yourself a much better chance at staying true the foods you know keep you happy and healthy. Of course fruit is a great option too, but it’s also good to have something with a longer shelf life so you can have some emergency stashes dotted around your person/office/car/home.

This week I tried a great bar from Juice Mastercalled ‘Veggie Juice in a Bar‘. As they say themselves ”It’s juice…but in a bar”. Made from 100% raw vegan ingredients this yummy, moist bar is packed full of goodies such as dates, almonds, wheat grass juice, green vegetable juice, sea vegetables and algae. No nasties in this bar what so ever. Just yummy goodness, and that’s what we want, right!? Of course, you can’t beat freshly juiced veggies, but having them so conveniently stored in a bar is a fab idea

I liked this bar, not only because it’s packed with juicy raw goodness, but also because all the green seems to balance out the sweetness of the dates. So although it tastes sweet, it has a more of a sweet-savoury taste. I didn’t feel over-sugared by it either, as I can sometimes feel from date based treats.

It has a nice balance of carbs and protein so would make a great snack before or after working out too. I will be stocking up on these for sure. And I am not the only one who has a soft spot for these bars. Last year they won the Best New Food Product Prize at the Natural and Organic Awards.

The bar also comes in a super fruit variety containing acai and goji berries, which I will want to try next. Purely in the name of research, of course!

Oh, by the way, my bar was sent wrapped in paper, which seems to be a good idea as the paper absorbed a little moisture from the bar. So you may want to wrap this bar in a tissue or something if you keep it in your handbag, in case it leaks a little juiciness. I am queen of having to peel squished raisins and the like from my dairy or mobile phone, or tying to get rid of other squashed food stains from inside my handbag, so I can definitely recommend a little preventative action here!

Stock up with a box of the yummy Veggie Juice in a Bar and Super Fruit in a Bar from Juice Master here >>

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Yay, it’s Friday! Time to start winding down/revving up (which ever you prefer!) for the weekend. In the past, I would celebrate the start of the weekend by cleaning my home, then preparing a simple but delicious pasta dish and open a bottle of wine…I would then eat, drink, and chuckle the night away on the sofa watching brilliant Friday night comedy on TV. Sounds lovely, some may think (and it was!) but it was deep down a way to numb out the disappointing week from working in an unfulfilling job and knowing that the coming weekend was not going to be spent with inspiring individuals! I would enjoy slowly slipping into my wheat and alcohol induced slumber on the sofa, which would continue long into the next morning!

In my last blog, I wrote about the importance of replacing these important food/drink rituals so that you don’t just cut out unhealthy food and drink, but that you have something lovely to replace it with. When I am organized enough, I now make raw pizza for our weekend treat, otherwise I make a really yummy raw pasta dish with an amazing pesto sauce that I am going to share with you some time soon. Christoffer and I will still watch something, but my food and drink doesn’t make me nod off anymore, so I actually get to finish watching what we started!

But what about the wine? Well, I do occasionally drink organic red wine, but these days my Friday treat comes in the form of something quite different.

Me and my coconut in Costa Rica!

Since spending four months in Costa Rica a few years ago, I have fallen head-over-heels in love with agua de pipa or coconut water. Over there you could pick up a chilled young coconut for a few cents on the beach, and happily slurp up the refreshing juice with a straw before having fun trying to scoop out the yummy flesh without the use of a spoon.

There is a distinct lack of coconut trees here in Sweden, but thankfully I can find raw, organic coconut water in cartons on line, or in a couple of well-stocked health food stores in Stockholm.

Coconut water is super nutritious full of amino acids, minerals and electrolytes. It is wonderfully hydrating (unlike alcohol which robs your body of precious moisture) and is therefore great after you’ve been shaking your bootie, or working out!

To make this an extra special drink (almost cocktail-like), do make sure you serve your coconut water well chilled, and in your prettiest glass, unless you have the luxury of being able to sip directly from the coconut!

You can find Dr Antonio Martins organic raw coconut water online here:

Råvarubutiken (Scandinavia)

The Fresh Network (Rest of World)

Or if you happen to be in Stockholm Gryningen on Folkungagatan (Södermalm) and Goodstore on Skånegatan (also on Södermalm).

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Image: SXC HybridSys

As you may have gathered from previous posts and newsletters, I am enjoying the benefits of taking time every few weeks to de-clutter an area of my life, either a physical area such as my wardrobe, or a mental area. Both these areas are very closely interlinked, and the latter manifests itself in the former.

For example, as I sit here and write this I can see a bookshelf – next on my de-clutter list – holding some files and boxes that I have been moving around with me for quite some time. I can’t even exactly say what’s in them. This feels like a mental state we can experience; that we carry around old luggage, thoughts, feelings emotions, that either need dealing with, or just letting go so that we can make progress in our life.

This week I listened to a great free call held by the lovely Corrina Gordon Barnes and Sure Rasmussen, called ‘How to lose 200 lbs of clutter‘. One thing that really stuck out was when Sue said that we outgrow things. When we are kids it’s easy to see when we outgrow something: our little toes poke out the end of our sandals, and our trousers only reach half down our leg. The books we read even say for what ages they are suitable. But as adults, things are not so clearly defined. Yes, we have certain socially accepted/expected things to do at certain ages: e.g in your twenties/thirties get married, have kids, settle down etc, but the things we like and need are not labeled. This makes it hard for us to release things from our lives that no longer serve us.

It was quite a relief to hear this. As I look at my old CD collection, I just don’t feel drawn to listen to about 80% of them anymore. I realize now that I have simply outgrown them. My tastes have changed. It’s time to pass them on to someone else.

Even more interesting is that Sue said that this can also apply to food. I can really relate to this and it almost feels a relief to hear it expressed like that.

What does it mean to ‘grow out of your food’? Well, it’s deeper than telling your dear Mum that you are now thirty and really don’t need her to cut the crusts off your sandwiches or arrange your food in a smiley face (though that can be fun too!). I like to think of this as moving on from food that no longer serves you.

While we are encouraged from many different sources to eat healthy foods, we don’t get much guidance about how to deal with the feelings that arise when leaving behind food that at one time played a huge part in your life. We almost need to grieve a little before moving on. For example, once you start trying new ways of eating, such as cutting out meat or gluten, or eating more raw food you may find yourself clinging on to the ‘good old days’ when you were ‘allowed’ to eat whatever you want.

There is one specific period in my life that I look back on like that. It was a really intense foodie period where I would spend most of my free time and money on making delicious and time-consuming food. I recall many rainy Saturdays installed in the kitchen bathing in the deliciousness of the bread making process. The tactile pleasure from kneading the dough; the relaxing space I gave myself when it was rising: enjoying a great book, a pot of tea and a plate of cookies (home-made of course!) and then the final, long-awaited pleasure of nibbling on the bread throughout the day, curled up on the sofa with my book; or tearing off pieces for a beautiful spongy accompaniment to a plate of creamy risotto and a glass of wine.

Cooked pizza with a wheat crust - another one of my old food rituals I have outgrown

Focaccia bread with it’s glistening jewels of sea salt scattered between juicy slicks of olive oil; rubies of sundried tomatoes and fresh rosemary, scattered on top like fragrant, potent confetti. Or thick slices of moist, chewy potato bread, delicious generously spread with butter, or toasted the next day and stuffed with meat-free ‘bacon’, lettuce, and succulent tomatoes to make the world’s best BLT…

So, what stops me from eating this now? Nothing. Out of choice, my bottom line is that my food needs to be vegan, but apart from that I am ‘allowed’ to eat anything I like. I just need to deal with the consequences of eating food that doesn’t agree with me. Sure, I can spend a rainy day like today in amorous courtship with the wheat flour and yeast. Yes, I can cut into a crusty loaf, and then dip it in olive oil, or spread thickly with dairy-free spread. But these days, I will know – before I even put the bread in my mouth – what it will do to my body (I’m not being purist, I am just rather sensitive to gluten)….and I have finally come to realise that it just isn’t worth it, despite sounding so romantic, and heavenly, and perfectly luxurious.

So what I need to do is to acknowledge that time in my life, and appreciate it for what it was. I need to look to the present and see how I can take the things that I loved from these indulgent sessions and translate them in to food that makes me feel great.

So here is an exercise that I have previously done with other foods, I which I feel I need to do for my beloved bread making days. You too might find helpful:

1.Think of a ‘food ritual’ or dish that you find your self longing for. I, for example, may choose bread baking.

2.Now, write down what exactly you like/miss about it. For example, the actual process that I described above. Waiting for something to cook, the scents spreading through your home as it bakes in the oven, or how it makes you feel homely, secure, relaxed.

3.Write down some ideas for how you can create a similar feeling with food that better serves you. For example, if you want to cut down on drinking wine, you may be delighted to find that by serving a delicious juice or smoothie in a beautiful wine glass can actually give you some of the same feelings, or that by munching on a bunch of grapes when watching a movie is as satisfying as popcorn, as it has the same ‘mindless’ motion of popping food into your mouth.

4. Finally, write down what steps you need to create this and make a point of carrying out the first step this weekend. For example, do you need to buy a beautiful wineglass that makes you feel elegant and special so you can serve yourself a delicious health-giving juice/smoothie? Then that is your first step. Go buy a lovely glass, and then find a nice recipe for juices/smoothies. I personally find that this melon drink is deliciously luxurious and makes me feel like I am sipping on a decadent creamy cocktail.

Creamy Frozen Melon Cocktail
Serves 2

This shake is 100% melon but it’s so creamy it’s hard to believe there is no nut milk in there. Make sure your melons are nice and ripe! (oooh-er!!)

2 C honeydew or cantaloupe melon
1 C frozen honeydew or cantaloupe melon

Blend together and serve in decadent glasses.

I hope you find this helpful. Please feel free to share your thoughts, or any tips you might have below.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Best's Raw Chocolate Brownie

A few weeks ago Christoffer was listening to some funky jazz music. While we were talking I gradually sensed a serious urge to make tea and eat cake. Actually the urge was to drink coffee, and eat cake, but since I don’t actually usually drink coffee, I knew that tea and cake would be more my thing.

Hmmm, I thought. Damn Starbucks! Yep, they pipe jolly, trendy jazz music while they pump their customers with caffeinated drinks and pretty looking iced beverages with lots of fluffy whipped cream, and as a consequence we involuntarily begin – much like Pavlov’s dogs- to dribble, drool, and crave hot drinks, giant cookies and buzzed chit chat whenever we hear the likes of Miles Davis.

The funny thing is that I rarely go to Starbucks, or any other coffee chain. I prefer cute little independent places. So I know that my conditioning is a result of very few hours sent in the houses of caffeine!

Anyway, since we live out in the sticks, I certainly wasn’t going to trek all the way in to Stockholm just to go out for ‘fika’ as we say here in Sweden. Besides, since I there is a distinct lack of heavenly (but healthy) cakes in Stockholm, there wouldn’t be much point, as my craving for tea and cake wouldn’t be met. It would just be tea. And would I travel an hour just for a cup of peppermint tea? No, not really!

So, being the queen of raw cakes and treats I installed myself in the kitchen and brought forth my holy bible (Loving Life – Loving Desserts – believe it or not, I don’t have all the recipes committed to memory and still need to consult it!).

Christoffer hinted heavily that he wanted the rich Chocolate Torte (page 22), but I was more in the mood for something like the Sneaky Chocolate Cake (page 23). Luckily we didn’t have to fight over which one to have (I know, life is tough!) since we didn’t have all the ingredients to make either.

So what I did was to take inspiration from both recipes and came up with a amazing (and super quick) raw chocolate brownie. It’s so good in fact (this has been confirmed by several independent tasters!) that I shall be adding it to my book, when it is next updated!

Miss Bests Chocolate Torte

What brings me almost as much joy as eating my cakes is sharing them with others. I would love to make this for you in person, but chances are you don’t live in my neighbourhood so I will have to make do with sharing the recipe and heavily encouraging you to make it this weekend. It’s ridiculously quick and easy to make, and did I mention that it is super tasty?

Here goes! Enjoy, dear friend!

Miss Best’s Raw Chocolate Brownie
Serves 4

(Note: this brownie tastes even better when left in the fridge for a day, so do feel free to make it in advance!)

1 cup brazil nuts
1 cup dates
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup goji berries
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon water
Small pinch of salt
pinch of vanilla powder or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

optional: 2 tablespoons dried coconut

Frosting

1 large avocado
3 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons agave (or maple) syrup
zest from one organic orange
pinch of chili powder (optional)

Start by making the brownie. Pop the nuts in the food processor and give them a whizz to make them into a course crumb. Add the dates and process to combine. Now add the raisins, goji berries, cacao, water, salt, and vanilla and process until you get a nice ‘dough’.

Take a plate and sprinkle the bottom with the dried coconut (optional). Shape the brownie dough into a 10 cm x 10 cm square (approx 4 inch x 4 inch).

Now, here’s the thing about the frosting. The amounts I have given above makes twice the frosting you need. This is because I find that if I halve the recipe there isn’t enough to blend properly in the food processor.

So this is what I suggest:

Either:

Use the above amounts, use just half of the frosting, and chill the remainder. It then gives you one portion of delicious chocolate pudding, which is heavenly eaten on its own, or mixed with chopped bananas and coconut chips.

Or

Use half the amount (1 small avocado (or 1/2 large), 1.5 tablespoons cacao, 1 tablespoon agave syrup and the zest from half an orange) and use a hand held blender.

Which option do I use? The one with the bonus serving of chocolate pudding of course!

So, blend all the frosting ingredients together and smooth on to the brownie. All done! Enjoy!

‘Loving Life – Loving Desserts: 43 delicious, but secretly healthy, recipes to make you smile’ is available from www.miss-best.com

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Feel free to share this article with others. Please just remember to include the following credit: © 2010 Johanna Best www.miss-best.com

Need Raw ingredients such as cacao, agave and goji berries? You can buy them on line here:

Råvarubutiken (Scandinavia)

The Fresh Network (Rest of World)

Image: Miss Best

Finally, finally the winter grey has disappeared! Gone are all traces of snow, frozen lakes, sleeping trees, and scarily high heating bills. Now I am treated to lush green trees, gently scented blossom, gossiping birds, fluffy bumble bees, and a cheery sun. Just ten days ago I had to wear a warm hat and gloves when I was out for my doggy walk, so now that I can pad around bare foot and in summer clothes, I am truly blissing out!

So, to celebrate the arrival of life here in Sweden, I would love to share with you a yummy, cooling recipe from my e-book ‘Loving Life-Loving Desserts’. In fact this is the dessert that made it to the front cover of my e-book!

This frozen dessert is one of six super quick, easy and yummy ‘Ice Dreams’ that I have included in my book. No ice-cream machine needed! If you have a freezer and a food processor you are all set. Pre-freeze the bananas over night or so and when the urge calls throw everything into the food processor and you have a gorgeous dessert in about 5 minutes (including washing up!). Now how cool is that? (ha ha!) And if that wasn’t enough, this dessert is fat-free, and also free from added sugar, dairy, nuts and soya! You can perhaps see why I eat this dessert all the time!

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

Blueberry Ice Dream
Serves 2-3

6 frozen bananas (slice and freeze for at least 12 hours)
1 cup frozen blueberries
Small pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla powder / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Allow the bananas to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor to make a soft and smooth ‘ice cream’. This may take a couple of minutes, and you will need to stop it a couple of times to scrape down the sides. Serve immediately.

Enjoy this delicious frozen desserts as it is or top with goodies such as:

• Raisins or goji berries
• Chopped nuts (raw, not roasted)
• Dried coconut
• Sliced fresh peaches or berries
• Fresh fruit salad (see page 41 of my e-book)
• Chocolate chips, carob chips or raw cacao nibs
• Agave or maple syrup
• Fresh raspberry sauce (see page 26 of my e-book)
• Nut moja (see page 27 of my e-book) or whipped soya cream
• Chocolate or carob sauce (see page 28 of my e-book)
• Peanut butter dough (see page 30 of my e-book)
• Mix yellow raisins, chopped dates, gojis, raisins – so pretty!
• Melted dairy-free chocolate. Drizzle this on your ice cream. It sets and goes all
crispy.

‘Loving Life – Loving Desserts: 43 delicious, but secretly healthy, recipes to make you smile’ is available from www.miss-best.com

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