JANUARY – FODMAP diet cookery classes in West London

New year 2020 !

SocialJoy

It’s time to take stock of your life and plan what you would like to achieve for 2020. From having a healthy balanced diet to booking cultural activities or new and different courses. I have always been fascinated with different types of healing and I an happy to say I have booked up a Theta Healing course which will touch on kinseology, with different types of meditation. Am super excited to learn more about this ancient and sacred energy healing.

WorkJoy

For Veganuary, I did a live demo at As Nature Intended (ANI) flagship store in Marble Arch. https://www.asnatureintended.uk.com/stores/marble-arch/ There were a few incidences that happened. For example the portable hob they gave me to use was broken, and last minute they rushed out to buy a new one with all the x30 guests waiting for me to start the demo. The new hob started to smoke and fire alarms went off in the building, which triggered the fire brigade turning up. We were all evacuated to the courtyard outside at the back of the building. With smoke everywhere, it apparently was a faulty socket. Once we returned inside, I had to move to a different area with working electrical sockets and then had my back to the audience. The next incident was a minor flood at the sink. We had gone from fire to water in 30 minutes and no further forward with the live demo! But in a crisis I believe it is how you deal with the situation you find yourself in and not to panic outwardly! I kept calm and reassured the guests that after the comedy of errors we would begin, albeit later, and therefore need some assistants to chop and prep some of the foods to catch up on the session. After this, it all went well and vegan dishes were presented! The first dish was sautéed shitake mushrooms in gem lettuce leaves with satay sauce & rice noodles. Followed by chocolate & orange tofu mousse. Everyone left happy 😃

KitchenJoy

Lot of classes are booked up for Spring now, as customers are redeeming their gift vouchers. Certainly many vegan classes but also gut health is popular, along with gluten-free. I always get requests for gluten-free bread as the shop bought variety is not so tasty. (although M&S have the best gluten-free bread with oat topping). Therefore i experimented with a gluten free loaf with seeds and molasses which came out well, although it is dense, but lovely toasted!

I launched FODMAP course and thoroughly enjoyed this new class, as it went into more depth on client’s digestive problems and IBS symptoms and promoting foods you can enjoy on the FODMAP diet, by using lots of herbs & different spices to make the foods tasty. Tahini is a good source of protein and rich in minerals and vitamins and IBS friendly. The recipe below can be made with any type of steamed veggies with the lovely tahini dressing which makes any vegetables just so delicious and it looks fab too!

Ingredients

carrots

broccoli

edamame beans

3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice

50 ml water

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and simmer or steam the veggies for a few minutes, up to 5 mins. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients, in a jar and shake.  If the dressing appears to thick, add a little more olive oil. Pour the dressing over the beans and top with the fresh chopped parsley and serve. Add pomegranate seeds on top if you wish.

DECEMBER – Christmas cookery classes in West London

Nepalise buffalo momo’s in spicy soup

SocialJoy

Hello and Happy New Year, let's leap into 2020 with good health, clean eating and linger on the memories of the Christmas festivities!  December was a fun month for everyone and I was still in Nepal for a few days at the beginning of the month.  The above photo is the signatory dish of Nepal, buffalo momo's in hot spicy soup.  Very delicious little dumplings and ideal as a snack or for lunch.  It was a case of back to London and into the city for more Corporate demo's and cookery classes at KitchenJoy.
I shall be embracing  "dry January" with lots of detoxing and fresh vegetarian dishes to rebalance my body after Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations. I hosted a new year’s eve dinner party and made a starter winter salad of pomegranate, figs, leaves, grilled haloumi, giant sourdough croutons and a delicious anchovy and lemon dressing to start off the 4 courses!

I shall be experimenting with new dishes for the up and coming cookery classes to mix up new and exciting recipes for 2020! Watch this space…

WorkJoy

After returning from Nepal, I went to the Christmas ISE party in Regent St, where we drank gin cocktails and hot sloe gin, with lots of delicious desserts and networking. opportunities. https://www.isepartners.com/

In the same week, I attended Mackrell Garrett law firm where I made a Brain Power Smoothie for the Christmas Afternoon Tea and gave a talk on healthy eating around the festive table ! https://www.mackrell.com/

The following week, I did another live demo at WeWork space in Victoria. This was fun and demonstrated a smoothie and some veggie fritters, with lots of tasters for the staff too.

I have sold numerous Not on the High St (NOTHS) https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/ Gift Vouchers and some direct from my website, with about 90% being vegan classes, hence I have loaded extra vegan classes on my website for the new year to accommodate the impending influx of clients booking on.

KitchenJoy

December was the month for the Festive Christmas cookery classes at KitchenJoy. We started with some fizz with fresh rosemary sprigs to celebrate this time of year. Followed by a “veg nog” which is a festive smoothie I have made up with plant-based milk, brazil nuts, dates, cinnamon and almond butter. A twist on a christmas bird of roasted duck stuffed with spices of cinnamon, star anise, and honey, served with celeriac mash. We also made vegan mince pies with a pastry made of coconut oil and almond milk for people to take home!

Below is a recipe for the roasted duck with honey and spices.

1 whole, oven ready duck

1 orange, sliced

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

Pat dry the skin of the duck with kitchen paper and prick it all over with a fork. Push the orange slices, star anise and cinnamon stick into the cavity.

Place the duck on a rack set over a roasting tray to allow fat to drip on to the tray. Roast for 10 minutes, until the skin starts to turn crisp and crinkly, then turn down the oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3 and roast for 45 minutes (for pink duck – or if you prefer it well done, cook for a further 15 minutes).

Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Reserve any duck fat from the tray for roasting potatoes.

NOVEMBER – chocolate cookery course in West London

Cauliflower buffalo wings with cashew ranch dressing

SocialJoy

The first day of the month, was very excited to eat some dairy, fish and meat after being vegan for the whole month of October. So the day started with a bacon omelette and followed by a delicious buffet lunch at Church House in Westminster. I was also taken to Hai Di Lao Hotpot Chinese restaurant in Piccadilly by my daughter for a celebration of KitchenJoy 2nd year anniversary. We started with amazing cocktails at the Alchemist cocktail bar with “Bath Bomb” and “Colour changing one” delicious cocktails, all seemed very mind blowing and scientific! https://thealchemist.uk.com/

At the Chinese restaurant, we cooked our own sea bass and prawns in the hot pot soups, so very healthy and noodle boy made our noodles at the table by stretching them out, and we cooked these in the soups too, all very entertaining. https://www.haidilao.com/en/index/index.html

The most exciting news is I am off to Nepal in November and will still be there for early part of December. This will involve lots of trekking, temple touring, meditation, yoga, plenty of reading and of course trying out the local cuisine. The trip will end at Chitwan National Park, elephant safari and 4x4 jeep, deep into the jungle. Along with some well earned r&r around the pool soaking up the rays! Will report back in December’s blog!

WorkJoy

The 1st of November I did a talk on Good Food Moods at Church House events at Westminster. https://www.churchhouseconf.co.uk/events

I took along some avocado brownie bites and their chef did some amazing poke bowls and other delights. We could also make our own magnum ice-creams, by dipping in a variety of melted chocolate flavours, and lots of sprinkles, followed by passion fruit vodka cocktails and fizz. A great networking event as well.

I did a great live demo at We Work in Hammersmith, which involved making a brain power smoothie and pea, za’atar and feta fritters, to their clients. This opportunity gave me the platform to work with all the WeWork locations but was delighted to start locally and expand to their other venues.

I am working with food.social https://food.social/ which is a platform to experience many food and drink delights. I made x100 chocolate brownies in the shape of a chef’s hat which is their logo for their launch into the market as giveaways.

KitchenJoy

The Chocolate course was launched and lovely to make new recipes which consisted of slow cooked short beef ribs with raw cacao, chocolate beetroot brownies with 85% dark chocolate, vegan chocolate and orange mousse with tofu and dairy free chocolate and a smoothie of almond milk, raw cacao, mint, nuts and tahini. All very delicious!

Food.social came along for a vegan class which was fun making seitan for the mongolian “beef” stir fry and more chocolate mousse, what a delightful group! I made cauliflower buffalo wings for when people arrived and they went down a treat!

Below is a recipe for the Cauliflower buffalo wings

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower

150g plain flour

300ml plant-based milk

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

100g panko breadcrumbs

120g dairy-free butter

200g buffalo hot sauce

For the ranch sauce

150 cashew nuts

150ml plant-based milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Handful fresh parsley

Chopped chives

Preheat oven to 180C.  Line 2 baking trays.  Add the cashew nuts to a pan of boiling water and boil for 15 minutes, then strain and run under cold water to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets and cut the stem into bite-sized pieces.

Put the flour, plant-based milk, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk to a batter.  Pour the panko breadcrumbs into another bowl and rub them between your thumb and fingers to break into slightly smaller breadcrumbs.

Tip the cauliflower into the batter and toss to coat.  Transfer to the bowl of breadcrumbs, a few pieces at a time, and toss gently until well coated.  Spread the cauliflower pieces over the lined baking trays and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the dairy-free butter in the microwave and stir in the hot sauce.

After 20 minutes, remove the tray from the oven, pour over the hot sauce and carefully roll the cauliflower around until the pieces are fully coated.  Put the tray back in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a sharp knife glides into the thickest parts of the cauliflower and the outsides are really golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven.

While the cauliflower is cooking, put all the ingredients for the ranch sauce except for the herbs into the food processor or liquidizer and whizz for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Finely chop the parsley and chives and add most of them to the sauce, reserving a little for garnish.

Serve the cauliflower wings while they’re still hot on a serving plate, sprinkled with the remaining herbs and with the ranch dip on the side.

OCTOBER – foods for sleeping cooking classes London

Happy sleep smoothie

SocialJoy

This is the month I decided to challenge myself and go Vegan for the whole month of October. It is going really well, which initiates me to think more about plant-based creative dishes. The reason I decided to be only Vegan for October is because many of my cookery classes are plant-based and especially the Corporate tasting demo’s require a few dishes in Vegan as this covers all clientele and we are generally trying to become more healthy by reducing meat and eating more veggies. I have made different style seitan dishes, as once you made the product and its in the fridge it is really versatile to use with different herbs and spices. For example, i stir fried the home made seitan in the pan with rose harissa, served with roasted roots, just delicious! I have made many other interesting options such as scrambled tofu, leek & celeriac puff pastry roll and truffled polenta with sautéed mushrooms.

It was KitchenJoy 2nd year Anniversary this month and had a wonderful lunch with friends to celebrate and served vegan taco’s, an array of roasted corn, bbq jackfruit, chicken seitan to avo, toms, shredded red cabbage and many more raw salad delights with vegan mayo chiplote dip. For dessert, I served a polenta cake and tahini pots with roasted sesame seeds. The prosecco was flowing and a good time had by all!

I visited Vegfest at Olympia this month, which is great for research and good to look at new ideas on veganism. I really felt I needed some comfort food on this day and not my normal diet but fancied a pie! They had a delicious “fake n kidme” pie with mushy peas and mash! There were a lot of interesting talks about how sustainable veganism is. What I have learnt is reducing meat and fish consumption in my diet going forward.

WorkJoy

I did a tasting demo at As Nature Intended in Chiswick, where I made roasted carrot hummus and vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Am back to Institute of Optimal Nutrition College (ION) in Richmond, to study about Magnesium and the subject “ If this is the world’s number one mineral deficiency, the forgotten mineral and how it is critical for health”. This talk was very informative and will help me incorporate this important mineral into my KitchenJoy dishes. There is a high deficiency in magnesium which can cause diabetes 2, cramps, mental disorders to name a few. I personally have a problem nodding off to sleep, but now I am taking 300 mg of soluble magnesium in the evening, this has helped me greatly to switch off from the day and relax for a good nights sleep.

KitchenJoy

More Vegan classes this month and back to making the seitan as it is so easy and much tastier than the shop bought product and vegan chocolate mousse with tofu. This also gives you lots of protein in your diet if you are plant-based as well.

This month I also ran a course on Foods for sleeping. Food and sleep go hand in hand. Getting good sleep is incredibly important for your overall health. This is one of the most important aspects of our lives so we can function, with many people sleeping poorly or not enough hours. We made an almond milk based smoothie with walnuts, berries & spinach. As almonds and walnuts are a good source of melatonin and the sleep-promoting mineral magnesium along with Omega 3 & 6 plus Vitamin D to improve the quality of sleep. For the main, a twist on a turkey burger, as turkey contains tryptophan and is high in protein which induces tiredness.

Below is a recipe for the Happy Sleep Smoothie (smoothie on right in piccy)

Happy Sleep Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup plant based almond milk

1 banana

Half avocado

1 tbsp nut butter

1 tbsp maca powder

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

Mix all the ingredients in a blender for a minute or two. Can add ice.

Serve and enjoy !

SEPTEMBER – anti-ageing skin nutrition course at KitchenJoy

SocialJoy

Just rocking off to the Hamptons! Was always on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. We flew to NY and hired a car to the furthest tip of Long Island - Montauk, which is a surfing laid back town. Very quaint with the colonial style houses and great rolling sand dunes and beaches. The food was very fresh and lots of new ideas for KitchenJoy. Second day in we visited a very local seafood festival and had our first (one of many…) lobster rolls and fish tacos. We ate an abundance of seafood generally; such as lobster, oysters, clams and crabs with huge cobb salads to accompany it and tried a few raw tuna tacos as well. Also checked out a few new vegan options to experiment with back home such as smoked salmon (carrot lox), cream cheese & bagels, all very delicious.
Was only back a few days and one of my close friends from Hong Kong got married, a huge party near Epping Forest with copious amounts of fizz, food & dancing! A good time had by all…..

My father’s 91st birthday, and decided to make him a Russian Sharlotka cake which is more of a batter with seasonal blackberries & pears. Was very delicious and will be adding to the recipe portfolio!

For the last Sunday in September, I went to Sunday Papers Live event in Primrose HIll where presenters discuss various topics from politics, sport, to travel. Interesting debates and lounging on sofas all day, a great way to spend a Sunday! https://www.sundaypaperslive.com/

WorkJoy

It was a case of hit the ground running, when I returned from NY, as I had a full partner’s day at Not on the High St (NOTHS) where we had to launch Christmas! I published a new festive season course for the beginning of December on my website and on NOTHS, enticing people with alternative creative Christmas dishes. Following this, I headed up to W1 for a fun networking event at ISE Partners to meet hedge funders and other ISE clientele to promote corporate courses for KitchenJoy.

A law firm in Covent Garden had their end of summer party where the theme was Italian Job, executed splendidly, and again promoted KitchenJoy tasting demos to their partners and clients.

I visited the Food Trade Fair at Olympia to research new creative ideas with plenty of tastings. There were a lot more vegan options available, but the latest trend was CPD oil & hemp in cold pressed coffee and carbonated drinks and some foods. It also seems the USA are further ahead on this trend.

KitchenJoy

This month I ran a course on “Anti Ageing Skin Nutrition”. As we know, what you eat does effect your skin. We made a glowing skin smoothie with lots of mango, avocado, flax seeds & spinach to feed your skin - the largest organ of the body. For the main course we made Japanese miso glazed salmon, with lots of green veggies and grains. A gorgeous matcha green tea panna cotta for dessert, which is not only light but very nutritious with the green tea element which helps ageing, acne and stimulates and rejuvenates skin cells.

Below is a recipe for the Panna cotta. This can be made in advance and is so light, silky and creamy.

Matcha Panna Cotta

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup plant based or dairy milk

2 cups of cream

2 tsp gelatine

2 tsp matcha green powder

2 tsp vanilla essence

Toppings (optional)

Lightly grease 4 ramekins and set aside. (can spray with coconut oil)

Pour half the milk into a cup and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Stir and allow the gelatine to dissolve.

In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, pour the heavy cream, vanilla, sugar and matcha powder and whisk to combine.

Pour in the gelatine and cream mixture and stir.

Continue cooking and whisking occasionally until barely simmering.

Remove pan from heat and divide cream mixture among 4 ramekins (ideally chill ramekins overnight beforehand) and allow to come to room temperature.

Place the ramekins into the fridge for at least 4 hours to chill and set.

When ready to serve, dip each ramekin into a bowl with hot water for 5 seconds. Invert ramekin onto a serving plate. Top with fresh whipped cream and edible flowers or berries.

Enjoy!

AUGUST – foods for sleep course at KitchenJoy Cookery School

The slaw is made up of red cabbage, pomegranate and watercress salad

SocialJoy

Lets start with the main social event of the month, going to the Wilderness Festival at the beginning of August glamping for 4 days. A talk called Munchies where famous chefs, influencers and journalists all connected with food talking on a panel from Tom Aitken, Angela Hartnett to Grace Dent, so really on trend discussing sustainability, eating healthier and ethical foods. The food stalls were amazing, from a roasted aubergine, onion bhaji naan at Naarnia to poke bowls, Malaysian curries and afternoon tea on a double decker bus. We also tried out aerial yoga and open lake swimming, so something for everyone.

Had a lovely family bbq in between the continuous August showers where I made minced turkey asian style burgers with brioche buns and a slaw of red cabbage, sour cream, horseradish & pomegranate, very fresh and delicious. And a traditional trifle, always a winner!

I saw a great talk at the National Theatre with Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi being interviewed by the author Bee Wilson. It was all about authenticity of food and a Q&A with the audience on any subject relating to foods from what would your last meal be on earth to what would you serve Trump if he came to dinner!

WorkJoy

On the day I returned from the Wilderness Festival, I had to hit the ground running as I was doing a live cooking demo at Wedlake Bell Law Firm in the city the next day and needed to prepare some dishes for x20 people to serve as well. I was going to demo a plant-based brain power smoothie and my infamous pea, za’atar fritters on my portable hob to an audience of x20. I also brought along some prepared dishes of roasted sweet potatoes, roasted oranges in marsala and figs, and vegan seitan (chicken) salad and avo brownies. The firm also organised a wine co to pair the dishes I was serving and we finished the session with very good wine on the roof terrace!

The next day I ran the second Government based course for London Waste & Recycling Board (LWARB) for x14 people at KitchenJoy cookery school. The objective was to cook and learn about low cost vegetarian ingredients that can be used from leftovers. We made an asian spicy mixed grain bowl of quinoa and red rice with broccoli and a soy + tahini dressing. For dessert we made sweet potato brownies with left over mashed potatoes. https://www.lwarb.gov.uk/ http://smallchangebigdifference.london/

KitchenJoy

This month I ran a course on “Foods for Sleep”. There are many of us who do not get enough sleep or interrupted sleep patterns throughout the night. Particular foods can help enhance your sleep quality. The dishes we made were a smoothie with home made almond milk as almonds are a great source of melatonin and the sleep-promoting mineral magnesium, two properties that make them a great food to eat before bed. Also turkey burgers which contain a lot of protein and tryptophan which helps induce tiredness. And finally oat and chocolate chip cookies as oats are very calming and relax your system.

Below is a recipe for the slaw I made at the bbq, as it is so easy, tastes delicious and looks so colourful, enjoy!

Red cabbage, pomegranate and watercress coleslaw

Serves 6

Ingredients:

300 ml sour cream

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

100g pomegranate seeds

sea salt

1/2 red cabbage

approx 60g watercress

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

To make the dressing, whiz the sour cream, horseradish and a little salt in a blender. Cut the cabbage, slicing finely, discarding any thick white strands. Combine the cabbage, watercress, onion and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large salad bowl. You can prepare the salad to this point in advance, in which case, cover and set aside and chill the dressing. Shortly before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and scatter with the remaining seeds.

JULY – no-sugar cookery at KitchenJoy cookery school London

Oats pouring into bowl for sweet potato brownies

SocialJoy

Lots of lovely summer activities going on in London, from outdoor cinema viewings with picnics, to Summer in the Park concerts with Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder! A mini heatwave and the odd thunderstorm, it certainly makes outings interesting. Have become a fan of the lido at the Serpentine in Hyde Park. I did a charity swim this month for “back up” and was in the water at 6.30 am after cycling to the park, up at the crack of dawn. The hottest day of the year last week, I also cycled to the Lido for a refreshing swim too!

Had a BBQ on the rainiest day of the month, just typical! Although it didnt actually rain in the evening so we were all outside, but food cooked in the ovens. Made a delicious feast of hot buffalo chicken wings to start, followed by ribs cooked in beer, home made rosemary & cumin lamb burgers, haloumi, courgette & mushroom kebabs and roasted aubergine skewers marinated in jerk sauce with a few interesting salads. I made my own version of Eton Mess for dessert and an experimental pea cake for future KitchenJoy classes, with raspberries and a lime icing which turned out really well & quite dense.

One of my outings was to see the Nigel Slater play - Toast, which was brilliant, not only informative about his childhood days and how he started cooking but very funny too. It was also interactive with the audience tasting foods mainly from the 70’s era of old fashioned sweets such as black jacks and walnut whips.

I met with a copywriter for lunch in Soho, as I was thinking of writing my autobiography. We ended up chatting for 5 hours, a lot of ground to cover. I have to submit x15 pages on an intro which I hope will be wow factor to get the readers to continue ! Watch this space.

WorkJoy

The Live Wall is now flourishing with lots of new different plants, will take a while to grow fully but with the warm weather they are doing well. I continue to work with As Nature Intended (ANI) and they had a relaunch of their store in Balham this month with a private viewing the night before the store officially opened with various chefs and tasting demo’s. I showcased my pea, za’atar & feta fritters which everyone seemed to enjoy. There was also tasters of vegan pizza, vegan cheeses, vegetarian pasta’s and many more delights. https://www.asnatureintended.uk.com/stores/balham-store-as-nature-intended/

Am delighted to be going back in August, to the Law Firm - Wedlake Bell to host an evening event of a power brain smoothie and veggie fritters on the hob. I shall we working alongside a wine co, where the wines will be paired up with my foods.

I also did my first government tender workshop London Waste & Recycling Board (LWARB) https://www.lwarb.gov.uk/ in Soho last Sunday, where I demonstrated a smoothie and energy balls. There were lots of influencers there and great exposure on social media for KitchenJoy and also for awareness on vegetarian recycled foods and non waste. http://smallchangebigdifference.london/

There were events continuing all day on this subject. Love not Landfill event:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/love-not-landfill-pop-up-shop-supported-by-depop-registration-65106545430?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

The next LWARB course will be held at KitchenJoy on 7th August

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/waste-free-cookery-class-chiswick-fully-refundable-deposit-tickets-66898606533

I launched a couple of new courses on my website this month, the FODMAP diet which has been requested many times by clients so I will run this after the summer. Also as I work with Not on the High St (NOTHS), they requested a chocolate course. Now who wouldn’t like this! It will be mainly desserts working with vegan chocolate, raw cacao and 85% dark chocolate, some raw recipes as well. But I will also make a pulled pork taco main course with raw cacao added. Clients have booked up already for the first course on 15th October https://www.kitchenjoycookery.com/classes/chocolatemakingcourse

KitchenJoy

This month there were a few No Sugar courses, using pineapple and banana in the smoothies to show you can have some natural sugars but lots of greens added as well, including spinach leaves, moringa powder and parsley. The main course was Japanese miso glazed salmon with maple syrup again demonstrating the powerful antioxidants in this ingredient. We finished with sweet potato brownies with no added sugar as this food group has natural sweetness and is slow releasing carbs.

Sweet potato brownies

Makes 10 Brownies

Preparation time:  20 minutes

Cooking time:  50 minutes

Ingredients:

500g of sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)

12 mejdool dates

6 tbsp of maple syrup

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

a pinch of salt

100g ground oats

6 tbsp raw cacao

100g ground almonds

Start by pre-heating the oven to 180C (fan), then peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into chunks and place into a steamer for about twenty minutes, until they become really soft.

Once they are perfectly soft and beginning to fall apart remove them and add them to a food processor with the pitted dates.

Put the remaining ingredients into a bowl, before mixing in the sweet potato date combination. Stir well.

Place into a lined baking dish and cook for about forty-five to fifty minutes, until you can pierce the brownie with a fork and bring it out dry. Remove the tray and allow it to cool for about ten minutes – this is really important as it needs this time to stick together!

Cut into squares, ideally served with coconut yoghurt.

JUNE – eating through the menopause classes at KitchenJoy

Fiery pea and edamame dip

SocialJoy

Now summer is officially here, what a great way to start off the month, with a visit to Rock & Rose restaurant in Richmond with some of my favourite girlfriends. We managed to bag a table in the garden and they even supplied sun hats and sunglasses for the guests! https://www.rockandroserestaurant.com/ Chiswick House also launched their first ever Chiswick Proms and despite the rain at the beginning of the picnic, we managed in true British style under brollys to still enjoy ourselves and the sun came out when Lesley Garrett came on stage with some classic last night of the proms from Albert Hall, for a grand singalong! https://www.chiswickproms.co.uk/

I joined the Victoria & Albert Museum, mainly because the Christian Dior exhibition had sold out, and this was a treat and so well put together. I have since visited the Mary Quant exhibition and with the V&A more or less on my doorstep it will be a delight to pop up for a couple of hours occasionally and make the most of my membership.

WorkJoy

My gorgeous live wall seemed to be flaying and finally managed to get hold of the guy who installed it, to find out a pipe on the irrigation had disconnected. By this time I had lost about a third of my plants and was feeling quite stressed about this. But now he has planted some new and different plants which shall be interesting and hopefully will flourish in the summer months!

I have been super busy working with some amazing Corporate Companies on live cookery demo’s which all varied from a pop up picnic theme at ISE Partners in W1, where I served a sunshine shot of fresh juice, grated turmeric and grated fresh ginger. This was followed by mooli tacos of avo, toms, red onion, coriander and lime juice, all raw so super healthy! A vegan (chicken) seitan salad with grapes & walnuts were on offer and a live cooking demo of pea, za’atar and feta fritters, followed last but not least with bite sized chocolate and avocado brownie bites. The evening was buzzing with ISE clients and another stall were serving cocktails to order, what is there not to like! https://www.isepartners.com/

I did a “lunch & learn” live cooking demo at LHH Penna in the city, serving a plant-based brain power smoothie and the pea fritters as above with a full on nutritional talk. The clients then tucked into the tasty dishes that I made. https://www.lhh.com/lhhpenna

On a similar note, I visited Visa at their Paddington offices to their staff and made a few other dishes such as roasted sweet potato and orange salad with sumac yoghurt and figs.

A Law firm in the city invited me in to give a proposal for one of their Christmas events, on a two hour workshop which I suggested a “vegnog” which will be plant-based milk with dates and some christmas spices, followed by a raw mushroom pate, brussels sprouts pad thai and vegan mince pies. They kindly invited me to their offices on Royal Ascot week for an afternoon tea which was devine!

KitchenJoy

I was busy running a few “eating through the menopause” courses this month and added a lot of soy ingredients to boost oestrogen levels at this stage of a woman’s life. The menu was fiery pea & edamame dip with flatbreads, and for the main we had zesty oat topped baked salmon and a tofu based chocolate mousse.

Fiery pea and wasabi dip

Serves 4

Ingredients:

200g frozen edamame beans

150g frozen peas

½ teaspoon wasabi

1 green chilli, deseeded & finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful of watercress

Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

3 heaped tablespoons of yoghurt

½ tablespoon olive oil.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and simmer the edamame beans for 2 minutes before adding the peas and cooking for a further minute.

Remove the pan form the heat, drain the vegetables and immerse them in cold water.

Blitz them in a food processor with the remaining ingredients

Drizzle with a little olive oil and the dip is ready to serve with flatbreads.