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Recipes

16/12/20

Winter Warming Ribollita Soup

Zestlife

 

Nothing beats a warming bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day! Here’s a fabulously hearty Italian favourite adapted by our fabulous retreat chef Catherine from Wildings Vegan Kitchen who has lovingly shared it with our The Zest Life community to enjoy! (more…)

10/11/20

Breakfast Oat & Chia Jars

A quick and easy recipe to kick-start your morning full of protein and fibre! Our fabulous retreat chef Catherine from Wildings Vegan Kitchen has lovingly shared it with our The Zest Life community to enjoy! (more…)

12/10/20

Tahini Coconut Fudge

A delicious guilt-free treat that will bring joy to all who manage to steal a slice. Our fabulous retreat chef Catherine from Wildings Vegan Kitchen has lovingly shared it with our The Zest Life community to enjoy! (more…)

23/02/17

Banana Peanut Butter Flapjacks

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A lovely healthy, guilt free alternative to a flapjack. Tastes a bit like a banana bread but has all the goodness of the oats you’d find in a flapjack. They make a great breakfast alternative and also a great snack for the mid afternoon energy slump. Wheat and dairy too. (more…)

09/11/16

chai tea

15027395_1183969888359120_8877152492050546426_nSince travelling in India I have always loved chai tea. Whenever I drink it I am always transported back almost twenty years to my first visit there. I remember sitting on a platform in Bombay waiting for my first train across India and being sold cups of wonderfully sweet chai tea while I waited. It was always served in tiny terracotta pots, almost like a shot of tea really and only cost just a couple of rupee a cup, a far cry from the tea prices of Starbucks. Anyway, a very good friend of mine Kate has given me this recipe of her divine chai tea to share. It’s a perfect spice blend to warm the hearts at this cold time of year. (more…)

10/10/16

mushroom soup

14495246_1157677790988330_946871926516649646_nAutumn days call for warming soups. Having just been for a fabulously cold swim this morning, all I could think of was making a warming soup for lunch. This recipe is so quick and so simple and great served with garlic bread!

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08/09/16

blackberry cordial

IMG_7678 I have made this divine cordial with elderberries for years and it wasn’t until this year with an absolute abundance of blackberries that my partner suggested we try it out with some blackberries. It is wonderfully sweet, so you only need to use a small amounted diluted with either cold or hot water. We add a few drops to morning smoothies or pour over ice cream for a simple dessert. It will last for months in sterilised bottles. (more…)

05/04/16

Wild Garlic Pesto

collecting ramsons or wild garlicRamsons other wise known as Wild Garlic make the most quirky flavoured pesto. We started created this recipe last year after learning more and more about foraging and eating from the wild. The leaves start to appear around mid March and the flowers a few weeks following. Make sure you are confident at identifying the plant, (mind you the smell is so strong you can’t miss them), then once you’ve located a patch get harvesting and cooking.

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25/02/16

Butter bean & herb dip

1931320_988530101236434_7562845629185671143_nI am huge fan of humous and I’ve been looking for a similar high protein dip to serve on our retreats as an option for lunch. It needed to be bean based for the protein but also have a great flavour. I came across this recipe in a newspaper supplement and tweaked it to give it a bit more of a kick. I hope you like it. It’s great served piled high in the middle of large plate surrounded by warm pitta and fresh crudités, such as broccoli, pepper and celery.

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04/02/16

Peanut Butter Flapjacks

 I love flapjacks and I am always looking for new and exciting variations. The lower the sugar content the better, as some can be so sweet you feel your teeth are going to fall out when you bite into them. I experimented with this recipe taken from Deliciously Ellas’ book. They work a treat and taste even better and become more moist after a few days. It uses a load of nut butter which can be quite costly but they are so worth it.

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