Delicious Wild Garlic Pesto

“This is a very simple recipe, providing you  are in the right season for foraging wild garlic.”

It’s another wet morning here in Belfast. We’re in the middle of May, yet it feels like Autumn. It’s cold and wet, we’ve even had hail showers! My spring garden blooms will not like this.

As usual my morning starts with a dog walk. So in between showers, I throw Rudy (my 6 year old Golden Retriever) into the back of the car and head off to a forest trail.

I’m fortunate enough to live near a forest park with an abundance of free to forage food; hazel nuts, berries, mushrooms, even bamboo shoots! Over the last month the wild garlic along the woodland paths has been plentiful. This morning it is particularly pungent as the spring sun shines onto the lush wet forest. The forest is alive!

Wild garlic (or Ramsons) usually come into season in Ireland around the middle of April.  It can be  found clustered  in woodland areas, by streams or river banks. It can be identified by its long, wide leaves and when in full bloom, pretty white star-like flowers. You will probably smell wild garlic before your find it!

Today, the wild garlic has flowered which means its season is almost over.  Fortunately for me, I’m a regular on this trail. Over the past few weeks I’ve been foraging the odd leaf or two, adding it to roast vegetables, making filled parcels with it, and adding it to the occasional salad.

When foraging for wild garlic the golden rule of thirds applies; only take on third of the plant, leaving two thirds.  There’s no need to be greedy, there is plenty in the forest to share.

Whilst Rudy is chomping on a nice big stick, I set about gathering a nice big handful of the lovely lush leaves.

Delicious Wild Garlic Pesto

Ingredients:

50g wild garlic leaves, washed

25g of pine nuts.  Or whatever nut your prefer, cashews and hazelnuts work well.

200ml olive oil.

40g Parmesan cheese

A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Black pepper and sea salt to season.

Method:

Place all the ingredients (minus the olive oil) into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Then slowly add the oil, little by little until  if you get the preferred consistency.

Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and taste. Transfer to sterilised jars and top with an extra drizzle of oil to create a seal. The jars will keep in the fridge for at least one to two weeks.

Wild garlic pesto is delicious with fresh pasta, swirled through soups and stews, or served as a condiment to baked potatoes. It also works really well with lamb and chicken.  You could also try using it as a salad dressing or adding a few dabs into your favourite panini.

Spicy Falafel with Lemon and Coriander Salsa

“This tasty vegan favourite really is so simple to make”

Traditionally falafel is made with fava beans, or as they are known in Ireland and the UK, broad beans. However, you may be more familiar with the Israeli or Lebanese version that is made with chickpeas. Of course, the types of beans used really does vary from country to country.

Falafel has become one of my favourite market brunches, and has since  become one of our household favourites!

This is my own falafel recipe. Once you get the hang of it, why not try out differing your pulses?

Ingredients :

400g Chickpeas  ( You could try halving this and adding 200g of your favourite beans)

1 Onion, chopped

4 Garlic cloves, chopped (try roasting them if you like)

2 tsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Ground Coriander

1 tbsp Harissa Paste

2 tbsp Gram Flour

Handful of chopped parsley

Handful of chopped coriander (cilantro)

Juice of one lemon

Salt and black pepper to season

Vegetable oil for frying (nut o9il work well for extra flavour)

For the Salsa:

8 Ripe Tomatoes, diced

1 Red Onion

3-4 tbsp chopped coriander

Juice of half a lemon

Method:

Soak your chickpeas, or chosen beans, for 12 hours, I usually leave them in an over-night. There is no need to cook the chickpeas as this will make the fritters soggy. Now place all the ingredients (minus the oil) into a food processor and pulse until until it forms a firm gritty paste. Be careful not to over blend it as it may turn into hummus!

“This mixture is almost there, another couple of pulses and it will be perfect”

 

Transfer the contents into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Tip: Some people like their falafels to be fluffy. Try adding  2 tsp of baking soda to 1 tbsp water to the mixture after it has been refrigerated.

Using your hands, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls. Place the falafels into your pre-heated deep fat fryer. Fry your falafels 2-3 minutes on either side. I like to fry a test one first, just to check if the oil is right and that the falafels are seasoned enough.

Once your falafels are fried, remove with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen roll until ready to serve.

Making the salsa…

It’s very simple; take all the ingredients (minus the lemon juice) and hand chop with a mezzaluna. You could pulse in a blender, but let’s face it, it just means more washing up! Add the salsa into a serving bowl and slowly mix in the lemon juice to your own taste.

I usually serve my falafels with salad and wraps, or sometimes on a bed of roasted vegetable couscous. Accompanied by hummus, and tzatziki or tahini, and of course my lemon and coriander salsa.

Your preferred cooking method…

Falafel is best deep fried. However, for the more health conscious you can oven bake them.

Preheat your oven 200 degrees Celsius (180c if fan assisted) or Gas Mark 6.

Brush a baking sheet with a little seasme oil, place the falafels onto the sheet and flatten slightly. Brush with oil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Turn over and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Powerful Deep Cleansing Detox Juice

Every once in a while our bodies try to tell us “Enough with the over indulgence!”. This powerful deep cleansing juice will definitely kick-start your detox!

I like to think that I have fairly healthy eating habits. Almost all my meals are freshly prepared but every now any then, I like to pig out!

This weekend was no exception. It all went to the wall when I met up with friends for a quiet early evening Friday night drink . So to cut a long story short, I ended up having a 3 course meal in the Italian restaurant across the road! As much as my dairy allergy said no to the tiramisu, the several cocktails replied “sure, that’s what antihistamines are for!” .

Fast forward to 6.50am on Saturday morning, and it’s not good. It’s a market day and I need to be in St.George’s by 8am to set-up my stall. I guess it’s my turn to be today’s market trader with the hang-over.

As the days wears on, a fellow trader nudges me and asks “What happened to the health kick” and points down to the empty instant noodle container and half-munched packet of Haribo Tangtastics. I shrug it off and and promptly take my self off to buy a Pastie Bap from the local chip shop! Well, as any self-respecting Northern Irish person can tell you, it was the only thing to do in that situation!

My hangover didn’t improve. Despite my state, I had a good sales day. Which meant there was plenty of work to be done when I got home. Now, normally Saturday dinner is always a bit of a treat, however today I was going home to an empty house. Dinner tonight was a frozen pizza and my monthly can of coke, washed down with an indigestion tablet and a IBS tablet. Yeah, classy!

Sunday was slightly better, no hangover, which is always a bonus! Feeling in slightly better form, and since it was my final market day of the weekend. I hit the fruits and veg stalls, and stocked up on some juicing ingredients for Monday mornings big detox. Well, since it was still Sunday, I though I should have one last hurrah and pick-up a spicy chicken curry en-route, and er maybe pick up some beers on the way home. Don’t judge me, we’ve all been there!

My morning detox juice…

This recipe yields approx 500-600 ml of juice (roughly 2 glasses)

1 medium beetroot

1 apple of your choice (cored and quartered)

6 carrots

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 handful of curly kale

1 small handful of coriander (cilantro)

Juice all the ingredients together. Pour into a glass, and serve chilled with ice.

So what makes this juice such a powerful cleanser?

Beets have numerous health benefits, too many to mention (and possibly worthy of its own article). The bottom line is beetroot loves your liver. It has been shown to increase the level of antioxidant enzymes in the body, as well as increase the number of white blood cells. Beets are also one of the richest sources of glutamine, an amino acid, essential to the health and maintenance of the intestinal tract.

The apple is our richest fruit source of vitamin E and also provides a good supply of biotin and folic acid – two B-complex vitamins important in preserving energy, emotional balance, and aiding your digestive system. It is also a fine source of vitamins A and C, which are both natural antioxidants. it also adds a little natural sugar to the earthy taste of the beets. When juicing apples, always remove the pips as they are toxic when chewed or split.

Carrot juice and it’s fibre contain certain oils that work on the mucus membranes of the stomach and colon. This helps with digestion and starts your bowels functioning properly.

Lemon juice helps break down food in your stomach for better digestion. Partially because of its own acidic qualities, and partially because it stimulates digestive juice production in the stomach. It’s also a great source of vitamin C and is great for the skin.

Ginger is thought to cleanse the body by stimulating digestion, circulation and sweating. Its digestive actions may serve to cleanse the build-up of waste and toxins in the colon, liver and other organs. It also give a wee bit of extra zing to this recipe.

Coriander (cilantro) protects against the accumulation of heavy metals in the bloodstream and organs. Studies have shown that coriander binds to heavy metals in the bloodstream, thereby purifying tissues, organs, and blood.

Kale is high in iron, high in vitamins A, C, K, and an excellent source of iron. It also helps lower cholesterol, and overall has an alkalizing effect on our body.

A word of warning; beetroot juice will discolour your stools and urine! Don’t panic, you haven’t burst a pile or are passing blood!

Enjoy This Powerful Guided 3D Meditation with Paul Santisi

I AM 2 is a very powerful guided 3D mediation by Paul Santisi. It contains thousands of life changing affirmations, and is designed to heal as well as block negative energy.

I’ve been using the original version of I AM for over a year, and I can tell you it is truly powerful stuff. Paul has enhanced his original version of I AM by adding basically more of everything! Even Tibetan singing bowls!

I AM 2 must be listened to with headphones. I try to listen to this audio several times per week. Make this guided mediation part of your Hour of Power.

This is definitely an audio you’re going to want to share with your friends and family!

If you would a copy of this audio to keep, download the MP3 here.

 

 

How To Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude!

From time to time we can all feel like we’re stuck in a rut. Some people live there permanently! You may be one of them. It used to be my reality too. So let me share with you the secret to getting out of a rut; it’s called gratitude. It’s a simple concept. It’s about setting time aside, pushing your perceived problems to one side, and starting feeling grateful for all the truly amazing things you have in your life. The everyday things we often we take them for granted.

“Gratitude is a powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have and you will attract more good things.”

                                                                                                                           ~ Bob Proctor

I’m going to help you adopt an attitude of gratitude, and this is how…

1) Morning glory

Every morning take time to make a list of all the thing you are grateful for. You don’t necessarily have to write a physical list, you could do this mentally perhaps as you lie in bed, or as you commute to work or school. Often, when people start to compile gratitude list, they focus on the material things they value. That’s OK but remember to to include why you are grateful for it.

“I am grateful for my home. It’s keeps me warm, and protects my family.”

2) Goodnight Ritual

Last thing at night, before you go to sleep, I want you to repeat the same exercise. This time I want you to focus on all the good things that happened to you during the day. Now some people would argue very little happened in their day. I doubt this very much, even on the most mundane of days we can find things to be grateful for, such as they kind lady who left you have her parking space at the supermarket.

3) Share to Love

Start sharing your gratitude with other people too. Let people really know how thankful you really are. This could be with a simple verbal response, or even in the form of a gift. When was the last time you bought your partner flowers/chocolates etc just because you love them? Maybe your work colleagues are going through a hectic time, why not take a box of cakes? Or treat your friends to pizza? These are simple actions of gratitude that yield high results.

…………………….

As you can see, this is a very simple task. Repeat it daily, and I promise you that you will begin to notice subtle changes in your life. Being grateful for all the things we have gives us focus. It allows us to reflect, and truly embrace things that we often take for granted.

It’s very easy to spend our lives bemoaning all the terrible things. It’s a pointless task and serves not purpose. So why not focus on the good things in life instead?

Over the next 7 days, I want you to complete your daily Gratitude Lists. Don’t worry if you feel silly, just do it! After the 7 days are up, I want you to reflect and how you feel. This is habit forming stuff! So keep it up after the 7 day challenge.  I promise you this, you WILL notice positive changes in your mental wellbeing!

If you found this post beneficial, share it with your friends and family.

80% Of People Feel Like They’re Stuck In A Rut.

I was listening to the radio this morning, and the presenter announced that;

“80% of people feel like they’re stuck in a rut.”

Now, I don’t know where he was getting this figure from but it got me thinking; That’s a hell of a lot of dissatisfied people!
Looking back, I used to be in the 80%.
I was caught in the daily motion.
I’d get up at ridiculous o’clock, and commute in bumper to bumper in endless traffic. Haul myself into work with that feeling of dread, only to spend my day with a bunch of people I didn’t particularly like. Where we had meetings about meetings. We filled out duplicitous paper work, for people to file away and never read. Always endlessly clock watching. Counting down the hours, minutes, until it was time to get back into my car, and drive home bumper to bumper in the never ending traffic! Haul myself into the house. Heating up last nights left over chilli. Then slump in front of the TV, where I was barely fit to talk to my partner (who was in much the same state!) and watch some mind numbing crap until it was time to go back to bed, and do it all over again tomorrow.
Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.
Then once a month, money would come into my bank account! Only for it to be direct debited out the next day.

The cycle continued, month in month out, year in year out. Next thing you know a decade has gone by. Your waist band has increased, and your not quite sure who you really are anymore.
Yeah, I remember that 80% feeling!

But for me, something changed.

I had crossed over into the other 20%.

But how?

T-Shirts with a Positive Attitude!

I’m sure you will like our new range of t-shirts, great for those summer days, or just for adding a little focus and motivation down at the gym.

http://positivezest.spreadshirt.co.uk/

How to Set and Achieve any Goal you Have in Your Life with John Assaraf Part 1

Lately, I’ve been experiencing some mental blocks. It was if I’d hit a wall, and I just couldn’t figure out where I was going wrong. Somewhere along the way, I took my eye of my focus, hit a couple of failures. I was spiraling into self-doubt and becoming demotivated! Drastic action was needed!

I decided to go back to basics. I started a morning ritual of listening to motivation material. Redressing some of the great motivational and inspiration speakers; Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Esther Hicks, I was even listening to Oprah!

Then I found this video by John Assaraf. You may have watched John in Rhonda Byrnes film “The Secret”, he was the guy with the vision board.

I found John’s video to be a very useful tool, and it has helped me get back on track! I’d fallen foul of some limiting self- beliefs, and a few bad habits were starting to form around them! Yeah, I know it’s text book stuff. I was so busy working on my strategies and goals, that I’d let my basic mental house-keeping slip. A lesson for all of us: It doesn’t matter where you are on your journey towards you goals, every now and then we need to return to the basics.

I hope you too will find some value in John Assarafs videos.

Watch this clip and learn:

-How to attract the right people, money, resources and everything else you will need to achieve every goal you have

-Three Fundamental mistakes most people make when setting their goals and how to avoid them

-Why the biggest goals you have are still way too small

Click here to see Part 2 – http://youtu.be/AfcKqTNRUhI

Get your FREE copy of The 6 Figure List

Get your FREE copy of The 6 Figure List

I came across this gem of an ebook a couple of years ago, and it’s proven to be a valuable marketing tool. This ebook is currently on sale for $27! However, like most things I post on my blog, I’d like to share it and you a free copy!

John D. Ritskowitz has written this book that has the power to revolutionize your email marketing efforts. It’s divided into 3 parts.

The first part is all about the marketing funnel system; how to use this “set it and forget it” model to boost your sales and conversions.

The second part shows you the exact emails that can be used to promote any product, and their results–including the pre-launch early bird notification list, pre-sales (i.e. lead generation) emails, and post-sale emails designed to get you more profits, testimonials, feedback, customer loyalty, referrals, and more. Just missing one of these critical emails could be costing you potential opportunities at this very moment. He also comments on each and every email, telling you why he wrote what he did, and the reason behind each tactic I use.

Part 3 shows you a variety of ways to get MORE people signed up to your list, using some more well-known tactics and some not so well-known.

Happy reading, and I hope you find some value in this great making money online ebook.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY OF THE 6 FIGURE LIST

Top 5 Social Network alternatives to Facebook

Top 5 Social Network alternatives to Facebook

Don’t worry if you missed the Facebook ship, there are plenty of other social networks for you to explore;

Instagram – is a photo sharing site. Over 90% of people of users are under the age of 35, which makes it an attractive platform for the many apparel, entertainment, and media brands focused on the 18- to 34-year-old age bracket. Instagram also allows cross network sharing which is great if you’re a lazy networking!

LinkedIn – is a Professional social networking site with approximately 80 million users worldwide. It’s good for maintaining professional contacts with colleagues, and clients. 24% of 50- 64 year olds use LinkedIn, which makes it the only networking site to be used more than the 18- 29 year olds (15%).

Pintrest – 80% of its users are female. Pinterest users already account for 48.2% of all social media sharing on iPads. They’re primarily sharing fashion, food/drink-related content, along with family and parenting-related items. Pinterest is set to become one of the big four top social networks.

Twitter – is very fast paced, and of the moment. Whilst it does not have the same numbers as Facebook, it is a great way of engaging people and driving traffic to your content; whether its your sales pages, a blog or another social media network.

Google +  – in the US, it’s really taken off. So if you are targeting a US customers; it’s the place to be. Cross the Atlantic, and Google + is a morgue. As an online business owner, you are should already be using Google Analytics to monitor your web performance etc. Many businesses have a landing page on Google +, this is primarily because of Google Places (soon to be replaced with Google Local) which allows business to verify their location on Google Maps. Since Google now owns Youtube, you can also link your Google + account. Google + is about putting your mark or staking your claim on the Google search engine. It may not yet improve your search results,  but it does give you a online presence. At present, there are a number of teething problems with Google + which I am sure they will sort out. Google ,as a brand is engulfing the internet.  I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? Are we putting too many of our eggs into the one basket? Time will tell.