http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/ Thu, 14 May 2026 13:55:37 +0000 Zend_Feed http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/nayelis-hot-mexican-punch/ To make roughly 6-8 litres of punch combine in one or two large pots (terracotta Mexican bowls are preferable of course but you´ll achieve the same flavour with the trusty ol European variety): 2 sliced apples 2 oranges segmented 20 whole pitted prunes 6 small quartered guavas half a pineapple cut into 2cm cubes an 80cm length of sugar cane cut into 1cm x 20cm strips a handful of dried Jamaican flower petals (you can find these in specialty health food shops) 4 large peels pods of fresh tamarind 10 fresh halved tejocote (a native Mexican fruit similar to quince, which you can use instead) A handful of sultanas 2 handfuls of sugar 1 stick of cinnamon 4 litres of water Head for about 1 hour then taste to see if all the fruit flavours have combines and the sugar has dissolved. Pour into small terracotta cups and add the sugar cane sticks so that they stick out of the cup (a little like you’d pop a stick of celery in a Bloody Mary). Though pregnant with her second child and the fact that she has a generally displeased taste for alcohol (how very “un-Mexican” she says), Nayeli suggests adding rum for an even more warming effect on those cold winter days (it is the festive season after all!). You can also add pecan for a more nutty flavour. This is a great alternative to mulled wine though the flavour is very different you will certainly impress your winter party guests.]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:00:10 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/restaurant-review-saf/ Now if you're the kind of person who, at the suggestion of tonight's meal out as a raw food eatery, raises a couple of suspicious eyes then I've got a challenge for you. I'm almost a vegan, but not; almost a raw foodie, but not. My body needs a good old fry up every now and then and my taste buds say I should follow that lead. So when I say Saf, a raw food restaurant, is delectably scrumptious, and kind of curious, it's not because I'm devoted to a raw food diet and can't find anything better in town to suit my raw needs. Saf is the place you go when you want to stare at your food for a second, first to figure out what it is you're eating (though the waiters do a brilliant job of explaining each person's individual dish as it comes out), and second to appreciate the gorgeous creation that it is. The Saf Chef's (try saying that one ten times over!) have created a ‘plant-based botanical menu' where almost all of the dishes are cooked below 48°C to preserve optimum nutrition and flavour. I had the Saf Bowl which included teriyaki glazed smoked tofu (THE best I've had) organic brown and mixed seeds rice cake (absolutely tastier than it sounds), wok fried pokchoy, lotus root kimpura kimchee (a very interesting one indeed, wouldn't eat it alone but balanced out the other flavours surprisingly scrumptiously), seasonal chutney (apple mine was and it was another surprising and tasty accompaniment in the mix). The Saf Bowl was £12.95 but prices for mains range from £11.50-14.50. Starters from £6-17 and sides from £3.75-7.50. Beyond the food you will find organic fair trade coffees, fresh juices, gorgeous cocktails (they are sublime and change regularly so are always quite unique) and a new gourmet beer. Saf have newly opened a new organic wine shop with quite the fine selection of wines to choose from. They have also just opened on Sundays for apparently London's best Vegan Roast but if you're keen to try this not so traditional Sunday roast you better get there early as tables go quick and they only serve it from 11:30-15:30pm. Saf's opening hours are: Lunch - 11:30pm till 3:30pm Dinner - 6:00pm till 10:30pm Bar food & drinks - 11:00am till late Address: 152-154 Curtain Road Shoreditch London EC2A 3AT To make a booking call 0207 613 0007 (Book the Chefs Table if you want an up close and personal with the raw and organic delights you're about to be fed. Chefs table includes 7 courses for £50 and optional £25 Organic Wine pairing. You also need a minimum of 6 people to book the table but if you can, it's a real treat!) For more information about this superbly delicious raw food dine visit www.safrestaurant.co.uk.]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:00:05 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/organic-guacamole/ 1 ripe avocado ½ red onion ½ tomato ½ red chilli Handful fresh coriander Lime juice to taste (all organic of course!) Finely chop the onion, tomato, chilli and coriander. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado (making sure you scrape the inside of the skins well with a spoon to get as much of the bright green coloured flesh as possible to give your guac a lovely colour). Add the avocado to the other ingredients and mash with a fork until the desired consistency (lumpy or smooth it's up to you). Add lime juice, salt and fresh black pepper to taste. *Note: you can make this very quickly in the food processor but you need to be careful that you don't make it too smooth so that all traces of the tomato and onion disappear into the paste.]]> Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:00:05 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/organic-carrot-and-coriander-soup-2/ 900g organic carrots (chopped small) 400g onions (chopped) 3 cloves garlic (crushed) 2 tsp ground coriander 25g butter 25g plain flour 1 litre stock (chicken has great flavour but vegetable is fine too) 125ml double cream Sweat the carrot, onion and garlic in the butter until soft (about 20mins), adding the coriander halfway. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the flour until well combined with the butter and juices. Gently work in the stock, so that you are not left with lumps of flour and then simmer for 20 minutes. Blend until smooth, stir in the cream and bring back to simmer if required. Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves if you have any. Even my husband, who claims to hate carrots, loves this soup.]]> Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:00:13 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/the-organic-way-to-repel-insects/ I've been doing a bit of research of late on how to protect my skin from mosquitos. One of the easiest and best ways to naturally deter insects is to create your own blend of base and essential oils. One recipe that I've come across that doubles up as a moisturiser and sunburn soother is this one. Ingredients: • 100 ml Grape seed oil • 30 drops Citronella essential oil • 15 drops Cloves essential oil • 5 drops Carnation oil Blend these together in a glass bottle by shaking for long enough so that the oils do not separate. If you have especially oily skin swap the grape seed (which is great for dry skin) with jojoba oil. This measurement of oil (100ml base oil) is a good size for travel. If mixing your own doesn't suit or is too finicky for last minute travel preparations Essential Care make a great natural insect repellent. Mosimix is a certified organic, vegan aromatherapy massage oil based on lemongrass, lavender and thyme which a great at warding of unkindly skin biting predators. It's great to use when gardening, walking or holidaying. But be warned: these natural repellents don't include the malaria, yellow fever and dengue areas of the world. Unfortunately, for a short time at least, most believe you need something more toxic that contains DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide - a chemical originally tested as a pesticide on farms). I'm going to go for the natural alternatives (at my own risk) simply because they're better for the environment (in particular local waterways) and my health. I'll let you know how I fair with our midgy friends come November when I enter the forests of Guatemala and Ecuador!]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:56 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/organic-bruschetta/ Tomatoes Red onion Olive oil Basil Garlic Bread - Small bloomer or baguette I'm not sure how you're actually meant to make bruschetta, but this is how I do it and its always very popular. It's great for using up left over bread and makes a really quick starter. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces (half or quarter cherry tomatoes if you're using those). Finely chop some red onion and mix into the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add a tiny amount of olive oil. Rip a few basil leaves into small pieces and stir those in too. Leave the flavours to infuse while you prepare the bread. Slice the bread 1 ½ to 2 cms thick and toast under the grill. Rub a clove of garlic over the surface of the bread, the rough texture acts almost like a tiny grater. One clove is probably enough for 8 or 10 slices but it depends on the size and how garlicky you like it. Either pile the tomato topping onto the bread and serve immediately, or serve the bread and tomato mixture separately with a spoon so that everyone can add their own topping and the bread won't go soggy.]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:36 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/organic-tomato-salsa/ 6 medium tomatoes 1 Red Onion 1 Green / Red Chilli Big Handful Coriander Lime Juice to taste Sugar to taste (optional) This hardly counts as a recipe, but it's something I make all the time and it's really popular. For parties and barbecues etc, it's so nice to have a really fresh homemade dip. This one is really easy to make and costs a fraction of what you would have to spend to get the same quantity of a shop bought salsa. It's really good with tortilla chips or homemade potato wedges. Quantities above are all approximate and I never measure when making this at home, just adjust to suit your own tastes, but the above should work fine as a starting point. Wash the tomatoes, chilli and coriander, deseed the chilli, and peel the red onion. If you have a food processor, just blitz the tomato, onion, chilli and coriander to the desired size then add lime juice and sugar to taste. (Tomatoes can sometimes be a little bitter so a pinch of sugar can help balance things out). If you don't have a food processor, then chop all the ingredients finely and mix together. Cover and chill until needed. This will make quite a lot, so if there are only a couple of you then reduce the ingredients to suit.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:00:04 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/message-from-sam/ Pastry has always been a challenge for me. This year I've faced my fear of it yet again but this time with a little help from Delia and Nigella and it turned out really well. With all that food about at christmas the larger mince pies can be just too much with a belly full of turnkey and pudding which is why these little mini organic christmas mince pies are so brilliant. The picture on the left are the pies I made for the unveiling of the Live advent window at our SoOrganic Greenwich store. This recipe (courtesy of Delia with a few mini changes) makes 36 mini mince pies. Ingredients 1¼ lb (560 g) organic mincemeat 12 oz (350 g) organic plain flour 3 oz (75 g) lard (I used Trex vegetable fat) 3 oz (75 g) organic butter pinch of salt For the top: a little milk icing sugar Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C). Make up the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rubbing the fats into it until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then add just enough cold water to mix to a dough that leaves the bowl clean. Leave the pastry to rest in a polythene bag in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, then roll half of it out as thinly as possible and cut it into two dozen 3 inch (7.5 cm) rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 2½ inch (6 cm) cutter. Now grease mini patty tins lightly and line them with the larger rounds. Fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry. Dampen the edges of the smaller rounds of pastry with water and press them lightly into position to form lids, sealing the edges. Brush each one with milk and make three snips in the tops with a pair of scissors. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a wire tray and sprinkle with icing sugar. When cool, store in an airtight container.]]> Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:57:22 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/raw-chocolate-recipe/ Selfridges have begun selling a luxury chocolate range named Credit Crunch. But for those of us who can't afford to buy our chocolates wrapped in gold ribbon it may be an idea to make your own. This raw chocolate recipe makes undeniably the best chocolate I've tasted in a long time. 60g grated cacao butter 2 tbsp maca 3 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tbsp agave nectar Directions: Bring a small full pan of water to boil. Place a glass bowl on top of the pan ensuring the bottom of it does not touch the water. Add grated cacao butter and stir continuously. Raw cacao butter has a low melting point (38°C). If it is allowed to heat above this it's molecular structure begins to change, which will affect its beneficial nutrients. Dip a finger in to check it doesn't get too hot (should only be moderately warm) Once melted add the maca and cocoa powder. Once dissolved add the agave nectar. Then add mixture to chocolate moulds or ice cube trays and put in the fridge to harden. Depending on your taste buds you may wish to add a little salt and fresh vanilla bean. Chocolate is far more comforting and uplifting when it's made from quality ingredients. Maca and agave can be a little difficult to find so I buy my ingredients online from the Funky Raw shop where the raw ingredients are pesticide free and fairly traded from small scale growers.]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:48:04 +0000 http://www.soorganic.com/community-blog/organic-mushrooms-with-stilton-and-walnut-stuffing/ These creamy but crunchy stuffed mushrooms and their cooling cucumber dip make a fabulous starter. Serve them with some bread and they'll do for a main course too. This recipe was given to me by my good friend Martina, one of the best home cooks I know! Ingredients:

• 15 Open mushrooms about 7.5-10cm (3-4 in) across
• 4  tbsp  olive oil
• 1  small onion
• 1  clove garlic, finely chopped
• 100g / (3 ½ oz) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 50g / (2oz) walnut pieces
• 3 tbsp  chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp  snipped fresh chives
• finely grated rind of ½ lemon
• 125g / (4oz) stilton, crumbled
• salt and black pepper
• 50g / (2oz) Parmesan, freshly grated
• 7.5 cm piece cucumber, finely diced
• 100ml / (4 fl oz) crème fraiche

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F Gas Mark 5. Remove the mushroom stems and finely chop together with 3 of the mushroom caps.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, then add the onion, garlic and chopped mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes, until soft. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in the breadcrumbs, walnuts, 1 ½ tablespoons each of the parsley and chives, the lemon rind and Stilton. Season well.
3. Place the 12 whole mushroom caps in a large ovenproof dish or roasting tin and divide the stuffing between them. Scatter with Parmesan, drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, basting once, until the mushrooms are tender and the tops have browned.
4. Stir the remaining herbs and the cucumber into the crème fraiche and serve with the stuffed mushrooms.

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