Wholesome Seduction: EP Edition
Wholesome Seduction: EP Edition
Wholesome Seduction brings you the latest food and nutrition musings from Clare Garcia. Clare's blog focuses on observations about current trends, recipes and opinions in the world of eating.
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What is Wholesome Seduction?
Wholesome Seduction is a food blog that believes food is fuel and it should not only taste good, but do us good. Taking inspiration from abroad and with a little thought and planning, flavour needn’t be compromised.
Clare Garcia is Creative Director for Gather & Gather.
This EP edition of Wholesome Seduction is a summary of Clare’s blogs over the past month, just click on the pictures to read the complete story.
In this issue
Since blogging my favourite Travel Pick: Riad Lolita, Tarifa in September, Wholesome Seduction has gone all out on recipes. In the spirit of warding off winter chills, I've shared three of my easiest super shakes to power you through till lunch and trim down pre Xmas-Excess. Yep, I said the C-word! In my defence, it is almost December...
I've also finally caved on one of my most treasured secret accidental recipes: Sesame & rosemary spice, which transforms even the most pathetic emergency supper into something worthy of an Ottolenghi price tag (in my humble opinion). Please just trust me and give it a go, and let me know how you get on.
Happy cooking!
Clare
Peanut butter & banana breakfast shake
The last of my super shakes series and hands down the simplest; I made today's in less than 2 minutes. You have to admit that beats toast or cereal for speed - you can eat it on-the-go too! I developed this one for Paul Winch-Furness, arguably London's favourite food photographer (he has a fairly exhaustive high profile portfolio: Meat Liquor, Nobu, Bistroteque, Pitt Cue Co., Ceviche...). I actually promised a couple of other wheat free recipes to Paul (I bore hime with new ideas daily. #oops) but given his confession to having a sweet tooth and being partial to peanut butter, I felt compelled to throw this one in too.
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Watercress, avocado & passionfruit smoothie
Green shakes are a great start to the day, possibly none more so that those containing superhero, watercress. It does wonders for cleansing the liver and brightening the skin and eyes, amongst other things. The good news: veg shakes (genuinely) taste delicious... provided the fruit ratios and options are right! The passionfruit, cucumber and watercress give this recipe a refreshing tang, while the avocado, mango and almond milk make it creamy and filling. Frozen fruit not only adds to the creaminess, it makes more sense in winter.
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Cacao, nut & berry super shake
Super shakes are fast becoming as key to a cafe menu as coffee; even Pret's now in on the cacao & almond milk smoothie action. As such, I've been developing recipes for yoga pop-ups, independent cafes and the somewhat larger, Gather & Gather. This is my favourite.
It's hard to restrict the reasons to love this shake to just a few words, but the fact it tastes like chocolate milk and is actually good for you, is probably key. It’s also super quick to make (-5 mins) and can be eaten on-the-go so ideal for busy schedules. In terms of health tick boxes, think: protein, energy, anti-oxidants, vegan, no refined sugar, dairy free blah blahhh wheat free blahhhh. One friend is even convinced cacao kick starts her day more than coffee; tall order but I like it.
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Sesame & rosemary spice
Naming this recipe was particularly tricky: seasoning or flour-less breadcrumb? Is crunch or crumb too circa 1996? Either way, it's a random experiment that quickly evolved into a storehouse staple. Seasoning on steroids, I sprinkle it on everything from mushrooms on toast to kale (trust me); soups to salads. Even the most pathetic emergency supper is instantly transformed into meaty, nutty, spicy, saltiness. And it's carb-free, protein packed and ideal for reducing your salt intake. Now do you see why no name does it justice?
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Mushrooms with poached egg & spicy sesame
Make the most of wild mushrooms while they’re in season with this uber recipe. OK, so the picture is of the less sophisticated (and less expensive) chestnut mushroom. A technicality. Just proof this dish works with any fungi you can get your hands on. In my quest for the meatiest, most comforting version of this mushroom classic, I've played around with the ingredients a lot. As such, you don’t need the seasoning, but I find it cranks everything up a notch, while adding protein and being more filling. Similarly, you can lose the egg; I have a bit of a thing for gooey yoke running into crunchy, chilli salt coated mushroom denseness.
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