07/06/2010 by D.

This is another fabulous recipe from World Food Café 2.  If the chutney jar is empty and the cheese board awaits, this fantastic little number is quick to make and has all the great elements a chutney needs: spicy, tangy, sweet and moreish.

3 tbsp tamarind dissolved in 350ml hot water
2 mugs dates, stoned and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp chilli powder (or two chillis, chopped)
2 tbsp honey
2 limes, juiced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sultanas
1/2 mug cashews, chopped

Gently bring all ingredients apart from the cashews to a boil.  Cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes until the dates have cooked down to a chutney consitency.

Fill two jam jars and their lids with boiling water to sterilise.  Tip out water after 10 mins and upturn jars and lids to drain onto a clean towel or cloth.

Add cashews to mixutre in pan and cook for 5 more minutes.  Spoon into the jars and seal with lids immediately.  Leave to cool.  Once you open a jar, store in fridge.

Posted in Tamarind, Chutney, Lime, Sultanas, Cashews, Dates, Ginger, Vegetarian, Chilli, Honey, Garlic, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

13/10/2009 by D.

The season of colds is upon us, so I decided to go and do a bit of research about why the lemon is so good for fighting colds.

It is a natural remedy for a number of reasons. The juice of 1 lemon apparently contains 80% of the RDA of Vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts the immune system, creating more white blood cells to fight infection and cutting short the life span of the virus. Lemon juice also decreases the toxicity of the virus in the body, which in turn reduces the symptoms and shortens the duration of the cold.  You can use a fork to get more juice out of your lemon if you don’t have a squeezer at work.

The honey doesn’t only sweeten…it soothes the throat and can also reduce the length of your cold, though researchers are still not completely sure why…

If you have your honey and lemon with an iron rich snack like dried apricots, oats, or cashews, you will further boost your chances of fighting colds as you’ll increase the iron absorbtion and therefore boost your immunity further.  So don’t break out the lemsip, visit your local shop!

Do try not to drink it followed by a tea or coffee which reduces vitamin C uptake…

Posted in Cold, Honey, Lemon, Tip, Organic Box | Print | 1 Comment »