Shelley’s Scrumptious Savoury Slices:

Shelley’s Scrumptious Savoury Slices: 

were named in honour of a friend who liked these so much she  told me she had been dreaming about them ...

They are  great for people on Vegan, Paleo  and Low Carb High Fat diets. They are also relatively low in Fructose (although try not to eat too many Aubergines if you are ona low FODMAPS diet!) and they are suitable for people prone to heartburn-if combined with some lower fat veg/salads etc.

Use them as dippers for guacamole or other sauces or as a bread substitute. They are also a  lovely alternative to crisps/chips.

Image taken from: https://theheartthrills.wordpress.com/tag/aubergine/

Ingredients:

·         1-2 large aubergines

Dressing:

·         ¼ to ½  cup of Water

·         2 heaped tablespoons of seed butter ( I use tahini and/or sunflower seed butter)

·         2 tablespoons of tamari

·         2-4 tablespoons of  oil ( Rapeseed oil is a good option nutritionally but olive oil works fine)

·         1 teaspoon of ume plum seasoning (optional)

·         1 table spoon of allspice or

·         1-2 teaspoons each of :

§      Cumin &/or Coriander

§      Paprika,

§      Turmeric,

§      Thyme &/or dried Basil &/or Oregano

Instructions:

1.        Turn the oven to the DEFROST setting or crank up your dehydrator if you have it. ( I wish!)

2.       Cut 1-2 large aubergines into slices about 8mm thick ( The thinner the slices, the greater the danger that they will get too brittle and paper-like; however, if they are too thick they will feel a bit too raw in the middle.)

3.       Put 2 heavily heaped tablespoons of tahini and/or sunflower seed butter ( 1 spoon of each works well) into a mixing jug. Slowly add water, stirring continuously until you get a nice paste. You can thin this a little to the consistency of cream but no thinner!

4.      Stir the tamari, ume plum seasoning, oil and spices into the seed butter paste. I recommend using 4 tablespoons of rapeseed oil to ensure a good ratio of omega 3:6.

5.       Line some baking or roasting trays with grease-proof parchment paper.

6.      Lay the aubergine slices on the paper and brush with the oil mixture.

Pour ..................................................Spread.........................Check that all slices are well-coated

7.       Any leftover oil can be poured into a jar and refrigerated. It makes a lovely salad dressing (It is particularly nice with my best broccoli salad. Recipe to follow! )

8.      Place the aubergine slice trays into your oven or dehydrator and check every hour.

9.      They take about 2-3 hours in my oven, but check after an hour and then every 20-30 minutes. The “baking” time depends on your oven and how thickly you cut the aubergine.

You want them to look like they have soaked up the dressing and you don’t want them to be too dry and white in the middle. They should look slimy or crispy but not too raw.

Ideally you want to catch them before they get too hard and burnt! Don’t worry if some of them seem too dry and others seem really chewy when you take them out. They will improve a bit after you jar them.

10.    So the last step is to put them in jars and eat them later!

Spinal Tip Two Smoothie!

For anyone who finds pears too sweet/high in fructose.. this variation is for you!

Or indeed for anyone who has squash in the house but no pears,
or
For anyone who wants a slightly cheaper version of the first smoothie...

Popeye images from: 
http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/bugs-bunny-vs-popeye-the-sailor-man-757492/  and
 http://cartoonsimages.com/popeye/popeye-and-olive-desktop-backgrounds-free 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of folate rich SPINACH
• 5 cm (2") of Squash/ 1 cup
• 5 cm (2") of cucumber peeled 
• 1 large or 2 small avocados (optional)

 Squash it in there 

 Method:

1. Dunk your spinach in a bowl of water for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile rinse your squash and steam gently (at a low setting) in a pot with 1/2 cup of water and 5 grinds of salt. ( I use himalayan or celtic salt)
3. As soon as the squash has softened remove from the heat and allow to cool. **

**[If planning to eat this smoothie every day, you might just like to cook several days worth of the squash in advance!  But for the first one it is probably best to try the recommended quantity to see if you even like the recipe! :) ]

Squishy Squashy Spinachy
Smoothie/Juice?

4. Meanwhile lift the spinach leaves out of the bowl into a sieve/colander- leaving any sandy residue behind. Then thoroughly rinse the spinach leaves.

5. Blend together the Spinach leaves, peeled cucumber and cooled squash- including the squash cooking water.

6. Taste this mix- you might find you don't need the avocado as it is quite delicious!

Squishy Squashy
Smoothie Sauce

7. However if you do want something creamier, add in your avocado and blend away. This makes the smoothies much more creamy and if you cut out the water you can use this as a sauce for eating with your favourite crackers or roasted nuts or starchy veg like potatoes or fish like salmon etcetera. I enjoyed some with roasted hazelnuts as shown!

In the Raw:

1. You can use raw squash but it won't taste as lovely and the texture will be less smooth. Remember to add the same amount of slated water though.

2. The raw version is better with the avocado blended in and used as a dip or sauce.