Apple & Date cake
(Rotoiti ReTREAT favourite)
2 cups peeled & diced apples/stewed apples
1 cup pitted dates, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup boiling water
125g softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
Topping: 50g butter
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup thread coconut
1 tbsp golden syrup
Preheat oven to 180c
Combine apples, dates, baking soda and boiling water. Leave to cool. (substitute some of the water for rum or brandy for flavour).
Beat butter and sugar together till creamy, then add egg and vanilla.
Sift the flour and salt, add alternatively with apple mixture to butter mixture.
Bake 35-40 min.
Combine topping ingredients and melt together in a pot over a medium heat. Remove cake from oven, add topping, spread carefully, then bake for another 10 mins until topping is golden and skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
MJ
Kitchari (for 8+ people)
SN, ReTREAT ‘09 winner RFAward
Kitchari means ‘mixture’, usually of two grains. This recipe is Indian ayurveda in origin (natural health through balancing the 3 constitutions; Vata/ Kapha/ Pitta), very fragrant and is particularly nourishing and easy to digest. We enjoyed it at the 2008 South Island ReTREAT, where it lasted for 5-6 days!
1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups Mung Dahl (split peas-yellow)
7 cups boiling water aprox.
Salt dash
2 Tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)
3 tsps Mustard Seeds
2 tsps Cumin Seeds or powder
2 tsps Tumeric powder
2 tsps Coriander powder
2 tsps Fennel seeds or powder
1 pinch Asafoetida powder
1 tsp ground root ginger
these ingredients can be found at any good Indian grocer and most at your local supermarket.
Carefully pick over rice and dahl to remove any stones. Wash each separately in at least 2 changes of water, until water clear. Keep separate.
Saute the seeds in the ghee until they pop, then add the other spices. Add the dahl and salt, saute 1-2 minutes. Add the boiling water, bring to boil, then simmer 30 minutes or until the dahl is two thirds cooked.
Prepare the vegetables that suit your constitution*. Cut veges into smallish pieces, then add rice and these veges, stirring, to main mix. Add water, as required. Bring back to boil and simmer until rice is cooked (20 mins aprox). Aim to have minimal liquid remaining, leaving the lid off the pot for excess to be absorbed.
Options:
Vegetables – zucchini, asparaus, sweet potato
For Vata or Kapha constitutions, add a pinch of ground ginger
For Pitta constitutions, omit mustard seeds.
Teas for each constitution:
Vata tea – equal parts ground ginger, cumin and coriander
Pitta tea – equal parts cumin, coriander and fennel
Kapha tea – equal parts ground ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of clove
Ayurveda (the ‘science of life’) is a system of traditional/alternative (CAM) medicine native to the Indian Subcontinent and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of medicine. In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda consists of the words yus, meaning ‘life’, and veda, meaning ‘related to knowledge’ or ‘science’. Ayurvedic practitioners also identified a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for curing various ailments and diseases.
In the Ayurvedic system, the prevention of all types of disease has a prominent place in treatment, including restructuring a patient’s lifestyle to align with the course of nature and the four seasons to guarantee complete wellness. Ayurveda uses herbs, constitutional dietary balances, massage, and Yoga as exercise.
