Sitting out on the deck basking in an english summers day…
we luxuriate in the fact that it’s midwinter in New Zealand and we’re relishing lunch outdoors!
OK, the air’s nippy enough to be wearing socks and a cosy hoody, but isn’t that the ravishing bit about winter?
And fires?
Admittedly, the fire’s on indoors, gently keeping the hot water tank full, and at the ready to take off Jack Frosts icy touch in the morning.
Beach fires have been lit and friends gather as the sun lays its’ head behind the ranges of the national park. Children flit about burning bare bottoms with sand slides and the elders swap their weekly chatter and philosophise over Matariki, super-full moons and the footy.
What to share around a fire?
Blankets, mead, music and love. And feast on familiar hearty foods.
Wracking my brain for a raw dish to share with fellow foodies is not on my list of priorities. Gathering beach clodder and having a fun day at the local markets, eating lunch al fresco is.
A fervoured cooked dish used to be refried beans. Easy to whip together, nourishing, adored by all.
Easy!
No- fried beans with salsa, guacamole and raw chips. Fire fodder whipped up in under half an hour.
My kinda food prep!
The wonder-full-ness of living foods is the speed in which a meal can be gathered. The ease of converting a favourite cooked meal to raw for shared celebrations and the simplicity of ingredients needed to transition. Many are awed when they see the light. And taste the outcome.
My husband and I pass cacao beans to one another in sultry corners looking for a hit that alcohol used to get a glint of. Feeling high, full of clarity and stoked for being alive, our inner fires burn strong with a power previously unmatched.
Children glowing with orange flames highlighted on rudded cheeks huddle around the roaring fire, toasting sticky marshmallows on bits of driftwood. My girls join them with bare sticks, embracing the warmth and light that welcomes them into the circle.
Ecstactically they gobble up shop-bought raw chocolate macaroons, a wicked delicacy saved for such occasions. Sadly, not enough to share around, my homemade treats of cacao and bee pollen are snaffled up, reminding us of the summer days that lie ahead.
Opening up the thermos, my beloved and I temporarily connect and wrap our chilled hands around a cup of raw hot chocolate, sensationally spiked with chilli and ginger.
We delight in the connection to the Aztecs, the Divine and ourselves as we speak of love and connectedness in our life.
No-fried beans
8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 4 hours. (keep the soak water)
2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
1/2 chilli pepper
1 red onion, chopped
large handful of coriander, chopped
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic, chopped
1/ Pop seeds (saving a handful to add to mix at the end) and tomatoes into the food processor and mix until a mushed-up mash.
2/ Add the rest of the ingredients and process adding the reserved soak water to create your desired consistency.
Call some friends, kick back on blankets and share some tall tales around a camp fire.
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