Homemade Vegemite

Vegemite is an Australian staple, but the downside of this spread is that it is packed full of salt, and made with added colour 150c from the manufacturing process of fructose, malt syrup and other sweeteners. It also contains unspecified  'flavours' - which can be anything from from a naturally-derived food (animal or plant source) or synthetic flavours made in food chemical laboratories.  

At Westside Renee and I prefer to make our own 'Vegemite' - it's easy to make, stores well in the fridge and the kids love it!

Ingredients

• 120g Black Tahini

• 100mL tamari (or coconut aminos)

• 3 x tbs nutritional yeast flakes

• 1 x tbs apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Store in jar in the fridge.

Makes 1 x jar. Keeps for 2 months refrigerated.

Homemade Mild Curry Powder

Homemade curry powder is such a cheap and simple thing to make, I don't know why people don't make their own more! Store bought curry powder often has colours, additives and preservatives, so making your own enables you to know exactly what you are putting in your cooking.

I don't generally insist that people choose organic produce when cooking, but when it comes to herbs and spices there really is a huge difference! Spices will last up to 12 months when stored in an airtight container, so despite being a bit more expensive, you will still get bang for your buck. And did you read the Choice review that talked about the actual percentage of oregano that was in common/popular brands of herbs? Make sure you buy reputable brands such as Gourmet Organic Herbs or by bulk herbs online from Honest to Goodness or shops like Terra Madre (if you live in Melbourne).

This curry powder will make enough for 5-8 curries (depending on how strong you like your curry) and will last approximately 12 months in an airtight container.

In a bowl, combine:

• 4 tsp cumin ground cumin

• 4 tsp ground coriander

• 3 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 tsp mustard powder

• 1 tsp cardamom powder

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Place in an airtight container and store away from heat and direct sunlight.

Homemade Face Cleanser

MAKING YOUR OWN CHEMICAL-FREE FACE CLEANSER IS EASY

Have you ever checked the ingredients of you favourite skin cleanser? Most of us would struggle to pronounce some of the ingredients, let alone know what they are or where they come from. 

Many substances used in skincare manufacturing (such as EDTA, sodium lauryl sulfate and formaldehyde) are harmful to our bodies. In many instances they are known carcinogens (substances known to cause cancer). 

You can avoid these harmful substances simply by making your own skincare products at home. It’s fast, cheap and so simple to do. 

I whip some a batch of this skin cleanser every month or so. It's gentle and effective, you can apply the product to the skin every day - it's both nourishing and deep cleansing to clear out clogged up pores. 

If you find the skin is too oily, simply cleanse you skin at night and by morning the oil will have absorbed into your skin, leaving it soft a smooth. 

ABOUT BENTONITE CLAY

Bentonite clay is formed by volcanic ash and contains many minerals including silica and magnesium. It acts to detoxify the pores of the skin due to it's difference in electrical charge. This assists it's drawing action to pull excessive oil and gunk from the pores to give you softer, smoother and clearer skin. To learn more about Calcium Bentonite (green clay) - we recommend reading more here. 

USING NON-METALLIC EQUIPMENT

Bentonite clay strips heavy metals from the body and from any minerals it comes into contact with….including your aluminium or stainless steel cookware.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbs coconut oil Ÿ 
• 2 tsp raw honey Ÿ-  I love this brand 
• 1 tsp baking soda - this brand is great
• 1 tsp bentonite clay Ÿ - I recommend this brand
• 3 drops essential oil of your choice Ÿ- I love ylang ylang or geranium oil
• Dried flower petals
   

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients in a non-metallic bowl and store in a glass jar.
2. Leave ample room in the jar as the mixture will swell as the clay expands.

APPLICATION

1. To use simply wash your face with warm water.
2. Apply a small amount to the skin (about the size of a 20 cent coin).
3. Massage into the skin and wash off with a warm wet face cloth. 

Keeps for up to 3 months in a sealed container. I prefer to use a glass jar for a container but you could also use a food grade plastic one. In the warmer months the oils will separate, simply stir to recombine.

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Orange Coconut Body Scrub

We make a lot of coconut milk at Westside Wellness! ....And that means lots of leftover coconut pulp. You can blitz the leftover pulp in a food processor or thermomix and then dehydrate it to make coconut flour, but because baking requires so little of it we often have more than we can handle. 

I like to use the leftover pulp to make body scrub - it really helps exfoliate dead skin from your pores but at the same time adds a fine coating of moisture to the skin to keep it nice a smooth. The orange rind adds a nice scent and provides a natural anti-microbial element to to the scrub to prevent unwanted skin infections.

Simply grab a handful and scrub onto to the skin (pay special attention to the knees, ankles, feet and elbows) while your in the shower. Wait a minute or two and then rinse off - enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups of coconut pulp (from making homemade coconut milk)

• 1 cup of salt

• Grated rind of 1 orange

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Store in 3 x 200mL jars. Keep 2 of the jars in the freezer for up to 2 months. The other jar can be kept in you shower to be used daily until finished, about 2 weeks.

Cashew Pesto

Pesto is a simple way to get alkalising and anti-inflammatory nutrients into your diet while not missing out on flavour.

At Westside Wellness we are constantly recommending to our naturopathy clients to eat more greens - and pesto is a quick and easy way to add greens to an existing meal, simply dash some on top of beef, tofu or eggs, add to salad for extra flavour or spread on sandwiches.

Best of all, the whole family loves pesto! It's like my 4 year old has NO idea that it contains nuts (ha ha ha!) and my 2 year old seems to only spy the carbohydrate or protein below it (winning!!!).

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw cashews

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 bunch of basil

• 1/2 bunch of parsley

• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

• Juice and rind of 1 lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Remove the large stems from the rosemary, basil and parsley.

2. Finely grate the rind from the lemon (leaving the bitter pith behind).

3. Juice the lemon.

4. Add 1/4 cup of oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until the garlic, lemon juice and oil are well combined.

5. Throw in the cashews and fresh herbs.

6. Pulse until the cashews and herbs are well mixed and not quite a paste.

7. Leave the motor running and drizzle in the rest of the oil until the pesto becomes a paste.

Store in a jar with a layer of olive oil to keep fresh. Will keep in the fridge for 3 weeks. 

Homemade Nut Milk

Although there are some pretty good nut milks on the market these days, we generally make our own and encourage others to as well because it is so easy and cheap to make AND you can ensure that you're avoiding any added nasties such as thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives. Not to mention the fact that a lot of the commercial brand nut milks actually contain a very small percentage of nuts!

We like to mix it up but generally stick with almond or cashew milk because of their creamy flavour and compatibility with coffee, but you can also other nuts such as macadamia or seeds like hemp and sunflower (although they make a much nuttier tasting milk).

Nut milks will last 3-4 days in the fridge and can replace dairy, soy and other milks. When heating for coffee or cooking, do so at low temperatures to avoid splitting. If splitting does occur, however, it is still drinkable.

Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of raw nuts (cashews, almonds, macadamia or a mixture)

• 4 cups of filtered water

• 1 tsp of good quality salt (we use Mount Zero pink lake salt)

• *Optional ingredients: 1 tsp vanilla essence or 1/2 vanilla pod scraped out, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbs rice malt syrup

• You will also need a nut bag or fine muslin cloth for straining (we got our nut bag from The Source)

METHOD

1. Place the nuts and salt in a glass or ceramic jug or bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight or for at least 8 hours (except for cashews which only need 4-6 hours of soaking time)

2. Drain and rinse the nuts thoroughly. Place in a food processor, blender or thermomix and add 4 cups of water*, processing on high for 2 minutes.

3. Pour the contents into the nut bag, over a bowl and gently squeeze out all the nut milk. The pulp will retain a lot of milk so you really need to work it to get it all out. If you want to add any of the optional ingredients (sweetener, vanilla etc) chuck it in with the milk and give it a quick whizz in your process/thermomix. If you have used cashews you don’t need to strain, even better (you will get a bit of sediment in the bottle/jar so shake before use).

4. Keep your nut milk in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge for up to 4 days.

5. The left over nut pulp can be added to smoothies, soups (if not sweetened), added to crumbles or other desserts. We like to freeze the leftover pulp and when there is a largish amount, defrost it and dehydrate it for 24 hours or so until dry. Then we blitz it to turn into almond flour for baking! No waste there!

*Please ensure you are not going over the liquid capacity of your processor, if it takes less than 4 cups, process the milk in halves (half nuts and half water)