Ishara Organic Blog
Roasted vegetable medley with Moroccan cauliflower rice
Roasted vegetable medley with Moroccan cauliflower rice – Recipe
By Jo Harding, of Paleo Crust
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
- 530g mixed purple, yellow or Romanesco cauliflower
- 2 small red onions
- 300g baby carrots
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- Pinch of Pink Himalayan salt
Cauliflower rice
- 1 large white cauliflower
- 1 leek
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Pinch of Pink Himalayan salt
- Pinch of coarse black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
To serve
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
30g of almonds
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan assisted)
Peel the carrots and red onion and remove the leaves and stalk from the coloured cauliflowers. Chop into chunks and place on a baking tray. Toss with 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile prepare the Moroccan cauliflower rice. Remove the stalk and leaves from the cauliflower. Chop into chunks and blitz in a food processor (using the S blade) until it resembles a rice consistency. Steam on the hob for 5 minutes or place in a bowl and heat in the microwave on medium/ high for 6-8 minutes until soft. Allow to cool slightly and tip into a muslin cloth or thin tea towel and squeeze out the excess water.
In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Remove the skin from the garlic. Finely dice the leek and garlic. Add to the hot coconut oil and cook for 1 minute until translucent. Stir in the spices and then add the cauliflower rice. Fluff with a fork, add the lemon zest and season to taste.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a serving plate and top with the roasted vegetables, chopped fresh parsley and almonds
Love food. Love life.
Food is a powerful medicine. I passionately believe that once you find the right foods that work for your body, you can regain your health through the healing power of food.
Food has always been such a massive part of my life but when I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, an autoimmune disease, I became very confused over what I could and couldn’t eat. I just knew certain foods made my pain worse.
The difficulty is, Ankylosing Spondylitis can take decades to progress to the advanced stages that would show on an MRI and so many sufferers live for years in chronic pain without a diagnosis or a plan to heal. I was 26. For the next 6 years, I was pushed from one consultant to another, pumped full of immuno-suppresents, all of which came with horrendous side effects. Little miss ‘Happy Go Lucky’ turned into little miss introvert. Lying dow to sleep became almost impossible. My health spiralled to an all time low – IBS, leaky gut, Interstitial Cystitis…
The day of change
Christmas Day 2012. A day of celebration for most, a day of change for me. I made the decision there and then to take matters into my own hands. No more masking the pain, time to find the root cause.
I hold the onset of my autoimmune condition to antibiotics, an 18 months course I took for an infection. If only I knew then what I know now about the damage a long course like that can cause to gut health. The balance of good/ bad bacteria in my gut was way off. I started to scour the internet for any correlation between gut health and autoimmune disease. That’s when I changed my diet, discovered Paleo and more recently my tailored low starch approach.
As I read and quizzed doctors about Ankylosing Spondylitis, I gained a wealth of knowledge about its link to a bacteria in the gut called Klebsiella, which feeds off starch. By removing the starchier ingredients from my diet like grains (along with sugar and dairy) there became less for the bacteria to feed on.
Four years on, I’d surprised the doctors and I continue to heal my body today. I never thought relief from that pain could be managed by diet. Removing grains, sugar and dairy allowed me to regain control from my illness and live life again. One I know cherish and am so grateful for every day. It’s about finding the right way of eating for you and making foods from scratch with wholesome, unprocessed ingredients.
New beginnings
Eating healthily is so important to me now and whilst there are so many amazing foods you can enjoy on the Paleo diet, there were certain ‘crust’ filled comfort foods I missed – pies, pizzas, breads, cakes; all the things traditionally made with grains. I wanted to make healthy alternatives using a whole host of fresh ingredients, plus loads of delicious sides, nutritious salads and raw dips to go alongside. Plus lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes too.
I passionately believe that the root to good health is a happy, healthy gut so even if you don’t have an autoimmune condition, my recipes are a great addition to help nourish your body and restore energy.
Thank you
A huge thank you to Amu at Ishara Organic for allowing me to guest post and share my experience today. Coconut oil has played a big part in my healing, thanks to its anti fungal qualities. I hope my journey helps inspire you to eat healthier and have fun in the kitchen.
For more recipes and advice on living with autoimmunity, please pop over to Paleo Crust and say hello. I’d really love to hear from you. Jo x
Instagram @paleocrust
Twitter @paleo_crust
Pinterest paleocrust
Facebook paleocrust
Ishara Organic Blog
Happy New Year 2017!
Seeing gorgeous coconut trees lit up by crackling bursts of fireworks in hues of amber and gold and crimson, was a truly delightful experience. Such was New Year’s eve in Sri Lanka. The gentle winter (sort of) breeze rocked regal palm leaves as they brushed a radiant beautiful illuminated New Year sky, scored by the sounds of jubilant cheers and celebration. The air was humid and warm, and it really was a great beginning to the year, on a wonderful coconut endowed island!
Warm wishes for our Ishara followers…
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous year, here from Ishara Organic! We hope that 2017 brings many good things to you and your loved ones and is a year filled with joy and success!
We are certainly excited about the year ahead. As you know, a lot happened for us in 2016! From countless events, to stocking in new shelves across the country, to meeting so many of our lovely loyal customers and their wonderful stories.
A lot is ahead of us this year, and it’s going to be eventful! We are really excited about some new products we’ve got coming out very soon, which we shall reveal to you shortly! 😀 You can see us at heaps more events and retreats (and on plenty more shelves and online retailers!)
Our coconut products are rapidly growing popular, and interest across the whole coconut range is really taking off!
Coconutty cure…
Having spent New Year’s in Sri Lanka (where they really know how to celebrate, with amazing food and drink!), it was quite an experience. Of course, tradition there has long since known the tremendous benefits of Coconut Water as a hangover cure. Luckily we had our 100% Pure Organic King Coconut Water on hand!
In case you didn’t already know, try our Organic Coconut Water as a natural (and delicious!) hangover cure. Just stock up the fridge, wake up, crawl over to the kitchen, and bottoms up! See how well you notice the difference! 
We hope you enjoy this coming year ahead, and we’re looking forward to bringing you plenty more tasty, healthy and exciting treats! Continue to support what we do, and get in touch with your experiences!
Ishara Organic Blog
Organic Sri Lankan Sweet Rice (Pongal)
So here’s a recipe we’ve been getting repeatedly asked for! Those who tried this at some of out events have been requesting the recipe for our special home made Sri Lankan sweet rice, known as pongal, which we made using our Organic Coconut products for full effect!
It really is a delightful treat, full of sweetness and fragrance, and is traditionally a celebratory dish that has special significance for festive days. It’s enjoyed as a yummy sweet treat by many – and goes down great at our tasting!
So (finally!) here is the recipe for you! Enjoy! 😀
You’ll need:
Ishara Organic Coconut Milk 400ml
Ishara Organic Coconut Sugar 150g
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup Ishara Organic coconut sugar
1/2 cup Ishara Organic coconut milk
2 teaspoons full Ishara Organic coconut oil
3 cups water
Salt to taste (roughly 1/8teaspoon full)
Optional ingredients:
Cardamons
Cadju nuts
Raisins
Method
Wash the rice in a pan twice and add 3 cups of water to it. Bring the contents to boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer for about 15 minutes. If needed, add boiling water from the kettle to keep the rice wet.
In the mean time half fill the cup with the coconut sugar and fill the rest of the cup with the coconut milk. Stir it and pour it in to the cooked rice. Add 2 teaspoons full of Ishara Organic coconut oil and salt to taste. Stir the rice with all the added ingredients, cover it and leave it for another 2 to 3 minutes to absorb the milk and sugar.
Now it is ready to eat!
This will give you about 3 cups of sweet rice. You can keep this in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.
Optional
If you like your sweet rice a bit more interesting, before adding the coconut oil heat it in a pan and add the cardamons to it. After a few seconds add the cadju and then the raisins. Before they get burnt take them off the fire and add the heated oil with the cardomoms cadju and raisins to the rice with the milk and sugar.
This will give a lovely smell and flavour to your sweet rice
Ishara Organic Blog
Food Matters Live 2017
We had a great time last week at Food Matters Live 2017, at Excel London!
It was an interesting opportunity to meet people from across the food industry, from producers to bloggers to distributors to licensers, nutritionists to label makers, chefs and retailers, foodies and everyone under the sun that works within the food industry across the whole board. It really was eye opening! To see how many different piece to the puzzle there are in bringing us some a great range of food in our society. We have so many options and possibilities, and a lot goes into that!
We met some some other great brands, such as the awesome Coppa Della Maga, who make lovely ice cream – http://coppadellamaga.co.uk And Bol who make great healthy dishes – http://www.bolfoods.com . Working with other wonderful food start ups is always a pleasure.
The event only further ignited our love for food!
The best was meeting so many experts on food who all loved our Coconut products and told us their fantastic, and diverse, recipes and uses for coconut, such as baking with our organic coconut flour or deserts with our coconut sugar . We’re working with nutritionists, chefs and food bloggers to discover all the great possibilities of using coconut in your life. So stay tuned! We have lots more to come
And thanks to all who came down! We enjoyed seeing you, and we hope you’re still enjoying our products!
Ishara Organic Blog
Great Day at The BBC Good Food Show!
We had a wonderful weekend meeting many of you at the BBC Good Food Show London this weekend. From Friday to Sunday we were at Kensington Olympia having a blast, sampling our Organic Coconut Water, doing tasters with out new Organic Coconut Sugar and Organic Coconut Cream, and meeting many new brands with some great stories.
We were fortunate to have some lovely neighbours, in the form of Little Moons Mochi, and Pip & Nut, as well as many other great brands, whose products were incredible, and went deliciously with our coconut water.
It was lovely meeting our amazing customers! Those of you who came down really created a great buzz and electrified the atmosphere. We heard your interesting stories, how you got on with our products, and heard all your unique and ingenious ways of using our coconut products. We heard new recipes and cool new tips! We learnt more about our own products talking to you!
There were also many of you asking for us to post some of the recipes, especially the coconut sweet rice you tried on the day – that will be up on here soon! So watch this space for all the info you requested and more.
We really appreciated all the help and hospitality form the BBC Good Food Team, who were so helpful and inspiring. They made the event a great success and created a wonderful atmosphere. The visitors all seemed to have a great time, and stopped by and told us how they’d got on at the event. All the other exhibitors enjoyed themselves and we saw many awesome products from across the food industry.
It was an inspiring place to be!
So thanks all, we hope you had a ball, as did we!
And we look forward to next year! :D:D:D
Lots of love!
Ishara Organic Blog
BBC Good Food Show, 11-13 November
We’re excited about this coming weekend! We’re going to be seeing many of you at the BBC Good Food Show at London Olympia, running from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th.
We will be exhibiting at stall B32, so come down and see us! We’ve got some surprises for you – we’ll be launching some new products, we’ll have free goodies, and there will be some delicious fresh recipes to try on the day! This is our first time exhibiting there, so we’re really looking forward to it.
It will be a lively event, and the BBC Good Food show certainly never disappoints, with the best in the industry, including amazing chefs, flavours and diverse cuisines, as well as great food and drink brands, and loads of lovely people.
There is a wonderful diversity of different things to try, and some divine cooking, not to mention some celebrity chefs. So make sure you attend with an appetite!
We’re looking forward to seeing you, so please do drop by and say hi!
If you want any more info about the event and venue, and making it there, just get in touch with us.
Bon weekend people!
Ishara Organic Blog
Om Yoga Show London 2016
Thanks to all who joined us over the weekend at Alexandra Palace for the Om Yoga Show London 2016. We had a really wonderful time, and connected with loads of great people and inspiring businesses. We saw some intriguing things, from awesome new yoga equipment to delicious food stalls, to talented yogis and teachers. From Acro Yoga to Aerial Yoga, yoga mats to coconut water, it was a delightful day.
And it was really incredible to share our Coconut goodies with everyone. So many happy faces dropped by to enjoy some of our tasty King Coconut Water, and stock up on their Organic Raw Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. We sampled our brand new Organic Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk, and many people were asking us about our stockists and how they could get more.
It was absolutely thrilling to be a part of such a wonderful community and share the food love with everyone. We talked all about the benefits of King Coconut Water, and about the sustainable ethical farming we use.
We did a whole lot of yoga! There were so many brilliant classes, and it became apparent that London has some great talent. We’re big lovers of yoga and work with a lot of yogis and yoga studios, as well as promoting and supporting yoga events.
So it was the perfect weekend for us! And anyone that came by, we’d like to thank you sincerely for the support. And thanks to everyone that’s purchased our product and supported our business. We honestly appreciate it. You rock!
Ishara Organic Blog
Being Creative With Recycling
What do you do with our glass bottles and jars when you’ve finishing devouring our scrumptious products?
As you know, we love nature – that’s why we serve our delightful organic products straight from her bountiful belly. But we hate to waste. Recycling can be fun and creative, and provide opportunities to think outside the box.
So we brought out our arts and crafts skills to see if we could reuse our bottles and jars and integrate them back into our environment.
And here you have it! We took some bottles as party decorations, and made some lovely little vases for our flowers.
Definitely coloured up our environment, and brought a little bit more happiness out of each and every bottle we use.
So go on, don’t just drink our Organic King Coconut Water, or use our Organic Raw Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, be creative!
Plenty of sunshine!
Garden, inside and out!
Little more green :)
Ishara Organic Blog
Summer Drinks!
Mixing some passion fruit and lime with ur 100% Pure Organic King Coconut Water. Makes for a lovely summer drink, the perfect tropical refresher!
Be creative, throw together cocktails, fruit juice mixers, whatever floats your culinary boat!
Ishara Organic Blog
Herb and Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe
For those of you that enjoy a good rice dish, we cooked a very simply and delicious recipe for richly flavoured herb and vegetable rice to go along with whatever side dish you choose – be it an aromatic curry, some freshly grilled salmon, or with a side of nutritious vegetables. You can enjoy this dish with a side of Indian raita, and we chose to wash it down with some Organic King Coconut Water!
So what’s the recipe?
Ingredients:
Boiled rice- 1 cup
Carrot-25 grams
Beans-25 grams
Peas- 25 grams
Cumin seeds- 1 tea spoon
Thyme -1 tea spoon
Oregano- 1 tea spoon
Fresh Basil- a handful (chopped)
White pepper powder- a tea spoon
Extra virgin coconut oil- 1 table spoon
How To Make It
1. Add a tablespoon of Organic Raw Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to the pan and heat, adding cumin seeds. Wait till it turns golden brown and add the steamed carrot, beans and Peas to it.
2. Now add some boiled rice to the pan and stir it gently with the vegetable.
3. Sprinkle the white pepper powder and salt over it, allowing it to scintillate with flavour
4. Add the dried herbs and fresh basil to the rice, stirring and allowing the aroma to rise, before serving on a plate.
5. To really enjoy this perfect rice dice, have with a side of yogurt raitha.
6. To make a creamy and delicious raita for your side, just add chopped onion,tomato and mint leaves of same quantity and add it with the salted yogurt and enjoy!
So go forth and enjoy, fellow rice eaters, and see which geographic cuisine the wind might take you to accompany your fully flavoured, elegant and delicious herb and vegetable fried rice!
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