Inspirational Friends: Elenore from Earthsprout

Greetings from the Arctic Circle, my friends!

We finally arrived here on Monday morning, after travelling for almost 30 hours. Needless to say we've been jet lagged, but very excited at the same time. It feels so good to be home. Spring has arrived even on these altitudes, but it is still early days and we even had a few snowflakes falling down yesterday. I've taken a few happy snaps here and there and will share those with you a bit later.

Whilst we are busy getting everything organised for the wedding, I've invited another fabulously inspiring friend as a guest here on my blog. I've been a huge fan of Elenore's blog for quite some time now and her endless positive energy has been both addictive and contagious. I am so honoured to have Elenore here to answer a few questions about her raw food journey and share yet another delicious recipe with us. 

Thank you Elenore and much love back to you!

PS. The giveaway entries close today, May 31. I will announce the winners of Sarah's e-book later this week.

I just fell in love. With myself. And yes, it had everything to do with the Liquorice toffee on the picture above. I might even have to go get me a ring or something.

If you are familiar with me or with Earthsprout then you know I tend to rave about all kinds of Greenylicious health boosting things but quite frankly it is Raw chocolate and leafy veggie-focused most of the time. So now I'm breaking a pattern for Beautiful Maria and all of you Scandi Foodies on this amazingly bright page! I am really happy to get to share these recipes with you (cuz then you´ll fall in love with yourselves too) plus I am crazy glad to be able to help Maria give all her attention to the wedding. I think we all agree that she should, right!?

Now you might be wondering who on earth I am who suddenly popped up here. Well, I am Elenore, your official Tree Hugger and Sassy Health Gal. I run with the wolves and I love long fabulous dresses. I mix the wonders of nature with the latest of knowledge in the world of natural nutrition an I firmly believe in the magic of this Planet. I mean I doubt that the date pits that I throw out in the vegetable garden will grow since I live in Sweden. but still, this Earth is pretty magical indeed. So what I do is that I use my knowledge and inspiration to hopefully make a change in the world. I spread Greenylicious tips and love and crazy dance this whole life through! (More in the interview below)

Fun & Fabulous Facts

So if the earth is magical then of course so is the Liquorice root! Liquorice is derived from a plant part of the pea family which means that Liquorice is a legume and was actually also sold in pharmacies up until the 70´s! I remember the first time I met this root, I was around 6 or 7 year old and I got one to chew on in the health food store. Instant love for sure. It is traditionally used as a mouth refresher so I'm not the only one who likes to chew on it apparently.

There are many studies and many things said about the wondrous root of the Liquorice plant one of them being it´s effect on the hormones of the endocrine system. There are active substances in Liquorice that acts balancing in particularly the bodies of women by adding plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) and lowering the amount of testosterone (the "male" hormone). Based on studies that show this, the liquorice root is commonly used to help balance menstrual irregularities and other problems liked to the hormonal system. I think that is a really good excuse to indulge in these toffee squares at least! That being said, it is not advised to eat more than 50g liquorice per day as it can in access consumption for example rise blood pressure or disrupt the water balance in the body.

Raw Liquorice Toffee with Rhubarb compote

This is one of those ridiculously easy raw dessert recipes that you can create in a few minutes and while the toffee rests in the freezer you have time to make the compote. I know it may seem like the weirdest collision of flavors but I'm telling you. It´s so darn delish! (did I mention it's free from added sugars?) Now go fall in love with yourself!

Raw Liquorice Toffee

 (Makes 8 mid sized squares)

165 g prunes

40 g virgin coconut oil, carefully melted in a bowl over hot water

40 g almond flour or ground almonds

2 tsp Raw Liquorice powder
0.5 tsp Himalayan salt

6 drops of anise seed oil

1 tsp Raw Liquorice powder (to dust the toffees with)

1. Add all ingredients to your a food processor and blend thoroughly until it has formed a smooth dough.

2. Press the dough into a a square on a baking sheet, dust with the additional liquorice powder and put in the freezer while you make the rhubarb compote.

3. Cut the toffee in squares and enjoy together with the compote.

Rhubarb Compote

400 g rhubarb, peeled & sliced

170 g apple

0.5 cup water

3 tsp arrowroot powder

10 drops of stevia concentrate

0.5 tsp pure vanilla

1. Add rhubarb, apple and water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil then let it simmer at a low temperature for 10 minutes.

2. Add arrowroot powder, stevia and vanilla and stir until incorporated.

3. Turn of the heat, put on the lid and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.

Assembly

Put a small liquorice square on a pretty plate sprinkle some Himalayan sea salt over it and add some rhubarb compote, decorate with a few mint leaves. EAT!

What inspired you to become a raw, vegan foodie?

Lets start by saying that I am not eating 100% raw but I sure am a raw lover and continuously amazed by how raw food makes me feel.  So. Being close to nature and venturing the world of yoga always makes me question eating animals and this was also where it all started. Going completely green might not be for everyone but it sure does resonate with me and my belief that lot´s of veggies = world peace. I know it sounds a bit cheesy but it will continue to be a huge part of my core.

You’re an organic gardener and a raw food chef. Tell us how you got into this kind of a career?

It is actually a funny story but when I tell it is just makes perfect sense. I am all for following your intuition and there was a period of time in my life when I was not sure where I should go next. One day this thought popped into my head that said "let´s create a vegetable garden" and so i did. From that day on everything else kind of followed. Growing vegetables sparked my interest in natural nutrition and when realizing that the veggies are such powerful superheroes, all I wanted to do was to spread the word. Years of education and experience followed, Earthsprout was born and now here I am really glad that I went with my gut feeling. Our intuition rocks!

What tips do you have for people wanting to make the switch to a raw food diet?

I´d say experiment, play, find all sorts of fun inspiration and if you live in an area that have cold seasons, wait for summer to come! Oh, and Raw Food desserts are such a perfect eye opener and definitely have the power to make people want more of the raw stuff!

What is your favourite raw food meal to prepare?

Yesterday I made a raw meal for me and Fabian. Zucchini pasta with tomato sauce and olives, topped off with greens and raw crackers. It made me realize how much I love the simple meals. Pure, Whole and Oh So Tasty!

What are your future plans? Any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

Well first and foremost I was thinking I´d save the world... I am part of an AMAZING weekend course called Goddess Boost in July where I´ll whip up some glorious raw foods and speak about my yummy passions. I am really looking forward to that! You should come!

Also I am putting the final touches on the design of my fabulous Nordic Superfood Mix which I am going to launch this summer. This is such a heart project of mine and with it I wish to spread knowledge about the superb superfoods that we have here up north. The Nordic Superfood Mix is exclusively handpicked, extremely powerful and really tasty. If you want to hear more about it or maybe know some place suitable to sell the product, do contact me! I´d love to hear from you!

Hugest thanks to Maria for having me, such an honor (Scandi foodie is Totally Earthsprout Approved)! And all you Scandi Foodie honeys, you are more than welcome to join me on Facebook and Twitter and tell me all about your Greenylicious adventures!

xxx

°° Elenore Earth °°

Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/527708-licorice-root-hormone-imbalance