Fruit puree with oatmeal and nuts

[vivacity]

Source: http://www.wilkesmann.com/page3495.htm
Author: Ute-Marion Wilkesmann

Here's a recipe by one of my favourite no-nonsense cooks. Ute specialises in healthy vegetarian recipes and regularly publishes recipes and the occasional video on her website. If you click on the link above, you'll be taken to the video of this recipe. It's cheap to make, very healthy and can be changed according to what fruit is currently in season.

Ingredients for 1 serving:

1 medium sized banana
1 T lemon juice
1 orange
1/2 stick of rhubarb (organic is best, supermarket variety can stay stringy)
1 small apple
3 T oatmeal (author makes her own using fresh grain)
1 T cream
about 20 almonds

1. Purée peeled orange, peeled banana, chopped rhubarb and lemon juice in TM for 1m/speed 4.
2. Then purée further 13s/speed 8.
3. Put the oatmeal in a bowl.
4. Chop the apples into small pieces (you can purée it with the other fruit if you want) and add to the oatmeal.
5. Pour the fruit purée over the apples and oatmeal.
6. Pour the cream over the fruit.
7. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and serve.

The author recommends that if you use organic oranges you can cut the orange peel into little pieces and store in honey for a few weeks and use it as candied orange peel.

[Thermomixer]

Very healthy - very tasty. Thanks for the link too.

[CarolineW]

I always thought that rhubarb had to be cooked, so I was very surprised when I saw this recipe.  Did a quick check on the web - and yes indeed, it is safe to eat it raw - although advisable to stick to young, tender stems (can't imagine you'd want to eat a tough old one raw  ).  There's some debate as to whether the body can access all the nutrition, though, as it's harder to digest.  I'm very interested to try it, though.  We have stacks of rhubarb at the allotment.  Thanks for the recipe.

[Thermomixer]

Especially from very cold climates it tends to be sweet.  Marco Pierre White used raw rhubarb with cooked scallops in one of his dishes that I saw on TV - nearly as weird as me 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Thanks for this recipe Vivacity. I really love rhubarb!!!  I was recently called an "old fashioned cook" by a friend who was watching me put away a big bunch of rhubarb that I had just bought at a farmers market.  I'm please to know that other people still use rhubarb as well!

[Thermomixer]

It'll be trendy soon - nothing old-fashioned about it.

[Very Happy Jan]

I also love rhubarb Chelsea and have introduced my boys to stewed rhubarb and apple with custard/icecream. They both love it and I'm sure they will carry it thru to the next generation. An oldie but a goodie

[vivacity]

How can anyone call rhubarb old-fashioned I love the stuff. It's a shame they don't sell those rhubarb and custard sweets over here that I loved as a child (swooshing sound of me being swept off by a wave of nostalgia )

[CarolineW]

V - nearly as weird as me 

Surely not!! 

[CarolineW]

I totally love rhubarb (and gooseberries) so hey - I guess I must be old fashioned. 

[faffa_70]

Well dang, I must be old fashioned too  apple and rhubarb crumble with custard would have to be my favourite. Oh yum ... now I am hungry 

[CreamPuff63]

whats the use in having rhubarb...can someone confirm after all  these years my mum harping on an on that it is high in iron and high in fibre??

[vivacity]

Here's some information on rhubarb that I swiped from http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-rhubarb-2104.html:

"   *  Studies have shown that rhubarb has anti-cancer properties and might help in cutting down the risk of cancer.
    * Fresh rhubarb stalk is a very good source of dietary fiber and is beneficial for those suffering from indigestion.
    * Eating a cold piece of rhubarb stalk can help counterbalance stomach acid and thus, restore health.
    * Regular consumption of fresh rhubarb has been seen to have a positive effect on lowering of blood pressure.
    * It is believed that regular intake of rhubarb extract can help in diminishing the problem of hot flashes.
    * Rhubarb has anti-bacterial properties and when applied topically, can inhibit the problem of staphylococcus aureus.
    * Researches have suggested that rhubarb can prove to be beneficial for those suffering from high cholesterol.
    * Rhubarb has been found to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties."

[Tebasile]

Hi vivacity,

Thanks for sharing. I love the taste of raw rhubarb and juice when it's in season.
Here is some information on RHUBARB JUICE

Rhubarb is probably responsible for more kidney trouble among children than any other single factor. Few if any other plants have such a high concentration of oxalic acid as rhubarb. When cooked, this acid is converted into an inorganic chemical which, when catch, deposits vast amounts of oxalic acid crystals in the body.

Innumerable cases of rheumatism and rheumatic fever could be traced to the ingestion of cooked rhubarb. No example could be more vivid than this to prove the fallacy of eating some food or food product because of certain individual particular merit without regard to the disastrous effect of other elements it may contain. Because of its supposedly laxative properties, rhubarb is used extensively for children as well as by adults. Because the laxative results are more or less immediately apparent, no further thought is given to the other end product — the oxalic acid crystals deposited in the body. As these deposits do not cause immediate irritation and their effect is insidious and slow in manifesting, the consequences are rarely if ever attributed to the proper cause — the eating of rhubarb.

The subject of oxalic acid is so very important that we have covered it fairly extensively in a separate chapter under that heading.

Some benefit can be derived from fresh-raw rhubarb juice, provided that it is used sparingly, and only in combination with other juices such as carrot, celery, or fruit, and their combinations. In this manner it can help stimulate the peristaltic action of the intestines. Never sweeten rhubarb with sugar, use honey.

[vivacity]

Oh, dear. Just goes to show that a quick "google" isn't always accurate Well, I suppose as with all things, it's a question of moderation. Thanks for the information!