OK.  I’m just mad about blood oranges right now.  They had them cheap at the supermarket last week and I purchased a whole two kilo bag, just for moi.  They are divine. 

I’m not usually a big citrus fan and am especially averse to oranges as they usually make the corners of my mouth hurt… but that was then and this is now.  Last night I made coleslaw… with oranges.  This morning I had pumpkin-orange smoothie for breakfast.  I’m already plotting my next experiment: chocolate orange pudding, with cashew nuts.  Drool.

So anyway, even though I didn’t take a photo of it (sorry, was going to but as soon as I tasted I couldn’t stop), here is my recipe for orange & fennel coleslaw:

¼ of a small (white) cabbage, or about 1 cup shredded

1 small fennel bulb (or about ¾ cup shredded)

1 green apple, grated

1 blood orange, very finely sliced

1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 dessertspoon of (cold pressed) walnut oil

I used a mandolin to slice everything very finely then put it in a bowl and tossed it together.  The juice from the orange and apple add to the dressing and make it quite sweet.  I was going to add some raisins, but it really didn’t need it.

While I am on the subject of coleslaw, I made another excellent (and rather colourful) one a few weeks ago so here is the recipe:

1 cup of shredded (red) cabbage

1 apple, grated

1 carrot, grated

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

1 tablespoon dried blueberries

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 tablespoon of (cold pressed) walnut oil

For this one, I made it a few hours ahead and let it sit.  The lemon and oil softened the cabbage a bit and the blueberries plumped up.  Delicious.

I really must update this blog more with all the exciting things I am learning about… so much to discover, so little time!  Lately I have been researching raw food.  I first heard about raw food about four years ago and it made alot of sense to me.  I do eat alot of raw food, and lately have been feeling the urge to include even more raw food.  Although I have also been fascinated with the process of making bread, I find myself reluctant to eat the bread.  It’s a bit like when I took up baking years ago.  I love to bake, but I don’t want to eat the results…

But, that’s not what I want to write about today.  As I researched raw food I discovered that one of the problems with eating alot of raw fruit is cavities.  I have already noticed this myself.  In recent months I have been eating alot of fruit and felt several cavities starting to form.

I’ve never been satisfied with traditional dentistry - with traditional medicine in general actually - but recently I discovered something really exciting.  It sounds weird, but I swear it works.  What is it?  Oil pulling.

It is an ancient ayurvedic practice and very simple - swish about a tablespoon (actually I only use a teaspoon) of sesame (or sunflower) oil about in your mouth for around 15 minutes per day and then spit it into the toilet.  Rinse and brush your teeth as normal and you’re done.  This is supposed to draw all the toxins out of your mouth and teeth into the oil.  OK, I thought to myself, whatever… the bit that did make immediate sense to me is that sesame oil is rich in potassium and calcium, which your teeth need to stay strong.  Since I had recently been using tooth mousse, recommended by my dentist, and found that it did make my teeth stronger, I wondered if sesame oil could do the same?

The answer is yes.  After just 10 days of oil pulling, I can feel the cavities growing smaller.  Also, I have always had trouble with plaque buildup behind my bottom teeth, but that has almost completely gone already!  Some fans of oil pulling claim it makes your teeth whiter too.  I haven’t noticed a huge difference so far, but then my teeth are fairly white anyway.

I have been really amazed by the results of oil pulling, and I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t know about it.  Finally a way to keep good oral hygeine without the torture of the dentists office.

Find out more at www.oilpulling.com     Love those simple website names

 Since recently moving city, I have been on a quest to find good eco-friendly and organic/bio suppliers. I started my search online and found all kinds of new products I hadn’t seen before, but was particularly interested in trying soap pods. Fortunately Lugano has quite a good bio store that just happens to stock soap pods.

Soap pods are the fruit of the Soap Nut tree (Sapindus mukorossi). It seems that most of the soap pods are sourced in India, although the plant itself is found across Asia, Africa and America. I like the idea of washing with something so natural and renewable. Even though I have been washing with eco-friendly detergents for years, and definately find them better for my clothes and skin, it’s nice to use something which doesn’t require a whole lot of processing and packaging. Soap nuts come in a paper bag!

So, today I did my first wash (the same pods will do up to three washes in a week) and was quite pleased. From what I’ve read online I was expecting my washing to be unbelievably soft but slightly smelly (from the pods). Instead I found my clothes just smell like clothes - clean but no strange soap pod smell. And they were definately softer that they would have been if I had washed in my usual detergent and not used any fabric softener. I definately think I will be buying more of these in the future.  

They have a website, by the way: www.soapods.com

Last night I watched a few episodes of the BBC documentary series “Visions of Space”.  The episodes I saw showcased the work of two very different architects: Antoni Gaudi and Ludwig Mies var der Rohe.

Gaudi was greatly inspired by his observation of nature and created wonderful organic sculptural buildings with elements such as pillars that lean on different angles to mimic the shape of tree trunks.  His work is busy with detail and the result is lavish, joyful, and even erotic.

Mies on the other hand sought to remove superfluous ornamentation and reduce design to it’s raw elements.  Amongst his favourite sayings were “less is more” and “God is in the details”.  He is credited with creating the glass and steel architecture that is so common in cities today.

There is a third episode in the series on the work of Hitler’s architect Albert Speer, but since it was getting late I didn’t manage to see it all.

I was really impressed with the series, mostly because of the presenter Robert Hughes, an Australian by birth who has spent much of his life as an art critic in Europe or the US. I loved his commentery on the buildings and the effect the space had on him personally.

Strangely, I find myself more drawn to the work of Mies, even though Gaudi’s designs are much more aesthetically pleasing. I’m not generally a fan of the “glass cage” style of building and yet there is something honest about it. It’s a style (when done well) that sets a contrast with nature that makes both nature and the building seem more beautiful. It’s also hard not to be awed by the impact Mies has had on the modern city. I’m not sure this impact is entirely for the better, but still I have to admire his vision. I felt after watching the episode that he had somehow thrown us all into the dystopian future and was daring us to break free.

“To transform the world, we must begin with ourselves” - Krishnamurti

 ”Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure” - Marianne Williamson

“And the day came that the wish to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” - Anais Nin

The seasons change really fast here! When I arrived back in Switzerland it was a chilly -4 degrees and it was snowing. Just four weeks later and all the trees have come out in full leaf. While it is still cool, especially at night, and has been quite rainy during the day it does finally feel like summer is just around the corner. It’s even warm enough now in the early evening to sit outside and drink beer. Ah, it’s almost like home The morning after I arrived back from NZ:

I finally finished the hopscotch mat while I was in NZ, and my nieces were delighted with it. I was quite pleased with the final result, though I would have liked to put some kind of backing on it to improve durability. But the main thing is that it’s finished! Here’s a few pics: