Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena goes well with fruit, and there is also a Balsamic cream you can buy which is less expensive and ideal to decorate plates.   Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is the season for plums, and we also have a few last strawberries in the garden, enough to add to smoothies and make them sweet! In fact I love the fact that plums are a little tart, but they do benefit from the strawberry sweetness. As a base I used half apple juice and half coconut water. Perfect breakfast! And now a few things from my garden! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Fresh pineapple, kiwi, banana, raspberries, mango, mandarin, blueberries and strawberries Nothing better than a colourful fruit plate for breakfast, dessert, or snack!  Berry fruit salad: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries Tropical fruit salads: pineapple, banana, mango and kiwi Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is a delicious raw and vegan dish, serves 4 as a starter or side salad, and 2 as a main Ingredients 2 avocados 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 crunchy legs of celery 2 tbsp  vegan mayonnaise cherry tomatoes and edible flowers to decorate Cut the avocados and remove stones, drizzle with lemon juice. Clean the celery legs and remove the strings (I use a carrot peeler for this). Cut into small bite sizes and mix with the vegan mayonnaise (click  here  for the recipe). Fill the avocados with the celery and decorate with cherry tomatoes and edible flowers (yes you can eat the flowers, even the impatiens, they taste like rocket!) Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Baby spinach, kiwi, coconut water Celery (add a few leaves), frozen mango cubes, coconut water Baby cavolo nero, banana, spirulina and natural apple juice Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

I have tried a couple of brands of coconut yogurt and it is quite nice, although I am not sure 100% if I can call it Vegan. One of the two labels it as Vegan, but the live bacterias (a part from being 'live', if you see what I mean) could come from dairy products, as usually lactobacillus originally do… so if you know more about it just tell me, I really like to find out!* Another thing that I have noticed is the price of coconut yogurt… so expensive!!! Around $10! So before finishing the second jar I have filled it up with a can of coconut cream (only about $2.50) and after two days in the hot water cupboard followed by two days in the fridge I got my own coconut yogurt (albeit a bit more runny than the bought one). I am trying the second lot with a thicker coconut cream and I'll let you know if it works. The ice-cream One cup of frozen mango Half a cup of coconut yogurt Blend with immersion blender I am glad I remembered to take a photo before t...

Strawberries, nectarines, pears, blueberries and kiwi fruit, a drop of lemon juice and some coconut water. No sugar.  Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

After the  raw vegan mushroom and nut macaroons  here is another cute raw vegan appetizer! Make a cross incision at the base of cherry tomatoes, stuff with some raw vegan nut cheese  (recipe here)  and decorate with herbs and edible flowers. They taste so good and are incredibly pretty! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

White button mushrooms are delicious raw, and they are vitamin rich, apparently they even have vitamin B12. These little savoury mushrooms 'macarons' make a tasty appetizer, and they look really fancy! All you need is mushrooms and some raw vegan nut cheese  (recipe here) . Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and peel off the top 'skin', the clean them well with a damp paper towel (do not wash). Fill with a little vegan nut cheese and close together like a macaron.   Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is commonly called Vegan cheese or nut cheese, although to me it feels more like a very 'intense' dip. Full of protein and spreadable, it stores well for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Ingredients: 120 g cashews 80 g macadamia 1 small shallot 2 tbsp lemon juice water (just enough to blend the nuts) salt and pepper to taste Soak the cashews for 4 hours, drain and place in a food processor (or use an immersion blender). Add the shallot, peeled and chopped, lemon juice and a little water. Blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste (I do this little by little while blending). Store in the fridge. Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

I love feijoas  They are perfect for breakfast! For 2 smoothies I just used 6 feijoas (peeled), 400 ml natural apple juice and half a tsp of spirulina. Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is a lovely salad and also a light main, filling, nutritious and full of different textures and flavours! For two serving use: 1 medium Florence fennel, sliced 1 avocado, sliced 1 small carrot, grated A little red cabbage, finely chopped (this is mostly to add a dash of colour, red radicchio would work well too!) 8-10 walnut kernels, crushed A few drops of lemon juice Extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste (optional) Usually I just put the lemon juice on the avocado and the carrots only, and then assemble the salad, and it taste great even without salt or olive oil (avocado and walnuts are full of good fats anyway). Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

I love beans and lentils, but I also love salads and raw food, my body feels like it needs them! I usually mix cooked beans with raw salad vegetables, but when I remember I get some bean sprouts, and I particularly like this crunchy bean combo from  Sproutman . I can just eat the sprouted beans as they are, with a drop of olive oil and lemon juice, 

Yes these are raw, vegan, sugar free and gluten free chocolate truffles, but what's more they are made using only 4 Fair Trade ingredients: Trade Aid Palestinian almonds, Trade Aid cinnamon, Trade Aid Madjoul dates, and Trade Aid baking cocoa,  plus one local ingredient, Hazelz hazelnut flour from Canterbury. There is no sugar, no dairy product, and no need for cooking.  I like using Fair Trade products because they are in line with the  Slow Food  principles of Good, Clean and Fair food. And with my philosophy. Furthermore the quality is really good! Take the Medjoul dates for example, they are so sweet and delicious, they can substitute sugar in many preparations. The baking cocoa is so good that you don't need to use it just for baking, it is perfect for puddings and hot chocolate too. The Palestinian almonds are different from my favourite Italian almonds, but they are quite unique, a bit spicy in fact. The cinnamon really aromatic, you need just a...

Green, cleansing and refreshing!  Celery stalks and leaves, cucumber, and a few sprigs and leaves of coriander (to taste, it can be really strong). Happy detoxing! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

There are some beautiful grapes on sale at the  Dragicevich  Orchard in Oratia, those old fashion grapes that really smell and taste like grapes (not like the stuff that you find in supermarkets). And they make a wonderful juice. Apparently grape juice has antioxidant effects, well, this would be a bonus, but the only thing that I can say so far is that it is delicious, and the aroma brings back happy childhood memories of picking grapes at my Grandma's in Italy. Yes, memories in a small glass!  Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

… plus beetroots from the garden, carrots, apples, and a little ginger. For five juices I used about 1.5 kg of carrots, plus a few local apples, and i picked two beetroots from my veggie garden, they were small but the leaves and stalks are perfect for juicing too (of salad) so nothing get wasted. I used just a little ginger (not all the piece in the photo) to give the juice a little zest. It was really sweet and delicious!   Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

 This one is a smoothie and the kids made it: melon, natural apple juice, banana and apricot, decorated with borage flowers (edible). Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

With summer here it is easy to make juices and to eat more raw food. Green juices are the best, of course, above celery, cucumber and green apple, light and refreshing. Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

This is perfect if you: A:  follow a raw diet (or don't know what to give to a raw eater/vega/gluten free/allergic/etc.) B:  prefer fruit to dessert (i.e. no time to make dessert) C:  want to lose weigh or to eat breakfast all day long D:  are in love! All you need is a knife and a hear shaped cookie cutter.  Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini