Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

 A fruit lunch box: grapes, melon, watermelon, strawberries and wild strawberries (these are from the garden), plum and apricot, plus some mini pikelets. Easy as! 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  ©

I like  chirashi-zushi , sushi in a bowl, a part form the fact that you save time, it also looks pretty. For topping you can add what you fancy, here I have avocado, salted sakura (cherry blossoms), nori (cut with a craft puncher) takuan (Pickled daikon), cherry tomatoes and ume paste (I use wasabi but the kids wanted ume…). A perfect light lunch for summer! Sushi rice Wash the sushi rice (or Japanese rice) several times in cold water, until the water runs clear, and then cook it by absorption. The doses are about 1 and 3/4 (three quarters) cups of sushi rice for 2 cups of water, but that depends on the type of pot. You need a pot with a good lid, or you will loose too much steam. I kind of regulate myself by ear now, since I know my pots and pans. Bring the pot to boiling point, lower the heat and simmer until all the water has been absorbed. Once the rice is ready pour it into a bowl and stir it with a wooden spatula, cooling it with a fan if you can. I then a...

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