Raspberry Ginger Fig Smoothie

I made a great smoothie this morning, but the pic doesn't do it justice. I get up at 5:30 am, and the lighting in my kitchen is never good at that hour. But I have to take the pic before I gobble down the deliciousness, so trust me, the smoothie is good, the pic not so much. Maybe I just need a new camera. I definitely need a new camera.

Raspberry Ginger Fig Smoothie:

3 dried figs
1 1/2 c. raspberries
2 peeled oranges
1/4 c. shredded coconut
1/4 c. coconut milk
1 1" knob of ginger
2 T. chia powder

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. This smoothie has a definite kick because of the ginger. Use less if you don't want it too spicy.

A note on my smoothies. Many smoothies use bananas as an ingredient. I have an intolerance to bananas, so I don't. I use avocados, chia seeds and chia powders, and Irish moss as my thickeners and binders. Avocados, like bananas,  are rich in potassium. Chia seeds and powder are rich in Omega 3's. I also happen to think chia powder taste a little like bananas when used in recipes, which might be wishful thinking. Irish moss counts as a sea vegetable, and as such, is rich in minerals. Feel free to substitute bananas anywhere you see these ingredients in my recipes.

Chocolate Mousse

Yesterday a friend came over to learn how to make a raspberry tart that I've served him several times. It's his favorite, and he wants to make it himself. The tart is still in the dehydrator and will show up in a later post, but in making it I had a bunch of leftover Irish moss paste. The next few recipes will be dessert ones in an attempt to not waste the moss paste. Irish moss isn't easy to find in the Midwest, so I don't like to waste what I have.

Irish moss is a seaweed that serves as a thickener and bonder when pulverized in a blender. You can buy it dehydrated or in flakes, but I wouldn't use either of those forms in raw cooking or baking. Maybe in beer making but not dessert. The seaweed form is necessary to avoid an overly seaweed taste. Dehydrating intensifies flavors, so the flakes make all dessert taste like seaweed. Soaking the fresh moss releases a lot of the sea flavor.

Chocolate Mousse:

1 heaping T. of Irish moss paste
1 c. coconut milk
5 Medjool dates
1/4 c. cacoa powder or nibs (or a combination of the two)
2 t. vanilla
2 T. lecithin
1 T. chia seeds
1/4 c. coconut butter softened to room temperature

Irish Moss Paste:

1 c. Irish moss soaked for a couple of hours
1/4 c. water
2 T. agave
1/2 t. lemon juice

Blend all ingredients to a smooth liquid.

For the mousse:

Mix all ingredients except coconut butter and blend well. Add coconut butter last and blend again until smooth. Pour into small serving bowls and place in refrigerator until set. This usually takes about thirty minutes.

Serves 2 to 3 people.

Raspberry Almond Smoothie

This is the same recipe as yesterday, but this time I added raspberries instead of cherries. I also added some maca powder to help me with stamina on another long day. I added a little bit of wheat grass powder as well because I believe in the benefits of high chlorophyll foods. Chlorophyll rich foods help supply more oxygen to your cells, and since I'm about to go on a long run, I'll take all the help I can get. Also, wheat grass contains the nutritional equivalent of more than two pounds of vegetables and fruits. It is credited with preventing gray hair and hair loss, relieving constipation, increasing resistance to radiation, accelerating wound healing, and reducing blood pressure. I mean, really, where else can you get that kind of nutrition in so small a dose? Ann Wigmore, the mother of wheatgass, knew what she was talking about.

Tip to the adventurer, when I do my adventure travel, especially when going to altitude, I consume plenty of chlorophyll in liquid oxygen forms and capsule forms. I don't require synthetic altitude drugs by doing this. I tend to do well with altitude anyway, so it may not work for everyone, but it works really well for me.

garnished with cacao nibs

Cherry Almond Smoothie

It's been a really busy week and finding time to make food has been harder to do. On weeks like these I end up blending many of my meals. Smoothies, juices, and cold soups are quick, satisfying, and easy to take on the run.  I have one more really busy week, so expect a few more smoothie combinations.

Cherry Almond Smoothie:

1 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 c. raw almond butter or raw almonds
1 c. fresh or frozen cherries
5 medjool dates
2 T. chia seeds
1 t. vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Serves two.

Try other berries in this smoothie for variation. All taste great. You can even omit the berries and enjoy a delicious coconut almond smoothie. which is often my go-to because I seem to always have the ingredients on hand. Packed with antioxidants, protein, and omegas, you'll be getting nutrition in something that tastes like dessert.

A Twist on a Fruit Salad

 Salad:

Assorted Greens
1/2 c. slivered  marinated beets
1/4 c. pickled red onions
3/4 c. strawberries sliced
1/2 c. blueberries
1/2 avocado
Handful of walnuts

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. agave
1 t. pomegranate powder
1/4 c. raspberries
dash of Himalayan sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Dress salad to taste.

Serves two.

Beet Ravioli

Beet ravioli is one of the quickest raw meals to make. Beets are said to be good for controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and are generally beneficial to the cardiovascular system. This is especially true of the greens. Serve these ravioli with a green salad made from the beet greens, and you will be doing your heart good.

I confess that I was in a bit of a hurry making these because I was making them to bring to work. Their quickness was the draw for me. I didn't bother shaping them for myself. When I serve them to guests, I generally either make them evenly round, or I square them off so they don't look so irregular. I use my food scissors to do this. You can make them like I did here and just put the filling between two beets, or you can fold one beet over and make half moon ravioli. When I cut them into more even shapes, I save the trimmings and use them in salads. Nothing goes to waste in my kitchen.

Beet Ravioli:

2 large beets shaved into thin slices on a mandoline
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar (not raw but goes great with beets)
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. rosemary
1 t. salt

Marinate the beet slices in the other ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside while making cheese filling.

Ravioli Filling:

1 c. cashews soaked for 2 hours and drained
1/4 c. lemon juice (this makes a tart cheese, use less for a milder cheese)
2 T. nutritional yeast
Sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Add herbs of your choice to the cheese for variation.

Remove the beets from the marinade. Reserve marinade for salad dressing. Fill the ravioli with the cheese by placing 1 T. cheese between two beet slices, or alternatively, place cheese on one side of one beet slice and fold the beet slice in half over the cheese. This works better with large beet slices.

Serve these raviolis with a green salad using the beet greens as part of the salad greens. I use a mixed green combination so that the beet greens don't overwhelm the salad. Using only beet greens can make the salad bitter, but they blend really nicely with other lettuce greens.

 A note about soaking nuts:  I generally soak the nuts I use in order to release the enzyme inhibitors that make nuts hard to digest. There is conflicting information out there on whether cashews need soaking. Some sources say they don't need soaking because they don't contain enzyme inhibitors, . Some sources say the soaking is only to make them easier to blend.  I don't know the definitive answer to this because I find more sources say to soak them than to not soak them. I generally soak them for cheeses and pie fillings because I find they do blend more smoothly. If I use them in a crust I don't worry about the soaking. I say trust yourself and the difference you feel in eating them after they've been soaked or not. If you feel no difference, don't worry about it. If you feel a difference, then you'll know. Experiment for yourself and literally trust your gut.

Mash It

This is my favorite so-called recipe for breakfast. I say so-called because there are lots of possible variations. Today I used blueberries, but often I use strawberries and raspberries for their brighter color. Of course, all of the berries together are the best combination. And cherries in season are delicious in this breakfast dish. This is a nutritious replacement for your kid's breakfast cereal. It's sweet, chewy, and pure-- complete with all the antioxidants so present in berries and cacao nibs. Plus it has protein from almond butter and healthy carbs for energy.

 Mash It:

1 pint blueberries
(or a mix of any berries you desire)
1/4 c. goji berries
5 medjool dates cut into small pieces
1/4 c. cacao nibs
2 to 3 T. raw organic almond butter ( the amount of almond butter depends on the quantity of berries)

Put all ingredients into a large bowl. Use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients until the almond butter is incorporated well. The berries will break down, but the cacao nibs and goji berries will stay intact. It will be not quite a creamy pudding but more like a chunky blend of amazing tastes.

You can add maca powder or any other superfruit powder to this recipe as well. Add cinnamon or vanilla, whatever you want. You could also blend it all in a blender and make a smoothie out of it, but I like the different textures. I drink a lot of smoothies for breakfast, and sometimes I want the satisfaction of chewing That's when I pull this recipe out.

The picture is prior to the mashing because it's a little better looking, but it's better tasting after mashing. I've always wanted a raw cafe, and this simple recipe would be on my breakfast menu. I don't know why, but it makes me think of bubble gum. Maybe it's because it's sweet and chewy, or maybe because I feel like a kid when I eat it.

Peanut Butter Cups

I have a candy mold in the shape of Reese's peanut butter cups, so I thought I'd try to make a version of them that I would actually eat. I remember that flavor fondly as a child. I've always loved peanut butter, but it isn't raw. Sometimes you can find peanuts that declare themselves to be raw, but they are most certainly blanched to get the skins off, so I have yet to find a truly raw peanut. Normally I'd substitute almond butter, but I really wanted the sharper taste of peanut butter for nostalgia. So the chocolate in these candies is raw, but the filling is not. To make myself feel better about using peanut butter, I added maca and lacuma powders to the filling.

Maca powder is grown in the Andes and helps to balance hormones, specifically supporting the endocrine system. It is said to support the adrenals, pancreatic, pituitary and thyroid gland and has a reputation as an energizer and libido enhancer. I generally think the reason for its reputation is that balanced hormones make us feel energized in all areas of our lives.

Actually I have a funny story to tell you about buying pounds of maca when I was in Peru. Maca is rather expensive in the U.S. but quite cheap in its homeland. I was buying unroasted maca at a local Peruvian market. I was going from vendor to vendor buying up what I could. I could hear men talking in Spanish, pointing, and laughing at me.  They started to follow me in a friendly manner, smiling at me and winking. I smiled back and continued to gather my maca. If what they say about maca is true, you can only guess what these men were thinking of me. It was all quite funny and friendly, and I came home with a two year supply of my favorite supplement. All of that maca powder probably still cost me less then one jar in the U.S., so I didn't mind the laughter. It was well worth it to me.

Lacuma is also from Peru. It comes from a fruit that is dried and pulverized into powder. It contains many nutrients, including beta-carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium and protein. It has a maple flavor but is low on the glycemic index. It a great alternative sweetener because, unlike many sweeteners, it still has nutritional value. It, too, has a reputation for increasing fertility, but I can't say much about that. I can say that I like the flavor, and I like the option to blend it with agave so I don't have to use as much of the latter.

I used the chocolate recipe posted in earlier posts but am including the filling recipe here.

Peanut Butter Filling for Peanut Butter Cups:

1/2 c. unsweetened peanut butter
1 T. lacuma powder
1 t. maca powder (use more if you like the taste)
2 T. agave
1 t. vanilla 
2 to 3 T. water to thin filling
dash of sea salt 

Falafel

I decided to try to make some raw falafel. I've used sprouted garbanzo beans before in hummus but didn't like the sprouted taste. I love hummus made with zucchini as a substitute for garbanzos, so I no longer use the garbanzos. I had some of the chickpeas leftover from those days, so I thought I'd try something new.  Turns out I love the garbanzos in the falafel. Now, granted, it's been a long time since I've eaten anything deep-fried, but these falafel definitely gave me the taste I was attempting. They are lighter than fried falafel but still really filling without feeling  too heavy. I made a tahini dipping sauce that tasted like what I remember as the traditional dipping sauce. I also made a mango blueberry salsa to add some color to the meal. All in all, it was really delicious and satisfying.

Falafel:

1 c. soaked garbanzos (also called chickpeas)
1 c. sunflower seeds finely ground in a Vitamix
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. coconut amino acids
2 T. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
2 T. cumin

Puree the garbanzos in a food processor with all the ingredients except the sunflower flour. Fold the sunflower flour into the mixture. Use an ice cream scoop to shape the falafel onto a Teflex-lined dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for at least 24 hours. It may take up to thirty hours for these.

Tahini Dipping Sauce:

1/2 c. raw organic tahini
1/4 c. coconut milk
1 or 2 cloves garlic depending on how spicy you want it
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. apple cider vinegar
Himalayan sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

Mango Blueberry Salsa

2 mangoes chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 c. blueberries
1/2 c. cilantro chopped
1/4 c. pickled red onions (red onions soaked overnight in beet juice and apple cider vinegar)
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. apple cider vinegar
2 T. mustard powder
1 T. coconut nectar
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

Ginger Tahini Dressing or Dipping Sauce

I have a habit of pushing myself pretty hard, sometimes to the point of low blood sugar. This happened again last night, and I needed to make myself something quickly that would keep me from plummeting. Protein is usually the best bet for me. So I made a quick ginger tahini dipping sauce that I ate with celery and some raw crackers. It did the trick. This recipe works well for a salad dressing, too. Just add a little bit more water to make it less thick, and voila.

Ginger Tahini Dipping Sauce

1/2 c. raw tahini
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. water
2 T. chopped green onion
1 clove garlic
1 t. zatar seasoning ( a mix of thyme and sesame seeds)
2 t. coconut nectar
garnish with salt and pepper if desired

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender and texture is smooth and creamy. Serve with a vegetable tray or crackers.

I didn't add salt to the recipe because I knew I was eating it with celery, which is already salty. Feel free to add salt into the mix before blending.

Another Jicama Salad

Nothing motivates me to make food more than food at its end date. So today I cleaned out my crisper drawer and made things out of what I had. One thing (among many) that I love about raw food is that once your kitchen is stocked, you can make almost anything. The staples are pretty much the same regardless of what raw cookbook you work with. A nut cheese basically is the same recipe in every book. I almost always find that when I'm in the mood to make something specific I have enough necessary ingredients to do it. So it was today with this salad.

I basically made a tahini dressing that I would use for kale chips or a salad. By the way, almost any salad dressing makes a good dressing for kale chips. I then poured the dressing on some jicama and carrots. Since I would have made kale chips with the dressing I made, I just threw some kale in there, too. It was crunchy and satisfying, and the orange of the carrots and the green and purple kale helped bring some color into the dish.

A note about jicama. It can be used as a substitute for potatoes if you want a 'potato' salad without all the carbs. I am not afraid of carbs, let me first say that, but for some reason potatoes get a bad rap. I always think of Melissa Etheridge who said after having cancer that she would never fear a potato again because it was the only food she could eat while undergoing chemo. She credited them for saving her life. So go ahead, eat your potato salad.  But being a raw foodist, I have yet to figure out a way to make a potato taste good raw. Dehydrating them and hoping for a potato chip doesn't work. But I digress. Point is, substitute jicama with other potato salad ingredients, and you'll have a nutritious and satisfying twist on an old favorite.

Jicama and Kale Salad:

1 large jicama peeled and cubed
3 carrots sliced
1 c. kale chopped
2 T. scallions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing:
1/2 c. raw tahini
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 t. wasabe powder
2 t. celery salt
1 inch ginger

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Pour over vegetable mixture and toss well. If you have more dressing than you want to use on this salad, reserve the rest for a salad dressing or a kale chip dressing.

Serves 3 to 4. 

Sunshine Smoothie

It's a bright, sunny day here in Minnesota, figuratively and literally. Our state legislature just passed gay marriage yesterday, and Governor Dayton will sign it into law today at 5:00 pm. For awhile there, it was a little embarrassing to be a Minnesotan, but the passage of this law makes me proud to live here again. So to commemorate this bright day in our state's history, I made a sunny smoothie to reflect my happiness.  I love the combination of sweet and tart in this smoothie. The lemon juice and goldenberries give it the tartness, while the fruit and vanilla give it sweetness. I think this might be my all-time favorite smoothie combination. I hope you like it, too.

Sunshine Smoothie:

1/4 c. coconut water
1 c. mango
1 c. pineapple
1 peeled and quartered orange
4 medjool dates
1/4 c. goldenberries
1/4 c. cashews
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.  If fruit is fresh, you might want to throw in a few ice cubes for fluffiness.  Using frozen fruit doesn't require the ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Serves two.

Thai Zucchini Pasta

Last night I made a quick dinner of zucchini pasta with a Thai sauce. The spiralizing of the zucchini into noodles looks time consuming but isn't. Two zucchini makes enough for two people. I prefer these noodles to flour pasta.  Zucchini noodles work with any kind of pasta sauce or dressing. You can try a white sauce, a red sauce, a pesto sauce, or this Thai inspired sauce.

Pasta:
2  peeled zucchini spiralized into noodles ( I use a spiralizer made by Benriner)

Thai Sauce:
1/4 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c.  almond butter (you can use peanut butter for a true Thai flavor, but peanut butter isn't raw)
1 clove garlic
1 dried hot pepper ( I used a red hot chilli pepper)
1 inch ginger
juice of one lime
Himalayan sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.  Pour over noodles and toss well.  Garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley.  Basil would make a great garnish as well.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night I made some chocolate chip cookies from a recipe by Susan Powers that I slightly modified. She often uses zucchini in her raw baked goods, and I had zucchini to use up. The cookies were tasty enough though not sweet enough for me.  I decided to dip them in chocolate for an even richer experience. I had chocolate leftover, so I dipped some fresh strawberries in the remainder. Absolutely fantastic. So here are today's treats.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: my modified recipe

2 small zucchini
1/3 c. plus 1 T. agave
1/4 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Power
1/4 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. oat groats finely ground ( I use the Vitamix to do this)
1 1/2 c. raw flaked oats
1/2 c. cacao powder
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. cacao nibs

Puree the zucchini in a food processor. Add agave, softened cacao power and paste, cinnamon and vanilla to zucchini puree. Blend until the mixture looks like a liquid.

Mix together the oat groats, flaked oats, and cacao powder in a large bowl. Combine well.

Fold in liquid zucchini mixture. Mix well.

Add walnuts and cacao nibs to chocolate dough. Mix well.

Use an ice cream scoop to measure out and shape the cookies onto a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for eight hours.

Chocolate Glaze: Make the glaze after the cookies are dehydrated so it doesn't harden before you need it.

1/2 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste softened in dehydrator or by double boiler method
2 T. coconut oil softened
1 T. plus 1 t. agave
1 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients well so there are no lumps of paste or oil. Dip cookies into the glaze and place on dehydrator sheet. I played around with dipping the whole cookie and half a cookie into the glaze. Place cookies in refrigerator for twenty to thirty minutes until chocolate hardens.

Use leftover chocolate as a glaze for dipping strawberries or pour into silicone molds to make candies. Refrigerate strawberries or candies until glaze hardens.  Enjoy.

For Susan Power's original recipe, please see her book Rawmazing Desserts. Or check out her website at www.rawmazing.com.

Lemon Chia Cookies and Bundt Cake

 

I played around with an almond flour and shredded coconut cake base and filled it in a mini silicone bundt pan. I was envisioning a lemon glaze drizzling down the sides of the little cakes. These look more like donuts in the picture, but they do have a bundt cake shape. I had extra dough, so I used an ice cream scoop to make smaller cookies that I also dipped into glaze. The cake is good to serve to guests. The cookies are good for snacks.

These pics now make me want to make donuts.


Lemon Chia Bundt Cake:
  
Cake:
3 c. almond flour (grind almonds in a Vita-mix for the flour)
4 c. shredded coconut
3/4 c. chia seeds
1 c. lemon juice
1/2 c.  agave
1/2 c. coconut oil in liquid form
1/4 c. coconut butter softened in dehydrator or by double boiler method
1 T. vanilla

Mix the almond flour with the shredded coconut and chia seeds in a large bowl. Whisk together in a smaller bowl the remaining ingredients. Pour the liquid mix into the flour/coconut mix and thoroughly incorporate. Pour into mini silicone bundt cake molds or form into small cookies using an ice cream scoop. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately six hours.

Glaze:
1/4 c. coconut butter softened
1/3 c Navitas Naturals Cacao Power in liquid form
1/4 c. agave
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 t. vanilla

Whisk or blend all ingredients together. Pour over dehydrated cake or dip cookies into glaze. Refrigerate until the glaze has hardened, approximately thirty to forty minutes.

This recipe makes a lot, so feel free to cut it in half. The end result will still be delicious. I had so much that I had to call my best friend to come get some cake and cookies for her weekly treats. It's good to have friends who'll help you out.

Cilantro Pineapple Orange Carrot Smoothie

This was my breakfast this morning. I was feeling the need for cilantro because it is a great chelator that helps pull toxins from the liver. It's especially good for pulling heavy metal toxins from the body. Maybe it's that spring cleaning feeling in the air, but I wanted something clean and detoxifying. I love the flavor of vanilla in this smoothie. It's a surprise taste that transforms this healthy smoothie into dessert, and you know by now how much I love dessert.

Smoothie:

1/2 c. coconut water (filtered water will work as well)
2 oranges peeled
2 c. pineapple
2 small carrots
1 bunch cilantro
vanilla stevia extract to taste

Blend all ingredients and enjoy. This makes enough for two.

If you don't have the liquid stevia, you can also substitute vanilla seeds and some powdered stevia, or use 2 dates and vanilla seeds. I used frozen pineapple, which helped give the smoothie its frostiness. If using fresh pineapple, throw in a few ice cubes to fluff it up into a thicker smoothie.

Rosewater Cream and Chocolate Baskets

I got a new candy mold really cheap, and I was excited to try to make a chocolate basket. The baskets turned out pretty well. I made them using 1/2 c. cacao power, 1/4 c. coconut butter, 1/4 c. cacao paste, 3 T. cacao powder, and 2 T. agave. I also added some cinnamon into the chocolate, which gave it a really smooth flavor.

I filled these baskets with a cashew rosewater nut cream. I can think of lots of possibilities for fillings, but this was my mood for today. I blended 1/2 c. soaked cashews with 1 T. agave, 1 t. vanilla and 1 drop rosewater. The rosewater gives it a light flavor of rose, but be careful, too much gets overpowering quickly. You don't want these candies smelling like your grandmother's lingerie drawer sachet. Is it just me that associates the smell or rose or lavender with grandmothers? Probably. My nieces would associate their grandmother with Chanel No. 5.

I think next I'll try an almond butter cup and cover it with more chocolate, sort of like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup but so much better. Then maybe just a good old vanilla creme. Or maybe a hazelnut creme. And maybe raw caramel. Like I said, so many possibilities.

I had some leftover chocolate, so I poured it into another candy mold to make these sweet noshes.

Almost Summer Salad

Today it really feels like summer is on its way. Here in Minnesota it seems we went right from winter to summer and missed spring completely. Just three days ago it snowed, now it is in the seventies and gorgeous. So I've enjoyed the day by going for a long run, relaxing on my porch with the windows open, and making a delicious salad that looks like summer. I'm posting two pictures, one of an earlier salad that had all the same ingredients as today's salad plus macerated berries. I didn't have the macerated berries on hand today, so the second pic is of the salad I made today. The pickled onions in this pic are a little more red than the first pic because they had soaked a little longer. I love the bright fuchsia color of the onions against the yellow mango. Superimpose these two salads, and you have the best version of both. 

Almost Summer Salad:

Salad greens
1 mango chopped into cubes
1/2 c. pickled onions
1 carrot sliced
1/2 avocado chopped into cubes
1/4 c. goji berries or 1/4 c. macerated berries

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss with salad dressing of your choice. I love an aged balsamic vinegar even though it isn't raw. Tonight I mixed the aged vinegar with a fig vinegar and some olive oil. Another dressing I like with this fruity salad is a citrus vinaigrette.  Combine some apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and some orange zest with a little salt and voila.

To pickle red onions: Slice red onions and place in a mason jar with 1 c. apple cider vingar, 1/2 c. beet juice and a bay leaf.  Soak overnight to get the brilliant color. Enjoy on salads.

To macerate berries: Put any kind of dried superfruit in a small jar with 1/2 c. of apple cider vinegar. Let sit for a couple of days. Then enjoy on salads. I use a combination of whatever I have on hand. Often it is goji berries, mulberries, goldenberries, and currants or golden raisins. These berries really take an ordinary salad and boost it to fine cuisine.

I hope your day was as beautiful as mine.

Cashew Chocolate Bars

This is a super simple recipe. I needed a quick hit of chocolate (which I confess to needing a lot) but didn't have a lot of time to make something extravagant. I was thinking of a vegan bar I used to love twenty years ago that had a doughy crust and was topped with hard chocolate and sprinkled with salted cashew pieces. I basically inverted the recipe and left out the dough. The hard chocolate is better than the topping I remember. Feel free to sprinkle cashew pieces on the top of this bar mixture. I thought there were enough nuts with the cashew crust, so I didn't garnish this time. Maybe for a party I would.

Cashew Chocolate Bars:

 Bars: 
1 c. raw organic cashews soaked for at least 2 hours (you can skip the soaking if you prefer)
5 dates
1 t. Himalayan sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Press mixture into a shallow pan.

Note: I make a "lip" to hold the chocolate topping so that it doesn't drip over the edges into the crust. Press the lip into place with your fingers 

Topping:
1/3 c. shaved Navitas Naturals Cacao Power
1/3 c. shaved Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste
1/2 c. coconut oil
3 T. cacao powder
3 T. agave
1 t. vanilla

Melt the shavings of cacao power and paste and the coconut oil to liquid form. Whisk the cacao powder, agave, and vanilla into the liquid mixture until there are no lumps of powder. Pour the topping onto the cashew crust.

Put the bars in the refrigerator for at least twenty minutes or until the topping appears hardened. Cut into bars and enjoy. 

Another note: I've mentioned the Navitas Naturals Cacao Power and Cacao Paste in other posts, but I'll reiterate here. These are hard blocks of cacao that can be shaved, melted, and used in candy making, frostings, hot chocolate (made hot by the Vitamix running for awhile), ice cream toppings, etc. There are many possibilities for using these blocks. The Cacao Power is like a white chocolate block of cacao butter. The Cacao Paste is a hard block of dark cacao. I use them intermittently alone and together. I usually add cacao powder to the Cacao Power to give it a dark color.

I just wanted to mention this again because sometimes the Cacao Power confuses people. They think I just forgot to put a "d" in the  word "power", but no, I didn't. The Power and cacao powder are very different. Look for natural food co-ops that carry the Navitas Naturals line of superfoods. They can also be found at Whole Foods Markets. Or check out their site at www.navitasnaturals.com. You'll quickly be on your way to making your own homemade chocolates.

I just wanted to let you know that Natalia of nataliakw.com, one of my favorite raw food websites, is having a sale on her ebooks, Pure Pleasures and Cupcake Heaven. One of my earlier posts is of her strawberry cupcakes with ginger frosting. They were absolutely delicious. I get happy just thinking about that ginger frosting. Please check out her site. This is a great deal, especially the cupcake book because those recipes aren't on her site.  I own both and love them.

Lemon Avocado Pudding

This is my go-to quick sweet fix. I was never a pudding lover as a child, but this pudding thrills me. It is quick, easy, and delightfully fluffy. Today I had it for breakfast. Why not? It's only avocados, lemon juice, dates and vanilla. Beats all conventional breakfast foods in nutrition and taste, if you ask me.

Lemon Avocado Pudding:

2 avocados
5 dates
1/4 c. to 1/3 c. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor.  Serve and enjoy.

Note:  The dates can be soaked prior to making this pudding. They will be easier to blend, and the water can be used to aid the blending.  If you don't blend the dates, it will just take more tamping down the mixture in the blender. The Vitamix does a great job on the dates, but it takes awhile.

Also, depending on your tastes, adjust the lemon juice up or down. I really love tart and sweet at the same time, so I use a lot. The same goes for the vanilla. I use Ojio Raw Wildcrafted Ground Vanilla, which is quite strong. If I used vanilla extract, I'd probably use more than one teaspoon. Taste as you blend and adjust accordingly.

Cacao Trail Mix

Here is a perfect example of what I said in my last post--that sometimes the end product doesn't look so good but tastes great. I make this trail mix regularly, but this time I put too many cacao nibs in the recipe. I usually use 1/2 cup, but when I measured that out there seemed to only be a little left in the bag, so I dumped it all in. Turned out I had about one full cup now mixed in with the nuts, goji berries, and coconut. It was too late to scoop out the extra cacao nibs. The nibs taste great in the mix. It's really got a smooth, rich chocolate flavor, but I think that visually speaking the extra nibs make it too brown. So I advise keeping the nibs to 1/2 cup. The white and red colors of the coconut and goji berries will pop out more, making for a more beautiful presentation. Trust my recipe but not my photo.  Or just eat the trail mix with your eyes closed. It is delicious in these proportions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cacao Trail Mix:

1 c. raw organic cashews
1 c. raw organic almonds
1/2 c. cacao nibs
1/2. shredded coconut or coconut flakes
1/4 c goji berries

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

1/4 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Power shaved in small pieces
1/4 c. coconut butter
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. agave
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
Himalayan sea salt to taste

Melt the cacao power, coconut butter, and coconut oil in the dehydrator or by double boiler method. Whisk the agave, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into the melted cacao power/coconut butter/coconut oil mixture. Coat the trail mix thoroughly with this liquid.

Spread the nut mix onto a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105 degrees  for a few hours to make the nuts crisp again. The mixture will feel oily when you take it out of the dehydrator, but it will harden quickly in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I always keep nuts refrigerated because nuts can go rancid relatively quickly.

It will take me awhile to eat this many nuts, so it'll be some time before I make it again.  I'll post a better picture when I make it using less nibs.