Superseed Crackers with Herb Cheese

I've been meaning to make this recipe from Natalia's Pure Pleasures cookbook. Though she calls them a bread, I'd say they are more like crackers. Full of superfoods, including sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds, they'll chock full of high nutrition in every small bite.  Flavored with caraway seeds, they taste like a hearty rye bread though they are flat and dense. I've experimented with sprouting rye to make such a bread, but these crackers came closer than any recipe I've concocted using rye. I modified Natalia's recipe slightly based on what I had in my refrigerator.  I paired the crackers with a hearty herb cheese in which I used probiotic powder to pump up the nutritional benefits as well as adding a fermented flavor. Together the combination was really satisfying. An opened face cheese sandwich on rye, if you will.

Superseed Crackers with Herb Cheese:
2 zucchini
2 granny smith apples
2 c. raw sunflower seeds soaked for 4 hours and drained
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. filtered water
1 T. chopped shallot
1/2 c. black sesame seeds
1/4 c. chia seeds
2 T. hemp seeds
2 T. poppy seeds
2 T. caraway seeds
1 1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. ground flaxmeal

Puree the zucchini in a food processor. Add chopped apples and continue pureeing. Add sunflower seeds, olive oil, water and shallot. Mix well. Remove from food processor and put into a large bowl. Fold in the remaining seeds, salt, and flaxmeal. Mix until well incorporated.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet.  Place another Teflex sheet (or parchment paper) over each ball of dough and roll out with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape. Score crackers into desired shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 15 hours, flipping halfway through. Remove Teflex when you flip the crackers. Remove from dehydrator when crisp, give or take a couple of hours.

Cheese:
1 1/2 c. cashews soaked for 2 hours and drained/rinsed
1/4 c. filtered water
1/4 lemon juice
1/2 t. chickpea miso
2 t. non-dairy probiotic powder 
1/4 c. chives

Mix all ingredients except chives in the food processor until well incorporated. Fold in the chives. Refrigerate a few hours until set.

Assembly:
Place 1-2 T. of cheese on each cracker. Top with some pea sprouts. Enjoy.

Cranberry Walnut Crackers

I'm often inspired by Susan Power's recipes found at rawmazing.com.  I rarely follow a recipe but instead use them as jumping off points to make something tailored to my tastes.  I've been trying not to eat too many sweets but couldn't resist playing with some of her cracker recipes because they lean toward the sweet but don't quite feel like dessert. I'm fooling myself about the dessert part, I know, but these crackers contain protein, Omega 3's, Vitamin E and Vitamin C, manganese, biotin, and more, so sweet or not, they are good for me. And that's good enough for me.

 Cranberry Walnut Crackers:
4 c. soaked and drained walnuts
1 c. flaxmeal
2 c. fresh cranberries chopped
1 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 c. coconut nectar
5 drops vanilla stevia

Chop cranberries in a food processor. Set aside. Next, chop walnuts in the food processor using the pulse button. Make sure not to process too long because walnuts can quickly make walnut butter. Add cranberries, orange juice, coconut nectar, and vanilla stevia and mix well. Fold in the flax meal by hand.

Spread dough onto Teflex lined dehydrator sheets. Score into desired shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 12 hours or until crisp.

Cranberry Orange Spread:
1 orange cut into pieces
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 c. soaked and drained cashews
1/4 c. agave
1 c. fresh cranberries

Chop cranberries in a food processor. Set aside. Blend remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour spread into a bowl. Fold in cranberries reserving 1/4 c. to use as a garnish on each cracker.

Assembly:
Spread a tablespoon of cranberry orange spread onto each cracker. Sprinkle with a few fresh cranberries.

Pear Walnut Crackers with a Fig and Pear Compote

This recipe is again inspired by Susan Powers. I basically followed the recipe with only slight alterations. Originally I was so in love with the intense flavor of the fig walnut crackers that I didn't fully appreciate the subtlety of these crackers. Then I slowed down and really tasted them. I fell in love again, so much so that I brought these home to my mother and fed them to her with her glass of white whine.  She loved them so much we made more the next day so I could leave some with her. Then I served them to one of my sisters who also loved them.  Then when another sister called and we were all raving about them, she wanted the recipe since she, too, has a big Excalibur dehydrator. I promised her I'd post the recipe, so here it is.

 

Pear Walnut Crackers:

2 pears chopped 

2 c. walnuts soaked and drained

1 c. almonds soaked and drained

2 c. raw groats ground into flour

1 t. cinnamon

2 t. fresh sage

1/2 t. papaya seed peppercorns*

1/2 t. sea salt

First grind oat groats into flour using a Vitamix or grain mill. Set aside. Next puree pears in a food processor. Add walnuts and incorporate well. Then add almonds and incorporate well again. Add oat groats and other remaining ingredients and blend well until a dough-like consistency has formed.  Spread mixture onto two Teflex lined dehydrator sheets. Press each ball of dough into a large square. Score the crackers into desired shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 10 hours, flipping halfway and removing Teflex liners at this point. Crackers should be crisp when finished dehydrating.

*Instead of peppercorns, I dehydrate papaya seeds until they are the size of peppercorns and then put them in my peppermill. 

Pear Fig Compote:

1 pear chopped and seeded

12 dried Black Mission Figs with stems removed

1 t. cinnamon

Process ingredients in a food processor until you have a jelly consistency.

Assembly:

Place a tablespoon of compote on each cracker. Top with a thin slice of pear and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cinnamon Fudge Cake

Yesterday was my birthday, and I believe in birthday cake! So I made this one for a party I had. A raw cake is a pretty intense thing. It involves a lot of nuts ground into flour, which makes for a pretty heavy, dense cake. A small sliver of a piece is pretty filling, so one cake serves a lot of people. I mean a lot. We made a pretty good dent in this thing by the end of the night, but I'll have a few slices in my freezer for awhile. I may have to have friends over again to finish it off.  Last night, however, was a great time with great friends eating great food and then enjoying some great dancing. Thanks to those who celebrated with me. You know how to make a girl feel special.

Cinnamon Fudge Cake:
Wet Ingredients:
7 medjool dates blended with 1/4 c. water
1 c. coconut milk
1 t.  sea salt
1 T. vanilla
1 c. coconut oil in liquid state

Mix all ingredients together, adding coconut oil last.

Dry Ingredients:
5 c. ground almonds
3 c. ground cashews
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c. cacao powder
2 T. cinnamon
2 t. sea salt
1/4 c. agave

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well incorporated. Add agave and mix again.

Next, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix with hands or pulse gently in a food processor on the dough setting. (Note: a hand mixer would have kept this cake lighter and not so dense, but I don't have one. I used the food processor and pulsed as little as was necessary. The cake was quite dense in texture, but the flavor isn't compromised. A fluffier cake would be nicer but is sometimes hard to achieve with nuts as the base.)

Cashew Crumble Filling:
2 c. cashews chopped
1/4 c. agave
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss until well coated.

Cinnamon Frosting:
2 c. soaked and drained cashews
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. agave
1 t. lemon juice
2 T. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. sea salt
2/3 c. coconut oil in liquid state
1/3 c. coconut butter in softened state

Blend all ingredients in the Vitamix, adding coconut oil and coconut butter last. Pour frosting into a shallow pan and chill until set. This may take about an hour or two. Frosting should still be spreadable when applied to cake.

Assembly:
Press cake batter evenly into two springform pans. Spread crumble onto the top of one of the cakes. Chill for at least one hour before layering the second cake onto the crumbled topped layer. Lastly, frost the cake with the frosting.

Optional: cacao nibs for the spiral garnish.

Dehydrated Apple Chips

Ah, the simple beauty of dehydrated fruit. Recently when I went home to visit my mother, she had these apple slices in the dehydrator. They were so lovely in their flower-like petal shapes that I had to take a picture.  Thanks to my mom for making something so innately gorgeous and inspiring.  Sometimes it really is the simple things....

Lemon Scones with Mixed Berry Jam

These scones are pretty convincing to me since I haven't had a baked scone in about twenty years. I love the doughy consistency, the tangy lemon flavor, and the scone texture. Paired with a mixed berry jam, these are perfect for breakfast warmed in the dehydrator and served with a hot cup of tea.

Lemon Scones:
3 c. oat groats ground into flour
1/2 c. chia seeds
2 c. cashews soaked and drained
5 dates blended with 1/4 c. water
1 T. agave
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 c. hazelnut milk
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt

Process cashews in the food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until a doughy consistency forms.  Roll out onto a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. Press into a large circle shape with your hands. Pressing with your hands leaves some texture to the scones.  Cut into wedges. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about ten to fifteen hours, flipping about halfway through.

Mixed Berry Jam:
1 c. mixed berries (I used frozen)
1 1/2 T. chia seeds
1/2 t. fresh sage
2 T. maple syrup

Process ingredients in a blender. Refrigerate until set.

Serving:
Place one scone on a plate. Spoon a large tablespoon of jam onto the plate next to the scone. Serve with hot tea.

Fig Sage Crackers

I absolutely love this recipe inspired by Susan Powers. I used a few different ingredients in this modification, but it is essentially her idea. The savory and sweet flavors melded so well I used it as a dessert.

Figs are high in potassium as well as a good source of calcium. I often make an evening drink mixing figs and magnesium powder to help me sleep. This combination is a great meld of all these minerals and maximizes the body's ability to absorb them in the evening.

Fig Sage Crackers:
1 c. hazelnuts ground
2 c. almonds ground
1 c. oat groats ground
1/2 c. flaxmeal
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. fresh sage
3/4 c. filtered water
2 c. dried black mission figs chopped in the food processor
Himalayan salt and papaya pepper to taste

Stir together all ingredients by hand except dried figs. Knead figs into dough until well incorporated. Press onto a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. Place another Teflex sheet over the dough and roll out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle. Score into desired shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 24 hours, flipping halfway through. Remove dehydrator sheet after flipping. 

Rosemary Cheese :
1 1/2 c. pinenuts soaked for a few hours and drained
3/4 c. filtered water
2 t. non-dairy probiotic powder
juice from 1 lemon
2 T. rosemary
2 T. chopped shallot
2 T. raw agave
2 T. nutritional yeast
Himalayan salt and papaya pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Allow to culture for 24 hours.

Assembly:
Place 1 T. of rosemary cheese on each cracker. Pour a few drops of an aged balsamic vinegar* on the cheese. Place one half of a dried fig on the cracker with cheese.

*Not raw. I used an 18 year aged balsamic that was thick like a syrup.

Cheesy Kale Crackers

This recipe was inspired by Susan Powers. I made a mistake while combining ingredients, so this recipe is my modified version. Turned out my happy accident added a roasted, hearty flavor to the crackers that I ended up liking. Next time I'll try her pure version to see which I like better, but I'm pretty happy with these.

Cheesy Kale Crackers:
1 c. flaxmeal
1 c. filtered water
 2 c. almond ground into flour
1 bunch lucinato kale chopped into small pieces ( I used the food processor to do this)
3/4 c. raw coconut flour
3-4 T. maca powder
6 T. nutritional yeast
1 chipotle pepper chopped/cut into pieces
1 t. paprika
Himalayan sea salt

Mix flax meal and water. Set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients except kale in a food processor until a dough-like ball forms. Add flaxmeal and water to the almond mixture and mix by hand. Fold in kale by hand. Mix by hand until evenly distributed. Roll out onto two Teflex lined dehydrator sheets into rectangular shapes. Score into desired shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 8-10 hours or until crisp.

I used half the dough to make a pizza crust. It held together very well. Feel free to try it.

Chocolate Glazed Pecan Bars

I needed to make a quick dessert for a lunch I was serving that didn't require a lot of time or effort. These bars were perfect. I was improvising with what I had on hand. Glazed with chocolate, the mix of pecans with coconut butter layered on top of a cashew shortbread crust was easy, tasty, and decadent.  Once assembled they only require a little refrigeration time to set. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

chocolate glazed pecan bars and raw chocolate candies

Chocolate Glazed Pecan Bars:
Crust:
1 c. cashews ground into flour
3 T. coconut oil in liquid form
1 T. agave

Mix all ingredients together. Press into a Pyrex or silicone pan. I used an 8 x8" silicone pan.

Filling:
3/4 raw agave
3/4 coconut butter softened
3 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. pecan pieces

Whisk together all ingredients except pecans. Spread pecan pieces over the crust. Pour the whisked ingredients over the crust and pecans.

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Power (white cacao butter in a block) softened to liquid
1/2 c. Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste softened
1 T. coconut oil in liquid form
1 1/2  T. raw agave

Whisk together all ingredients. Pour over nut bars.

Refrigerate until firm. This took less than an hour. Cut into squares or break into pieces.

Cinnamon Raisin Toast:

I absolutely love the way this toast recipe turned out. I really felt like I was eating warm toast, and it's been a long, long time since I've eaten that kind of comfort food. This recipe will become a staple in my repetoire. Of course, I paired it with my favorite chocolate almond butter and topped it with a few pear slices and then sprinkled it with cinnamon. I was really happy with the result. I hope you like it, too.

Cinnamon Raisin Toast:
2 c. almonds ground into flour
1 c. sunflower seeds ground into flour
1 c. flaxmeal
1 c. pureed zucchini
2 c. chopped carrots
2 small apples chopped
3 dates
1 T. cinnamon
5 drops vanilla stevia
1 c. raisins

Puree zucchini, carrots, and apples in the food processor. Add dates, cinnamon, and vanilla stevia to puree. Fold in the nuts, seeds and flax meal until a dough-like consistency has formed. Fold in raisins. Spread dough onto a Teflex line dehydrator sheet. Cover with another Teflex sheet and roll out into a large rectangle about 1/4" thick using a rolling pin. Remove top Teflex sheet. Score into rectangles. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about eight hours, flipping at about halfway. Toast should still be a little soft.

Chocolate Almond Butter:
16 oz. raw almond butter
3 T. raw cacao powder
10 drops liquid vanilla stevia

Stir raw cacao powder and stevia into raw almond butter.

Assembly:
Spread toast with chocolate almond butter. Top with two slices of pair. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mystery Crackers

 I can't tell you what's in these crackers because I really can't remember all of the ingredients. Basically I juiced a bunch of different concoctions and was careful to cut off stems and take out seeds. I wasn't sure if I wanted the pulp for something or not, so I took these precautions just in case. When I was finished juicing the pulp was so beautiful and full of color that I decided to experiment with making a cracker. I can say for sure that the pulp contained a pear, tomatoes, fennel, orange, lemon, lime, cranberries, cilantro, carrot, and some jalapenos. I can't say what I might have forgotten. From that I added the cracker base and threw it in the dehydrator.

A friend who shares my interest in health gave me a free sample of a raw cheese she received. I paired the crackers with the cheese and was delighted with the combination of savory/sweet cracker and savory cheese.  Keep an eye out for this cheese in your local food co-op. It's really tasty and would go well with any kind of cracker. You could also make this kind of cheese yourself, but hey, let's support like-minded entrepreneurs so we can take back our current food-like substance culture. I appreciate people who are trying to get us back on track by eating real food. So I say thanks to the folks at Treeline Cheese. They make a great product.

Crackers:
2 1/2 c. almonds coarsely chopped
1 c. flax meal
3 c. juice pulp
1/2 coconut water
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 T. flax oil
1 T. wheat free tamari

Mix all ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Spread onto Teflex lined dehydrator sheets. Score into desired cracker shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees until crisp. Gently break or cut apart the crackers. 

Put Out the Fire Pizza

This was a simple meal I made for coworkers who had no experience of raw food. I was a little nervous to try them as my audience because the food was really outside of what they eat normally. To my delight, they loved it. Well, one was apprehensive, but he got pulled in after the others oohed and aahed over how much flavor there was in each bite. I appreciated their openness and willingness to try something new. I should know better than to be nervous because good, pure food always wins the taste test. Still, I love being surprised by people. I think they may have like being a little surprised, too. A win win on every level and a great way to wind up the year with this crew. My bet is it was the purest meal any of them had had in 2013. And now a new year is before us.  Great food is a perfect start.  I wish you all the very best in 2014.
 

 Pizza Crust:
4 c. almonds ground into flour
1 c. oat groats ground into flour
1 c. flax meal
2 T. nutritional yeast
3 t. oregano
3 t. thyme
3 t. tarragon
1 t. rosemary
2 T. olive oil
2 t. sea salt
2 c. water

Mix all ingredients by hand in a big bowl. Spread on a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. This recipe should make two crusts. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 24 hours, flipping crusts midway. Remove from dehydrator when crusts are crisp, give or take a few hours.

Toppings: See recipes below
papaya pepper cheese
red sauce
spicy walnut meat
marinated dehydrated mushrooms
black olives
marinated herbs
 
Spicy Walnut Meat:
2 c. walnuts ground into flour
2 T. wheat free tamari
3 T. olive oil
1 dried cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic
1 t. chili powder
sea salt

Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 12  hours.

Papaya Pepper Cheese
1 oz. Irish moss soaked in water overnight and rinsed well
1 c. soaked cashews
1 T. miso
1 clove garlic
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. papaya seeds dehydrated and ground like pepper (you could also use ground pepper)
1 t. salt

Put Irish moss in the blender and cover with water. Blend until moss emulsifies. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Put cheese into refrigerator until firm.

Red Sauce:
 1 c. sun dried tomatoes
1 1/2  c. cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cayenne pepper
2 t. lemon juice
sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients until a thick sauce is formed.

Marinated Dehydrated Mushrooms:
1 pint of white mushrooms
2 T. olive oil

Slice the mushrooms thinly and put in a bowl. Coat them with the olive oil and put on a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate for 1-2 hours at 115 degrees. The mushrooms should turn a darker brown but still be moist and chewy.

Herb Greens:
Combine any mixture of basil, arugula, kale, lettuce, spinach, etc. Add the juice of one lemon and 1 T. olive oil. Toss until coated.

Assembly: Spread the toppings onto the crust in the order listed under "toppings".  Cut into pizza slices with a pizza cutter.

Spread the joy and enjoy. Serves 4-5.