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.