Harvest Recipe: Radish Apple Salad

It's Radish Season! This salad has become a staple around the house lately. It is so easy with only 6 ingredients! And super tasty. The vinaigrette does a great job of taking the bite away from the radishes.

***

2 cups chopped radishes

2 cups chopped apples

2 tbsp minces chives or green onion

Toss these ingredients together

Vinaigrette

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp apple cider vineger

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

Whisk liquid ingredients together, then poor over the apple radish mixture. Toss until vinaigrette covers all

Harvest Recipes: Chocolate Milk Green Smoothie

Last night upon harvesting a load of greens, one mom said, "what are we going to do with all of these!?!?" I responded, "stirfries, salads, or green smoothies!" "Green Smoothies?" "I make one that's just like chocoloate milk! It's the easiest way to get Gracie to eat her greens!" 

 Chocolate Milk Green Smoothie

1 banana, frozen

1 1/2 c. coconut water

1 1/2 c. milk of your choice (I use soy or almond)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp sweetener of your choice *see note

2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

2 tbsp hemp seed (optional)

Blend it UP! 

I try to make it the consistency of that thick Dean's Chocolate Milk. So it usually comes out somewhere between milk and a smoothie. It is always a winner in my house. We frequently have it for dinner as our salad.

** Sweeteners - My favorite is two dates that have been soaked overnight in coconut water. I don't always think to have them soaking. So I most frequently use coconut sugar or maple syrup.

Cabin Fever: Kale Chips

This day has been glorious creative time with Gracie. Being stuck at home after a mega busy weekend is not so bad. Bring on the chill!

Last week Gracie announced that she would like some kale chips. When the kid asks for greens, I listen. So we ventured to Whole Foods, the only place (until my garden goes in) that I can get organic kale, and bought three large bunches. 

Today was the day that all that kale became chips! Yum!

As Gracie was ripping leaves and doing away with the stems, I hear, "Whoa! That is the coolest leaf! Mom, LOOK!"

Gracie prefers her kale chips plain, just olive oil and salt. So, that's what she did. Just enough olive oil to lightly coat each leaf and a touch of salt. Put them in the dehydrator and a few hours later, crunchy green goodness! 

I made a second batch using this recipe. The dressing was so delicious that I could have eaten it by the spoonfuls. The finished kale chips dehydrated with this dressing was out of this world. Try it!

4th of July, Raw Style

I was out doing my weekly shopping and was overcome by the beauty of fresh berries all around me. The colors of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are so inviting.  I gave in to Trader Joe's peer pressure and put them in my basket. Immediately the recipe for a raw berry tart started to take shape. 

Berry Tart

Crust
1/2 Cup Oats
1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Flake Coconut
1 tbs Coconut oil
3 softened dates

Put all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until small pea-sized balls appear. Poor into standard pie plate and press around the edges. Place crust in refrigerator while preparing filling.


Filling
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour)
1 banana
juice and zest of one lime
1tbs honey
a drizzle of vanilla

Put all ingredients in the food processor. Process until smooth and creamy - the longer the better. Spread filling in crust.

Topping 

Use what berries you find the most delectable. The ones that were pressuring me in the grocery store were raspberries and blueberries. I used about 2 cups total. Gently press them down into the filling. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. The colder it is when you serve the more it will stay together.

Asparagus & Roasted Pine Nut Salad

3 cups chopped asparagus, fresh

1 cup yellow cherry/grape tomatoes halved

1 cup red cherry/grape tomatoes halved

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Toss above ingredients with olive oil so that all is lightly coated. Salt & Pepper to Taste. Drizzle salad with Balsamic Glaze

It's Vegan! Kentucky Derby Pie

When it comes to food, my tastes for down home southern food have not changed. And since being Vegan (this time and last time) when it comes to festive foods the thing I miss most is Pecan Pie. I have tried a few different raw recipes only to be disappointed. They were ok but just not the same. Until today. 

I have been researching raw pecan pie recipes and combined a few and ended up with this. Even better than Pecan Pie is Kentucky Derby Pie - basically Pecan Pie with Chocolate. And even better than that is a pie that is totally acceptable for breakfast as it is made out of nuts, dates, avocados and flax. How could one possibly go wrong?

So here is my recipe.

Crust

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Blend in food processor until clumpy like a dough. If it is not quite getting to that stage add more coconut oil.
2. Press into pie plate. Crust should be about 1/4 of an inch thick all around. If you have left over crust pop it in your smoothie tomorrow morning.
3. Set crust aside and get started on the Chocolate filling

Chocolate Filling

2 tbsp of coconut oil

3 soaked dates

2 soft avocados

2 tbsp raw honey

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth
2. Fill the crust with chocolate filling to halfway. If you have any left over you could use as the base for a chocolate smoothie or just eat for breakfast as it is...

Ooey Gooey Pecan Pie Filling

1 c soaked dates with soaking juice

1 c raw pecans

1/4 c raw honey

1/4 c maple syrup

1c. raw pecans (for topping)

1. Put ingredients (save pecans for topping)  in the food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into pie crust
3. Top with remaining pecans
4. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour. 
5. Have pie at room temp for at least 30 minutes before serving

Vegan Cherry Granola Muffins and Raw Carrot Soup

Cherry Granola Muffins

3 c. of all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 banana

 o1 c. non-dairy milk of your choice

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c. canola oil

1 c. your choice of granola

1/2 c. dried cherries

1. Sift together flour, soda, and spices with a whisk

2. Put banana, milk, vanilla and oil in the blender and blend up until combined.

3. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and mix until combined

4. Fold in granola and cherries

5. Put in muffin tins

6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 mins

Packed and ready for my lunch!

Raw  Cream of Carrot Soup

1 c. raw carrots chopped

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. raw onion

1/2 c.  cashews

2 tbs soy sauce/tamari

1 c. water (depending on   desired consistency)

1.  Put all ingredients in  a blender

2. Blend until smooth

I intend to serve this with  cucumbers that have been marinated  with tahini, fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I will let you know how it goes...

Strength in Numbers: The Raw Detox Diet

I always do best when trying to lose weight if I am doing it with friends.  This time, I convinced my co-workers to do The Raw Food Detox Diet with me for the last three weeks of school. We are at the end of week 2. Collectively, the four of us have lost around 10 pounds. 

It is really a great system. I knew that it worked - I had proof - My friend Heidi (Heidi's Raw Hub) has lost her pregnancy weight after 2 pregnancies. She is so convinced she is seeking nutrition certification so that she can become a health coach to help others achieve optimum health through a raw diet. 

So my co-workers and I take turns bringing food. The plan simplified is pretty simple.

1. Raw fruit for breakfast - really all morning until 30 minutes before you eat your lunch. 
2. Lunch is as many raw veggies as you want. Add a protein OR a starch - Never mix protein and starch because your body needs different digestive juices for each. The different digestive juices can cause fermentation in the body causing flatulence and a residue left behind in your body. ICK!
3. Chocolate - 70% cacao or more - you can eat it any time! It is a quick elimination food and it doesn't leave much residue behind.

If this sounds at all interesting to you I suggest checking the book out of your local library. At first paying attention to the food combinations was trying. But when I stick to it my body seems to be working so well. When I don't, my body rebels. To top it all off, I am actually losing weight, I am not starving and I feel great!

Raw Taco Meat

1 1/2 raw walnuts

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp corriander

2 tbsp soy sauce (I use tamari)

Pulse ingredients in a food processor until it is the desired consistency.  I have also added a clove of garlic and some onion. This is a great topper for meatless nachos. Top nachos with fresh salsa and guacamole and you have one delicious snack - oh heck make a meal of it.

Good Habit #3: Mindfulness

Bye-bye Bad Habit: 

Mindlessly shoving food in my mouth when I am ravenous or emotional will fall by the wayside (I hope!) I wish I was one of those people who didn't care about food. You know, the kind that forgets they are hungry or eats only for survival. Somewhere in my life food became a psychological soother or reward. In my inner thoughts I frequently hear, today was so hard, I deserve to eat a bowl of cheese macaroni or chips or McDonald's bacon, egg & cheese biscuit etc.

Hello Good Habit:

I have already started stocking my cabinets and refrigerator with good healthy snacks so that when I am having those moments of weakness good food is easy to find.  The raw chocolate mousse is a good example of this. I made up a batch of that two weeks ago. I just had the last cup last night. It is great for when I have a sweet craving. I have also taken to chomping on nuts when I get a hankering for something salty. Smokehouse Almonds are soooo yummy. Cashews all by themselves are pretty great too.

The other thing that I really need to work on which is not so easy, is the same questioning that I have to do when I go shopping; do I really need to buy this? Can I live with out it? The food question is, am I really hungry right now or am I eating just to be eating?

Last week in Review

I am down 2 pounds. I was fighting a cold so I didn't get to the gym as much as I should have. I will remedy that this week. Food-wise was great. I learned some new recipes and fell back on some old ones.

To the left is Tempeh Bacon (from Vegan with a Vengeance,) Scarlet Barley (from Appetite for Reduction) and my own Guacamole. The tempeh was just ok. It was not as flavorful as I was hoping. I will add more maple syrup, soy sauce and smoky flavor next time. I think that marinating overnight would have helped too. The Scarlet Barley was good. It will definitely become a staple around here. It was Justin-approved which is impressive considering he hates beets. Guacamole - well, can one really ever go wrong with guacamole. It is totally a crowd pleaser staple around here. I think we had it on our plate for 3 different meals last week.

To the right is my own version of Raw Pasta Bolognese. I used my new spiralizer to make "pasta" from zucchini. You don't need a spiralizer to do make zucchini pasta; before I had one I used a veggie peeler and made wide noodles. The sauce is a blend of garlic, carrots, celery, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes. Very tasty. For the protein I made an Italian-style nut loaf and crumbled it on top. The best thing about this dish is that you can eat as much of it as you want. It is satisfying and bursting with flavor. I am trying to have at least one raw meal a week. I know that I am getting optimum nutritional benefits when I do and I can actually eat mindlessly. 

Finally, the yummiest of yummy vegan comfort food alternatives -Veggie Potpie Stew (from Appetite for Reduction.) I topped it off with Sweet Potato Biscuits (also from Appetite for Reduction.) This was totally scrumptious. It had all of those wonderful savory flavors that were so yummy about chicken pot pie without the uck of chicken. Instead of chicken, she calls for yellow split peas. Talk about a powerhouse legume! It is loaded with protein (25g per serving,) folic acid, and iron. Take that! all you who say vegans don't get their nutrition! I totally recommend this recipe. Do it! Serve it for a winter dinner and a movie party and your friends will be amazed at the goodness.

Good Habit #1: Eat a High Protein/Low Fat Breakfast Every Day

Bad Habit Bye-bye: McDonald's Bacon Egg Cheese Biscuit Breakfast ( I confess, I love McDonald's Breakfast)


Hello Good Habit: Yummo Breakfast! Chocolate Mousse! I got the recipe from www.rawmazing.com. I have had it before and it is soooo good. You would not believe that it is actually good for you.  I am going to make a double batch, put it in my fridge in small gladware containers so that they are ready to go.

Chocolate Mousse

• 3/4 C Dates soaked until very soft with pits removed
• 2 avocados
• 1  C. Almond Milk
• 1/2 C Almond Butter
• 3/4 C Cacao Powder
• 1/2 C Agave

In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and blend or process until smooth. Refrigerate, then enjoy. You will not believe how good this is!

Raw Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 "Mommy, cookies go in the oven, not the dehydrator."

Raw Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup cashew flour (cashews in the food processor)

1 cup of oatmeal flour (oatmeal in the food processor)

3 cups whole oats

1 cup coconut

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chips

2 apples cored

1 banana

1 cup coconut water

1/4 cup agave nectar

1. Place the apples, banana, coconut water, and agave in the blender. Blend until totally pureed.

2. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients.

3. Add the puree mixture to the dry mixture. It should be the consistency of cookie dough.

4. Form into cookies and place in dehydrator for 6-8 hours.

These cookies are the best right out the dehydrator. They are fabulous for dessert but they are so healthy have them for breakfast if you want. Go ahead, you know you want to. If you don't have a dehydrator you can do them in the oven on the lowest setting for a shorter amount of time. Just check them regularly. I also recommend flipping them over halfway through if you choose the oven method.