Blueberry Vanilla Faux-Yo

For all fellow fro-yo lovers out there. 

Sadly, we cannot offer sample cups like Menchies.

What you'll need:

2 frozen bananas

1/2 C blueberries

1/4 t vanilla extract

1. blend all ingredients in a food processor until chunky, scrape down the sides
2. blend for about 2 minutes more until smooth and slightly whipped, scraping sides as needed

Kale Slaw

Coleslaw is like the junkfood of salads and is totally awesome in my opinion. I'm a big fan of cabbage. This is a nice fresh tasting rendition of it using kale instead of green cabbage because kale is good for you or something.

What you'll need:

(makes about 6 servings)

Salad

1/2 head purple cabbage, cored

1 bunch kale

2-3 carrots

raw pumpkin seeds to top

Dressing

6 T vegan mayo

1/4 C fresh lemon juice

3 T tamari

2 T balsamic vinegar

pepper like cray

I make this entire salad in my food processor with the grating/slicing attachment. 

Ain't nobody got time for that chopping.

1. cut the cabbage and kale into pieces that will fit into the processor opening
2. feed the pieces into the slicing side of the attachment to slice all of the kale and cabbage, set aside
3. shred the carrots using the grating attachment 
4. mix together dressing ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with the rest of the salad mix
5. dish into bowls and top with pumpkin seeds

Great Greeny Goodness

Very rarely will you ever hear me say I "don't have" time for something, especially when it comes to making/eating food. It irks me to no end when people say that. I mean, we live in an age where we have technology to do practically everything for us, yet we have less time than people did 75 years ago when they had to churn their own butter? Insanity I tells  ya. That being said (breathe Shane, breathe) I didn't feel like putting in a lot of effort after yoga tonight so instead...green upon green it is!

Included in this meal:
Smoothie: spinach, kale, strawberries, peaches and good 'ol h2O

Salad: sprouted alfalfa, cucumber,balsamic vinaigrette and a little salt and pepper to taste

Tasty doesn't have to be complicated, and this was plenty to fill me up. Now I'm left with loads of time to make dehydrator bread using leftover pulp from the almond milk I made earlier. Recipe to come tomorrow after dinner. Make sure you check back then. You know you waaaaaaaaaana.

Moose Mousse

This raw chocolate mousse is named after my (Kent) mom's favourite animal. This is what me and Shane had for dessert after calzones and before we passed out from raw food-comas watching Pitch Perfect which I hadn't seen yet and he's seen 6 times. This was my rendition of the dessert he made when we made dinner for my parents the weekend before I moved back to Van. He also managed to make my entire family love brussels sprouts that night which is a pretty amazing feat.

What you'll need:
(serves 2-4)

2 avocados
6 dates (I use mozafati, but if you don't live near a Persian grocery store where you can buy these beauties then your life just really isn't that great, sorry.)
3 T fair trade cocoa
1 T vanilla extract (which is NOT sweet, Shane)
1/4 t pink salt

1. process all ingredients until smooth, scraping down sides
2. continue to process until the texture is whipped ~2 minutes
3. scoop into adorable little bowls and enjoy
4. watch a hilarious movie

Raw Caramel Banana Mini Cheezcake Cupcakes

This babies can be enjoyed straight out of your freezer. And by can I mean have to be, because there is a 30% chance they are already melting.

What you'll need:

(makes about 30)

Crust

3/4 C raw hazelnuts

1/2 C raw walnuts

1/4 C raw sunflower seeds

4 dates

1/2 t pink salt

Cheezcake

1/2 C raw cashews soaked overnight and drained

1/4 C Cashew Sour Cream

1 C butternut squash, pureed

1/2 a zucchini, peeled and seeded

4 T agave

3 dates

2 T nootch

1 T lemon juice

2 T vanilla 

2 T coconut oil

3 T top coconut milk

1 banana

1. process all crust ingredients for about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides when needed, until smooth and clumped together
2. scoop a teaspoon worth into the bottom of your cupcake cups (I use mini parchment ones, they don't stick at all) in a cupcake tray
3. press firmly and smoothly into the bottom
4. freeze the crusts while you prepare the cake
5. process the drained cashews until smooth and clumping together
6. add remaining ingredients and process until really really smooth (takes about 6-10 minutes in my food processor)
7. scoop on top of the frozen crusts to fill up the cups
8. eat the rest with a spoon
9. freeze for at least half an hour

Creamy Cashew Parmes-almost

This is the sharpest cashew cheez I've managed to concoct yet and I'm pretty excited. Nootch is a wonderful thing.

What you'll need
1 C raw cashews
--->soaked overnight in a warm place (on top of the fridge) in 1 C water w/ 2 T raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T nootch
1/2 T gluten free tamari
1/2 t pink salt (or to taste)

1. drain cashews, reserving 1/4 cup of water
2. process cashews alone for 1 minute until smooth and start clumping together
3. add remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup reserved water, process until smooth

Raw Rosemary and Sprouted Buckwheat Crust

DISCLAIMER: This recipe is not for those afraid to get their hands a wee bit dirty.

This recipe is a double batch, so you can either halve it if you are using it for a crust or make the whole thing and freeze half for later. For a cheezy rendition mix in 2-4 T of nootch* with the dry ingredients!

What you'll need:
2 C RAW pumpkin seeds
2 C RAW sunflower seeds
1 C RAW coconut flour**
4 C buckwheat sprouts
1 sprig rosemary (leaves only)
1 T EVOO***
1 T onion powder
2 t pink salt
1 t black pepper
1/3 C ground flax seed****
2/3 C water

Procedure:

1. mix flax meal and water thoroughly and let sit in your refridgerator for 15 minutes, DO NOT skip this wait time, it really makes a difference in the eggy binding power
2. grind seeds in food processor into a fine powder
3. place in mixing bowl with coconut flour, onion powder, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly and break up any clumps
4. process buckwheat sprouts, rosemary leaves and EVOO until it is  a homogenous mush
5. add buckwheat mush and flax goop to dry ingredients
6. using your hands, knead everything
   
   together until uniform and the mixture sticks together when pressed
7. take half of the dough and press onto a parchment lined dinner plate and press evenly to the edges to make your pie crust shape of your desired thinness (thicker will hold together, I make mine about 3/4cm thick)
8. if your dehydrator is like mine, you will need to cut this crust in half and place each half on either side of the center hole 
9. dehydrate at 41 C for about 2 hours until it is a darker brown and holds together firmly
10. the remainder of the dough can be frozen or dehydrated into crackers/raw bread

* nutritional yeast flakes

** make sure the coconut flour is raw (like Coconut Secret brand), most brands use pressurized steam to defat their coconut flours. Coconut heats well though, so it's not the worst thing ever.

*** extra virgin olive oil

**** you can grind your flax seed yourself or buy pre-ground flax meal, just make sure that you store ground flax seed in the freezer as it will go rancid much quicker than the whole seeds. Basically the general rule of thumb, is the better an oil is for you, the worse it is for you once heated (coconut is fine). That's why it really urks me when brands sell flax-containing baked goods or roasted nuts/seeds as 'healthy'...you might as well inject plaque straight into your arteries.

This recipe was inspired Sarafae Bedelia (possibly related to Amelia Bedelia?) and her awesome raw vegan blog: addictedtoveggies.com

Raw Carrot Linguini in Spicy Thai Almond Satay Sauce

This recipe is super quick to prep (as far as raw cuisine goes anyhoo) and you can make extra sauce as it keeps well and makes an excellent spread or dip. If you're not a fan of spice you can omit the chili flakes and it will still be super tasty. The recipe shown here does not use any water making the sauce is quite thick and dip-like, so you may find you like it slightly dilluted to make it easier to toss on the 'noodles'.

What you'll need (2 servings):

Spicy Thai Almond Satay Sauce (makes 1 cup)

1/4 C top part of unmixed coconut milk

1/4 C raw almond butter

3 pitted dates

1 t full lime juice*

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T fresh garlic paste

1 t curry masala

1 t crushed chili flakes

2 T tamari

2 green onions, roughly chopped

Pasta

~5 carrots

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red capsicum, julienned

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. blend all sauce ingredients until smooth
2. store in container in fridge until ready to use
3. with a carrot peeler, peel carrots lengthwise (I find it's easier if you pull the peeler towards you) in a spiral fashion to get extra long ribbons
4. place carrot ribbons in a large tupperware and cover with sauce and 2 T water
5. close tupperware and shake until carrots are well coated, adding more water if needed
6. let the saucy carrots sit for about 20 minutes until softened
7. add capsicum and mushrooms and shake to coat
8. dish into bowls, top with green onion and serve
   
   
   
   
    *full lime juice is what I call the product of taking an entire lime and shoving it in your juicer, it has a great full flavour from both the juice and the zest without too much pulp.
   
   
   
   This recipe was adapted from Sarafae and her awesome blog: addictedtoveggies.com !

Easy Lemon Coconut Squares

Ingredients:
2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1 tsp of lemon zest
1 tsp of real vanilla (powder or extract)
1 tbsp of coconut nectar
4 dates (I use mozafati)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp raw cocoa (optional)

Steps:
1) Place all of the ingredients into your food processor and blend the heck out of it. It should appear creamy when done.
2) Press the mixture down tightly into a parchment lined pan or baking dish 
4) Place in the freezer for about an hour.
3) Remove the pan from the freezer once they have hardened, cut, sprinkle with raw cocoa, slice and enjoy!

shoutout to Erin Bosdet @ http://simplydish.wordpress.com/about/ for the inspiration

RAW Carrot-Ginger BREAD

    This recipe is super easy and a great way to use the leftover veggie pulp from juicing. Depending on how long you dehydrate it for you can get a nice soft bread for sandwiches or a more cracker like bread that's great with dips or spreads.

What you'll need:
3 C carrot-apple-celery pulp from juicing
1/2 C dried currants (or raisins)
1/2 C ground flax seed mixed w/ 1/2 C water
3 inches of fresh ginger, peeled
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3/4 t himalayan pink salt (or sea salt if you're not as pretentious as me)

 

1. mix ground flax seed in water and let sit until goopy
2. puree veggie pulp in food processor until fine
3. add currants and ginger, pulse until there are no whole currants left
4. add flax goop, EVOO and salt, blend until smooth
5. spread mixture evenly on a parchment-lined dehydrator tray (or 2) with ~1 cm thickness
6. with a knife, score the mixture into sections slightly larger than the slices of bread you want (if you score all the way down to the parchment, the pieces will shrink apart from each other quite nicely)
7. dehydrate at 41 C for 4-6 hours, until the slices hold together enough to flip
8. flip each slice and dehydrate for another ~4 hours or until your desired texture (it also works okay if you dehydrate it overnight and then flip and dehydrate until the other side is dry to the touch)