Raw Food Recipe: Apple Pi

Raw Vegan Dessert time, but who are we kidding? This could easily be raw breakfast. Low fat and ready in minutes I'll guarantee satisfied customers whenever there's a pan full (which is never very long).

- Keela

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Inside;

3 1/4 Apples (eat the other 3/4's for a snack, maybe with some nut butter.)

1/2 C. Dried Currants (any fairly soft, dried berry would do and fresh would be best)

Instructions i: Add apples and currants to a large bowl. Set aside.

Glaze;

3 T. Water

1 1/2 T. Flax Meal

1 T. Agave, honey or maple syrup

1 1/2 t. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Nutmeg

Instructions ii: whisk together glaze ingredients and pour over fruit. With a spatula, thoroughly coat fruit in glaze turning over and over. Let stand for at least ten minutes.

Crust;

1 C. Macadamia Nuts 

4 Large Dates (pitted)

1/2 C. Coconut (shredded)

Instructions iii: Add nuts to food processor and using the metal S blade and pulse until nuts are very coarsely chopped. Now add in the dates and coconut and blend until mixture is comprised of very small pieces of each component, the size of large rice or oatmeal.

Instructions iv: 

Fill the bottom of a shallow glass/earthen dish with the marinated fruit. I like to use a glass pie pan. Pack the fruit down a little. Sprinkle the crust mixture evenly over the fruit...

Note:... and if you like you can use something with a flat bottom to pack the crust down. This makes it easier to cut and serve slices if the pie is going to be refrigerated  I also like to serve individual cups that use layering rather than the pie form. 

Smoothie Wednesday: Spiced Tart

My favorite smoothies are those with a good amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice. My body just loves it. Time for today's raw food recipe. 

Here is a tart lemon smoothie for you;

Bits of pollen on top (optional).

Spiced Tart Smoothie
2 Large Ripe Bananas
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 Big Handfuls of Spinach
1 Apple (diced)
1 T. Pumpkin Pie Spice
or
A dash each of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove
2 C.+ Water or Nut Mylk (varies for desired consistency)

Add to blender and give it a whirl!
Enjoy.
-Keela

I prefer to skin a lemon with a good boning or paring knife and use the entire inside (membranes and seeds). You could use a whole lemon if you like things extra tart.

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Did you know that our bodies change some acidic matter, like lemons. This change results in lemon taking on an alkaline condition in our saliva and urine.

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Raw Food Porn: Living Porridge & Sesame Kale Salad

 

Raw Food Porn:

Tuesday March 5th

Here I am with two living food (raw food) recipes. Time and taste tested, these are two very typical recipes in my day to day life. Ready in minutes and easy on the pallet, I am never hungry or weak after a generous serving of a good kale salad or big bowl of living porridge. May your bellies be full and minds open.

Enjoy and Bon Apetit!

-Keela

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Living Porridge w/

Bananas and Cacao Nibs

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The Porridge;

• 1/4 C. Chia Seeds
• 1/4 C. Flax Meal
• 1/4 C. Shredded Coconut
• 3 T. Psyllium Husk
• 1 1/2 C. Mylk
• Sweetener

The Fixins;

• 1/2-1 Banana  (diced)
• More mylk.
• Sprinkling of cacao nibs.
• Pumpkin pie spice.

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Sesame Kale Salad w/

Hemp Seeds and Avocado

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• 6 C. Chopped Kale (appropriately stemmed)
• 2 C. Salad Mix type Lettuces
• 2 Large Carrots (shredded)
• 1 1/2 C. Purple Cabbage (shredded)
• 3/4 C. Dried or Fresh Berries
• I used a mixture of; Maqui, Goldenberry & Mulberry
•  1/4 C. Shelled Hemp Seeds
• 2 T. Sesame Seeds

Sesame Dressing (blend/mortar n' pestle)

• 2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 3 t. Ginger Root (minced)
• 5 T. Oil
• 1/4 C. Rice Vinegar
• 3 T. Nama Shoyu/Coconut Aminos etc.
• 4 T. Agave, honey (sweetener) 

Now: toss all salad parts together and drizzle blended dressing on top. Massage dressing into greens for at least a full minute. Serve immediately or even a day later for a softer salad with marinated veggies.

Kelp Noodles:Why In the World Would I Eat Them?

Here is a kelp noodle recipe I developed for Dherbs.com

Keela says:
"Kelp noodles? You want me to eat that stuff my dog drags around on the beach? Why on earth would I do that? I love kelp noodles myself. I've come to appreciate the crisp texture of fresh, simply prepared kelp noodes. I must admit that my favorite way to feast on these delicacies from the sea is thoroughly drenched in a rich, tasty sauce and marinated for at least two days, making the noodles soft and reminiscent of a favorite from my early twenties; TopRamen!"

NaturalNews.com writes
Eating noodles is not normally known as a way to lose weight. That's because traditional noodles are made with calorie-rich starches derived from grains like wheat. But even spelt noodles, brown rice noodles and quinoa noodles still contain a lot of calories.
That's why kelp noodles are so amazing: They're made out of sea kelp, and they're packed with water. Yet they perform amazingly well in soups, raw noodle dishes and even Italian-style dishes like spaghetti.
Kelp noodles contain just 6 calories per serving, and yet they take up a lot of physical space in your belly, contributing to that "full" feeling that reminds you to stop eating.
You may be able to find kelp noodles at your local health food store.

Kelp noodles are also great for adding substance to light soups or vegetable broths. They make a broth eat like a full soup (and they make you feel full, too).

The Facts
Kelp is a large type of seaweed, and in fact, there are approximately thirty different types of kelp. It is classified as algae and is very rich in nutrients. The health benefits of including kelp as a dietary supplement are well documented. These include the strengthening of the circulatory system, provision of strong bones and teeth, cancer fighting benefits and reducing the risk of strokes and heart disease. The large concentration of iodine found in Kelp helps to stimulate the thyroid gland and control metabolism.

Kelp grows in oceans and so is naturally rich in all the nutrients which the ocean contains, most of which are needed also by the human body in various amounts. These include over 70 minerals, trace elements, enzymes, iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and 21 amino acids. The complex range of nutrients makes it an essential promoter of glandular health. Kelp is also a natural antibiotic because of its iodine content, which helps the body fight bad bacteria and infections.

One of the main benefits of kelp is its high content of iodine which is a mineral that is essential for the correct functioning of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland regulates metabolism. If there is not enough iodine in the diet, the thyroid is forced to work harder than it should have to, eventually becoming enlarged. This syndrome is called goiter. Kelp is a natural and healthy alternative to salt, as it has a salty taste. It is especially important in terms of women's health as it is rich in iron, potassium and calcium - all useful for women of all ages, during menstruation, pregnancy and for nursing mothers.

I leave you with a video I did a while back that's been fairly popular. I encourage you to experiment with your own saucy flavors. Taste test everything as you go and you're bound to create something marvelous.

- K

A Skeptic's Take on Raw Food

I love this article by raw skeptic Jason Kessler over at Food Republic.

When Is It Okay To Eat Raw Food?

An exploration of that which can never be cooked

By Jason Kessler 

A wise man once said “Oh baby I like it raw. Yeah baby, I like it rawwwww.” That man was Ol' Dirty Bastard. Since I'm neither old nor dirty, I don't share his sentiments. I've never been much of a fan of the raw movement. Sure, I like a good salad every now and then but a low-temperature meatless world is not a world in which I'd like to live. So when I was invited to M.A.K.E., the new home of all things raw in the LA area, I was more than a little skeptical. In fact, I scoffed. Audibly. I know there's a ton of health benefits to eating raw, but I couldn't get past the nagging question that kept popping up in my head: Can raw food actually taste good?

M.A.K.E. comes from Matthew Kenney, who's made his name on raw cuisine with a Food & Wine Best New Chef award and some Beard nominations along the way. Now's he got both restaurants and cooking schools in Chicago, Oklahoma City and Santa Monica, with more on the way. Unfortunately, the menu looks like an Onion parody of a raw food menu. The first thing listed is a dish centered around “tree nut cheeses,” and after that you get crunchy word combos like “sous-vide portobello” and “cashew yogurt.” As you can imagine, I was ready to hate it. Then something weird happened – I tasted the food. And I liked it.

The turning point came when they set an order of kimchi dumplings in front of me. Traditionally, you can't make dumplings with raw food because you have to cook the dumpling skins to make then, um, edible. M.A.K.E. doesn't cook anything so they had to come up with an alternate, and their substitution is pretty genius. They use a super-pliable wrapper made with dehydrated coconut. I honestly didn't care what it was made out of. I just wanted more. The only thing that matters to me is whether or not something tastes good and these dumplings, my friends, tasted great.
In retrospect, I haven't had a lot of experience with raw food. I've gone down the vegan path far too often and I've had issues with vegan food for years. I never understood why anyone who consciously eschews meat would want to dine on products made to taste and look like meat. Seitan, tempeh and the rest of those meatstitutes (that's the mash-up of meat and substitute, not meat and prostitute) are heavily processed and always end up making me feel like I've consumed a bowling ball. It's amazing that in our new gluten-averse culture, vegan restaurants are peddling gluten like it's the second coming of pork. Realistically, if you've decided not to eat meat, why are you pretending that you're eating meat? All those vegan “buffalo wings” and “sausages” and whatever else you can put into quotation marks are just poseurs. 

Raw food doesn't have that problem. Sure, it pretends to be dishes you know and love. The “lasagna” on the M.A.K.E. menu is really just a stack of sliced vegetables with some pesto, but at least all the ingredients can legitimately be classified as food. As the meal came to a close, I found myself with a new attitude towards going raw. Can raw food actually taste good? You bet it can and, oh baby, I like it raw. Yeah baby, I like it rawwwww.

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Raw Buckwheat Bread Recipe

From Russel James The "Raw Chef"



My Mediterranean Almond Bread caused quite a stir when I posted it, getting me some very kind comments on various discussion boards. It’s so fantastic to know that something I’ve created has helped someone find a piece of the puzzle that they so needed to help them live a healthier life, in this case, an alternative to bread. That tactile feeling of holding something when eating (get your head out of the gutter!) is very important to me, as it is to a lot of people.

When I mentioned, what seems like ages ago, that I was developing a nut-free version of my bread I had quite a few emails asking me for the recipe. So here it is, and I have to say I’m very pleased with it and have been enjoying mushroom sandwiches for weeks now, they’re so great – once you have the bread made it’s so quick and easy to build a sarnie! Enjoy!

Raw buckwheat bread
Makes 18 ‘slices’
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups sun dried tomatoes
3 cups sprouted buckwheat
1 cup flax meal
3 1/2 cups peeled courgette (zucchini), roughly chopped
2 cups apple, cored and roughly chopped
3 tabblespoons lemon juice
2 avocados
1 large onion
1/2 cup minced parsley

- Process the olive oil, sun dried toms, sprouted buckwheat, courgette, apple, lemon juice, avocados, onion and herbs until thoroughly mixed.
- Transfer to a large bowl and mix with the flax meal by hand. The reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that you are likely to have too much mixture for the size if the processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine.
- When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again, but in small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture.
- Divide the mixture in half and place on Paraflexx sheets on dehydrator trays.
- Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the whole thing into 9 squares.
- Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will allow you to peel the Paralexx sheet off and continue to dehydrate the underside of the bread.
- Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so you’re not tempted to eat it before it’s ready) or until bread feels light in your hand. If the pieces don’t fully come apart where you scored, use a knife to cut them.


Cashew Mayo
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon agave
- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

For the mushrooms pictured…
- Cut portabello mushrooms into thick 1cm wide strips. Marinade them for a couple of hours or overnight in equal parts of tamari and olive oil.
- Arrange them on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate overnight.

Raw Food Recipe: Simple Coconut Curry (with video!)

This is my most popular video by far with over 3,000 views on my YouTube channel. It's hard to find a young thai coconut this time of year especially here in Oregon. I've started buying the dried coconut from Costco and re-hydrating it. It's AMAZING. I've used it to make coconut yogurt and raw whipped cream. I hope you enjoy. Stay tuned for my next post for the incredible benefits of the coconut.

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Creamy Apple-Anise Soup and Pumpkinseed Cheese

 I hope you learned something you didn't know about anise in my earlier post I've drug the big yellow bottle of anise seeds usually reserved for my loose incense out of my personal apothecary trunk. Let's see what I can come up with. Until then, here's a mouthwatering recipe featuring anise. Enjoy!

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Recipe by Golubka

• Course/Dish: Soups
• Meals: Lunch
• Main Ingredient: Almonds, Apple
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Equipment Needed: Blender, Dehydrator
• Serves: 1-2

 

Description

This is a yummy and healthy soup with unusual flavor combinations such as apple and anise that really work well together. Almond milk as a soup base is a great idea, and is an "open canvas" for layering flavors. Also, this creamy base is an ideal substitute for milk based soups perfect for vegetarians and vegans.

Ingredients

Almond Milk 
1 cup almonds - soaked overnight
3 cups water
3 dates

Creamy Apple-Anise Soup
 2 cups almond milk
1 fennel bulb - roughly chopped
1 large apple (any kind) - cored and roughly chopped, reserve 1/4 for garnish
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 small chili pepper - seeded
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pumpkinseed Cheese 
1 cup pumpkin seeds - soaked overnight
1/4 cup purified water
1/8 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Garnish
 the reserved 1/4 of apple - cut in small cubes
pumpkin seeds - optionally soaked and dehydrated for extra crunch
drizzle of chili olive oil (optional) - olive oil mixed with chili powder
fresh mint or cilantro leaves

Methods/steps

Almond Milk

1. In a high speed blender, thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
2. Add a bit more oil if necessary to coat all the mushrooms.
3. Use 2 cups of the milk for soup, and if you have some left over, enjoy it with your breakfast or cookies.

Creamy Apple-Anise Soup

1. In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth.
2. Adjust the salt and spices.
3. Garnish with the cubed apple, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of chili olive oil.
4. Before serving, heat up in the dehydrator or serve chilled.

Pumpkinseed Cheese

1. In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until smooth.
2. Thinly spread onto Teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115F for 6 hours.
3. Flip and remove the Teflex. Break into pieces and dehydrate for another 2 hours.

Additional Tips

I often daydream about food and make up different recipes while doing things unrelated to cooking. Well recently, in the middle of a daydream, I got an idea for making a soup that would have nut milk for its base. I imagined a bowl full of soup that is "blond" and creamy, and became excited about the possibilities of the milk's earthy flavour.
It took quite a bit of experimentation until I was able to minimize the ingredients to two simple companions to almond milk - apple and fennel. Combined with the milk's nutty taste, the two bring a sweet and fresh presence to the bowl. The spice of chili and coriander deepens the flavour and ties the whole thing together with a slight kick. The use of nut milk instead of whole nuts makes for a much lighter soup.

Raw Inspiration #001

Herbal Wintertime Detox Tonic

These winter months bring all sorts of surprises. I like to think I stay ahead of the game by regularly drinking hot teas and tonics. Below is a wonderful and truly informative article by Candis Cantin Kiriajes. 

 

Tonic Herb Theory for the Western Herbalist 

It goes into great detail on:

• Cleansing
• Vital Energy Tonics
• Blood Tonics
• Warming Tonics
• Supporting Vitality

 
 
  Here was my tonic of the day. It was an intuitive tonic. I don't just use detoxifying herbs in my detox tonics and teas. I try and  pinch in some herbs for energy (because serious ddetoxing is tiring).

 

 

Here also is a wonderful book by a legendary practitioner:

  

Raw Spiced Persimmon Cheeze-Cake

Serves: 10+

Ingredients:
Cheeze:
1 1/4 C. Macadamia Nuts (soaked for 3-7 hours)
2 Medium Ripe Bananas
1/2 C. Melted Raw Cocoa Butter
1 Vanilla Bean’s worth of Vanilla Granules
1+ C. Water
Persimmon Layer:
5 Ripe Persimmons
2 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
Crust:
2 C. Raw Pecans
7 Large pitted Dates
1/2 t. Salt
2 T. Raw Cacao
Directions:
1. Soak the dates for the crust at least three hours ahead of time. Set aside.
2. Blend the nuts, bananas and cocoa butter adding just enough water to properly blend. You want the end result smooth and free of chunks and grainy bits. Fold in the vanilla granules and set aside.
3. Blend persimmons and spices in a high speed blender until persimmons are the texture and shininess of yogurt. Set in the fridge to cool. The mixture may settle like gel but is easy to break up with a whisk or wooden spoon later.
4. In your blender (preferably a smaller blender) or using mortar and pestle, blend the soaked dates and cacao powder until you form a nice paste.
5. In a food processor, pulse your pecans until a majority of the pieces are no smaller than half a pea. Fairly course.
5. Mix cacao paste into pecans.
6. Line a spring form pan with saran wrap or some kind of baking paper. Line both the sides and bottom.
7. Press crust mixture evenly in the bottom and sides of the pan. I like to use something flat like the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust and even it out as well. I like to make the sides at least two inches high.
8. Start with half of the cheeze mixture, spreading it evenly as one layer, using the back of a spoon to even out the batter. Next half the persimmon gelee. Again, the rest of the cheeze and lastly the rest of the persimmon gelee.
9. To be safe, I would let it set in the fridge for six to ten hours. You could also freeze it, remove from spring form, plate, thaw and then serve.
Bon apetit!

Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

From TheVeggieGal

Lately I have been learning more about the RAW food diet and decided for my son’s 3rd birthday I would make a RAW-Vegan Cheesecake. I also made a non raw vegan chocolate cake since chocolate is his FAVORITE thing. He had a piece of both cakes along with some vegan chocolate ice cream. He was spinning around with quite a sugar high after that.

I have to say this is not my own recipe it is the standard one that is all over the Internet and who knows who the originator of it was. I did make my own little adjustments to it so I will just post it exactly as I made it since it turned out AMAZING!

I had a couple of pieces left over so my daughter took them over to her friends house and they all loved it so much they made it for their daughter’s birthday the next week!

As anyone who was researched raw foods knows that raw food recipes can be full of fat because of the nuts and the use of oils. I am usual one to keep the oils to a minimum in my recipes but I did not follow that rule here at all.

This cheesecake is fresh, amazingly tasty and full of fat but some would say it is the “good” fat, you decide that for yourself or just forget about it and enjoy an amazing piece of RAW-Vegan Cheesecake!

I am going to post some of his birthday party pictures below and some of them are blurry but I HAD to share anyway. My camera died after the cheesecake pics so I had to use grandma’s and it would not work well for me (I’m sure user error-duh!).

The official birthday cake was a chocolate cake (the recipe is not posted here-was one I found on vegweb) so everyone had two choices. I hand made the frosting and used a all natural food coloring and it did not turn out the color I wanted. I was supposed to be a red and blue but ended up pink and purple but he did not even notice.

RAW-Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Makes 1 pie tin

Crust:
2 cups raw nuts of your choice (I used a combo of pecans, macadamia and cashews)
1/2 cup dates, pitted
1/4 cup shredded, dried coconut

Filling:
3 cups raw cashews (I only had 2 1/2 cups so I used 1/2 cup macadamia and yummy), soaked overnight or a couple hours minimum if you don’t have a Vitamix  

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 water
1/4 cup lemon juice (could use lime too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted (set in a warm bowl-do not heat if keeping it really RAW)
Shake or two of sea salt

Raspberry Sauce:
1/2 bag frozen raspberries
4-6 dates to taste
1/4 cup agave or more to taste and thickness desired (supposed to be runny enough to drip over cheesecake)

Start with making the crust first by blending the nuts and dates in a food processor or vita-mix until well broken down and you can squeeze it together between your fingers.  Add the shredded, dried coconut and blend for a second or two more.   Press into a 9 inch pie tin, making sure to press up the sides to the top.  Set aside.

Drain the nuts from the soaking water then blend them along with the agave, water, lemon juice, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and salt until very smooth.  You can adjust the flavor as needed here.

Pour filling into prepared crust, tap on the counter to remove bubbles and smooth the top.

Place into the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours or until very firm or even slightly frozen.  This cheesecake is best taken from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving so it is still cold and firm.  If it is left out too long it has a key lime pie consistency, which some like but I don’t so you decide.

Next make the raspberry sauce by blending the raspberries, dates, and agave together until very smooth.  Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat the cheesecake.

When ready to serve you can cut it easily with a knife because it is frozen.  Place each piece onto a plate and top with desired amount of raspberry sauce.  ENJOY!