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Well these started out as what I thought would be "granola bars" but ended up being more like cookies. Either way, they are delicious and nutritious!!
5-6 organic apple ( I used a mix of granny smith & gala)
1 cup raw organic walnuts
1/2 cup raw organic pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup raw organic almonds
1 cup organic raisins (or dried fruit of choice)
1/2 agave nectar (or raw honey)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
Core & grate the apples (around 3 cups)
Coarsely chop the nuts (you can use 2 cups of walnuts if you do not have pepitas & almonds, or any other combo of raw nuts)
Put all ingredients into a large glass bowl and mix well.
Form bars or cookies with your hands and squeeze excess liquid into separate glass bowl.
Dehydrate @ 105 F for 16-20 hrs.
Will keep for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator (if you don't eat them all on the first day!!)
** Save the squeezed cinnamon apple juice! I drank half of mine and saved the rest to dip my cookies in**
This recipe can be modified to include any of your favorite nuts & fruits. Very simple & delicious!
I brought a handful of these to work with me today and everybody loved them!
Showing posts with label raw food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raw food. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Strawberry Almond Milk
I was just sitting here on the couch reading a book when "strawberry milk" flashed on my brain. I have not drank "real" milk since I did the "30 days in the cave" challenge a few months ago. I have been making nut milk, usually almond, for the last few weeks. Making a large batch about once a week and using it as i need/want it. Luckily for me and my strawberry milk craving there was some in the fridge tonight.
I took 6 fresh organic strawberries, which were already cleaned. I tossed them in the food processor and turned them to mush. Then I scraped the sides with a rubber spatula. Next I added about 1 1/2 cups of almond milk and blended until the milk turned pink and all chunks were gone. Poured it into a tall glass and drank it down.
Very Yummy!!!
*** I also made a green smoothie for dinner, details to come when I have a little more time...It definitely was not as bad as I thought it would be.***
I took 6 fresh organic strawberries, which were already cleaned. I tossed them in the food processor and turned them to mush. Then I scraped the sides with a rubber spatula. Next I added about 1 1/2 cups of almond milk and blended until the milk turned pink and all chunks were gone. Poured it into a tall glass and drank it down.
Very Yummy!!!
*** I also made a green smoothie for dinner, details to come when I have a little more time...It definitely was not as bad as I thought it would be.***
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
I had a chance to stop into Access to Organics today and pick up a few items; raw organic shredded coconut, raw organic brazil nuts, raw organic macadamia nuts, organic green beans, and organic baby portabella mushrooms. They had a great price on baby portabella mushrooms, $7 per lb (publix's price equals out to be $16 per lb). If you live local I suggest you check them out (www.accesstoorganics.com)
Stuffed Raw Baby Portabella Mushrooms
1.) 16-20 baby portabella mushrooms
2.) 3-4 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
FILLING
1.) 1/2 cup raw organic pistachios (soaked for 4 hrs or longer)
2.) 1/2 cup raw organic brazil nuts (soaked for 4 hrs or longer)
3.) 1/2 cup organic fresh basil (chopped)
4.) 2 cloves organic fresh garlic (chopped)
5.) 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
TOPPING
sun dried tomatoes
Clean and de-stem mushrooms.
Put in a glass bowl & toss with 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, set aside
In a food processor mix all filling ingredients except the nuts. Blend into a dark green paste.
Rinse and drain the soaked nuts, then add to the filling mixture in the food processor.
Blend until desired texture (kind of creamy)
Spoon filling into mushroom caps and top with a sun dried tomato.
*** I had bought 16 mushrooms today and had some filling left over***
Stuffed Raw Baby Portabella Mushrooms
1.) 16-20 baby portabella mushrooms
2.) 3-4 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
FILLING
1.) 1/2 cup raw organic pistachios (soaked for 4 hrs or longer)
2.) 1/2 cup raw organic brazil nuts (soaked for 4 hrs or longer)
3.) 1/2 cup organic fresh basil (chopped)
4.) 2 cloves organic fresh garlic (chopped)
5.) 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
TOPPING
sun dried tomatoes
Clean and de-stem mushrooms.
Put in a glass bowl & toss with 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, set aside
In a food processor mix all filling ingredients except the nuts. Blend into a dark green paste.
Rinse and drain the soaked nuts, then add to the filling mixture in the food processor.
Blend until desired texture (kind of creamy)
Spoon filling into mushroom caps and top with a sun dried tomato.
*** I had bought 16 mushrooms today and had some filling left over***
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sprouts are ready to eat!!!
Sprouting success!!!
After taking my sprouts out of the sprouting jar and putting them in a large glass pan in the sun for a few hours their leaves turned green and they were ready to eat. For lunch I made lettuce wraps with the fresh organic romaine that I bought from Access to Organics. I filled them with shreds of cuke, shreds of carrot, diced tomato, avocado, sunflower seed, pecans, fresh dill, green olives, and my delicious home grown sprouts!
I would say I have enough sprouts to last about 3 days, which works out great because 3 days is about how long it takes to sprout more. I have already started my 2nd batch, this time I'm trying red clover.
Also today I made Raw Chocolate and it is so yummy! Here's the recipe (everything being raw & organic) ;
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup almonds
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
mix coconut oil, cacao powder, and agave nectar in a glass bowl.
Add almond butter and mix well.
Chop almonds & sunflower seeds in food processor until desired size, then add to "chocolate" mixture.
Lightly grease a glass pan with a little coconut oil. Spread chocolate mixture into pan and put in the fridge until semi-firm. Remove from fridge and cut into bite sized pieces.
Keep chocolate refrigerated until ready to eat.
**Coconut oil becomes a liquid in the Florida heat and will make a runny mess if left out on the counter.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Today's Adventure
ughhh.....I was so excited this morning to meet up with the local organic farmer that I met last Saturday. After dropping the kiddies off at school I headed straight to Deland. The place was a MAD HOUSE!!! I was not able to find my farmer. There were several produce tables set up with very reasonable prices on their goods, but after walking around and observing for about 45 minutes I decided to leave empty handed. I wouldn't call the morning a complete loss, I had a nice walk and got my daily does of vitamin D from the Florida sunshine.
After leaving the farmer's market I headed to a newly opened organic store in Daytona, called Access to Organics (http://www.accesstoorganics.com/). I heard about this little place at the raw food class last week. I must say I'm kinda lovin the place!! The owner, Richard Buffington, was super nice. He spent a good hour talking to me about everything from sprouting, to juicing, to recipes, etc... I left feeling much more knowledgeable and with some great items in my hand.
For years I have wanted to grow my own sprouts. At the raw food class last week they told us how easy of a process it is, they even sent each of us home with a container of almost ready sprouts. All we had to do was take them home, rinse them, drain them, then do the same the following morning and they would be ready to eat. I ended up throwing mine away a few days later because they looked different than the typical alfalfa sprouts that I am used to, I wasn't quite sure how to eat them and they started smelling a little rancid. Richard was able to get me up with a glass sprouting jar that had a mesh lid for drainage, organic sprouting seeds, and fool proof directions on how to sprout. If all works out as planned I should be enjoying my sprouts in a few days.
Access to Organics is a must see for anyone local who is interested in eating more healthy. They sell a nice selection of organic veggies, organic raw seasoning, seeds, books, and even gardening supplies. The owner is very sweet and you can see his kindness gleaming in his eyes. They even offer the occasional educational class for people who are just getting started and looking for guidance.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Quite possibly the GROSSES substance on Earth
Bee pollen granules are said to be so nutritious that human life can be sustained on a diet of them and water alone. Bee pollen is a superfood full of essential vitamins, minerals, protein, & anti-oxidants. After doing many hours of research I decided that I needed some.
Last Thursday & Friday I chatted with the owner/head bee keeper, Tim Durham, at Durham's bee farm inc both via email and via phone. I also asked the lady at the local health food store a million and a half questions, until she finally pawned me off to someone else. I did plenty of research online. I found out that some of the larger bee pollen/honey companies had been found to add soy to their bee pollen to cut production costs, $50 worth of soy is equal to about $3000 worth of bee pollen by weight.
My body does not react well to soy, so I decided to find a local bee farm to buy my bee pollen from. In our phone conversation Mr Durham had told me that I would know if the pollen granules were fresh by the smell. He said they would smell like fresh country air. After much research and indecision I found Tropical Blossom Honey Co in Edgewater FL, which is a short driving distance from home. They have fresh raw honey products and fresh bee pollen granules. I chatted with the lady for a while and asked her many of the same questions that I had already asked Mr Durham and the lady at the health food store. She confirmed all that I had been told and promised there was no soy added to the granules. I was sold! I felt like I hit the jackpot, finding a small local bee farm to buy from.
Mr Durham had recommended that I start out with a very small amount instead of the recommended teaspoon full in the morning due to my history of environmental allergies, so the first few mornings I took just a few granules and chomped them up. The taste was a little "yuck" to say the least, but I could smell the fresh country air when I sniffed so I figured it was worth it. Yesterday morning I was ready to step it up a notch and went for a half teaspoon full. I thought I was going to choke!! It was so GROSS! All I can say is that in large quantities it tastes like it came straight from the bee's a$$!!
The nutritional value is definitely what I'm looking for. I'm just going to have to take it slow, very slow, one granule at a time. My friend, Jami, says it's an acquired taste and he actually likes/loves it. I watched him eat a teaspoon full right in front of me and he said it was good!! I hope that I can one day soon do the same, but for now I will be choking them down one granule at a time.
I may try blending it up into a smoothie to mask the raunchy flavor. The funniest thing was watching my husband take an entire teaspoon full. He didn't see me gagging on my spoonful. He said it tasted like he was sprayed by a skunk, which is a complete exaggeration. It was hilarious!
Last Thursday & Friday I chatted with the owner/head bee keeper, Tim Durham, at Durham's bee farm inc both via email and via phone. I also asked the lady at the local health food store a million and a half questions, until she finally pawned me off to someone else. I did plenty of research online. I found out that some of the larger bee pollen/honey companies had been found to add soy to their bee pollen to cut production costs, $50 worth of soy is equal to about $3000 worth of bee pollen by weight.
My body does not react well to soy, so I decided to find a local bee farm to buy my bee pollen from. In our phone conversation Mr Durham had told me that I would know if the pollen granules were fresh by the smell. He said they would smell like fresh country air. After much research and indecision I found Tropical Blossom Honey Co in Edgewater FL, which is a short driving distance from home. They have fresh raw honey products and fresh bee pollen granules. I chatted with the lady for a while and asked her many of the same questions that I had already asked Mr Durham and the lady at the health food store. She confirmed all that I had been told and promised there was no soy added to the granules. I was sold! I felt like I hit the jackpot, finding a small local bee farm to buy from.
Mr Durham had recommended that I start out with a very small amount instead of the recommended teaspoon full in the morning due to my history of environmental allergies, so the first few mornings I took just a few granules and chomped them up. The taste was a little "yuck" to say the least, but I could smell the fresh country air when I sniffed so I figured it was worth it. Yesterday morning I was ready to step it up a notch and went for a half teaspoon full. I thought I was going to choke!! It was so GROSS! All I can say is that in large quantities it tastes like it came straight from the bee's a$$!!
The nutritional value is definitely what I'm looking for. I'm just going to have to take it slow, very slow, one granule at a time. My friend, Jami, says it's an acquired taste and he actually likes/loves it. I watched him eat a teaspoon full right in front of me and he said it was good!! I hope that I can one day soon do the same, but for now I will be choking them down one granule at a time.
I may try blending it up into a smoothie to mask the raunchy flavor. The funniest thing was watching my husband take an entire teaspoon full. He didn't see me gagging on my spoonful. He said it tasted like he was sprayed by a skunk, which is a complete exaggeration. It was hilarious!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I'm in the mood to write
It's been such a long time since I've even signed into my blog. So much going on that I just haven't had the time...but today I'm in the mood to write. I feel like I have something exciting to share!
Just over a month ago I decided to try the "30 days in the cave" paleo/primal diet. I basically cut out dairy and processed foods (anything from a box)and started using coconut oil to cook with.
At first I thought I would "die" without cheese!!! Anybody who knows me knows that I routinely eat cheese with EVERY MEAL!!! But it proved to be a fairly simple adaption. Then I thought I would "die" without my cereal or oatmeal & orange juice in the morning, but again I was able to adapt.
Last Tuesday myself and a friend attended a Raw Food class. I was told that we would be served a sampling of many different raw dishes. I was prepared to be grossed out and was honestly mildly nervous when I saw the plates sitting at the front of the room. About 30 minutes into the class they began to pass out a few samplings. I believe Chia pudding was the first item up for sampling followed by a cantaloupe/ginger/coconut milk smoothie. Both items proved to be DELICIOUS!! We then tried raw cacao chocolate, raw zucchini hummus, raw spring rolls, raw granola bars, raw crackers, and raw lasagna (not what it sounds like). Everything tasting better than the previous.
At the end of the meeting the instructor challenged us to try to go raw (at least 50%) for the next 7 days. She had prepared extra servings of all the foods she had sampled to us and offered them to us for a nominal fee. My friend and myself both decided to go for it. The foods we bought were enough to tie us over until we could figure out what we were going to make ourselves.
It's not uncommon to find fridge stocked full of raw vegetables for snacking. Growing up in the sticks of Northern NY we always had a large garden and lots of fresh raw veggies to eat. So naturally one of the first things I made was a dip for my veggies. Technically it's called "cashew cheese" but it reminds me of a hummus type dip. Here's how I made it;
1 cup raw organic cashews
1 clove of fresh organic garlic chopped
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning (i used Mrs Dash bc we had it in the cupboard)
1/8 cup organic lemon juice
1/8 cup filtered water
Put the cashews into the food processor and chop fine.
Add garlic, sea salt, & chipotle seasoning and mix.
Add lemon juice & water and process into a thick creamy consistency.
This was so delicious!! I took it to work and ate it on my carrots & mini sweet peppers. My co-workers that tried it also loved it. I believe this will be what I bring to my next pot luck party.
As I "invent" more scruptious recipes I will be posting them to share with you all. If I come across something thats is not so good I will most likely rant about it as well. I hope some of you will chose to join me on this new journey of experimentation and share some of your own recipes along the way.
Just over a month ago I decided to try the "30 days in the cave" paleo/primal diet. I basically cut out dairy and processed foods (anything from a box)and started using coconut oil to cook with.
At first I thought I would "die" without cheese!!! Anybody who knows me knows that I routinely eat cheese with EVERY MEAL!!! But it proved to be a fairly simple adaption. Then I thought I would "die" without my cereal or oatmeal & orange juice in the morning, but again I was able to adapt.
Last Tuesday myself and a friend attended a Raw Food class. I was told that we would be served a sampling of many different raw dishes. I was prepared to be grossed out and was honestly mildly nervous when I saw the plates sitting at the front of the room. About 30 minutes into the class they began to pass out a few samplings. I believe Chia pudding was the first item up for sampling followed by a cantaloupe/ginger/coconut milk smoothie. Both items proved to be DELICIOUS!! We then tried raw cacao chocolate, raw zucchini hummus, raw spring rolls, raw granola bars, raw crackers, and raw lasagna (not what it sounds like). Everything tasting better than the previous.
At the end of the meeting the instructor challenged us to try to go raw (at least 50%) for the next 7 days. She had prepared extra servings of all the foods she had sampled to us and offered them to us for a nominal fee. My friend and myself both decided to go for it. The foods we bought were enough to tie us over until we could figure out what we were going to make ourselves.
It's not uncommon to find fridge stocked full of raw vegetables for snacking. Growing up in the sticks of Northern NY we always had a large garden and lots of fresh raw veggies to eat. So naturally one of the first things I made was a dip for my veggies. Technically it's called "cashew cheese" but it reminds me of a hummus type dip. Here's how I made it;
1 cup raw organic cashews
1 clove of fresh organic garlic chopped
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning (i used Mrs Dash bc we had it in the cupboard)
1/8 cup organic lemon juice
1/8 cup filtered water
Put the cashews into the food processor and chop fine.
Add garlic, sea salt, & chipotle seasoning and mix.
Add lemon juice & water and process into a thick creamy consistency.
This was so delicious!! I took it to work and ate it on my carrots & mini sweet peppers. My co-workers that tried it also loved it. I believe this will be what I bring to my next pot luck party.
As I "invent" more scruptious recipes I will be posting them to share with you all. If I come across something thats is not so good I will most likely rant about it as well. I hope some of you will chose to join me on this new journey of experimentation and share some of your own recipes along the way.
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