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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
My 1st Attempt at RAW LASAGNA
I have been craving more raw lasagna every since I ate the one Lydia made. It was so so good!! Today I decided to "Just Do It". At first I was a little intimidated by all the steps; making the cheese, making the sauce, and then prepping the lasagna. It proved to be easier than I thought and I was able to whip it together in less than an hour.
First I made the "Macadamia-Spinach Ricotta"
1.) 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
2.) 1/4 & 1/8 cup of water
3.) 1/8 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
4.) 1 clove fresh garlic (chopped)
5.) 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
6.) juice from half a lemon
7.) 1 cup of fresh chopped spinach
Blend all ingredient except spinach in food processor until smooth and creamy. Empty into a bowl and add the chopped spinach. Stir spinach thoroughly into mixture. Set aside.
Sun-Dried-Tomato Marinara
1.) 2 Roma tomatoes
2.) 2 Tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
3.)1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
4.) 3 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
5.) 1 clove fresh garlic (chopped)
6.)1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
7.) 1/4 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
8.) 4-5 sun dried tomatoes
put all ingredients into food processor and blend into marinara sauce consistency, then set aside
Raw Lasagna
1.) 2 small-medium sized zucchini
2.) 1-2 Roma tomatoes sliced thin
3.) Macadamia-Spinach Ricotta
4.) Sun-Dried-Tomato Marinara
Slice the zucchini into long thin slices ( I used a vegetable peeler). In a glass dish layer zucchini slices about 3 slices thick. Then add layer of thin sliced Roma tomatoes. Spread a layer of the ricotta, followed by a layer of marinara. Then repeat the layers.
Dehydrate for 1 hour in an oven set on the lowest possible setting and keep the door open so temp does not get above 112 degrees.
When Lydia made this she added a layer of thin sliced mushrooms and some very finely chopped onion. My raw lasagna was delicious and it definitely curved my craving, but the next time I make it I will be adding the mushrooms and onion and maybe a little cracked pepper.
I have come to realize that raw food recipes can be altered and changed any way you want and they still taste great. Think of any recipe that you try as a baseline and personalize it my make it your own. When shopping for my ingredients this evening I checked Publix and 2 health food stores for raw macadamia nuts, nobody had them. I was dead set on having this for dinner so I came home and used a combo of the raw nuts that I had in the kitchen. My 1 cup of macadamia nuts actually ended up being a 1 cup mixture of raw cashews, raw sunflower seeds, raw almonds, and raw pecans!!!!
** Agave nectar a natural sweetener used in many raw recipes. It comes from the same cactus as tequila. It is readily available at any whole food/healthfood store, but for my friends and family in NNY it may be a little harder to find. It can be ordered online by googling "raw organic agave nectar". For the sake of this recipe you could probably substitute the agave nectar with raw honey. I hope some of you try this recipe and let me know how it turns out.
First I made the "Macadamia-Spinach Ricotta"
1.) 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
2.) 1/4 & 1/8 cup of water
3.) 1/8 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
4.) 1 clove fresh garlic (chopped)
5.) 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
6.) juice from half a lemon
7.) 1 cup of fresh chopped spinach
Blend all ingredient except spinach in food processor until smooth and creamy. Empty into a bowl and add the chopped spinach. Stir spinach thoroughly into mixture. Set aside.
Sun-Dried-Tomato Marinara
1.) 2 Roma tomatoes
2.) 2 Tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
3.)1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
4.) 3 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
5.) 1 clove fresh garlic (chopped)
6.)1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
7.) 1/4 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
8.) 4-5 sun dried tomatoes
put all ingredients into food processor and blend into marinara sauce consistency, then set aside
Raw Lasagna
1.) 2 small-medium sized zucchini
2.) 1-2 Roma tomatoes sliced thin
3.) Macadamia-Spinach Ricotta
4.) Sun-Dried-Tomato Marinara
Slice the zucchini into long thin slices ( I used a vegetable peeler). In a glass dish layer zucchini slices about 3 slices thick. Then add layer of thin sliced Roma tomatoes. Spread a layer of the ricotta, followed by a layer of marinara. Then repeat the layers.
Dehydrate for 1 hour in an oven set on the lowest possible setting and keep the door open so temp does not get above 112 degrees.
When Lydia made this she added a layer of thin sliced mushrooms and some very finely chopped onion. My raw lasagna was delicious and it definitely curved my craving, but the next time I make it I will be adding the mushrooms and onion and maybe a little cracked pepper.
I have come to realize that raw food recipes can be altered and changed any way you want and they still taste great. Think of any recipe that you try as a baseline and personalize it my make it your own. When shopping for my ingredients this evening I checked Publix and 2 health food stores for raw macadamia nuts, nobody had them. I was dead set on having this for dinner so I came home and used a combo of the raw nuts that I had in the kitchen. My 1 cup of macadamia nuts actually ended up being a 1 cup mixture of raw cashews, raw sunflower seeds, raw almonds, and raw pecans!!!!
** Agave nectar a natural sweetener used in many raw recipes. It comes from the same cactus as tequila. It is readily available at any whole food/healthfood store, but for my friends and family in NNY it may be a little harder to find. It can be ordered online by googling "raw organic agave nectar". For the sake of this recipe you could probably substitute the agave nectar with raw honey. I hope some of you try this recipe and let me know how it turns out.
For Jill *** Delicious KALE CHIPS***
Reference any raw food book and you will see that kale and sprouts are repeated noted as having a high amount of protein. Kale has 48% and since the kale chips are raw all that protein is easily utilized by the body. When eating a cooked protein source such as chicken or steak, the natural enzymes are destroyed by the heat used for cooking. By the time our bodies are done digesting these cooked food we only get about 1% of the protein. This puts our bodies through a whole lot of work with out much reward and actually slows down metabolism.
Kale chips have become a delicious raw snack. Even my carnivorous husband is loving them! They are super easy to make, the steps are as follows;
1.) Thoroughly wash the fresh kale
2.)Strip the kale greens from the thick center stalk & rip into chip sized pieces
3.) Marinade the kale greens in a Ziploc bag with a little olive oil & seasoning (i have been using Mrs Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning & ground cayenne red pepper)
4.) Massage each leaf to tenderize it, then let the leaves set in the bag for about 20 minutes
5.)The kale greens will need to be dehydrated in order to turn crispy. You can use a food dehydrator or your oven set on 170 degrees (or the lowest setting available). Leave the oven door open. Heating over 112 degrees will start to break down the natural enzymes and defeat the purpose of eating raw. Our food dehydrator is on order, but has not arrived yet. I have been using the oven. With the door left open I can reach in and touch the pan without being burnt, so I would say the temp is below 100 degrees. It takes about an hour to dehydrate the kale into kale chips this way.
Kale chips have become a delicious raw snack. Even my carnivorous husband is loving them! They are super easy to make, the steps are as follows;
1.) Thoroughly wash the fresh kale
2.)Strip the kale greens from the thick center stalk & rip into chip sized pieces
3.) Marinade the kale greens in a Ziploc bag with a little olive oil & seasoning (i have been using Mrs Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning & ground cayenne red pepper)
4.) Massage each leaf to tenderize it, then let the leaves set in the bag for about 20 minutes
5.)The kale greens will need to be dehydrated in order to turn crispy. You can use a food dehydrator or your oven set on 170 degrees (or the lowest setting available). Leave the oven door open. Heating over 112 degrees will start to break down the natural enzymes and defeat the purpose of eating raw. Our food dehydrator is on order, but has not arrived yet. I have been using the oven. With the door left open I can reach in and touch the pan without being burnt, so I would say the temp is below 100 degrees. It takes about an hour to dehydrate the kale into kale chips this way.
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.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
This one passed the taste test!!
Cucumber Boats 2-3 large organic cucumbers 1 avocado (cut into small cubes) 4-5 campari tomatoes or any type organic tomato (cut into small cubes) 1/4 cup raw organic sunflower seeds squeezed juice of a lime Himalayan sea salt & organic cayenne pepper to taste wash & peel the cukes, cut lengthwise, then spoon out the soft center & seeds, set aside. In a glass mixing bowl add avocado, tomatoes, & sunflower seeds. Squeeze the juice from the lime and gently toss. Add generous amounts of cayenne pepper and Himalayan sea salt to taste. Mix gently, then spoon into the cucumber boats. Cut filled cucumber boats into 1-2 inch pieces and enjoy! ******************************************* I found a version of this recipe online and modified it a little by adding the sunflower seeds. It truly is delicious and surprisingly filling. This was my very first experience preparing anything with avocado and/or cayenne pepper. I was honestly a little nervous. Avocados are on every "must have" raw food veggie list that I have came across. They are very nutritious and full of healthy fats to keep the brain sharp. Cayenne pepper is on every raw food "must have" seasoning list. A few months ago I would have turned my nose up at this recipe, but change is good and so is this recipe. Tomorrow afternoon I'm heading to the fresh farmers market in Deland to pick up some fresh organic veggies!!! I am excited!! I met a local organic farmer last Saturday morning, he's the vendor that I'm seeking out tomorrow. If I have time I may start shopping for my food dehydrator also, so I can make those yummy kale chips and raw crackers.
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!
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