Happy Raw Holidays!
Hi beautifuls it's that time of year that it's okay for a
raw foodist who's been good all year to indulge a little in some
raw treats! I personally love making raw desserts for friends and
family. At our last
potluck I
made a really simple pear pie. I used Cosmice pears and blended
them up with soaked dried pineapple and a few tablespoons
psyllium husks. Then I added chopped up pieces of pears and
decorated the pie with persimmon slices, rasberries, and
pineapple mint. I put the filling in a simple almond date
coconut crust and let it chill in the refrigerator for a bit.
Because of the psyllium husks the pear pie really firmed up
well. I was so proud of myself, it cut so well! Next time
instead of using dried pineapple I want to use dates and some
cinnamon for the filling. It was so simple and everyone loved
it!
I was so inspired by the
annie jubb video that I made some Brazil nut milk with my
cotton sprout bag, but I made it with
twist. I called it
Tropical
Brazil Milk and it is a real winner.
I think it would be a great thing to serve at holiday parties.
You could even spike it with some rum:) The recipe is below if
you scroll all the way down to the bottom.
After making two batches of Brazil nut milk I
had so much Brazil nut pulp left over that I made two different
recipes. I soaked the pulp with raw agave nectar, vanilla, and
orange and lemon zest to make a cake like mixture. Then I made a
simple frosting with soaked dried pineapple,
vanilla bean, and some coconut
butter in the blender. It made a delightfully light dessert that
had the actual consistency of a cake. I liked it because it was
low fat. The pulp had most of it's fat extracted from making the
milk and you don't have to add the coconut butter to the
frosting. Just the blended soaked dried pineapple is really good
by itself. I know agave nectar isn't for everyone. I use it
rarely, mainly just for desserts, because I prefer stevia
if I really need to use a sweetener, but in this recipe it
worked really well. I'm sure you could use dates or honey but it
might change the consistency a bit.
The next recipe I made with the Brazil nut pulp
were cookies that I made in the dehydrator. I took the pulp from
my
tropical Brazil nut milk and I put it in the food processor
with some more soaked dried pineapple and dates and then I
dehydrated them for about 24 hours at 110 degrees until they
were firm but still moist and chewy. There is a picture of one
to your left in a really cool raw dessert my friend made and put
in a coconut shell. Very beautiful presentation! I love how
creative raw food can be! There are no rules, just you the ones
you make up.
More Food!
We had a little pre holiday raw food get
together at my place and I made some nori rolls with sprouts
shredded carrots and a really good almond celery pate that I
actually slowed down enough to write the recipe down. I'll add
it to my recipe section when I get a chance. I used ginger,
lime, cilantro, and green onion to flavor it. As you can tell I
really like the Asian flavors. I've been using a lot of ginger
lately in my green juices and dressings. I use it instead of
garlic. As much as I like garlic it really burns my stomach so I
only eat it once an awhile. During the winter I indulge in
ginger tea. The other day I put some Brazil nut milk in my tea
and it was awesome. The Brazil nut milk was still frothy from
the blender and it honestly looked like one of those fancy
steamed drinks you get at Starbucks or something, it was
amazing!
At the get together I also made this raw nacho
cheese dip. My friend said that it was so good that she could
imagine it at a super ball party or something. The base was bell
peppers and macadamia nuts that I flavored with some Mexican
spices and blended in the blender until smooth. Then I cheated
and bought some raw salsa and added it to the cheese dip for a
chunky texture. I served it with raw sunchoke slices, carrots,
and golden flax crackers. The flax crackers were made with ground flax
instead of the whole flax seeds. The next day I used the dip on some baby greens and, voila I had a nacho salad. Better than
Cafe Gratitude's, well I guess I'm a little partial, but it was
really good. If you don't want to use the store bought salsa you
can make your own out of tomatoes, spicy peppers, cilantro,
onion, and lime juice.
Ginger tea with frothy Brazil Nut Milk
Pomelo
The King of all Fruits: Durian
Pineapple plant
Pineapple Celery Juice Smoothie
View from our hotel window on Thanksgiving
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Adventures in Fruit
I'm not sure how many of you have tried Pomelo.
It is this huge fruit that looks like a super size grapefruit.
The inside has a very bitter pith but if you
eat just the flesh of the fruit it tastes really good like
a really sweet grapefruit. It's not as sweet as an orange but it
is not bitter either, it has this really unique flavor. Very
refreshing. I got mine at the Santa Rosa Farmer's Market. Just
make sure that they are yellow on the outside and not green
before you buy them.
The other day I was really craving a Durian, but
I knew that the closest place I could find a frozen Durian was
about 40 minutes away at a huge Asian Supermarket call 99 Ranch.
I didn't feel like driving to 99 Ranch but the Universe is so
amazing it heard my Durian call. On my way back from the
farmer's market I came across a new Japanese market I had never
seen before. To my delight there was one single Durian in their
freezer! I took it home and it was so good. It was just what I
needed, the perfect combination of sweet and fat. It was so
filling and comforting. It was what I ate for the whole day. It
was funny, this year is the first year I've lived with an oven
in over 4 years. So I took advantage and put the oven on the
lowest setting and defrosted my Durian so it was soft enough to
open but still frozen on the inside. It's the most I've used an
oven in a long time! If you do eat frozen Durian make sure to
throw it away in a garbage outside! It smells like natural gas
and if you live with other people you want to warn them about
the smell.
Lately I've had this pineapple obsession where I
will make my normal green juice of celery and greens and then I
will blend it in the blender with pineapple chunks. I've been
fighting of this cold and I've been really craving pineapple. My
body is so smart because as it turns out pineapple is full of
bromelian and it has been found to help suppress coughs and
loosen mucus. I love my green pineapple smoothies I call them
greenia coladas:)
Thanksgiving
I had an awesome Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I spent the night
in the city in a charming hotel right on the water. We had a
picturesque view of the Bay Bridge and at night we walked to the
end of the pier and he shared his ipod with me. We stood there
by the water listening to the beetles; we outlasted all the
tourists! It was so cute.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Since it is the holiday season I wanted to share
with you a few of my favorite things that maybe you could get
for your friends and family or just spoil yourself!
Favorite Body Care and Natural Make-Up
http://www.sumbody.com
I love their salt scrubs. The coconut salt scrub is amazing it
makes your skin so smooth!
http://www.angelfacebotanicals.com
The products are handmade with superior quality!
http://www.hugonaturals.com
I use the Vanilla & Sweet Orange Essential Mist
as a natural perfume.
Ecco Bella
I love their lip crayons, they stay on better than lipstick.
This is the best probiotic I have ever encountered. They are
soil based organisms that are great for people with candida,
constipation, and other digestive problems. I have really
noticed a difference when I take them and I whole heartedly
recommend them to anyone
Undencenoic Acid
Formula SF722 250 caps
THORNE RESEARCH
This is the best supplement I have found for killing candida. I
have tried many other products and this is the only one that
seems to work. Unfortunately it is not vegan because it is in
gelatin caps but they can be opened if you like and they can
also be used as suppositories.
If you want to learn more about some more
supplements that I have found useful you can always schedule a
raw food phone consultation with me. And if you want to know
about some other products I recommend please check out the
recommendations page on my
website. I'll try to add more of my recommendations to my
journal in the future.
Holiday Spirit
As you can see from the pictures to the
left I have been getting into the holiday spirit. First you can
see the picture of a persimmon pudding that I made at our
December potluck and a raw pumpkin pie that my friend made with
real pumpkin. It was sooooo good. The base was raw sugar
pumpkin, cashews, dates, fresh ginger and pumpkin pie seasoning.
The crust was date pecan. I think it is the best raw dessert
I've ever had, it was so good.
The persimmon pudding I made was real easy it just had blended
ripe fuyu persimmons, ripe pears, dates,
vanilla, and lemon rind.
The picture below that is of raw squash that was dehydrated with
black sesames. They tasted like light crispy chips, I think they
are my new favorite snack. I'm not sure what type of squash it
was because it came from a friend's garden but I'm sure you
could use any summer or winter squash.
My guy and I set up a fake tree and decorated it with some
really cool handmade ornaments of butterflies, angel trumpets,
and other animals. It has a nature theme! I am so into the
Christmas spirit this year. I have had a blast getting my loved
ones gifts. I can't wait to let you all know how they liked
them. I just feel like I have so much to be grateful for this
year. Health, happiness, abundance, friends, family, and best of
all having someone very special to share it all with! Just
remember that you are only as abundant as you think you are and
only as happy as you let yourself feel. I wish you much positive
focusing on everything that is positive in your life!
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Tropical Brazil Nut Milk
perfect to
serve at your next party!
1 cup Brazil Nuts
(not soaked)
1 young coconut meat and water
1 tablespoon coconut butter (optional)
1/4
vanilla
bean chopped
5 dried pineapple rings soaked in one cup water for at least
an hour
1 cup pineapple soak water
1 cup filtered water
Blend all
the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Strain
the mixture through a sprout bag
and serve.
*You can put the left over
pulp in a food processor with some soaked dried pineapple
and dates and you can dehydrate them for 24 hrs. to make
delicious raw cookies. |
