Raw Persimmon Pudding Green Smoothie

If you have never made a Green Smoothie before, here is your opportunity! Just start out with a few glasses each day and build up to drinking a blender full.

Dark leafy greens contain an abundance of the essential minerals, vitamins, and amino acids needed for optimum health. And the easiest way to include nutrient dense greens into our daily diet is by drinking a blender full of GREEN SMOOTHIE every day!

So what have I discovered through drinking Green Smoothies? Abundant health, increased energy, regulated weight, reduced cravings, and better digestion are just a few of the benefits!

For this recipe, any blender will do, but for the tougher, fibrous greens like kale you will find a more powerful blender gives creamier results. My blender is a Vitamix which can handle just about anything.

Raw Persimmons Pudding GS
Add ingredients to the blender in the following order:
2 cups purified water
3 cups spinach, tightly packed
1 one inch thick slice of fresh pineapple
2 persimmons, chopped
1 banana, sliced

• Place water in bottom of blender
• Add spinach (make sure measuring cup has been tightly packed)
• Slice off an inch from the top and bottom of the pineapple and throw away. Remove outside skin from pineapple with a knife, and cut a one inch thick slice. Cut this pineapple slice into cubes including the core, and add to the blender.
• Insert a small knife into the top of each persimmon around the green stem. Cut a circle about 1/2" deep to remove and throw away the stem. Chop the remaining persimmons into cubes, and add to blender.
• Remove the peel from a banana, slice, and add to blender
• Blend all together until thick, smooth, and creamy
• For a pudding - put into small bowls and serve with a spoon!
• For a drink - add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of water, thinning to your desired consistency, blend again and serve in glasses!

Raw Persimmon Pudding

Persimmon Pudding

Since persimmons are in the grocery stores right now, I decided to repost this recipe from this blog's archives.

You can make a fast, easy, and deliciously thick green smoothie pudding - OR - you can leave out the celery to make a quick fruity pudding!

Raw Persimmon Pudding
Makes 3-4 servings

1 persimmon

1 banana
4 very large strawberries (I used frozen)

2-3 stalks wild celery, with leaves

(I used regular celery, but I love using wild celery which is more nutritious and tastier)

• Remove and discard the top and seed from persimmon
• Blend together persimmon and banana in a blender
• Add strawberries to blender (If using a Vitamix you may want to use the tamber)
• Omitting water thickens a green smoothie into a pudding
• When fruit is mixed thoroughly, add celery, one stalk at a time, blending untill smooth
• Pour into dessert dishes - Fast, Easy and Delish!

Raw Date Nut Torte

This recipe comes courtesy of Alissa Cohen. It is fast and easy to put together and tastes divine! Only made 1/2 of the recipe, just to get a better picture for you!

Raw Date Nut Torte

Date Nut Torte

Base of Torte
2 cups raisins
2 cups walnuts

• In a food processor, combine raisins and walnuts and blend until well blended and moist
• This will take a few minutes and you may see it forming a ball
• Make sure the raisins come out looking like a fudgey mixture and are not still grainy
• Remove from food processor and mould onto a plate in a round circle about 1-1/2" thick  

Frosting
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1/2 lemon, juiced 

• In a food processor, combine dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy
• Spread the frosting on top of the torte
• If you want a firmer texture that will be easier to slice, refrigerate the torte for a few hours

Creativity in Action

How many times have you started making something only to find it is not to your liking - then what do you do? Well this just happened to me! Life presents these moments that you can either take as a defeat, or grasp as an opportunity to create something new - the choice is always yours!  

Today I wanted to make some new little dessert balls, but they tasted similar to all the other dessert balls out there. So at this point I could throw out this failed attempt or have some fun and let my imagination run free. Opting for fun seemed like the thing to do, so to what was already in the food processor I began adding ingredients, varying the texture, and taste testing until I came up with this new surprise - that by the way is nut-free. Since I wasn't sure how long the batter would take to dehydrate, I decided to use this lovely little heart mould and split the batter into two portions.

 

What could have been a 2-layer heart-shaped cake OR a carob zucchini loaf turned out to be a 2-layer Carob Zucchini Cake with a Strawberry Cream filling and Carob frosting (either way I would have been happy)!

Raw Mixed Noodle Teriyaki

This simple light sauce, which also makes a great dressing or dip for veggies, was inspired by Ani Phyo. 

I like playing around with traditional Asian recipes - and this is the result!

My way is to combine noodles of different colours and textures with a sweet Teriyaki sauce and serve alongside Garlicky Green Beans (see post April 24, 2011) and diced juicy canteloupe for a complete meal! 

Raw Mixed Noodle Teriyaki  Serves 4

Sauce
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp raw Tahini (or 1 Tbsp Almond butter)
2 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari
3 Tbsp agave
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

Noodles
1 cup finely shredded Red Cabbage
3 cups of noodles (use any combination of root veggies like zucchini, carrots, daikon, etc)

• Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl (or mix the sauce in a blender)
• If you want a thicker sauce, simply increase the tahini (or Almond butter) 
• Shred cabbage and put in the bowl containing the sauce
• Make noodles with a Spirooli, Spiralizer, or veggie peeler
• Add noodles to the bowl with the cabbage and sauce
• Mix all together until thoroughly coated
• For added nutrition, sprinkle some sesame seeds or sprouted lentils over top
• Noodles and sauce mixture will keep 1-2 days in the fridge

Raw Kabocha Squash Coconut Soup

My desire to make a new soup, sent me searching through the contents of my fridge in hopes of discovering a new way to reuse leftovers.

Happily, what I discovered were two foods just waiting to be put to the test...coconut milk and Kabocha squash. 

The result was this simple silky puree, that is a high source of antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, and fibre.

Raw Kabocha Squash Coconut Soup    
Yield:  2 cups

2 cups Kabocha squash, peeled and seeded
1 sweet apple, cored
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp organic raw agave, or date paste
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp Madras Curry
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/4 cup water (optional)

• (You can use Organic coconut milk from a can, or make your own milk by blending the water and meat from 1 young Thai coconut in your blender)
• Cut the Kabocha squash in half lengthwise, removing seeds and fibrous material from the cavity
• Remove the outer rind from the squash with a vegetable peeler or large knife
• Cut the squash into small pieces and place in a high-speed blender
• Add the cored and chopped apple to the blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth (adding optional water if the soup is too thick)
• Garnish soup with grated squash, fresh sprouts, raw pumpkin seeds, or sprinkle of cayenne

Raw Peach Crumble

Funny how people new to raw foods start with complicated recipes that come with a long list of ingredients - and are quick to give up on the idea of raw foods when the recipes don't work out.

But as you progress, you will begin to notice that the raw foods you prepare over and over are often the simplest! Less ingredients, purer foods, less work, a taste explosion in your mouth - all good incentives to keep going!

To me this acronym says it all - KISS (Keep It Simple Silly)! As a Raw Chef I have learned this lesson well. When a dish turned out to be a disaster, usually there were so many ingredients that I overly complicated what should have been a quick and easy meal to prepare. So here is one of my all time favourite desserts - FAST, SIMPLE and EASY - I can come home and make it up in 5 minutes or less.

Here are THREE REASONS you may want to soak all nuts and seeds before using them.

1. Soaking makes nuts and seeds easier to digest.
2. Nuts/seeds naturally contain enzyme inhibitors for the purpose of protecting the nuts/seeds until they have what they need to grow. Once soaked, rinse nuts/seeds well, and throw away the soak water containing the enzyme inhibitors which are very acidic to the body . 
3. Soaking activates a powerful germination process in the nuts and seeds.

Raw Peach Crumble

1 or 2 fresh peaches, sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup raw pecans (that have been soaked and dehydrated)
2 Medjool dates (soaking makes them easier to process)
pinch Himalayan salt
Agave (Optional)

• Place sliced peaches in a small bowl (Optional - drizzle Agave over peaches)
• In a food processor, or mini chopper, process pecans, dates and salt
• Mixture should resemble a course crumble
• If too moist, just add a few more pecans and process again
• Crumble topping over peaches - and enjoy
• Yield: about 1 cup for one person

Raw Buckwheaties

This simple breakfast cereal is a staple in my kitchen! You can dress it up by adding nuts, seeds, chopped dates, your favourite berries, or fresh fruit. But, when I serve Buckwheaties in a cereal bowl with bananas and my favourite nut milk, it brings back childhood memories of listening for the crunch in every spoonful of my crispy rice cereal.

Every couple of weeks, I like to prepare a large batch of Buckwheaties. This way I always have some on hand for: cereal; sprinkling on salads; in wraps for extra crunch; adding to cakes; or grinding into flour.

• Soak Buckwheat Groats in three times as much water for at least 4 hours
• After soaking, drain and rinse them really, really well
• If you don't want to sprout them, simply spread on mesh dehydrator trays as below
• If you do want to sprout them, leave Groats sitting in a colander on top of a bowl
• Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave on the counter for 1-2 days until the sprouted tails are visible
• While Groats are sprouting on the counter, keep rinsing and draining them 2-3 times a day
• After a final rinse, the Groats are spread on mesh dehydrator trays
• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 5-8 hours, or until Groats are dry and crispy to the touch

• Stored in the fridge in large covered glass jars, Buckwheaties will last for a few months

How to Make . . . Dehydrated Cherries

Cherries are in season for such a short time - but we can make the best of this ripe, delicious harvest by setting aside a portion to freeze or dehydrate - that is if you don't eat them all as soon as you get home! 

During the first batch, when I pitted fresh cherries some precious cherry juice was wasted. The second batch worked much better with frozen cherries, which aside from giving me red thumbs, is really very simple! So you can start with fresh or frozen cherries, the choice is yours.

To remove the pits from the cherries without losing most of the juice, I freeze cherries in small batches and let them thaw a tiny bit before I remove the pits by hand (I must get a cherry pitter).

Next I drain the pitted defrosting cherries, in a colander over a bowl, which allows the cherries to release their lovely juice as they defrost. By storing the cherry juice in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator, I now have fresh cherry juice ready to be used in recipes, or poured over a fruit salad! 

Simply spread the cherries (now separated from pits and juice) onto a paraflexx sheet on a dehydrator tray - with the skin side down to preserve remaining juice. Dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 12 hours and remove paraflexx sheet, leaving cherries to finish drying on the mesh tray liner. Dehydrate another 12 hours until dry. They should not be crispy, and look like raisins with a bit of moisture remaining.

The dehydrated cherries can now be stored in a glass jar with a lid. I keep mine in the refrigerator - ready when I need them! Imagine how the flavours in your recipes will pop by adding dehydrated cherries! Yummy!

Local Organic Berries

Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC)  http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/  is the main website where you can look up Organic and Bio-Dynamic farmers in your area. Here are just a few farms from their list for Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

Since we can finally start picking, now is the time to consider the health benefits of choosing Organic over commercially grown produce. If the farm sign has a large green checkmark and says Certified, you know the produce has been grown without artificial chemicals, hormones, or genetically modified or engineered organisms (GMOs). All of these pesticides and fertilizers can create an unhealthy toxic build up in your body that may be detrimental to your health. The choice is up to you!

Fresh picked from Warkentin Organic Farm

ABBOTSFORD
Bateman Berry Farm 604-850-0377 - blueberries
Biota Farm 604-859-5959 - fruit, hens, eggs, vegetables (Bio-Dynamic)
Blue Heaven 604-850-2278 - blueberries
Casa Blanca Farm 604-607-0043 - apples, pears, peaches, raspberries
Collin Regehr Farms 604-302-5489 - raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
Glen Valley Organic 604-857-0017 - mixed veggies, greens, fruit, berries
Warkentin Organic Farm 604-826-7230 - blueberries, strawberries, blackberries

CHILLIWACK
Forstbauer Family Farm 604-794-3999 - blueberries, veggies, herbs, fruit, eggs, beef (Bio-Dynamic)
Lenz Farm 604-823-6577 - hazelnuts
Ohm Organic Farm 604-703-3200

LANGLEY
Casa Blanca Farm 604-607-0043 - apples, pears, peaches, raspberries, hazelnuts

Organic Fruits, Greens, and Veggies

When in the grocery store produce aisle the other day, a woman asked me a question about the organic bananas I was choosing. "Are these the supposedly organic bananas" she asked in a mocking tone? Her mistrust of the organic labelling process was obvious, so I simply replied that yes these bananas were organic and directed her to the conventional bananas.

As an advocate of organic and biodynamic foods normally I would happily take the time to offer information on the health benefits of organic produce, but in this case an obviously hostile confrontation was not the answer. There are always two sides - some people are ready to discuss openly and some people are not!

I'm grateful to this woman for reminding me that not everyone is aware of the levels of pesticides on conventional foods. Personally I buy as much organic produce as is available, and purchase produce from the dirty dozen Only If Organic (this includes many red bell peppers - but never green bell peppers as they are unripened fruit). So here is some information that I'l like to share with readers of this blog.

THE DIRTY DOZEN

Apples                            Peaches

Bell peppers                         Pears

Celery                            Potatoes

Cherries                     Red raspberries

Grapes                           Spinach

Nectarines                      Strawberries

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s own lab testing reveals that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than others. Based on an analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. government pesticide test results, researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., have developed the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables above, that they say you should always buy organic if possible - because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides.

Among fruits, nectarines had the highest percentage testing positive for pesticide residue. Peaches and red raspberries had the most pesticides (nine) on a single sample.

Among vegetables, celery and spinach most often carried pesticides, with spinach having the highest number (10) on a single sample. (For more information on pesticide levels for other types of produce, go to http://www.foodnews.org/ )

Raw Rainbow Stir Fry

Yesterday I felt like preparing something sweet and simple for today's lunch, so here is what I came up with.

This dish doesn't take long to put together and is easily dehydrated overnight.

At the bottom I have given you three suggestions for plating - feel free to play with the dressing till it suits your tastebuds - and serve it your way!

Raw Rainbow Stir Fry
1 cup broccoli, chopped into florets
1 cup fresh pineapple, in 1" chunks
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into noodles
1/2 cup snow peas

Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari

• Prepare the fruit and vegetables as above and place in a flat bottom glass casserole (an 8 x 11-1/2" casserole gives two good size servings)
• In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, Agave, lemon juice, and Tamari
• Pour the mixture over the fruit and vegetables and stir to coat
• Remove bottom 2 trays from your dehydrator and place casserole on bottom of dehydrator
• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 6-8 hours, or until softened and warmed through
• Option 1 - I used a vegetable peeler to make zucchini noodles, placed the noodles on a plate, and covered them with the stir fry
• Option 2 - You could sprinkle the stir fry with Sesame seeds and Enjoy As Is
• Option 3 - Increase the amount of dressing and make a veggie rice. Place veggie rice on a plate and pour the stir fry and dressing over top of the rice.

Gluten-Free Life

Since this blog is about sharing possibilities for healthy living, why not revisit the subject of gluten intolerance (from a previous post)? Being a raw foodie I have already had my own experience of the benefits of eating a simpler way without processed foods. But you may want to ask yourself how many products containing wheat, oats, etc are already in your diet - and then consider the possibility that these products may be the cause of lingering problems in your body? An easy way to do your own test is to eliminate breads and gluten products for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. If you do feel considerably better - then maybe you would benefit from a gluten-free diet!

You can see more in my September 10, 2010 post, but here are a few of the symptoms that may arise from gluten intolerance:  fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal distress, headaches, weight loss, depression, dermatitis, lactose intolerance, and anemia, just to mention a few.

When I chose to stop eating bread, bagels, and wheat products, my sinus symptoms went away, no aches or pains, and I did not have that bloated feeling. So after some research, I decided that in my raw food classes I would provide the option of being wheat-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. And from there it was a natural progression for me to adopt this way of eating into my lifestyle - this has been a good choice that feels right for me!

For more information - view my post in the Blog Archives on September 10, 2010 - which includes links to follow!

Raw Zesty Orange Chia Pudding

My bag of juicy organic oranges and Chia seeds wanted to get together somehow, so today this quick and healthy dessert came into being!

The oil from Chia seeds contains a very high concentration of omega-3 fatty acid - approximately 64%. Chia seeds contain no gluten and trace levels of sodium, and when mixed with water, Chia seeds create a mucilaginous gel that helps heal the stomach lining. There are no known toxic components of Chia.

Raw Zesty Orange Chia Pudding
2 oranges, peeled and seeded
1/4 tsp (or less) orange zest, grated
2 tsp Agave
1-1/2 tsp raw carob powder (optional)
1 tsp raw cacao powder (optional)
1/4 cup Chia seeds, dry

• You can make this an orange pudding by simply omitting the carob and cacao powders
• Grate the orange peel (before peeling orange) and set aside this zest
• Place oranges in a blender and blend until you have a smooth liquid (about 1-1/2 cups)
• In a bowl mix together orange liquid, orange zest, Agave, carob and cacao powders
• Add 1/4 cup Chia seeds to bowl and blend through
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken
• Serve in dessert dishes topped with an orange slice!

Raw Garlicky Green Beans

Been day-dreaming of green beans with lots of garlic (welcome to my world) and when I discovered a bag of organic green beans at Safeway, I came home and created this recipe. This serves as a wonderful side dish if you are preparing an Easter meal - Garlicky and Delish!

Raw Garlicky Green Beans

1 pound of organic green beans
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped and soaked
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of Himalayan salt

• Soak sun-dried tomatoes for 15 minutes and then drain off the water (you could use the soak water to flavour other recipes)
• Combine all ingredients in a glass casserole with a flat bottom (8 x 8" works well), mixing all together until well coated
• Remove bottom 2 trays from your dehydrator
• Place casserole into bottom of dehydrator and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 5-8 hours
• Stir mixture every few hours to coat evenly and taste - till done to your satisfaction!

Raw Enchilada Sandwiches

It was so quick and easy to make my delicious lunch today! The trick is to prepare a few raw dishes once or twice a week that can be stored in the fridge. Then when you come home hungry, all you have to do is put the dishes together for a quick nutritious meal. Some of the things taught In my Dehydrator Essentials Class were how to make enchiladas in 4-inch or 6-inch sizes, marinated veggies and raw mayo.

Enchilada shells are so versatile - here is a different way for you to try!

• #1 - Lay a mini enchilada shell flat
• Place a couple of spoonfuls of marinated veggies down the centre of each shell
• Drizzle some raw mayo over the veggies
• #2 - Top this mixture with some home grown sprouts
• Fold enchilada shell in half to fit in the palm of your hand
• #3 - Enjoy this quick and easy meal - taco style! 

Raw Cheezy Kelp Noodles

This noodle dish was thrown together from leftovers in my fridge. I can't believe how easy it was and how tasty it turned out - amazing things do happen when you just let go. 

This is not precise, just what I remember, since I was into enjoying the moment and having a good time!

Raw Cheezy Kelp Noodles

1 pkg Kelp noodles

1/4 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup chopped broccoli
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp lemon juice

Dash Himalayan salt

Leftovers from my fridge:

1/2 cup marinated and dehydrated root veggies

1/2 cup Tamari/olive oil marinade

3 Tbsp chipotle mayo (you could use any raw cheese)

• After rinsing and soaking kelp noodles for 10 minutes, they were put in a glass casserole
• After that everything was added to the casserole in no particular order
• Kept adding and taste testing until flavours danced divinely and then put the casserole into dehydrator for 2 hours at 105 degrees
• Voila - a new dish came alive!

Raw Strawberry Macaroons

Here is an easy recipe to make for Valentine's Day! It's my adaption of an Ani Phyo recipe that has only 5 ingredients, so it is fast and easy, but you will need to use a dehydrator to dry these.

This recipe is for Strawberry Macaroons, but you can substitute pineapple to make yellow macaroons, or cacao to make chocolate macaroons.

Raw Strawberry Macaroons

1/3 cup pitted Medjool dates

1-1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1/4 cup agave

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups shredded coconut  

• Place dates, strawberries, agave, and vanilla in your food processor and process into a puree. Add coconut, and process again to mix well.
• Use a 2 Tbsp scoop to make 12 macaroons and place onto dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 4 hours.