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