How to Make . . . EZ Date Paste

This Holiday Season I hope you are enjoying family, friends, and taking time for yourself to unwind, relax, and regain your balance! For myself, I spent a joyful Christmas with my daughter and her two sons, and was really happy to connect with my son and relatives in Ontario (we could have talked for hours). So now I am getting back into my itty bitty kitchen to create new raw recipes for the booklet I am working on. YES, I DID SAY I AM WORKING ON A BOOKLET.....yesterday I made a Chocolate Pumpkin Pie that was divine, and today I am creating Gingerbread Cookies - what fun!

So with all the holiday desserts being enjoyed at this time of year, I wanted to give you another choice to soothe that sweet tooth. Even though there is a lot of info on the negative effects of sugar, there are alternatives - especially for us raw foodies! So how about taking control over what you eat and making your own from scratch?

Top right picture shows how the Date Paste will look in the blender when you quickly mix it up at home. My blender, a Vitamix, whips this into a smooth, thick and creamy paste, but a regular blender will also do the trick.

Three of the best varieties of dates for raw food prep are medjool, khadrawi and honey dates. (Date sugar, made from dates only, is heated in the process and not considered a raw food.) I use medjool dates and love them even as a snack when in a hurry.

Maybe you are wondering what you can use the EZ Date Paste for? You can use it as a replacement for anything that calls for a liquid sweetener, like agave, honey, yacon syrup, stevia, date sugar, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc. But since Date Paste will be less sweet than other sweeteners, you will want to keep taste testing to find your sweetness level.

EZ Date Paste
1 cup Medjool dates, with pits removed
3/4 to 1 cup water
pinch of sea salt (Optional)
splash of lemon juice to preserve (Optional)

• Combine ingredients in your blender
• Blend until a smooth paste-like consistency
• Pour into a glass jar with a lid and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks
• I used 3/4 cup water for 1 cup of date paste
• Less sweet than agave so use 50% more (if recipe calls for 1 Tbsp agave, use 1-1/2 Tbsp date paste)

Raw EZ Rawpple Mash

Here is a great solution to satisfy your craving for sweets (with the bonus of being very filling). And if your goal is to keep raw food simple - this recipe couldn't be any easier! (No food processor??? Just chop apple, dates, and mash banana!)

Raw EZ Rawpple Mash
1 organic apple, cubed
2-3 Medjool dates, soaked
1 small organic banana, peeled

• Soaking the dates for a few minutes makes easier mixing in food processor
• Drain liquid from dates and put in food processor with cubed apple
• Process to small chunks
• Add banana and process again for a few seconds (not to liquefy)
• Place in a bowl and enjoy
• Goji berries or raisins can be added to food processor (optional) 
• Yield: 3/4 cup for one person

Raw Brazil Nut Truffles

If you haven't dried the fruit yourself, use dried fruit that is organic and unsulfured. Dried fruits like blueberries, pears, papaya, pineapple and apricots all work well.

Selenium found in Brazil nuts is a powerful antioxidant linked to lower rates of cancer and heart disease and may help boost the immune system along with possibly discouraging the aging process.

Raw Brazil Nut Truffles
1 cup Brazil nuts, ground
1/2 cup coconut flour (process shredded coconut in food processor)
1/2 cup organic dried apricots, unsulfured
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup Agave
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
Extra Agave and ground Brazil nuts (or shredded coconut) to roll truffles

• Process all ingredients in food processor until dough turns into a ball
• Scoop spoonful of dough and shape each spoonful into round balls
• Take one truffle and dip in Agave
• Then drop truffle into brazil nuts (or shredded coconut) and roll until coated
• Place on plate and repeat for each truffle
• Yield:  20 truffles

Kabocha Squash

Here is a picture of a large Kabocha Squash (weighing about 4 pounds) that was given to my daughter by a friend of hers who had grown it. I'll definitely use kabocha again!

Called Japanese pumpkin, kabocha began its history in Japan where it was favoured for its sweetness and pleasing texture.

Kabocha's hard, deep green skin, boasts exceptional flavor to those who have had the pleasure of tasting its succulent, naturally sweet flesh, even sweeter than butternut squash, although the occasional one may forget to be sweet. The flavour and texture of the Japanese pumpkin is like a sweet potato crossed with a pumpkin.

Kabocha has an abundance of beta carotene, along with vitamin C, iron, potassium, and also folic acid, calcium, and trace B vitamins.

So what to do with this much squash? Well today, a pasta dish sounded awfully good to me, so out came the Spirooli vegetable slicer and squash noodles quickly appeared! Next a creamy sauce was whipped up in the Vitamix - using the old add and taste method!



The sauce was mixed with the squash pasta noodles until they were well coated and then I encircled the pasta with some marinated veggies that were already prepared.

So today I enjoyed a quick and easy raw food dinner that was absolutely delicious - and looked amazing on the plate! Hmmm.....now what to do with the rest of the squash?

Raw EZ Chocolate

This is a very simple chocolate recipe - give it a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised! You can substitute dehydrated buckwheat groats, coconut, or goji berries for the nuts, or make it a bit sweeter - it's up to you!

Raw EZ Chocolate
1/2 cup raw cacao butter
1/4 cup coconut oil (room temperature)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup raw carob powder
1/3 cup raw Agave syrup
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

• To melt cacao butter, put solid cacao butter in a measuring cup, then sit the measuring cup in a pan of hot water
• Coconut oil should be liquid also
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl and combine well
• Pour into a silicone square mold
• Place in freezer for up to 15 minutes
• At this point chocolate should be solid enough to cut into squares, or just break into pieces when fully set
• To set, return to freezer, or leave overnight in fridge
• Turn mold inside out to release chocolate squares

How to Make . . . Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Wow - just came home to the full bodied smell of dehydrating tomatoes! Not only does raw food have the amazing tastes and textures that I love, but my home is filled with mouth-watering, stimulating aromas when the dehydrator is used! As you can see, my mason jars are getting filled with nutritious, meaty tasting sun-dried tomatoes!

Maybe in some past life I was a Daschnik (people who work and communicate with the earth and its plants - from the Anastasia books), or maybe I just really appreciate simple, natural whole food, because I experience such joy when working with the vital life force in these foods! 

My mandoline is a pleasure to use. I just put it on the thickest setting to slice tomatoes and it helps me go through a box of tomatoes really fast. Tomato slices are placed in a single layer on the mesh of my Excalibur dehydrator tray (for very juicy tomatoes you can put on Paraflexx sheet first.) Dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 12 hours or more, turn slices over, and dehydrate another 12 hours or so until done to your liking! A quick and easy way to make the most of your tomato harvest - PRESERVATIVES and COOKING NOT REQUIRED!

Raw Persimmon Pudding

I just made the most deliciously thick green smoothie pudding - courtesy of Valya Boutenko - definitely going back to Safeway for more persimmons!

Raw Persimmon Pudding
1 persimmon
5 very large strawberries
1 banana
2-3 stalks wild celery, with leaves
(I used regular celery, but since I love wild celery which is more nutritious and tastier, I'll go to the Abbotsford Farmers Market this Saturday for the wild version.)

• Remove top and seed from persimmon and discard, place remaining persimmon in a blender
• Add strawberries and banana to blender
• If using a Vitamix you will 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
• Blend till smooth and pour into dessert dishes - Fast, Easy and Delish!