Raw Food Recipes:
appetizer

I promise I had the best intentions. I had a beautiful menu planned for you for this Thursday. Each day this week I would focus on a different course for you to seduce your sweetie into a meal he or she would always remember.

The foreplay of the evening would have been the Sweet and Spicy Neptune Salad Cocktail, followed by a bit of cool Cucumber soup or maybe a Shaved Fennel salad with cranberries. Moving on to main event it was a Mushroom Ragu and Chickpea Polenta with Asparagus Rolls. The climax was Cheesecakes Shots with Blueberry sauce.

I like to cuddle after. Do you like to cuddle? I thought you might cuddle with a Fruit Platter of pineapple cubes, strawberries and raspberries with two spicy chocolate sauces for dipping and feeding . One laced with cayenne and the other with cinnamon.

Time escaped me and I really couldn't indulge in such an extravagant venture, you know the juice feasting thing.

Now before you leave in a huff and curse me for being such a tease or so you won't wear "that shirt" that says "I visited The Daily Raw Blog and all I got was this stinking T-shirt"...try this, to soothe the savage beast.

A sweet and fiery concoction that will most definitely set the fires ablazing. Here folks to get your party started is the.....

Sweet and Spicy Neptune Salad Cocktail
2 cups finely diced coconut meat
2 tablespoon finely diced red onion
1 Holland chili (or another red-colored chili or pepper), finely diced
2 long pieces of dried seaweed, broken into small pieces, save extra for garnish
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut butter
Juice of one lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 lettuce leaf
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into slices
A few sprigs of cilantro for garnish

1 Toss coconut meat, onion, chilies and seaweed in a bowl.

2 Whisk together honey, coconut butter, lime juice and sea salt until the honey and coconut butter dissolves a bit, creating a smooth consistency. Pour into bowl with coconut meat. Marinate at least an hour.

3 Place lettuce leaf in the bottom of cocktail glass. Place a heaping amount of Neptune salad on top of leaf. Garnish with avocado, cilantro and a few flakes of seaweed.

Servings: 2

After you finish eating the salad, sip on the juice that have collected in the bottom of the glasses.

Have a very happy V-Day!

Have I mentioned how wonderful and supportive the raw community is in Denver. I attended a rawluck on Saturday and I was at another last night. And I tell you what, Denver is building something special. I haven't had such a stimulating, exciting evening in quite a while. Thank you Loriel, Soleil, Mila, Rachel and CJ for the lively conversation.

Of yeah, the food looked great too. My contribution was Lentil Patties with Coconut Peanut Sauce, but alas, I won't share the recipe until next week. Please forgive.

Today I present my dish from Saturday's rawluck. The tapenade and vegetable dip works perfectly with crudites and flax crackers.

There's many a day where I'll whip up the dip and chop some veggies for the littles to eat for lunch.

Olive Tapenade Yield: 2 cups
1 cup Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
½ cup Green Olives, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1/3 cup Olive Oil

1 Combine olives, garlic and Italian Seasoning in a bowl.
2 Add red wine vinegar and olive oil. Gently toss. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to marinate. Overnight is best.

Vegetable Dip
Yield: 2 cups
1 celery stalk, finely diced
¼ onion, finely diced
½ carrot, shredded¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ garlic powder
1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours
½ cup water, or more as needed
Juice of one lemon

1 Toss celery, onion and carrots in a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.
2 Place cashews, lemon juice and water in a blender. Process until cashews are very creamy, add more water if needed.

3 Combine cashew cream and vegetables. Chill overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

I would like to pass along my Inspirational Blogger Award to Rediscover Raw Foods. She is a honest, straight forward lady. As for the other four? They will have to wait I'm going to bed.

What does this exotic raw food dish and a beautiful raw cookbook author have in common? They're both named Sarma. Rawsome!

At first glance, this dish was given the traditional name of dolma, but upon further investigation I uncovered a different meaning.

The noun dolma derives from the Turkish verb dolmak for "stuffed things" and in this case stuffed vegetables, which could be any vegetable (pepper, eggplant, etc.) hollowed out and "stuffed" with goodies.

Moving on from there, I discovered the correct terminology is Sarma, a wrapped vegetable.

"Sarma is a verbal noun derived from the Turkish verb sarmak meaning "wrapping" or "rolling" in Turkish. Sarma is similar to its cousin dolma, and the two names for such rolls are used interchangeably in many languages." — Wikipedia

No, I'm not saying that Sarma Melngailis is a "wrapped" vegetable. From reading her blog and being a fan of her book, I would imagine she is a sweet, sincere person.

They just share a name and now I'm changing the name of my particular raw food dish to "Sweet Sarmas." It just fits.

This scrumptious appetizer is sweet, savory and succulence all wrapped up.

Sweet Sarmas
Servings: 40

20 large collard leaves
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups pine nuts
¼ cup finely diced red onions
½ cup loosely packed fresh mint
½ cup loosely packed fresh dill
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Cut away the stem from the collard leaves, leaving you with two leaves.

2 Place the olive oil and sea salt in a large bowl. Add the leaves to the bowl and gently massage them with the oil mixture. Set aside.

3 In a food processor, briefly pulse pine nuts, mint, dill and onion until well combined. Pine nuts should be finely chopped.

4 In a large bowl, toss sun-dried tomatoes and raisins with the pine nut mixture. Add cinnamon, allspice and cumin.

5 Place one tablespoon of the filling center of a collard leaf. Fold bottom of leaf over the filling. Fold sides and roll into a cigar shape.

Here's a grown-up version of nachos to celebrate the day. And while you're chowing down on the nachos read the "I Love Nachos Day" ecards you sent to each other.

Chili Lime Flax Crackers1/2 cup ground brown flaxseeds1/4 cup soaked golden flaxseeds1/2 tablespoon chili powderJuice of one lime1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 Combine ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
2 Spread mixture as thin as possible Teflex sheet.
3 Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 5 hours. Flip crackers over, remove teflex sheet and dehydrate an additional 5 hours.

Pepper Flax Crackers1 cup soaked golden flaxseeds
1/2 tablespoon black pepper1/2 tablespoon red pepperJuice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 Combine ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.

2 Spread mixture as thin as possible Teflex sheet.

3 Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 4 hours. Flip crackers over, remove Teflex sheet and dehydrate an additional 4 hours.

“Refried Beans”
2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour
½ teaspoon miso
3-4 tablespoon Mexican seasonings
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon agave nectar
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 sprigs cilantro leaves only
Sea salt, to taste

1 Process all ingredients; expect jalapeno, onions and cilantro, in a food processor. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time and process until you get a smooth consistency.

2 Add jalapeno, onions and cilantro and pulse a few times to combine.

Pear Salsa1 pear, finely diced1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced1/2 shallot, finely diced1/2 jalapeno, finely diced5 sprigs cilantro, leaves onlyJuice of one half lime1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Toss ingredients together.
As usual my dear hubbie doesn't work in measurements. I did pin him down (which was kind of fun) to give me the salsa ingredients.

Cory's salsa
tomatoes
garlic
onion
cilantro
jalapeno
lime juice
sea salt

Toss ingredients together.

Guacamole
one avocado
Cory's salsa Sea salt, to taste

1 Peel and mash the avocado in a bowl.
2 Add one or two tablespoons of Cory's salsa. Combine well. Add sea salt
Other Nacho toppings
Avocado cubes Black OlivesGreen Olives
Jalapenos
Lettuce
Sour Cream
Walnut Taco Meat

Falafel Balls with Tzatziki
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup soaked almonds
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup chopped red onions
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons sea salt

1 In a food processor, combine chickpeas, almonds, garlic, olive oil, water and cilantro until you achieve a thick paste. Add onions and lemon juice, seasonings and sea salt, process briefly.

2 Form the mixture into ping pong-sized balls.

3 Place on Teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours.

4 Roll falafel balls over and dehydrate an additional 2 hours. The balls should be slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside.

Yield: 20 balls

Tzatziki
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 In a blender, combine cucumber, cashews, water vinegar, garlic and mint. Mix well.

2 Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

3 Serve with cucumber slices, zucchini, carrots and celery.

Yield: 1 cup

The flavor of the basil pesto adds zip to the mildness of the butternut squash and the creamy white sauce ties the dish together.

1 butternut squash
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1 cup Pesto (recipe below)
1 cup White Sauce (recipe below)

1 Cut the "neck" from the bottom of butternut squash. Reserve the bottom portion for another recipe. Cut the neck in half

2 With a vegetable peeler, peel the neck.

3 Use a knife or mandolin to slice butternut squash in paper thin rounds (1/8-inch or less). Make a least 20 slices.

4 Place squash in a bowl of sea salt water and let set for an hour to soften. Under running water, rinse the squash thoroughly to remove salt.

5 Add one teaspoon of the pesto to the center of rinsed squash round. Place another slice of squash on top. Pinch the ends to close.

6 Serve with white sauce. Top off with black pepper.

Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

1 Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and process until well chopped.

2 Add the nuts and garlic, process again until if forms a thick smooth paste. Slowly stream in olive oil. Stopping the food processor to scrape down sides of container.

3 Process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper

White Sauce
1 cup cashews, soaked for an hour
¾ cup water
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper

In a blender, puree cashew and olive oil, until cashews break down. Add water, blend until you achieve a thin white sauce.

Raw food recipe tip:
Want to take the sauce further? Add 1/2 onion 1/2 garlic clove, minced dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled, salt and white pepper, to taste nutmeg, to taste

The sushi and dipping sauce are my husband's creations. He brought home the pecan butter and his imagination went from there.
We make and eat sushi once every few months. It's one of my favorite foods.
It's a big deal when we make sushi because the work involved (food prep, rolling, sauce-making, etc.). We use a variation of the "Raw Food Real World" recipe with the jicama rice. Yummy!
We save sushi night for when the kids are at a sitter and we can open a bottle of wine and crank up the music.
Oddly enough, this wasn't one of THOSE nights.
Note to self: Hungry husband generally doesn't like to have his sushi kidnapped to take a photograph for blog.

SUSHI ROLLS
4 nori sheets3 green scallions, thinly sliced1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned1 red bell pepper, julienned1 ripe avocado, sliced1 small bunch sprouts
1. Place a nori sheet on a rolling mat.
2. Arrange small portions of the scallion, bell pepper, sprouts, cucumber and avocado on the bottom third of the nori sheet.
3. Roll up the sushi tightly with the sushi mat to form a neatly packed cylinder. Think fat cigar.
4. Cut each sushi roll into 1½-inch rounds using a sharp, damp knife. Plate and serve with Spicy Pecan Dipping Sauce.

SPICY PECAN DIPPING SAUCE1/2 cup Artisana Organic Raw Pecan Butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoon agave nectar
2 tablespoon Nama Shoyu
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes,

1. In a blender puree together pecan butter, garlic, agave nectar, Nama Shoyu, water, red pepper flakes and sea salt until mixture is smooth.
2. If needed add more water one tablespoon at a time to reach a desired consistency.

Collard greens provide an excellent source of calcium, zinc, folate, manganese, vitamins C, A and K.

4 collard large leaves, cleaned
1 avocado, cored and sliced
6 baby carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup sun-dried tomato paste (recipe follows)
1/2 cup clover sprouts
1/2 cup wasabi dipping sauce (recipe follows)

1 Fold the collard green in half lengthwise and with a knife, remove the center stem from each leaf. You should have 8 leaf-halves total.
2 Spread 1-2 teaspoons of sun-dried tomato paste on each leaf. Top with cucumber, carrots, avocado slice and sprouts. Roll the leaf.
3 Serve with wasabi dipping sauce.

Servings: 2
Yield: 8 rolls

SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, reserve water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small tomato, remove seeds, diced
1 date, pitted and soaked
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients, except sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Add sun-dried tomatoes last, along with reserved water to create a thick mixture.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups

WASABI SAUCE #2
1 avocado
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Combine avocado, apple cider vinegar, ground mustard, salt and water in a blender until smooth.

Serves 2
Yields: 1/2 cup

*A slider is a miniature hamburger.

Flax Bread 2 cup brown flax seeds, soaked for 2 hours 2 cup golden flax seeds, ground into flour 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tomato, chopped 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon sea salt In a food processor, combine brown flax, olive and tomato. Remove from food processor and place in a large bowl.
Fold in golden flax flour and seasonings.
Spread mixture on two Teflex sheets making a 8 x 8-inch square on each. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 24-36 hours.
Flip bread over after 8 hours. With a pizza cutter, score the bread into a tic-tac-toe pattern.
You should have 9 slices per Teflex sheet (18 slices).
Making the slider hamburger bun: Take a small piece of the flax bread dough and form it into a miniature burger top, take a second piece and form into the burger bottom.

Jalapeno Burgers 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked until very soft, reserve 1/8 cup soaking water 1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu 1 teaspoon Hamburger seasonings 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
In a food processor, combine walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes and soaking water until you achieve a meat consistency. Remove from processor.

In a mixing bowl, lightly mix together walnut meat, onions, jalapeno peppers, Nama Shoyu, salt and pepper. Shape into 6 patties. Serve.
Optional: Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 1 hour.

Sun-dried Tomato Ketchup

Jicama Fries1 medium jicama, peeled 2 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Slice the jicama, as you would a potato to make chips. Stack a few slices at a time and cut them all into french fry-sized pieces.
Place the seasonings in a plastic bag.
Lightly coat jicama fries with oil, then place fries in bag and shake until well coated.

Want more miniatures? Try SP Miniatures, they carry non-edible mini fruit and vegetables.

I love mushrooms just about as much as I love desserts. So whenever I can create a savory dish using mushrooms, I do. This recipe first appeared on Raw Test Kitchen in August and I finally made it about a few weeks ago. My husband and the kids loved it, as did I.
Speaking of RTK, I want to thank Bob of Legally Raw for submitting his photos and comments for my Oatmeal Shortcakes with Spiced Plums recipe. Also, if you get a chance, check out Bob's recipe for Spicy Lemongrass "Tofu Zucchini". If you like it hot and spicy, give it a try!
Tuscan Mushrooms
1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed, reserve mushroom stems2 scallions, diced1/2 c diced red bell peppers1/2 c diced pitted green olives4 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided1 t sea salt1/4 t black pepper1/4 c finely chopped fresh basil leaves
Massage mushroom caps with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
Put mushrooms in the dehydrator for one-half hour.
Dice mushroom stems, toss with red bell peppers and 2 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the scallions, red bell peppers mixture, olives, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and pepper.
Transfer the mushrooms caps to a serving platter, spoon the filling into the cavity of the mushrooms, sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.
Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped basil, and serve. (1)

CORN TORTILLAS

NACHO CHEESE

SPINACH/PEPPER MIXTURE
1 c fresh spinach1/2 sweet red bell pepper, diced 1/2 sweet yellow bell pepper, diced1/4 yellow onion, diced Juice of one lime 1 T olive oil 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced 1 t chili powder 1 t sea salt Place ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate for 1 hour. NACHO CHEESE 1 c cashews, soaked
1/4 c water
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced Juice of half a lemon 1 T Nutritional yeast 1 t turmeric 1/2 t sea saltBlend ingredients until thick and creamy. CORN TORTILLAS 4 c fresh corn kernels, from sweet corn on the cob 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped 1 c golden flax seeds, finely ground 1 t sea salt Chop corn and bell pepper in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Take a spoon and spread the corn mixture on the teflex-lined dehydrator trays. You should have enough mixture for two or three trays. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for about 5 hours.
Flip the teflex sheet over onto the tray and carefully pull away from tortillas.
Using a pizza cutter, score the tortilla in 3-inch strips (approximately 3 long strips) length-wise, then score every four inches across. You should have approximately 9 strips of rectangles. Dehydrate for another 2 hours until tortilla is completely dry on both sides but still pliable. To assemble taquitos, spread cheese on the end of one tortilla strip, spoon spinach/pepper mixture on top of cheese and roll tortilla tightly to prevent it from opening.
Secure with a toothpick, if necessary. Put taquitos in dehydrator at 110 degrees for 8-12 hours or until they are crisp on the outside.Author's note:I have waited forever to make these. I put the recipe on rawtestkitchen in July and I'm just getting around to making it. Whip up some sour cream , chopped avocado and enjoy!HELP: Can someone tell me how to type my blog without the words gathering together, please, please, let me know. Because I type it the way I want it, then it changes. Thanks! Have a great week!

Avocados are the quickest and easiest meals to prepare. My kids love it. My son eats it straight out of its skin and Taste Tester A prefers it cut up in chunks. Sous Chef D prefers her avocado with tomatoes.

I never really had avocados before I started a raw diet. And I didn't even think of the possibility of eating it by itself. I would eat guacamole, but that was once in a blue moon and only with Mexican food.

I'm so happy that I discovered for myself the joys of this smooth, creamy fruit. Yum!

Avocado slices with lemon
Serves 2

1 avocado
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Cut the avocado in half. In the shell cut avocado into slices. Place ½ avocado slices on a plate. Squeeze lemon juice over the slices. Sprinkle on ½ teaspoon flax seeds, pepper and sea salt. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Repeat with other half. Serves 2.

Updated 1-11-11

Diana says: I also want to mention one thing I learned from a few sources when reading about eating healthy and that is that you should grind flax seed. The outer layer is too hard for our system to break down, so to get the health benefits you should grind it.



Terilynn says: Diana is absolutely right.

Almond Stuffed Peppers

1 c almonds, soaked 6-8 hours

1 c mushrooms

1/2 c sundried tomatoes, soaked, reserve water

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c diced onion

4 T reserved sundried tomato water

2 T olive oil

1 T poultry seasoning

1/4 t sea salt

2 sweet bell peppers, cut in halves.

Combine almonds, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and reserved water in a food processor until well mixture is a ground meat texture. Place in a large bowl and fold in garlic, onion, olive oil, seasoning and sea salt.

Place mixture in bell pepper halves.

Option: Top with rosemary.

One of my favorite things to eat is collard green wraps with Sun-dried tomato spread, cucumbers, sprouts and avocado. Cucumber Bird's Nest is a variation of that. I wanted to make it an appetizer because that's what I'm in to right now.
1/2 cucumber, sliced into 1/4-in, it should be about 18 slices1 avocado, dicedclover sprouts
SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD (1-1/2 c)1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, reserve water2 garlic cloves, minced1 small tomato, remove seeds, diced1 date, pitted and soaked1 T apple cider vinegar1 T olive oil1 T Italian seasoning
Combine all ingredients, except sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Add sun-dried tomatoes last, along with reserved water to create a thick mixture.
To assemble, spread sun-dried tomato mixture spread on top of cucumber slices. Arrange a small stack of sprouts and then 2-3 pieces of avocado on the tomato mixture.

12 mini portobello mushrooms caps, stems removed
2 T olive oil1 t sea saltLightly pat inside and outside of mushrooms with olive oil and sea salt. Let sit for an hour or so.

TOPPINGS6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced1 red onion, diced1 yellow bell pepper, diced6 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
SPINACH FETA CHEESE1/2 c macadamia nuts, soaked until softa handful of spinachjuice of one lemon juice
2 T water1 T nutritional yeast2 t sea salt
Combine ingredients in a blender until chunky. If blender gets stuck, add more water a tablespoon at a time to get things going.
Spread spinach feta cheese on mushroom caps.
Place topping ingredients on cheese. Put in dehydrator at 100 degrees for 1-2 hours, until warm.

HUMMUS
2 c garbanzo beans (chickpeas), sprouted1/4c raw tahiniJuice of 1 lemon1 clove garlic, minced
6 T water1 T olive oil1 t sea salt1 c sun-dried tomato, soaked til soft1 c spinach
In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.
Divide hummus into three portions, leaving one of the portions in the food processor.
Put sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor with the hummus. Blend until creamy and slightly chunky. Remove sun-dried tomato hummus. Set aside.
Rinse processor and add spinach with the second portion of hummus. Combine thoroughly.
CRUDITES
Cucumber slices
Carrot slices
Broccoli
Cherry tomatoes

Stuffed cucumbers with Neptune SaladIngredientsmeat from 2 young coconuts, cut into small pieces
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, shredded
¼ cup black olives, chopped
1 tablespoon yellow or white onion, finely diced
½ dill pickle, finely diced
¼ cup Neptune Cashew creme
sea salt, to taste
To make the Neptune salad mix all ingredients, except cucumbers together in a bowl. Chill at least four hours, overnight is best.
With a vegetable peeler, create stripes on the outside of the cucumbers, leaving every other section intact.
Cut off ends of cucumber and slice into 1- 1 1/2-inch rounds. With a 1/2 teaspoon spoon, scoop out the seeds and inner flesh of each cucumber. Do not scoop all the way through.

Fill cucumbers with Neptune salad.

Neptune Cashew CremeMakes 1.5 cups
Ingredients
1 c. cashew creme, soaked
2 tablespoons dried seaweed, ground 1 c. water juice of one lemon 1 t. sea salt, add more if desired
Blend cashews, seaweed, sea salt and lemon juice, stream water in a bit at a time until smooth.

Falafel Balls are one of my favorite things to make and I enjoy thinking outside of the box and creating unique flavor combinations.
Southwestern Falafel Balls with Avocado Spread

Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Combine seasonings in a Mason jar and give a good shake. Stores in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Avocado Spread
1 cup cashews, soaked for 1 hour to soften
Juice of 2 limes
¼ cup water
2 avocado, mashed
1 tomato, seeded, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine cashews, lime juice and water in a blender; process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in avocado until well combined. Fold in tomato, onion and salt. Refrigerate, covered until ready to use.

Southwestern Falafel
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup almonds, soaked
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 green onions, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 tablespoons southwestern seasoning mix
1 teaspoon sea salt

Microgreens

Combine chickpeas, almonds, garlic, olive oil, water and cilantro in food processor until you achieve a thick paste. Add onions and lemon juice, seasonings and sea salt, briefly pulse until onions are combined but still intact.

Shape the falafel mixture into small ping-pong-size balls. Place balls on mesh screens and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6-8 hours. The falafels should be slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside.

Place patties on a bed of micro greens. Serve with a gallop of avocado spread. Serves 4

I went to The Denver Living and Raw Food Cafe rawluck yesterday and I prepared this appetizers.

Tamalitos (small tamales)

15 corn husks

Soak the corn husks in warm water for 2 hours to make them pliable.

Corn filling:
5 cups fresh corn, cut from ears
2 cups cashews
2 tsp. cayenne
Sea salt, to taste

Process 4 cups of the corn with the cashews, cayenne and salt until smooth. Add 1 cup corn and cilantro, don’t overprocess.

“Refried Beans” filling
2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour
½ tsp. miso
3-4 tbsp. Mexican seasonings
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 sprigs cilantro leaves only
Sea salt, to taste

Process all ingredients; expect jalapeno, onions and cilantro, in a food processor. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time and process until you get a smooth consistency.

Add jalapeno, onions and cilantro and pulse a few times to combine.

Separate and dry the corn husks.

Place about 2 tablespoons of corn filling on the center of the husk then add the bean filling.

Fold the bottoms over the filling and then fold the sides over. Use husks strips to tie the top of tamalito. Serve with chili sauce.

Chili sauce
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 cups of water for 1 hour (save water after soak)
2 medium tomatoes
½ jalapeno
2 green onion, white part only
1 tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp agave nectar
4 tbsp. chili powder
Sea salt, to taste

Blend all ingredients in blender. Use the sun-dried tomato water to make create a liquid consistency.

This is it. It has officially happened. After years of dodging the inevitable. The time has come to face the facts, pay the piper...well you get it.
I am aging. I know, it's hard to believe, right? Who knew that sort of thing happens...to me.

Each time a baby enters this family, it's only a matter of time (3-5 years) when the I want another baby. An event happens involving the most recent child that triggers a maternal instinct within me. A sort of mommy-to-be time bomb. It informs me that my children are growing up and it's time to add another baby to the mix. It's like the babies, for me, magically suspend time. I never noticed getting older when I am surrounded by little ones. Maybe I should look into day care. LOL.

Did I mention Avery, my youngest daughter, is 3 years old? And that she wants to move from her toddler bed to one of these kids beds.

Me: Avery, you are still my baby, let's wait awhile.
Avery: Whatever mom, I am a big girl. I'm all grown'ed up.

Was that an explosion I just heard?

If there is a point to be made, and trust me there is, it's that I am realizing that I am getting older. I know this for a fact because my youngest daughter wants a big kid's bed, my oldest daughter is 19 and has way too many tattoos and piercings for my taste and my grey hairs are growing like the dandelions. I will have to dye my hair very soon, I am truly vain that way. The sesame seeds are not turning the whites to black. On the up side, the Midnight Falafels are really to die for.

As much as I am now looking forward to time moving ahead, I am not ready for my physical self to age. I believe, through eating raw foods and exercise and being joyful, that I can stall the aging process.

If I must grow older I want to be like Ms. Ernestine Shepherd. She is a 73-year old bodybuilder. She is truly an inspiration.

Oh, by-the-way, there will be NO new babies to add to the clan. I am truly enjoying the ones I have. Besides, each of them will always be my babies for the rest of their toddler, child, teen-aged and adult lives.

Midnight Falafel
Serves 4-6
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup soaked almonds
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup black sesame tahini
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespooons chopped red onions
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons sea salt

Combine chickpeas, almonds, garlic, black sesame tahini, olive oil, water and cilantro in a food processor until you achieve a thick paste. Add onions and lemon juice, seasonings and sea salt, process briefly.

Form the mixture into ping pong-sized balls. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, lower the temperature to 110 degrees and continue to dehydrate for 2 hours.

Roll falafel balls over and dehydrate an additional 2 hours. The balls should be slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside.