This week has been all about basil in celebration of HerbDay this Saturday. The Daily Raw Blog has posted raw food recipes for a beverage, appetizer, soup, a main dish, so I guess that leaves....dessert!
This is a scrumptious sorbet and so very simple to make. The chocolate-covered basil leaf adds a bit of the "WOW" factor to this dessert.
Viva Raw Foods!
Honey Basil Sorbet 1½ cups honey 1 cup water juice of one lime 1 cup basil leaves, chopped coarsely
1 In a blender, puree chopped basil leaves, lime juice, honey and water.
2 Transfer mixture to a stainless steel bowl, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 3-4 hours.
3 Remove the sorbet from freezer, puree again, cover and freeze an addition 3 hours.
4 With an ice cream scooper, place sorbet balls in a serving dish and garnish with chocolate-covered basil leaves.
Chocolate covered basil leaves 6 basil leaves, washed and dried ½ cup chocolate sauce (recipe below)
1 Dip each leaf in the chocolate and place on waxed paper to harden. Hardening occurs best by placing in the freezer. Chocolate Sauce 1 cup cocoa powder 1 cup maple syrup* ½ cup coconut oil ¼ cup water
In a large bowl, whisk cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut butter and water together until smooth and creamy. *Note: not a raw product
It's official! The Daily Raw Blog's new URL is now josculinary.com. Feel free to update your lists and post the new URL.
Viva Raw Food!
Creamy tomato basil soup
6 tomatoes, seeded and diced 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves, plus extra for garnish 2 cups cashews, soaked 1 cup water 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper
Place cashews and water in a blender and blend until creamy. Add basil, tomatoes and shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil.
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
4 Serve pesto over zucchini pasta.
A saladacco (aka Spiralizer) transforms yams, sweet potatoes, daikon and other root vegetables into angel hair pasta noodles.
Food Prep Tip: The noodles will be wet after you spiralize. Place them in a strainer with a pan underneath. Sit on the counter overnight to let it "dry out" a bit. Or you can put it in the dehydrator for an hour at 100 degrees.
The Daily Raw Recipe Wrap-up Monday: Basil Limeade Tuesday: Pesto-stuffed Butternut Squash with White SauceWednesday: Creamy tomato basil soup and Basil PestoThursday: Honey-Basil Sorbet with Chocolate-covered Basil Local director showcases film at MCC, Herald Staff Report. Jenna Norwood showcases her award-winning film, "Supercharge Me! 30 Days Raw" Learn basic recipes to integrate more raw foods into your life. Raw Denver hosts a Raw Foods 101 food preparation class, 11 a.m. October 20th. For more information or to register visit rawdenver.com.
Enjoy a Raw Latin American Fiesta! Kristen, of Kristen's Raw, offers a Mexican cuisine class noon-2 p.m. October 20 at the Wild Oats Market in Scottsdale, AZ. For details and to register, visit her website.
Actress Cathy Silvers (Jenny Piccalo on "Happy Days") signs copies of her book "Happy Days Healthy Living" October 27th at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution, 2301 Main St., Santa Monica, 310-392-9501
Journeys for the Soul, Oct. 24-28. A transformational liquid fasting retreat with hosts Kerrie Dancing Butterfly and David Wolfe.
Send a happy birthday shout-out to my Sous Chef D. She turns 8 years old today! SHARE YOUR NEWS! If you have raw food related item for "Raw News You Can Use" please feel free to pass it along. Send information to yahoo.com and I will post it on Friday's blog.
Recipe #6 Ranch Dip or Dressing by Elaina Love, p. 276 and Recipe #7 Winter Salad by John Fielder, p. 77
My daughter, Avery, and I tagged along with my husband while he went to the Emissions Office, fun right? Before I move on to the actual fun part of the day, I just have one question. What is it about men naming their cars after women?
My husband has a Cadillac. I know next to nothing about cars, so please don't ask me what type of Cadillac it is. My best guess would be the purple kind. It's not just his car, it's his Purple Haz, that's "her" nickname, short for Hazel.
He has accused me of not liking his car. I have to admit I do have a bit of misguided animosity surrounding the car. It could be the fact that I drive the sensible Saturn with all the kids' car seats and strollers and crap. I don't know, maybe I am jealous each time he bumps and grinds with Hazel, I'm told she needs new shocks. Truth be told I'm not mad at him, it was just one of those things I could have lived my whole life without knowing. It's a sensitivity issue, I mean come on, I don't let him know that I ride George Clooney everyday. Okay, I'm done. Back to the fun part, creating today's recipes.
I have been dying to make Elaina Love's Ranch Dip/Dressing with John Fielder's Winter Salad all week, so imagine my disappointment this morning to find no cashews in the cupboard. Hence the event which set into motion the tag-a-long with my husband and his mistress Hazel to Emissions and to Vitamin Cottage. After all the "Hazel" drama, I was back at home with cashews in hand and I set out to create one of the best salad dressing I have ever smelled and my husband has tasted.
The recipe was super easy to make, it took all of five minutes. I used the apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice and I almost was going to use dried basil but I put forth the effort and minced fresh basil. That was totally worth it. The basil fragrance is killer in this recipe.
I deviated from the instructions a bit, I opted out of pouring the blended cashew mixture in a bowl then adding the herbs. To save a bit of time, I just threw the herbs into the blender and gave a quick pulse, so the mixture would retain it's white ranch coloring.
The bright and colorful Winter Salad was a fun salad to make. I thought the cilantro, basil and lettuce leaves would be greenery over-kill but they meshed really well. My lettuce leaf of choice was Escarole, a type of endive, but not as bitter and sturdy enough to hold the Ranch Dressing.
Here's a bit of something to take away with you. If you are using the same grater (without rinsing in between grates) to grate the vegetables, make sure you grate your carrot and ginger before the beet, so that they maintain their vibrant hues and not turn crimson.
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
Are you having a party soon? Do you have your menu planned yet? Might I suggest the book “Raw Food Celebrations Party Menus for Every Occasion" by Nomi Shannon and Sheryl Duruz? And once it has been decided the menu will be one featured from the book, is it too rude of me to invite myself to the party?
After using “Raw Food Celebrations Party Menus for Every Occasion” there should never be a reason why anyone couldn’t effortlessly prepare a raw food meal and dazzle friends. NEVER A REASON. With six different menus to choose from, Italian, Thai, Brunch, Cocktail, Traditional and Light Luncheon buffet, Ms. Shannon and Ms. Duruz lay out the ground work for you.
Easy-to-follow recipes with step-by-step instructions, equipment lists and a “Planning Ahead” section makes it feel like these two ladies are in the kitchen with you. From someone who loves to prepare ahead, that section is my favorite.
It breaks everything down for you, from when to grocery shop, set the table, which components of recipes can be prepared ahead of time and so much more. Make sure you pay attention to the “Serving Suggestions,” sections. They are chock-full of useful tidbits for creating a memorable meal.
Last weekend, I created the Thai Menu as an early anniversary celebration. I didn’t prepare everything on the menu but the items I did make were visually stunning and tasted incredible.
Daily Raw Café Annversary Celebration On the MenuThai TeaThai Coconut SoupThai Cucumber Salad Phad Thai Phad Thai, pg. 35
Thai Tea (adapted from Raw Food Celebrations) 8 cups water 4 cups loosely packed Thai basil leaves (approximately 32 leaves) Juice of 2 medium-sized limes ¼ teaspoon stevia* 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh peeled ginger
Combine water and basil in a blender. Process until basil is chewed finely. Stain the mixture through a nut milk bag. Return basil water to the blender; add lime juice, stevia and ginger. Blend until well-combined. Serve on ice.
*I used NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Extract
Thai Cucumber Salad (recipe from Raw Food Celebrations) 6 Kirby cucumbers or other small cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, sliced 2 limes, juiced 4 green onions, chopped 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons light agave syrup
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving time. This can be made the night before.
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)
The Daily Raw Kitchen Check this list against the contents of your raw food kitchen. Print out this page and take it with you to the market to pick up what you need.This is just a guide, please feel free to add or delete based on your family's needs. photo by Clyde'shouse Produce
Apples Avocados Bananas Basil Cabbage Carrots Celery Cilantro Cucumbers Garlic Ginger Greens (i.e. kale, spinach, collard, red leaf lettuce) Jalapeno Lemons Limes Mint Mushrooms Oranges Parsley Sprouts Zucchini
Nuts/seeds Almonds Cashews Flax seeds, tan and brown Macadamia Pecans Pine Nuts Pumpkin Seeds Sesame Seeds, tan and black Sunflower Seeds Walnuts
Oils and Nut Butters Almond Butter Cashew Butter Cacao Butter Coconut Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil Flax Oil Hemp Oil Pecan Butter Tahini, tan or black
Dried Fruit Cranberries Goji Berries Pineapple Raisins
Seaweed
Dulse Nori sheets Wakame
Sweeteners Dates Honey Maple Syrup (grade B) Raw Agave Nectar Stevia
photo by Gavin Bell Spice Rack Almond Extract Apple Pie Spice Basil, dried Black Pepper Cayenne, ground Chili Powder Cinnamon, ground Curry Powder Dill Italian Seasoning Mexican Seasoning Mustard, Dry Nutmeg Paprika Poultry Seasoning Psyllium Powder Pumpkin Pie Spice Red Pepper Flakes, crushed Sage Sea Salt Tarragon Thyme Turmeric Vanilla beans Vanilla extract, organic
Miscellaneous Apple Cider Vinegar Balsamic Vinegar (use in moderation) Carob (or Cocoa) Powder Chickpeas Coconuts Frozen Organic fruit Greek Olives Miso, white or dark Nama Shoyu Rice Wine Vinegar (use in moderation) Spirulina Wheatberries Rye
Make Your Own Seasoning Italian Seasoning 2 teaspoons dried basil 2 teaspoons dried marjoram 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried sage
Combine ingredients and store in a small jar.
Mexican Seasoning2 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
A number of rawsome folks have asked for the recipe for Elaine Love's Ranch Dip or Dressing. If you have The Complete Book of Raw Food, the recipe is on page 276. Normally, I would be hesitate to print recipes for my endeavor but this dressing is worth being sued for copyright infringement.
Ranch Dip or Dressing by Elaina Love (from the Complete Book of Raw Food) 1-1/2 cups raw cashews 4 t. lemon juice or 2-1/2 t. raw apple cider vinegar 1 t. Celtic sea salt 1 t. onion powder 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. dried dill weed 1 t. Italian seasoning 1 basil leaf, minced
Blend the cashews, lemon juice, sea salt, onion and garlic powder with 1 cup purified water until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more lemon juice if the lemons you are using are not sour enough. Pour into a bowl.
Add the dill, Italian seasoning and basil by hand to the blended dressing. Serve as dip or salad dressing. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I enjoy pesto, it's a classic Italian sauce that tastes great with just about anything. I'm not quite sure what possessed me to try this classic with pumpkin seeds. It could have been I didn't have pine nuts and the green, sweet and nutty tasting seed was calling. Whatever the reason, this raw food twist is something you should try.
Pumpkin Seed Pesto 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds 2 clove of garlic, minced 3/4 cup basil leaves 1 bunch coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley , leaves only Juice of one lemon ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Combine the pumpkin seeds and garlic in a food processor. Pulse on and off, until the seeds are almost ground.
2 Add basil, parsley and lemon juice. Stream in olive oil. Scrap down the sides with a spatula in between pulses), until all the ingredients are combined.
3 Transfer to a bowl and season with sea salt. Serve with carrot and zucchini noodles.
Pumpkin seeds are a very good source of the minerals magnesium, and phosphorous, and a good source of iron, copper, protein and zinc. This raw food recipe uses an ingredient from March's The Daily Raw Recipe Challenge.
Tonight I gave a demo at the Raw Spirit Festival called "A Taste of Thai." I thought you might like to share in the fun and so I am posting the recipes here for you to enjoy. And for all who came to the demo tonight, you rawk! Thai Slaw (serves 4-6) DRESSING ½ cup of your favorite raw butter ¼ cup coconut oil, liquid form 1 tablespoon agave nectar Juice of one lime 1 silver of ginger, peeled and minced 1 small clove garlic, minced 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Use a whisk to blend into a smooth, creamy consistency. Add extra coconut oil a teaspoon at a time, if needed.
SLAW 4 cup finely shredded Napa cabbage 2 cup finely shredded red cabbage 1 cup finely shredded carrot 4 sprigs fresh mint, leaves only, shredded
Combine cabbages and carrot in a bowl and toss with dressing. Marinate for two hours before serving. Overnight is best.
Thai Red Curry with Sweet Potato Noodles (serves 4) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Thai chili pepper, finely chopped 2 teaspoon curry powder ½ teaspoon ground red pepper Juice of one lime ½ tablespoon coconut oil 1 tablespoon agave nectar 1 cup coconut milk ½ red onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 sweet potato, peeled Basil, cut into thin strips
In a bowl mix garlic, chili pepper, curry powder and sea salt. Add lime juice, coconut oil and agave nectar. Gradually add coconut milk until curry powder breaks down. The sauce should be a saucy, soup-like consistency. Add onions and bell pepper. Spiralize the sweet potato to make thin spaghetti noodles.
Pour curry on the sweet potato noodles, gently toss to coat. Garnish with basil.
Honey Mint Ice 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped coarsely 1 cup honey 2 cups water juice of one lime
In a blender, puree ingredients until mint leaves are small pecks of green.
Transfer mixture to popsicle molds, ice trays or paper cups. If using ice trays or paper cups, add popsicle sticks to the center of the popsicle as soon as its solid enough to hold stick in place (about an hour). Continue to freeze for 4-5 hours.
This is a good recipe to have for almost any pie or cobbler. 2 c almonds, soaked for 6-8 hours1 c dates, pitted and soaked for an hour, reserve soaking water4 T reserved date water1 T organic vanilla extractPinch of sea salt In a food processor, process almonds, dates, date water, vanilla extract and sea salt until well combined. Remove and press mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. NOTE: To make a savory crust, replace the vanilla extract with any herb of your choice. Replace the dates with soaked sun-dried tomatoes. Don't forget to save the sun-dried tomato water, it adds more flavor to the dish. (05)What's in Season in August Apples Asparagus Avocados Basil Green Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chili Pepper Citrus Collards Corn Cucumber Eggplant Figs Grapes Kale Lettuce Melons Mushroom Nectarines Okra Green Onion Passion Fruit Peaches Pears Asian Pears Peppers Persimmons Plums Raspberries Spinach Summer and Winter Squash Strawberries Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips What's Growin' on in Colorado Sweet Corn Tomatoes Peaches Onions Peppers Squash Lettuce Raspberries Basil Cucumbers Green Beans Eggplant Garlic Watermelon Cantaloupe
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K, plus the antioxidant benefits of lycopene*. They are a fruit, but they are usually served as a vegetable. *Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red. The redder the tomato, the more lycopene it has. Season: Available year-round but tomatoes are at their peak June-September
How to select: Choose firm tomatoes, richly colored and noticeably fragrant.
photo by babybee
How to store: Ripe tomatoes should be stored at room temperature and used within a few days.
photo by Pieter Pieterse Tip: Don't store tomatoes in the refrigerator, cold temperatures kill the flavor and turns the flesh grainy.
Tomato Salad 6 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces 1 small red onion, thinly sliced1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced in strips (de-seed)1/2 cup basil, cut into stripsHemp oil (or your favorite oil) Apple Cider Vinegar Sea salt, to taste 1. Place tomatoes in large salad bowl, add slice onions on top. 2. Layer with bell pepper and basil.
3. Drizzle hemp oil and vinegar over the top of salad. Sprinkle with sea salt and gently toss. Fun Facts: The tomato is in the same family as the potato, pepper, eggplant, and petunia (nightshades). Tomatoes are also known as the 'apple of love' There are at least 10,000 varieties of tomatoes
In Ani’s Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food, Ani Phyo guides readers through the fundamentals of raw food preparation in a simple and user-friendly manner.
Phyo has left no stone unturned when it comes to this collection of over 250 recipes. As in her previous book, Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, she offers tips, cleaning product recipes and advice on how to be eco-friendly. Divided into three parts, Part 1 is the basics; it uncovers the mysteries of dehydrating, soaking and sprouting, fermentation and pickling. This section presents a few starter recipes: flatbreads and pickles, to be exact.
Phyo gets down to business in Part 2 where she showcases her talent of taking a basic recipe, using minimal ingredients and straightforward instructions, and creates variations. For example, her recipe for “Basic Nut Mylk” on page 41 transforms into “Vanilla Almond Mylk,” (p.41) “Chocolate Flurry Shake” (p. 42) or “Chilled Chai Frosty Shake” (p. 45). Another good example is the insanely, easy recipe for “Buckwheat Crispies” on page 63. The only ingredient is one pound of buckwheat groats and the recipe can be used as cereal in “Chocolate Crispies” (p. 63) or as “Basic Buckwheat Batter” (p. 115) for “fried” onion rings (p. 116) or as the base for “Buckwheat Pizza Crust” (p. 213). Phyo offers effortless, quick, step-by-step instructions on the techniques of every raw culinary dish imagined. She leads with, a fruit smoothie (p. 31), and travels right along, from breakfast to desserts, with the likes of “Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Coconut Bacon Scramble” (p. 85) to Kimchi (p. 126), to “Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup” (p. 232), to “Lucuma Ice Kream” --- and we haven’t even touched the chapter on feeding your raw dog.
Pay attention to the green and gray boxes interspersed throughout the book, they offer handy tips (“Dehydrating in Your Oven” p. 195) and bits of factoids (Is Sugar Vegan? Turbinado vs. Sucanat vs White Sugar” p. 57).
Part 3 is a resource guide to Phyo’s uncooking videos, metric conversions, movies to watch and advice on reducing your carbon footprint.
My one complaint of the book is not enough color photos. Fortunately, Phyo has the skill of descriptive writing that brings a dish to life, but the dowdy black-and- white photography doesn’t add anything to the book. Part of the appeal of living foods, especially in a cookbook, is experiencing the “life of the foods” through the vibrant colors and textures seen through the photography. The dozen or so colored photos in the book are definitely drool-worthy. I would gladly trade seeing photos of Phyo (although, she is quite beautiful) for a few more colored pictures of the food.
All-in-all, one of the most enticing aspects of “Ani’s Raw Food Essentials” is Phyo’s flair of providing “recipe” road maps to the gentle encouragement of creating your own culinary journeys in the kitchen. Which is how it should be.
My journey started with crepes.
Apple Crepes Makes 4 wrappers From Ani’s Raw Food Essentials page 69 1 cup cored and diced apple ½ cup flax meal 2 tablespoons agave syrup ½ cup water, or as needed
Place the apples in the bottom of a high-speed blender. Add the flax meal, agave, and water. Blend until smooth.
Spread the mixture evenly onto one lined 14-inch square Excalibur Dehydrator tray.
Dehydrate for 4 to 6 hours at 104 °F, or until completely dry. You can also flip the crepes, peel off the liner, and dehydrate for another couple of hours until dry.
Crepes with Herb Cream and Red Pepper Sauce by The Daily Raw Café
1 Crepe recipe, making 8 small rounds
RED PEPPER SAUCE Make 1 pint of sauce
2 red peppers, seeded, coarsely chopped ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, reserve ½ cup soaking water ¼ cup reserved sun-dried tomato water, or more as needed 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth, silky sauce. Adding enough of the soaking water to reach desired consistency.
FILLING 1 cup soaked cashews ¼ cup reserved sun-dried tomato water, or filtered water 2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped red onion 1 clove garlic, pressed 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Combine cashews, water, vinegar, onion and garlic in a blender; process until cashews break down into a creamy, yet slightly chunky crème. You want the consistency of a ricotta. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Fold in parsley and basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Assemble crepes On a clean work surface, place 1-2 rounded tablespoons of filling in the center of each crepe, shiny side down. Roll up crepe.
Spoon red pepper sauce on a serving plate, arrange crepe on top. Serve immediately, crepes will become soggy if left on sauce too long.
Chocolate Crepes with Chocolate Cream by The Daily Raw Blog CHOCOLATE CREPE WRAPPERS Add 2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder to the ingredients of the crepe wrapper recipe. Continue to make crepes as instructed.
CHOCOLATE CREAM 1 cup soaked cashews ½ cup water ½ cup raw agave nectar* 20 drops Cocoa Bean Extract** 2 tablespoons coconut oil (liquid)
Blend ingredients until you have a smooth, creamy texture.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE ½ cup cocoa powder ¼ cup raw agave nectar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup coconut oil (liquid)
Blend ingredients.
Note: If the sauce becomes cold, it will solidify, just place it in the dehydrator for an hour at 115 degrees to melt.
Assemble crepes Place the crepe with the shiny side up. Put the cream in a line down the center of the crepe. Fold the right side just past the middle and then do the same with the left.
Drizzle chocolate sauce on top of the crepe and sprinkle with coconut “powder”
ANI’S SERVING SUGGESTION: Grind dried coconut into powder, and sprinkle over your crepes through a sieve to give a powdered sugar look. (p. 71)
* I used Xagave Raw Agave Nectar (review next week) **I used NuNaturals (review next week)
IN THE LATE yet still note-worthy department. The Daily Raw Café was mentioned in last Wednesday’s Denver Post (June 9, 2010). You can read the write-up here.
My book is in the final, final, final stages of coming out. Self-publishing is a b*****! You are in charge of so ALL the aspects of development (editing, layout, design, cover art, author bio, yada yada, ya, ) on top of writing the little creature. The buck stops with you all the way. So much pressure! I want the best book possible for the resources available to me. It’s a lot of hard, tedious work. Which makes me wonder why on earth am I doing it again very soon (yes, there will be another book out before the year is out!). Well, we all know the answer, I am a bit wacky in the brain and I loved the experience so much, I wanted to do it again right away. Don’t laugh, I’m serious ;).
WOW, now that’s a beet! This colossal-sized beet emerged from our garden. Man on the Raw and our daughter Avery planted it in mid-March. This root vegetable has an interesting backstory. Man on the Raw was working the compost when he spied a sliced beet top with dead stems and leaves attached.
Nothing out of the ordinary, until he notices one leaf thriving amongst the deceased foliage. On a whim, he decided to plant it and see what happens. Several months later, on a rainy June weekend in Denver, the jolly red giant emerged with an amazing amount of greens. All of which made many quarts of beet and carrot juice.
Come and play and celebrate my last 21 days of my juice feast.
I invite all to The Daily Raw Blog Recipe Challenge!
Here's how it work:
Each month, I'll host a challenge based on certain ingredients. You can create breakfast, lunch, dinner, drink, appetizer, main dish, etc. It can be as simple or complex as you choose. You can use one ingredient or all of them. It's all up to you. What ever you choose as long as you showcase at least one of the ingredients in the photo.
Next week, I'll share my recipe but if you have a question just ask me, I won't bite. Remember I am juicing it, so no chewing for me. ;)
This month you have a slew of ingredients to choose from. Have fun with it.
Here are some of the rules: 1. It could go without saying but it has to be a raw food dish. You can use certain non-raw items, i.e. maple syrup.
2. No raw meat please.
3. Send a photo of the dish, the name of the dish, your name and a link where the recipe can be found (or include the recipe, whatever you choose) to yahoo.com.
4. There's no winners, we're just having fun and sharing our creative juices. It's all good.
List of ingredients 1. Fennel 2. Grape Tomatoes 3. Red Grapes 4. Avocado 5. Bananas 6. Dried Cranberries7. Ginger 8. Yellow Squash 9. Zuchinni
10. Cashews 11. Almonds 12. Asparagus 13. Garlic (hard to see but it's there) 14. Celery 15. Radicchio Lettuce 16. Basil 17. Red Pepper 18. Lemon
What's up with that? No, show today? I know, I know and there won't be one next Monday either. Man and the Raw and I are separating. He is "back to his old tricks" and we all know where that path can take us. My gracious, I really shouldn't mislead you like that. I'm kidding...sort of.
We are not separating within the marriage. I love the guy. Anyone who makes compost for the family garden is a keeper.
But in the physical sense, unfortunately, there will be a separation within the family. More on that later. Man on the Raw makes the richest soil, look at it. He really must talk to you guys about his soil. It is fabulous.
Man on the Raw came up with the idea for taping a special show of "He Said...She Said" for the Daily Raw Blog's anniversary celebration, so we are holding off showing videos until then. After the May 28th shows, "He Said...She Said" will be on hiatus for the summer. Details to follow.
Along with a special "He Said..She Said," there will be more videos, including one featuring Man on the Raw making a green juice...methinks. He has to give the okay on that one.
For your viewing pleasure, here are pictures of the family playing in the garden. Bishop planting my Mother's Day Flower.
It's a tradition, every Mother's Day we plant our seeds in the garden and I am very pleased with the crop thus far. After a week we have the micro greens popping up very nicely and the rest of the greens are doing well.
Did you Know? Oct. 17th is National Pasta Day, October 25th is World Pasta Day and October is National Pasta Month.
This raw recipe for alfredo sauce is very creamy and full-bodied. The longer it sits, the richer the flavors become. Try it with one of the pastas below.
Zucchini Noodles with Alfredo Sauce 2 cups cashews, soaked 1½ cups water 1 garlic clove, minced juice of one lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon white pepper red pepper flakes (optional) Process cashews, garlic, lemon juice, one cup of water, olive oil, sea salt and pepper in a blender. Stream in remaining half cup of water until you achieve a creamy sauce.
Serve with zucchini noodles on a bed of spinach. Garnish with red pepper flakes.
Servings: 4
1 zucchini
Use a spiralizer to make the zucchini noodles. No spiralizer? No worries, use a vegetable peeler to create pasta noodles.
From left to right: sweet potato angel hair, zucchini noodles, yellow squash angel hair, sweet potato cones and yellow squash noodles.
Other pasta recipes on the Daily Raw Blog Lasagna with Chunky Marinara Szechuan Vegetables with Noodles Basil Pesto with Zucchini Angel Hair Pasta
This is kind of late for the month, but I think it's an important item to have if you want to eat more seasonally. I encourage everyone to eat seasonally, especially from one's own state. I will post "What's in Season in August," next week. I will also include a what's in season for Colorado. I'll take my recipes a step further and experiment with what's in season.
