Fudgie Hemp Balls

Hello everyone! Just a quick hello and recipe idea today. You don't even want to know how busy we have been since the big move!

Of course, we all have to eat no matter how hectic our lives may be. Isn't it wonderful that even the simplest raw foods can be beautiful and nourishing? I have been living on smoothies, juice, salads, and an occasional treat:)

Sometimes around 3p.m. I need a little "pick-me-up". Often it is in the form of chocolate hehe. The following recipe is an estimate, hope you don't mind!

Fudgie Hemp Balls

For fudge balls:
8 Pitted medjool dates
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder, or carob
1 heaping tablespoon hulled hemp seeds (aka, hearts)
1 heaping teaspoon coconut oil
few drops extract such as hazelnut or vanilla, optional

For decoration:
1-2 tablespoons hemp seeds for rolling

1. Process first 5 ingredients in food processor fitted with an "s" blade until mixture starts sticking together.

2. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in extra hemp seeds. Fudgies can be refrigerated about 1 hour to firm up. These are very soft and chewy if eaten right away. Recipe makes about 6 balls.

Another quick burst of energy recently came from this frozen treat...reminded me of a hazelnut mochachino...

The mug was drizzled with chocolate syrup (coconut syrup mixed with cocoa powder) and the frosty drink was a couple of frozen bananas blended with one packet of microground coffee:) 1/4 cup hazelnuts, a drop or two of hazelnut extract, 1 Brazil nut, sweetener, and a splash of water to blend. This had me going until midnight! Ya might not want to drink this the same day you eat the fudgies, just sayin':)

Now, if there are any gardeners out there, I would really appreciate your help! I am attempting my very first garden:) I would love if you could share your favorite online resources with me in a comment or email. I have started some seeds...

and really need specific details on organic gardening. Google searches have led to information overload. BTW, my gardening accomplishments include a pitiful herb garden in a pot last year...lol!!!

'Lil sprouts are so cute:)


Hope you are all having a wonderful day!!! Love ya:)

This Post Is For The Birds:)

Hello my sweet friends! I hope you are all well and happy.

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. Thank you very much for your awesome blog comments, twitter DM's and e-mails. It means so much to me!

We have finally finished our move from upstate New York to the capitol region of Florida.

Yes, it took several months...lol! We made a total of 9 round trips, each about 2800 miles. Every trip took about a week, 2 days to go one way, a few days there to either pack or unpack, and 2 days back. We brought almost all our food to eat while traveling in coolers, and only slept about 4-5 hours (in the truck) each way.

Um....yeah. :)

We did take a few days off from moving here and there to explore our new home state of Florida, though:)

The only "thing" I was nervous about moving was my sweet little parrot, Nikki-bird:)

I had nothing to worry about, though. She was absolutely wonderful on the trip, and enjoyed sharing almost all my food with me:) Her favorite treats were raspberries and a raw pizza flavored cracker. BTW~ Nikki-bird is a thirty-something Blue-fronted Amazon parrot.

Although we still have tons of boxes to unpack, I wanted to say hi and share a little treat I have been making lately, but it is literally for the birds!

Our new backyard had a bird feeder and we have really enjoyed watching all the beautiful feathered friends in our new neighborhood. We added a new feeder, and also a seed cake made with suet. After the store bought seed cake ran out, I made a vegan version:)

Simply melt about 1/2 a cup of coconut oil, stir in a spoonful of nut butter, and add some birdseed. Fill the empty tray you were smart enough to save from the store bought suet;), and chill until firm. It pops right out when cold,

and fits perfectly in the holder.

The best part is that the birds seem to like it even better than the store bought one!

It is the favorite of the red-headed woodpeckers:)

The treat in the picture only lasted about 2 days, so I made another one, and also a bowl shaped one with all kinds of seeds, millet, and almonds. I also used some of the more frugal (aka cheap) coconut oil from the supermarket for this bird treat. It will most likely melt when the weather gets warm, so this is a winter treat for our feathered friends:) Do you feed the birds in your area in the winter? How many of you have made the classic pinecone spread with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed version?:)

It actually gave me the idea to someday try a raw treat for us with coconut oil and nut butter as the base...hmmmm:)

Well, that's it for today. We will soon be updating the kitchen here so I might not post anything too fancy for a while. I hope to be back to regular blogging before ya know it:)

Wishing you all tons of love, health, and happiness, always:)
Angela

Hello From Sunny Florida!

Hi everyone! Remember me? :)

First, I wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who contacted me about my raw Halloween recipes. I appreciate so many lovely people linking to my blog and asking to feature my recipes and ideas the last few weeks.

It was also very awesome to find out my little boo~nanners had actually appeared on T.V. and that many Whole Foods also featured them at in-store demos for the kiddies:) It made me so happy to think that lots of little ones were enjoying a nice healthy treat this year:) Thanks so much everyone for letting me know!!!

I am in our new home in Florida (just outside Tallahassee), although we are still in the process of moving. The hubs is about to make the fifth trip from New York! I will probably return to New York after next week to finish packing the house there.

Of course the big move is taking longer than expected, but we are not stressing out about it and are actually having fun most times:) I finally got a computer hooked up here, and couldn't wait to "see" you all again! I have missed you so much. The four digit number on my Google reader is a bit overwhelming though, lol!

During the move, it's been very easy to stay raw. Most of the food while traveling is on the simple side. This is a variation of my Raw Cranberry Salad, using a honeycrisp apple in place of the pear. Check out the neat little travel spork:)


So many things are new for me right now, including a new raw food book! I am sure many of you have Alissa Cohen's latest book, Raw Food For Everyone.

I am loving it so far, and can't wait for the rest of my happy raw kitchen to arrive so I can try more recipes.

Today I made the Asian Cucumber Salad...

...and the Bromelain Brew.

Both were fantastic. I was so happy to have a juice combination that I have never tried after many years of juicing. Thanks, Alissa!

My favorite part of this gorgeous hard-cover book is the 300 recipes. In the following photo, the entire right side of the open book shows the recipe section.

Awesome, huh? Many of the recipes are from Alissa's famous Grezzo restaurant in Boston, which is now closed. I can't wait to try the Grezzo Cheese and some of the fancier recipes in the book, like the incredible looking Avocado Skins, Gnocchi Carbonara, and Land and Sea. I hope to post more about this book in the near future:) I would love to know if you have tried anything from it yet...any recommendations?

Well, as you can imagine there are a few hundred:) things to be done right about now, just wanted to say hi!

{{{Hugs}}} and love to all,
Angela

A Short, Sweet Post:)

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well. First, allow me to apologize for being MIA the last few weeks. I really thought it was only about a week, but realized today it's been a bit longer. I hope to catch up with all my favorite blogging buddies ASAP:)

Most of my time lately has been spent packing! We are moving. It is a move that was planned...sort of. We did know we would be moving sometime, just not so soon. Needless to say, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We will be starting our move this week! Yikes!!!

Meals have been very simple salads, smoothies, juices, and my favorite fall fruits like honeycrisp apples, concord grapes and figs...YUM!!! This smoothie had all three:)

Luckily there was still time to whip up a few raw goodies.

Hmmm, they all seem to have a little chocolate in them:)

Chocolate Macaroons: posted by Pam

Vegan "Thin Mint" Fudge as truffles and also pictured in the heart above, posted by Averie:

Raspberry Belgian Chocolates by Bees Knees Kitchen:

The filling is awesome!
***recipe link no longer working for raspberry Belgium chocolate, reprinted below from goneraw.com Raspberry Cream Filling: *1/3 c soft Date + 3-4 tbls Filtered water *3/4 c Raspberries *1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice *1/4 c Coconut Oil *1/4 Cashew *1 tsp Vanilla extract *1 Vanilla Bean *Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt Blend the dates and water until completely incorporated and resemble a paste. If it is still too stiff add more water 1 tbls at a time. Remove from the blender and set aside. Blend the raspberries and lemon juice briefly and pour into a mesh sieve over a glass bowl in order to filter out the seeds. Use a spatula to move and push the raspberry pulp around in order to separate the juice from the seeds. The raspberry juice should yield 1/2 c of juice. Blend all the ingredients until completely smooth. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let set in the freezer for 20 min or until solid but not frozen, or leave overnight in the fridge. To shape into balls, use a 1/2 tbls size measuring and scoop out the cream onto a wax paper surface. Roll into balls using the palm of your hands. The Raspberry Cream is a very soft cream so it starts to get too soft, then return to the freezer for 10 minutes or until solid. Once all the balls are rolled, return to the fridge until just before they are ready to dip into the Belgium Chocolate. Belgium Chocolate: *1/3 c Cacao Butter *1/3 c Cacao Powder *3 tbls Agave Nectar *1/2 tsp Vanilla Powder *Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt *Pinch of Chili Powder Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the cacao butter in a medium size glass bowl and place the bowl over the top of the saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon until the cacao butter is completely melted. Stir in the agave, vanilla, salt and chili powder. Turn off the stove and while continuing to stir, shift in the cacao powder. To dip each ball in the chocolate, place a toothpick in each of the Raspberry Cream ball. Dip it in the melted chocolate and continue to turn the ball until all the excess chocolate drips off. Holding the chocolate covered ball upright, slide just the tip of a fork off under the ball, very carefully slide the ball onto a non-stick sheet. Repeat until all the balls are covered.
Thanks ladies, for posting all these recipes that have made my hectic life a little sweeter:)

We are moving ourselves to Florida, and it is going to take a few trips back and forth. I will be away from the computer during the next few weeks, and may stay in Florida while the hubs makes a solo trip.

The big red trailer is all loaded and ready to roll.


While I am away, feel free to browse the happy raw kitchen blog recipe index for over 150 yummy raw food recipes I have enjoyed.

And since Halloween is just around the corner, make sure to check out all the fun I had last year making healthy Halloween goodies, like my sweet and simple boo~nanners:)

I still have a few things to do before the trip. Hope to see you soon!

Hugs and Love,
Angela

Saratoga Springs and Something Sweet:)

Hi everyone! Today I would love to take you on a little trip to Saratoga Springs.

It's one of the places we usually visit each weekend when we do our shopping and necessary 'running around':)

Saratoga Springs is a beautiful historic city in upstate N.Y. known for it's many quaint shops, museums, art district, spas baths, and of course their world famous mineral springs.

I love to visit the natural springs, which flow even in the middle of winter. Many of them are protected by some kind of pavilion.

Trust me, that water is ice cold in December!

Some are even naturally carbonated, like Hathorn Spring:

Cold and very carbonated! And yes, I bring my trusty mason jars to fill while we are there:) I must tell you that the actual taste of the water can be quite...ummmm...earthy. They are mineral springs, and you can taste the minerals:)


Click here for a guide to all 17 springs of Saratoga.

If you are interested, here is a link to find a spring in your area.


But, there are lots of other things to do in Saratoga, like window shop:)
Hidden Gardens is a great little florist and antique store...

Such a pretty horse fountain:

I adore this greenhouse...

Gargoyles, anyone?


I also love to find and admire some of the beautiful Horses of Saratoga that were part of a public art project. The project featured 34 life-sized fiberglass horses that have been embellished by artists from New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. They are now sprinkled all around the city....


One of my favorite horses, pic from last winter:

My Dad would have loved this one, he was a tile setter by trade:)



But, my favorite place in Saratoga Springs is peaceful Congress Park...







Several of the mineral springs are located right in the park.

Saratoga Spring:

Deer Park Spring:

The park is also home to a beautifully restored antique carousel from 1910:

The carousel has it's own enclosure, and is open for several winter events, too:)

And, there just happens to be a great little health food store within a block of the park:) Here is a peek inside Four Seasons Natural Foods:

Fresh organic produce

Bulk items

Here is the Happy Cow link for veg friendly eating in Saratoga, but we usually end up at Ruby Tuesday's hehe!

Oh yeah, I promised you something sweet! Can't have a post at the happy raw kitchen without something yummy...

Raw Vegan Cheesecake:)

These luscious little lemon cheesecakes are courtesy of lovely fellow blogger, Averie.

I noticed the recipe yesterday, and whipped them up in a matter of minutes. I added a spoon of coconut oil to make sure they set up in the little bite-sized molds and added the zest of the lemon to accent the lovely lemon flavor. Thanks so much Averie...love you and this awesome recipe!

Hope you all enjoyed this little trip to Saratoga, and a taste of something sweet!