Ani's Raw Food Essentials Book Giveaway!

This Giveaway has ended. Please click here to see who won.

Thanks to all who entered.

Scroll down to see an awesome recipe from Ani's Raw Food Essentials:)

Hi everyone! I am back with the details of my first blog giveaway!

I am so happy to be able to give one of you* a chance to win the awesome new book Raw Food Essentials by the lovely raw food chef, Ani Phyo.

Check out my post from yesterday to see all the incredible recipes I have made so far from Ani's Raw Food Essentials, and my review of the book.

*This contest is open to residents of the United States only, as stipulated by the sponsor. Sincere thanks to the lovely Lindsey Triebel of Perseus Books Group for arranging this giveaway!

Now, here is how to enter:

Entry number one:
1.) Please check out my post from yesterday, then come back here and tell me which one of the recipes I made from Ani's Raw Food Essentials you are most interested in trying. Also, I would love to know if you have a favorite recipe from raw Chef Ani Phyo. If you haven't tried one yet, visit her incredible website and tell me which recipe you would most like to try. Leave your comment on this post for one entry.

Entry number two:
2.) For another chance to win, leave me a second comment on this post and tell me what you like to see most in an un-cookbook. Are you someone who loves raw sweets and desserts, looking for quick everyday recipes, or meals for the whole family, etc. Are you interested in all kinds of raw info, or just the recipes? Please mention if you do buy un-cookbooks, and if you prefer e-books, or printed books in your comment.

Entry number three:
3.) For a third chance to win, mention this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter with a link to this post. If you don't blog, Facebook, or tweet, be a subscriber or follower of the happy raw kitchen blog:) Just tell me which one you did for this additional entry. You only need to do one mention for this, but anything extra is appreciated:)

Bonus:
4.) For a fourth and final chance to win, stand on your head while facing west, put on some hot pink lipstick, and whistle the Happy Birthd....HAHAHA! Forgive me :) Just having some fun!

Please have your entries posted by 12 midnight EST Sunday, June 6, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, June 7.

Good Luck Everyone!!!

p.s. I am not able to post in the comments at this time, please feel free to email me with any questions regarding this giveaway, contact info on my profile here. Also, if you are having problems posting a comment, contact me.

Now, I do have something special for all of you! I was given permission to share a recipe from the book, and believe me, it is awesome!

MEDITERRANEAN WRAP WITH RED PEPPER
HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

Photo credit: Tyler Golden.

From the book Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.

MAKES 4 WRAPS

This recipe uses collard leaves for wrapping up vegetables, such as spinach, zucchini, black olives, and avocado, with a delicious Red Pepper Hummus.

2 large collard leaves
2 cups spinach, washed well
½ recipe Red Pepper Hummus (page 184)
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
½ cup zucchini, cut into long, thin spears
¼ cup pitted, chopped black olives

Cut the leaves away from the thick center stem of each collard leaf to make a total
of four flat pieces.

Top each collard section with spinach leaves. Then, spoon Red Pepper Hummus across the bottom edge of the shorter width of each leaf. Top with avocado, zucchini, and black olives. Roll up into a wrap and serve.

Will keep for up to a day at room temperature, or store for a day or two in the
fridge.

RED PEPPER HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

MAKES 2 CUPS

This hummus is made using tahini, as in traditional recipes, but instead of chickpeas, I use red bell pepper and a pinch of cumin for a richer flavor. Sesame powder helps absorb some of the excess liquid from the juicy bell pepper.

½ cup sesame seeds, ground into a powder
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups seeded and diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin

In a food processor, process the sesame seeds, garlic, and salt into small pieces.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

I have already made this yummy recipe, and it is fantastic!

Huge thanks to lovely raw Chef Ani Phyo for allowing me to share this amazing recipe, and for creating this incredible book.

Happy Exciting News!

I have some very exciting news to tell you!!!

No…I am not expecting a little one, although there has been a lot of that going around the raw food blogosphere lately;) Must be all the lovely raw food you girls are eating!

But I am going to have a...

GIVEAWAY!!!!
This giveaway has ended, but I hope you still enjoy the pictures:)

The very first Happy Raw Kitchen Blog Give-away!!!! The prize is something to help you in your raw kitchen.

I am so excited about this, and I hope you are, too!

Before I reveal the prize, here is a sneak preview of some of the foods you will be able make with it:

Brazil Nut-Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup and Sliced Bananas

Red Pepper Hummus(Bean-Free)

Mediterranean Wrap with Red Pepper Hummus


Korean Dumplings with Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Buckwheat-Battered "Fried" Onion Rings

Mock Tuna Salad

Battered Zucchini Sticks

Cranberry-Cashew Wild Rice Pilaf and Indian Spiced Chutney

Chipotle Kale Chips

Eggplant Bacon

Coconut Bacon

BLT Club with Coconut Bacon

Aioli Mayonnaise (as dressing on a salad using Eggplant Bacon bits.)

Chocolate-Hazelnut Kream (chilled as frosting on a nutella cupcake adapted from Flourless Cake recipe)

Flourless Cake (as a nutella flavor mini cupcake)

Chocolate-Banana Ice Kream with Hazelnuts served on Flourless Cake with Nutella Hazelnut Sauce.


So, would Ani-body like to guess the prize???

Hint: This is an Essential book to add to your un-cookbook collection:)

Awww, you are all so smart! Yes, it is...


Now do you see why I was so excited about this???

Lovely Raw Chef Ani Phyo has really outdone herself with this incredible book. There are over 250 recipes and tips, beautiful color and black and white photos. Ani tells you everything you need to know to create all the recipes in this gorgeous hardcover :) book. Everything I have tried so far is amazing. I am looking forward to trying the other 230 recipes:)

I also love her thoughts on eco-green living...there are even some nontoxic cleanser "recipes" found in the book! It is written with such an easy and relaxed style that I find very refreshing.

This book has already become a favorite of mine:)

All the pictures posted above are my own and not from Ani's Raw Food Essentials, but I bet you already knew that ;)

I will be back very soon with the details of this giveaway, I was just so excited, I couldn't wait to tell you:)

Please note: I am having lots of computer issues, however, as a "go with the flow" kinda girl, I am going ahead with this giveaway.

I'm happy to still be able to post here at this time. Even though my computer is painfully slow lately (28.8 Kbps), I still consider myself lucky to have a computer with any sort of connection haha! Hubby is having someone over soon to see if my technical difficulties can be resolved.

I still cannot comment on my own blog, Google reader is still being a b...baby:) and not updating most times.

To my blogging friends, I am sorry to miss some of your posts. We may have to do a phone number exchange so you can tell me what you are making in the kitchie...hehe! I also noticed some of the comments I post on your blogs are getting lost in cyberspace!

Again, thank you all for your support and comments on my recent posts. It means so much to me:)

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope to see you soon!

Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake

I feel like I am the last raw food blogger on earth to try Ani Phyo's famous Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake! Really, I don't know what took me so long:)

It is featured on page 49 of Ani's Raw Food Desserts book. If you love fast, easy, and delicious desserts, I highly recommend this book:) You can find it through her website.

Check out my first taste of Ani's recipes here.

I loved Ani's mango tart-lets, as well!

A quick Google search found the recipe online.

I was very impressed with this recipe! It has very few ingredients, and comes together in a flash!

The rich cake is made from walnuts, cacao powder, dates and salt. The creamy ganache is a blend of dates, agave, avocado, and cacao powder. The raspberry filling is simply raspberries:) I was lazy and made the frosting first, and didn't wash the processor in between...shhh, don't tell;)

I shaped it by packing it in a 5 inch spring-form pan. It is such a cute cake! I think you could easily make cupcakes with it too:)


Thanks to raw Chef Ani Phyo for this yummy recipe:)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Thanks so much for stopping by:)

Mango Tartlets

I almost forgot about the first recipe that caught my eye from Ani's Raw Food Desserts book. The Mango Sorbet-Macaroon Tartlets! I was surprised how quickly these came together. Last night , I peeled and cut up a couple of mangoes, and put them in the freezer. This morning I made the crust but must have used a much smaller tartlet because the recipe said it makes 4 and I made 8! While the crusts chilled in the freezer, the sorbet was prepared in the blender. As soon as the crusts were hard, I spooned a little sorbet into each one, and added a sprig of mint and a candied orange zest garnish(page 157). The sorbet was amazing but quite soft , so I put the remainder in the ice cream maker for a few minutes. Since it was semi-frozen already it took about 6 minutes to firm up. I was able to put more filling in the tarts with this mixture. There was plenty of sorbet left over, but it quickly disappeared ;)
There are only 4 ingredients in the crust, and 3 in the filling. It doesn't get much easier than that for such a beautiful dessert! These are so delicious, I am sure I will be making them again. You can also see this recipe on Ani's website.

Here are the firmer tartlets

Thanks again to Chef Ani Phyo for the wonderful recipe.

Here is a pic of the little tart tins I used:

They are so old, there is no manufacturer on the box(only says 'made in Sweden'), but these look similar. The wooden tamper is helpful if you make a lot of tarts or crumb crusts, like for cheesecake. You can use either end. It is designed for use in mini or regular muffin tins, but works well in the bottom of any size pan or pie plate. I could only use it in the round ones today.
The other helpful gadgets I used for this recipe are the soft fruit peeler and the mango pitter. I guess I love my gadgets:)

Ani's Raw Food Desserts

There are 85 recipes in this lovely book. I have only had it since last Wednesday, and I have already made the Breakfast Toast, Ice Kream Cones*, Cherry Brownie Hearts, Liquid Chocolate, Lavender Chocolate Bars, Key Lime Kream Bars, and the Carob Walnut Cookies! Everything I made was wonderful. Most recipes are quick and easy to make. I am looking forward to trying all the recipes in this book.

* for the cones, I made circles with the batter, instead of rectangles. I was short on time and that is how I usually make them.

Ani has graciously allowed me to share her recipe for Carob Walnut Cookies! It was my first time making anything with carob, and I loved it.

As you can see, I made Ice Kream Sandwiches as described on page 27 of the book. The Key Lime Kream Bars(page 25) are the perfect filling for these yummy cookies!

Ani's description of the cookies:
Sweet raisins, malty carob, and rich walnuts are ground together to make a delicious, dark sweet cookie. Packed with antioxidants, vitamin E, and EFAs, these cookies keep you trim and your skin radiant.

Carob Walnut Cookies
makes 8 to 12 cookies













1 cup raisins
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup raw carob powder
1 teaspoon mesquite powder(optional)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine the raisins, walnuts, carob powder, mesquite powder if using, and salt in the food processor. Process until the dough begins sticking together.

Press the dough into 2-inch cookie cutters placed on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Shoot for a thickness of 1/3- to 1/2- inch. Or, make 1- to 1 1/2 - inch balls and flatten.

Place cookies in the freezer to chill and firm up for 30 minutes or more before serving or transferring to the fridge for serving later.

Will keep for many weeks in the fridge or freezer. Thaw 5 minutes before eating.

From the book Ani’s Raw Food Desserts by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2009. Find out more at www.dacapopresscookbooks.com.

Thank you to Chef Ani Phyo for this charming book.

Special thanks to Lindsey Triebel at Perseus Books for the delightful correspondence needed to make this possible.

Here is my picture of the delicious Breakfast Toast

They are crisp and light, and so good warm from the dehydrator. I was happy to share them with my parrot, who loved them , too!

Here is my picture of the Lavender Chocolate Bars













I used slightly less of the lavender, as it was my first time using it. This is a very elegant chocolate, and I think it would make a lovely favor for a bridal shower, or just a little thank you gift. If making this in a warm climate, you may find it helpful to use cocoa butter for all or part of the oil in this recipe to make a harder chocolate. I slipped it into a chocolate treat bag before packing it in a bridal favor box. Both the treat bag and boxes are available at large craft stores.

Edited to add....

Coconut Ice Kream (with a little blackberry and raspberry)

Key Lime Kream Bars (as a popsicle)

Trail Mix Cookies

I left these yummy cookies in the shape of the little scoop, just the right size to pop in your mouth!

Sesame Snap Cookies

These may be my favorite cookie from the book:)