I'm Nuts About This Post!

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend.

We did the usual...shopping:)

The rain stopped us from a day trip to Vermont, but we were just there last weekend anyway:) Below is a picture of Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains in the background. It was so lovely.

Our main reason for going to Vermont last week was an Antique and Classic car show in Stowe. Have you ever seen a car with a record player in the dashboard?

Raise your hand if you actually know what a 'record player' is! :)

Since we usually have to do our food shopping on weekends, I was so happy to find a great Natural Foods store right on the same road as the show:) We stopped on the way home for a much needed cold coconut water and a few pantry essentials. If you find yourself in Waterbury Center, Vermont make sure to stop by Sunflower Natural Foods.

The store was very well stocked,

and so neat and clean with a very friendly staff:) There was even a sweet play nook upstairs for the little ones:)

Don't you wish you were 4 or 5 again?

My recent post, Raw Pantry Essentials, showed a few pictures from one of my usual places to shop. But sometimes, a 'special ingredient' can only be found online.

I recently ordered Heathy's Moonie Pie ebook (they look amazing btw), and noticed that I didn't have one of the ingredients. Hmmm...as well stocked as my favorite store is, they do not carry this one special ingredient. A quick online search for it brought me to NutsOnline.

My order was placed on Monday, and the box arrived at my door Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours later! What a pleasant surprise:) Everything looked great!

NutsOnline has a huge selection of organic and raw products, as well as hundreds of other products.

While checking out their blog, I was thrilled to see they had linked up to my Sprouting Chia seeds post:) Thanks NutsOnline!

So, I am very excited to tell you NutsOnline has generously offered one of you* a chance to try 2 of their products!

One pound of Organic Chia Seeds, and one pound of Raw Organic Hemp Seeds! YAY!!!!!

Thanks so much to the lovely Katie Ide from NutsOnline for making this giveaway possible.

These products were hand picked by yours truly:), but you can change them if you have issues with either of these...for anything of a lesser or equal value:)

*This giveaway is limited to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Requirements to enter this giveaway are simple:

Mandatory for entry #1:
Visit NutsOnline and leave a comment below telling me which of their products you would love to try, and what you would make with them.

For one additional entry:
Subscribe to the NutsOnline Newsletter to receive special offers and coupons, leave a comment here telling me you did so, for entry #2.

That's it! This giveaway will close at midnight EST Sunday August 29, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, August 30.

You probably already have a favorite recipe using hemp or chia seeds, but if you don't, here are several pictures of a few of mine to whet your appetite.

All the links are to my posts which either have the recipe, or tell you where to find it:

Chia Puddings

Bitts Hemp Brownies

Kate Magic's Marching Biscuits

Magic Chocolate

Hemp Power Ball Truffles

Chia-Sesame Cracker

Oh my...I think we need something with a little green:)

Russell James' Wilted Kale Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing


My S&M Salad with Creamy Macadamia-Lime Hemp Dressing

There, that's better!

Good luck everyone!!!!

Sprouting Chia Seeds

Chia sprouts...These little beauties bring new meaning to the word "micro-greens"! They are tiny.

Although I have been eating chia seeds for many years, I had never sprouted them until recently.

My favorite resource for sprouting, sproutpeople.com has the proper instructions for sprouting this little powerhouse of nutrition, so please check them out. I did not have any of the recommended mediums for sprouting, so I came up with a plan of my own.

In the commercial, it looks like the famous chia pets are made of clay, and spread with the moistened gelatinous seeds. The seeds sprout, and look like green fur. Hmmm...are you still a vegan if you eat your chia pet :)???

I have an un-glazed stoneware pie plate, so I use that. Perhaps a terra cotta saucer sold for large pots would work.

Here is my method:

I wet the pie plate, and sprinkle on some chia seeds, leaving plenty of room for them to grow. It is probably about a teaspoon of seeds.

Next, I add some water,(about 1/16 of an inch) and soak the seeds.

The next day there are already some seeds bursting open!

They soon absorb all the water, so I add a sprinkle as needed to keep them moist.

Soon they start turning green:)

For a few hours a day, I cover them with a clear glass pie plate of the same size.

They love the sunny window.

About a week later they are ready to harvest. I cut them from the roots like a shoot, and rinse them gently in a mesh strainer. They taste a little like broccoli sprouts to me and have a slight spiciness.

They are so cute:)

They were delicious on little cucumber cups today.

The cups were filled with a mixture of tomato and the cucumber scooped from the cups, chives, a drizzle of oil, and coconut vinegar.

The mixture was topped with a generous dollop of Spring Herb Dressing, posted today on the wonderful blog, Raw Candy. I just love trying recipes from other bloggers. This dressing is a keeper...so creamy and good! Thank you, Camille, for sharing this recipe:)

Garnished with a few snipped chia sprouts, lunch was served:)


For storage of mature sprouts, snip and wrap in a clean damp cloth and refrigerate for a day or two. Rinse before using. They are very tender so I only store them for a day or two.

I would love to know if you have ever tried growing chia seeds. If you haven't, what is your favorite sprout to grow?

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post, My Mostly Raw Pantry. I still can't leave a comment myself, but I want you to know how much I love and appreciate your comments, feedback, and support.

In the comments, D2Quilter said...

"So here's a post idea. . . Could you give us a list of what you think is essential for a RAW beginner to have in their Pantry? I've been working on my raw pantry, but it's overwhelming to decide what to get started with. Also, how should nuts etc. . . be stored? Thanks!"

This is a wonderful suggestion for a blog post! I will be happy to post my thoughts on these questions. Thank you D2Quilter, please check back soon.

~ETA~ My raw pantry essential post!

A bit of Magic and a taste of Heaven:)

I could not resist the name of this post:)

The reason?...I made Kate Magic's Marching Biscuits,

and Antony Heaven's Chocolate Spread to go on them!

I recently became a fan of Antony's blog. I love all the recipes he shares with us, and pictures of what he is eating.

There are quite a few of his recipes I would like to try, but we had to start somewhere, right?

Several of Antony's posts mentioned Kate Magic's Marching Biscuits. They looked so good, especially when Antony made his own chocolate spread to top them!

Click here for Antony's Blog post that got me so interested in trying this yummy recipe:) The link to the biscuit recipe is posted there as well.

Here is the link to Antony's post with the Chocolate Spread recipe

You know by now I have a hard time following directions:) I did not have a few of the ingredients, so I omitted them(zylosweet, he shou wu, and purple corn). I used about 3/4 cup of agave for added sweetness. My currants replaced the raisins called for. I also added 1 more cup of water, as Antony suggested.

The directions say to mix and soak just the seeds overnight with the water, but I mixed in the currants, cocoa, and lucuma too.

As soon as I added the water and agave to this mixture, look what happened...

It made me laugh as it started bubbling and gurgling for about a minute. This may be the strangest looking raw food pic I have ever posted...lol!

After everything calmed down, it soaked overnight.

In the morning, I was able to make several different variations. I made some with goji berries,

my favorite:) had dried cherries,


and one I left plain with the currants. I made some into heart shapes, and decorated them with nuts, seeds and lavender.

I cut some into squares and some into long bar shapes...


Click here if you would like some tips on making raw breads and crackers.

I made half the fabulous chocolate spread recipe, and added the cacao, coconut and maca to taste, since I was not sure about the 'd' measurement:)

If you have a stick blender, it is the perfect tool for making half of the spread recipe.



This spread was so delicious! I ate much more than I should have because I sat down on the couch with the spread and a plateful of the long biscuits! I am calling this my lunch for today:)


Try it, and you will see what I mean:)


Thank you so much to Kate Magic, and Antony! I loved both these recipes, and together they are especially awesome.

Choccie Cherry Chia Pudding

Happy Monday everyone!

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the wonderful response to my last post, Recipe Index. I added the index icon to the top of the right sidebar for your convenience:) Thank you all so much:)

I have been so inspired by the chia pudding trend lately among fellow bloggers! What chia pudding trend, you say? Check it out!

Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Chia by Nikki of Yummy Raw Kitchen

Chia pudding by kelli of Animal-Friendly Eating

Chai Chia Pudding by Michal of lil Earth Muffin

Goji Chia Pudding from Raw Goddess from The Adventures of Raw Goddess Heathy

Chia Seed Porridge with Bananas and Raisins by Antony of Antony in London

And I am only going back about a week!!! If you, or someone you know has posted a chia pudding recipe you would like to see added here, please let me know:)

Of course I can never forget my first;)
Chocolate Ecstasy Tapioca Pudding from Slosh-uh on Gone raw!

And here are a few more posted on Gone Raw

Here is a coconut one to try.

How about a warming chia pudding :)

Goji chia pudding

Chia Chocolate Chip pudding!

Chia Mulberry Goji Pudding

Chia pudding is a wonderful way to get in some healthy chia seed. Here is my recipe, inspired by all of the above!

Choccie Cherry Chia Pudding

2 tablespoons chia seed
1 tablespoon hemp seed
1 teaspoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon agave, or sweetener of choice
10 pitted cherries, chopped or halved
1/4 cup brazil nut milk*, or milk of choice:)

*Brazil nut milk:
12 brazil nuts, shelled:)
1 cup water
vanilla and sweetener, optional

For 1 cup of milk:
Blend all ingredients, strain, or not...lol

1. For chia pudding, mix chia, hemp, cacao.
2. Add nut milk. Add as much as desired, but at least 1/4 cup.
3. Stir until combined.
4. Sweeten to taste.
5. Add cherries, and an extra sprinkle of that healthy hemp:)

Chia pudding is a great recipe idea to make your own.

There are endless combinations, just put in what you like:)

Chia-Sesame Cracker

This was my very first recipe ever posted on gone raw. It was the first recipe I made in my dehydrator, too! I still make it almost weekly. It is a sweet way to include healthy chia seeds in your raw food diet.

This makes a light, crisp, sweet cracker.

Chia-Sesame Cracker

Ingredients:
1 cup chia seeds, unsoaked
1 cup unhulled brown sesame seeds, soaked 8 hours or overnight*
½ cup light agave, or date syrup
¼ cup water, or maple syrup(not raw)**

*Also yummy using 2/3 cup chia, 2/3 cup sesame and 2/3 cup hemp seeds:)

**For the liquid, I sometimes use 1/4cup water, 1/4cup agave, and 1/4cup maple syrup... as long as there is about 3/4cup total liquid, it's all good! I always include some maple syrup:) This is how I made the ones pictured above.

Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Allow mixture to stand (stir a few times) for about an hour, or more, to thicken and all liquid has been absorbed. Don't skip this step:)

3. Roll out, covered with food wrap, 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch thick on parchment paper on mesh sheet. These will work on teflex sheets, but take much longer to dry.

4. Score into desired size crackers.

5. Dehydrate at 112 degrees for 18-20 hours till crisp, or as desired.

This recipe will make 1 excalibur sheet if rolled 1/4 inch thick, or two sheets if 1/8 inch thick. The crackers pictured were rolled to 1/4 inch since I only had one open sheet in my dehydrator at the time, but I prefer them 1/8 inch:)

Click here if you would like some helpful tips on making crackers.


I love these just as they are, but they are also wonderful with your favorite jam, or nut butter.

They will keep for several weeks in a glass jar.

Here is a link to a page by Angela Stokes with lots of info and 10 more recipes for chia!

Click here for chia nutrition facts.