Raw Food Gone Rawng:)

Every once in a while I make something that just isn't what I expected.

Several years ago, I heard that sweet brown rice was the only rice that would sprout. I envisioned all kinds of fantastic raw sprouted rice dishes, sushi, un-fried rice, raw rice pilaf, and so on:)

I bought some organic, sweet brown rice in the bulk bins at the co-op. I excitedly brought it home, soaked, and sprouted it!

OK... now to sample my sweet, beautiful, sprouted raw brown rice....

um...not so good, lol!

It was really not sweet, as the name implies, but rather bitter, and still quite hard. Could I mask the taste with some intense ingredients like NamaShoyu or something...

uh...not happening, and of course, still hard.

So, my lovely sprouted brown rice went straight into the dehydrator, and was ground into powder. I knew there was some nutritional benefit to it, as some protein powders are made with rice.

Now I sprout sweet brown rice just to make this healthy raw sprout powder:)

I also do this at the end of the week with any leftover sprouts, like mung bean, that I am unable to use before they go bad. Simply dehydrate, and grind in the Blendtec:)

I have hidden:) this powder in smoothies, soups, crackers, and today, banana soft-serve:)

Strawberry Stracciatella Soft-Serve


4 frozen bananas
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/8-1/4 cup rice powder, or other sprout powder of choice, optional:)
1/4 cup raw chocolate, still melted
chocolate covered strawberries, chopped fresh berries, optional

1. Pulse frozen bananas in food processor fitted with the "S" blade until well chopped. Add strawberries and rice powder, and continue to process until mixture is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. You may have to stop and scrape the sides occasionally.

2. With the machine running, drizzle in the raw melted chocolate. This will form thin, crispy chocolate chips, known as "Stracciatella". So delish!

3. Serve with additional chopped strawberries and top with a chocolate covered strawberry:)

So this is what I did with a raw food gone rawng:) I would love to know if you have anything you have done to "save" an inedible raw food.

Raw Cherry Garcia® Soft Serve

One of the first raw desserts I ever tried was turning frozen bananas into a creamy treat. I first learned of doing this from Living on Live Food (p.516).

Thank you to Alissa Cohen for introducing me to this simply awesome raw dessert.

Of course, the raw food world was forever changed by this post from the lovely Gena of ChoosingRaw:)

Over the last several years, I must have made this hundreds of times, and tried so many different add-ins and flavor combinations.

Here is my favorite:)

You may remember my Halloween version...lol!

For flavor inspiration, I love to check out all the flavors at the Ben and Jerry website. Today I tried a raw Cherry Garcia® soft serve!

The base of the ice cream is of course frozen slices of banana. I used about 4 bananas, and pulsed them in the food processor using the "S" blade to about the size of peas. I added some pitted cherries, about 1/2 a cup, and 1/2 a teaspoon of cherry extract, and continued processing until a soft-serve consistency was reached. I did stop to scrape down the sides several times.

To this mix, I tossed in some raw chocolate chunks, and small handful of chopped cherries. Three or four more pulses mixed it all in. This makes 2 servings for me.

The chocolate was just some leftover Christmas Chocolates:)

This was awesome by itself, but so much better with a little chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of chia seed:)


Since I like to have mostly fruit for breakfast, I must confess this is what I had today. Is chocolate considered a fruit?

I just love raw food:)

Holly-day Raw Eggnog Cake

Another quickie post to show how easy it is to dress up a cake with an edible raw holly decoration.

This idea can be used on your favorite cake, brownie, or cookie.

Red raspberries for the berries of course, and cut mint leaves for the holly leaves. I used dehydrated berries because fresh ones sometimes release juice onto the cake.

I cut the mint with a small holly leaf cutter*, and coated them with agave mixed with a little water to try and preserve them a bit. I purposely made them a few hours ago to see if they would last. I laid them on waxed paper, and folded it over them to cover.

*ETA~if you don't have a leaf cutter, try cutting the mint with kitchen shears, or don't cut them at all!

I also returned the cake to the freezer after taking pics, and the leaves froze perfectly...for a few hours, then they wilted. Attach leaves and berries as close as possible to serving:)

The cake is raw 'eggnog' ice cream. I simply processed a double recipe of the eggnog posted here in the ice cream maker. The raw eggnog is adapted from Neal's Holiday Nog.

This time I measured the almonds before soaking, and they enlarged quite a bit overnight. I added a few more dates to sweeten it a little more and did not strain the mixture. This made a great tasting ice cream, although not as smooth and rich as a cashew based. If making this for company, I might try cashews in place of all or part of the almonds in the nog.

This recipe could probably make a nice raw eggnog flavored cheesecake by adding some coconut oil to firm, and less water in the nog.

I pressed a nut crust into the 7 inch spring-form pan before filling. I froze the cake overnight, and realized I did not pack the ice cream very carefully when the sides were removed today, so I had to coat the outside edge with some whipped cream to cover the holes:) I piped a circle of whipped nut cream and decorated with leaves and berries.

A single holly cluster in the center looks elegant:

Spiced Nut Cream:

1 cup nuts, soaked, rinsed and drained,I used cashews today
1/4 cup dates, soaked till soft
1 to 1 and 1/4 cups fresh water
1 tablespoon coconut oil, softened
1 tablespoon chia seed, ground...measure then grind
sprinkle of spice, I used nutmeg and cinnamon to match the eggnog.

Place all ingredients in high speed blender, and whip:) I stream in extra water as it is running if needed, to create a light cream.

Chill cream at least 1 hour to firm up a bit before piping.

I hope you enjoy this easy decoration idea for your Happy Raw Holidays!

Sincere thanks to Executive Chef of Pure Food and Wine, Neal Harden, for the inspiration.

Halloween6....I Scream!!!

As promised, I am back with another freaky, fruity, raw, and healthy treat for Halloween.

Please check out my main post on Healthy Raw Halloween Recipes for all the treats you don't have to be afraid of enjoying this Halloween!

This one is so simple, and again, can be made a head:) of time.

Banana I Scream

Ingredient:)
7-8 ripe organic bananas

Preparation:

1. Peel and slice bananas into about 1 inch chunks. Place banana slices in a freezer-safe container or zip top bag. Freeze about 6 hours or overnight.

2. Place frozen banana into food processor fitted with "S" blade. Pulse to start breaking down banana, then process until light and creamy. You will have to stop and scrape down a few times.

3. Fill mold and tap on counter to allow mixture to fill smaller indentations. I wasn't as careful as I could have been, but it still looked fine. Next time I would fill in the teeth cavity:) first using a spoon instead of a huge scoop.



4. Freeze until solid, about 6-8 hours. Overnight is better. This can be made days in advance and kept in freezer until serving.

To un-mold, rub over outside of frozen mold with a clean towel wrung out in very hot water, or carefully pass under warm water for a second to loosen. Gently press out onto serving platter. You can smooth over any rough spots with a clean finger. If using a silicone mold, just pop out, no need to warm.

The only trick to this treat is that you need to purchase a mold for the I Scream.
Wilton made the one I used today, and there is also a silicone mold with 6 individual cavities:) These are available at Michaels craft stores.

This can be made using any white(ish) ice cream recipe. I used the incredibly easy banana ice cream first made popular by Alissa Cohen in Living on Live Food (p. 516). When I first tried it a few years ago, I was so surprised how much it tasted like ice cream! It was the inspiration for my favorite variation, Triple Thick Chocolate Shake:)

Another suggestion is to fill the mold with blended young coconut (meat and water). Float coconut ice skull in a punch bowl filled with green smoothie. It will keep the smoothie cold, and add delicious flavor!

I was happy to see this banana ice cream idea enjoy a new popularity when the lovely Gena blogged about it. I love the title of her post, and check out the response she got from it!!!

I was also really happy to see T.V. foodie Rachael Ray make a variation of it as well. I love when I see raw food go mainstream:)

I'll be back next week with more healthy raw Halloween treats!

My First Durian!

I finally got brave enough to try the "King of Fruits", the mysterious Durian. I have been looking at them in the Asian market where I shop for about 2 years now! I had never heard of this unusual fruit until becoming a raw foodie. Some of the things I heard about them were amusing, but the most talked about feature was its scent! I read about them being banned from hotels and mass transit. I read about the taste being something you either love or don't love. Some raw foodies I see online love it so much, they use durian as part of their screen name.

Click here for nutrition facts for durian

I was not sure how to pick one, but the eight or so the store had all looked about the same. They were in the refrigerated case each wrapped up in green netting with a handle. I suspect they were at one time frozen for shipping, and thawed.

I picked one up, and held it close enough to see if the infamous scent would be a turn-off, and I would not buy it. I inhaled its aroma...sweet...unique...not overpowering or unpleasant! I tossed it in my basket, along with a dragon fruit, a couple of young coconuts, some mint, basil, and a huge jicama. My total cost was about eighteen dollars, with the durian ringing up at $4.43...not too bad!

Once home, I placed it in the fridge, since that is were it was in the store. It stayed there for a couple of days, and then it was time!
Time to see what all the fuss was about.

Since I don't have high speed internet, I am unable to view all the videos out there about opening this prehistoric looking fruit. I got out the cutting board, and a heavy knife and looked at my durian. First I carefully removed the netting. It reminded me of my favorite giant souvenir pine-cone from a trip to Palm Springs a while back. Maybe they were distant cousins?

Next, I saw there were about 5 lobes to the fruit. Near the top where the stem was, I inserted my knife into a seam, and was surprised how easily it went in. The pod opened up to reveal a creamy pale flesh.

The scent of it was stronger now, but not what I thought it would be like. It was very sweet smelling. I tried really hard to distinguish just what it smelled like, but it is so unusual, I could not compare it to anything I ever had. The fruit practically fell out, it didn't seem connected to the spiky shell, only protected by it:) The mass broke into 3 sections, each one containing a large brown seed.

I saved the seeds, as I was not sure if they were edible too. I was actually able to split the rest of it open with my hands, and pull out the soft custard-like meat. I got a little more than 3 cups total from my durian.

I was still a little hesitant to taste it. Although the scent was not really offensive to me, I was not sure I wanted to eat it..lol! I had looked up a few recipes that used durian, just in case:)

Well, I have to say, I did like the durian! It was not 'love' at first bite, but it was 'like' at first bite! I ate about 1 cup of it, just as it was. It was soft, creamy, sweet, custard-like, all the things I read about it. I was so happy that I liked the king of fruits:)

With the remaining two cups, I made one of the most wonderful ice creams I ever tasted, a rich chocolate durian ice cream. It is silky, smooth, and fudgey, with an awesome creamy texture.

I also enjoyed a cup of it as a mousse... oh so good!

The recipe is courtesy of Dr. Frank Ferendo, author of the books Reasonably Raw, Holistic Perspectives and Integral Theory, and Spanish Lessons: A Midlife Adventure in Search of Meaning.

Please visit his interesting blog for more info about these books, and to read about his wonderful approach to eating raw!

Here is a video of Frank making the ice cream, although I can't view it, I am sure you most likely have high speed internet:)

Lucky for me it was also written out in another post, which I have permission to share with you here. I copied and pasted from the blog.

Sincere thanks to Dr. Frank Ferendo for his amazing recipe, and for letting me share it on my blog:)

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Here is the recipe:

2 cups durian
2 cups raw cashews (soaked for 4 hours)
1 cup water
1 cup raw agave (or other sweetener)
1/4 cup coconut butter
2 TBS vanilla extract
2 TBS dulse
4 TBS raw cacao powder
1 vanilla bean

Put in blender, chill, and then put in ice cream maker. Or, you can skip the ice cream part and eat it like a chocolate mousse. (Note: Even with a Vita Mixer you may have to blend half at a time.) To make even more yummy add cacao nibs and/or walnut pieces.
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I used a bit less agave, as I found my durian very sweet. I used only the vanilla bean, and also added some soft chocolate chunks. If you like a harder chocolate chunk, use my chocolate chip recipe.

Soft Chocolate Chunks
Ingredients:
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons agave
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder

1. Melt oil by placing in a small bowl over very hot water.
2. Cool slightly and add agave and cocoa powder.
3. Allow to cool until like thick hot fudge or frosting, but still able to stir.
4. Spread in shallow pan.
5. Chill until firm.
6. Chop into chunks
7. Keep in fridge or mix into ice cream.

Hemp Brownie Sundae

As soon as I saw this hemp brownie recipe by bitt on gone raw yesterday, I knew I would have to make it!
My favorite recipes lately have been quick and easy, so this one fit right in:)
It is a great way to get in more healthy hemp and pumpkin seeds.
Thanks to bitt for another great recipe!

I doubled the recipe, and shaped the mix in a bite-size brownie pan. Chilling the brownies make them easier to release from the mold. I dipped the top of each brownie bite in additional hemp seeds, then decorated some with goji berries, walnut halves, or a pumpkin seed.
For the little sundae, take a brownie, and top it with a mini scoop of stRAWberry ice cream. The chocolate sauce is just blended date paste, coconut oil, and cocoa powder, but this recipe looks great!

Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked almonds, sprouted if desired
¾ cup hemp seeds
1 cup fresh water
3 cups ripe strawberries, washed, hulled
½ cup date paste, soaked dates,blended with water
1 inch vanilla bean seeds, or 1 tsp. extract
optional:
up to 1 tablespoon beet juice to enhance color

Preparation:

1.blend almonds,hemp,and water.

2.strain using nut milk bag.you should have about 1 cup “cream”.*

3.add cream to blender with berries ,vanilla, date paste, and beet juice if using.

4.process in 1 and1/2 quart ice cream maker.

*this recipe was made before I had a high speed blender, so now I don't strain:)
Sweet ripe strawberries are best for this recipe. The strawberry flavor may be enhanced by adding a ripple of strawberry jam(strawberries blended with a few dates).

Just adding this pretty butterfly pic from today:) The milkweed has grown so much and is flowering now.

One man's trash...

...is his wife's treasure!
Almost every Monday, hubby leaves me a selection of fruit he will no longer eat. We shop on the weekend, so he has a fresh supply for the week now, and he 'weeds out' the older fruit, as he knows I will put it to good use.
When shopping, there is usually a bin of older produce that the co-op marks down for quick sale. Organic bananas are my favorite thing to buy from there, as they are usually about 39 cents a pound. Two bunches came home this week :) To me these 'old' bananas are just right. I used to like a banana with just a spot or two, or even slightly green. Now I have realized how sweet and wonderful a truly ripe banana is! At least one bunch is always peeled and frozen for one of my favorite recipes...

Triple Thick Chocolate Shake













2-3 frozen bananas, break into chunks
1 tablespoon almond butter*
dash of almond extract
1/4 cup water, or a little more if needed
1-2 heaping teaspoons cocoa powder, or to taste
a little sweetener of choice, optional

Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until very thick and creamy.
Blendtec can use ice cream setting.

If you don't have a powerful blender, you can make this in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade. Even just plain, frozen bananas make a wonderful soft-serve treat! Try it, you will be surprised how yummy it is:)

Here it is as chocolate almond ice cream:


don't worry, I took care of the drip :)








6-8 frozen bananas, break into chunks
1 cup water
1/4 cup almond butter*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
sweetener of choice, optional

1. blend all ingredients in high speed blender.Blendtec can use ice cream setting
2. transfer mixture to ice cream maker, follow manufactures directions, using about half the usual time to freeze. At this point mix in anything like nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
3. transfer to container and place in freezer for about 1 hour for perfect texture.
if frozen hard, let sit out of freezer about 20 minutes or so before serving.

*note: in both the above recipes the almond butter may be subbed with tahini, and the almond extract may be replaced with vanilla bean seeds.

chocolate sauce:
2 tablespoons agave
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder

1. mix together in small bowl.
2. drizzle over ice cream or use to flavor nut milks

The ice cream maker is one of my favorite appliances in my happy raw kitchen:) The one I have is a factory refurbished Cuisinart model found at a kitchen store for 20 dollars. Here are several options if you don't have or want a machine.

How to make ice cream without a machine

Kids love to make ice cream this way

Any fruit 'smoothie' can be made into a delicious frozen treat. Simply blend any fruit with a little water and your choice of sweetener. Either of the above recipes can be made in Popsicle molds, the chocolate tastes like a fudgesicle:)
This sorbet was mostly peaches. They were a little wrinkly , but so sweet and juicy:)

Sweet Treats

I was so happy to learn I didn't have to give up yummy treats when eating raw
Here are two of my favorite quick and easy recipes:

Halvah Truffle Trio













Ingredients:
½ cup raw tahini
2 tablespoons local raw honey, the thick opaque kind
¼ cup unhulled raw sesame seeds, soaked or not if you prefer*
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 inch vanilla bean, seeds only
extra sesame seeds
*you may wish to lightly grind seeds if using unsoaked.

Preparation:

1. Mix tahini,honey,and 1/4 cup sesame seeds. taste to see if sweet enough,adjust honey.

2. Divide mixture into thirds.

3. Add cocoa to one part,cinnamon to another and vanilla to the third. you may need to add a little extra sesame seed to the vanilla mix,to stiffen.

4. Chill until firm.

5. Divide each part into 4, one inch balls.

6. Roll in sesame seeds.

Strict vegans may want to try a substitute sweetener,use an equal amount of date paste (blended soaked dates)

Store in fridge.
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This next recipe is so easy I hesitate to call it a recipe. Freeze some ripe bananas for a few hours. When frozen, place them in the food processor fitted with the "S" blade until it forms a light creamy soft serve banana ice cream! Add anything you like, like cacao nibs, flavorings, nuts, coconut, berries...you get the idea! It can be placed in the freezer to firm up a little, or eaten as a soft serve. This recipe is from Alissa Cohen. Thanks, Alissa!