Halloween5!

Welcome back to the haunted raw kitchen! I am still in the creepy cuisine mode:) I know some of you may be planning a Halloween party and would like ideas in advance.

This is another Halloween novelty treat that has been around for a while, but this time it has gone raw! It will be added as a link on the bottom of my main Halloween post.

Creepy Creature Finger Food

Ingredients:
¾ cup dried shredded coconut
¾ cup almond flour
½ cup dates, soaked and pitted
1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon agave, honey or maple syrup, or can omit
1 tablespoon coconut butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
½ teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cardamom, or to taste...this is a strong flavor :)
1 pinch sea salt

For fingernails:
10 Almonds soaked, peeled, split in half

Makes about 18

Preparation:

1. Combine all cookie ingredients in food processor fitted with "S" blade until dough holds together. You may want to lessen the spices for very small children:)

2. Pinch off a finger sized:) ball of dough.

3. To form the fingers, roll the dough in your hands into a long 'snake', about the size of your finger, with one end a little narrower than the other. To create the bony knuckles, spread your fingers slightly apart and gently roll dough between your fingers only. Push on the wider end of dough to shape as shown.

4. Lay finger down and gently press 1/2 an almond into narrower end as shown for fingernail. Don't worry if the 'nails' are chipped or jagged, creatures rarely get manicures.

5. Place on mesh sheets and dehydrate at 112 degrees approx 24 hours.

6. Serve with favorite red jam if desired. This is about 1/2 raspberry and 1/2 soaked dates blended.

Cookie recipe is adapted from Caramel Coconut Cookies.

This could be made with your favorite cookie recipe since creatures come in assorted colors:)

If you are looking for something savory, I think these could be made with my almond cracker recipe as well since I have made some mini-breadstix. Serve with a red pepper dip maybe?..lol!

Unless I have scared you away, please come back soon for more healthy raw Halloween recipes!

Raw Halloween4...Watermelon Brain!

This is the easiest of raw Halloween treats. The famous Watermelon Brain!!!!! This has been around for a while, but in case you missed it, here are some step by step instructions for creating a brain from a watermelon.

Be sure to check my Healthy Raw Halloween Recipes for more raw party ideas.

If you are short on time, this takes about 20 minutes. It can be made a head (hehe) of time and kept wrapped in a clean damp cloth in the fridge:)

Watermelon Brain

Ingredients:

1 small seedless watermelon
Also needed, a peeler and a knife

1. Wash and peel watermelon. I used my soft fruit peeler.

2. Look at the melon and see which side will make the best looking brain:) I put the narrow oval looking side on top. Cut a small slice off the bottom so it is stable.

3. Using a very thin or sharp knife make the first cut down the middle. Widen the cut slightly by making another cut next to the first one at a slight angle about 1/8 inch away. This will allow you to remove a V-shaped sliver of melon and reveal the red um...flesh..underneath:)

4. Using a picture as a guide, continue to carve out slivers of melon in a brain-like pattern.

Hope you enjoy this healthy raw Halloween treat!

Check back soon for more petrifying party food!

Halloween3

Another trick for creating a festive Halloween party is to use a raw recipe that you already love and dress it up for the party.

I love Sarma's Congo Bars featured in her book Living Raw Food. Don't worry if you don't have the book yet, this recipe can be found online! Thank you Sarma for sharing this wonderful recipe:)

I had to make some slight ingredient changes, but they still came out fantastic!
You can cut these into desired shapes, or play around a little like I did:)

The little squares are made in a silicone brownie bite mold. The cupcakes are the chocolate base mixture rolled into balls, topped with the coconut mixture, and placed in mini cupcake papers made for Halloween. These were very easy to make. I processed the base mixture a bit more so they could be easily molded.

All the special treat molds, wrappers and picks are available at larger craft and department store.

I also molded some of the Congo Bars in cookie molds. This was a metal pan, so to release the chilled treats, rub the outside of the pan with a clean cloth rinsed and rung out in very hot water.

A few creepy props like the novelty mice, treat bags, and Halloween picks make them perfect for your guests.

These work especially well because of the black and white color combination. Of course you may use your favorite brownie and white icing the same way. This party idea is geared toward older children and adults.

I am adding this post to Healthy Raw Halloween Recipes for convenience.

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Here are some of my favorite pics from yesterday:) We went to the Oktoberfest at Whiteface Mountain. I always love going to the high peaks area. It is about 20 minutes from where we live, so we go several times a year, but fall is my favorite:)

A lovely waterfall on the way

Going into the ski area

The Ausable River as we were walking in

On the gondola going to the top of little Whiteface...waving to Joyce in the Green Mountains of Vermont in the background:)

Looking down at Lake Placid

The top of Little Whiteface

Raw Halloween2

Here is another simple, healthy, and raw way to celebrate Halloween. When I opened the fridge today, I noticed a bright orange pepper, so this is what I thought of making. This cute idea takes only a few minutes to create. Try to pick a pepper that looks pumpkin-like:)


Punkin Bowl

1 orange sweet bell pepper
1 sheet nori
1 cup creamy raw dip
cut veggies for dipping

1. Cut off top of pepper, remove ribs and seeds, reserve top.

2. Carefully cut features in pepper, just like a jack-o-lantern.

3. Fold nori sheet to fit inside pepper, covering cut-outs. This will highlight the features and prevent the dip from coming out, so make sure all cut-outs are covered.

4. Fill with favorite dip and replace top of pepper.

5. Arrange on plate with cut up veggies for dipping.



Hope this idea gets you into the spirit of Halloween:)

Check my earlier post on Healthy Raw Halloween Recipes

Healthy Raw Halloween Recipes

October has always been my favorite month. Fall is such a beautiful season. Crisp air, changing leaves against the bluest skies, and some of my favorite fruit, like honeycrisp apples and concord grapes!

It is also the month to celebrate harvest time and Halloween!

I would like to share some of the healthy raw treats I have created especially for Halloween. The first four treats were made last year. I am adding links at the bottom of this post for all the new creepy cuisine from this year:)* More than 10 new recipes and ideas for 2009!!!

Darlin Clementine Punkins

Ingredients are per 'pumpkin'

1 clementine
12x12 square cling wrap
1" clear tape
scraps of felt, cut for eyes , nose, mouth, or googly eyes:)
twist tie
silk ivy leaf
green floral tape
glue, if not using self stick felt or googly eyes

Preparation:
1. Wrap clementine in cling film and twist tightly.

2. Secure at top with clear tape.

3. Cover clear tape with green floral tape, snip to desired length.

4. Attach ivy leaf to twist tie with floral tape,cover entire length of tie with tape.

5. Twist leaf/tie around stem as desired.

6. Apply face as desired.

Note: choose self-stick felt for really little children. This is a great one to have the kids make with you...they create the cutest faces!

This is the perfect healthy nut-free handout treat for Halloween, and the little ones really seem to love them:)

This pic shows the different steps:

You can also use colored construction paper for features and leaf and masking tape as an alternative for the stem:


Here are some cute faced punkins:

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Boo~nanners!

Ingredients:

peeled banana, cut in half, each banana makes 2
orange juice
dried shredded coconut
currants or raisins
popsicle sticks
Preparation:

1. Sprinkle banana with orange juice

2. Roll in coconut...you may find it a little easier and neater to use a zip top bag for this step if the little ones are making these:)

3. Gently press in currant eyes

4. Place on popsicle stick

Can be frozen if the kiddies like them that way:)

I recently told someone in my HFS about the boo~nanners, and mentioned to just "Google" it for the recipe. I googled it myself to make sure it would come up and was very pleasantly surprised how many websites featured my lil boo~nanners:)
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Frightening Fruit Fiends

Servings: 4 per apple

Ingredients:

1 apple, cored and quartered
assorted nuts and seeds
nut butter
berries,grapes,or small fruit like kiwi berries
frilled toothpicks
orange juice
Preparation:

1. Carefully remove football shaped slice from apple quarter, reserve for tongue

2. Sprinkle all cut surfaces with orange juice

3. Fill with nut butter ,if desired

4. Add nuts or seeds as teeth, tongue is cut from removed apple piece(stick in with a bit of nut butter)

5. Add eyes with toothpicks using berries or grapes

These may be better for a little older boys and ghouls…I mean girls:)
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Fudgey the Friendly Bat


Ingredients:

2 cups unsoaked, pitted dates
¼ cup cocoa powder
sesame seeds, optional for "eyes"

Preparation:

1. Place dates in food processor fitted with “S” blade, and process until well chopped.

2. Add cocoa powder and process until a ball forms.

3. Roll to desired thickness, between cling wrap.

4. Chill until firm.

5. Cut as desired ..I used a small bat:)...also shown as a truffle in mini cupcake paper with holiday pick.

6. Decorate with sesame seeds for eyes and use the end of a straw at an angle to make a smile:)

Of course , you can use your favorite fudge or brownie recipe for this and make any additions like vanilla bean, or other flavorings:)

If you would like to individually wrap these, let them dry out a bit on the counter before slipping them into lollipop bags.

Store in fridge.
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Click here to see these and more healthy raw Halloween treats from Gone Raw.

Oh, and Happy World Vegetarian Day everyone!

I am very honored to be mentioned on Vegan Baking, Raw Halloween Treats From Around The Web by Mike, aka CanarsieBK. Check out his site, and the other awesome links in that post:)

Thanks to Raw Food Nation for including two of my recipes in this post!

Thanks to Recycle Your Day for choosing my Halloween Chocolate to be in the top 5 healthier Hallogreen treats for 2009:)

Thank you for all the love and links in the blogosphere too:)

*I will be adding new raw and healthy Halloween ideas here:
Punkin Bowl for dip








Sarma's Congo Bars dressed for the party!








Watermelon Brain!








Creepy Creature Finger Food








I Scream








The Grim Rimmer











Swamp-water Smoothie and 3 cute kid snacks!









Halloween Raw Chocolate Recipe








Savory Raw Halloween Ideas








Spooky S&M Salad








Smoky Bones











Creepy Caponata









Ghosts in the Gravy Yard









Vampiric Vermin:)









Spooky Sweets

Kreativ Blogger Award

I was pleasantly surprised while reading one of my favorite blogs this morning. I was nominated to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award by the lovely Joanna Stevens of Promoting the Raw Food Diet While Debunking the Myths.

Thank you so much Joanna, I am truly honored to be considered for this. I was shocked to see my name in such great company.

The award requires that I share seven things about me you may be surprised to know. I have not shared much personal info on my blog, so this is a little hard for me...but here goes:)

1. I met my husband at a punk night club, on his birthday, and we have been together 26 years:) We went to see The Ramones on our first date.

2. I adore children, and ran a home based daycare for 12 years. I worked at least 50 hours a week and loved every minute of it! I usually cared for 3-8 children at a time, and was also raising two of my own. I gave up my business when I thought we were moving several years ago, but the deal fell through.

3. I have a wicked sense of humor. I think I inherited this from my Dad, who told me he now has a website, as he pointed to the cobwebs on the ceiling:)

4. I have vivid memories of being in my high chair and playpen, and surprise my mom with details of the house at the time that she had almost forgotten.

5. My pets right now are an 8 year old chocolate lab, and a 34 year old blue front Amazon parrot.

6. I have 10 raw food books, but have only made recipes from 2 of them.

7. I love the number 12. I was born in August, on the 12th of course, at 12:12. The last two numbers of my birth year also add up to 12.

8. The last two numbers of my birth year are....whoops, I almost forgot we only needed 7 surprising facts:)

I am happy to pass this award on to seven of my favorite blogs, in random order:

1. Aimee from A Bitt of Raw
2. Snowdrop from Adirondack Raw Food Connection
3. Joyce from Beautiful Living Food
4. Berry Blue Toes from the blog Berry Blue Toes
5. Joanna from Promoting the Raw Food Diet While Debunking the Myths
6. Kara Maia Spencer from Raw Vortex
7. Susan Powers from Rawmazing

ETA~1/05/09
bonus fact~ I was recently asked if there was a secret to staying married so long, and part of the answer was right out my back door! I always see the rainbow through the clouds...I snapped this pic a few minutes ago!

Hugs and Hemp

Hugs first!....{{{Hugs}}}

As you may know, today is International Hug a Vegetarian Day! Of course every day should be HVD, but oh well!

And now, the hemp !
Creamy Hemp Basil Sauce from Gena at Choosing Raw.



The following recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers, Gena from Choosing Raw. It makes a generous amount, especially for one person, so I found quite a few ways to use it:)

Gena was kind enough to allow me to repost her recipe here. Please click here to view Gena's original post on this recipe.
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Creamy Hemp Basil Sauce (yields about 1 1/2 cups — possibly a bit less)

½ cup hemp butter
½ cup water
1 tsp lemon
1-2 dates (pitted)
1 tsp oregano, dry
½ tsp thyme, dry
¼ cup fresh basil, packed
¼-1/2 tsp salt (start with ¼ and then adjust to your taste)
1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure:

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor, magic bullet, or Vitamix until well mixed. Adjust water if you’d like it thinner—but keep in mind that it will thicken in the fridge.
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Gena used it as a sauce for spiralized carrot and zucchini pasta and suggested it would be good as a dressing for slaw...it was! I made the sauce a bit thicker by adding a little less water.

The Creamy Coleslaw is shredded carrot, green cabbage, purple cabbage, and a sprinkle of hemp seed mixed with the sauce.


I also used some as a dressing for a simple Creamy Kale Salad. It makes two servings. I loved it so much, I had one for lunch, and the other for dinner!!!!

Creamy Kale Salad

1 small bunch of kale, stems removed
1 cup tomato, 1/4 inch dice
3/4 cup Creamy Hemp Basil Sauce
2 Tablespoons hemp seed
sprinkle of salt
drizzle of olive oil

Makes 2 servings

1. Tear kale into bite sized pieces, and place into a medium sized bowl.

2. Sprinkle kale with salt and olive oil, and massage with hands to soften.

3. Add Creamy Basil Hemp Sauce and hemp seed and mix well.

4. Top with diced tomato and an extra sprinkle of hemp seed, if you like.

This creamy kale salad was so awesome. I love to find a new twist on an old favorite like kale salad:) I am definitely making this one again!

I absolutely love the sauce. You know it is good when you spend 10 minutes scraping out the blender!

It also made the perfect sandwich spread. This is a ezekiel tortilla spread with a little of the creamy hemp basil sauce, and topped with alfalfa sprouts, crisp maple jicama bacon, sliced tomato, and a sprinkle of hemp seeds. This was seriously good!

Since there was such a generous amount of sauce, there was still enough for today's lunch, sushi! It made a wonderful dipping sauce. If you like a spicy sauce, try mixing in a little powdered wasabi. I tried it in a little bit, but preferred the sauce sweet:)


Hemp is one of my favorite ingredients to use in raw recipes. It is really a powerhouse of nutrition.
If you enjoy adding hemp to your raw food diet, here is another wonderful way to enjoy it.

Thank you, Gena, for allowing me to share your wonderful recipe.{{{BIG HUG!}}}