Triple C Smoothie

This is another favorite of mine in the morning. It's incredibly refreshing and rich. Of course, I pretty much drink my staple Green Smoothie everyday, but it's nice to vary it up a little. Easy with the cayenne....it's just enough to wake the senses. This recipe serves 4.

1/2 cup goji berries
2 1/2 cups frozen mango
1/2 cup young coconut meat
6-8 oranges, juiced
2 pinches cayenne (optional)
1 pinch sea salt

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix on high for 30-40 seconds.

Recipe if from everydayraw.

Banana Pear Cereal

Once in a while I crave cereal - not store-bought cereal, but something in a bowl with milk over it and being inserted into my mouth via spoon. Don't get me wrong, I love my smoothies, but this is a way to put most of my smoothie in a bowl and chew it, rather than drink it. I found this recipe a couple of years ago and I have no idea where it came from, but I've made it into my own version anyway.

1 pear cored and cut into cubes
1 banana cut into slices
2 dates cut into pieces
2 tbsp. hemp seeds
2 tbsp. ground flax seeds
1/2 tbsp. carob powder
almond milk

(you can add chopped almonds as well -adds a little crunch)

Enjoy!

Success 2!

Raw Food class number 2 was a success! I had 6 people in total, which made for a more intimate setting. It seemed like everyone enjoyed the meal and asked questions along the way. What I learned from this class is that people are looking for ways to start! They need guidance. I remember those days when I first got started and feeling extremely overwhelmed. What it basically came down to was every recipe I'd ever known was being put aside as well as the ease of a microwave and a stove. I had this blender in front of me and "I'm supposed to do WHAT with these 5 heads of romaine?" Through the years this process became easier for me as I experimented and experimented and experimented. So, now I'm thinking how I can expand my business and start helping people get started on their journey by doing meal planning for a week and/or coming into their home to prepare meals for them. It seems like people are open to this. Hmm....lots to think about, but VERY exciting!

So the menus for tonight was a green smoothie, an Asian kale salad, zucchini with garlic white sauce and coconut carob haystacks. Everything was similar to my first class, but prepared differently. It sure was fun and it didn't feel like work. That's what I love about doing this!

May the journey continue to snowball! :)

Chocolate Love Cake

I'm in love with this cake! I couldn't believe how delicious this was! Whenever I go to RAW restaurants I order one of their desserts because they look so amazing in the refrigerators just calling out to me. The work put into this was moderately easy. There's soaking involved and scraping those impossible little vanilla beans. Does Pampered Chef have anything to make that job easier? This recipe was from my RAWlicious book....which if you haven't noticed by now, it's one of my favorites! It called for agave nectar, but I used maple syrup instead. Reason being that agave is actually not that healthy for us and has higher levels of fructose than corn syrup. AND it's not even made from natural ingredients. NICE! A lot of raw foodists use agave, but I have put a halt on it! Shame.... So, I'm not sure if that's why my crust was a little crumbly. Perhaps next time I'll use honey to have it gel better.
I had to use a little cocoa b/c it's all I had, but cacao is better since it has magnesium in it to support heart health....and it's just all around better than cocoa which is processed and stripped of it's nutrients. Poor cocoa!
This cake is HUGE! You'll definitely want to save this for when you have guests! It is now sitting in my refrigerator looking at me saying, "Really? Do you think you're going to eat all of me? Did you feel how much I weighed?"
It's a little pricey to make this cake, so put it together once in a great while.

For the base:
3 cups almonds, soaked for 2 hours
1 cup pecans, soaked for 2 hours
1/4 cup agave
Seeds of 2 vanilla pods
1/2 tsp. sea salt

In a food processor, grind the almonds and pecans until fine. Add the agave, vanilla seeds and salt. Process all the ingredients together until a sticky, crumble-like base is formed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides. Press into a springform cake tin or quiche tin with removable base. Make puncture holes in the base using a fork and put it in the refrigerator while you make the topping.

For the topping:
4 cups pitted dates, soaked in warm water
1 1/2 cups coconut oil
1 cup cacao powder
1 avocado
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
1 tsp. sea salt

Blend the dates with a little of the soak water (keep some on reserve if you need more) in a power blender or food processor. Add the coconut oil, cacao powder, vanilla seeds, avocado, and salt. Blend until all ingredients are mixed through. (This part didn't work out so well for me. I actually needed to dump it all out into a bowl and mix by hand due to overheating). Transfer into the cake or quiche tin and spread evenly. Decorate with cacao beans and pecan nuts (optional). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Keep it in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Thai Coleslaw

All I have to say is....DELICIOUS! You can even do without the cashews to make it nut-free! My daughter helped me with this one tonight....peeling, grating, etc. She loved it - and she's 3! It is a little time-consuming with the grating, BUT it's so worth it! Honestly, it probably took longer because my daughter wanted to do everything. ;)

This is definitely a great side-dish. You can follow it up by some sweet-chili cashews to give your palette some more zing. Enjoy!

Coleslaw:
2 cups grated red cabbage
2 cups grated green cabbage
2 cups thinly grated zucchini (approx. 2)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (approx. 2 big ones)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 scallions, finely sliced
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, then chopped
1/3 cup cashew nuts
1 tbsp. black sesame seeds (this is for color...I used white b/c it's all I had)

Combine all ingredients, except for sesame seeds, in a large bowl. Pour thai sauce over vegetables and mix well. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Thai Sauce:
1 red bell pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp. chili flakes or cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. tamari
1 1/2 tbsp. raw honey
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Blend all ingredients together in a power blender.