Sunday, July 19, 2009

Chocolate pudding recipe - RAW and HEALTHY - you can eat it for breakfast!

Ok, so yesterday I did a 15 mile training run, in prep for the Chicago Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in 2 weeks time. Can I just say that I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!

Though I didn't really feel how tired I was yesterday, I definitely felt the training effect today after my yoga workshop. I took a nap, woke up and was so hungry I was out of my mind!

I had made tabouli, which I ate wrapped in seaweed. Good stuff! But then I was craving something sweet, and tea with honey just wasn't cutting it - you know how it goes. So, rather than eating a spoonful of honey, I made pudding! If you LOVE chocolate pudding, YOU'LL LOVE THIS.

NOW, I have to say that the ingredients may sound weird, but it's truly DELISH!

Chocolate Pudding

The only thing you will need is a blender! I did mine in my Bullet!

1 small avocado (when I say small, I use a single serving avocado - about 4 in. long)
scrape out meat from a young coconut (you'll maybe need 1/4 c - but it really depends on how big your avocado is)
1 to 1 1/2 T of REAL maple syrup
1 T (or more depending on your chocolate craving) of raw cocao powder
add coconut water to the consistency you want
BLEND to a smooth consistency

This was sooooo good, I inhaled it! I had none left over to share with my friend.

oh well, maybe next time :-(

Here's to food that makes us healthy and wise!!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Falafel Patties - Another RAW food goodie

Namaste Foodies:

Ok, so I realize that it's so much easier to eat raw during the summer! DUH! Vegies and fruits come into season and are so tasty! Anyway, enough of that.

So, the other day, I got this bright idea to make Falafel - you know - those hummus balls that are either baked or fried. And while I love Falafel like that, I find that I always wind up in that "gaseous" state afterwards. Funny thing is, that when I soak my garbanazo, then eat them after they sprout, I don't wind up feeling like that.

So I made these falafel patties and some spicy guacamole. Can I just say FABULOUS! I was going to bring them to work, but "accidentally" forgot them at my friend's house... Hmmmm, maybe he liked them so much, he didn't remind me to take them when I was heading out the door? You be judge after trying them... WITH the guacamole...

FALAFEL - you will need a dehydrator
1 1/2 c. soaked AND sprouted garbanzo beans
1 c. soaked AND sprouted sunflower seeds
Parsley, Cilantro, Green Onions (I do these to taste, but usually use about a handful or 1/4-1/3 cup each)
1/3-1/2 cup lemon juice (depending on your taste)
1/8 c chopped ginger
Olive oil for moistening
Hot chili oil (optional - can be found in Asian market or the "Oriental Aisle" in most supermarkets)
Tahini or sesame oil - to taste
salt
cumin

BLEND all of this in a blender. I chopped up the beans and seeds in a food processor first, which made blending a little easier. The resulting blended mix should be fairly thick and hold together like a paste.

Spread into patties (about 1/4 to 1/2 thick) on dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate at 90 degrees for overnight or 8 hours, then turn over for another 4 hours.

Enjoy with your favorite salsa or some Guacamole!!

If you need to know how to sprout nuts/seeds, email me!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Healthy Carrot cake recipe (for my fellow RAW foodies)

Namaste Foodies!!

So, I'm not sure if that most of you know, but I got a new doc who is also a kinesiologist. He put me on this detox diet because I had a high level of heavy metals in my system. And then when I told him that I drank tap water, he was aghast! That's where most metals come from...and Brita filters DON'T filter metals.

At any rate, the initial week of this cleanse/detox was murderous. As a rule, I don't usually eat refined/processed carbs, and don't usually have an issue ignoring them. But the day I started this cleanse, BOY was I in Trouble! All I could think about was bread! I could not understand it.

But back to the carrot cake. So, after having stomach issues last Friday/Sat, I decided I was only eating raw for this coming week. As a result, I made a carrot cake. But not just any carrot cake, it's made from raw vegies, nuts and fruits (even the sauce!). I LOVE gourmet raw food!!

To Prep:
You WILL need a juicer, because you need to juice about 1 lb of carrots for the pulp and the juice. This will yield about 1 c of juice and 1 c of pulp.

I soaked about 20 jumbo dates in warm water for 2 hours in prep.

Soak cranberries or raisins (whichever you prefer)

Soak 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts or cashews

The crust:
Chop up about 1/2 of almonds in food processor
pit dates and chop up dates in food processor (they should be soft and plump after soaking)

knead dates and almonds together (it should be like a firm dough) and press into dish/cakepan or pie dish (like you would with pie crust).

The Cake:
These are your wet ingredients
1 cup of pitted dates (pre-soaked)
1/8 c of fresh ginger
1 c fresh coconut meat (from a REAL coconut)
BLEND these items in blender and add carrot juice slowly so that it doesn't get too runny or too dry. It should become a smooth paste.

These are your dry ingredients
Carrot pulp
3/8 c cranberries or raisins
1 c walnuts
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Toss these in a bowl, then add wet ingredients

Pat this into the dish with crust.

For orange sauce:
Juice 1 cup orange juice
1 Tblspn orange rind
1 Tblspn Lemon rind
1/2 cups of pre-soaked pitted dates
2 Tblspn lemon juice
2 Tblspn cashew or almond butter
BLEND in blender until smooth

For Cream sauce (I LOVE this sauce):
BLEND in blender- 1 1/2 cups pre-soaked walnuts or cashews with 1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice and 2 Tblspns maple syrup. I also added alcohol free vanilla extract for taste

Please note: you MUST use only fresh ingredients. No substitutions with canned for "shortcuts" or the end result will be bitter and the cake and sauces will taste TERRIBLE.

Bon Appetite!