apricot spice cake

my friend and fellow health enthusiast kristy p gave me this recipe from chef mark anthony with a high recommendation! i haven't made it yet, but plan on doing it next month when the food budget is fresh. i'll be altering it to be wheat free for chris and will let you know!

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup apricots, chopped

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup carrot, shredded

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2 cups orange juice

oil 9 inch spring form pan. in a medium bowl, mix dry powdery ingredients. in a small saucepan, combine water, spices, fruits, and carrots. bring to a boil and allow to cool for 5 minutes. add orange joice and cool completely. add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well to combine. pour the batter into the pan.

bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. serve plain, dust with powdered sugar, or frost with a homemade butter and cream cheese frosting.

fudgy chocolate truffles, raw vegan style!

this is another gem i got from kristy p. she is really cool and makes yummy food. we made these together and used pecans a few drops of spearmint oil for a mint chocolate treat and they were amazing! the next time i made them, i used an assortment of nuts and mix ins. (combo ideas at the bottom)

1 cup coconut oil (at room temp/soft)

1/3 cup raw honey

1/4 cup organic cocoa powder

1/2 cup chopped nut of choice

a few heavy shakes of sea salt

mix in of choice

stir it up. little darlin', stir it up.

quickly mold into bite sized balls before the warm of your hands melts them. spread them out on parchment paper lined pans and cool in the fridge. these look great as gifts in a paper egg carton. i cut 2 inch squares of parchment paper and lined each of the 12 egg cradles, then covered the text on the box with pretty paper and labeled them. once they are cooled, place a truffle in each opening and you've got a decadent, shabby chic gift for a friend! i totally forgot to take pictures before i gave them as gifts. maybe next time!

combo ideas:

-Almond Joy to the World! coconut shreds with chopped almonds (like a raw almond joy, oh my word, these were my fav!)

-Mexi Cocoa! cayenne pepper, vanilla powder, and cinnamon with chopped pecans (these were most people's favorites!)

-Chocolate Covered Cherry! fresh cherries, pitted and chopped with chopped almonds (delish but dont last as long in the fridge bc of the fresh fruit mixed in. eat within a few days. the others last a long time. if you do fresh fruit, which holds juices, i would add a little more cocoa powder to make up for the extra liquid.)

-Mint Chocolate - peppermint oil works best, but spearmint was also good! i think a little vanilla powder sprinkled in complements it well.

get your chocolate fix on and feel good about it! :)

mango deliciousness

my sweet and creative friend kristy perkins shared a mango pudding recipe with me that i just have to put on here for future reference. i changed it up a little, but it turned out amazing. this is a raw and low glycemic vegan dessert. it goes amazing with other fresh fruit on top, like juicy red raspberries!

5 cups ripe mango (i used 5 alphonso mangoes)
6 tbsp coconut oil
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 packet stevia powder
couple of shakes of sea salt

blend all these ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. put it in a bowl and chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. when ready to serve, top with fresh fruit if you so desire and enjoy your wholesome tropical treat!

kaye's raw avocado chocolate pudding / pie

this makes a killer sweet treat that is full of healthy fats for your brain and body! i can't tell you how many times i have served this to non health enthusiasts and picky kids who have licked their forks clean! they have no idea its made with avocado, although i usually tell them afterwards! :) you can sprinkle some crushed almonds or walnuts on top or pour into a pie crust. a little bit of this rich pudding goes a long way, so its great for sharing with friends or having leftovers.

3 large or 4 medium avocados
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup honey (sometimes i use stevia or xylitol instead.)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
large pinch of salt, to taste

put all of the ingredients in the food processor or blender and mix till smooth delicious! dish it up and serve warm or if you can hold yourself back from eating it right away, it is really nice chilled. mmm...
it also freezes well, so you can store it away for when you need a quick chocolate fix!

for the crust, i do a combo of nuts (usually almond and/or macadamia), dates, coconut shreds and a some hefty shakes of salt  ground up in the food processor until a meal, then pressed into a pie plate. i never measure these things, but if you are into that im sure you can find some recipes online for a raw nut crust. you dont want to make it too sweet or gooey, so that its a nutty salty balance to your rich sweet pie.

raw 'key lime pie'

we have served up this delicious pie several times without anyone ever suspecting that the main ingredient is avocados! since key lime pie is usually dyed green, the bright avocado looks great, rather than suspicious! also, because of the great color, you could use this recipe for a cute colorful treat for kids or for holidays. call it 'lime slime' or whatever gross thing will make kids (especially little boys) laugh!

there are so many things i love about this dessert. its very low in sugar, is full of healthy fats, the tangy sweet flavor is light and refreshing, and it takes hardly any time to make!
another thing i like about this recipe is that the avocados dont brown quickly because of the lime juice, so you can keep this pie in the fridge, covered in cling wrap, for a few days without any problems. if you can resist eating it all before then!
this recipe is from pg 243 in the awesome book, 'raw food real world'. they call them 'lime mousse tarts', i call them delicious! they also have a recipe for a nut crust. i'll include the original recipe here, although i usually do things a little different. you can make one regular, 9" pie from this, or 4 or more ramekins for individual servings.

their nut crust:

2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened and dry
1 tbsp lime zest
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 packets stevia powder
2 tbsp agave nectar

my simple nut crust:
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw macadamia nuts
1 cup coconut
1 tsp of salt, to taste
3-4 pitted dates.

whichever you use, the directions are the same. pulse these ingredients in a food processor till they are well combined but a bit chunky.if you over-process it can get too oily from the nuts. press this mixture into your pie holding device.

the lime filling:
5 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted -- duh!
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup packed lime zest (from 6-8 limes)
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
2 tsp vanilla extract or equivalent of vanilla powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
10 packets of stevia )or to taste.

my personal notes on the filling:
if you are in a pinch and only have bottled lime juice on hand, rather than the real limes, it will work just fine. ive done it that way, skipping the zest too, and it has turned out just fine. also, i think 10 packets of stevia is a little much, especially since you've already added agave nectar. stevia can be a little bitter or overpowering if you add too much. so i suggest adding about 4 packets, then taste it and see if you want it sweeter. if so, go for another packet and re-taste. i am of the persuasion that you should always use your noggin and your personal taste buds when using a recipe and go with what you like. after all, you are the one who is going to eat it! similarly, if you don't have stevia, you could sub for any other kind of granular sweetener, like sugar.

directions on filling:
mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. pour the green goop into your pie crust, cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer. if you freeze the tarts, allow them to thaw for at least 15 min before serving. decorate top of pie with a few thin slices of lime if you want to be a fancy pants about it! enjoy!

raw vegan 'egg nog'

i make this every year for the holiday season, and it is a hit among everyone, even people who dont usually even like egg nog. its a recipe i got from victoria of the raw family. if you dont have a strainer bag of cheesecloth on hand to strain the drink, or if you are just lazy and in a pinch, you can use any kind of non dairy milk as your base, in substitution for the almonds and water. but the real deal goes a something like this:


1 cup raw almonds soaked overnight

2 cups water

4-5 dates

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

(i add a teaspoon of cinnamon too!)

Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain mixture through a nut milk bag. Pour into a jar.

Serves 4

raw chocolate chip cookies

this is a vegan, raw food, no bake/dehydrate cookie recipe! it is delicious too!
the link to the original recipe is below, but im going to type it out with the corrections and additions that i make when preparing them.

Cookie Batter:
1 3/4 cups cashew "flour" (finely ground cashews)
3/4 cup ground oat groats (or use all cashew flour for a much sweeter dough)
1/4 cup agave nectar (or yacon syrup or honey)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp cup melted coconut oil

Chocolate Chips
-1/2 cup coconut oil
-1/2 cup carob
-1/2 cup cacao
(you can could use dutch cocoa instead of the two different chocolates if thats all you have, but that wouldn't be raw technically)

Assembly
In a large bowl, mix Cookie Batter ingredients by hand. in a blender, mix the chocolate chip ingredients together. put in a container and stash in the freezer. after frozen, chop into chunks. i find this is easier to do if you put them in ice cube trays and pop them out when needed.

Fold chopped up Chocolate Chips into the cookie batter. Form into balls and refrigerate. shouldnt take them long to firm up and be ready to eat. my husband likes to eat them just the way they are too!

mysticats raw chocolate chip cookie recipe

mexican dessert

when it comes to mexican food dinners, im at a loss on what to make for dessert that would pair well. after looking around a lot, i found and tried this recipe i got from the mission foods website. i dont see it posted there anymore, so i cant offer a link. here it is though:

2 Flour Tortillas
1 Tbsp. Water
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
a few tbsp melted butter
2 cups light Whipped Cream or organic vanilla ice cream.
(use the fruit below as topping, or just fresh sliced mango!)
1 cup fresh Raspberries
3 fresh or canned Apricots sliced
1 Kiwi peeled, quartered and sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine water and vanilla. Combine sugar and cinnamon.
2. Cut each tortilla into 8 triangles or use a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter to press out shaped pieces. Lightly brush both sides of tortilla with melted butter. Lightly brush each side with water mixture and sprinkle each side with sugar mixture.
3. Place on a wire rack and set rack onto a sheet pan. (i used my toaster oven) Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Just before serving, top each with a dollop of whipped cream and arrange the raspberries, apricots and kiwi. (i just served with vanilla ice cream and fresh mango slices. it was delish!)

blueberry pie

this pie will turn your mouth purple, but you wont care. its so yummy, yet healthy, you'll want to eat it for breakfast! try to use all organic ingredients. makes for a healthier, happier pie and consumers of said pie.

unbaked 9" pie crust:
1 1/2 cups butter
3 1/2 cups (spelt) flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very cold water

filling:
3/4 cup sugar or xylitol
1/3 cup flour (i used spelt)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tsp cornstarch

topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar or palm sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup (spelt) flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
a couple of shakes of sea salt

to make crust, mix together flour and salt. id recommend slicing your butter up, then mixing it into the flour with a fork. add just enough water to hold it together, then press into pie pan.

preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

stir together the sugar, flour, and cornstarch. then mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice. next stir in the blueberries. if your blueberries are frozen, you will either have had to thaw them out before this, or if you are like me and making this without much notice, put them in a pot on the stove and add all these ingredients to after it thaws. put this mixture in the pie pan w crust.

next stir together the brown sugar, oats, flour, salt and cinnamon. mix in butter using a fork until crumbly. spread the crumb topping evenly over the pie filling.
bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until browned on top. it is good hot or chilled, so do whichever floats your boat. enjoy!

sherry's lentil soup

my sweet friend sherry birk made this soup for us when elijah was freshly hatched. it was delish! even though it would totally take away from the flavor, i'd probably make it without onions next time, as they do not like me! :)

red lentil soup recipe

raw food goodness!

my brother in law caleb, and husband chris, are starting up a yummy raw food, healthy snack company called adventure naturals. they are both passionate about getting good exercise, nutrition, and providing for their growing families! please support them through social media and financially on kickstarter.com.

http://kck.st/couzJh

www.adventurenaturals.com