Saturday, December 18, 2010

Have a Cup of Cheer

RAW NOG!



Blend 'er Up:

3/4 C cashews (add more depending on the thickness you like)
1 1/2 C water
1 date, soaked for 15-20 minutes(use the date soak water for this recipe because it's sweet)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
dash of sea salt

You can blend for a long time to heat it up some like a Nog Latte, or refrigerate for an original Nog experience. I strained mine, but that's up to you. I suppose real eggnog is pretty thick anyways. This makes 1 1/2 cups.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Sleigh bells ring, are you listenin'?


Sans the actual sugar ;) Raw cashew sugar cookie sandwiches!

Sorry about all of the sweet treats, but hey, it's the holidays!

1/2 C cashews
1/2 C coconut flour (if you don't have Coconut Secret, just grind shredded coconut in a coffee grinder until it's super super fine like flour)
1 C dates
2 T melted coconut oil

This dough is like play-dough, I swear! So easy to work with and hard to resist eating. My only problem with making things with cashews is that they're SO rich. It's like the raw vegan equivalent to eating a stick of raw butter. That being said, it shouldn't be hard to stick to one cookie :)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Raw Chocolate Smackdown!

Today's post is about chocolate. Now, we all know I love chocolate judging by my many posts featuring it such as my Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie, my Raw Chocolate Covered Macaroons, and Raw Fudge. Also from my daily Chocolate Cover Katie fix. She is so great! I frequently make my own chocolate from Ani Phyo's recipe, but sometimes you just want to try new stuff or eat some heaven from a jar.


Let's compare a few, shall we? 


Rawtella 
$15.00-$19.50 / 6 oz.
Ingredients: Organic raw soaked and dehydrated hazelnuts, organic raw cacao nibs, truly raw Coconut Secret coconut sugar.
CALORIES: 190 FAT:17g SUGAR: 1g






















Flow Foods' Cacao Superfood Synergy Chocolatl 
$7.99-$9.99 / 6 oz. 
Ingredients: Raw agave, raw cacao, raw cacao powder, extra virgin coconut oil, maca root, vanilla extract, himalayan salt.
CALORIES: 120 FAT: 3.5g SUGAR: 20g




















Artisana Organic Raw Cacao Bliss 
 $8.99-$11.99 / 8 oz. 
Ingredient: Artisana Organic Raw Coconut Butter, Organic Raw Coconut Oil, Organic Raw Agave Syrup, Organic Raw Cacao, Organic Raw Cacao Butter.
CALORIES: 177 FAT: 16g SUGAR: 4g












They are all decadent and full of nutrition. As far as the facts go - it all depends on your needs. If you are sensitive to sugar, going with the Rawtella or Cacao Bliss might be your best bet. For me, I like to know that if I breach one serving size, I'm not accidently inhaling 35g of fat so I always choose the Chocolatl. I absolutely recommend giving all 3(especially the chocolatl) a try if they are carried in your area.

I hope this has been helpful with your chocolate needs :)

Which is your favorite? Anybody have a great use for Raw Chocolate? I find myself just sort of...dipping things in it. 

Monday, December 13, 2010

Whole Foods Salad Bar - Raw foods

I wanted to write this post because today I discovered some good news...Raw Dehydrated flax chips at my local whole foods' salad bar! Now, as we all know Whole Foods is not a cheap lunch, so I am by no means a regular, but my boss was treating me today so I thought I'd make a post of it!


  • Raw Flax Crackers: Delicious! I can't seam to make something this good! I taste ground flax, whole flax, sesame and a delicious blend of spices that makes these crackers anything but bland.


  • Raw Marinated Veggies: Mushrooms, tomatoes, cilanto(or parsley?) peppers, red onion, sun dried tomato what more could you ask for? This is delicious and goes great on top of the crackers.


  • Raw Broccoli Crunch: Now, I have had the real broccoli crunch. The one containing bacon, cashews, and parmesan. This raw vegan version really stands up! The broccoli is lightly sweetened(I suspect with agave) and this great mix also includes raw cashews and currants!


  • Raw Fettucini: This is kelp noodles with some sort of mild, semi-creamy sauce. It's really not great, anyone could make a better one at home.


  • Raw Watercress Salad: Plain, nice tasting, and a good way to get greens in!


There is also a nice variety of cooked grains that I highly recommend sprinkling over whatever you choose to get!

I know the selection varies by region, Gina is always talking a delicious 'miso slaw' that I've never seen or heard of...what's your favorite salad bar find?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Raw Gingerbread Cookies with Vanilla Cashew Icing

Sorry about the bad photo, they're actually a really lovely gingerbread brown color.

My mom makes the best sugar cookies. Clean white, buttery cookies with what we call "Royal" icing, loaded with powdered sugar and all of those scrumptious things that make the holidays so tempting. I decided to test-run these Raw Vegan 'totally guiltless' Gingerbread Cookies before I bring them home this year.

Also, I've decided this holiday season to ban Agave Nectar from my diet. There is a lot of controversy surrounding agave nectar, but I really just have to go with how it makes me feel, which is not great. I still have a big 20 oz. bottle of Mathew Kenney's OhAgave! Syrup on my shelf, but especially in this season of sweets and treats, I'm going to avoid it and thus avoid over-using it. Thoughts?

Gingerbread cookies:

1 C dry Buckwheat groats
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 t nutmeg
2 T melted coconut oil
1/2-1 C soaked dates
1/8 C ground flax(optional, for a denser cookie. If you do use it, make the cookies thinner)

Soak dates for 15 minutes-an hour and then blend into a syrupy paste. Grind the buckwheat groats into a fine flour and mix with the spices and flax. Combine the dry ingredients with the date paste and coconut oil. Mix well a flatten a section of the dough onto a nonstick surface like your teflex sheets. shape into whatever you like and turn onto your dehydrator sheet like you would regular sugar cookies. Dehydrate 8 hours on 105 degrees until they reach desired crunch/chew.

Vanilla Cashew Cream Icing:

1/2 C Cashews
water
1 T vanilla extract
1 T coconut oil(optional, if you want the frosting to solidify better)
liquid stevia/agave/raw sweetener of choice to taste

Blend 'er up. This will make plenty. I piped it on to the cookies using a ziploc bag with a hole cut in it because I found it difficult to spread with a knife.

Add a few dried cranberries to make them a really special treat!

Happy Holidays :)