Vegan Brunch, figured out

Leave it to the people over at Healeo to concoct the another one of the most delish raw breakfasts around....

Yes! What you're looking at is a young thai baby coconut stuffed with strawberries, blueberries, coconut and hemp seeds! And after you're done with that deliciousness, there's still the coconut meat left to finish off. Perfffffect. Don't live in Seattle? Never fear! You can easily make this in the comfort of your own home....

Raw Banana Pancakes

I got a serious pancake craving today. So I turned to my trusty copy of Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials  and found her recipe for Brazil Nut Banana pancakes. I modified it for the ingredients I had, and was really happy with the results! I used some delicious coconut nectar for syrup :)

Chia/Banana Pancakes for 1:

1/4 C almond meal (or any other nut)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 mashed banana
1 tsp cinnamon or mesquite powder
1/2 C> water for mixing

Combine and dehydrate at 105 for 7-8 hours!

This is for real.

I think I have a problem. A coconut water problem. Actually it might be a coconut everything problem. Not to mention I annoying rave to anyone who will listen about the amazing benefits of coconut oil on your skin. There are so many brands, but I only drink the kind thats not flash pasteurized and have had to go through a bunch before I find the ones that taste the best. 

Likes:

• Amy and Brian's all natural coconut juice with pulp. Trust me, it's wonderful. Their lime kind comes in second. 
• Taste Nirvana's coconut water/pulp AND their coconut water with aloe vera juice. Both are very good. Here are the benefits of aloe vera juice (not like the cream you put on sunburns!)
• Cracking open a young thai coconut and going to town!

Dislikes:

• Zico coconut water! It's gross, made from concentrate and tastes nothing like coconut water. Don't be suckered in even though they have lots of fun flavors, their nasty!
• O.N.E., Harvest Bay, and Vita Coco are all heat processed.

Coconut water hydrates you better than any man-made energy/sport drink out today. Whether you excersized hard or are just hungover, coconut water will gets your body the electrolytes it needs to recover quickly. Read about just how amazing it is here!

A few fun facts about coconut water:

• Coconut water is more nutritious than whole milk-with no fat and cholesterol.
• Coconut water is more healthy than orange juice-much lower in calories.
• Coconut water is naturally sterile. Water permeates through the filtering husk.
• Coconut water is a universal donor. It is identical to human blood plasma.
• Coconut water is higher in potassium and magnesium and lower in sugars than any sports/energy drink.

Vegan Dragon Roll in Amazing Sauce

This is the brand new Dragon Roll from my favorite raw/vegan restaurant in town,
Thrive. Every time I go it's impossible to choose what to get, everything is so delicious!

I tried their brand new Dragon roll with red rice, avacado, cucumber, cilantro, wrapped in sesame ginger sauce and nori. It came with a truly amazing "garlic cilantro god sauce" for dipping. I will be saving the remainder for my salad tomorrow. I am seriously interested to know what's in that amazi-balls sauce, but can understand why it would be a secret...

a new sally obsession

If you're like me and you consume a family-of-four sized salad once or twice daily, you know what I mean when I say I often have to ;switch it up' to not get bored. Well, my new obsession is Rawmesan. A friend actually recommended Parma, a vegan parmesan which I will definitely try next time, but in the same section I found Rawmesan for a cheaper price and less ingredients. I usually roll with olive, macadamia, or coconut oil for salad dressing, but when I sprinkle this on, it really pumps up the flavor and satiety of my salad, almost like a cooked meal. It's also great sprinkled on veggies! This stuff is great for people who are okay with nutritional yeast, but think it's a little overpowering.

Ingredients:Organic walnuts, organic sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, celtic sea salt. 

Nutritional Facts: 1/2 tsp (3g) Calories 15, Fat 1.5g (Sat. 0g), Carb 1g, Protein 1g, Vitamin B12 (8%DV), Zinc (2%DV), Selenium (2%DV), Phosphorus (2%DV). % Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. 

Any one tried Rawmesan, Parma, or Vegan Grated Topping?

I don't know what I waited so long to try these things!

new year

Hola, raw kids :)

I took a few days off and now am back strong with some "Resolutions" for you. After eating all of that Raw Junk Food over the holiday I am ready to reduce some of the high fat and sugar foods in my diet and focus on vegetables and greens as much as possible. It seems everyone in the bloggy world is making resolutions. I admire Tina so much for sharing her sugar difficulties with everyone. As you probably know, many people experience emotional AND physical cravings for sugar that are tough to get over, and I am so happy to see her success!

Some diet/fitness goals for 2011:

1. Eat a salad every day.

You would think I already do this, but sometimes I either crave fat or carbs and choose some 'vegan junk food' instead or simply just want something HOT.

2. Reduce sugar intake.

Sugar shakes me up. Even the natural kind can mess with me and my blood sugar. I would be lying if I didn't say I'd love to eat an entire box of dates in one sitting, so I feel that by purposefully reducing my sugar intake I will also reduce my cravings for it.

3. Make more raw food 'meals,' not just desserts, as to not get bored. 

I got Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials for christmas and I plan to use it!

4. Reduce unnecessary fat intake.

Now, I know that fats are essential to life, so I promise to not over-do this. I always have a healthy dose of olive, macademia (I received some Hawai'ian oil from 'santa' this year), or coconut oil on my salad and love to munch on raw nuts and avacados. But just because things are raw it doesn't mean I should exceed the daily normal value. I don't need 10 handfuls of Brazil nuts or 25 raw cookies made of almond flour with cashew icing. This goal is to simply be more mindful, that's all.

5. Fruit for breakfast.

Instead of nothing.

6. No Starbucks food.

My sister and I both work at Starbucks, so this will be a toughie.

7. 30 minutes of exercise a day with one rest day!

My sis and I are both committing to this, you can too!

8. Do yoga once a week.

For some reason this is harder for me than it used to be. I just can't seem to make my mind relax, and that makes me anxious and stiff. I would really like to get back into this. Any tips?

9. Incorporate more fermented foods/probiotics into my diet.


I love Kombucha and Rejuvelac, but I definitely drink a lot more black coffee and tea than I do that. I think that would definitely make a difference in my health and general well being. Any more probiotic food suggestions?

10. Dance, laugh, sing, create, be...


What are your diet/fitness/life goals for 2011?


I raise my green smoothie to 2011, it'll be a good one!

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.

RAW: day 1 continued...

Lunch:
-a mix of 3 raw salads from the whole foods cold bar: raw corn salad, raw marinated veg. salad, raw kelp noodles salad

snack:
-4 Tablespoons hemp seeds
-1 C Higher Power Raw granola

Dinner:
-1 yellow bell pepper
-1 cup carrots
-1 banana
-1 Raw Revolution Chocolate Cashew bar

I know the granola and Raw Revolution bar are sortof considered "raw junk food," but it's a hell of a lot better than regular junk food! I feel good. I am still drinking tea, but that also helps me get my h20 in. I'm listening to a podcast from Stave Pavlina's blog, where a raw good expert is saying we should eat fat all alone at the end of the day. Eat fruit all alone... I guess foods ferment in your tummy when you eat them in the wrong order/wrong combination of food.

warrior of the sun!

For months I pondered, tossed and turned, wondering 'why are the fitnessista's protein pancakes so much better looking, and probably better tasting than mine? Why are my smoothies gritty, unattractive, and seem to be missing something? Isn't there a better way to get my protein than eating high-fat nuts and seeds all the time?

And then, from heaven, the answer appeared:

One scoop has just 70 calories, one gram of fat and 16 grams of protein! There isn't a psychotically long list of scary ingredients, the bulk of it is ancient sprouted brown rice. It's sweetened with stevia and totally raw and vegan! And the best part? It tastes delicious. In smoothies it makes everything taste like a milkshake. Today's smoothie was mango, banana baby red chard, a few chunks of papaya, and the sun warrior made it a dreamsicle! It improves the texture so much and tastes like a creamsicle :)

I am never leaving home without it!

Raw Sesame Crackers

I have a calcium deficiency and needed to find a way to incorporate much more calcium in my diet. I found sesame seeds to have quite impressive stats when it came to calcium, 30% of your daily recommended amount in 1 ounce compared to cow milks' measly 5%! So I thought I'd whip some up! 

These were a thicker cracker that turned out salty and delicious and tastier than my raw corn chips. I imagine there are a million variations of this recipe...you could add sundried tomatoes, greens, different spices or even omit the yeast and go for a sweeter, fruit sweetened cracker.
2 C sesame seeds, hulled
1/2 C Golden Flax, ground
2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 Tbl Yellow yeast
1 tsp Salt 
1 tsp pepper2 clove garlic, minced
Dash paprika
Enough water to make a thin paste



Grind up half of the dry sesame seeds in a coffee grinder then combine everything in a bowl. Then spread in a 1/4 inch layer on your teflex sheet in your dehydrator and dehydrate at 104 for 15 hours or so, flipping and scoring in between.

Morning Exercise + Raw

Just thought I'd throw this question I have out there...

What do you guys usually eat in the morning before you exercise, if anything? I've read such conflicting things. Some say that exercising on an empty stomach burns fat cells because you haven't got any food-fuel to run on-and some say that it puts your body into starvation mode and makes your metabolism lag.

I am so confused! I usually have a green smoothie for breakfast but I feel like that'd be a bit heavy before my morning cardio, like I'd get a side stitch or something.

Please, I'd love to hear what y'all know about it!

Raw Chocolate Covered Macaroons

Thursday is farmers market day! So I am a happy girl. But before I left, I popped these roonies in the dehydrator. For once a raw treat NOT made mostly of dates and nuts!

My AMAZING Chocolate Covered Nilly Macaroons:
(half batch)
1 C coconut
1/4 C almond or walnut flour
1/8 C coconut butter or oil
1/4 C maple syrup or agave
1 T mesquite powder
1 t vanilla
pinch sea salt

I mixed these all together by hand and then popped them in the dehydrator at 105 for about 2 hours until they were firmed up but still soft on the inside. I then chilled them in the freezer and dipped them a few times in Ani Phyo's liquid chocolate made with real cacao nibs.

I am in LOVE with raw mesquite powder. I was hesitant to buy it because it was $8 for a 16 oz. bag, but I am so glad I did. It has amazing health benefits and is great in oats and with desserts because of its blood sugar balancing properties. I love the taste, so caramelly and smooth, and recommend it blended with dates for caramel apple dip!

These were sooooo foodgasmic :)

Raw Carrot Cake with Kream Cheeze Frosting

This is one of my raw culinary triumphs. I based the recipe on the lovely Chocolate Covered Katie's raw cheesecake recipe, which was great to build on. The cake turned out delicious and the frosting tasted just like the philly cream cheese frosting I grew up on :D


Try this- it's not as difficult as it sounds! I usually don't attempt things with more than six ingredients, but I'm so glad I did...

Carrot Cake
1/2 cup raw almonds (unsoaked)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 heaping tablespoon raw mesquite powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch ground nutmeg

1 cup raw walnuts

1 cup raw pecans or almonds 

8 pitted medjool dates

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 to 1/2c shredded carrot

Directions:  Add ingredients, in order to a food processor or blender, blending things separately as needed. Press into a pie dish or spring form pan and frost with Kreme Cheeze frosting.

Kreme Cheeze Frosting

1 C raw cashews or brazil nuts

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 a banana

1 t lemon juice

20 drops agave nectar or maple syrup

water for blending, about 1/4 C if your blender is dodgy like mine

Directions: Blend 'er up, adding water as needed..\\


Warning: This cake is super rich, it gave me quite a tummy ache so I suggest resisting the urge to shove three pieces in your face.

Raw Dibs!

You know...these guys ^^ It's hot here...I want ice cream...but I wanted to make them without all the scary, fatty ingredients. There's nothing like MILK INGREDIENTS, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SWEETENED CONDENSED WHOLE MILK, SUGAR, WATER, CORN SYRUP, BROWN SUGAR, SODIUM CITRATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, POTASSIUM SORBATE, PALM OIL, UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE, GLUCOSE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, CELLULOSE GUM, CAROB BEAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, COLOUR.

on a hot day, right?

So I made my own version :)

All it is is chopped frozen banana and some of ani phyo's liquid chocolate. Accept, to make the shell thicker and harder I switched the amounts of coconut oil and ground cacao nibs. But if you like a more brittle shell, keep them as they are.

I will be trying this recipe tomorrow to take home to my highly UNRAW family, with blueberries though.

Cacao Cow Chip Cookies

Okay...So they look like dog biscuits. But they taste very good! I added quadruple the sugar I think, but it's the only way to calm the flavor of these INTENSE cacao nibs.

Again, enjoyed with some homemade almond milk, they're super tasty.

1 C oat groats
4 t ground flax
32 raw almonds
pinch sea salt
4 t lemon juice
3/4 C almond milk
2 t vanilla
1/4-1/2 C ground cacao nibs or cocoa powder, depending on how intense you want it
1/4 C date paste or agave (I ended up adding WAYY more)

1. Grind the oats into fine flour.

2. Add the oats to a food processor or blender, with the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3. Transfer dough to a bowl, rub hands with coconut oil and shape into cookies. Dehydrate 1 hour at 105, flip, and dehydrate until you like the texture, I did 6 hours.

THIS RECIPE IS BASED ON A SCONE RECIPE BY THE LOVELY FITNESSISTA It is all hers, as far as I'm concerned.

it's a chocolate kind of sunday

MEDICINAL RAW SUPERFOOD CHOCOLATE

1 C ground cacao nibs
1/2 C agave nectar
a scant 1/4 C coconut oil
1 T Mesquite powder
1/4 C soaked goji berries
a sprinklin' of sea salt

Blend everything together while calling in ancient wisdom, longevity forces, and ecstatic states of bliss :)

Next time I'll leave out the goji berries, they made it sortof 'spicy,' which i don't like much in my chocolate.



Enjoyed with a glass of almond milk(or chocolate, like mine)...that is devine!

sea salad

I love kelp noodles, and this recipe is adapted from Ani Phyo's recipe I did it a bit differently, and now it's my go-to salad dressing! And it's pretty low-fat for a typical raw salad dressing, there's no olive oil at all. Try it, it's delicious!

1 1/2 C kelp noodles (soaked for less crunch, if you prefer)

6 mini sweet peppers (one for the sauce)
a few green onions
1 T soy sauce, bragg's, or nama shoyu
1 T lemon juice
1 T almond butter
spices-i used red pepper flakes and black pepper

Chop up 5 of the red peppers, and some green onion, and toss with your noods. Blend everything else and add water until you reach desired consistency. Toss with the noodles.

Rawcos!

Raw fiesta!

These were inspired by the raw tacos I love from House of the Sun, though theirs were fancier. But these were just as delicious, and cheaper too!

Ingredients:

2 Mini Red Cabbage leaves(for the taco shells)

Taco Meat:
1 grated/peeled carrot
1/2 C Sunflower seeds
1/3 C sliced red bell pepper
1 t Cumin
1 t garlic
squirt olive oil
squirt nama shoyu or soy sauce
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes

Basic Pico:
Tomatoes
White onions
Jalepeño
Garlic
Lime Juice
Salt & Pepper

Or just buy some :)

Combine all of the nut meat ingredients in a blender/mixer type of gadget. I also threw in some pico just for a tomatoey tastes, next time I will add flax and lime juice. I made a layer of sliced carrot on the bottom of my cabbage leaf, divided the nut meat between the two leaves, and then topped both with a generous helping of pico de gallo! This would also be fantastic with avocado, but it's really effing expensive in seattle...enjoy!