Sunday, July 22, 2012

Raw Sour Cream

1 cup of cashews (soaked and rinsed)
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
Raw sour cream recipe contributed by the lovely Ashlyn!

Raw Pizza

Base
  • 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
  • 2 medium fresh tomatoes
  • ½ a medium sized onion
  • 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
  • About 10 leaves of fresh basil
  • Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
  • 1 clove garlic
  • cup of olive oil
  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until a thick dough consistency is achieved. If the mixture feels quite dry, add more fresh tomato.
  2. Pour into a large mixing bowl in order to finish mixing by hand and feel the texture of the mixture. Make sure all ingredients have been blended together well. If not, return to processor and repeat the process until satisfied.
  3. Spread the mixture bit by bit onto a paraflexx sheet and gradually shape into a circle or square shape according to your preference. Use the palm of your hand to press the mixture out to the desired shape and size and thickness. A good thickness is approximately 3-4mm high.
  4. Dehydrate at 95 - 110°F for approx. 4 hours (until top is nearly dry), then flip over and dehydrate again until other side is dried to desired degree. (Some prefer the base to be hard and crispy, but I prefer it to be semi-dry so that it is easy to cut and eat - a bit more bread-like).
'Cheese'
  • 2 cups of raw macadamia nuts
  • 2 cups of cashew nuts
  • Juice of 1-2 lemons (depending on sweetness and amount of juice)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly using either food processor or hand blender.
Tomato Sauce
  • 4-6 tomatoes
  • 10 sundried tomato halves
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Half a red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
  • Handful of fresh basil leaves
  1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly using food processor, hand blender or vita-mix.
Toppings
Choose from:
  • Fresh tomato slices
  • Fresh bell pepper slices (red, orange, yellow)
  • Fresh onion rings
  • Black olive halves
  • Basil leaves, finely chopped
  • Italian seasoning (dried herbs)
  • Chopped pineapple
  • Broccoli florets, halved and marinated
  • Mushrooms - either fresh, marinated in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, or dehydrated after being marinated
  • Anything else that appeals!
How to make the pizza:
1.     Spread the 'cheese' evenly over the top of the pizza base. Any left over 'cheese' can be spread on crackers, or crumbled into a salad. Alternatively you can mould it and shape it anyway you wish. One suggestion is to cut it into small cubes and spear top create the traditional cheese and pineapple party food.
2.      Spoon the tomato sauce on top of the cheese topping and spread evenly until there is a good covering.
3.      Top your pizza with your chosen ingredients. I usually begin with the tomato, then the onion rings, then bell pepper, then olives, then mushrooms, then fresh basil and finally sprinkle the whole pizza with the Italian seasoning. Occasionally I add pineapple or broccoli florets.
4.      Serve either fresh as is, or put the whole pizza back in the dehydrator for a while until warmed through. Either way it is delicious!
5.      Serve with a large green salad and extra tomatoes and onion rings.

Italian Flax Crackers -- Karen Knowler, the raw food coach

Italian Flax Crackers -- Karen Knowler, the raw food coach

Crunchy, and maybe even flaky


You’ll need:
  • 2 cups flax seeds
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh tomatoes
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove of fresh garlic +/or ½ large onion, chopped
What to do:
  1. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. Add water if a little too dry.
  2. Press mixture flat onto a Paraflexx sheet into a large square or rectangle, making sure that the mixture stands only a few millimetres tall. (The thicker the cracker the harder to eat and the longer to dry).
  3. Score the size of crackers you’d like with a knife or spatula before dehydrating. (I usually score the large square 3x3 or 4x4 depending on what I want to use them for).
  4. Dehydrate around 115°F - 125°F overnight and flip over once one side is dry. Dry to completion.
  5. Store in an airtight container, somewhere close to hand for when the cravings strike!


Raw Brownies

This recipe sounds a lot like the LARA bars I made yesterday with Dates (make sure to pit), Peanut butter, almonds, oats, flax, water and a dash of coconut oil. The bars taste like cookie dough to me. And it is amazing how sweet the dates/ figs -- make it taste. I bet if I added cocoa like in this recipe, it really would make a great chewy brownie. I prefer think of it as an energy bar -- as to not be grossing disappointed as any normal person would be when eating something called "A brownie."

Raw Brownies -- A Lara Bar Cousin

ingredients:
- 1  1/2 cups raw walnuts, unsoaked
- 10 pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/4 cup dried cherries

directions:
-  1  1/4 cups walnuts into food processor and grind until fine
- add dates and grind until mixture sticks together
- add cocoa powder and vanilla and mix in food processor

Greens, Ginger and Apple (with Lemon) Smoothie

So simple! And so yummy, right? I want to try this. 

Recipe – Apple Ginger Baby Greens Smoothie

ginger
ginger
tools:
- blender
- knife
- lemon squeezer/juicer
- cutting board
- peeler
ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- mixed baby greens, blender full
- 2 apples, peeled
- 2 bananas, small/medium
- ginger, small nub peeled
- 1 lemon, juiced separately and added after blending
creator:
Jen Grauer


cold water
cold water












baby greens
baby greens












blended greens
blended greens













Green Blended Bliss!
Green Blended Bliss!

Testing Raw Flax Crackers

The first recipe I tried was just soaked flax, water and salt. It is still in the dehydrator. I am just getting a feel for the process before I accidently waste other yummy foods in the testing process. I also have a batch in the right now that is the original recipe plus green onions and spices. Then I put about 1/3 of the mixture and ground it up in the blender briefly. I think that is closer to this. Just trying to figure out what will stick together and what will not. : ) But this next recipe looks great!!




Raw Flax Crackers & Simple Guacamole

Recipe type: Appetizer, Snack
Author: Jackie of Vegan Yack Attack
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 hours
Total time: 10 hours 20 mins
Serves: 4
This is a great recipe for utilizing your leftover juice pulp to make a great, raw snack. Paired with a simple, yet delicious guacamole dip it is sure to please.
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Vegetable Pulp Leftover from Juicing, mine was made up of Carrots and Chard
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1/2 Cup Raw Pepitas
  • 1/2 Cup Ground Flaxseed
  • 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds
  • 3 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
  • 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
  • 1/3 tsp. Black Pepper
  • 3 Avocados, Pitted
  • 1 Cup Tomato, Diced
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1/3 tsp. Garlic Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
Directions
  1. In a food processor pulse together the vegetable pulp, water, raw pepitas, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, sea salt and pepper. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the processor so that it is fully incorporated.
  2. The cracker mixture will be thick, almost like cookie dough. Spread the mixture 1/4″ thick onto two Paraflexx sheets and place them in a dehydrator at 115°F for 5 hours.
  3. When the edges start to peel off of the sheet a bit, flip the cracker slab over (unless it is still too moist in the center). Dehydrate for another 5-6 hours or until the crackers are crunchy and hard.
  4. Break the cracker slabs into smaller, chip-sized pieces.
  5. In a small mixing bowl mash together the avocado, tomato, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper; serve with the flaxseed crackers.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Best Burgers

Lela’s Famous Burgers:

  • 1LB-1.25LBs Ground Beef
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard.
  • Worcestershire Sauce (several splashes)
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 3 Tablespoons Ketchup
  • Enough Red Onion to equally distribute in the ground beef. (I’ve had the best results putting the onion in a food processor)

Cooking the Hamburgers:

Medium heat works best for cooking hamburgers as it allows for nice grill marks and color, but provides enough time to cook the inside without drying it out. Prepare your grill (or your pan) by allowing it to reach medium heat. Place your hamburger patties on the grill (or in the pan) and resist the urge to press them with a spatula or move them around too much; either of these practices will dry out the burgers and can also cause Lela’s Famous Hamburgers to crumble.
Flip your patties after 3 minutes of steady cooking and allow them to cook for 3 more minutes. You may need to flip once or twice more depending on the heat of your grill (or stove). USDA says that the inside of your hamburgers should be 160 degrees before eating. Some of you might like your hamburgers medium, or medium rare. Under cook hamburger patties at your own risk.
Now top those bad boys with some of the freshest tomatoes and lettuce you can get your hands on! You can now enjoy the tastiest hamburgers I’ve ever eaten!