December 20, 2009

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This week, there is no day total for cost and no nutritional information at all. These aren’t foods most people would eat daily and none of these foods would really be considered a meal … but they make very good holiday and “special” dishes. So, this week we’re just keeping track of cost per serving. Raw on $10 will be absent next week, but I’ll be back on January 3rd with lots of new recipes, a guest recipe or two, as well as some tips on being frugally raw.

I want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.

Nut Nog
2 servings ~ $.63 per serving

ingredients

1 cup almond milk ($.40)
1 banana ($.15)
1 date ($.50)
1 tsp vanilla extract ($.20)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt

This is smooth, thick, creamy … just like the real thing.

Puree all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.

Cheeze … Three Ways

This batch of nut cheeze can be used as a mac and cheese sauce, for cheeze-it crackers, or it can be formed into a cheeze ball.

Basic Cheeze Recipe
1 batch ~ $3.39 per batch

ingredients

1 cup nuts (I used half Brazil Nuts and half Walnuts) ($2.00)
1 red bell pepper ($.69)
1/2 jalapeno, finely minced ($.10)
juice of one lemon ($.50)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1 cup water for blending

Blend all ingredients except jalapeno in blender until pureed and creamy. Fold in the minced jalapeno and proceed with whichever recipe you desire.

Cheeze-Its
4 servings ~ $.85 per serving

These are truly, jaw dropping amazing … they are so close to the real thing.

Spread the cheeze mix thinly on plastic or teflex lined sheets in dehydrator. When top is dry enough, which takes a few hours, flip and peel from the sheets. Score into square shapes, if desired (mine turned out a bit rustic, but that didn’t affect the flavor). Continue to dehydrate for several hours or overnight, until crisp and break into pieces.

Spicy Mac and Cheeze
4 servings ~ $1.35 per serving

I used a batch of the Basic Cheeze and make this spicy mac and cheese. This isn’t going to fool any taste buds, unlike the Cheeze-Its. But, it’s still delicious. I was craving something a little spicy and this hit the spot.

For each serving, grate one medium zucchini ($.50). I used the grating plate on my food processor (is that what that thing’s called?). Put zucchini noodles in middle of plate and top with chopped bell pepper, onions and jalapenos, then the cheeze.

Cheeze Ball
4 servings ~ $.85 per serving

This time, take the Basic Cheeze recipe and scoop out onto several layers of cheese cloth. Wrap with the cheese cloth, and place inside a colander. Place the colander over a plate or bowl, put another plate on top of the wrapped cheeze, and put a weight on top (I used a can of coffee). Let this squeeze and drain overnight.

Form into one large or four smaller balls and roll in finely chopped almonds and walnuts. This would go very well with grapes or apples, or on flax crackers or onion bread.

Raw Dawg Rory’s Onion Dip
4 servings ~ $.26 per serving

ingredients

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked ($.80)
4 tbsp onion powder ($.20)
1 tbsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp salt
about 1 cup ice water (for blending)

Put all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth and creamy. I enjoyed this today topped with onions and served on cucumber slices.

This recipe from Raw Dawg Rory is the first contribution to Raw on $10. Rory and his family have been into raw foods for a few years and I’ve really enjoyed all his videos and recipes. Right now, Rory has his mother in his home as a raw food guest, and they’re having some extremely inspiring results.

Rory also had some awesome advice on sticking to a raw budget … he says:

Shop around whether online or at all your local health food and grocery stores….you’d be shocked at some of the price differences you’ll come across and making friends with all the produce managers at your local grocery stores, I’ve received a lot of produce at a discounted price by talking with my produce managers and letting them know I was interested in picking up produce in bulk and also that I’d be interested in taking any over-ripe bananas off their hands ..sometimes I’ve received them for free or received a 50lb box of bananas for $6!! Those are two of my fave raw budget tips!

Sugar Cookies
10 cookies ~ $.70 per serving

ingredients

1 cup nuts (I used walnuts) ($2.00)
1 cup dates ($4.00)
1 cup raisins ($1.00)
pinch salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor with a S blade until dough starts to stick together and form clumps.

Make into round cookies, about 1/4 inch thick, or use a cookie cutter. Dehydrate for a few hours, to add a touch of firmness on the outside.

This is a very basic cookie dough recipe. As is, it’s a lot like a sugar cookie. If ginger and cinnamon are added, it’s gingerbread … add chocolate, you’ve got chocolate cookies. Well, you get the idea. The possibilities are many.