May 16, 2010

6 leaves lettuce ($.60)
1 tomato ($2.50)
large handful alfalfa sprouts ($.75)
large handful mung bean sprouts ($.75)
1 medium onion

avocado “sauce”

1 ripe avocado ($.88)
1 tablespoon agave ($.10)
1 tablespoon brown mustard ($.10)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

I don’t usually buy sprouts from the local store, but these looked pretty good. The tomatoes … were ridiculously expensive, but it will be at least a month before we’re getting them out of the garden, so I gave in.

Assemble the wraps by layering the tomato, alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and onion in the lettuce leaves. We used 3 leaves per person.

In a bullet type blender or a food processor with an “S” blade, puree all the avocado sauce ingredients until very smooth. Spread over wraps.

2 medium zucchini ($1.20)
1 carrot ($.15)
1 bunch green onions, sliced ($.59)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced ($.50)
large handful mung bean sprouts ($.75)

sauce

4 tablespoons almond butter ($.80)
1/2 in piece ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon braggs aminos or soy sauce ($.10)
1 clove garlic ($.05)
1 tablespoon agave ($.10)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped cashews ($.20)

This dish made me fall in love with raw food all over again and is something I can see going over well with non raw friends and family.

Noodle the zucchini and carrot using a vegetable peeler or spiral slicer. Toss with the bell pepper, green onion, and bean sprouts.

In a bullet type blender, puree all the sauce ingredients until very creamy. Because of the high fat content of the nut butter, this can get quite hot while blending. Stop and let it cool for a minute if it becomes too hot for your personal definition of raw. Pour over noodles, toss lightly, serve.

bottom layer

1 avocado ($.88)
2 bananas ($.45)
2 tablespoons agave ($.20)
4 tablespoons cacao powder or cocoa powder ($.80)
1 teaspoon vanilla ($.20)
pinch salt

top layer

3 bananas
4 tablespoons almond butter ($.80)
pinch salt

frosting

1 avocado ($.88)
1 banana ($.15)
3 tablespoons cacao powder or cocoa powder ($.60)
3 tablespoons agave ($.30)
1 teaspoon vanilla ($.20)
pinch salt

chopped cashews

The always lovely Heather Pace, of Sweetly Raw, had a really cool ice cream cake contest. And I can’t follow directions. That would be the short version.

See, I saw Heather’s cake contest announcement, thought it was a great idea, and started throwing together ice cream ingredients. Eventually, I noticed all the entered cakes were kind of following something of a theme, so thought I’d better listen more carefully to the directions … but by then it was too late. I ended up with a couple really delicious ice cream cakes, though, so it wasn’t a loss.

Take a look at some of the proper entries here … Heather also has an amazing ice cream cake ebook, featuring her own recipes.

For this ice cream cake, which is very simple, I made a small batch of avocado banana chocolate ice cream to start. In a food processor with an “S” blade, puree one avocado, two bananas, four tablespoons cacao powder, two tablespoons agave, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. This turns into a creamy, pudding like consistency. It can be processed in an ice cream maker, or just spooned into a cake pan. I ended up using a plastic nut tub that was about 6″ in diameter. See why I can’t follow directions?

Pop the chocolate layer into the freezer to start firming The second layer is made of three bananas and four tablespoons almond butter, pureed in the food processor with the “S” blade. I let the first layer get fairly firm before spooning on the second layer.

Once frozen, remove from pan (or tub) and frost with the chocolate avocado frosting, which is made with one avocado, a banana, three tablespoons cacao, 3 tablespoons agave, and a pinch of salt, pureed until smooth. Top with chopped cashews, if desired.