November 15, 2009

two servings ~ $1.24 per serving

ingredients

16 oz strawberries ($1.69)
14 almonds ($.25)
2 dates ($1.00)
pinch of salt
4 oz water

Clean strawberries and cut into bowl. In a blender, add the almonds, dates, salt and water and puree until creamy. Depending on your blender, this may be very creamy or still a bit on the gritty side. I never strain my nut milks or nut creams. Personally, I like the grit. But it can be strained out as desired.

Pour nut cream over strawberries. Enjoy.

ingredients

10 oz mixed greens ($1.89)
1 pomegranate ($1.39)
4 oz strawberries, sliced ($.42)
2 oranges, sectioned ($1.00)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped ($.30)
1 small onion, sliced ($.25)
salt and pepper

dressing

2 tbsp olive oil ($.20)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.10)
2 tbsp agave ($.20)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar ($.10)

The combination of sweet and savory is hard to beat in my book. I love this salad. The taste tester I tried this out on today said, “It’s like eating food for the first time.” I think I understand what he meant, since this is so fresh and clean while also packed with lots of flavor.

This makes two servings. Divide the greens, putting half on each plate. Add the orange sections, sliced strawberries and onion. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

To make the dressing, just put all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. This should only take a minute or so. It will be creamy and not separated at all when fully emulsified. Add to salads.

calories: 411
fat: 24 gr
carbs: 79 gr
protein: 7 gr
Dinner
Tacos

four servings ~ $1.89 per serving

ingredients

red pepper and flax taco shells

1 1/2 cups ground flax seed ($.40)
1/2 cup whole flax seed ($.10)
1 red bell pepper ($.59)
1 small onion ($.20)
2 tbsp olive oil ($.20)
1/2 tsp salt

filling

1/2 oz walnuts ($.30)
1 cup mushrooms ($.60)
1/2 tsp cumin ($.10)
1/2 tsp salt
dash chili powder
(adjust seasonings to taste)

2 avocados ($2.98)
juice of 1 lime ($.50)

1 large tomato, chopped ($1.00)
1/2 red onion, minced ($.30)
2 jalepenos, finely minced ($.20)
1 cup greens ($.30)

I’ve seen lots of different recipes for raw tacos, but I’d never tried any of them because I assumed it would be too complicated or time consuming. I found that’s not the case at all. Except for making the shells ahead of time, because they need to be dehydrated, this was really as easy as just throwing some things together.

The shells have to be made the day before. In a food processor, puree one red bell pepper and the small onion. Add the olive oil and blend. The pepper and onion adds another layer of flavor and smells unbelievably wonderful while dehydrating. Add the puree and the ground and whole flax seeds to a small bowl and stir well. Add about a half cup of water to moisten the mix. The outside of the flax seeds will become slightly gelatinous, which makes an easy to work with mix and a sturdy shell when dried.

This will make eight 6″ taco shells. Divide mix into eighths, and spread it in circle shapes on a teflex or plastic dehydrator sheet (actually, I just use a layer of Saran Wrap). Work the mix around with the back of a spoon until it’s about 1/8″ thick and round. Dehydrate for 4 – 5 hours, or overnight.

Once the one side is dry, peel the shell off the sheet. Now fold, dry sides together, but not sharply. The fold should be curved. I used a twist of paper towel to hold the taco shell shape. dehydrate for another 2-3 hours until crispy.

The taco “meat” filling is made with the walnuts, mushrooms and the spices, finely chopped in the food processor using the S blade.

I didn’t make guacamole, I just smashed up two avocados with the juice of one lime. Then, it was just a matter of layering the ingredients in the shells, with the “meat” first, the mashed avocado, then the minced jalepeno, some greens, tomatoes and onions.

calories: 518
fat: 41 gr
carbs: 32 gr
protein: 12 gr

Dessert
Banana Cream Pie w/ Kiwi
two servings ~ $1.25 per serving

crust

1/2 cup walnuts ($.60)
4 dates ($2.00)

filling

1 banana, finely pureed or mashed ($.10)
1 banana, sliced ($.10)
1 kiwi, sliced ($.50)

In a food processor with an S blade, process the nuts, dates and salt until it starts to stick together. Press the crust into a plate.

Spoon half the pureed banana over the crust. Place the sliced banana and kiwi on top, and then finish spooning the pureed banana over the top.

calories: 310
fat: 5 gr
carbs: 70 gr
protein: 5 gr