November 18, 2012

Breakfast
Chocolate Spaghetti
1 serving ~ .$40 per serving
1 banana ($.15)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)
1 tablespoon agave ($.10)
1 teaspoon cacao or cocoa powder ($.05)

My three year old granddaughter,
Alexandria, requested “chocolate spaghetti” for breakfast. Being the
grandma, I had to say yes. It’s probably quite a bit too sweet for
regular consumption, but worked perfectly for us as a fun and fanciful
treat.

For each serving, grate or slice one banana. If slicing, make long thin
strips that look like noodles. I used the food processor with the
grating plate. Less ripe works better in this case. A very ripe banana
would be too mushy.

In a small cup, whisk together the oil, agave, and cacao or cocoa
powder. Arrange the (sticky!) banana noodles on a plate and top with the
chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with a few crushed walnuts.

calories: 304
fat: 14 gr
carbs: 48 gr
protein: 1 gr

Lunch

Pear Salad

serves 2 ~ $2.06 per serving

2 pears ($1.40)

1 head romaine ($1.89)

3 ribs celery ($.30)

1/2 red onion ($.25)

1/4 medium onion ($.08)

1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)

1 tablespoon agave ($.10)

salt and pepper

This is light and sweet. Summer pears are in season now and this is a perfect way to enjoy them.

In
a blender, puree one pear, a quarter of a white onion, the olive oil
and agave. Because this is a small amount, it can be easier to use a
bullet type blender, if possible. I use a pint canning jar, which fits
my blender blade assembly perfectly. Allow to process long enough to
become nice and creamy.

Chop the romaine and toss with chopped celery and red onion. Top with the pear dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.

calories: 269

fat: 7 gr
carbs: 51 gr
protein: 6 gr

Dinner
Creamy Marinated Mushroom Soup with Crackers
serves 3 ~ $2.28 per serving

12 ounces mushrooms ($2.69)
1 medium onion ($.25)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)
1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ($.20)

1 ripe avocado ($1.49)
1 tomato ($1.00)
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons olive oil ($.60)
1 1/2 cup water to process
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)

I started by marinating and then dehydrating the mushrooms and chopped
onions. Mix together the olive oil, agave, and balsamic vinegar. Toss
with the sliced mushrooms and chopped onions and spread out on a lined
dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for about 2-3 hours.

Reserve a few mushrooms and onions for topping. In a blender, puree the
remaining mushrooms and onions, avocado, tomato, garlic, and olive oil,
adding about 1 1/2 cup water. Add as much water as necessary to make
the right consistency. I made mine pretty thick and creamy.

Top with the reserved mushrooms and onions, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.

calories: 374
fat: 35 gr
carbs: 23 gr
protein: 5 gr

For a few cents more …

Bitt, from over at “A Bitt of Raw,” once reminded me that crackers are a great way to add in some tasty satisfaction for just a few cents more … so

I also made some flax and buckwheat crackers to go with the soup. These
were really light and crispy, quite a lot like conventional crackers. I
think it was the buckwheat that made them so light. It also makes them
more difficult to turn on the dehydrator sheet, but they are quite
good.

Flax Buckwheat Crackers
serves 6 ~ $.48 per serving

1/2 cup flax meal ($.25)
1/2 cup buckwheat ($.25)
1/2 cup whole flax seeds ($.20)
2 carrots ($.20)
1 red bell pepper ($.69)
2 medium onions, finely chopped ($.50)
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup oil ($.80)
1 cup water

Soak the buckwheat for at least 4 hours. Rinse several times. Do not dehydrate.

In the blender, puree the red bell pepper, carrots, and onion with 1 cup
water. Add the buckwheat and blend until the buckwheat is chopped up
but not totally pureed. Pour in a bowl and fold in the flax meal and
whole flax seeds. Stir in the oil and spices.

Spread this out thinly on lined dehydrator sheets, about 1/8 of an inch
thick. Oiling the sheet can make it a bit easier to turn these over.
Also, using the back of an oiled spoon will help spread the cracker
batter.

Dehydrate for about an hour, or until the top is just getting dry. Flip
over and peel the sheet off. I found I had to turn these fairly early
or they would get too dry and stick around the edges. But that may just
be the kind of dehydrator I’m using.

Score the crackers into the desired shapes. I made triangular wedges.

Continue dehydrating until crisp, about 8-10 hours. Break apart.

calories: 282
fat: 26 gr
carbs: 28 gr
protein: 9 gr

Dessert

Triple Chocolate

serves 4 ~ $.96 per serving

brownie bits

1/3 cup walnuts ($.50)

1/3 cup raisins ($.50)

2 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder ($.20)

pinch salt

chocolate chunks

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave ($.10)

1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder ($.10)

ice cream

6 bananas, sliced and frozen ($1.20)

1 cup almond milk ($.40)

1 teaspoon vanilla ($.20)

3 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder ($.30)

pinch salt

This isn’t quite as complicated as it seems, and boy does it hit the chocolate spot.

Make
the ice cream first. In a blender, puree all the ice cream ingredients
until smooth and creamy. This will be like soft serve ice cream and is
wonderful as is, but for this recipe pour into a container and freeze,
stirring every 20 minutes or so until stiff. This can also be
processed in an ice cream maker.

Make
the brownie bits in the food processor, using the “S” blade. Process
all the brownie bit ingredients until the mix starts sticking and
clumping and can be pressed into a ball. Spread out on wax paper, about
1/4 inch thick, and refrigerate for at least a half hour to harden.

For
the chocolate chunks, stir together all the chocolate chunk
ingredients until smooth and creamy and well incorporated. Spread out
on wax paper and refrigerate until hard.

To assemble, just break the brownie into bits and the chocolate into chunks and stir into the chocolate ice cream.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the freezer and allow to soften slightly before serving.