November 21, 2010

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

Breakfast
Soft Serve with Apples
serves 2 ~ $1.08 per serving

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 apples, peeled and chopped ($1.20)
4 bananas, sliced and frozen ($.60)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla ($.05)
2 tablespoons walnuts ($.10)

My love affair with banana soft serve has been rekindled.

In a small bowl, whish together the lemon juice, agave, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the peeled the chopped apples and toss to coat. Pour onto a line dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for about an hour. This is an optional step. The dehydrating softens the apples a bit, but they still taste fine without it.

To make the soft serve, put the frozen banana slices in a food processor fitted with an “S” blade and process until thick and creamy.

Top with the apples and walnuts.

 

Lunch
Tat Soi and Arugula with Mustard Dressing

10 leaves tat soi ($1.59)

6 leaves arugula ($.55)

2 green onions ($.10)

1 carrot ($.10)

1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar ($.10)
1 tablespoon agave ($.10)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon dijon mustard ($.15)

The tat soi and arugula are growing like gangbusters in cold frames right now. I love arugula, but I’d never heard of tat soi until I planted it this year. It’s in the brassica family, like broccoli, and has fairly large, spoon shaped leaves. It’s a bit spicy, too … kind of like broccoli sprouts. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, an full of antioxidants. Also, all of the brassicas may prevent breast cancer by increasing the liver’s ability to metabolize estrogen.

This is a pretty simple salad. Toss together the greens and onion, and carrot. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over salad.

“In a food processor, fitted with an “S” blade, combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil, adding a little of the sun-dried tomato “soak” water, if necessary. While the mixture is pureeing, add the olive oil. Enjoy!”

Kristen’s versatile sauce is so easy to enjoy. I served it with marinated mushrooms and onions over zucchini pasta.

marinated mushrooms
$1.45 per serving




12 ounces small button mushrooms ($2.99)
1 onion ($.25)
2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
2 tablespoons agave ($.40)
1 clove garlic, pressed ($.10)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Clean the mushrooms, but leave them whole. Finely chop the onion. Mix together the oil, agave, garlic, basil, salt and pepper and pour over the mushrooms and onions. I do this in a zip lock type box, but a glass bowl would work was well. Allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight. Then, to warm, place in the dehydrator for an hour or so. Serve the pesto and mushrooms over zucchini noodles, using one small zucchini ($.59) per serving.

Also, I’ve used agave as the sweetener here. I’m currently in search of the perfect raw sweetener because I have ethical concerns about honey. But I react to agave a bit like I do to corn syrup. And that is not a good thing. Stevia has given me stomach aches in the past and is linked to possible liver damage in some people. Maple syrup isn’t raw and has such a strong flavor. I’m thinking of just using evaporated cane juice, although it’s not raw. Any thoughts? What’s your favorite raw and/or non-raw sweetener?

nut parmesan
$.10 per teaspoon

To make these even more tasty, and for about $.10 a teaspoon, top with a teaspoon or two of this nut Parmesan.

1 cup nuts (I used walnuts and brazil nuts)
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil

Grind to a fine powder in the food processor. Avoid over processing as it will cause the nuts to become oily. This will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge.

calories: 488
fat: 41 gr
carbs: 29 gr
protein: 9 gr

Kristen has some further tips on raw budgeting:

“… might substitute the pine nuts for hemp or cashews or walnuts. Your reader can make their own sun-dried tomatoes to save money, too, if they have a dehydrator. This can be served on spiralized zucchini pasta.”

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Dessert
Nut Butter Cups
makes about 8 cups ~ $.96 per cup

1/2 cup almond butter ($.50)
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast ($.05)
2 tablespoons agave ($.40)
pinch salt

1/2 cup cacao butter or coconut oil ($3.00)
3/4 cup cacao powder ($2.50)
6 tablespoons agave ($1.20)
pinch salt

This is a very basic version of the nut butter cup. Mix together the almond butter, nutritional yeast, agave, and salt. Form into round disks that will fit inside your chosen mold (I used a cupcake pan with paper liners) and place on waxed or parchment paper. Stick in the freezer for about a half hour, until the mix is chilled well and firm. You can even let it freeze.

In a double boiler, melt the cacao butter or coconut oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Into your mold, pour a thin layer of chocolate and then put in the freezer to chill to harden. Put the nut butter disk on top in the center and pour on another layer of chocolate. Freeze this for about a half hour and unmold.

calories: 290
fat: 24 gr
carbs: 21 gr
protein: 4 gr