Raw Food Menu: June 16, 2013

Breakfast 
Jennifer Cornbleet’s Apple Crisp
8 servings ~ $1.35 per serving
a recipe by Jennifer Cornbleet

ingredients
  • 4 apples, peeled and thinly sliced ($3.00)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ($.50)
  • 1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained ($1.00)
  • 1/2 cup raisins, soaked, soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained ($.50)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups crumble topping (see recipe below)

This is a recipe from Jennifer Cornbleet’s Revised Edition of Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People.
I love this book. It’s among the best out there for doable raw food.
The recipes are simple but delicious, and Jenny has super easy and clear
instructions. Look out below for a chance to win your own copy!

Thinly slice 2 of the apples and chop the remaining 2 apples. Put the
sliced apples and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Toss gently and set aside. Put the chopped apples, dates, raisins,
cinnamon, and remaining tablespoon of lemon juice in a food processor
fitted with the S blade and process until smooth. Add to the sliced
apples, stirring until well combined.


To assemble the crisp, press 1/2 cup of the topping (see below) into an
even layer in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Spread the apple
filling on top using a rubber spatula. With your hands, knead pieces of
the remaining 1 1/2 cups of topping until they stick together. Lay these
pieces of topping on the filling to form a cobbled appearance, allowing
some of the filling to peek through. Serve chilled, at room
temperature, or warm (see warming option). Cover with plastic wrap and
stored in the refrigerator, Apple Crisp will keep for 3 days.
crumble topping
  • 2 cups raw walnuts or pecans ($4.00)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut ($1.00)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins, unsoaked ($1.00)
  • 8 medjool dates, unsoaked ($.80)
  • 1/2 cup whole cane sugar or maple sugar (optional, for a sweeter topping)

Place the walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a food
processor fitted with an S blade and process until coarsely ground. Add
the raisins and dates and process until the mixture resembles coarse
crumbs and begins to stick together. Don’t over process. Add the
optional whole cane sugar and process briefly. Store in a sealed
container. Crumb Topping will keep for one month in the refrigerator or
three months in the freezer.

Warming option: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Turn off the
oven, insert the crisp, and warm for 15 minutes. Alternatively, heat for
30 minutes in a food dehydrator set at 105 degrees F.

nutritional information:      calories: 300      fat: 12 gr      carbs: 51 gr      protein: 3 gr

Lunch
Carrot Apple Soup
serves 2 ~ $2.01 per serving
6 carrots, chopped ($1.00)
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 avocado ($1.49)
1 large apple ($.89)
1 red bell pepper, chopped ($.79)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch cinnamon
pinch cumin
water for blending
In
a blender, combine all ingredients and pureed until very smooth and
creamy. Use as much as necessary for the desired consistency. This soup
would be awesome in a Vita Mix or a similar blender, but any blender
will work … although it may take a few minutes. If it’s not smooth
enough, press through a wire mesh strainer.
Serve with a few bits of chopped apples and onions and a drizzle of olive oil.
nutritional information:      calories: 363      fat: 25 gr      carbs: 37 gr       protein: 4 gr 

Dinner

Portobello Marinara with Pasta
serves 2 ~ $3.75 per serving

This is a warm and hearty dish, sure to satisfy during the colder months.
mushrooms

  • 2 portobello mushrooms ($3.00)
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced ($.40)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ($.10)
  • 1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed ($.10)
  • 1/2 teaspoon favorite herb blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
zucchini pasta

  • 2 medium zucchini ($1.00)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice ($.10)
  • 1 tablespoon agave ($.10)


marinara sauce

  • 1 large tomato ($1.00)
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes ($1.00)
  • 1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • salt and pepper

directions

  • Brush
    off the mushrooms with a soft towel. Remove the gills underneath, if
    desired, by rubbing them gently with a finger (they should come off
    fairly easily). Slice the mushrooms into 1/2 inch slices.
  • Whisk
    together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, agave, garlic, herb blend (I
    used Mrs. Dash Chipotle), and salt. Toss with the sliced mushrooms and
    onion to coat well. Spread out on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for
    about an hour.
  • While
    the mushrooms are warming, slice the zucchini into pasta noodle sized
    strips. I keep intending to get a spiralizer, but so far a vegetable
    peeler works well to make noodles. Whisk together the remaining
    ingredients and toss to coat. Let stand for about 45 minutes.
  • In a food processor, fitted with an “S” blade, process all marinara ingredients until very smooth.
  • Spoon out a bit of the marinara sauce and lay the mushrooms. Serve with a side of onions, and zucchini pasta.     
nutritional information:      calories: 338       fat: 21 gr      carbs: 33 gr      protein: 7 gr

Dessert

Molten Cupcakes
 serves 3 ~ $1.08 per serving

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup almonds ($1.25)
  • 4 dates ($.80)
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder ($.20)
  • 3 tablespoons agave ($.30)
  • 3 tablespoons cacao powder ($.60)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil ($.10)

directions
In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the almonds
until they are coarsely chopped. Add the dates and one tablespoon of the
cacao powder. This will come together into a crumbly but sticky pie
crust like texture.

Stir together the agave, remaining cacao powder, and coconut oil.

Use
half the crumbly mix and press into the bottom and up the sides of a
cupcake tin or similar container (I used a small teacup), leaving a well
at the center.

Spoon the agave, cacao, coconut oil mixture into
the center well and cover gently with a layer of the remaining crumbly
mix and press to seal at the edges.

Too serve, heat for a half
hour in a dehydrator, and the gooey chocolate center will be warm enough
to be “molten.” Top with a tablespoon of any sweetened almond cream and
strawberries, if desired.

nutritional information: calories: 238 fat: 21 gr carbs: 11 gr protein: 8 gr

Total cost for the day: $8.19
total calories: 1,269
total fat: 79 gr
total carb: 132 gr
total protein: 22 gr

7 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

    In the portabella recipe, why is 1 tablespoon of agave in 0.20 cents in the first part and the same quantity at 0,10 in the 2 other parts?

    My second question… as you tasted this recipe… if I omit the agave totally… would it be good anyway?

    Thank you 🙂

    • Hi there, it was a typo. Yes, I think the portobello recipe would be nearly as good without the agave. If you want a little bit of sweetness but don't want to use agave, an equivalent amount of date paste would be nice, I think.

  2. Hi Lisa, Thanks for mentioning Mrs. Dash! Since you're showing people how to eat healthy and save money, we'd like to help you save a little more. Go to http://www.mrsdash.com/coupons for Mrs. Dash coupons before you buy.

  3. Do you have any low fat menues? I was very excited to find your page, but when I calculated the percentage of fat in this day's menue, it was 57%. I'll have to make major adjustments b/c that is way too much fat for me to consume on a daily basis – even if it is good fat. Thanks for sharing…looking forward to trying some out "as-is" on occassion, while tweaking the majority to have less fat.

    • Hi Vicki, I don't have any menus that are specifically low fat, though I'm headed in that direction in my own daily diet. If you'd like less fat, just reduce or eliminate the high fat ingredients … it's all good food, so it still tastes great even with tweaks.