Raw Food Recipe Menu: December 15, 2013 … Christmases Past

These are recipes from Christmases past.

Nut Nog
2 servings ~ $1.03 per serving

2 cups almond milk ($.80)
1 banana ($.15)
1 date ($.50)
1 tsp vanilla extract ($.20)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt

This is smooth, thick, creamy … just like the real thing.

Puree all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.

Stuffed Mushrooms
2 servings ~ $2.27 per serving

12 oz button mushrooms ($2.49)
2 ribs celery, minced ($.30)
1 carrot, grated ($.10)
1 medium onion, minced ($.25)
1 small zucchini, grated ($.65)

2 tbsp olive oil ($.20)
2 tbsp agave ($.20)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.20)
2 cloves garlic, pressed ($.10)
1 tbsp basil ($.05)
salt & pepper

I love mushrooms and so, for me, this is just an amazing dish. Dehydrating for a bit softens and warms the mushrooms and filling nicely.

Gently clean and remove the stems from the mushrooms. Some people brush any dirt off mushrooms with a soft cloth, but I usually wash my mushrooms with water. Mince the stems and set them aside, because they’ll go into the filling.

Grate the carrot and zucchini and mince the onion and celery. Fine ingredients are easier to get in the mushroom. Mix these together with the olive oil, garlic, basil, agave, balsamic vinegar, minced mushroom stems and salt and pepper and stir well.

Use a teaspoon and fill the hollow in the underside of the mushroom. Place on teflex, plastic or parchment sheets and gently dehydrate for about 3 hours, or until warm and slightly softened.

calories: 266
fat: 14 gr
carbs: 34 gr
protein: 7 gr

Fruity Salad
two servings ~$3.02 per serving

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

.Marinated Broccoli and Mushrooms
2 servings ~ $2.90 per serving

2 heads broccoli ($1.89)
8 oz mushrooms ($2.50)
1 medium onion ($.25)
sesame seeds ($.10)

3 tbsp olive oil ($.30)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar ($.30)
3 tbsp agave ($.30)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced ($.10)
1 tsp paprika ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

red pepper flakes to taste

This is my new favorite raw food dish. It’s savory and sweet and just yummy. Marinating followed by dehydrating softens the broccoli and onions nicely, and the mushrooms are just luscious.

Whisk together the olive oil, agave, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces, and diced the onion. In a container (I used a Glad Lock box), put the broccoli, mushrooms and onion. Pour the marinade over, shake to coat, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

An hour before serving, dehydrate on plastic or teflex sheets. About an hour should make these warm and slightly softened. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and, if you want a little bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

calories: 415
fat: 22 gr
carbs: 53 gr
protein: 11 gr

Nut Cheez with Grapes
4 servings ~ $1.57 per serving

1 cup nuts ($4.90)
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice ($.50)
dried or fresh herbs for rolling

1 lb grapes ($1.39)

This “cheez” is amazing, and surprisingly simple to make and can be made with your choice of nuts … I made mine with Brazil nuts. In a blender, add all the cheez ingredients. Puree for several minutes until as smooth and creamy as possible. Pour into a jar or other glass container and cover with cheese cloth. Let sit overnight or longer to develop the desired sharp taste. As it sits, the nut “cream” will thicken up as well, making it easier to handle.

Once the flavor has developed to your liking, divide in two equal portions. Place in center of several layers of cheese cloth and form into roughly a circle shape. Wrap each in the cheese cloth and place them in a colander with a weight or weighted plate on top. Put the colander in a sink or over a plate or bowl to catch any drips. A lot of the liquid will be pressed out of the cheez this way. Let it press for several hours.

This doesn’t get gooey, but it will be the consistency of cream cheese. Further pressing can make a firmer cheez.

When it has the desired consistency, remove from the cheese cloth, shape into a wheel and roll in dried or minced fresh herbs. Serve with grapes.

Caramel Apple Pie
serves 6 ~ $1.60 per serving
crust
1 cup walnuts ($3.00)
1 cup raisins ($1.00)

filling
5 apples ($3.00)
1/2 cup raisins ($.50)
4 tablespoons agave ($.40)
4 tablespoons lemon juice ($.40)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ($.10)

caramel
4 tablespoons almond butter ($.80)
2 tablespoons agave ($.40)
2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
4 tablespoons water

This may possibly be the best apple pie I’ve ever had.

Peel and slice the apples into pieces about 1/8 in thick. In a lidded container (I used a zip lock box), toss the apples and 1/2 cup raisins with the agave, lemon juice, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until well coated. Spread out on a lined dehydrator sheet and dry for about 2 hours, stirring once or twice. This isn’t meant to dry the apples, but to soften them and let the flavor intensify.

In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, process the walnuts and 1 cup raisins until the mix starts to stick together. This takes a couple minutes. Press the mix into the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of an 8 inch spring form pan. Put in the freezer for a half hour to firm.

In a bullet type blender, puree the almond butter, agave, olive oil, and water until very smooth.

Spoon the apple mixture from the dehydrator into the chilled pie crust and pour the caramel evenly on top. Chill for another half hour, if desired. For extra creamy goodness, serve with a scoop of vanilla banana ice cream.

calories: 462
fat: 24 gr
carbs: 64 gr
protein: 6 gr

1 cup walnuts ($2.00)
1 cup raisins ($1.00)
pinch salt
1 ripe avocado ($.88)
2 ripe bananas ($.30)
3 tablespoons agave ($.60)
1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder ($.80)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons coconut oil ($.20)
pinch salt
3 ounces raspberries ($1.00)

This is just a basic chocolate avocado/banana tart, and one of my favorites. Today, it went over well with our non-raw guests.

In a food processor with an “S” blade, process the walnuts, raisins, and pinch salt. just until the starts sticking together a bit, which takes about a minute. Press into a tart plate and chill.

Again, in the food processor with an “S” blade, process the avocado, bananas, agave, vanilla, olive oil, and salt until very smooth. Pour into tart shell, top with raspberries, and chill until slightly more firm.

calories: 284
fat: 16 gr
carbs: 35 gr
protein: 5 gr

Apple Cinnamon Cookies
makes 12 pieces ~ $.20 each

1 cup walnuts ($1.00)
1/2 cup dehydrated apple slices, about 2 small apples ($.80)
1/2 cup dehydrated banana slices, about 3 medium fresh ($.45)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla ($.15)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
coconut flakes for rolling

I wanted something fast and easy, but spicy and warm … and something other than chocolate! I’ll never bore of chocolate, but every once in a while it’s nice to change things around.

This is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to make, not including the dehydrating time. Peel and slice the apples and bananas and dehydrate for several hours, or overnight. They should be leathery and pliable, not crisp.

In a food processor with an “S” blade, process the nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and pinch of salt. Pulse to start, then let process for a few minutes until the mixture starts to stick together. Scoop out using a tablespoon or other rounded scooper and roll into a ball shape. Press into coconut flakes.

calories: 105
fat: 12 gr
carbs: 10 gr
protein: 4 gr

Stuffed Truffles
 makes about twenty-four truffles ~$.58 per truffle

chocolate filling
1 cup almonds ($2.40)
1/2 cup water (or more, for blending)
1/2 cup finely ground palm sugar ($1.80)
2 tablespoons coconut oil ($.20)
pinch salt
4 tablespoons cacao powder ($.80)
(chopped almonds can be mixed in as well)

 “peanut butter” filling
1/2 cup almond butter ($1.50)
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast ($.10)
3 tablespoons finely ground palm sugar ($.70)
pinch salt

shell

 4 tablespoons coconut oil ($.40)
1/2 cup cacao butter ($1.90)
3/4 cup cacao powder ($2.40)
1/2 cup finely ground palm sugar ($1.80)
pinch salt

What I was trying for here is the creamy chocolate center of conventional truffles. It did turn out quite creamy, although it’s a bit tricky to work with. I’ve used truffle molds here, though they can be dipped.

I’ve used palm sugar in these, for both the shell and the filling, because agave is just too wet for this recipe. Palm sugar is not raw, but it’s far less processed than regular sugar.The crystals are fairly large and so the chocolate will be smoother if the palm sugar is finely ground first. I just grind it using the bullet type blender. It only takes a few minutes. Process until it resembles ordinary powdered sugar.

To make the chocolate filling, combine all chocolate filling ingredients in a bullet type blender and puree for several minutes until very smooth, but thick. Chill for about an hour, until the mixture has stiffened and can be handled. Form into balls that will fit the inside of your truffle mold with a small area around the sides for the chocolate shell. Freeze the formed balls until hard. Chopped almonds can be added to all or part of this mixture, just stir in before chilling.

To make the “peanut butter” filling, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth and well combined. Chill until able to be worked with, then form into balls that will fit in the truffle molds. Freeze until firm.

For the shells, gently heat the cacao butter and coconut oil until melted. A double boiler works wells for this, but use hot water, not boiling (chocolate can scorch over 130 degrees). Also, be careful not to allow any water of any kind to get into the chocolate as this will cause it to “seize.” Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

To assemble the truffles, fill the tops of the truffle molds about 1/8 – 1/4 inch of chocolate shell and pop in the fridge until firm. Place a chocolate or “peanut butter” ball in the center and pour chocolate shell over, allowing it to fill up the sides and cover the bottom. Place in the fridge until firm. Pop out of the molds and allow to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

calories: 180
fat: 13 gr
carbs: 15 gr
protein: 3 gr