Raspberry Granola

Crunchy. Naturally sweet with a  slight tang. Full of flavor and packed with vitamins and nutrients. This granola is a perfect way to start the day. I eat mine with some fresh home made almond milk which just brings this bowl of goodness to a whole different level of yum. But I am confident that it will go great with whatever your milk of choice is, or even as is, for an on-the-go snack! 

As usual I made a big batch of this to feed my little family of 5. Half the recipe if you feel the need to, but keep in mind that most granolas will keep for several weeks if not months, in an airtight container, so making a big batch is rarely a bad idea 😉

Ingredients:

• 5 cups sprouted buckwheat, or buckwheat that has been soaked at least 8 hours and rinsed very well then drained
• 4 TBS lucuma powder
• 1 TBS vanilla powder
• 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds, at least 4 hours then rinsed
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup all natural Maple Syrup (not the Aunt Jemima kind)
• 3/4 cups melted coconut oil
• 2 tsp hibiscus powder (optional, but it does add to the tang and pairs great with the raspberries, plus it adds a pretty light pink color 🙂 )
• 1 cup (or more!) freeze dried raspberries

Steps:

• combine all ingredients except raspberries in a large bowl and mix well
• taste it and adjust flavors according your preference, you can’t really go wrong here
• lay on several dehydrator sheets
• dehydrate at 105*F for abou 12 hours or until fully dry and crispy
• add raspberries (I add them last so they retain their crispiness)
• store in an airtight container, (hide yourself a container in your underwear drawer, in you live with people who who’s idea of one serving is half a jar)
• feel nourished and go have fun!

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Luscious Crimson Smoothie

Luscious is right. Luscious. Vibrant. Slightly tart, definitely sweet. Slightly bitter, definitely awesome. Thick, creamy and dreamy.

I made a huge batch of this with the intention of sharing it with my family. I didn’t. I often go to bed with a thought for what the first thing I want to put in my body is. I am usually intentional with my first meal. And this time, I knew I wanted it to be red. Bursting red. With lots of anti oxidants and immunity boosting qualities. I wanted it to feel refreshing while still warming my body. I wanted it to be bursting with flavor and dense in vitamins. I wanted something that would make me feel alive and excited to be awake. This smoothie did all those things and then some. I’m making this again tomorrow.

Just in case you needed more convincing here are a few nutritional benefits of some of the ingredients in this smoothie:

beets: high in iron and B vitamins (great for blood and new growth cells), as well as potassium and magnesium. They also contain tryptophan (creates a sense a well-being).

grapefruits:  high in vitamin A (good for mucus membranes and skin) and vitamin C (an antioxidant that helps the body develop resistance against infections). Vitamin C also helps in the absorption of dietary iron (so a great pairing with the beets!)

maca: high in vitamins B, C, and E (healthy immune system, skin and eyes), as well as iron, calcium and magnesium. Maca is also known to increase energy and improve one’s mood. There are many other benefits to maca that I won’t post here. If you’ve never tried maca, I suggest you do 🙂

jicama: high in fiber it is also rich in vitamin C and provides healthy amounts of minerals such as magnesium, copper and iron. Another great addition for this smoothie 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 large beet or 2 small ones
• 2 large pink grapefruits
• 1 large chunk of ginger (about 2 inch cube)
• 1 cup chopped jicama, or 1 cucumber
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 large banana
• 1 TBS maca (optional but highly recommended as it gave me super powers)

Steps:

• juice first 4 ingredients
• add juice to blender with all other ingredients and blend on high until nice and smooth
• pour in your favorite large container and feel alive!
• this made enough for two large servings. I sprinkled some cinnamon on top because cinnamon makes me happy.

Springtime Cucumber Noodle Salad

Crunchy, fresh, lightly sweet and flavorful. This salad was such a refreshing late afternoon snack after spending the day in the sun gardening.

If you do not own a spiralizer, I urge you to get one! They are so easy to use and turn your everyday vegetables into fun culinary experiences. Chopping up cucumbers to make this salad, would absolutely work, but I have to say that eating it with chopsticks because of the noodle like consistency, added to my enjoyment and therefor my appreciation for what I was eating.

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber
• 2TBS fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 TBS fresh basil, chopped
• 1 handful snap peas
• salt
• 1 tsp orange zest(optional)
• basil leaves for garnish

Steps:

• either spiralize your cucumber or shred it using a vegetable peeler
• put it in a plate and toss it with all other ingredients
• enjoy and feel refreshingly nourished!

Cacao Energy Clusters

These little clusters are packed with nutrient dense ingredients: flax seeds (high in omega 3’s, good kind fat), cacao powder (powerful antioxidant, god for fighting free radicals), maca powder (good for energy) amongst several other amazing ingredients.

This recipe kinda just happened. I had made a lot of sprouted buckwheat when prepping for making raw granola, and didn’t feel like really putting anything fancy together so just threw a bunch of ingredients in the bowl, thinking I was going to be making another granola. Before putting it in the dehydrator I tasted it and it tasted so good I immediately wrote down what I had used in order to not forget! When it came out, instead of being a granola, it was more of an energy cluster. Not only because it stuck together in convenient clusters, but also because the flavor was so rich that I don’t think I could actually eat a whole bowl of it. A few clusters was enough. I packed some for a hike and my daughter wanted some for her school snack. I am so happy I wrote down the ingredients so I can make this again.

So here it is. Another kitchen happy “accident” 🙂

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sprouted buckwheat, or buckwheat that has soaked for at least 8 hours, then rinsed really well
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 TBS mesquite powder
• 2 TBS maca powder
• 1/4 cacao powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/8 tsp salt

Steps:

• mix everything together in a bowl, adding the wet ingredients last
• spread on a dehydrator sheet, tapping it down to make it more compact
• dehydrate at 115* for about 12 hours or until dry and crispy
• store in an airtight container for weeks! (Although ours lasted barely a week)

If making this in the oven, put it on the lowest setting for about an hour, try it and keep checking every 10 minutes until fully done.

Fudge Squares

Ooooooohhhhhmmmgosh. Creamy. Rich. Melt in your mouth goodness. This has got to be one of my most favorite chocolate recipes I have created so far. And I make ALOT of chocolate creations. It is no secret I love chocolate, and I absolutely LOVE fudge. It is actually because of my utter love for chocolate and most things sweet that I started making my own desserts and treats. There is no way I would be able to maintain the level of health I believe to be necessary to live the life I want, if I were to indulge in the commercial sugar laden, often dairy filled, sometimes chemically induced sweets I find at the store, every time a craving hit me. Instead I use all natural, organic, mostly raw ingredients to provide not only the highest level of nutrients to my body but also to provide the most flavorful indulgences. The only bad thing about using such wholesome ingredients in my recipes is that I don’t usually feel too bad if I eat way too many. And let’s face it, too much of a good thing, well eventually does become too much. Anyways, right now is not the time to talk about how to slow down eating such amazing delicious goodness, right now is the time to share one of the fastest ways to get your sweet fix while still loving your body. Given you don’t eat the whole batch at once, and every day. But you might have to try doing that at least once. Just to try.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 soft medjool dates
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 large ripe banana (if you are not a fan of banana you could omit this, but the texture will be somewhat affected)
• dash of salt

Steps:

• melt the coconut butter and oil together, either in a double boiler, or in a pot on the stove. If doing this last method, heat the pot first, put your coconut products in it and leave the flame on low for maybe a minute and turn off and stir to get the oils melted. You do not want to cook them, just melts them and having them in a hot pot will be enough.
• put everything in a food processor and blend until nice and smooth and rich
• poor in a 8X8 dish, lined with parchment paper
• set in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10
• cut in small squares and keep in the fridge

Cherry Cacao Fudge Balls

Can these all too familiar raw fudge balls ever be over done? I am not being very inventive here in sharing this recipe but these little tasty nuggets are so simple to make and bring me so much joy that I just had to share yet another recipe with you guys. Plus, this was my daughter and I’s Valentines Day kitchen project. She was the one who had the idea of making these. So we turned the popular little ball into a labor of Love at our house.

These are a great project to do with kids. My 6 year old daughter got her own little food processor for christmas and enjoys throwing all kinds of stuff in there and making her own concoctions. So she made her own balls (pictured here). She had the most fun rolling them and licking the sticky stuff off her hands afterwards 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 cup  raw walnuts
• 1 cup pitted medjool dates
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• dash of salt

Steps:

• put everything but cherries in food processor and combine until everything is broken down
• add cherries and keep processing until a ball is formed
• roll into little balls of desired size
• roll in coating of choice
• keep in fridge

We combined 2TBS  freeze dried raspberries and 1TBS shredded coconut in a blender and pulsed to break down. That was one of the coatings. The other one is the same but replace the raspberries for blueberries. And lastly just plain raw cacao powder.

My daughters one’s are the blueish one’s. There is no recipe as she doesn’t write things down as she makes them 😉 But I know that she put freeze dried blueberries and cranberries as hemp seeds in hers.

Vegan Raspberry Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Chocolate

Happy Valentines Day!!! This treat is more delicious than the title suggests. “More” because it is soooo creamy and dreamy that you wouldn’t guess it’s vegan.

I bought some out of season, over priced, still pretty tasty, raspberries earlier this week because I really wanted to make this Valentines Day treat for my kids. Every now and then I go out of my habitual seasonal produce shopping because what I have in mind sounds so delicious that I must make it, like really soon. And I am so glad I did not wait for spring to make this!!

This guilt free silky smooth indulgence paired with the amazingly deliciously simple crunchy peanut butter chocolate hearts made for a perfect Valentines for my family last night (although I will not wait a whole year to make it again 😉 )

Ingredients for raspberry ice cream:

• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup soaked cashews (30 minutes in hot water, or 4 hours in cold water)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 TBS lucuma (optional but it adds to the creamy texture)
• 1 cup coconut milk cream (the full fat cream that comes in cans)

Steps:

• put first 5 ingredients in the blender and blend on high until super creamy and nuts completely broken down
• add the coconut cream and finish blending
• if using an ice cream maker, follow directions for that
• if you don’t have an ice cream maker you can freeze these in ice cube trays and once frozen put them in a food processor or blender to create a nice cold mixture. (You might need to add a little liquid if doing it in the blender.)

This is so tasty that you don’t have to make it into ice cream! You can just eat it straight out of the blender as a yogurt substitute!

While waiting for ice cream, make your chocolate hearts.

Ingredients for chocolate hearts:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 TBS natural crunchy peanut butter
• 2 TBS honey or other liquid sweetener (adjust according to desired sweetness).

Steps:

• in a saucepan, put the coconut oil and barely heat it up. Just enough to get it to starts melting.
• Turn off the heat and add all ingredients except for honey.
• Mix well until uniform
• add the honey and mix until honey is very well incorporated in the mixture
• pour in little heart shaped molds if you have them, if not you can pour this in anything (Ice cube trays, small containers, large containers), and set in the freezer to set
• the small molds I have only take about 10-15 minutes to set

bRAWnie bites

Let’s face it, February is the month of love….of chocolate. If you are a chocolate lover, chances are you are a brownie fan. I know I am. So coming up with this super delicious, healthy and raw alternative to a classic, was such a fun and happy time for me.  Moist, fluffy, sweet and chocolatey, this little nugget of delight did not last very long in my house. While these are healthy, I still serve them to my family as a special treat. My daughter was delighted to find one in her lunch box 🙂 I always try and find new things to do with my leftover almond pulp as I make so much almond milk. This was a fun recipe to come up with. Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups almond meal (left over from making milk, but using ground raw almonds will work too)
• 1/4 cup psyllium husk
• 1/4 cup cacao
• 3 TBS coconut sugar
• 12 dates
• 1/8 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (I mixed goji and mulberries)
• 1 TBS coconut shreds (for decorating)

Steps:

• In a food processor combine all the ingredients, except for the dried fruit,until well combined
• add dried fruit and pulse a few more times

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make these in the oven: put on a baking tray at 200*F for about 1hour. Test the consistency to see if it’s to your liking, leave in longer if need be. I have never made them that way but since these are good even before going in the dehydrator, I think the only you could really screw these up is by burning them 🙂

• scoop into balls on a dehydrator mesh screen
• dehydrate at 105*F for about 6-8 hours or until desired consistency. I like mine firm on the outside and slightly moist on the inside.
• Dip in some chocolate sauce and top with shredded coconut

Pistachio Delight and Nutella Divine

It’s February, the month of LOVE. Although love happens all year round, I don’t mind jumping on the happy train at various scheduled celebrations. So I came up with these, because Love inspired me to. There are two recipes here, but since I created them in the same day and photographed them together, you get them in one post. These little balls are quite a burst of flavor. I am especially happy with the Pistachio Delight as they are a new flavor creation of mine and I am super happy to share it with you. The Nutella Divine is just as the name suggests. Delicious of course as it has chocolate in it. The longest part of these recipes is rolling the balls, so if you want to minimize your active working time, I will offer an alternative at the end of the post.  

Ingredients for the Pistachio Delight:

• 1 cup cashews
• 1/2 coconut butter
• 1/4 cup lucuma powder
• 4 medjool dates
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Steps:

• in a food processor blend all ingredients for a few minutes. It will take a little bit for the oils to releases and start binding together. When that starts, add the pistachios and finish blending until a somewhat ball is formed.
• the “dough” will be somewhat crumbly which is fine
• using a teaspoon, scoop out a bit of dough and press it in ball shape in between your fingers before rolling it in to a ball in between your palms
• place on a plate and set in fridge while making the coating

Cacao Coconut Coating:

• 1/8 cup melted cacao butter
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 1/8 cup finely ground coconut shreds (I used a coffee grinder)
• combine everything in a bowl and mix well

Roll balls in coating and return to fridge to set. Makes about 35 small balls. Store in fridge.

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Ingredients for Nutella Divine:

• 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 10 medjool dates
• 1/2 tsp hazelnut extract (optional)
• 1/4 cup + 2 TBS hazelnut butter
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Steps:

• put everything in food processor and blend until a dough is formed.
• the “dough” will be somewhat crumbly which is fine
• using a teaspoon, scoop out a bit of dough and press it in ball shape in between your fingers before rolling it in to a ball in between your palms
• place on a plate and set in fridge while making the coating

Pink Coating:

• 1/8 cup cacao butter
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 1 TBS beet juice

Roll balls in coating and set in fridge to set. Store balls in fridge. In the picture I also rolled some of the Pistachio Delight balls in the pink coating. Play around and spread the LOVE!!! Note: to save active working time you can press the mixture very firmly in a pan lined with parchment paper. Set it in the fridge or freezer to set for about 30 minutes (maybe a bit more if in the fridge?), then take out of pan and cut into squares. Proceed with dipping in coating all the same. Although these treats are amazing without the coating as well.

Cacao Mint Shake

One of my favorite ice cream flavors is mint chocolate chip. It’s been that way for decades. Although I am very adventurous and will try and eat plenty of flavors, when in doubt, I fall back on mint chocolate.

I have had plenty of versions of this kind of shake, and it’s way overdue that I share one of them with you. If you are looking for a delicious and guilt free treat, this is it! The kids and I whipped this up under 10 minutes for our afternoon snack. I took advantage of the fact that I told the kids we were having a very special treat to sneak in some greens. They were so excited to be having a “milk” shake for snack they didn’t think twice about spinach that was in there!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup almond milk or any other milk
• 2 soft medjool dates
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (optional but it adds a little flavor boost)
• 1/8 cup cacao nibs
• 4 small frozen bananas

Steps:

• put all ingredients except bananas and nibs in a blender and blend until the greens are well broken down
• add the bananas and nibs and blend until a thick creamy texture is formed
• serve and enjoy immediately!

Mu husband came home right as we were about to eat these, and I wish I had made more. This made a humble snack for the 5 of us.