Cheezy Kale Chips

1 clove garlic
1 c cashews or almonds
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/3 c water
2 T ovoo
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t chipotle seasoning
pinch sea salt

drizzle ovoo and salt on torn kale leaves in large bowl
process all ingredients until smoothe and spread over kale...I like to do it with my hands!
lay kale in dehydrator on parchment paper and sprinkle with more nutritional yeast
dehydrate for 5+ hours until crispy.....  Enjoy!

Chocolate Bark

1 c coconut oil
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
2 + T maple syrup
sprinkle of Stevia - to taste
1/2 c raisens
handful chunky chopped almonds

wax paper on baking sheet and put in freezer for 10 mins
break into pieces......enjoy.  Store in refridgerator.

Spinach Pesto

I have had a few rough days for raw....just have let my weakness take over! But the best cure is to look at a few raw recipe books and find some appealing recipes and get going!  So here it is a yummy spinach recipe:

Spinach Recipe for Spinach Pesto
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup spinach pesto
4 Cups packed and rinsed spinach leaves
2 large cloves garlic minced
¼ cup walnuts or pine nuts (I used almonds - it's a 40 mi drive to town....almonds will do)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Place spinach leaves in food processor with S blade in place. Begin to puree leaves until they are all crushed. Add garlic, nuts, and sea salt and begin to puree again. Gradually add olive oil while pureeing the spinach mixture. Blend until mixture is a thick, smooth paste. Add lemon juice and puree until blended.
This spinach recipe is a wonderful, quick and easy raw food. It’s also a great way to incorporate more green, leafy vegetables into your diet. We hope you enjoy it!

Raw Thai Papaya Salad

My raw buddie and I celebrated our 30 days of raw at the Thai Orchid....we didn't eat all raw food but we did discover a salad similar to this one...so spicy and full of flavor...and at the end I have to lick the juice from the plate....

The recipe is from http://goneraw.com/recipe/raw-thai-papaya-salad

Ingredients: 

1 toe of garlic
1/2 jalepeno or other pepper
1/2 handful peanuts ( I used sunflower seeds...its all I had, still delicious)
1 tomato
fresh cilantro
1 green papaya
tablespoon braggs
juice of 1 lemon
favorite hot/pepper sauce (optional)
Cayenne pepper to taste

Preparation: 

crush gralic, dice peppers, chop peanuts, tomato, & cilantro. cut papaya with saladaco (I don't have one of these so I used a mandoline slicer, you could also use a potatoe peeler and peel some "noodles". combine all ingredients with braggs and lemon. chill and serve.
****this dish is spicy****

Chocolate Macaroons :)

Ok teacher friend....here they are!! Enjoy

From the book Everyday Raw Desserts by Matthew Kenney
This book is by far the BEST book for desserts! The pictures are amazing and there is everything from Banana Creme Pie to Cookies!

1 c cashew flour (grind in coffee grinder)
1/2 c coconut flour (grind coconut in coffee grinder)
1/2 c cacao powder (you can substitute cocoa powder)
1/2 c maple syrup (or honey, or agave)
1 T vanilla
pinch of salt
little water
mix ingredients and add enough water to make a dough consistency, don't worry about adding too much water since you dehydrate the cookies.
make spoonful balls and place on dehydrator for about 4 hours.

filling:
1/2 c macadamia nuts (grind)
1/4 c cacao powder
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 c coconut oil - melted
1 T vanilla
pinch salt

blend or process till smooth...frost the cookies and keep in the fridgerator.  I then dipped them in coconut! Yum!

Raw Kids

Does it ever suprise you that your kids do as you do and not as you say? I am delighted that this is true for my 4 year old.  The last two nights for dinner she requested a raw plate.  I loaded the plate with celery and peanut butter, cucumbers, blueberries, cut up apple, and a pickle.  She loved it! My boys will always try a bite of  the dish I prepare....but they will say "That would be good IF I was raw" a big IF there....well, you can't blame a person for trying.  Kids just need to be eased into it....so little by little....salad every night, all kinds of raw snacks like fruit, etc. Inch by inch!

Falling off the Wagon....or, not ever even getting on.

You may not be the person to jump on the bandwagon, try eating raw for 50% or any % for that mattter....or you may just rise to the challenge of eating raw 100%, whatever the case...eating raw isn't going to hurt you and in my case, it actually made me realize the effects of food.  My mom always talks about how food affects her....and I never could really tell, but since I have been eating raw for 60+ days....well, I had to fall off the wagon so I could reap the rewards of hearing my body "disagree" with me.  I woke up and decided I wanted cheese, so I made an omelet....I have chickens so I feel it a terrible waste not to eat an egg or two a week.  I like the protein and I love the way my chickens repay me for room and board.  I guess you could say I am 95% raw :)  Anyways, I fell off the wagon.  I ate an omelet with cheese and spinach...I had to add something raw, then, then, then....I ate a bunch of Teddy Grahams with Nutella.....OMG, my tummy yelled at me.  Let's just say I was Queen for the next morning upon my throne.....Guess I won't do that again.  There is an amazing recipe for a raw version of Nutella....and instead of Teddy Grahams...I will stick with a banana!! Lesson learned.....I love raw......and I need a reminder now and again when I get a hankering for something cooked!

Parfaits - Don't go another day without one!

My Raw Buddie did it again! She shared an amazing breakfast! These are so easy to make, taste delicious, and are incredibly healthy!

FIRST YOU HAVE TO GET A FANCY GLASS..... A wine glass is easy and beautiful!

Blueberries
Oats
banana
cinnamon
stevia
plain yogurt
almond milk

just layer the different ingredients, except the milk, pour that over the whole parfait at the end, and enjoy!

This recipe is from Raw Energy 124 by Stephanie Tourles

Mango Madness Parfait

mango
oats
coconut
cinnamon
almond milk

layer in glass and pour milk over.....:)

Sunshine Parfait

pineapple
raisens or cranberries
juice of one orange
oats
orange slices
honey

layer and enjoy!

there are so many ingredients to layer! try apples, cinnamon, papaya, nuts, dried fruits, berries, etc...

you can make all kinds of parfait concoctions~~~ go for it!

What about all that FAT?

Well, there are good fats and bad fats...and here is what Ani Phyo has to say about it:

"Some folks worry about how eating fats affects their weight.  Good fats are necessary for our organs and bodily functions, and they're good for our heart.  The more fats we eat, the more our body lets go of fats, because it knows more will be coming in.  The same goes for water.  The less we drink, the more our bodies retain.  The more we drink, the more it lets go of."

Don't get me wrong, or her, she is talking about eating foods full of good fats like nuts, seeds, and avacados)

Congo Bars.....fudge with vanilla and coconut

From the book Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis

I am still gleaning amazing recipes from my great 10 book check out from the Public Library!  There are so many books available for free! Just a matter of reserving them and then diving in!! It definitely makes a difference to have recipe books to inspire you to "uncook" something wonderful.

This recipe has a few steps, but only took about 15 mins to make:

1 c walnuts (I used almonds because I can buy a huge bag from Costco for $9)
1 c pecans (I used brazil nuts, just because I had them)
2/3 c chocolate sauce (1/2 cocoa, 1/4 c maple syrup, 2 T stevia, 1/2 tsp vanilla, pinch salt, 2 T coconut oil)
              - I didn't make the sauce I just added the ingredients for the sauce to my recipe
              - reserve a tablespoon to drizzle on top of bars
1/4 c raisens
1/4 c coconut
1 T maple syrup or honey
2 T coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt

process nuts and add sauce, raisens, and other ingred. till creamy.  pour into wax paper lined tupperware - or use plastic wrap lined.  refridgerate.  while thats in the fridge, mix up the topping.

1/2 c coconut
2 T honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
2 T coconut oil
1 c coconut

mix ingredients together and top the refridgerated mixture.  sprinkle cacao nibs on top and drizzle chocolate sauce, return to fridge.....slice into bars and enjoy!
these are so yummy, they taste so fudgey!