I’m date-able!
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: desserts, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Paleo, Quick cook, raw, Stage 3, Vegan, world cuisine 2 Comments »
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I absolutely love yacon syrup! It’s syrupy, low glycemic sweetness is perfect for many types of recipes, especially when you want to make trail mix bars or a nut and seed crunch. The problem is, it has nearly doubled in price within the last year. Combined with it’s difficulty to purchase (it has been sold out several times at my favorite online vendor), it’s starting to become one the sweeteners that I can’t readily recommend anymore.
As a result, I have been trying other types of syrupy sweeteners. Carob molasses works well, but if you don’t have a Middle Eastern or international grocery store in your area, it will be equally hard to find. I have tried coconut nectar as well. Honestly, it gives me a sugar headache like agave does, so I don’t buy or use it often.
I have been doing well eating high sugar fruits, such as bananas, grapes, mangoes and dates, in moderation, without any adverse affects. I’m very happy about that progress! So I decided to try date syrup. I like date syrup for alot of reasons. It is very easy to make myself. Dates are really easy to find. Date syrup is a whole food sweetener that does not need any additional processing. The cost to make my own yields more than a regular sized bottle of agave!
Date Syrup
*10-12 Medjool dates or 1 cup Deglet Noor dates (the kind often found in packages)
*1 cup of water
Soak your dates in water for 45mins-1 hour. Process dates and water in a food processor, blender or hand blender until smooth. Store in your fridge for up to 3 weeks.
*Sometimes lemon juice can be added to preserve your syrup longer
*You can add different spices to add interesting flavors
Try this! Grow your own stevia
Posted: May 3, 2010 Filed under: cleansing, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Stage 1, Stevia, Try This! 4 Comments »
Say hello to my lil friend!
There’s a movement going on. I call it the “back to green stevia” movement. There’s been alot of backlash with white stevia use. The logic is that stevia is a plant, so stevia should be green, not white. The white stuff is more processed, so it must be bad! Right?
I get the logic, but I don’t believe it’s always practical to use green stevia every time. My angel food cake, blueberry muffins, and coconut ice cream would not only look weird, but the chlorophyll taste just would not work too well. Green stevia tastes like, well, a sweet plant. What else would you expect?
Still, I believe that you should have a choice, and since I have enough white stevia, I went in search of the green stuff.
I still haven’t found any!
I remember when green stevia was all you could buy. It use to be sold as dried leaves. That was it! I would use it when I made detox teas, when I didn’t want to sweeten with sugar. I would put about a tablespoon in with the other herbs and about 6 quarts of water. That tablespoon sweetened the whole pot! I’d strain the tea into a pitcher and store it in the fridge for gradual sipping.
Gradually, stevia became more refined, becoming a green powder and finally a white powder. I never used the white powder much, but when I started this diet, white stevia became my go-to sweetener.
Now that I want to have some green stevia powder, and leaves, of course I can’t find any. But I can find stevia plants! I think that is really strange, but they were right there in my garden center, just waiting for me to take them home. I bought two, and I’m planning to make my own stevia powder this year.
Green, of course!
Try This! Milled Flax Seed Travel Packs
Posted: June 6, 2009 Filed under: gluten free, No Cook, raw, Stage 1, Travel Foods, Try This!, Vegan Leave a comment »
When I saw these, I did a dance right there in the aisle! I was in Kentucky in a regular grocery store and went through the baking section. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection. They had different brands of agave, my favorite brand of erythritol, gluten free flours, and stevia. When I saw the travel packs of the milled flax seeds, I had to have them. I’ll explain:
Opened milled flax seeds lose potency very quickly. That’s why it’s often sold in opaque packages to preserve freshness. Big opened packages have to be refrigerated, and a cooler just won’t do since the temp fluctuates too much. With the travel packs, there’s no refrigeration needed. You just open and consume the amount you need.
Milled flax seeds are a great replacer for oil and eggs. This is great for not just vegans, but for traveling cooks as well. When I’m on the road, I miss having cake, cookies, waffles, etc. I can’t really make these things on the road because I would have to carry eggs and more oil. I’m not oppose to carrying oil, but who wants to carry raw eggs around? That’s way too much hassle for me!
I could make bake treats and carry those with me, and I often do, but sometimes I don’t have that kind of time. You also need special containers so that nothing gets smooshed, crumbled and stale. Now that I have a replacement for eggs and oil, I can make a dry mix, put it in a plastic bag, pack it in my bag, and just add liquid to enjoy freshly made goods.
The irony is that I have been playing with travel recipes at home since I was afraid to tote along opened milled flax seeds. That fear is gone now! So the next post will be the first in a line of travel recipes I’ve been developing.
Pineapple Pomegranate Salad
Posted: November 14, 2008 Filed under: Breakfast, cleansing, desserts, fall, gluten free, No Cook, no grains, raw, Stage 2, Vegan Leave a comment »
I just love the colors of this simple fruit salad. I didn’t add any sweeteners to this, but I did add a squirt of lime juice and some grated fresh ginger. It gives nice contrast to the sweetness of the pineapple.
1 whole fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 pomegranate, seeded
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve.
Makes four servings
*Pineapple is super sweet, and if you’re worried about the sugar content, you can substitute supremed grapefruit for the pineapple. Leave out the ginger.
Pear Hazelnut Mini Tarts
Posted: October 28, 2008 Filed under: Agave Nectar, desserts, fall, gluten free, No Cook, no grains, raw, Stage 2, Vegan Leave a comment »
I’ve been waiting a long time to have a fruit dessert. I’ve worked very hard to get to Stage 2, and it’s high time I celebrate!
Fall is certainly here, and I had a chance to pick up some delicious seasonal fruits: apples, pears, pomegranates, tangerines, and figs just to name a few. I always underrate the fall season for great produce. I’m a summer baby, so summer fruits and veggies are always going to be my favorite, but I’m always pleasantly reminded that fall has great things to offer too.
I’ve gotta admit, since I haven’t had fruit, this dessert is super sweet to me! I only ate half of my mini tart, and that was more than enough! Wow, how my taste buds have changed!
Filling:
2 pears
1/4 cup raw agave
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Crust:
2 cups hazelnuts
1/4 cup raw agave
Mandoline (or a good sharp knife and supreme slicing skills!)
Food processor
mini tart pans
With a mandoline, slice pears into thin slices, then cut slices in half with a sharp knife. Place in bowl and toss with agave, cinnamon and ginger. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
In a food processor, pulse hazelnuts until you get a fine meal. Add agave and pulse until mixture pulls away from the sides. Press nut mixture into mini tart pans. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
To assemble, lay half slices on bottom of nut crust vertically. Lay the next layer of slices horizontally. Continue alternating until slices reach top of pan. Unmold and serve.
Makes 4 mini tarts
*I don’t recommend cooking fruits if you are healing from candida. The heat kills the fiber and concentrates the fruit sugars too much. Best to eat them raw.
*Food combining is crucial at Stage 2 of the diet. Fruit really shouldn’t be combined with grains or flesh proteins. The mismatch causes fermentation that the candida would like to feed off of!
Green Velvet Smoothie
Posted: October 20, 2008 Filed under: Breakfast, cleansing, drinks, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Snacks, Vegan Leave a comment »
I was chatting on the phone with my brother a few days ago, and he told me about his dilemma with some spinach he needed to use before it went bad. I had just had my first green smoothie the night before, and since I enjoyed it so much, I shared the idea with him.
After we discussed all the different vegetables he could use, he actually went out to the store and purchased some of his favorites to try in blended form. The result looked so good, I was actually jealous! His first green drink actually came out better than mine! Here’s what went into his blender:
carrots
spinach
peeled quartered lemon
cucumber
yellow bell pepper
coconut milk
ice
In your blender, blend everything until smooth!
Asian Style Marinated Vegetables
Posted: October 16, 2008 Filed under: cleansing, gluten free, No Cook, no grains, raw, Stage 1, Vegan Leave a comment »
Lately, I have been having alot of fun experimenting with raw food recipes. Hopefully you could tell with the last few posts. I made the decision to increase my raw food consumption from 50% to about 70%. I had some issues with grains the last few weeks, so I decided to back off of them for a little while. The change has been very noticeable. I don’t need to take a nap after eating, I don’t have a poochy belly, and I’m feeling not so weighed down.
I like alot of raw food recipes that I have seen, but I’m certainly not planning on becoming 100% raw. Truth be told, I enjoy cooked food. For me, warm food is extremely satisfying, and because I’m away from home alot, I can’t babysit a dehydrator, or jars with sprouts. It’s just too impractical.
This recipe is good for transitioning from cooked to raw. Nothing is heated, but sits in the marinade long enough so that fibers soften and the veggies absorb the flavors. I let mine marinate at room temperature, or even in the sun, so that it doesn’t have that “cold edge”. After I’ve had my fill, I do stick the leftovers, covered, in the fridge.
1 broccoli crown, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 red, orange or yellow pepper, sliced into rings, then halved
2 large shallots, sliced
juice of 1/2 lime
Sea Salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons sesame oil (Make sure this is cold pressed for 100% raw foodies)
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
In large bowl combine all ingredients and let sit for 3-4 hours. Refrigerate left overs.
Proof that raw food can be easy!
Macaroon Balls
Posted: October 10, 2008 Filed under: desserts, gluten free, raw, Snacks, Stage 1, Vegan, Yacon Syrup 1 Comment »
I decided to start making my own almond milk. I took a good look at the ingredients list on my carton of Almond Breeze and was very disappointed. There were more preservatives listed than food ingredients. What a turn off!
Making the almond milk was very easy and very rewarding. Not only did I have a great tasting beverage, I had this beautiful almond meal that I laid out on my cookie sheet and let dry in the sun for the rest of the day. I may post the recipe that I used to make the milk at some point.
You can use the meal for alot of things: cakes, cookies, and a body scrub to name just a few. I had some shredded coconut and couldn’t help but put it with the meal to make a cookie ball. This can also be pressed into a pie plate and frozen to make a great base for a creamy pie!
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yacon syrup
1/2 cup raw almond butter
In a bowl mix dry ingredients together. Add yacon syrup and almond butter. Mix together well. Using a melon baller or your hands, shape mixture into balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Makes about 24 balls
Yummmmmmmmmm!
Avocado ice cream
Posted: October 4, 2008 Filed under: desserts, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Snacks, Vegan, Yacon Powder Leave a comment »
Ok, I need to clarify. When I said that “I don’t like cold”, I should have said “I don’t like cold weather”. That’s a bit more accurate. Honestly, I will eat something cold and creamy in the winter months, especially ice cream!
I was very inspired to make this some months ago actually, when I was poking around raw food forums and salivating over the raw food creations that were being presented, especially the desserts! I’m very inspired to do more raw not just for the health benefits, but if you haven’t noticed, raw foodies are some of the best looking people on the planet!
This recipe is definitely not low fat! It most certainly tastes like avocado, doesn’t make a lot, and will probably be an acquired taste for most. The recipe is simple enough that you can tweak it to make more and to taste however you like. There are plenty other versions out there. Since it’s so rich, I only eat one scoop. That’s does it for me.
I don’t have an ice cream maker, so the recipe uses the “freeze then stir” method. The quantity is so small that I think using a machine would be a waste of time anyway.
2 super ripe Haas avocadoes (The pit will fall out by itself!)
1 (5.5 oz.) can coconut milk, or 2/3 cup freshly made coconut milk
3 tablespoons yacon powder
pinch sea salt
juice of half a lime
food processor
In a processor, combine avocados, coconut milk, lime juice, yacon powder, and salt. Puree until smooth. Taste mixture and adjust to your own tastes.
Turn your puree into your preferred container with lid, cover and freeze for two hours. Uncover and, using a fork, stir your puree and break up all ice crystals. Cover and return to freezer for another hour. Do the “remove, stir and freeze for one hour” method twice more, cover and freeze overnight.
Makes about 2-3 cups
Let the ice cream sit out on the counter a few minutes before scooping
