Saturday, April 19, 2008

Cafe Mocha Smoothie

Just imagine how could this could be with brewed chilled chocolate yerba mate tea instead of coffee!

2 Banana's
1/4 cup of brewed coffee (chilled if possible)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of ice
1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Blend and buzz...

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Sesame Seaweed Noodles and Broccolini

This dish got oooh's and aaah's from all the staff members of the Contemporary Art Museum I work at.

Ingredients:
Seaweed Soaked (I used Wakame)
A bunch of Brocolini
1/2 Lemon with some garlic

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Black Sesame Seeds
2 Garlic Cloves minced
1/2 inch of Ginger minced


Make this a day or 2 ahead of time because the veggies and 'weed need to soak and marinate. Soak the seaweed to rehydrate and soften. Marinate the brocolini in Lemon Juice/Garlic mixture. Soak and soften for 12 hours. Combine the drained 'weed and broccolini then toss with the sauce. Let marinate a few more hours to blend the flavors. Plate and eat. Be polite in between mouth fulls as you try to explain "what's in this great looking dish?"


Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Cinnamon Pear Banana Smoothie

This made my morning

1 frozen banana
half of a ripe pear
"Milk" to blend
A large pinch of cinnamon

Blend. Enjoy.

Sweethearts

I have a sweet tooth right now. I haven't been one for sweets growing up. Often I would get sick feeling from the sugar rush and wheat in candies or baked goods. But I've always had a thing for fats. Peanut butter in particular. Raw food desserts have unearthed my inner sweet tooth. Fat heavy and no refined sugars. The problem is I can keep eating raw food desserts without getting sick from the sugar. I've started to notice this is bad. Sorta, it's better for you than the original. Though with SAD desserts I've never had to deal with accidentally eating half a pie for dinner.

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

I don't measure these when I make it, I just use handfuls.

Ingredients:
2 rounded spoonfuls of Tahini *use another nut butter for other cookie flavors
A large handful of shredded coconut
2 spoonfuls of raw cocoa powder or carob
A handful of cocoa nibs

Mix until the texture of a no bake cookie. If needed add more shredded coconut or cocoa powder. Roll the mixture into balls. Flatten in your palms and press into more shredded coconut to coat the outside. Place the cookie disc's in the freezer for an hour or more. Then when harder store in the fridge. This normally makes about 4 cookies.

I'll let you know when I perfect my Nib Chip Cookies.....

Hyper Active Brownies

These brownies gave me the hugest rush of energy. I almost got light headed from how rich they are.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
1/4 cup of carob powder
1/2 cup of dried fruit
2 tablespoons of agave nectar
Two handfuls of goji berries
Two handfuls of cocoa nibs
1 1/2 cups of walnuts
A few spoonfuls of chocolate sauce to coat the top

Process the walnuts and coconut oil in a food processor until very finely ground and paste like. Add the carob powder, agave. and dried fruit. Process more till thick and fudgey. Hand mix in the goji berries and cocoa nibs. Press the brownies into a small container so that the brownies are about an inch high. Cover the tops of the brownies with a few spoonfuls of chocolate sauce and spread evenly on top to create a thin layer. This will give the brownies a traditional baked look and add extra chocolate. Refrigerate till the mixture sets. The consistency should be hard and crisp on the outside and soft and fudgey on the inside. This isn't a cake like brownie but more of a warm moist brownie. Cut into small brownie bites! These brownies are dense.

My friend wanted to add that these brownies made him extremely sexually aroused. A non-raw foodist and my best sympathetic skeptic. He was floored by the varied sensations he felt eating cocoa nibs for the first time!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Raw Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This recipe is for a coconut oil based chocolate sauce you can dip any fruit into that will harden to a chocolate shell. Use the leftover chocolate sauce to pour into ice cube molds and freeze to make chocolates. I use a heart shaped rubber ice cube mold that I can pop the candy right out. So cute, easy, and good for you!

I ate this for Breakfast today with strawberries and bananas....

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil Melted to a liquid state
4 Tablespoons of Raw Cocoa Poweder or Cocoa nibbs grounded
2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar
*Double the recipe to accommodate the amount of fruit you would like to dip.

Fruit: Strawberries, Mangoes, Bananas, etc.
Also try nuts, top pies, dip nut butter cookies, raw ice cream, etc.

Chocolate Sauce
Melt the coconut oil by putting the jar in a bowl of warm/hot water. Set aside and let the coconut oil liquefy. You can prepare your fruit while the oil melts. In a cup combine all the ingredients and stir until mixed. The consistency should be of a rich melted chocolate sauce. When you dip your spoon in it should evenly coat the spoon and drip slowly, not runny. If runny add more cocoa powder.

Strawberry Dipping
Dip the strawberries in the cup with the melted chocolate. Coat evenly and place on a plate. When done put the strawberries in the fridge to help the chocolate firm up more. If the room is cold the sauce will start to harden in the cup. A trick is to place the cup in a shallow bowl of hot water to keep it melted.

*I put the chocolate covered sliced bananas in the freezer instead of the fridge because they remind me of little bits of banana Klondike bars. I guess I could get real creative sometime and mold Klondike bars from raw ice cream. Let me know if you try this first, I could use some tips.