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Snowy sweets

January 14th, 2011

So we’ve just had a blizzard! Record-breaking amounts of snow fell across the state today — even bigger totals than in the Blizzard of ‘78 that I vaguely remember. So how do I propose to deal with the huge amount of snow in my yard!? Melt it all by cooling maple candy on it!

We have been listening to Little House in the Big Woods, and at one point they made snow candy with molasses and sugar. That reminded me about maple candy, and today we had oodles of freshly fallen snow to work with!

I haven’t done this before, so I googled and read several methods to get the idea, and then did this:

Poured no small amount of maple syrup into a small saucepan. I did maybe a cup? First lesson. If you plan on eating it all in one sitting, consider less than a cup. That’s a LOT of sugar to eat. Unless you have 6 foot tall mountains of snow to scale, enabling you to burn it all off…

Brought syrup to a boil over medium high heat. Boiled for 6-7 minutes stirring almost constantly. You can do the whole candy thermometer directions if you have one, but I tend to keep food made with snow simple. Ok, I admit it. I don’t have a candy thermometer.

When the syrup was boiling, it was all foamy, but that settled town once it wasn’t on the burner.

After 6-7 minutes, we took the pot off the heat, grabbed a roasting dish and filled it with snow. We did not, but in the future I would first grease the dish to help any candy that gets stuck to the sides come loose. I would also pack down the snow. We left it light ‘fluffy, just as it fell.

So i took the slightly cooled syrup and poured it over the snow.

It hardened immediately, tho was hot enough to melt through our light fluffy snow

I had some hungry shovelers/fort builders who were looking for some more energy just as the syrup hit the snow.

Taste testers heartily agree that maple candy is delish, if it a bit sticky. Helpful tips from them: take small bites and keep it movin’ so it doesn’t stick to your teeth.

Crunch on that!

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maple snow

Sweet Rainbow Kale Salad

January 10th, 2011

MMmmmmm Mmmmmmm! I just can’t get enough of the stuff!!

I do love kale and have one recipe in particular that is my favorite kale salad recipe ever. This recipe is a well known one to any friends or family I know. I passed the recipe on to all that asked and I know they have said it is asked for in their families and circles of friends as well.

Hold on though, wait a minute, can it be true? Oh, sweet Rainbow Kale it is!! I have a new favorite that I just can’t get enough of. The first time I made it, I measured everything and was very pleased with the salad. Next time around I didn’t even need to measure because it is such a simple and quick salad to throw together. That is a high scorer in my book as well!

The recipe comes out of The 30 Minute Vegan cookbookby Mark Reinfeld and Jenifer Murray. Hats off to them both on a great book. It is true to it’s name and if a recipe requires more time for things like soaking ahead of time, it is clearly marked. It is not a raw book, but a lot of the recipes are live food recipes and marked right at the top as such. Also, in the variations sections directly under some of the recipes is a way to make the recipe a raw version. I love this!!

Rainbow Kale Salad
serves 4

6 cups lightly packed kale, stems removed
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow pepper
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

Dressing
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp pure maple syrup (not raw)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne

cut or tear the kale into bite sized pieces.
mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour dressing over the salad and massage with your hands into the salad making sure it is evenly distributed.
Serve immediately or chill 10 minutes before serving.

One thing I love about this recipe is simply the name. Especially for a healthy way to approaching food preparation and getting kids involved. We are trying to accomplish a rainbow. So, you can really play with your food and ingredients here and substitute all sorts of rainbow colors in this salad.

I will be honest and the salad never gets the chill time in this house. It goes into the big bowl to serve and gobbled up soon afterward. If any is leftover, it will last a day or two in the fridge.

This is a lip smackin’ sweet and light kale salad that is easy to make even at the last minute and adds beautiful color to your day. Enjoy!

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Choco Maca Milk

September 5th, 2010

This one brings me back to feeling like a kid again. I set out with this drink for a couple reasons. I wanted to have something quick and easy that packed a power punch of nutrition as well as taste yummy. I wanted it to include superfoods and be something I liked so much that it was easy to include in my day no matter what. I did it!

It kind of all started with the realization that I need to lay off the almonds a bit. Sad but true. I seem to be having some nut issues lately and so I have wanted to start experimenting with more seed milks since I like to have some milk on hand for a smoothie, just to drink for a light snack or to use in cooking for my family. My kids don’t tend to drink the almond milk anyway unless it is masked in a strawberry shake so on I went with my experiment.

I love the combo of hemp and pumpkin seed milk! It is packed with nutrition from the hemp seeds being a complete protein, fantastic source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, phosphorus and magnesium. Pumpkin seeds are high in protein, iron, zinc, phosphorus and have essential fatty acids. The milk is super easy to make and you don’t need a nut milk bag!! So, no excuses not to give this one a go! The ratio is 1 cup seeds to 5 cups water.

Hempkin Milk

1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
5 cups water
2 pitted dates
pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla(optional)

Put all the ingredients in your Vitamix and blend until smooth. Really you could just stop there and drink. If I am making this to drink immediately, I add 2-3 ice cubes so it is cold milk not warm. If I am not in a hurry, I will sometimes strain the milk to remove the very little amount of pulp there is otherwise, I don’t bother, fiber is good. I like the flavor of the milk with the dates and pinch of salt so I do not add vanilla unless I want a vanilla flavored shake.

Onto the choco maca part! For 1 1/2 cups of milk, I add 1 TBS cacao and 1 TBS maca powder. The cacao gives me a nice little pick up and satisfies any chocolate fix I am in need of. It also takes me back to my childhood when I liked drinking that brand with the bunny on the box of cocoa powder! This is so much better!! Cacao is a good source of antioxidents much higher than red wine and blueberries commonly talked about when antioxidents are mentioned. Cacao is also a neurotransmitter booster for endorphins, seretonin, phenylethylamine and anandamide. All of these play a role in the feeling of love, pleasure and bliss so they help reduce stress, make you feel good and are brain healthy not to mention helping with depression and pms. Cacao also contains magnesium for strong bones and sulphur for good looking skin, ahir and nails as well as helping in detoxing the liver. Maca is high in amino acids. It is a root vegetable that is more often being used as a medicine because of it’s adaptogenic qualities for hormonal balance. It can be an aid for increasing libido, fertility in men and women and increasing energy and stamina. It helps support the immune system, adrenal function and helps regulate the endocrine system. It can also be used to help alleviate chronic fatigue. ! TBS a day is sufficient and in our choco maca milk that is how much is called for!

One more thing I add to my mix is bee pollen. I only add 1 tsp otherwise I find it alters the flavor of my choco bliss and I can’t have that! Bee Pollen is full of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, bioflavonoids, phytosterols, amino acids, fatty acids and enzymes. It is often referred to as “natures perfect food”. It also helps eliminate free radicals, increase stamina, strengthens the heart, controls blood pressure levels, helps regulate body weight, and is a natural antibiotic. It can help reduce the amount of nutritional deficiencies one has and help the body to rejuvenate.

Yesterday, I was rushing around and neglected to make my choco maca milk and I was amazed that later in the day I was craving it! I still am this morning and can’t wait to make myself a nice tall glass of goodness.

For a single serving here is my recipe:

Choco Maca Milk

1 1/2 cup water
scant 1/4 cup hemp seeds
1-2 TBS pumpkin seeds
1 pitted date
very small pinch sea salt (optional)

1 1/2 cup already made hempkin milk

AND

1 TBS cacao powder (you may want to start off with half this)
1 TBS maca powder
1 tsp bee pollen (optional)

Blend it all up and pour in a glass. So easy and quick! So yummy and now, you may confidently drink to your health!!

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Blushing Almond Sundae

August 7th, 2010

The other night, I made a decadent dessert of banana crepes with cashew whipped cream and strawberry sauce atop. Gatlin ate two he loved them so. River is not a banana fan and so I am going to make apple crepes next time. They were lovely but I wanted a little twist and wasn’t in the mood for a crepe.

Into the fridge I went……. I came out with a new favorite sweet treat that truly makes me blush. Almond butter seems to have that warming effect on me.

I scooped a big dollop of raw almond butter into a bowl and topped it with strawberry sauce and a nice dollop of whipped cashew cream. Ooooo wheeeee! It is quick and easy!

I used the cashew cream recipe in Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials since I have it on loan from the library right now. This book also has the wonderful crepes mentioned earlier.

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups fresh strawberries or 15 oz frozen strawberries
1-2 TBS ground chia seeds

Mash the strawberries in a bowl. I use a potato masher.
Grind chia seeds in a spice or coffee grinder
Mix ground chia seeds with strawberries until well combined
Leave to sit 5-10 minutes.

The chia seeds absorb moisture. Chia seeds also help to keep you hydrated since they absorb so much water. Adding more or less ground chia seeds allows you to reach a sauce consistency or a jam like consistency. This stays fresh in the fridge 3-5 days.

Go ahead and be creative! place sliced bananas on the bottom of your sundae or over banana ice cream. Add different toppings like chopped walnuts, whole chia seeds, cacao nibs, buckwheaties or dried coconut.

Have a sundae party and put everything in it’s own bowl and let everyone make their own. Especially fun for kids!

Enjoy!

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WOW: Day lilies

July 16th, 2010

You know summer is in full swing when you see drifts of day lilies gently waving to you from roadsides and front yards everywhere. Their short-lived blossoms (each flower lives only for a day, hence the name, tho each stalk has several buds waiting for their turn to shine) serve as a reminder for me to enjoy each long summer day as much as possible.

Did you know that you aren’t limited to enjoying the dancing orange beauties with only sight and smell? The petals taste delicious as well! You can pull them off and toss them in salads whole or sliced. Or you can stuff them with whatever you think is tasty — flavored rice/quinoa/millet, chopped fruit or a slaw-ish salad. The greener end where the flower is attached to the stem is bitter, so you’ll want to leave it on your plate, but YUM! We ate most of the salad (a kale-cabbage-carrot slaw with a lemon tahini dressing) stuffed into all of the lilies in the picture as dinner one night.

Since borage and heartsease were also blooming in the garden, the kids picked them and tossed them into for good floral measure. I think there were some sliced rose petals in there as well. As you can see, the salad bordered on the garish, it was so colorful! Currently, our gorgeously crimson bee balm is flowering — you can pull the petals off those and toss them into salads for some beautiful color and taste, and our nasturtiums, started from seed a little late, have also started to flower. Both leaves and flowers add a peppery bite to a green salad that needs no other adornment. When I started researching what flowers could be safely consumed a couple of years ago, I was astonished at how many I already had in my yard! I have bookmarked this list of edible flowers and use it to double check plants I’m not sure about.

Back to day lilies. One afternoon Dante announced that he had something special planned for dessert. Since raspberries and wild black raspberries were also in season, he and Lucia collected a basket of berries and some day lily blossoms and disappeared into the kitchen, forbidding me to follow. He chopped up some sorrel and berries, mashing this all together a bit with some finely diced apples and the juice of half a lemon. He stuffed this mixture into the blossoms, and lay them on a plate. He put the rest of the chopped fruit mixture into the Vita-Mix to make a sauce, which he drizzled over the blossoms. We devoured this treat and wished we had more.

One caution — eating too many day lily flowers in one sitting can cause digestive upset in some people. Proceed with care until you know how many you can handle, or plan to stay close to a bathroom the next day!

If you are lucky to have a thick patch of these nearby, you can also harvest and eat the shoots raw or cooked in the early spring. Once leaves are 8-12 inches high, they will become too fibrous to enjoy. Unopened buds can be prepared much as you would green beans, and spent flowers that bloomed the previous day can be added to soups, stews, or stir-fry. The tubers at the tips of the rhizomes are also edible all year long, but the general consensus in our wild edibles books seems to be that unless you are in a survival situation, they are simply not worth the work.

Be sure to identify stands of them this summer. Otherwise, if you find a likely patch in the spring, dig up a clump and look at the root system. The underground stems (rhizomes) that end in tubers distinguish them from poisonous lilies. As with all wild edibles, you must be sure that they are free from contamination — roadsides and farms or yards that use chemical pesticides and herbicides can taint nearby wild edibles with toxins.

Happy foraging!

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day lily, edible flowers, raspberries

festive fajitas

May 12th, 2010

For this weekend’s raw potluck, I decided to try something I’ve been wanting to attempt for a while now but thought would be too much work. Boy was I wrong! Especially when you have an adorable, clever helper!

Lucia and I worked in the kitchen together — I read the recipe, and she carried out all the tasks to make the corn chowder from The Raw Transformation. We added a few personal touches — after blending the soup and adding the corn, we also put in some chopped red pepper, chunks of the other half of the avocado, and chives she picked in the garden. We used frozen corn, and the next time around I would probably add more raw garlic (surprise surprise) and maybe some more spices, but I really can’t wait to try making corn chowder with fresh corn. I liked the soup, but something was missing, and since there’s no comparison between fresh and frozen corn, I’m hoping that using corn just cut from the cob will do the trick.

Then we made the fajitas, based on a recipe posted by Joz on Raw Freedom Community. I changed it up a little bit, and have posted my recipe below. While she was waiting for me to rinse out the blender carafe and tidy the counter, Lucia grabbed the washed veggies and made Fajita man. Poor Fajita man. She snacked on some of the skin off his mushroom face. Maybe he’s sad due to his lack of arms. Who knows? Without a mouth, he’ll never be able to tell us.

Festive Fajitas

4 portobello mushrooms
2 red peppers
1 sweet onion
2 zucchini

Marinade

juice of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup olive oil
4 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup onion
Tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar

Thinly slice vegetables, place in bowl, set aside.
Blend all marinade ingredients together until smooth. Pour over veggies and toss to coat evenly.
Let sit at least 4 hours. Serve with collard, romaine, kale or cabbage leaves as a wrapper. Top with fresh salsa, cashew cream sauce, guacamole, etc.

The limes were a bit dry this week, otherwise I probably would have used more. But I have to say, this came out to be really tasty. Oh, and I would also add fresh cilantro in heavy doses if you have it. I used the leftovers on top of mesclun mix, and used the marinade to dress the salad. Delish! I served it cold, but would also try dehydrating it a bit for the warmth and to see the effect on the texture. This is a lovely party dish since it can be made ahead of time, as much as a day or two, leaving you free for more important day of party tasks that always seem to rear their ugly heads at the last minute.

Sorry for the soft focus on the pics — I touched the lens with an oily finger and need to get some lens cleaner paper but haven’t had the chance.

Happy dining!

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our class raw potluck

May 6th, 2010

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was the last day of the raw class we taught at Greenspring. It was a fantastic 12 weeks and we received lots of positive feedback which we are ever so grateful for!!

For the last class, we had a raw potluck to share a couple of our favorite dishes and give the students a chance to spread their wings and bring in a raw recipe and dish to share with the class. What a beautiful display!! We were so happy to see how everyone really took on the challenge and made some remarkable dishes. We’ve left the pictures really big, so if you click on them, you can see the dishes better.

There was so much variety:

* a beautiful garden salad with homegrown sprouts with a citrus dill vinaigrette – nice and light and the dressing had a fabulous tang.

* an Italian salad of simply cut oranges with red pepper flakes, onions and oil and vinegar was a flavorful and colorful dish

* guacamole beautifully dressed up with red pepper left nice and chunky

* one student got so excited she just couldn’t stop the creative juices from flowing and brought three dishes in! One was a balsamic dressing served over tomato and avocado. The lemon bars were superb with strawberries and chocolate sauce. Her last dish, black bean brownies, demonstrated nutritious cooked options. They were rich, fudgy and all gone!

* dehydrated pear and peaches looked pretty and were a light, sweet chip.

*crudites were served with a pumpkin seed pate which was a lovely light green color that really felt like spring. This same student brought in a dessert – chocolate coconut balls.

* another student who is obviously an artist in the kitchen brought in a version of the coconut white cake in the form of cupcakes with filling in the middle, cashew cream frosting and elegant decor of slivered almond atop. She made a chocolate version, and an alternative made with almond butter instead of tahini as well. They looked stunning.

* a big bowl bursting with nutrient packed homegrown sunflower sprouts with velvety white cream sauce was a hit among the little ones as they went back for seconds and thirds. I heard Lucia say, “I could eat these every night for dinner if I wanted to ya know!” I loved it!!

* fruit salad was also gobbled up by the littles with big smiles on their faces

* Pad Thai seemed to be a hit and I happily recited the ingredients to many who said, ” I must have that recipe.”

One of the best parts of getting together with others in this way is everyone brings such a unique quality to the experience. I love sharing my favorite dishes and trying others creations. It is a wonderful way to sample recipes you may have not come across yet or ones that include flavors you do not typically use in your kitchen. You go with one recipe and come away with so many more and you now know how they taste. Potlucks are a great way to quickly expand your repertoire.

It is also important to have community. Going to a raw potluck or hosting one does just that. It is a good way to connect with others and discuss successes and challenges, get feedback and share experiences.

So, here’s to you, our raw class participants and friends!! We so enjoyed the experience and hope you did as well!

In gratitude!!

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Coconut White Cake

April 23rd, 2010

I am a chocolate lover but my kids, not so much. Don’t get me wrong, they are not one to turn down a piece of dark chocolate or raw fudge but as for cake they like white cake better. I like variety and well, I just like cake!

This week, I made the Boutenko’s Wedding Cake out of Eating Without Heating. I call it a coconut white cake because it is very heavy with coconut and I find this prepares the taster for not cooked white cake but they know a little more what to expect. I made one full recipe for our Raw Food class and a half recipe to make a small cake for our family. River jumped right in to help with the middle layer and then off to play. Gatlin hung around and helped decorate. I really love having the kids in the kitchen. It is such a sweet bit of quality time sharing laughs and yummy tastes as well as being able to teach them practical applications of math with measuring, nutrition and how to make food itself.

Coconut White Cake

Crust:
2 cups raw tahini (easy to make homemade)
4 cups dry, shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together well and use for the layers of the cake.

Frosting:
1 cup cashews
2 TBS raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract (the original recipe calls for mint extract)
1/4 cup fresh coconut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water

Blend all ingredients in vitamix. I soak th cashews 4 hours and they are even softer and of course healthier. Use as little water as possible to have a thick, creamy spreadable frosting.

Put half the crust on a plate and form into desired shape. Next, layer with fruit. I like banana in the middle. It gives a super creamy texture kind of like that pudding layer for cooked white cake.
On a second plate, form the second part of the crust and gently slide it onto the top crust. Frost the cake and decorate wildly!

It is a beautiful cake to be able to decorate so be extra creative. With the last cakes I made, I will say, Gatlin won the prize for best decorated. We were both using the same fruits to decorate and had very different ideas. Fantastic!

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Milkshakes!

April 11th, 2010

I used to love family night at our house as a kid. We would get out our milkshake maker and load it up with cow’s milk, ice cream, ice cubes and some fruit or we would also make root beer floats.

I went in the fridge the other day and realized the almost still full pitcher of homemade almond milk needed to get used right now or it will have to visit the world below the drain. So, I decided to start the day with a yummy treat for the kids. Strawberry milk shake time!

This was so easy and packed with good stuff and very filling! I poured about 6 cups of milk in the Vita-Mix with close to 2 cups of frozen strawberries, 6 pitted dates and 1 TBS maca (optional), whizzed it up and served!

It was so delicious, we all came back for seconds. For me, I should probably have this mid day as it was very filling and I do better with light in the morning which is true for most of us as that is when we are breaking our fast and digestion is just waking up as well. The kids do well with a heavier morning meal so it worked well for them and they stayed full for awhile which is always a challenge when we just have fruit in the morning.

The milkshake is so versatile and begs for you to be creative. For vanilla, use milk, add frozen banana and 2 tsp vanilla. For chocolate, add about 2 TBS cacao powder and a frozen banana. Throw in some mint with the chocolate one for mint chocolate chip. Top with cacao nibs for an extra treat. All can be topped with buckwheat crunchies as well.

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friendly fruit

April 7th, 2010

Tired of snacking on a whole apple? Don’t have time to make fruit salad? Or maybe you have a lot of time on your hands and are feeling creative?

It’s time for a fresh approach to fruit! Fruit skewers are always appreciated — especially grapes frozen on skewers. These go over well, especially with hot or feverish little ones. As we mentioned in the banana ice cream post (also a great way to play with your fruit), frozen banana pops are a perennial favorite. Chop up some melon and set the bowl on the table with some toothpics and see what sorts of structures your family can create.

Put out some small bowls full of nuts, seeds, cacao nibs, and fresh fruit and/or veggies and see what sort of a zoo you can build — strawberry mice with cacao nib eyes and almond slice ears. Green apple frog with green grape feet.You’re only limited by the contents of your fridge and your imagination!

Mango Hedgehog with a Pinealoupe caterpillar