Spinach Apple Salad with Raw Poppy Seed Dressing

 A festive red and green salad with the perfect blend of a sweet dressing with just the right zing to it. I have long missed the sweet white poppy seed dressing I use to enjoy until recently I was asked to make one. With the swap of only a few ingredients I ended up with a newly found love and stable for my fridge! Happy dance :)

For the Salad:
1 lb Fresh Baby Spinach
2 Gala Apples, cut or cubed
1/2 C Juice Sweetened Cranberries
1/4 C Chopped Pecans
~or use a Mock Feta Cheese
(1 C crushed macadamia nuts with a dash of sea salt and 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast)
Sliced Red Onion (opt.)

Raw Poppy Seed Dressing
In the blender
1 C Pure Olive Oil
3/4 C Agave
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T fresh white Onion, minced
1 T Mustard seed powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Blend until smooth then stir in:
1 1/2 T Poppy Seeds
Shake together and store in the fridge. It thickens a bit more in the fridge then you can shake it up as needed.
Pour a little over your salad and toss together to your liking. Enjoy!

Raw Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

   With Thanksgiving just a week away thoughts of pie are floating around. You can almost smell the cinnamon and you want to reach out and take a bite.....and what goes well with pie? Ice Cream! Well why not keep it healthy and delicious with this Raw Apple Pie and healthy Vanilla Ice Cream?  Two Thanksgiving favorites. We had this last weekend as a "trial run" to see if we should take it to our Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone here gave it 2 thumbs up and we can't wait to enjoy it again.

First I made the

Raw Apple Pie 
 (Original Recipe here) 

Crust:
1 1/2 - 2 C. Pecans
7 Medjool Dates, pitted
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Vanilla

Food process and press into a dish
Filling:
4  Granny Smith Apples, thinly sliced in a food processor OR use an apple peeler/slicer
2 Gala Apples, diced and added to blender
1 C Raisins, soaked for 30 minutes, then added to blender
Juice of 1 lemon (a little less than 1/4 C org. lemon juice)
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1 t. Vanilla
1 T. Cinnamon
1-2 T. Raw Agave

Blend the Gala Apples, Raisins, Salt, Vanilla, & Cinnamon. In a bowl, combine apples, blended mixture, lemon juice, and drizzle with Agave and mix well. Add to pie crust.

Crumble Topping:
2 C. Walnuts
7 Large Medjool Dates, pitted
1 t. Vanilla
Pinch of Sea Salt
Process until crumbly and top the pie.

Serve with
Raw Vanilla Ice Cream
 4 C Almond Milk
 4-5 Frozen, ripe Bananas
1 T Pure Vanilla
1/2 C Agave
1 Tray of ice (about 10 cubes)
1 1/2 C Almonds

Blend on Ice Cream button for one cycle.
This gives you a nice thick shake, but we want Ice Cream here! So, pour into a thick Tupperware dish and freeze. If you had an ice cream maker you could use that at this point. I don't, so I freeze it and mix it around every hour or so until it is evenly solid. About 3-4 hours. When you are ready to eat it let thaw about 15 minutes.
Scoop out and serve.

Cinnamon Fruit Salad

This simple fruit salad uses your basic fruits topped with a splash of orange, nuts,  and a little fall spice: Cinnamon.

For the Salad layer:
Chopped Apples
Chopped Bananas
Mix with 1/2 Orange, juiced
Top with:
Raisins
Almonds
Cashews
Sprinkle of Cinnamon.
Enjoy.

Raw Chocolate Brownies or Raw mini-Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Frosting

  Looking for a quick delicious raw chocolate frosting? The frosting is really what makes this brownie/cake! There are so many variations of frosting's and I liked this one because it is quick to make, to use right away, or store. It's creamy, smooth, and I've even used it for vegan cupcakes and everyone loved it!

 Brownie/Mini-cupcake:

1 ½ C Pecans

1 C Almonds

¼ C Cocoa

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

12 Medjool Dates

2 T Agave

Blend the nuts and cocoa together first, then add in the dates and agave and blend until it’s thick and sticks together. Transfer mixture to an 8x8 dish or scoop (1 T each) into mini-cupcake holders ~Made about 24+ mini's.

Raw Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

20 Medjool Dates (abt 1 cup)

¾ C Water

¼ C Coconut Oil

½ C Cocoa

½ C Honey

Dash Sea Salt

Soak the dates in the water about and hour, then transfer all frosting ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and there are no more date chunks.

Frost brownies/cupcakes and chill in the freezer until ready to eat.Enjoy!

*Store any extra frosting in the fridge in an air-tight container for a quick topping to anything. It's great as a chocolate fruit dip as well! 

As Brownies

 

OR as Mini's

Raw Honey Almond Butter Taffy

This is a simple delicious "candy" that we made up a few weeks ago. My kids say it has the texture of taffy. It's gooey and has a melt in your mouth sweet flavor.

2 C Raw Almonds
2 T Melted Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 C Honey (the more raw the better)

In the blender, blend the almonds until they are starting to release the oils then slowly add the coconut oil while blending on low, add the salt then pour in the honey. If you can keep the blender going that's great. It will start to make one big gooey ball. Stop when it's all mixed together but not too oily. My blender did warm up quite a bit during the process.

Transfer to a sheet of wax paper and roll into long "snakes" (this part was fun for my 2 year old:)
Score into 1 inch pieces. Roll it up and chill in the fridge.

*I also made a chocolate version by splitting the batch and adding 2 T Cocoa to half and blending  until mixed. Think Raw tootsie rolls:)
*Also great made with Hazelnuts!

Raw Taco Salad

The great thing about Taco salads is they can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. We love all the spicy and freshness about them. This one is fairly simple yet has that Mexican zing you want in the nut taco "meat".

Romaine, chopped  (we use a 3 pk. for our family of 6 eaters)
 1 Bell Peppers, chopped (any kind, but we love red)
 1 Cucumber, seeded and cubed
 Spicy Tomatoes
 3 chopped vine-ripe tomatoes mixed with
1/4 white onion diced
one clove of garlic pressed
 Guacamole
2-3 Avocados, pitted
1 Tomato, chopped
Lime juice, 2-3 TBSP
1 tsp Sea Salt
Mix
 Nut Taco "Meat"
1 C Walnuts, best if soaked 15 min. or more, but I've rinsed them and called it good.
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
dash of garlic and onion powder (opt)
Pulse together in the blender until you have a a course crumbly mixture, but not so that it all starts to stick together.
 Drizzle with:
Cashew Dressing
2 1/2 C cashews (best if soaked)
1-2 lemons, juiced (abt. 1/4-1/3 C org. lemon juice)
1-2medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 Tbsp E.V.O.O (optional)
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 ½ C cold water
In the blender add 1 C water with other ingredients. Blend until thick and creamy. If it is too thick, add the other ½ cup of water and blend.
*Add flax crackers if desired.

 Raw Taco Salad

Raw Maple Pecan Tarts

 Raw desserts are so fun to play with! I just couldn't help adding a little fall spice to this Raw Maple Pecan tart. I will definitely be making this again around Thanksgiving. The cinnamon and maple give it just the right delicious blend.
 I made this into 3 separate tarts, but you could also make it into one smaller pie.

For the Crust:
1 C Walnuts
5 Medjool dates, pitted
1 T Pure Maple Syrup
Dash of Sea Salt
Dash of Cinnamon (about 1/8 tsp)

Blend together until the mixture starts to stick together.
Split into thirds and transfer to 3 tart dishes. With your fingers push the crust out evenly on the bottom of the dishes.

Maple Pecan Pie Filling
1 C Pecans
10 Medjool dates, soaked in 2/3 C Water- at least 10 minutes or until it softens the dates
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla
3 T Pure Maple Syrup
Dash of Cinnamon

Blend all the pie filling ingredients together, including date water, until it is mostly smooth. (There may be little Date and Pecan pieces.)
Scoop out and fill tart shells, spreading the filling out evenly.
Top with extra Pecans and freeze until ready to eat or a few hours until it sticks together.
It will not get solid, but cold enough to stay together.
Enjoy this wonderful freezer treat!

Raw Ice Cream Cake

I have had a Yo-Nanas maker for almost a year now and we make fresh fruit ice-cream with it at least every month. Well, last week for family night my 2 year old was in charge of picking a treat and he wanted yo-nanas. As the beautiful banana ice cream was coming out I started thinking of how I could make a delicious raw ice cream cake. So the ideas began....
 The other night at 10:30p.m.:) Not usually when I like to experiment, but oh were we all happy that I did when we tasted all the creamy, chocolatey, banana goodness last night!
~I am sure you can use a food processor or blender to make the ice cream, but I used my yo-nanas maker.

You need:
Yo-nanas maker
A spring form pan
A High Speed Blender
A Freezer
A Batch of Raw Chocolate Sauce

The Crust and middle cake layer
1 C Walnuts
1 T Cocoa Powder
5 Medjool Dates
a dash of sea salt

Put all ingredients in the blender and pulse until you have a crumbly mixture, but not oily.
~Make this twice, separately. One for the crust and one for the middle layer.
 If you do too much at a time the oils seem to release faster and you don't get the "cakey" texture you want.

Take one batch and press down into the spring form pan. Set the other aside in a bowl for later use.

For the Raw Ice Creams
 6 Frozen Bananas, thawed about 5 minutes
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 C Agave
1 T Cacao Nibs
Raw dried Gogi Berries (opt)
1/4 C Raw Chocolate Sauce

1. Push the bananas through the Yo-nanas maker one at a time until you you have a big bowl of raw ice cream. Stir in vanilla and agave. Put half of the batch in another bowl and stir in cacao nibs.

2. Add Raw Chocolate Sauce to the mixture you have and stir until you have raw chocolate ice cream.
Scoop this onto your crust and spread around until even.

3. Get your other bowl of "cake" mix and crumble evenly over the ice cream.
Drizzle with raw chocolate sauce.

4. Spread your cacao-chip ice cream over the cake layer.

5. Top with drizzles of Raw chocolate sauce, cacao nibs, and dried gogi berries.

6. Freeze until ready to eat, at least a half hour to let things set together.
Emjoy!

Raw Broccoli Cabbage Salad

 I know when I am in an ALL raw foods stage because I think of idea after idea of different foods and combinations of foods, not to mention how amazing I feel! Energy, motivation, happiness, confidence...ok I won't bore you.
 Well, in the past 24 hours inspiration hit more than once, so you are in luck and get to try my new creations. I love when this happens because something yummy always comes out of it.
 This salad tasted cheesy to me so I was going to call it a Raw Cheesy Broccoli Cabbage Salad, but it was too long, plus my husband said to him it was almost a peanut sauce taste. So you can try it yourself and see what you think, for me I'll go with cheesy:)
 It was tasty and SO simple  to put together and great as a side salad for 4 or double or triple to make it the main dish, I know I will next time!

1 C Purple Cabbage, chopped
1 C Green Cabbage (for variety), chopped
1 C Broccoli, finely chopped
Put in a bowl and add:
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Nutritional Yeast (this gives it the flavor you want!)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 C Crushed Walnuts
Toss together and Enjoy your super fast and healthy dinner!

Raw Fudge Brownies with Creamy Vanilla Coconut Frosting

 This recipe of divinity came when I decided to put two of my favorites quick and delicious desserts together. It was the brownie/dessert that saved me after having our most recent baby and there was no healthy desserts on the menu at the hospital.:) I had made them before going in and every day my dear husband brought some to me and even stored a few in the hospital freezer. That was thinking ahead!

  First, I took the recipe from the Raw Fudge Babies and doubled it, changing slightly, Then, I topped it with the creamy frosting from the Raw Oreo's, set it in the freezer and voi-la. Completely quick and satisfying dessert.
 I start with the frosting on this one, and usually make a double batch so I can have the rest in the freezer for a quick frosting. If it freezes all the way and is thawed about 15 minutes you can stir it up and use it as a "whipped" frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Coconut Frosting
1/2 C Young Thai Coconut Meat
1 C Cashews
1/2 C Agave
1/8 C Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla
1/4 C Coconut Oil
Squeeze of Fresh Lemon, about 2 Tbsp.
Freeze until ready to use.

 Raw Fudge Brownies
(doubled from the fudge babies)
2 C Almonds
1 C Pecans
1/2 C raw Cocoa powder
1 1/2 C Medjool dates,pitted (about 16~make sure they are not too soft, or use less)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Pure Vanilla
This is where you blend up the nuts, dates, cocoa, salt, and vanilla, in 2 batches, scrape out into a big bowl  adding enough agave to make it stick together, but not wet sticky. I ended up with a nice thick brownie batter which I pressed into a 9x9 glass dish.
Top with about 1 C of Frosting and freeze at least an hour for a firmer frosting. Cut into 1x1 inch pieces and Enjoy!

Raw Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad

I love fresh salads in the spring time and have recently become a bigger fan of vinaigrette, especially fruit-sweetened ones. This salad combines sweet, sour, and slightly bitter from the greens, yet uses fresh berries to even it out. It was nice to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy the tangy freshness of a salad.

Mixed Baby Greens
Topped with fresh
Raspberries
Blackberries
Strawberries
Cucumbers, sliced and cut in half
Juice sweetened cranberries
Chopped Pecans
Vinaigrette dressing.

Raw Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/8 C Olive Oil
1-2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 C Agave
10-15 Fresh Raspberries
Blend or pulse until berries are mostly separated. Pour over salads and serve.
*Dressing makes enough for 2-3 Salads. Double if you are feeding more people.

Raw Teriyaki Vegetable Salad

 Lately I have been going through my old recipes that I tried when first going raw almost 4 years ago and trying them again. Some I think, "what was this suppose to be?" While others are pretty good, yet could be improved upon because of what I now know with flavors.
 So here is a much improved vegetable Teriyaki dish. It could be all shredded, but I went with spiralizing the noodles, with the other veggies on top. It was light and filling and so tasty. It is great to switch up flavors and this hit the spot for us tonight.

Vegetables:
1 Med. Yellow Squash, spiralized
2 Med. Zuchinni, spiralized
add:
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1-2 C Broccoli, chopped small
1/2 C Carrots, Shredded
1/2 C Sugar Snap Peas

Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 C Nama Shoyu
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Honey
1 Sm. Garlic, pressed
3 T Lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 C Walnuts (for thickening)
Blend until smooth.
Pulse in:1 T Sesame Seeds
Take a portion of the salad and drizzle on as much sauce as you want. Enjoy!

  *I added a skewer of pineapple dipped in the sauce and dehydrated about 20 minutes. Mmmm.

 Now mix around the sauce...

21 Day Green Smoothie Challenge/Recipes

  Green Smoothies are awesome! You can pretty much throw any fruit and greens in the blender to make one and there are endless variations!
  At the beginning of January I felt a wave of motivation waiting to happen, so I went to one of The Green Smoothie Girls' lectures and that gave me the extra kick I needed to get going for the year. I love green smoothies and and I have been drinking them for years, but this winter has been so cold here in Utah, I have NOT wanted to drink more cold! However, I decided I would take a 21 Day Green Smoothie Challenge, and see if I could get myself to drink some of those veggies I had always been afraid of...like beets! It is said after 21 days you form a habit. So, after grocery shopping I told my family about the challenge and my 7 1/2  year old son said he'd do it with me. The others said they didn't want to, but ahh...when the kitchen smells like fresh fruit and smoothies, guess who came around? :) Yep, by the end of our 21 days, everyone (6 of us) was having at least 1-2 cups. That's a LOT of smoothie!
 My son made us a chart, and every day we wrote down the ingredients we put in our smoothies. I thought I would share some of them here so if you are looking for a pick-me-up, motivation, or just want to add a few fruits and veggies into your diet, try our 21 Day Green Smoothie Challenge.
  I have to admit we weren't too brave with our greens, we didn't go with any "wild edibles" we mostly stuck to spinach, kale, and collards, but even adding in those in every day helped us feel more energized!
~Most of our smoothies made at least 4 Cups, some more and some less depending on who walked in the kitchen when things were going in the blender and decided they wanted one.
*My tip: If it is too bitter or "green" smelling, add another banana or lemon to lighten!:)

Smoothies:
Day 1
2 C Water
1 Green Apple
2 Stalks of Celery
1 Orange
1 C Spinach
1/2 Lemon with peel (peel made it slightly bitter)

Day 2
1 C Red Grapes
1 Orange
1 Stalk of Kale, despined
Handful of Spinach
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 Red Apple
Slice of Beet

Day 3
2 C Water
1 Small Beet
1 C Spinach
1/2 C Cashews
1/2 C Shredded Coconut
1 Banana
1/2 C Carrots
5 Medjool Dates

Day 4
2 C Water
2 C Frozen Mixed Berries
1 Banana
1/2 Lemon, juiced
3 Oranges
1 C Spinach
1 Kale

Day 5
2 C Water
2 C Frozen Cherries
Spinach
Kale
1 C Cantelope
1 Red Apple
1 Banana
1 Orange
1/2 Lemon, juiced

Day 6
2 C water
1 Sm. Beet, peel off
Kale
Spinach
1 Apple
1 1/2 Banana
2 Oranges
3 C Frozen Tropical Fruit
Squeeze of Lemon

Day 7
2 C water
2 Oranges
1 Beet
1 Banana
Kale
Spinach
3/4 Lemon
Handful of baby carrots
Big Apple
1T Flaxseeds

Day 8
2 C Water
3 C Spinach
2 Oranges
1 Banana
3 C Tropical Fruit
1/2 Lemon

Day 9
2 C Water
2 C Spinach
1 C Almonds
1/4 C Agave
1/4 C Org. Cocoa Powder
3 Frozen Banana's
2 C Spinach
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla
(Great one for kids, can't even see or taste the green:)

Day 10
1 C Water
1 Banana
1/4 of a whole fresh Pineapple
2 Oranges
2 C Spinach

Day 11
2 C Water
2 Oranges
1 Banana
2 C Frozen Strawberries
1 C Frozen Mixed Berries
1 C Spinach
1/2 C Raw Almonds
(Adding Almonds makes it taste more like a milk shake)

Day 12
2 C water
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 Kale
1 Kiwi
2 C Tropical Fruit
1 Orange
1 Gala Apple

Day 13
2 C Water
3 C Mixed Tropical
2 Kale
1 Orange
1 Banana

Day 14
2 C Water
2 C Strawberries
2 C Tropical
2 C Spinach
1 Orange
1 Banana

Day 15
1 C Water
2 Oranges
1 Banana
2 C Spinach
1/2 Lemon
1 C Ice
(One of my personal faves, this is my quick drink)

Day 16
2-3 C Water
1 Kale
Big handful of chopped Collards
2 Kiwi
1 Orange
1 Banana
5 C Frozen Strawberries

Day 17
2 C Water
2 Oranges
3 C Tropical
Spinach
Collards

Day 18
Repeat of the Green Chocolate Shake

Day 19
2 1/2  C Water
4 C Frozen Blueberries
2 Bananas
Squeeze of Lemon
2 Oranges
3 C Spinach

Day 20
2 C Water
2 C Tropical
3 Oranges
1 C Medjool Dates
2 C Spinach
5 C Strawberries
Handful of Raw Almonds

Day 21
Repeat of Day 15

Well, that's it! Sometimes we ate it for dinner, if it was "loaded" like with dates and nuts, but most of the time it was breakfast for everyone, and yes, though the 21 days are over, our green smoothie days are not!
I hope you got some new ideas and have fun putting things in your blender in the future!
 I'm hungry....Green Smoothie anyone? :)

Raw Italian Tomato Snacks

When tomatoes are dehydrated they become sweeter and richer, thus the sun-dried tomato flavor that so many love. I made this when I was craving the Raw Lasagne but didn't want to make all of the fillings. It makes a pretty little appetizer or add it to any Italian meal.

4 Fresh Vine-Ripe Tomatoes, Sliced on their sides
1 Tablespoon of Raw Cheese
Italian Spice

For the Spicy Macademia Cheese:
2 C Macademia Nuts
1/2 Medium Lemon, juiced
1 T Nutritional Yeast
1-2 dashes of Cayenne Pepper
1tsp Sea Salt, or to taste
Enough Water to cover
Blend until almost creamy

Arrange Tomato slices on a dehydrator tray.
Top with a Tablespoon of Raw Cheese
Sprinkle lightly with Italian Spice (or fresh herbs)

Dehydrate about 118 for 4-6 hours or until desired outcome is achieved.
 I can hardly wait to eat them, so usually I have one raw, one a couple hours into it-which becomes mushy, but still tasty, and after the full time you have the texture of a sweet and sour sun dried tomato with slightly crispy raw cheese. I make these when I wake up so I can eat them by lunch, then put another batch in for an after dinner snack :)
~Also great on raw flat breads, crackers, or burgers.
SO delicious!

Top picture is a before shot, and I actually took them off the sheet for a faster dry.

The delicious finish

Tutti-Fruity Cutie Salad

This Salad is a great mix freshness with the tangy sweetness of our favorite winter fruit here: Cuties!

Arrange in order:
1 Bowl of Baby Spinach
Fresh chopped Strawberries
Fresh Rasperries
Green Grapes, chopped in half
Cutie pieces(the little mandarin oranges, mostly available in winter)
Top with Raw Almonds and Lemon-Agave Dressing if desired.

Raw Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake

Happy New Year! For my first post of the year I was thinking about strawberry cheesecake...so I put a few things together and it turned out so smooth and delicious. My husband, who is not even a cheesecake fan said it was fantastic and of the course the kids wanted seconds. May your mouth water until you can taste this yourself! :)

For the Crust
1/3 C Almonds
1/3 C Walnuts
1/3 C Pecans
9 Medjool dates, pitted
Dash of Sea Salt
 Add all to the blender and set on speed 1 until it is well mixed and starts to clump together and the oils are releasing. One cycle, about 50 sec. usually does it, you may have to push down the sides once or twice.
Scoop out mixture and press into a glass pie dish. Set in freezer until ready to use.

For the Filling
1 C Cashews, soaked
1 C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
5 Medjool Dates, pitted
I put the 1st three ingredients in the same bowl covered with 1 1/2 C Warm water, for about 20 minutes
Drain and transfer to the Blender
Add
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 C Softened Coconut Oil
3/4 Agave
1/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice
5 Large Strawberries, stems off
 Blend until thick and creamy. It may be a bit grainy so keep blending. I did about 2-3 minutes on a medium speed, stopping to check the creaminess.

Take out pie crust and pour filling evenly into the crust. Put the pie back into the freezer for about 6 hours or until firm. Take out about 10 min. prior to serving and top it with fresh sliced strawberries.
Eat with pleasure.

 Have a slice!