Raw Creamy Spicy Mexican Soup

This soup is a great base for any type of a "taco" soup. The spicy and creaminess is delicious, as my 5 year old put it after eating lunch "we are a spicy family!"

In the Blender:
3 C Very warm water (yes, I used the tap on this one)
2 Big Roma Tomatoes, seeded and cored
2 Stalk of Celery
1 Long Carrot
1 Avocado
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2-3 tsp Mexican Seasoning (I used an all-natural Frontier Mexican Seasoning  and it is a great blend of spices, if you opt for 3tsp. it IS spicy. Mine was a no-salt version, which is why I add salt in this recipe- check picture)

Blend on "soup" or high for 1-2 minutes until smooth and warm.Top with fresh or dried cilantro.
*You can add any other veggies you want; corn, chopped tomatoes, chunks of avoc., red bells etc.
 I softened some spinach in warm water and added it to mine (not shown.)

Enjoy the spiciness of life! :)

Raw Linguini with Marinated Mushrooms

When I was throwing things together the other night I knew I wanted to use my squash and mushrooms, sort of an odd combo and I had never thought of mixing them in a raw pasta type of salad before. It turned out fresh and had a nice added texture and taste with the mushrooms. I know it could be prettier if I had red baby tomatoes, but it still tasted great.

In a  bowl add:
8oz. Sliced Mushrooms
2 T Nama Shoyu or Tamari
1 T Fresh Lemon Juice
1 T Olive Oil
Sprinkle of Sea Salt
Mix and spread out on a dehydrating tray. I let mine dehydrate about an hour, mixing them around about half way through and added them last.

In the mean time~
 In a medium bowl:
Cut 2 Med. Yellow Squash lengthwise (to get thinner noodles) and make into long strips with your potato peeler. Peel until you get to the seeds, then discard.
2 Long Carrots
peeled into long thing strips, do it until you are at the center, then either eat or chop up the rest and add to the bowl.  (My kids took mine to play swords with and eat :)
1/4 Cucumber, cut into small chunks
10 Suburst Tomatoes, cut in half
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Toss together and add mushrooms. There will be leftover sauce from them, pour it over the whole dish and toss gently.

Raw Spicy Taquito Wraps

I love the Mexican flare in this great raw version of a spicy re-fried bean taquito. Simple and delicious.

1-2 Heads of Romaine lettuce leaves, washed. Lay out to dry and make the filling.

Filling:
1 C Almonds, soaked
1/2 C Walnuts, soaked
1 Lime, juiced
1 Avocado
1 sm. Garlic, pressed
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Blend together filling until slightly chunky. Scoop about 1-2 T onto Romaine leaves and spread out. Top with sliced tomatoes and cilantro, or eat plain.
Makes 12 medium wraps.

Raw Curried Cauliflower

I have been experimenting with raw cauliflower for a while and found it delicious because of it's natural sweetness, yet it will take on flavor well like zucchini. This is a simple yet great Indian tasting dish. We serve it as a main dish.

2 Heads of Cauliflower, broken into baby pieces then soak it in very warm water about 5 minutes to wash it off and soften it up a bit. Plus, cauliflower tastes better in this dish a little warm.

Drain the cauliflower and transfer to a mixing bowl and add:

1/8 C Olive oil, drizzled over cauliflower
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder (or 1/2 of a garlic clove)
1/8 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Sea Salt (use less if needed)
3 tsp of Indian Curry. You can use less if you don't want it too spicy, but this seemed to be just the right amount of spice.

Sprinkle the spices and salt over the cauliflower and mix it together until the spices are evenly distributed.
Eat immediately. Unless you want it cold, then it stores 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 6 Cups.

Raw "Bubblegum" Shake

I've been wanting to use my dried Gogi berries in a shake for a while and today we made a fresh and fruity shake with a crunchy-chewy spin and ended up with a Raw "Bubblegum-flavored" Shake. We all enjoyed the crunchy-chewiness of the Gogi berries, nuts, and dates. Made about 4-5 cups.

In the Blender:
1 C Water
1 Banana
1/2 C Raw Almonds
5 soft, pitted Medjool Dates
2 C Frozen Strawberries
1 Tbsp Cacao Nibs
1/4 C agave (opt.)
2 C Ice

Blend on Milkshake button, or until there are tiny chunks.
Add 1/2 C Dried Gogi Berries and blend for about 5 seconds or pulse until they are in tiny chunks. Pour into cups, add extra berries on top if desired, and eat immediately. :)

Raw Pina Colada

Nothing beats the freshness of a Raw Pina Colada on a hot summer day! The whole family will enjoy it with a straw and a smile. :) We have enjoyed many at our home the last few weeks with the making of so much  Raw coconut milk with honey. We often double this recipe to serve the 6 of us.

In the blender add:

1 C Fresh Coconut Milk
1 C Fresh or Frozen Pineapple
1 Ripe Banana
1-2 C Ice

Blend on milkshake button, or high for one minute. It should be milkshake-like.
Pour into a glass and enjoy. Yum!
*Another option we really like is to add 1/2 Mango to the mixture.

Raw Coconut Milk with Honey

Fresh homemade coconut milk is a sweet creamy alternative to almond milk, and it is so good with a little honey and in fresh Pina Colada's!
To make homemade coconut take:
One brown coconut, take a clean screw driver and poke a hole in the softest eye.
Set it upside down on a cup and let all the coconut water drain out. You can drink it, but I find it rather bitter.
Then take a cleaver (or a clean hammer works), placing the coconut on a clean hard surface, hit the coconut a few times until it cracks and you can break it open. Here is a great site for pictures and instructions: http://www.rawmazing.com/fresh-raw-coconut-milk/

After you have the coconut meat, cut into chunks.
In the blender put:
1 C fresh coconut meat (or more if your coconut has more, I usually do 1C coconut to 3 C water)
3 C Water (less if you want it creamier)
Blend on high. Strain through a nut bag (or clean knee high nylon)
Add 2 T Raw Honey
Mix well and enjoy!

*The Coconut pulp can be dehydrated and blended and used anywhere for coconut flour, raw cakes, cookies, pie crusts etc. I've also added a tiny bit of Stevia to it for a sweeter white garnish. (It looks like powdered sugar.)

Raw Homemade Oreos

Who loves Oreo's? From the chocolate cake mix cookies and frosting to the crunchy store bought ones, people love oreo's. How about a healthy choice? This combination of chewy, chocolatey, and creamy are perfect together. The longer you chew the better they get.You could also dehydrate the cookie for a crunchy Oreo.

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.

Blend together on high until creamy. Transfer to a thick Tupperware container and set in the freezer an hour or two until it gets mostly firm. Stir with a spoon and continue to freeze. It doesn't get solid, but the consistency of a great thick frosting! This could be used on any raw cake or cookie as a great topping or fresh drizzled over strawberries.

The Chocolate Cookie
1/8 C flax seed meal, set aside in a bowl
In the blender:
2 1/4 C Almonds, blended to almond flour consistency
add in the blender:
7 pitted Medjool Dates
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 C agave
1 C Raw Cocoa Powder
Pulse together until a ball of thick dough forms, if it's still crumbly add a little more agave.
Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of flax-seed meal on the counter. Transfer cookie dough onto it and roll out until 1/4-1/8 in. thick. If it sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle with more flax seed meal.
Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes or circles. Set on a cookie sheet in the freezer until firm, about an hour.
Makes about 15 2in. Oreos.
~Fill cookies with Creamy Vanilla Coconut Frosting and eat immediately or set in the freezer until ready to eat.

Raw Mushroom Taco's with Chunky Mango Salsa

A lot of people love mushrooms when transitioning to raw foods because of their thick meatier texture. This is similar to the basic raw nut tacos, just adding in a meatier texture and a sweet salsa. The combination is great!
~This recipe is for at least 6+ people.

Taco Shells:
2 Heads of Romaine leaves, washed and cut in half

Fill the Romaine with the following
Marinated Taco Mushrooms
Quick Guacamole
Chunky Mango Salsa
Top with or dip in Veggie Dip or Raw Sour Cream
*Also great with corn chips or flax crackers.

Marinated Taco Mushrooms
One 8oz. package of white mushrooms, sliced
Pour mushrooms into a bowl and add
1/3 C Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Stir until mushrooms are coated. Transfer to a dehydrating sheet and dehydrate at 115 for 3-4 hours, until soft. Sprinkle lightly with taco spices, or more if you want it really spicy. I did cumin, chilli powder, garlic, and onion.
Return to dehydrator for another hour to soak in the spices.

Chunky Mango Salsa
8 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, no seeds, diced
1/2 Medium White Onion
2 Small Garlic, pressed
1 TBSP Fresh Cilantro, (I used the leaves, minced)
2 Mangoes, peeled and diced (if you are cutting on a cutting board try to pour as much of the mango juice into the salsa to help with the sweetness.
2 TBSP Agave
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Chop all and put into a bowl and mix together. Add salt (if needed) before serving as it makes it watery.

 Guacamole (I triple it for this recipe)
1 Avocado
1/2 T Lime juice from a Lime
1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. Onion Powder
1-2 tsp. Garlic Power
1/4-1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne
1 tsp. Chili Power
1/8 tsp. Oregano
Mix well, and adjust to taste. We like ours spicy!

Sorry for the fuzzy pic, had to resort to phone on this one.

Lucky Leprechaun Shake (raw)

For our green and healthy treat for St. Patrick's Day I made everyone "Lucky Leprechaun Shakes," pretending that a Leprechaun came and turned them green when everyone was outside...of course my kids already knew that the Spinach was the culprit, and of course told the other kids who were over, but it was fun to play while it lasted. Plus it's a great way to enjoy the green as a dessert.

2 C Water
1/4 C Agave
3 frozen bananas, sliced
1 C raw almonds
1 T Pure Vanilla
1 C Spinach
1-2 C Ice (add one and blend, then if needed add the other)
Place all ingredients in the blender. Push the Ice Cream or Shake button, or on high until smooth and creamy.