Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 It's October and with it comes the crispness in the air,  my birthday, and excitement of the Holidays right around the corner. I love the fresh smells of the leaves and in my house the smell of cinnamon!

3 C Oats
Set aside in a mixing bowl

In the blender
1 Gala Apple, chopped
1 C Almonds
10 Medjool Dates
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Blend together and slowly add in 3/4 C Agave

Add blender mixture to the dry oats.
Stir in 1/2 C Raisins

I used my 1 in. cookie scoop to get a good size and put the scooped mixture into my hands and flattened them down.
Set in dehydrator about 1-2 hours at 115 degrees. Eat warm!
 Makes about 32 cookies.

Italian Salad with Raw Italian Dressing

For almost 4 years I have wanted to make an Italian dressing that I liked, and for some reason this season my brain is just flowing with healthy food ideas. Today was my lucky day for the dressing, made one up, topped my salad and....delicious!

Italian Salad
2-3 heads of Romaine,chopped
1/2 Head Purple cabbage, chopped
3-4 Celery, cut lengthwise then chopped
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 C baby Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
1 T Purple Onion, minced
1 T Hemp Seeds

Layer the salad in this order. Top with the Onion and Hemp seeds.

Raw Italian Dressing

1/2 C Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 T ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 T Fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp Agave
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Whisk together and put in a glass container to store. Shake well before using.

 

Cabbage and Kale Salad

Cabbage and Kale are a great combination in this light and tasty salad. I made it as an after thought for dinner and the whole big bowl was scraped clean. I just love when that happens! The lettuces take on a mild flavor that keeps you coming back for more of that tasty crunch.

For the Salad:
1/2 Head of Purple Cabbage, chopped
4 C lightly packed chopped Kale, massage the kale a little and it shrinks down some to about 2 packed C.
1 Gala Apple, chopped into small pieces
1/2 C Dried Cherries (dried cranberries would work too)
1/2 Chopped pecans
Mix together with your hands, then add

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
In a small bowl add:
1/4 C Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Sea Salt
3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix well and pour over salad. Toss together with your hands until all is lightly coated.
Serve well.

Raw Mini Hazelnut Tartlets

Hazelnuts definitely make up a big part of this recipe. Their unique flavor adds just the right touch to the base and sauce and they are just the right size for little parties.

Hazelnut Crust
1 C Shredded Coconut
1 C Hazelnuts
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 C Agave
Blend together until sticky dough is formed.

Scoop out and press about 1 inch balls into a mini cupcake holders so they are about 1/2 way full, makes about 18.

Hazelnut Cream
1 C Hazelnuts
1 C Cashews, soaked
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 tsp Pure Vanilla
1/4 C Coc. Oil
1/2 C Pure Honey


1/2 C Agave
1/2 C Water
Pour Cream into 9 crusts, then add 1/4 C Raw Cocoa to the cream and blend for a thick
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream and pour into the rest of the crusts. You will have about 1 cup of this delicious cream left for your own delights, a Raw Nutella.

 *Top with fresh or frozen raspberries and chill in the freezer until ready to eat.

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.