Tomato Soup and Gazpacho

A friend gave me the tomato soup recipe and in my usual fashion, I had to change it up a bit. As she told me the recipe I envisioned chunks of different ingredients swimming in the sea of red deliciousness, therefore making it a gazpacho. So, why not give you both variations.

Tomato Soup

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 fresh chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1/2 jalapeño
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 2 tsp. Braggs Amino Acids or Nama Shoyu (raw soy sauce)
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• dash cumin
• dash cayenne pepper

Chop all and blend together in the blender.

Gazpacho

• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely copped
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Place all ingredients into the tomato soup, stir together and try not to inhale too quickly.

Raw Blueberry Muffins

The dear family wanted me to make blueberry muffins today. I complied only to be lured in by the delightful smell these create. It got me thinking that there might be a raw blueberry muffin recipe out there that I could try. Well, I found one and boy did it make me happy. The folks at We Like It Raw really know how to whip things up. I didn’t have Brazil nuts on hand so I substituted sunflower seeds instead. Oh, and I would highly recommend using fresh blueberries because frozen blueberries have a hard skin and half of their flavor is lost somewhere in the freezing and dethawing process, but of course, use what you can get your hands on.

Blueberry Rawffins

• 1 cup Brazil nuts, ground into flour
• ½-2/3 cup almond meal leftover from making almond milk
• ¼ cup golden flaxseed, finely ground
• a few dashes of sea salt
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• fresh almond milk (I made mine with ½ cup soaked almonds and 2 cups water)
• 1 cup frozen blueberries (yields ½ cup thawed berries)
• streusel topping: a couple dates and a handful of nuts processed into a crumb
• a few more drizzles of agave nectar

In a colander, thaw the frozen blueberries by rinsing them under warm water and allowing them to drain while you prepare the batter. You can also use fresh, but I didn’t have any at the time.

In a medium size bowl, mix together the ground Brazil nuts, almond meal (still damp from making your “milk”), ground flax and sea salt. Add the vanilla, oil, agave and a couple tablespoons of almond milk and stir to combine. Add a little more almond milk based on the consistency of your batter (not too crumbly, but not too wet either). I only used a total of 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) in mine.

Fold in the thawed blueberries, and add batter to six muffin cups or silicon liners. Sprinkle with streusel topping and a drizzle of agave.

“Bake” in your dehydrator for about an hour until firm enough to remove from muffin cups or liners. Continue to “bake” until the centers are no longer a doughy consistency. I tried mine after a couple of hours and opted to leave them in the dehydrator for brunch the next day. Serve with sweetened almond milk.

To view pictures and the original recipe, click here:

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2008/04/do-you-know-the.html

Apple Pico

“oh….little granny smith apple…little pico de gallo…little evoo…more lime…goodness”. This is the response I got from our own local Big Truck Tacos when asking them about their apple pico they used with one of their 5th Amendment dishes. For those that don’t know, their famous 5th Amendment dish is a closed lipped daily special that changes every day and is sure to surprise, delight and broaden your taste buds. They then post the dishes up on their fan page a few days later, which is how I came across it. This particular topping struck my curiosity and I knew I just had to recreate it. This is my take on it:

Apple Pico

3 Large Tomatoes, diced
1 Medium Onion, diced
2 Granny Smith Apples, diced
1 Jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 Limes, juiced
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

This can be used with multiple dishes such as a topping for fajitas, taco salads, etc. For this raw foodie it’s going in a large lettuce leaf for raw tacos, spring salad mix topper and gobbled up strait out of the bowl. Yep, it’s that good.

Almond Milk

There really are other things out there to drink other than cow’s milk. This is one. It is sweet, delicious and so good for you.

Almond Milk

2 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup soaked almonds
3 pitted dates, soaked, or a packet of stevia, or agave amount of your choice
1/2 tsp vanilla

place 1&1/2 cup water into blender w/ almonds, sweetener of your choice (dates, stevia, agave), & vanilla on high speed until very smooth.
add remaining water
blend until smooth
strain out pulp using mesh strainer or sprout bag
discard pulp
put milk in sealed container in fridge
will keep for 5day
it will separate, so shake before use

Tip: You may purchase nut milk bags or you can just get paint straining bags from your local home improvement store for a lot less.  The choice is  yours.

Creamy Cucumber Dressing

I came across this recipe while in my desperate search for a raw salad dressing and have been in love ever since. It satisfies that creamy texture I was missing with ranch and yet is delicious enough to want to drink straight out of the container.

(taken from “Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People” by Jennifer Cornbleet)

Creamy Cucumber Dressing
*yields 1 cup, 4 servings
(1) small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic (1/2 clove)
Dash cayenne (optional)
1.5 teaspoons minced fresh dill weed or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon minced red or yellow onion

Place the cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and cayenne in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add the dill weed and onion and blend briefly, just to mix. Stored in a cruet or glass jar in the refrigerator, will keep for 3 days.

Kale Salad

This salad really got me through the first couple of weeks of going 100% Raw. I still go back to it all the time as a staple. It’s robust, pungent, garlic taste does not even come close to tasting like the kale you all know and love. It is fresh, hearty and fun to make. Who knew massaging kale could be fun!

Kale Salad

3 heads of leafy kale
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup braggs liquid amino acids
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raw tahini
a few heads of finely chopped herbs of your choice- we used cilantro, parsley, and dill
as much garlic as you wish (we used 10 cloves!) suuuper finely chopped
1 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
high quality sea salt to taste

Thank you Dee for sharing your amazing recipe at such a perfect time through your Rawalicious 15 day Raw Food Cleanse.

Ceviche

This fresh, healthy and easy traditional Mexican dish was told to me by my Father-in-Law who learned it from a secretly guarded source. I thank him (in my head) for showing me this recipe every time I make it. The marinade of citrus creates a tart and exciting party in your mouth experience that you can’t help but crave. It’s also been known to cure hangovers, or so they say.

Ceviche

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 White Onion, diced
2 Stalks of Green Onion, thinly sliced
1 large Jalapeño, finely chopped
2 Avocadoes, diced
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 2 Limes and 2 Lemons
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt

Chop and dice all ingredients, except lemons and limes, into small pieces and place in large bowl. Juice lemons and limes and add to bowl. Allow to marinade in the fridge for at least one hour, if it lasts that long.

Uses:
As a raw taco filling by placing it on a large lettuce leaf, such as Romaine.
Mixed into a creamy raw soup, such as mango.
On top of a bed of corn
Salad topper
Eaten alone.

Raw Candied Walnuts

As fall becomes closer every day and the end of September draws nearer, Oklahomans gear up for the great State Fair. What does this mean? It means the mecca of fried treats will be upon us. Anything you can think of can be battered, breaded and dipped into a giant bat of grease for all to enjoy. Well except me. I’ll just sit on the curb and people watch as I snack on my latest treat. In spirit of the fair, I decided to create a candied walnut recipe that reminds me of the roasted candy almonds, pecans and walnuts that smell irresistible as you pass by their booth. This simple, sweet and salty recipe takes a few days to create due to soaking and dehydration time, but are well worth the wait.

Raw Candied Walnuts

3 cup Raw Walnuts, soaked and dehydrated
3 Tbsp. Raw Agave Nectar
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt (or to taste)

Soak walnuts overnight or for 8 hours. Rinse and drain. Dehydrate for 24 hours or until slightly crunchy. Place walnuts in a bowl. Evenly drizzle the agave nectar over the walnuts, sprinkle the cinnamon and salt and mix well with either a large spoon or with you hands. Place back on the dehydrator sheet and dehydrate overnight. Coating will still be sticky but will harden once cooled to room temperature.

Avocado Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

Who eats salad for breakfast?!? This is what I asked myself as I finished throwing together this salad dressing to put on my freshly prepared salad I was planning on having for lunch. In the final taste testing process I just couldn’t help myself from pouring it all over my salad and devouring it. I was initially trying to recreate a cilantro lime dressing I had at a local Mexican Restaurant and hoping I could magically make it appear perfectly in my blender the way they made it. Well, without the recipe I came close, but no cigar. I think the addition of avocado and jalapeño threw it off the originally intended course. However, it was still fabulous.

Avocado Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

1 bunch Cilantro

1 Avocado

Juice of 1 Lime

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/2 Jalapeño

Dash of Salt

1/4 Cup Water

Blend together in a blender and serve over salad.

I think I will call these Chocolate Apple Sandwiches

I had a craving for something sweet, but was fresh out of nuts. So, I had to turn up the brain power and figure out something to make with what I had on hand. I threw these ingredients together and ended up with a surprisingly good treat. In fact, my son thinks they are the best and wants to take them to school, but won’t because he thinks everyone will think he is weird. *Sigh*

Chocolate Apple Sandwiches

3 fresh medjool dates
8 small dried dates
1/3 cup raisins
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
3/4 cup Unsweetened Baking Cocoa
1 cup ground Flax Seeds

2-3 Tart Apples (such as Granny Smith or Jonathans), thinly sliced

Shredded Coconut, Raw, Unsweetened

Blend dates and raisins in the food processor till smooth. Add agave nectar, cocoa powder and flax seeds. Blend till well incorporated. Build sandwich by placing a small quarter sized ball of the chocolate mixture on a slice of apple, press in a pinch of shredded coconut and top with another slice of apple. Press together to make a nice flattened sandwich form.