Almost Raw Carrot Orange Cake

Almost Raw Carrot Orange Cake
Vegan; Gluten Free; Oil Free
Makes (2) 4" cakes

I've been going through my juice phase again, and came up with this recipe. Honestly, the pulp was SO pretty, I couldn't share it with the pups (since I turn the pulp into dog treats in the food dehydrator). I call this almost raw since I use vanilla coconut yogurt in the recipe, it adds some sweetness and keeps the cake fluffy and moist.

2 cups carrot/orange pulp (this is the leftovers of {2} oranges and {3} carrots being juiced)
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup raw walnuts (pecans work well too)
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons of vanilla coconut yogurt (I used the sweetened)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt
top with fresh blackberries or orange slices


1. Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until well-blended.

2. Press mixture into 4" spring form pan (I got mine from Amazon). Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to set and top with Raw Cashew Vanilla Frosting just before serving (see blog).

A Salad You Eat With Your Hands

A Salad You Eat With Your Hands
Vegan; Gluten Free; Raw; Serves 4; 10 minutes to make

Alright, maybe it's not exactly a salad in the sense that you're thinking of. Coming home from the farmers market and famished, all I could think of is making some wraps with the beautiful swiss chard leaves that I picked up. Super easy to make (cheating using my food processor to shred and slice) enjoy!

8 leaves swiss chard; steamed to help with the wrapping
2 small carrots or 1 medium carrot
1 large yellow squash
1 sweet red pepper, de-seeded
2 gypsy peppers, de-seeded
garnish with pineapple
serve with dressing of your choice
I added some gluten free edamame pasta noodles

1. (If using) Cook pasta according to directions.

2. (I cheated here) Shred carrots and yellow squash. Use a grater if you don't have a food processor. Slice the peppers.

3. Fill the swiss chard leaves like a taco with pasta, pineapple and veggies. Add the dressing of your choice and wrap.
Enjoy!

Raw Apple Pie

Raw Apple Pie
Gluten Free; Raw; Soy Free; Vegan

These little babies are worth the time of preparation for a WOW factor. Depending on how many you make (I made 19 and it took 5 hours) will depend on how long it takes you. With apples as sweet as they are, there is little sweetener needed. For the topping use a (clean) coffee grinder to grind almonds and groats.

8 organic Fuji apples
¾ cup organic brown rice syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground all cloves
2 lemons; juiced and divided

Topping:
1/3 cup groats, ground
2 Tablespoons almonds, ground
1 teaspoon coconut sugar

1. Combine the juice of 1 ½ lemons with water in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Using an apple corer core the apple (about half way-careful not to damage the bottom of the apple). Slice off the top of the apple and using a melon baller, scoop out the inside of the apple (again, be careful not to damage the apple shell). Soak the apple shells in the lemon water to keep from turning brown.

3. Coarsely chop apple inside. In a large bowl, combine the coarsely chopped apple with brown rice syrup and spices and the remaining lemon juice. Remove an apple shell from lemon water and fill with apple filling; repeat until all apple shells are filled.

4. Combine ground groats, ground almonds and coconut sugar. Top apples with ground almond mixture. Serve with your favorite non-dairy ice cream!

Raw Pear Walnut Cheesecake

Raw Pear Walnut Cheesecake
Vegan; Raw; Gluten Free; Serves 8

Lately I've been on a ginger kick. From the Ginger Chai cupcakes for my birthday to this, it seems that striking gold with my adult recipes =)

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates, soaked overnight
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Filling:
3 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 ripe pear, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup coconut oil, liquidfied
2/3 cup ginger syrup
1/4 cup pear juice (unsweetened)
1 whole vanilla bean pod, split open and vanilla scraped out

Topping:
1 pear coarsely shopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tsp. ginger juice


Steps

1. To make the crust, pulse walnuts, dates, and sea salt in a food processor until well combined and crumbly. Press the crust into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.

2. For the filling, combine cashews, pear, coconut oil, ginger syrup, pear juice, and vanilla in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and well combined. Pour the mixture on top of the crust and spread evenly.

3. To make the topping, add pears, walnuts, and ginger juice in a bowl. Combine until walnuts and pears are coated and pour on top of the 'cheese' layer. Freeze until set, about 3-4 hours.

4. Take the cake out to thaw for about 40-50 minutes before serving. You'll want to cut it when it's still semi-frozen.

Raw Blackberry Crumble

Raw Blackberry Crumble
Raw; Vegan; Gluten Free; Soy Free

This recipe is adapted from Getting Raw. I had blackberries on hand, so use what berries you like. This lasted not even a 24 hours in my household, with unexpected house guests (friends are always welcome) and the boys being home all day since summer holiday.... These should last about 5 days tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge! Happy Summer...

For crust and topping:
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup agave or brown rice syrup

1. Process coconut, cashews and salt in a food processor until fine and crummy, then add in the agave or brown rice syrup until well mixed.

2. Press the 2/3 mixture into a pan that has been lined with cling wrap. Make it thick enough that it will hold up as a cookie base when done.

3. Refrigerate while making the jam. (I stuck mine in the freezer.)

Blackberry Jam

1 10 oz package of frozen blackberries thawed and drained or 1 carton fresh berries
3 TBSP date paste (see recipe in blog)
1/4 cup agave syrup or brown rice syrup to sweeten to taste.

1. Using a blender or food processor, blend berries until nicely chopped and mixed. Taste for sweetness and add more agave or brown rice syrup if necessary.

2. Once the bottom crust is set, pour the jam over and spread. Best to let this set up in the fridge before adding top layer. I didn't wait and pressed out little balls and layered over the top to keep it floating on top of the jam (because it wasn't set yet) but you could just sprinkle the crumb topping over as well.

3. Best to let the whole thing sit a couple of hours in the fridge covered to set up. Then cut and use plastic wrap to help you get it out of the pan in one piece.

Raw Pistachio Macaroons

Raw Pistachio Macaroons
Gluten Free; Raw; Makes 50

I made these for a potluck over the weekend, and everyone LOVED these. So much that I had a lot of requests for it, so I hope you enjoy! These are super easy and great for potlucks or just to impress your friends. Hope you enjoy!

3 cups raw pistachios
3 tablespoons coconut flakes (plus extra for garnish)
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
2/3 cup agave
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Clean the pistachios from their outer shell, in a food processor blend them into flour.

2. Mix everything in a big bowl using a spatula. In a shallow bowl, place the extra coconut flakes (about 1/2 cup). Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in the extra coconut flakes, put in the fridge for 24 hours.

3. Serve garnished with coconut flakes and fresh fruits.

Pumpkin Spice Almost-Raw Cheesecake

Pumpkin Spice Almost-Raw Cheesecake
Vegan, Gluten Free, Almost Raw

Getting back from vacation, I was able to finally get to the pumpkins that I thought were going to go bad. Ending up having almost 8 cups of pureed pumpkin, I'll be posting the next few recipes calling for pumpkin. I took this to a potluck on Sunday, and didn't even get a slice since it went SO fast! Adapted from Addicted to Veggies.

Crust:

1 cup Walnuts
1 cup Dates
1 pinch of salt

Filling:

1 cup Cashews (I soaked overnight)
1 cup Macadamia nuts (I soaked overnight)
2 cups fresh/raw pureed Pumpkin Flesh
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar plus 3 heaping Tbsp
1/4 cup Coconut Oil- liquefied
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
2 pinches Salt

1. Combine walnuts, dates and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Press mixture very compactly into the bottom of a spring-form pan. I used the back of a spoon and my thumb to press the crust down, and it worked perfectly.

2. Take all filling ingredients and blend in food processor until smooth. Just let it go for a few minutes…. the texture should be nice and creamy. (I had to add a little bit of water, so I didn't burn out my food processor motor.)

3. Pour filling on top of crust and spread out until smooth. Cover with foil and freeze overnight. The freezing process will re-harden the coconut oil and set up the cake. After it is frozen you can refrigerate and it will be ready to serve after about one hour. Even though you have to freeze this cake to set it up, it is not a frozen cake… once refrigerated, it takes on an extremely similar texture to a regular old cheesecake.