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).

Raw Strawberry Walnut Bars

Raw Strawberry Walnut Bars
Raw; Gluten Free; Vegan

I made these for San Antonio Vegetable Eaters 5th annual Happy Christmas Hangout and these were a hit! You know it's a great recipe when you don't get to even try it and everyone is still talking about the dish days after the event. This festive easy recipe is a crowd pleaser!

Crust and Topping:
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of almonds
1 cup of dates


Filling:
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup dates

For the crust and topping
1. In a food combine all of the ingredients and pulse until course. Divide mixture in half and set aside.

2. Continue to combine the ingredients until well combined.

3. In a blender combine strawberries and dates until smooth.

4. Layer the well combined nut/date mixture in a parchment paper lined 9x9 dish. The second layer will be the strawberry filling. Sprinkle the course nut/date mixture over the strawberry filling and gently press down. Freeze for 1 hour to set.

Raw Walnut Taco Meat

Raw Walnut Taco Meat
Raw; Gluten Free; Soy Free; Vegan

I always have to double this recipe when I make it. My mom, when she first had this thought this was seitan. A good pass! Here is the recipe without being doubled!

1 1/2 cups walnuts, soaked for 2-4 hours
2 teaspoons organic canola oil
2 teaspoons Braggs liquid amino
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
a dash of chipotle pepper powder

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and combine till crumbly and looks like ground seitan.

Use in stuffed raw peppers or to fill a kale wrap.....

Raw Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Raw Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Gluten Free; Vegan; Soy Free; Raw

This is a REALLY great recipe to use the pulp that's leftover from juicing your carrots. This recipe was inspired by a dear friend, I hope you enjoy these super dense little gems!

3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup pitted dates (soaked overnight, save the water)
1 cup raw walnuts
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
pinch of salt
1/2 cup raisins (optional)


1. Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until well-blended, adding up to 2 Tbs. of date water.

2. Press mixture into a lined muffin pan. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to set and top with Raw Cashew Vanilla Frosting just before serving (see blog).

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.

Ravioli Fillings~ Just To Name A Few

Ravioli Fillings~ Just To Name A Few

The first one listed is what I used in the ravioli the other night. The nuts give it more of a meaty taste and feel. I made the sauce to go with the raviolis, but that will come after these....

Triple Nut Pesto:

2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups mixed whole raw nuts, such as pine nuts, walnuts, and cashews
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

For the Triple Nut Pesto, use a food processor, combine garlic, hot pepper flakes, olive oil, nuts and mint. Pulse to make a smooth paste (a slightly coarse nut butter). Season with black pepper to taste and set aside.

I was able to sneak the second one past the boys in the calzones the other night. I would pair this with a tomato sauce....

"Ricotta" and Spinach:

1 8 oz. package of firm tofu (pressed-see tips in the blog)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of spinach, wilted

1. Mash the tofu with a fork and add the garlic. Set aside.

2. In a medium pan over high heat, wilt the spinach by adding a Tablespoon of water at a time. Continue to add water, so that the spinach doesn't stick to the pan and it has become wilted. About 5 minutes. Mix in with the "ricotta" and set aside.

Wild for Mushrooms:

1/2 lb. of mushrooms, mix between portobello, creminis and buttons (should make 1 cups when finely chopped, about 3 caps)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 leek, diced
1 Tablespoon of each almond/nutritional yeast mix (half nutritional yeast, half finely milled almonds)
2 Tablespoons parsley (fresh or dry works with this measurement)

1. In food processor, pulse mushrooms in batches until finely chopped-almost paste like.

2. In large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2-3 mins. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3-5 mins. Add to mushrooms, ground almonds, nutritional yeast and parsley; let cool.

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.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini
Serves 4

When I made this the other night, I only scooped out 1 zucchini. However, I'm finding large ones at the Farmers Markets. I ended up forgetting to add the tomatoes while cooking the veggie mix, so I added it at the end with bread crumbs and the crushed red pepper. Bruce loved the non-dairy cream cheese mentioning that it made the dish. You decide.... Happy Wednesday.....

1 large zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and the "meat" scooped out and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tomato, diced
3 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I used the green tops-leaves from the one I picked up from the farmers market)
2 Tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 8oz. container of non-dairy cream cheese, (I used Follow Your Heart; Vegan Gourmet)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil in glass casserole dish. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized skillet (I use my beloved cast iron) over medium-high, heat remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic and onion, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms, cooking for about 3 more minutes. Finally add the zucchini (and tomatoes) cooking for about 2-3 minutes, adding the non-dairy cream cheese and black pepper. Once the non-dairy cream has melted, stuff the zucchini shells.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, and at the ten minutes sprinkle with bread crumbs and crushed red pepper. If you forget the tomatoes (like I did) sprinkle the tomatoes on first, before the other toppings. Chopped walnuts are nice too....

Serve with some crusty garlic bread and some dry white wine.... Enjoy!

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Vegan; makes about 16

For all of those hikers out there, these are the perfect snack to take with you. For all of you busy parents, these are a perfect quick snack to take while running errands. Try different jams to fit your kids or your tastes.... Happy snacking and 4th of July!

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you can find gluten free on the market)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup earth balance, softened
egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup mixed nuts (I used a mix of chopped pecans, walnuts and almonds-optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9" square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg replacer, vanilla extract and almond extract until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix until combined. Stir in 1 3/4 cups oats and nuts. Spread 2/3 of batter to prepared baking dish. Spread strawberry jam over the batter using the back of a spoon. Add remaining 1/4 cup oats to batter, then crumble over the strawberry jam.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cool. Cut into bars.

Per bar: 232 cal.; 3 grams prot. (more if you add nuts); 7 grams total fat (more if you add nuts-but good fats) 4 grams sat. fat; 41 grams carbs.; 23 mg chol.; 85 mg sod.; 1 gram fiber; 26 grams sugars.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times July/August 2008

Green Beans with Cranberries

Green Beans with Cranberries

In honor of the up coming holiday season and EVERYONE in my family asking for this recipe. The next several recipes can be used in your holiday meals..... Happy Holiday Season!
In the spring I like to substitute raspberries

2 lbs. of green beans, trimmed
1 cup of cranberries
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbs. of fresh parsley
4 Tbs. of vegetable oil
3 Tbs. of maple syrup
3 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts/almonds

1.) Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2.) Put the green beans into a dry skillet and heat over medium heat until remaining moisture on beans evaporate. Stir in 2 Tbs. of vegetable oil, cranberries and parsley and coat well. Cook until heated through about 5 minutes.

3.) Whisk together vinegar, maple syrup, and remaining oil. In a large serving bowl add green beans/cranberries and walnuts. Coat with vinegar/syrup mixture tossing to cover the green beans and cranberries. Serve and enjoy.