Carrot Fake

Oh hey girl, hey. Been a while. I've been making a lot of random sub-par foodstuffs lately, mostly from unwanted food waste, and nothing worth blogging about.  This recently recurring recipe is a change of pace. So hey, why not put it on the internet. Note that it's not original. Stealz. But tasty.  Most convenient this tasty dessert requires no cooking - because who can wait for sugary goodness?

The Fake Part
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt


The Top Part
2 cups raw cashews, soaked
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
juice from 1/2 lemon

In a food processor, shred carrots. Switch blades, add the remaining ingredients and smoosh until well chopped and mixed but still identifiable objects. Spread into the bottom of a bread pan or pie dish. Don't wash your food processor. But in all the top part ingredients and mix until its as liquid and smooth as it with get. If you need to add extra water to get it smoother go for it, but the intent is for it to be a self-supported goo so don't go too wild.  Once smooth, spread on top of what is in your pan. Then immediately take it back out of the pan and put it in your mouth.

Banana Cream Pie

GARBAGE BANANAS!

So I made this raw dessert mostly to use aging irish moss I had. It's used primarily as a solidifying agent as a substitute for fat products in raw foods. I don't recommend buying the stuff as its weird and smells like fish. So where I used 1 cup of irish moss, I would sub with 1 cup of cashews, blended to smithereens.

Crust:

1 c almonds

1 c cashews

1 c dates

1 T coconut oil

Banana Cream Filling:

3 garbage bananas

1 c coconut flakes

juice from 1 lemon

1 t vanilla

1 c irish moss

Not so creamy whipped cream topping:

1 c coconut flakes

1 c coconut milk

1/4 c coconut sugar

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c irish moss

Crust - food processor until you get the consistency of a Larabar.  About 3-5 minutes and it will start to clump together. Press into a pie pan and chill.  Filling things in a blender then pour into pie pan. Let chill between layers.  Let finished pie chill and set for about an hour.

Zucchini Noodles with Marinara Sauce

As a new Sacramento transplant, I have to say I really like this place. It has so many redeeming qualities and I could see myself enjoying life here for the indefinite future. I'm still adjusting to the nuances of a new places, particularly in the kitchen.  Baking at 30 feet versus 6,000 feet has a measurable impact, a kombucha batch takes about a week less, and holy hell, Batman, do NOT turn on the oven on a summer's eve or you will never be able to sleep.  While we do have central air, I'm a bit militant about actually turning it on.  By a bit militant I mean we've only turned it on once and I ceded because it was JT's birthday. Anyway, a perfect way to combat the blazing heat is to enjoy a cold beverage and a cold dinner. Enter raw foodstuffs!

Zucchini is pretty awesome. It grows so abundantly even if you don't have a plant you are sure to be bombarded with neighbors' and coworkers' excess throughout the summer. Zucchini is great grilled and sauted and really really great as a raw pasta. You can cut it into lasagna slabs or peel wide noodles off or you could go wild a buy a spiralizer. Do you need one? Absolutely not. Would you like one? Probably.  It may seem a bit excessive but I don't even want to discuss statistics about recent temperature trends here. It's fun. However you slice it (pun definitely intended), zucchini pasta makes for a refreshing summer dish.  So here is a recipe for marinana sauce and noodles. Another GREAT variation is a with a mint pesto.

2 zucchinis, thinly sliced (with a vegetable peeler) or SPIRALIZED

1 tomato
1 red pepper
8 sundried tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c fresh basil
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t salt
1 clove garlic (optional, it can be intense)

Put all but the zucchini in a food processor (or blender) until creamy.  Mix with zucchini. Garnish with chopped nuts, fresh basil, sliced onions., or pretty flowers (like nasturtiums!). You'll probably need a glass of chilled rose.

Snack Bars

Bars are the ultimate eating convenience -- they are tasty, filling, portable, and airport security can't take them away from you. (Take that peanut butter!).  The only downfall is that they can be kind of costly (if you eat six at a time like I do....) I whipped up a couple different kinds of bars last week and I'll share some of the recipes that resulted from just 20 minutes in front of a food processor.  A general tip is that after these bars are set I put them in the freezer. This makes them the perfect consistency and temperature for eating if I grab them before a ride and they spend an hour or so pressed against my sweaty back.

Kind-style bars (this was JT's favorite - and she always says she hates dates and bars):

8 dates

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 c cashews

1/4 c cacao nibs (these are bitter raw pieces of cacao, chocolate chips work too)

pinch salt

In a food processor with an S-blade, process the dates until they are a paste.  Remove and place in a bowl aside.  Put in the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times to keep the nuts coarse and large.  Mix with the date paste and press into a small pan.  Refrigerate for a few hours to let set.

Skout-style bars (MY favorite kind of bar)

3/4 c oats

1/2 c pumpkin seeds

1/2 c walnuts

4 dates

1/2 banana

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch cardamom

pinch salt

1 Tbsp nut butter (I used sunflower seed butter)

Process pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and dates until they start to clump together and move as one. Mix with the remaining ingredients, press in a pan, and refrigerate.

Serious bars (Because if anyone else asks me where I get my protein I'll kick 'em in the shin)

1/2 c oats

1/2 banana

1 Tbsp soy or pea protein powder (I used chocolate)

1 Tbsp cacao powder

2 maple syrup

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

1 Tbsp almond butter

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c pumpkin seeds

Process walnuts and pumpkin seeds then mix with the rest. Smoosh in pan, chill, eat, lift weights and hit your wife. Or.. whatever.

Breakfast bars

1 c oats

2 Tbsp almond butter

1/4 c raisins

1/2 banana

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp flax seeds, ground

1/4 tsp salt

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Feels like breakfast.

Pesto

Pesto is such a well-loved sauce, and its so versatile in its composition and use. Traditional pesto is typically basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and parmesean -- but you can make a great pesto out of almost anything. Observe:

4 cups greens (basil, spinach, arugula, cilantro, sorrel, etc.)
1/2 cup nuts or seeds (hazelents, walnuts, pine nuts, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c water

Optional:
1 Tbsp extra liquid fat source (a high quality olive oil can really kick things up a notch but its not necessary)
1 Tbsp nutrional yeast (if you want to add some cheesyness)
1 tsp sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or one date)
1 Tbsp lemon juice

BLEND! You can use any combination of greens and nuts and I promise it will tasty pretty fantastic. Some ideas: arugula hazelnut, spinach and walnuts, sorrel and hemp/pumpkin mix.  FYI hemp seeds have a cheese-type flavor and I recommend them as a great addition to any pesto mix.

Holiday Stuffing

I like holiday time. I do. It incorporates many of my favorite things including social gatherings, gifts, unabashed positivity (also known more scientifically as "holiday cheer"), snow, and overeating. My favorite holiday dish has been, and will always be, stuffing. Since I can no longer eat the stuff that makes stuffing, my holiday cravings are out of control. Lately I've been experimenting with a lot of raw food in my diet, mostly really fantastic recipes from Gena at choosingraw.com. I've played around with a few of her recipes and adapted to the dish described below, which is super rich and fattening and everything I want from a holiday stuffing!

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped if large
2 Tbsp tamari or equiv.
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage

1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup currants (or raisins, or even dried cranberries)

First, marinate the mushrooms in the oil and tamari overnight or whilst at work, assuming you work a 8-10 hour day..

In a food processor, preferably a large one, process the nuts and spices until uniformly fine. Then pulse in lemon, oil, veggies, and your marinated mushrooms (drain excess marinade) until combined, but the veggies should be identifiable still, not mush. It works nicely to swap out the S blade for the shredder attachment and do the carrots, then switch back to the S blade, just saying..

If you happen to have the pleasure of living with a dehydrator (as I do now), the recipe benefits from 8 hours at 115 or so, but its not a necessity. It just can be nice to have it a bit crispy and served warmish.

Coconut Macaroon Snacks

I tried to recreate these amazing but outrageously expensive pre packaged treats. Huge success!

3 c coconut flakes
1 c raw almonds
1/2 c "raw"cashews
1/2 c maple syrup or honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 of a banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

In a food processor (or a slap chopping device if you're really ambitious) obliterate the nuts, then add in coconut flakes and process until big flakes are essential gone. Put this aside in a large bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients to a mush. The coconut oil is easier to work with if you warm it to a semi-liquid.

Combine mush and obliterated pieces. Form one inch balls and refridgerate for an hour or so (this solidifies the coconut oil so the macaroons don't fall apart on their way to your mouth).

Enjoy! But not all at once.. I think two of these is 100% of your recommended daily saturated fat - I mean come on, it's coconut!

Note that you can substitute the cashews for more almonds and this recipe will be truly raw.  The processing of "raw" cashews actually involves heating them, so raw cashews don't actually exist (well they do but they aren't sold in stores since they are poisonous).