Living Rawesome

Day #150 Orange Powder pg. 90 entertaining in the raw

December 22, 2009

It’s been a long day of shopping. We had a late start so I decided that my fancy dinner would be tomorrow night. I made orange zest to be dehydrated overnight. It turns into a powder.

Powder Ingredients

Orange zest

I have a very bad headache from shopping all day and dehydration. I am going to drink water and go to bed. Goodnight!
Final Product of Orange Powder that goes on Chocolate Raviolis.

We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls. ~Bill Bryson

Raw Vegan Gingerbread Men Christmas Cookies

December 21, 2009

Sebastian and I both made the graham crackers from Matthew Kenney’s book entertaining in the raw. I made beet juice and parsley juice to color the marshmallow creme. So I had pinkish red, green and white. I decided I would use chocolate too.

These Christmas trees were the first that I cut out. I was afraid to cut them, I didn’t know how they would turn out. Even after 3 days in the dehydrator they were still moist but dry enough to pick them up. I really wanted to do all gingerbread men, but my old cookie cutters were rusty:( I wasn’t going to do gingerbread men but I was sad because that is what I really wanted to do. So Jason ran out to the store before work this morning and tried to find the gingerbread men cookie cutters. He couldn’t find any, can you believe it?? So he called my Mom and she of course had one, so my Dad came over and brought the gingerbread man cookie cutter! Mom is the BOMB.. She has everything that I ever need:) They are both my heros and I am deeply grateful for them! Thanks MOM and DAD!

Here is the picture of my green smoothie that I drank instead of eating cookies next to the lovely Lavender plant that I won. I felt so much better this year making the cookies because I didn’t desire to eat them because of this delicious green smoothie. Coconut water, spinach and spearmint, with a dash of Stevia.

Sabby has been ill still. He helped me a little on the cookies and he did such an awesome job!

Here he is decorating with a plastic bag filled with green icing. We used plastic bags for piping bags.

This is my gingerbread man, I love how he has one small eye and one big. He is different but he is still smiling.

My gingerbread girl

Sabby’s gingerbread man. This one is the most adorable. He really took his time on it:)

These were so much fun to make and I felt so much better this year making them than I have in past years. I would love to make more of them again!
Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe
5 cups cashew flour
2 1/2 cups oat flour
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup maple syrup
2 T vanilla extract
1 T sea salt
2 T cinnamon

Mix ingredients in a medium-size bowl by hand. Spread flat to 1/8 inch thick on dehydrator screens. This will make 3 or 4 trays. Dehydrate for 24 hours then cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Then decorate with cashew icing and chocolate icing.
To color the icing I placed a beet slice into the Vita-mix with about 1/8 cup of water. I blended it and only used liquid. You can use the juicer to do this but I like to save clean up for other things. I made the parsley juice the same way. I would say to use spinach if you have it. Spinach has a more mild flavor.
The best thing to do would be to use the juicer, but anyone who knows me,KNOWS I DON’T LIKE TO WASH DISHES! I do it, but if I can avoid washing a dish I will.

ANYONE WHO HAS EVER TRIED THIS RECIPE LOVES IT. EVEN KIDS!! THE KIDS IN MY SON’S CLASS ALL ASKED FOR THESE AGAIN THIS YEAR.

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens

Day #149 Chocolate Wrappers pg. 90 entertaining in the raw

December 21, 2009

Today I made some graham crackers for Jason and some of his employees at work. They turned out beautiful. The pictures will be posted on Day #148.

I was so excited to make the chocolate wrappers. This meal is going to be delicious. Jason and I are going to go Christmas shopping tomorrow and then hopefully we will be able to sit down after shopping and enjoy this bitter broccoli ravioli and pine nut “cheese” with chocolate wrappers.

The wraps turned out so much better having the teflex sheets. I wouldn’t recommend doing these without the teflex sheets. I have used parchment paper and they turned out crinkly and they crack. Jason opened the coconuts for me before he went to work. I placed the 2 cups of coconut meat into the Vita-mix and 4 T cacao powder with salt.

This blended up well, considering how little the measurements are. It took a little longer to blend but it worked. I placed it on the teflex sheet and spread it out to a thin even consistency.

After 4 hours they were done. It was easy to lift the wrappers off the teflex sheet. I did turn them around to dry a few minutes without the sheet. I was not perfect in spreading out the wraps but I tried. They turned out good enough for me:)

On this picture you can see the wet parts that still need to dry.

Chocolate Wrappers Ingredients
coconut meat
cacao powder
sea salt

We also made cookies and decorated them. I had fun with Sabby making the cookies and then decorating them.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

Day #148 Marshmallow Creme and Dark Chocolate Fondue pg. 94

December 20, 2009

The graham crackers turned out divine. My first time trying these at Cafe 118 made me fall in love with MK’s recipes. I didn’t really know who he was when we went there. I did have one of his books, everyday raw. I bought it when I bought a Boutenko book. To save on shipping Amazon requested his book, so I bought it. Not knowing what impact it would have on my life. When we went to Cafe 118 it was their soft opening. I actually saw MK and Jason urged me to go up to him and I refused to go up to him because I really didn’t know that much about him. I regret it to this day, but everything always happens for a reason and it is always the best turnout for me. Anyhow, that night I got the smores for dessert. From that day on this has always been my absolute favorite dessert. That night when I left I told Jason I am going to find this recipe online. I DID and made the graham crackers, marshmallow creme and chocolate sauce. I didn’t have the marshmallow oil, so this time I know it will be better than the last. I haven’t tried it yet. I am quite tired and not too hungry. My hope is to sit by the fire with the kids on Tuesday and enjoy the smores together.

Creme Ingredients
cashews
coconut meat
vanilla extract
salt
agave
coconut oil
Lorann Marshmallow Concentrated oil

I blended all ingredients in the Vita-mix. The cashews become extra creamy when you do soak them. I put the creme on a plastic lined pan in the refrigerator.

Fondue Ingredients
maple syrup
cacao powder
coconut oil
vanilla extract
salt

I whisked all ingredients in a large bowl. You have to blend in batches because it is too bulky to put that amount of ingredients in the Vita-mix. I wonder if the Blend-Tec could handle it? I better stop, I love my Vita-mix! I just would love to have a Blend-Tec too. I think my first choice would be a kayak though, so I will bless my Vita-mix:)

I stored the fondue in a plastic lined pan for storage.

I know Jason will try one when he gets home! I know he will love this. Sabby has been sick so I don’t know if he will want to try it. Maybe by Tuesday. Christian is still away and having an awesome time. He went hiking up to 4300 feet. He didn’t say too much on the phone but he did say he is having fun and he doesn’t seem to be missing home too much. I sure do miss him, but I know he is having a great time and that is what matters. I want my kids to see the world.

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million-Walt Streightiff

Day #147 Cinnamon Graham Cookie pg. 94 and Cubist Mushrooms, White Asparagus, and Red Pepper Curry Sauce pg. 68 entertaining in the raw

December 19, 2009

I decided to finish the rest of the recipe for the black sesame crackers.  This was a 6 part recipe to make the entire meal.  I made the black sesame crackers on December 17; Jason tried them today.  They are airy and light but crunchy, unlike most flax crackers that we have made.

I made the white asparagus first.  I didn’t have fresh rosemary and thyme so I used rosemary that I won the other night from the potluck in Gainesville.  Theresa dried it herself:)  So it is fresh.  I also used dry thyme.  I cut the asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces and covered it with olive oil and salt.  Then, I placed it in the dehydrator.

Next I had to do the mushrooms, they all must be done around the same time because dehydration is the same for 2 kinds of mushrooms and the asparagus.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the mushrooms I needed.  I wrote an email to MK and asked him what mushrooms I could use instead.  He very promptly and kindly responded in a day.  He recommended using chanterelles, oysters, shiitakes and cremini – the only one he would not recommend is portobello because of the color they give.  I chose to use shiitakes and cremini.  It calls for morels, almond, and enoki.  Which are all beautiful.  I especially love enoki.  They are tasty and light.  I love the appearance of the enoki.  They remind me of mushrooms that would grow by the fairies in the forest.  I poured olive oil, salt, black pepper on the mushrooms.  I used cremini to replace the enoki and morels.  I used shiitakes to substitute for the almond mushrooms.  The creminis dehydrated for 2 hours then I poured the celery and cucumber vegetable stock on them.  I only used olive oil, salt and pepper on the shiitakes.

After preparing the mushrooms, I made curry sauce.  I first pureed the red peppers.  The peppers are supposed to be strained, so I strained them through a nut milk bag.  Then I added it back to the Vita-mix with the mangoes, salt, cayenne and curry powder.  The mangoes were brownish on the inside.  They were beautiful on the outside, but the outside deceived me.  I managed to get 2 cups of decent mango from 3 big mangoes.  This mixture whipped up in about 2 minutes.  I placed some in a small bowl for us to try and refrigerated the rest for our meal.

Asparagus Ingredients
white asparagus
olive oil
salt
black pepper
sprigs of thyme
sprigs of rosemary

Mushrooms Ingredients
morels, almond mushrooms, enoki (I used shiitake and cremini)
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Vegetable Stock (celery, cucumber, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper)

Curry Sauce Ingredients
red pepper
mango
salt
cayenne powder
curry powder

After I completed the recipe on pg. 68, I decided to go ahead and make the cinnamon graham cookie for Sabby.  He has been wanting me to make this recipe since I started this project.  I didn’t even invite him into the kitchen to help, but he asked.  I love it when my boys are in the kitchen with me.  I made the cashew flour and oat flour in the food processor.  The cashew flour always comes out so grainy for me.  The oat flour is more smooth.  Sabby helped pour the flours and mix the dry ingredients in and added the wet ingredients.

Sabby even measured the agave and poured it in to the mixture.  Then he mixed it up so that I didn’t even have to.  Once it was mixed we put it on the Teflex sheets and spread it out to about 1/8 inch thick.

Of course after spreading it, the boys had to try it.  Christian missed it.  He is away in Georgia with his friend for a few days.  They are hiking, but when he returns I am hoping to have a fire and eat the smores.  Sabby was so confident after making the first tray with me he wanted to do all of it himself, even carry the tray to the dehydrator.  I am so proud of him.

Graham Cookie Ingredients
cashew flour
oat groat flour
maple syrup ( I used agave and maple syrup)
salt
cinnamon
vanilla

What an awesome day!! Now we are going to decorate the tree.  We just bought it a few nights ago and we have 10 ornaments on it.  My boys don’t seem to mind.  I guess I may never get into the Christmas spirit.  I prefer to live like it’s Christmas all year round.  But that doesn’t involve buying gifts, just the thankfulness and gratitude and the spirit of Jesus!

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.-Calvin Coolidge

Day #146 Sour Cream pg. 180 entertaining in the raw

December 18, 2009

This is the last step to the Vegetable Tamales.  I desperately looked for corn husks.  Walmart was sold out, and all other stores that we looked we couldn’t find the cornhusks:(  Even Whole Foods didn’t have them the other night.  I decided to make lettuce wraps with the corn filling and sauce for Jason for dinner tonight.  He was very busy at work and I made it in time for him to try them, he even shared some with the Papa Johns employees:)  They turned out good, I am so upset that I couldn’t find corn husks.

I made sour cream tonight with Cashews.  I prefer sunflower seed sour cream over cashews, but this is what the recipe called for.  I froze it because I am sure I will need it for another recipe.

Sour Cream Ingredients

cashews

water

olive oil

lemon juice

salt

All ingredients go in the Vita-mix.  This is a simple recipe to make.

We are on our way to the movie Avatar.  I have been waiting for this movie.  I want my makeup like one of those blue creatures.  I think if we wore makeup like that I would like to wear makeup.  Maybe I will start a fashion statement.  Just kidding I am not so bold!

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice. -Wayne Dyer

Day #145 Black Sesame Crackers pg. 68 entertaining in the raw

December 17, 2009

These crackers are so beautiful.  They always remind me of the work EXOTIC!  I love black sesame sees.  They are so unique.  This recipe took only a few minutes to put together.  I didn’t soak anything just put sesame seeds and ground flax seeds in a bowl together and then blended up the tomatoes, salt, cumin, water and cayenne.

I mixed up the tomato mixture with the sesame flax mixture and then put it on Teflex sheet.  I halved the recipe and it made a nice size square on one  sheet.

The directions don’t say how long to dehydrate the crackers.  The directions say to dehydrate until crisp, I am expecting them to be done in 24 hours.

Crackers Ingredients

2 cups sesame seeds

1 cup flax meal

3 roma tomatoes (I used a yellow heirloom)

1 1/2 t salt

3/4 t cumin

1/4 water

pinch cayenne

I found white asparagus last night at Target in Orlando.  I decided to make this recipe because it is part of a recipe that has asparagus and many different mushrooms.  I don’t know where I will get them, but I am praying that somewhere in this town will have them.  I wrote an email to MK to ask him if there are other mushrooms I can use instead of enoki, morels, and almond.  That is one small problem that I am having with this project..I can’t always find the ingredients.

I will find them, I have to:)

I just found out tonight that David Wolfe will be coming to St. Augustine in January on the 15th!!!  Yippy! I love hearing his lectures.  I am going to order my tickets tonight!

“Negative thoughts alone can create havoc throughout the entire nervous system.  However, strong, pure, and happy thoughts build fortitude and beauty.”-David Wolfe

Day #144 Orange-Pineapple Flan and Lime Syrup pg. 154 entertaining in the raw

December 16, 2009

Last night we went to the potluck in Gainesville. It was a great night! I went with my family which was a real treat. I love having us all together attending these gatherings. It’s so good for my kids and Jason and I. I was able to chat with my “raw” friends from all over central Florida.

Everyone was so interested in the Banana Creme Pie and how I made it. They loved it. I love seeing everyones’ smiles when they enjoy the desserts. I enjoy making the desserts with love. Something about making all the great sweet foods. I guess that is the way I grew up so I have it in me. My mom still makes desserts all the time. She does have a dehydrator now, which is really great. I still need to go over there and show her how to make the flax crackers.

I did get to make this excellent tropical treat today, which I planned on doing. Last night at the potluck we won the gift basket through the raffle that they did. What a fantastic idea. The basket had flax crackers in beautiful jars, hand crochet stocking by Theresa, Christmas Potholders, Wheat Grass book, Jar of Organic Coconut Oil, Pound of Pecans hand picked by Theresa and Steve, Container of Cheese Logs, Gentle Waters Certificate, Glass Container with Fudge, Fresh Squeezed Orange juice, Dr. Bronner’s soap, Saurkraut, Lara Bar and One Lavender Plant. We bought 4 tickets and I picked 2 that I had a feeling we would win. I saw the numbers 0338 two times yesterday, Sabby’s guitar teacher’s last digits to his phone number are 0338, and we saw the numbers either in Old Navy or Dick’s Sporting Goods, anyway, I picked tickets with those numbers and Sabby picked two. Anyway, our winning numbers last digits were 03338. So awesome. Sebastian was so excited because he wanted the stocking. He also loves Theresa’s crackers. They are always a treat for him at the potlucks. Christian really wanted the fresh squeezed orange juice. We were all so excited!! So of course I had to use the 1/3 cup of orange juice for this recipe. So now I have a bit of Theresa’s love in this recipe:)

Orange Pineapple Flan and Lime Syrup Ingredients

coconut meat
pineapple
orange juice
agave
coconut oil
salt

agave
lime juice
lime zest
vanilla extract

Both of these recipes were made in the Vita-mix. I put the flan in ramekins lined with plastic. The syrup is in a small mason jar.

Jason and I are going to Orlando today to shop and enjoy each other. We are blessed:)

Smile at each other, smile at your wife,
smile at your husband, smile at your children,
smile at each other–it doesn’t matter who it is–
and that will help you to grow up in greater love
for each other.
~ by Mother Teresa ~

Day #143 Tomato-Chile Sauce pg. 180 entertaining in the raw

December 15, 2009

I am waiting for Jason to go to Gainesville. He went to pick up the boys so I could make my recipe.
I had to make the recipe quick. It is really easy, it took me about 5 minutes. I had to soak the sun-dried tomatoes for an hour before making it. I didn’t have ancho chile to soak, so I used the powder.

I tried this sauce with the tamale. It is definitely one of my top entrees. I would’ve made the entire recipe today but I couldn’t find cornhusks. I planned on doing the entire recipe tomorrow, then I realized Jason and I are going out of town together to do Christmas shopping and go to Season’s 52. Season’s 52 is a restaurant that we have gone to for years. They change their menu with the season’s. They offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options. It will be a nice relaxing day with my hubby. It’s been too long since we have gone on a DATE.

So tomorrow I may do the orange-pineapple flan. It looks incredible.

Sauce Ingredients
sun-dried tomatoes
ancho chile
roma tomato
shallot
lemon juice
olive oil
raw agave
salt
chili pepper flakes

All ingredients go into Vita-mix. It whips up nicely. I almost forgot the olive oil. It wasn’t blending then I put that in and it blended nicely.

I am so sad, yesterday I didn’t do a quote. Sometimes I lose my head. So I will do two today.

“LOVE lives by giving and forgiving. Self lives by getting and forgetting.” Sri Sathya Sai Baba

“The human consciousness is really homogeneous. There is no complete forgetting, even in death.”
D.H. Lawrence

Day #142 Vegetable Tamale Filling pg. 180 entertaining in the raw

December 14, 2009

What a relaxing day I have had! I went to the gym and hung around the house. It was unbelievable, I listened to Spa Music on Dish Network, then I made a footbath, drank ice cold orange, lemon, lime water and made my beaded beads:) AAhh I really was waiting for something to go wrong….IT was just TOO PERFECT!

I went to visit Jason at Papa Johns tonight and I asked him to pick out what I should make. He picked out this knock-out recipe. I was hesitant to make it at first. I am really sick of things with cashews, but I just bought 25 pounds of them so I better use them. When I made it, it took my breath away. I couldn’t resist trying it. It is absolutely the best thing that I have had since making the chili. I really must love Mexican food. I really am eating things that are rather spicy, such as chipotle peppers with sun-dried tomatoes. Jason made me another recipe of MK’s chili. I love that so much!

Tamale Filling Ingredients
corn
tomatoes
red peppers
sun-dried tomatoes
pine nuts
cashews
sea salt
nutritional yeast
red onion
cilantro
garlic
lime juice

All ingredients are put into the food processor except half the corn, tomatoes, and red peppers, which I placed into a bowl. I used green peppers because I have been craving them still. When the ingredients were mixed in the food processor I then added them to the mixture in the bowl. The aroma is absolutely divine! I had to put it away fast because I have eaten enough today and even though it was super yummy, I didn’t want to eat.

Tomorrow I will make the sauce. This meal is going to be one of my faves, I know it!