Living Rawesome

Day #271 Orange, Pistachio-Cacao, and Mesquite Truffles pg. 183 entertaining in the raw

April 20, 2010

What a Fantastic Time I had tonight. I worked on these truffles for about an hour and loved every minute of it. I imagined what everyone’s faces will look like when they try them. It think they turned out perfect.

Pistachio-Cacao Center Ingredients
1 cup pistachios, soaked 4-5 hours
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1/4 cup agave
3 Tablespoons coconut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until combined. Roll into balls smaller than a marble; freeze on parchment paper or wax paper.

I froze them for 1 hour and they were perfect to work with.

I froze the truffle base for 2 hours.  They actually were pretty solid and easy to work with.  They quickly melted while rolling them in my hands.  But I loved the gooey feeling,  I love to make desserts!

The first truffles I made were the Mesquite-Maca-Maple Sugar truffles.  I mixed the powders together in a bowl, then rolled the truffles into a ball in my hands, then rolled them in the mixture.  *Note*  After sitting on the counter top the mesquite mixture started to sink into the truffles and the coating wasn’t as prevalent.

Mesquite-Maca-Maple Powder Ingredients

1/4 cup mesquite powder

1/4 cup maca powder

1/3  cup maple sugar

All combined in a bowl.

I took out the orange zest, that I made last night and it was completely dry.  I then put it into the coffee grinder.

This picture is a bit blurry, but the orange zest wasn’t as powdery as the mesquite mixture.  It was gritty.  But the truffles turned out nicely.

The last truffles I made tonight were the Pistachio-Cacao truffles.  These were tricky to make at first because I had to roll the truffle base around the pistachio mixture.  I finally started to flatten the Tablespoon of mixture and stick the marble size pistachio ball into the middle of that.

All truffles are storing in the freezer until the next potluck.  I did try them, they are tasty.  They were a bit sweet for me because I have been cutting down on feeding my sweet tooth.  I expected them to taste more like Halva because of the tahini, but it was a beautiful blend of flavors.  This was one of my favorite recipes to make.

I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter.~Unknown

Day #270 Truffle Base and Orange Powder pg. 183 entertaining in the raw

April 19, 2010

I just made the Truffle Base and Orange Powder. I decided to make the rest of the recipe tomorrow so they will be ready for the potluck on Tuesday. I am bringing the pages 183 and 186 recipes. I may bring more, but I will see. I have so many of the recipes that I want to make. I started on the Lasagna so I need to do that too, and I have the small squashes so I need to do the recipe that calls for them.

The recipes seem to be getting more expensive. I guess because the ingredients are just things I don’t have on hand. I usually have something here at my house even though I haven’t been buying the ingredients right before I make it. I have just been going with the “flow”. I love this project, I keep thinking about all the days that have lead me up to this one and I am more stable in this journey of raw food, more than ever. I have become so accustomed to making a recipe a day that I know I will continue to do this even after the project comes to end. I may not every day, but I believe that I will continue on my path in the RAW LIFE.

Truffle Base Ingredients
3 cups cacao powder
4 cups soaked cashews
4 cups tahini
2 cups coconut oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups raw agave
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Blend all ingredients in Vita-mix. Separate into thirds and freeze until firm and not sticky. I waited to put them into the freezer because I don’t want them to be solid tomorrow when I roll them. I will freeze them tomorrow and keep watch on the time to see how long I leave them in there.

Orange Powder Ingredients

1 cup orange zest

Dehydrate 24 hours. Pulverize in a coffee grinder, mortar, or small food processor. *note* I put the zest on a teflex sheet and then covered it with another one so the zest doesn’t fly everywhere.

Tomorrow will be fun! Jason said he would help me roll the truffles:)

I am off to bed soon, my test is in the morning.

“Keep a watch also on the faults of the patients, which often make them lie about the taking of things prescribed.”~ Hippocrates quote

Day #269 Sesame Cashew Dumplings pg. 64 everyday raw

April 18, 2010

I went to Marsha’s today and had the best day ever!! It was an absolutely perfect party. The strawberry pie, almond ice cream and sesame cashew dumplings were loved by all. I really loved this recipe when I made it from the entertaining in the raw book, so I decided to use this recipe book, since I haven’t made it from everyday raw.

I already had the coconut wrappers made, so I made the filling and spinach, but I didn’t bring the spinach.

Filling Ingredients
cashews
nama shoyu (I used Bragg’s)
sesame oil
tahini
ginger
carrots
celery
scallions
sea salt

Spinach Ingredients
spinach
sesame oil
ginger
sea salt
chili powder

Directions were the same as entertaining, but I didn’t include the spinach because my wraps were too small, so I designed them differently. I will perfect this meal, it is fun to make and the taste is like no other!

I love this meal!!!

Time for more studying, my test is less than 48 hours. I am not ready, but I will be.

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”~ Bible
Thank you Jesus for exalting women.

Day #268 Pistachio Pesto pg. 160 entertaining in the raw

April 17, 2010

I just made the pistachio pesto, this is the first step towards the complete meal of the golden and green cannelloni. Jason made this recipe for a Valentine’s meal one year. I remember it to this day! It is the best cannelloni EVER!!! I hope I can make it as good as he did.

I am studying now, but I wanted to write this entry. I waited too long to study for this test. I have been busy with other things, so I am running behind. The L.O.V.E. food prep class was a success today! I loved seeing students come back for more raw and living foods, and it’s always a pleasure to meet new students.
I am so grateful!!

Pesto Ingredients
basil leaves
mint leaves
pistachios
olive oil
salt
black pepper

All ingredients were placed in food processor and processed until chunky. I stored it in the refrigerator, before I use it, I will bring it to room temperature.

I know I haven’t been writing much but I need to do the other things too. Thanks for reading:)

Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Day #267 Sweet Corn Flan pg. 186 entertaining in the raw

April 16, 2010

I am putting everything together for the L.O.V.E. Food Prep class tomorrow morning. I had to get this recipe done quick, it’s been a very busy day and I will be so glad to lay down. My boys both got their hair cut today, it took so long, and I had so much running around to do.

I found stevia and mint plants today!!! I am so excited. I went and bought 5 stevia and 2 mint plants. I feel so earthy with them in my house;).

This recipe of course was easy and quick.

Flan Ingredients
fresh yellow corn
cashews, soaked
coconut meat
vanilla extract
salt
agave
coconut oil
coconut flour (I used shredded coconut)
cinnamon

I blended all ingredients until smooth in Vita-Mix. I poured the mixture into my ramekins to take to Marsha’s house on Sunday. I hope she likes this recipe.

Sorry this entry is so short, but I have packing to do for the class.

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. ~Aristotle

Day #266 Chocolate Pudding and Coffee-Cinnamon Syrup pg. 186 entertaining in the raw

April 15, 2010

I almost forgot to write about today’s recipes. I have been busy all day and I finally got a chance to write about the pudding and syrup. There is only one more part to this recipe, I could’ve done it today, but I decided to wait. Christian tried the pudding and he said it is good, but he liked the syrup from my Dad’s birthday party more. I think that he will like the pudding when it is cold. I am taking this recipe to Marsha’s birthday this weekend to let everyone try a sample.

I am going to write only a short posting because I have studying to do and preparing for my class some more. I have everything ready, but missing a few things.

Pudding Ingredients
cashews
coconut meat
water
agave
coconut oil
vanilla extract
sea salt
cocoa powder
carob powder

Syrup Ingredients
agave
cinnamon
coffee extract
vanilla bean, scraped
sea salt

Both were blended in the Vita-Mix, one at a time. They are in the refrigerator waiting for the party. The macaroons smell like cinnamon. This is going to be a really unique meal for Marsha’s party. I am sure all the women will love it.

I am going to go study. Saturday is the raw food prep class and I am anxious. I can’t wait to meet new people and let them try God’s wonderful food!

“It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.”-Hippocrates

Day #265 Crispy Chile Macaroons pg. 186 entertaining in the raw

April 14, 2010

ONLY 100 DAYS LEFT!!!!!

I am so excited that I have made it this far. I am grateful for all the experiences and the journey I am on.

I made macaroons from entertaining in the raw today.

This was a simple recipe to make. I whipped it up before Sabby’s baseball game, so I can study tonight and prepare for my raw food class on Saturday. I am going to bring this to Marsha’s party on Sunday. We are going to celebrate her birthday then, because she got sick and had to cancel her previous date.

Macaroon Ingredients
coconut flakes, ground to powder
cashew flour
flax meal
cinnamon
ancho chile powder
salt
maple syrup
coconut oil
vanilla extract

I mixed all dry ingredients in a bowl and then added wet ingredients. I used my hands to make the macaroons even. I try to use the spatula but it kept bending and sticking to the mixture. My hands always work best with this consistency. They dehydrate for 24-48 hour on a Teflex sheet. I already cut the shapes I wanted. I decided to make the recipe resemble the photo in the book as much as possible. After the 48 hours, I put them on the dehydrator screens.

Everything in excess is opposed to nature. ~Hippocrates

Day #264 Herb Crackers pg. 50 everyday raw

April 13, 2010

Today went by so fast. Jason was off and we were busy getting my new website up and working. We still have a long way to go. I really want it to be more like a website and not so much a blog. This website will still remain here. Yes, I am still LIVING RAWESOME! I hope to always be. I just want another website for my business, L.O.V.E. (Living Organics for Vibrant Energy) Food Prep, and there are more surprises to come, but I really need to figure out how I want to set it up and then it should be up in hopefully within a month. I will see. Now that I will be taking a break from school and just focusing on teaching raw food prep classes and the potlucks, I will have more time to making up recipes and posting them on my site. I will continue to do this project, but I really want to get more creative on my website. So stay tuned!

I made the herb crackers, I have been craving a great cracker, so I am hopeful that these will conquer the gurgling in my belly for something that tastes similar to bread or a cracker. I have never really been one to eat crackers, but through this project, I have learned that I really love the bar-b-que crisps which are similar to crackers, I think they are some of the best I have had. The cumin flatbread was another favorite.

Herb Crackers Ingredients
almond flour
oat flour
sea salt
flax meal
nutritional yeast
fresh oregano
fresh thyme
fresh rosemary
olive oil
water

I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl, then spread the mixture on a Teflex sheet. I used 1 cup of mixture per sheet. I made 1/4 of the recipe. I didn’t have much almond flour so I used what I had and made the measurements accordingly. They will be done dehydrating in 2 days, then I remove them from the Teflex sheet and dehydrate 12 more hours. MMmmm, I will post pics when they are done. Just so you know, I tasted the dough and it was hard to stop, they are going to taste so much better when they are done. I prefer to make things with fresh herbs, what a difference it makes.

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”~William Shakespeare

Day #263 Yellow Corn Chowder pg. 24 entertaining in the raw

April 12, 2010

By Christian’s vote, I made this chowder. He waited all night to try this meal. Not to my surprise he didn’t like it. The only recipes that he ever really likes are the dessert recipes. He said it was too sweet.
Jason thought it was “pretty good”, not compared to last night’s recipe.

This was easy to make and it worked out perfect for my schedule. I was ready to settle down for the night and watch the movie I received in the mail, inGREEDients.

Chowder Ingredients
yellow corn
coconut meat
cashew milk
sea salt
black pepper
ancho chili powder
olive oil
agave
coconut water
tarragon

I blended all ingredients in the Vita-Mix until smooth. I served it in a bowl for my family to enjoy.

Off to relax I go, I have to wake up early tomorrow, school for the kids and me.

This really made me wake up today and get back on board with God. I have been slipping the last few weeks. Hebrews 3:7-11 7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ “

Day #262 Tricolor Sesame-Cashew Dumplings and Sweet Chile-Lime Sauce pgs. 200 and 201 entertaining in the raw

April 11, 2010

Before I say these are the best recipe I have made yet from this whole project, I will have to think about it. But I can tell you this…THEY ARE DELICIOUS! I had to stop myself from eating them. They are addicting and hard to wrap up because I really just wanted to eat them all (just so you know I quartered the recipe). I chose not to eat them all because I wouldn’t have any for the picture and I wouldn’t have any for Jason. I HAD to share these little pieces of paradise. They are really the most amazing yet. At this time in my life, I have been avoiding agave and sugary foods, so these are perfect for me. The wraps are kind of a pain to make but well worth it. The reason I say they are a pain is because cutting them was rather difficult because they are so delicate, and most of them tore a bit, but I could use all of them. The hardest part about this recipe is either wrapping the “beggar’s purse” or not eating every last one of them. I think the latter is the most difficult.

I think the next time I make these I will make the squares a little bigger. They were hard to form into the purses, but while I was making them, I just put the filling on and rolled them up. This was faster prep for eating. The presentation makes it an alluring appetizer, but keep in mind that they can be eaten as the main entrée, because they are filling, but light, they didn’t weigh me down. An absolutely perfect meal for me.

I didn’t try the sauce, but really I didn’t even need it. The filling was so tasty, the flavors just melt in your mouth. It is my opinion that if you have this book, MAKE THIS RECIPE!!! Matthew Kenney, you are sent by God:)

Sesame-Cashew Filling Ingredients
cashews
nama shoyu
sesame oil
tahini
lime juice
ginger

Processed all ingredients in the food processor for a chunky consistency.

Sauce Ingredients
nama shoyu
raw agave
lime juice
sesame oil
chili flakes

All ingredients were combined in a bowl and whisked until well combined.

Assembly
spinach
sesame oil
ginger
sea salt
chili powder
sesame seeds
cashew-sesame filling
carrots
scallions
celery
chives

Making the “beggar’s purse” was rather difficult for me. The sides were falling down and then the chive wouldn’t tie. I will master these one day. They are too good to not make again. They are so adorable, they would be perfect for company, especially for your family or friends that are afraid to try raw food. I can’t say enough about these.

They are over the top!

“The question is not what you look at but what you see”~Thoreau