Chocolate Coconut Bars *raw vegan*

These remind me of nanaimo bars, but they are significantly healthier. Anyone who's tried one says, "Oh my God." I hope you love them too.

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups dried desiccated coconut (ground into a powder with a coffee grinder)

1/4 cup maple syrup for those who want to keep it vegan (I use raw honey)

1/2 cup raw coconut oil

2 scoops raw vegan vanilla protein powder (I use Heartland Gold Sprouted Brown Rice Protein Powder and the scoop I used is the one that comes with it)

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1 cup dried desiccated coconut

1 cup ground walnuts

Topping

1 cup raw cocoa powder

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup raw coconut oil

3 Tbsp maple syrup or raw honey

Directions 

To make the crust, mix all of the ingredients together and press into a parchment paper lined 9x9 dish. You will have to melt the cocoa butter and possibly the coconut oil using the double boiler method before mixing it in. Then, pop the crust in the freezer while you prepare the topping.

Melt the coconut oil and cocoa butter for the topping, again using the double boiler method, and mix in the cocoa powder and raw honey. Once fully mixed, pour over the crust.

Pop it back in the freezer to harden while you clean up.

This dessert is extremely rich, so be sure to cut it into small pieces. A little smackerel is all you'll need. Plus, they might just last a little bit longer that way.

♥ Andrea ♥

Ginger Zinger *raw vegan*

I've been drinking this little concoction for a few days now. It is so refreshing and energizing. 

Ingredients

4 oranges (juiced)

1 lemon

1 cup chopped pineapple

2 inch piece of ginger (or to taste)

Directions

Juice the four oranges and the lemon

Add the juice to the blender with the pineapple chunks

Grate the ginger with a fine grater and squeeze the juice out until you are left with a hunk of ginger pulp

Add the ginger juice to the blender and discard the pulp

Blend everything on high speed until smooth and frothy

The whole family has been enjoying this spicy beverage. I've also been using the same recipe as above and adding a couple of handfuls of spinach to it.

I hope you love it!

♥ Andrea ♥

Coconut, Macadamia Nut, Apricot Pie *raw vegan*

This week I was thinking about how much I love the combination of apricot, macadamia nut and coconut. So I tried my hand at making a raw dessert with these flavours and I was very pleased the results. 

Here I present, Cocomacricot Pie...

Crust

1 cup sprouted walnuts (soaked for 8 hours and rinsed thoroughly)

10 medjool dates

4 dried apricots

1/3 cup ground macadamia nuts

1/3 cup coconut powder (I use a coffee grinder to grind dried coconut to a powder)

Put the walnuts, dates and apricots in your food processor and process until it becomes thoroughly combined and the walnuts are in very small pieces in an apricot and date paste. Chunks are okay. Mix in the ground macadamia nuts and coconut powder. Press this into a greased pie plate (I used extra virgin olive oil).

Filling

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup dried apricots (soaked in the warm water)

1 cup young coconut meat (I used all the meat from 2 young coconuts)

1/2 cup macadamia nut butter (I used Nuts to You Raw Macadamia Nut Butter. You can make your own raw macadamia nut butter just by processing raw macadamias for many minutes in a high power food processor- my processor is not a very good one- or you can buy some like this one here.)

3 Tbsp maple syrup

Soak your apricots in the warm water until they are softened. Add everything to the blender and blend until it becomes smooth and frothy. Pour this over your crust and place in the freezer for one hour. Serve right away or place it in the fridge until you're ready.

This pie will keep a few days in the fridge as long as it's kept covered. We ate this up fast and I'm hoping to make another very soon. It makes a really tasty breakfast. If you make your own cocomacricot pie, I'd love to hear about it.

This week was a truly wonderful week. The weather has been so lovely. We've been enjoying time outside as much as possible. I'm looking forward to more time outdoors this weekend.

Have a fun weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

Lemon Pudding *raw vegan*

Last week I whipped up this delicious and nutritious recipe. It's tangy and sweet, light and fluffy. This might just be my favorite raw recipe I've ever made! If you're a sucker for tart lemon desserts, you're going to love this one.

Ingredients & Directions

1/2 cup almonds (soaked for 8 hours and thoroughly rinsed- I just soak mine over night and always keep some soaked almonds in the fridge)

1 cup water

juice from 2 lemons

zest from 1/2 lemon

6- 12 medium dates (medjool are my favorite)

1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup or raw honey if you're not vegan

Blend the almonds and water in a blender at high speed until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more water to get the consistency you like.

This recipe is nutritious, delicious and cleansing and alkalizing to the body. I find it to be a particularly good snack in the afternoon when I'm feeling tired and tempted to eat something sweet or drink a coffee for a pick-me-up. I hope you love it :)

♥ Andrea ♥

Strawberry Milkshake *raw vegan*

It's freezing cold outside and the landscape is completely covered in snow. These past few days I have certainly been drinking lots of warm tea but I couldn't stop thinking about how much I'd like a creamy strawberry milkshake. I can't remember the last time I had a fast food strawberry milkshake (check out that link- it's seriously unbelievable what's in them!). I probably haven't had one since I was a kid. So I've done my best to come as close as possible to the taste and texture I remember from long ago using only healthy, natural ingredients. Seeing as it's been so long since I've tasted one and I'm trying to replicate a taste that has been perfected with many chemicals over many years, I'm sure it's not even close to being similar, but I think you're gonna like this strawberry milkshake a whole lot. This recipe has been thoroughly tested by the Deal family and gets two big thumbs up from everyone at our house. I hope you love it too.

Ingredients

3 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups almond milk

1 cup young coconut meat (or full fat coconut milk)

*you may need to add a bit more almond milk if you use coconut meat vs milk*

1 ripe banana

3 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (or to taste)

juice from half a lemon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Blend everything up until smooth and you're done.

If you want this shake to taste closer to the real artificial thing, double the amount of agave syrup to make it super sweet.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

♥ Andrea ♥

Chocolate Brownie Bites *raw vegan*

How would you like to sink your teeth into the healthiest brownies you've ever had?

I've been whipping these up for a long time. They are perfect for those days when you really want a brownie but you don't have a lot of time and you want to eat healthy. Although I usually recommend soaking your nuts and seeds because they are easier for your body to digest that way, every time I make these it's because I get a sudden hankering and I'm too impatient to wait for soaking. Also, un-soaked raw sunflower seeds grind into such a nice fine powder that is just like flour. Now that I'm thinking about it, I will try to make these with soaked sunflower seeds and see if I get some good results and I'll update this post with the changes that would need to be made if you do choose to soak your nuts and seeds.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do.

Ingredients

2 cups sunflower seed powder

4 Tbsp ground pecans

4 Tbsp raw cocao powder (or regular cocoa powder will do)

4 Tbsp coconut oil (or cocoa butter, if you've got it, works great too)

4 Tbsp maple syrup (or agave syrup)

Directions

Grind your sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder until it's a fine powder

Grind the pecans until they are a nice mixture of small pieces and powder

Melt your coconut oil or cocoa butter in a double boiler

Mix together your sunflower seed powder, cocoa powder and pecans and then add the melted oil

Mix well and then add the maple syrup and mix well again

Press this mixture into bite sized balls

Put in the freezer for half an hour before serving

These will last in the refrigerator for several days (if you can resist them that long!)

These really satisfy my brownie cravings and I love how quick and easy they are to make. The kids love them too and they are extremely high in protein and healthy fats.

♥ Andrea ♥

Four Yummy Shake Recipes

Cocoa Nutty Monkey

*A quick and easy protein boost. Our kids love this one best.*

2 ripe bananas (I always peel and freeze over ripe ones so that I've always got a stash on hand)

4 cups unsweetened almond milk (make your own or use 1 900ml box)

2 heaping Tbsp 'just peanuts' smooth organic peanut butter, almond butter or roasted sunflower seed butter

2 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder or finely ground raw chocolate powder

1 Tbsp maple syrup, agave or raw honey

Blend it up!

 

Avocado Dream

*Many years ago when we lived in Hamilton, I used to get an avocado shake from a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant we went to quite often. This one tastes just like it but without all the sugar*

2 ripe avocados

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or to your desired consistency)

1 frozen bananas

3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to your taste)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Blend it all up until it's smooth and creamy.

Deep Purple

*This shake is a truly delicious and antioxidant rich delight. It's my hubby's favorite.*

2 cups frozen wild blueberries

2 frozen ripe bananas

unsweetened almond milk (to your desired consistency)

1 Tbsp maple syrup, agave or raw honey (optional)

Blend well and serve.

Pina Colada

*Young coconuts recently became available at my local grocery store for a great price. They are so delicious and nutritious but not always easy to come by in Canada. They have gained in popularity over the past few years due to the promotion of their health benefits by athletes and celebrities. So perhaps even if you live in the north, you'll be able to get your hands on them too.*

1/4 fresh pineapple

1 cup pineapple juice

3 pitted and soaked medjool dates

3 fresh or frozen ripe bananas

meat from 1 or 2 young coconuts

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

maple syrup to taste

Blend it up!

Pour the shake though a sieve or cheese cloth before serving if chunks or stringy bits bother you.

I hope you enjoy our shake recipes!

♥ Andrea ♥

Orange Creamsicle Shake *raw vegan*

Ingredients

Juice from 6 fresh oranges

coconut meat from 2 young coconuts or 1 cup full fat coconut milk

1 frozen banana

3 pitted and soaked medjool dates

Directions

Soak your dates first until they are nice and soft.

Throw everything in the blender and blend it up!

I hope you're having a really fun weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

Coconut Pudding *raw vegan*

Oh my, this is a yummy treat!

If you like coconut, you're going to love this little recipe. You can serve it as a dessert and your guests will think you're amazing, but it's healthy enough to eat for breakfast so why not?

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite raw vegan recipe books, The Raw Truth by Jeremy A. Saffron. I've changed the recipe a wee bit to suit my sweet tooth.

Ingredients
meat of 2 young coconuts
young coconut water
4 medjool dates
1 frozen ripe banana
maple syrup to taste

1tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions
Soak the dates in a small amount of the coconut water for about an hour or just until the dates become soft. Toss the dates, soaking water, young coconut meat and frozen banana and vanilla into your blender and blend it up. Add more coconut water to facilitate blending. Add maple syrup and coconut water until the pudding is to your desired texture and sweetness. That's it!

You can serve this right away or make it a few hours ahead of time. Coconut pudding keeps well in the fridge overnight but I'm not sure how long it keeps after that- it's never lasted that long in our fridge! 

♥ Andrea ♥

Pink Porridge *raw vegan*

This is an amazingly delicious, nutritious and easy to make raw vegan breakfast (or dessert). It is packed with protein, healthy fats and antioxidants. If you have a little someone in your home who is as obsessed with pink as a little someone who lives in our home, you may find that they will happily devour this healthy dish while simultaneously singing adorable songs and smiling adorable smiles!

This recipe is adapted from the fantastic raw food recipe book, The Complete Book of Raw Food

Ingredients

1 cup sunflower seeds or almonds (soaked over night and rinsed thoroughly)

1 cup frozen raspberries

juice from one lemon

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or to your taste)

water (just enough to facilitate blending)

Just blend it up and serve!

Enjoy your weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

Cocoa Nutty Monkey Bites *raw vegan*

For some reason at our house we really like anything that could be given the name Cocoa Nutty Monkey. We have a Cocoa Nutty Monkey Pie, Shake (I'll be sharing this recipe soon) and even a Play-Doh toy by that name.

This morning, I was on the internet doing some research and I viewed an image of something like this recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to it so I have no idea where the original image may have come from. I went back through my history and did a search for the ingredients with no luck. But, the idea of this recipe lingered in my subconscious. When the kids came down for breakfast, I had to make them! This is our new favorite breakfast recipe. The kids asked if we can eat these everyday.

Ingredients

bananas

dried coconut flakes

cocoa powder

nut butter

Here's what I did...

Cut your ripe but firm bananas into bite sized pieces.

Roll them in cocoa powder (raw or regular, try ChocoSol for raw cocoa powder- use a coffee grinder to grind it more if yours, like mine, is a bit coarse).

Place a dollop of your favorite nut butter on top.

Take a pinch of unsweetened coconut flakes in your fingers and press them into the nut butter dollop.

That's it. I hope you love them!

♥ Andrea ♥

Cocoa Nutty Monkey Pie *raw vegan*

This is my latest raw dessert recipe and let me tell you, I've seriously outdone myself this time!

If you decide that you're only going to attempt one raw recipe, or you want to serve one to people who may be a little suspect about eating raw, this is the one to try.

I have really focused on raw dessert recipes over the past couple of years because I have a major sweet tooth and I am convinced that I can satisfy it without eating garbage. I've always eaten very well and now I can really indulge in the things I want like chocolate, chocolate and um, chocolate while continuing to keep a healthy diet!

Imagine a dessert with high amounts of fiber, protein, potassium, antioxidants, enzymes and essential fatty acids with no sugar, no dairy, no gluten and no cooking! I can hardly believe it myself.

So, here's what I did...

Actually the first step was a trip to the bulk food store. Does anyone else get as stupidly excited as I do about having a fully stocked pantry shelf of fresh healthy nuts, grains, legumes and other staples? I'm a total nerd about it. The bulk food store just may be my favorite store.

*Find raw cocoa at ChocoSol Traders.*

I made a double batch of my raw chocolate pudding recipe that I shared with you last week. You'll notice that I made an update to that recipe because while I had made it a couple of times very successfully before I posted it, I tried it again and it came out runny. In the update, I give you ideas for fixing that if it happens to you.

Here's the recipe again:

Raw Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)

1 1/2 cups water

5 pitted medjool dates or a handful or more of raisins

5 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder or raw cocoa powder (it has to be very finely ground- grind it well in a coffee grinder if it's not)

raw honey to taste (about 1-2 Tbsp)

5 tsp finely ground flax seed powder (or the amount needed to reach the consistency desired)

After making a double recipe of the chocolate pudding, I added another heaping Tbsp of cocoa as well as three frozen bananas and a 1/2 cup of raisins.

Then, I blended it all up.

I took out my food processor and made a raw pie crust much like one recommended in Jeremy A. Safron's book, The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods

Crust

1 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)

2 handfuls of raisins (you can use dates instead)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp raw honey

olive oil (just to moisten to dough consistency)

Take these ingredients and blend them together in a food processor. Press the mixture into a pie plate.

Finally I poured the filling on top of the crust and placed it in the freezer.

A couple of hours later, I served it for dessert and my husband said, "this is f#@king amazing!" No word of a lie folks, it truly is f#@king amazing.

Are you thinking about making this recipe? Let me know if you do. I'd love to hear all about it.

I get really into raw food recipes in the summer months. I hope you're enjoying them. I'm sure there will be more to come.

♥ Andrea ♥

Banana Cream Pie & Chocolate Pudding *raw vegan*

I made another couple of really great raw recipes this past week, Banana Cream Pie and Chocolate Pudding.

Raw Banana Cream Pie

This recipe was inspired by one in Ann Wigmore's great little Sprouting Book

But the crust recipe I used is one from Jeremy A. Safron's book, The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods

Crust

1 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)

5 seeded and soaked medjool dates

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1 Tbsp raw honey

olive oil (just to moisten to dough consistency)

Take these ingredients and blend them together in a food processor. Press the mixture into a pie plate.

Filling

4 ripe bananas

1 ripe avocado

2 Tbsp pineapple juice

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tsp ground flax seed powder (or amount needed to reach consistency desired)

Ann Wigmore's recipe doesn't call for flax but I often add ground flax to recipes that require thickening. It acts like an egg binding everything together plus it adds fiber and healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids to your recipe.

Add the filling ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture over the crust.

If your filling is too runny, you can freeze the pie before serving.

Topping

1/2 cup sprouted* raw macadamia nuts (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp maple syrup or raw honey

Blend all of your topping ingredients together until smooth and pour over the filling.

I actually used coconut milk instead of water. Unfortunately because I live in Canada it is next to impossible to get fresh raw coconut milk so I had to use it from a can. This added a really nice flavor to the topping. Fresh coconut milk would be absolutely incredible in this recipe. Or next time I might try adding a touch of this pineapple coconut juice. Have you tried this juice? It's delicious!

Instead of macadamia nuts, Ann Wigmore's recipe calls for pine nuts or you could also use cashews.

Eating this right away is divine! Otherwise, you can freeze it and eat within two days. It's easy to eat it all up quickly because it's so healthy you can eat it for breakfast, and that's just what we did! Also, I have made just the filling a couple of times using frozen bananas. We call it banana ice cream. Yum!

Raw Chocolate Pudding

Here is another favorite raw recipe these days. It is incredibly delicious and nutritious! This was also inspired by a recipe in Ann Wigmore's Sprouting Book

***Update***

I tried this recipe a few times before posting it and it turned out perfectly. However, when I tried it again today, it came out very thin. I think, because I used honey dates instead of medjool dates. I added a few more dates, some raisins and even a bit more cocoa and flax to reach the consistency I wanted. You can do this too if yours turns out to be too thin and watery.

Also, this makes an excellent chocolate banana shake if you reduce the amount of ground flax and dates/ raisins and add a frozen banana.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)

1 1/2 cups water

5 pitted medjool dates or a handful of raisins

5 heaping Tbsp of raw cocoa powder (can be substituted with regular cocoa or carob powder)

*I got my raw chocolate from ChocoSol Traders*

raw honey to taste (about 1-2 Tbsp)

5 tsp finely ground flax seed powder (or the amount needed to reach the consistency desired)

Blend it all up in the blender and serve! This will last in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days.

*I had to grind my raw cocoa powder into a finer powder in a coffee grinder first*

I just love making raw recipes that taste like desert but are healthy enough to eat for breakfast!

♥ Andrea ♥

Apple Sauce *raw vegan*

If you have never had fresh apple sauce like this before, you'll wonder why not.  This apple sauce is very fast and easy to make. And it is so fresh, light and frothy, you'll love it!

Rawpple Sauce 

4 whole apples cored and chopped (I leave the peels on)

1 ripe banana

juice from one lemon

maple syrup to taste (it depends on the type of apples you use whether it needs to be sweetened)

cinnamon to taste ( I like lots)

Dump everything  into your blender and blend until very smooth. Sometimes I add a touch of water to facilitate blending. 

We eat this for breakfast often.

♥ Andrea ♥

Almond Date Orbs *raw vegan*

These orbs are incredibly healthy and every man, woman and child I've offered them to loves them! They are very easy to make but do require planning because you must soak the nuts. Soaking your nuts makes them more digestible because by soaking them, you wash away enzyme inhibitors and begin the sprouting process. This is very beneficial for your body. Squirrels and other animals bury their nuts and eat them after they have begun to sprout (animals are so much smarter than we are).

Here is a summary of why it's good to soak your nuts.

I became inspired to make these while reading, 12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Foodby Victoria Boutenko. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the raw food diet. When I make these, I tend to wing it and just add whatever amounts seem right at the time but I'll write out a proper recipe for you here that you can change to suit your taste.

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw almonds (soaked over night)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (soaked over night)

1/2 cup of chopped medjool dates (or other dried fruit of your choice)

extra virgin olive oil (as needed for desired consistency)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

unsweetened dried coconut flakes (to your taste)

Directions

Soak the almonds and sunflower seeds overnight in cold water

In the morning, drain and thoroughly rinse your nuts and seeds

*If you are not ready to make your orbs right away, you can seal your seeds now in a container and place them in the fridge for up to a week*

Add your nuts and seeds to a food processor and grind into small chunks

Add 1/2 cup of chopped medjool dates to the food processor and process until it becomes a lump

Transfer to a mixing bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil

Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Mix until you have a moist lump of dough

Make the dough into bite sized balls and roll in unsweetened coconut

This recipe freezes well and makes an excellent snack or addition to breakfast. Another great combination is soaked pecans and dried unsweetened cranberries. I was thinking as I made these that ginger would be a great addition to this recipe. I'm going to try that next time for sure!

♥ Andrea ♥

Supreme Sunflower Seed Butter Pie

This pie is reminiscent of a peanut butter pie my grandfather used to make. Here is the link to the original recipe I intended to make on goneraw.com. I sent my husband down to the farmer's stall to get strawberries and alas, strawberry season has come to an end. So, I didn't end up using any fresh berries at all and ended up with a very different pie . I also didn't use raw sunflower seed butter. Here's a link to the sunflower seed butter I used from the bulk barn.

My grandfather's peanut butter pie included sour cream, cream whip and of course peanut butter among other things. This sunflower seed pie is far healthier and just as delicious.

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup brazil nuts

1 cup shredded coconut

pinch of salt

2 heaping Tbsp of carob powder

4 Tbsp agave nectar

1/2 tsp van extract

Filling

2 cups sunbutter (entire jar)

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup agave

2 avocados

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation

pulse crust into crust-like consistency and line a 9" spring form pan

freeze while you make the filling

combine everything else into food processor or blender and blend

pour filling over crust and freeze

Once your pie is frozen, use a knife to separate the pie from the spring form pan and keep it frozen in the freezer with lid or covering. I sprinkled my pie with cocoa powder.

This pie is very rich. A small smackerel will certainly satisfy.

♥ Andrea ♥

Raw Lemon Bars *raw vegan*

I finally got a dehydrator! Thank you so much to my dear friend Shona for the amazing gift!

So far I've made pizza crust twice out of ground flax seeds, tomatoes, celery, sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano and garlic. The basic recipe for the pizza crust is in 12 Steps to Raw Food by Vicoria Boutenko. I added a lot of flavoring to this. It was delicious.

The other thing I've made are these lemon bars...

It fell apart when I tried to flip it over in the dehydrator but it is really quite delicious. I took the almond pulp left over from making almond milk. I used about two cups of almond pulp. I added the zest of two lemons (I like it really tart) and the juice of about 1 1/2 - 2 lemons also. I blended this in a food processor with about 20 medjool dates. I spread the mixture out on parchment paper and pressed unsweetened dried coconut on top. This I dehydrated until it seemed ready and then peeled off the parchment paper (I pulled the paper off too early- hence the crumbled bars) and let it dehydrate longer. I didn't time it, I just took it out when it seemed ready. The kids really like it. They think it's a real treat.

I am loving the dehydrator! It's really convenient. You can leave it on and walk away or even go out. It's not as time sensitive as the oven and you can make raw snacks without compromising the nutritional qualities of your food. There are a ton of raw recipes on-line that use a dehydrator. If you are looking for free raw recipes try here, here and here to get started.

♥ Andrea ♥

Cucumber, Dill and, Sunflower Seed Soup *raw vegan*

I made this raw cucumber dill soup today. This recipe was inspired by one in Jeremy Safron's recipe book The Raw Truth. The recipe that I made is not much like the one in the book but, it turned out really great and the kids loved it.

Ingredients

1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds (soaked over night  or at least 8 hours and rinsed)

11/2 cups of fresh cold water

1 or 2 large cucumbers (peeled and chopped)

1/2 ripe avocado

2 heaping Tbsp dried dill

1 - 2 cloves minced garlic cloves

red star nutritional yeast to taste ( I used about 1-2 tsp)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

agave syrup to taste

Directions

Blend the sunflower seeds and water until smooth.

Add cucumbers, avocado, dill and garlic and blend again.

Add the red star, salt, pepper and agave to taste and serve right away.

♥ Andrea ♥

Rawpple Pie *raw vegan*

So I made this pie the day before yesterday. It's yummy. My children adore it. The recipe came from the book, The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon. I have two of her recipe books as well as a few other raw food books.

I am a little enamored with the raw food diet. I was first introduced to the concepts of the raw food diet about 13 years ago while living in Victoria B.C. I purchased a book by Ann Wigmore and one by Viktoras Kulvinskas at that time and have accumulated many raw food books since then. I have never come anywhere close to only eating raw food but the benefits of eating a raw food diet are many and I do think that everyone can benefit from eating more raw foods.

Although in the description for this apple sauce pie recipe it says that it rivals any cooked apple pie and that people will not believe that it is raw, I didn't think so. My father-in-law however, was very surprised that this pie was raw and he loves pie so perhaps I am wrong.

I did change the recipe slightly and because I don't have really any of the equipment required (heavy duty juicer, large heavy duty food processor or dehydrator) I had to make due with what I do have. Here's a link to the recipe I used.

Pie Crust

1 3/4 Cup raw almonds and walnuts (soaked over night and well rinsed)

1 1/2 cups dates

1 Tbsp water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

cinnamon to taste ( I like lots)

2 tsps Psyllium

Put all ingredients in the food processor. Press into a pan. Dehydrate for 1 hour.

Pie Filling
10-12 apples (peeled and cored)
2 cups dates, pitted
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons psyllium

Put all filling ingredients into a Vitamix (or food processor if you really want to work!). Blend. Pour into pie crust. Chill.

I added much more cinnamon than the recipe called for ( I really love cinnamon). And when I processed the raw apple mixture with my blender, I added the juice of one lemon and a wee bit of water so that it would blend. Also, I had to make both the filling and the crust in small batches as my food processor is just a little one and my blender is pretty small too.

In the end, I had way too much filling and so we are eating a whole lot of apple sauce here! Anyway, my kids think it's a real treat and it is extremely good for them so, I'm happy. I would certainly make this pie again.

♥ Andrea ♥