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Friday, August 31, 2012

FARM TO TABLE: SUMMER SALSA WITH PEACHES




This salsa was delicious!  My sister gave me some tomatoes and cucumber from her garden the other day.  I was thinking....what can I make with these.  Ah yes, a peach salsa to snack on!  Super easy and so yummy!   Here's a pic from my Instagram of the garden picked veggies from my sister.  She has become quite the gardener.




I really like this version because it's a bit different from the traditional salsa and the peaches add that slight sweetness to make it a fun summer snack.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tomatoes, chopped
1 green heirloom tomato, chopped
1 small cucumber, chopped (I used 1/2 of this one)
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 peaches, pitted, peeled and chopped
2 limes, juice of
1 Jalapeno, diced - optional
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Mix all the vegetable and fruit ingredients together in a large bowl.  Squeeze in the lime juice.  Mix in  the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with your favorite chips or crackers and dig in!


Hope your summer is going well!

Enjoy!



Photo taken with iPhone4, plates from Ikea, paper from Michaels

Thursday, August 30, 2012

SUMMER PEACH SALAD WITH PEPITAS







Summer is rolling quickly past us here in Los Angeles.  I am a bit sad by it because the weather in Southern California is quite nice year round.  It's hot where we live in the summer, but we can drive 20 minutes to be near the beach and have fabulous weather.  I've been eating a lot of peaches for breakfast, raw or in smoothies this summer, but I thought what about in a salad?  I've seen a few recipes that use nectarines and so I thought, why not, let's try it! 


PEACH SALAD WITH PEPITAS


1 package arugula salad mix (spring mix or baby greens will works too)
1 organic cucumber (I made strips with my vegetable peeler to change it up)
1-2 organic roma tomatos, to your liking
1/4-1/2 chopped red onion to your liking (you can also use green onion)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 peaches, sliced
1/2 cup Pepitas, or more if you'd like

DRESSING:

Creamy Cucumber Avocado Dressing - find the recipe HERE

Mix all the salad ingredients in a big bowl, plate, drizzle on the dressing and serve.

This salad is so refreshing!
I hope to do one more peach recipe tomorrow to get ready for the long weekend.


Enjoy!


Photo: Taken by Felicia using iPhone 4, Summer Peach Salad, Creamy Avocado Cumumber Dressing, Plate from Ikea, paper from Michaels.


CURRENTLY SNACKING ON... HOME MADE KALE CHIPS









These kale chips came out so good.  I am definitely going to make these again. And its super easy!  What a great healthy snack.   Here's what you need to do...

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch kale, cut off the bottom stems, they are too chewy once dehydrated.
Olive Oil
Salt 

Cut the kale into chip large chip size pieces.  I just made a few cuts lengthwise.  They do shrink a little, so if you cut them too small, your chips will be small.  Put the pieces of kale in a large bowl and coat with the olive oil.  Try to make sure each piece is coated, but don't drown them.  Lay them out on the dehydrator trays then lightly salt.  Cook them in the dehyrator at 118 degrees for about 12 hours.  And voila!  You have home made kale chips!    Yum!

We all have heard that kale is really good for us.  Here's some nutritional facts I gleaned HERE.




If you are looking for a dehyrator and don't want to spend a lot of money, I got mine HERE.  And here's what it looks like.  To me it works perfectly fine and it's not too big, so I really like it.



I am going to make some beet chips again soon and will be posting pics and the recipe for that too.  Love beet chips!

Talk soon...
Enjoy!


Photo Taken by Felicia with iPhone 4, Kale Chips, Plate from Target, Paper from Michaels, dehyrator from Bed Bath and Beyond








GRANOLA CEREAL WITH STRAWBERRIES








I think of myself as a lazy vegan/raw foodist.  Living in a household where others have different dietary habits, I don’t always want to make a full on meal after a long day just for me.  So I get kind of lazy and make this cereal if i’m just not feeling like doing much or if i’m bored of smoothies.   Sometimes you just want a bowl of cereal, simple and uncomplicated!
 
I stumbled upon this as I was trying to make the energy bars Felicia posted about here.  It was kind of a disaster.  In the end my bars were mostly chunks and crumbs (I ran out of dates opps!)  I made about 2 gallons of energy crumbs!  So, I decided it would be my new cereal.
 
 
 



GRANOLA CEREAL WITH STRAWBERRIES

 

1 cup almond milk (or any other nut milk)
1 cup of strawberries (or whatever fruit you have available)
1/2 cup of energy bars
 
**Note: This cereal could be raw if you follow the recipe for the energy bars here.  Mine however were vegan since I used rolled oats. 

Break up the energy bar in a bowl.  Slice the strawberries and add them to the bowl.  Then pour the milk over it all et Voila! (I feel kind of silly giving directions to make cereal).


 
**Another variation I tried from Just Glowing With Health is to blend a cup of almond milk with a frozen banana in a high speed mixer.  This is a delicious variation,  and really the variations are endless, so have fun, there are no limits!


Is your mouth watering yet?




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

WEDNESDAY GIVEAWAY!


Today will be the first giveaway for A Simply Raw Life.  I want to thank all of you who have been of a great support and encouragement to me over the past few months.  One thing that has helped me get focused and gives me a lot of cooking inspiriation is the book Raw Food Real World.  I've learned so much from it about eating raw, learned raw cooking techniques, and gained new recipes.  So, for this Wednesday's giveaway, the fabulous winner will receive their own copy!



Here is what you have to do to enter, follow me on Instagram, leave a comment on this post and on one other post of a recipe you like from this blog.  The contest will run until Thursday midnight.  A winner will be chosen randomly on Friday morning, August 31st.  The winner will be announced in a update on this post and will be announced on Instagram.  It's worth it!
Talk soon!

UPDATE:
The winner for the Raw Food Real World Cookbook contest is Deniz!  Congratulations Deniz!  Thank you for participating and I hope you enjoy the cookbook.  Please email me at asimplyrawlife@gmail.com to confirm where you would like the book shipped.

Look for the next contest in the coming weeks!

CREAMY CUCUMBER AVOCADO DRESSING

I love this dressing because it's so flavorful and creamy and is based on using a lot of fresh vegetables.  I have been using this as a dip, as a salad dressing and I even mixed it into one of the vegetable purees the other day to add flavor.  You may have seen that post on my Instagram yesterday.  This dressing is extremely tasty to say the least.  This recipe was adapted from Sunset Magazine.

CREAMY CUCUMBER AVOCADO DRESSING

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 english cucumber minced
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup cilantro (If you don't like cilantro you and use mint to make a slightly different version)
2 green onions
1 lemon, juice of
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teason salt - you can add more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
Purée all ingredients with 3/4 cup water in a food processor until smooth.



Makes about 2 cups
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for 1/4 cup serving
  • Calories: 75
  • Calories from fat: 80%
  • Protein: 0.8g
  • Fat: 6.8g
  • Saturated fat: 0.9g
  • Carbohydrate: 3.9g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Sodium: 288mg
  • Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Enjoy!
       
Photo:  Creamy Cucumber Avocado Dressing, Organic Rainbow Carrots from Whole Foods, Paper from Michaels Arts & Crafts 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POTATO SALAD

 
 
 
I don't know about you, but I grew up eating potato salad.  My mom, even though she is from Japan and only came here in her early twenties, perfected, in my opinion her potato salad recipe. It was the best!  She even created her own potato salad recipe using Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), which my sister and I love!
 
I've been craving potato salad so I decided to make a butternut squash potato salad and added in a little green.  It was delicious!  I used my Raw Mayonaise recipe to bring it all together.   Here it goes, I got all the ingredients at Trader Joes too.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH POTATO SALAD


1/2 pound Butternut squash , steamed and cubed
1/2 pound Baby Potatoes - I used Dutch Yellow and left the skin on, steamed and cubed
1/2 organic broccoli crown, flash blanched
1/2 red onion chopped
1 avocado cubed
1 tablespoon dill
Raw Mayo to your liking but not too much, I used about 4 tablespoons
Sea Salt and black pepper to taste.

Give the avocado and lemon or lime bath to help with the blackening of the avocado.  Then, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve.  This salad is best eaten fresh.  I hope you like it as much as I do.


Check out the health benefits of butternut squash from Whole Living:

NUTRITION BREAKDOWN

Per 1 cup cooked, approximately 205 grams
Calories: 82 kcal
Fat: 0.2 g
Vitamin A: 1,144 mcg = 163 percent* of DRI**
Vitamin B6: 0.3 mg = 20 percent of DRI
Vitamin C: 31 mg = 41 percent of DRI
Folate: 39 mcg = 10 percent of DRI
Potassium: 582 mg = 12 percent of DRI
* Percentages are for women 31 to 50 years old who are not pregnant
** DRI, Dietary Reference Intake, is based on National Academy of Sciences' Dietary Reference Intakes, 1997 to 2004


Enjoy.




RAW: MAYONAISE





 
I LOVE this recipe!  As a kid I grew up eating maynaise on sandwiches but especially in potato salads.  So, when I found this recipe I was thrilled.  It's super easy and really has a lot of flavor.  I adapted it from this Rawmazing recipe...
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
1 cup cashews, soaked 6+ hours, drained and rinsed
1/2 lemon, juice of
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon agave
2 teaspoons dried mustard (if you want to give it a kick, use Chinese dried mustard, I did)
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.  If the mixture seems too thick, just add a little more olive oil a table spoon at atime.

Enjoy!


Check these nutritional facts in regards to cashews! 

A ½ oz. of cashews counts as one serving in the meat and beans group of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid, although most people probably eat more than that in one "serving." Cashews come from trees related to mangoes, pistachios, sumac and poison ivy. Cashews, like other nuts, are calorie-dense but can play a role in a healthy diet.

OTHER NUTRITIONAL FACTS
One ounce of cashews provides 12 percent of the vitamin K that your body needs for blood clotting. One ounce of these nuts also provides 8 percent of your daily thiamin and 6 percent of vitamin B-6. They provide 1 gram of fiber and just 1 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium. This serving size also provides about 10 percent of your daily iron.
 
SODIUM
Raw cashews are low in sodium. One ounce contains only 3 mg of sodium, which is less than 1 percent of the maximum recommended daily allowance. This is significantly less sodium than the amount in roasted, salted cashews, which is typically 181 mg.
 
MINERALS
Raw cashews contain numerous essential minerals. One ounce of cashews supplies 69 percent of the DRI for copper, which is important for the breakdown of iron in the body. Cashews also supply iron, with one ounce providing 24 percent of the DRI for men and 11 percent for women. Other minerals supplied by cashews include magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. One ounce of cashews provides over 20 percent of the DRI for all three of these minerals. Additionally, one ounce of cashews supplies 10 percent of the DRI for selenium, and more than 15 percent for zinc.

 
HEALTHY FATS
Only 2 grams of the 12 grams of fat in one ounce of cashew nuts is the unhealthy, saturated variety. The rest of the fat in cashew nuts is polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Eating these types of fats as 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories is healthy, according to the American Heart Association. In addition, consuming unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats may help lower blood cholesterol.
 
DIETARY IMPACT
Eating nuts, including cashews, can improve your overall nutritional profile. A study in the “Journal of Nutrition” published in 2008 found that people who consume nuts as a regular part of their diet have higher intakes of the nutrients folate, beta-carotene, vitamin K, phosphorus, copper, selenium, potassium and zinc.
 


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

RAW: GREEN SMOOTHIE WITH PEAS




Peas you say?  Yes, PEAS!  I am definitely on a raw green smoothie kick and hope to keep this up for a long, long while.  I have a handful of friends who really do not like to eat vegetables, but they love smoothies.  This is a great way to get some of the needed fruits and vegetable intake for the day. 

I know growing up, I didn't think peas were a viable vegetable, but when you think about it, one of the first vegetable babies eat are peas.  They are really packed with a lot nutrition.  See below for an in depth analysis of nutrients from this site:
 

Oh, and I have to mention another hidden gem in this blend.  Kiwis.   One cup of kiwi fruit contains more vitamin C than a cup of orange slices.  Check out more nutritional information on Livestrong.

Amazing!  Are you ready to try it?

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup peas
1 cup baby spinach
1 large banana frozen
2 kiwis, peeled
1 cup frozen straberries
1 cup frozen pineapples
juice from two navel oranges (for a less tangy flavor you can use 1/2 apple juice)
1/2 cup water

Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.  Makes two generous servings.

Top it off with a table spoon of chia seeds.  Yet another powerful ingredient.  I talk a little bit about the power of chia seeds in THIS POST.

Enjoy!



Monday, August 27, 2012

RAW: HOME MADE ENERGY BARS

  



I love these bars! These home made energy bars are so good, I make them just about every other week, if not every week.  The fabulous thing about this is that you can make many varieties by just switching out a few ingredients.  This recipe is super easy, so here it goes...



INGREDIENTS:
16 oz pitted dates (These were from Trader Joe's and I just used the whole package.)
1-1/2 cup dried cherries (If you buy them at Trader Joe's use the whole package.)
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup pistachios
3 table spoons chia seeds

Note:  I got all the ingredients at Trader Joes, all except for the coconut.  (I think we all need to write them to ask them to stock the coconut for us!)

Blend the dates and the cherries in the food processor until blended.  It will be very, very sticky.  Transfer it into a blow and then mix in all the other ingredients.  Wet your hands slightly and knead and fold the ingredients togehter by hand.  It will be tough but if you knead and fold it will eventually all be mixed togeher. 

Tip, don't put in too many dry ingredients, it will make it more difficult to fold and mold.

Press the ball of ingredients into a wax paper lined 9" x 13" baking pan.  Chill for 1 hour in the freezer and then cut into bars.  I like to store these in the refrigerator, it keeps them at a nice firm consistency.

Voila! 

I know you will love these and make them as much as I do.
Process pitted dates and cherries.
I love the information I found about dates at LIVESTRONG.COM... I think dates are my new favorite go to sweet treat.  Also, check out these nutritional points about dates if you need a little convincing.
Also, a side note about Chia Seeds, one tablespoon will give you 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 2.9 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.  What a powerful little seed!




Knead all ingredients together.



Press into 9" x 13" pan



Close Up...


So yummy!




Friday, August 24, 2012

CURRENTLY SNACKING ON... MEXICAN CHOCOLATE

Trader Joe's Stone Ground Salt & Pepper Dark Chocolate

This chocolate is extremely tasty as a hot cocoa...a bit strong alone...can't wait to try it on a dessert.

Magazine: Dwell 

ASIAN SLAW WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Asian Slaw with Peanut Sauce

TGIF everyone!  This one is short and easy.  I promised to post the salad I made with the Peanut Sauce I made the other day. Asian Slaw's are really easy to make.  I packed this one full of various raw veggies and so it had a tremendous amount of flavor in one bite.  An easy way to give variety to your salads is to vary the cutting methods used.  In this case I tried to Julienne, shred and thinly slice a lot of the ingredients.

ASIAN SLAW WITH PEANUT SAUCE

 
2 cups Shredded Cabbage
1/2 cup Jicama, Julienned (Or Diakon Radish)
1/2 cup Cucumber, Sliced or Julienned
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped (I love cilantro, so I proably added about a cup!)
1/2 cup Leeks, Sliced or Julienned
1/2 cup Red Radishes
1/2 cup Green Onions, chopped
Avocado to garnish

DRESSING:

Peanut Sauce or your favorite vinaigrette or asian salad dressing.

You can also top it with your favorite nuts.  Mine would be these Sweet & Spicy Cashews, which I can't believe I forgot to use!

Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!
 


Thursday, August 23, 2012

RAW SWEET AND SPICY CASHEWS









Sweet and Spicy Cashews


Ok, friends, I made a little mistake on my Instagram post about the dehydrated cashews.  I called them Chilli Lime, but they are in fact Sweet & Spicy.  So sorry about that folks!  In any case, they are still very tasty!

You will also need a dehydrator to make these if you want to keep them raw.  I got mine HERE and it works great.  I love using this to to dehydrate mushrooms and tomatoes, and I've made Beet Chips too!

These cashews do take a little time, so plan about two days ahead if you want to make these.

RAW SWEET AND SPICY CASHEWS


1-1/2 cups raw cashews ~ soak for 4 hours or more
1/4 cup raw honey
2 teaspoons ground chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

 Drain and dry the cashews and toss them in a medium bowl with the honey, chili pepper, and salt until well coated.  Spread them in one layer on a texflex-lined dehydrator (so they don't fall through the grid on the open tray) and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 1-2 days, until crunchy.  I dehydrated mine for 48 hours.

What a tasty treat.  You can eat these alone as a snack or use them in a salad.  I added them to a spicy peanut salad that I made last night.  I'll be sharing that recipe, I think tomorrow.

Enjoy!



RAW PEANUT SAUCE



Peanut Sauce


There's nothing like a refreshing salad on a hot summer's day.  I've wanting to change up the salads I have been making to something different.  Thai sounds good, I thought.  When I was checking out some of my favorite food blogs the other day, I saw this peanut sauce recipe on Sprouted Kitchen. The Sprouted Kitchen recipe is not raw, so if you want to make a non-raw version, then this one is very tasty.  

I switched one ingredient... I used raw peanuts instead of peanut butter.  Just to warn you, the raw recipe is not as creamy and smooth as the peanut butter recipe, but it is very tasty just the same.

 

RAW PEANUT SAUCE

 
1 cup raw peanuts (soaked for 4 hours or more and drained) or creamy, unsalted peanut butter
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
zest and juice of one large lime
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2-4 tablespoons light coconut milk or water, as needed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Add all of the ingredients besides cilantro to a high speed  blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust as preferred. Add the cilantro, give it another few pulses and store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

I can see using this on various dishes.  Very tasty.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

SMOOTHIE: REFRESHING STRAWBERRY AND WATERMELON








I don't know about you but it's sure been hot here in Los Angeles for the past 3 weeks!  August is usually the hotest month here and I don't know what I would do without my air conditioner and smoothies.

All I have been wanting to drink on these hot days are smoothies.  And this one is sure refreshing!
If you aren't feeling like a green smoothie give this one a try!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Fresh pressed Apple Juice
1 frozen Banana
1 cup Frozen Strawberries
and 1 cup Fresh Watermelon

Blend in a high speed blender and drink!

So delicous and sweet.
Pure joy!



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

SUPERFOOD: VEGAN WARM BLACK RICE SALAD, GREEN & HEARTY



Last nights favorite ingredient:  Black Rice

My husband was craving something a little less raw last night.  He's been doing real well with eating what I eat these days whether it be raw, vegan or vegetarian.  Such a trooper!  So I thought, yea, I will make him something hearty and tasty.  I really, really love black rice.  I picked up a package at Whole Foods the other day so perfect, I thought.  This one is imported from Thailand. On the package it said:  "Originally the proprietary rice of emperors, black rice is a member of the "royal family" of food because of the minerals, antioxidants and natural-occurring amino acids contained in it."   When you cook this rice it is soooo aromatic and delicious smelling!

In an article I read on Huff Post, it was interesting to note that research was presented at the 240th national meeting of the American Cancer Society, brought out the Baltimore Sun.  The findings show that just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants," said Zhimin Xu, associate professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, the paper reported. He said it is even better than brown rice, and considered a more healthful alternative to white rice. Black rice is also rich in iron and fiber and has a deep, nutty taste.


It's a rich source of anthocyanin antioxidants -- also found in red grapes, strawberries, red wine, red cabbage, red onion, and blood orange juice. Anthocyanin antioxidants have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, CBS News reported.

I guess we are on the right track then, right?

My husband was eating a bowl of this in the living room and shouted out to me that it was super delicious.  Yay!  Mission accomplished! 







Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Black Rice, cooked per instructions. 
Haricot Vert, Chopped, Raw or Quick Blanched*
Sweet Potato, steamed and cubed (another superfood!)
Sweet Corn raw, cut from the cob
red onion chopped
Kale, chopped up small

DRESSING:
Olilve Oil
Salt
Pepper

If you are a vegetarian and want to throw in some cheese, some crumbled goat cheese would be really nice.

Cook the rice and let cool down a little andToss all the ingredients together in a large bowl while the rice is still a little warm, but not hot. Drizzle on lightly some olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste, toss again and serve.  (This salad is also good with most of your favorite salad dressings.)

*For vegetables you don't like to eat raw, you can quick blanch them to cook them slightly and give them more greenness.  Put the Haricot Vert in a strainer, boil some water in a small pot.  Once the water is boiled pour it over the Haricot Vert, then it through some cold water and serve or use.

I really enjoyed this salad.  Black rice is definitely my favorite rice right now, hands down.  I know I will be eating this again.  

I hope you do too!

P.S. Oh I forgot to mention that I threw in some black lentils that I had left over...yum!





Monday, August 20, 2012

GREEN SMOOTHIES & INSTAGRAM





Monday  mornings are tough...  I have to get up at the break of dawn and the best thing I can do for myself to pump me up for the day and get me out the door is make a smoothie.  Particularly a green smoothie.  Currently this one is my favorite.  I vary the fruits on different days, but seriously you guys, it tastes so good you don't even realize that you are drinking any vegetables.  My 3 year old even loves this one!  (He thinks he tastes chocolate in it, shhhhh.... don't tell him there isn't an ounce of chocolaet in it.)

INGREDIENTS:

Equal parts...
ALMOND MILK
FRESH APPLE JUICE
SPINACH - ADD A LITTLE MORE IF YOU WANT MORE GREEN
FROZEN STRAWBERRIES
FROZEN BANANAS
FROZEN PINEAPPLES (OR PEACHES)
2 CHOPPED DATES

You can even add in 2 table spoons of flax or chia seeds.
Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.
Voila!



If you are on instagram also check out @simplegreensmoothies for more ideas.  Jadah also has a great website for healthy families called Family Sponge - A Playground for Parents.  If you are a newbie to green smoothies, her LINK on breaking into green smoothies is helpful.  What a great way to stay healthy.  I know my family LOVES it!

Have a great Monday!




Friday, August 17, 2012

TGIF! And Currently Reading...



TGIF Ya'll!

I am still fine tuning the blog, but I wanted to leave you with some eye candy on this very fine Friday.  I am currently drooling over this cook book by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis ~ Raw Food Real World.   The recipes are just fabulous! The ones I have tried came out tasting so good.  I've put my own twist on some of them too.  I will be posting these recipes real soon.  But in the meantime, check out some shots from the book. What great photos!


King Oyster Mushroom and Dried Cherry Tomato Fettuccini

Summer Rolls with Green Papaya

Eating raw or even healthy can get a bit boring, and if you don't spice up the menu with flavor it's easy to get off track.  I love the recipes in this book for the very fact that Matthew and Sarma really take eating raw to the next level.  The flavors they mix into the foods are so wonderful! 

Spicy Thai Vegetable Wrap

Tomato Tartare

Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagne

This weekend I will working on a page that will note staples and every day items you should keep on hand in your pantry.  Have a wonderful weekend!




Thursday, August 16, 2012

GREETINGS: MY FOOD REVOLUTION


























Ta-dah!

I am excited to write my first post for A Simply Raw Life!  I am really excited to be able to jounal my thoughts, recipes and happenings that revolve around food, which is a HUGE part of my life.  One of the recipes that got me started on this food revolution is a Raw Peach Cobbler recipe from Just Glowing with Health.  I went crazy with it and have adapted it into my everyday meals.  The "crust" of the Raw Peach Cobbler recipe has become something I eat almost every day with my favorite fruit.  I even use it on desserts!  I've made a couple versions of this which I will detail below.  This Crumble is so delicious, I hope you love it just as much as I do.


RAW ALMOND, COCONUT & DATE CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw dried coconut
6-12 dates


Add all the ingredients into a food processor and mix together.
Spoon onto your favorite fruit and add a drizzle of raw honey or raw agave to add some gooey sweetness.



Here's a slightly different version for those who want something a little sweeter and not so "raw".

ALMOND, COCONUT & DATE CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup bakers coconut
6-12 dates

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and mix together.
The baker's coconut is sweetened, however, you still can add a drizzle of agave or honey to make it just that much more sweeter.

Dates have become one of my new best friends.  It's a super food that is a force to be reckoned with even though it is small in size.
Check out the nutritioinal information on dates HERE.




Here are a couple more photos of the crumble on various dishes I have eaten...

with pears and blueberries



with peaches, blueberries and ice cream