FAVORITES LIST: PARTY FOOD IDEAS

 

 

Before I went raw vegan I loved the idea of putting together really cute dessert tables for baby showers or dinner parties.  I think Amy Atlas is amazing in this regard!  She is amazing!  What inspiration.  I love the fact that she has a fruit and veggie table idea posted on her blog.  You can easily switch out items to make it raw vegan.  What gorgeous photos!

 

I would use a cashew cream recipe to top these water melon cups.

 

Switch out the mozzarella with vegan cheese or melon balls.

 

What a gorgeous table!

 

 

 

Here are some more really cute fruit and veggie serving ideas I found on Pinterest.   These are not from vegan or raw food blogs, but I love getting ideas from many sources, tweak them slightly to make them my own. 

 

 

 

Fruit Shots via Sweet and Savory Eats

 

 

Summer Party Fruit Pops via The Kitchn

 

 

Rubix Cube Fruit Salad via missflosochic.over-blog.com on Pinterest

 

 

Enjoy!

 

SPINACH, WALNUT SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO SPREAD

 

 

 

I am all about zesty, flavorful food.  This pesto spread really delivers with bursts of sun dried tomatoes and lemon.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  It's Friday night so, let's do this!

 

 

SPINACH, WALNUT SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO SPREAD

 

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

3/4 cup raw walnuts

1-1/2 cup spinach

1-2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon

Pealed and sliced pieces persian cucumbers

Fresh basil for garnish

 

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until combined well.  I don't like to process it too much, leaving this mixture a little chunky.  Use your desired amount of garlic and lemon juice.  The more you use the zestier it will be, so I'll leave that up to you...  Placed a small scoup of the pesto mixture on top of pealed and sliced persian cucumbers and top with a piece of fresh basil.  It's so fresh and flavorful! 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite pesto recipe? We'd love to hear what if is.  Feel free to share it in the comments below.  Links are welcome!

 





BANANA CREAM VANILLA SMOOTHIE



Sometimes you just want something simple, like you would vanilla ice cream. This is a super simple smoothie that I love to make when I am craving just that.  I hope you enjoy it too!

BANANA CREAM VANILLA SMOOTHIE

1 cup almond or coconut milk
1 to 1-1/2 banana, frozen chunks
2 dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Yes, that's it!  Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.  Note:  I like my smoothies to be thick and creamy, especially this one.  Start off with 1 frozen banana and then if it looks too thin, slowly add more frozen banana, piece by piece, until you get the desired thickness.  Top your smoothie with chia seeds and raw cacao powder, or whatever your heart desires!  Yum!

Enjoy!



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe?  We'd love to hear what if is.  Please share in the comments below.  Links are welcome!


ENERGY BARS

True Confessions.....I am a single mother and I don't have time....like ever, so I try to make recipes that give me the most bang for the buck.   I like these energy bars because they are a great snack that gets me over the 3 o'clock hump, and they last a while in my house.  You can find the original recipe for the Energy Bars here.  This time I made them more of a fruity chewy bar.

I wanted to try some different fruit combinations so I used dried blueberries, dried apricots, shredded coconut, and some ginger chews that I stubled across at Trader Joe's, this is what they look like here.

Some time saving tips that I learned along the way:

*I use a lot of whole nuts, and chopped about 1/3.  

*Blend the nuts first that you want to chop, then the dates.  

*Remember to use a food processor.  A blender will not work, it will turn the nuts into butter too soon, and it's torture to clean the dates off of the blades  (this I learned the hard way),  and who has time for that?

*Also parchment paper is your best friend.  Use it to line your cookie sheet to have less clean up.

*Also once the bars are cut wrap them individually in saran wrap.  This will save you a lot of time when you are daily preparing your snack, just pop one out of the freezer and your ready to go!

This recipe is very versatile so the same guidelines apply, I just used different ingredients.  

Here's what I used:

FRUITS:

Dried Blueberries

Dried Apricots

Shredded Coconut

Crystalized Ginger (found at Trader Joe's)

NUTS:

Cashews
Sliced Almonds
Macadamia

HOT TOTTIE HONEY LEMON COUGH SYRUP WITH COCONUT OIL

Hot Tottie, Fresh squeezed Blood Orange + Navel + Tangerine Juice, and Ginger Chews

Written by contibutor Britney Manuel of Btanjerine.

 

Well I thought that I could escape from getting sick, but alas I have succumb ((sniff sniff cough cough)).  I remembered this honey lemon concoction circulating around Facebook and Pinterest (it has been pinned over 800+ times) and thought it was worth a try.   I have adapted this recipe from The Coconut Mama.  You can find the original recipe here, with all the informative health benefits.  I made a bigger batch so that I could sip it over the course of a couple of days.  And since my daughter just got sick as well, it was perfect to have on hand.

 

HOT TOTTIE HONEY LEMON COUGH SYRUP WITH COCONUT OIL

Ingredients

6 lemons

1 blood orange (or any other type of orange)

1/4 cup of coconut oil

1/3 cup of raw honey

Directions

Juice lemons and blood orange.  Warm the coconut oil until it melts and mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

Sip as much as needed, and store in the refrigerator.  The coconut oil will harden when it is cold, so gently warm the portions you need until the coconut oil melts.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

This would make a great gift for this flu season.  A jar of the hot tottie,  ginger chews that you can find here, and freshly squeezed blood orange juice.  A trio sure to help anybody feel a little more pep in their step!  

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite home made flu remedy? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

MANGO AND ASPARAGUS CHOPPED SALAD IN AVOCADO CUPS

 



I just wanted to share this super easy and delicious recipe that is one of my favorites.  Of course though, finding the perfect avocado for making these cups isn't always easy... watch out for bruises on the outside, but check out this helpful tip that I found below on Facebook.  So, I'll just get right to it.

MANGO AND ASPARAGUS CHOPPED SALAD IN AVOCADO CUPS

1/2 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup chopped raw asparagus - I usually discard the rough ends
1/2 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 lemon, juice of
Chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste
Optional - 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 avocado to make the cups.

Directions

Chop everything together except the avocado and put in it into a medium size blow. Flavor with lemon, salt and pepper (evoo optional).  Cut your avocado in half, pit and peel and place on your plate.  Top it with the chopped salad and sprinkle with chilli powder.  So easy!!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here's an easy tip when selecting your avocado...



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite salad recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below.

Links are welcome.

RAW BERRY CREAM TARTS

 

Wow!  I am finally back from being away a week.  First to Alt Design Summit in Salt Lake City, which was super fabulous.  I learned so much and was really inspired.  I can't wait to be able to implement what we learned.  Then I headed over to Las Vegas for a trade show for my "other" job.  Phew!  So good to be home. 

 

I made this recipe before I left and am finally posting it.  Thank you all for your patience.  This is the second recipe I made using the Raw Cashew Cheese.  It was super, super delicious and light.  If you like berries, then you will love this!  I made it for some friends who are neither raw nor vegan and they loved it.  They loved the natural flavor, lightness and sweetness it had.

 

 



I was inspired by jarOhoney, one of my favorite blogs to visit and be inspired by.  My crust is slightly different as you do not have to dehydrate it.  I love how this came out and I don't feel guilty eating it!

 

RAW BERRY CREAM TARTS

 

Makes about 20 mini-tarts

For the raw crust

 

1 cup whole raw organic whole hazelnuts

Water for soaking

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup shredded organic coconut

8 dates, pitted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon raw honey or raw organic agave

20 mini paper baking cups

 

For the raw berry cream topping

 

1/2 cup whole fresh organic blueberries

1-1/2 cups whole fresh organic blackberries

1 tablespoon  raw honey or raw organic agave

1 cup room temperature raw cashew cheese - click HERE for the recipe

 

instagram of my mini crusts

 

instagram of my berry cream



Directions

 

In a large mixing bowl, soak your hazelnuts cool water for 14 hours and then drain and dry the hazelnuts well.  In your food processor pulse your hazelnuts into a fine meal. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut, dates, vanilla, and honey or agave and blend well.

 

Line your mini cupcake pan with the baking cups and spoon in about 2 teaspoons of the crust mixture in each and gently press evenly to the top of the baking cups.  It will be about 1/4 inch thick, just like you do with a pie tin, etc. Put them in the freezer for about 1 hour.

 

In your food processor, puree 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup blackberries until smooth, stir in the agave syrup.  This turns into a really nice fruit sauce.  I definitely want to use to top other yummy desserts or breakfasts!  Add the fruit sauce to the cashew cheese and blend well until smooth-this is now your filling. Spoon in the filling on top of the crust to over-fill the crusted cups. Garnish with remaining fresh fruit and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve - about 3 hours. 

 

Store the remaining desserts in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

Enjoy!

 



 



 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite Raw or Vegan Berry recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below.

 

Or, let me know what other raw desserts you would like to see. 

 

Links are welcome.

 



RAW CASHEW CHEESE

I was vegetarian for many years before I switched over to mostly raw vegan.  For years I thought I would miss cheese too much.  But, to tell you the truth, I don't.  And the fact is, there are so many great alternatives like this, eating is still very exciting.  The flavors and textures are just out of this world!  I can't forget to mention too that my body is thanking me for it. 

One of my new favorite blogs is jarOhoney. They have fabulous recipes!  This recipe is based of their Cashew Cheese recipe. This is my first attempt, and really it was so easy! 

 

I will be using this cheese to make one or two recipes in the next couple days and hope to post them next week.

RAW CASHEW CHEESE

2 cups whole raw organic cashews  - buy whole cashews to ensure the best quality of nut which equals the best quality of cheese

1/4 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar

1 small ripe organic lemon, reserve juice then save peel for another recipe

3 tablespoon of water

3 layers of cheese cloth about 8 inches long

large rubber band

twist tie

long wooden or plastic spoon

deep container to hang the cheese ball from - read further and as show in the photo above

In a large bowl, soak the cashews in clean water for 16 hours.  Drain the cashews and rinse well.  In a blender blend on high the cashews, vinegar and lemon juice.  Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, to ensure smoothness of the cheese.  Be sure to blend to a creamy paste. 

Open up and then layer your cheese cloth together on top of each other.  Spoon in the cheese into the center.  Gather the sides of your cheese cloth up to make a pouch over the cheese and twist tie the top that is gathered tightly to the cheese but do not squeeze.  Tie the cheese cloth onto the large spoon or stick and suspend it in the large bowl to allow it to drain. It needs to be at least 2 inches deeper that the cheese ball.  Hang for 24 hours, drain the container if need be.  Gently unwrap your cheese and place in a sealable container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

  

Enjoy!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw cheese recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

VEGAN BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES + VEGAN BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Ever since my friend Christine and I took our hubbies to eat dinner at Mohawk Bend, I have been craving the Buffalo  Style Cauliflower with vegan blue cheese dressing we had there.  It was out of this world!  Who says vegan food is boring?  Definitely not.  This dish will satisfy your craving for something super flavorful and savory.  I got my inspiration from 86 Lemons.  The recipe is super easy. I'll definitely be making this again.

VEGAN BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES

 

1 cup almond milk

1 cup flour - you can use any kind of flour, even gluten free 

2 tsp garlic powder

1-1/2 head of cauliflower cut up into bite size pieces

1 cup buffalo sauce*

1 tablespoon olive oil

* I used Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce.  You should check the ingredients on the brand you want to use to be sure its vegan.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the flour, garlic powder and almond milk in a bowl and mix well. Dip a few pieces of the cauliflower at a time into the bowl.  Cover the cauliflower with the batter, shake off the excess batter and place on a prepared baking dish or cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how soft you want the cauliflower to be.

Combine the buffalo sauce and oil in a measuring cup and pour it over the baked cauliflower and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Now its ready to serve with the Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing...

VEGAN BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

 

1/4 block of firm or extra firm organic sprouted tofu

dash of garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic

3/4 cup Veganaise - I used reduced fat Veganaise

1 teaspoon tahini

1 lemon, juice of - use to your taste.  If you want it less tart, use less, more tart, use more

1 table spoon apple cider vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined then crumble in the tofu to give it that blue cheese texture. Voila!!

I am really loving this dish.  Yum!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a spicy buffalo sauce recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

POMEGRANATE SMOOTHIE

pomegranate smoothie

 

It's time to get creative when you've set some goals to eat mostly raw for a stretch of days, right?  I love pomegranate so what a perfect time to come up with a pomegranate smoothie.  I love the soft feminine color of this smoothie and it has a really nice delicate sweet taste.   This is for all the the A Simply Raw Life  Food Challenge participants who are commited to eating raw or mostly raw for 10 days straight!  If you are on Instagram, take a look at all the food we are eating under our hashtag #asimplyrawlifefoodchallenge.

 

vegan pomegranate smoothie



POMEGRANATE SMOOTHIE

 

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup fresh pressed apple juice

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen banana

 

Super easy and super delicious!  And its vgan too.   If you want to step it up, add in a big hand full of spinach.  Really loving the flavor of this!

 

Enjoy!

 

delicious pomegranate



 



Join the discussion!

Do you have a pomegranate smoothie recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

DAY 3: MOSTLY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

Warm Sweet Potato Goodness... This will leave your belly warm and happy. 

Incredibly easy to make. We will be posting recipe soon.

Day 3: Mostly Raw Food Challenge

Preparation is everything!!!

Today was a little more challenging. And that's why I started this post the way I did. Preparation really is everything. Any goal we set out to accomplish must first be planned out. I planned out my first 2 days.  I had my food, recipes, smoothies all planned out and it all went as planned. Today was going to be a food shopping day and planning out the next few days... But that never happened. I have kids, appointments, etc... Life got in the way. So, it ended up being a harder day.

I have to say though, it started out great... I made a fantastic warm Sweet Potato Drink that would knock your socks off!  In fact I think this drink will be my new go to winter drink rather than my normal Hot Chocolate, and if any of you out there have had my Hot Chocolate you know that is saying a lot... I love my Hot Chocolate! But I have found a new healthy alternative.  I'm super excited about that.

But as the day progressed I didn't plan my time right. At noon, I was irritated.  I should have had my salad ready, but I didn't and I was starving for a mid afternoon snack.  I did stick to my food challenge, but I have to admit if I had a hamburger in front of me it would have been devoured!  But I didn't and the kids were sleeping so I was stuck at home with whatever was left in the fridge. My Mom is visiting and made me a salad.  I was so thankful for that and I had a PB&J sandwich for a snack... Dinner was Minestrone Soup.  So Delicious! In the evening we watched Forks over Knifes... This is a must see Documentary!  So, All I can say is tomorrow I plan on planning... and I'm ever more committed to sticking to the food challeng. I love my fresh veggies & fruits!!!

So, one last thought is this... Remember tomorrow is a new day.  If you, like me, didn't plan right and so maybe you ended up eating something you didn't want to; don't beat yourself up.  Just remind yourself as to why you want to do this and start fresh tomorrow.


Join the discussion:

What have you done to get through your mid afternoon slump? Have you found a new favorite food while doing the challenge? Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear all about it.

DAY 2: MOSTLY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

Day 2: Mostly raw food challenge

It's been one day and I feel really good! The first day is always the hardest. But I stuck to my guns especially since I was going to have to tell you all what I am eating. LOL! 

My husband is doing the food challenge too and he said he felt so good all day. He had to take a class and he said he stayed focused the whole time. I agree with him, I already feel more focused and my body seems really happy with what's taking place thus far. 

So, here's what I ate: 
Breakfast: Kale Coconut Smoothie
Snack: same smoothie from breakfast
Lunch: Asian Salad with seasoned rice vinegar & toasted sesame oil ( the easiest and best dressing ever) 
Snack: nuts, dates, and an apple
Snack: Ginger Veggie Smoothie
Dinner: Veggie stir-fry with steamed organic red rice

Kale Coconut Smoothie

2 handfuls of kale
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
Juice from 1 lemon
1 or 2 dates depending on how sweet you want it or how sweet your bananas are
2 bananas
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1/4 cup frozen peas

Directions: blend kale and liquids first. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth.

This makes enough for 2 smoothies one I can enjoy now and the other for a snack. 

Ginger Veggie Smoothie

2 handfuls of spinach
2 carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Apple
A chunk of ginger
1 Tablespoons Black strap molasses 
2 Cups water

Directions: add everything to the blender and blend until smooth. If it comes out too thick add more water. It should be smooth and easy to drink. But depending on the size of your carrots or apples that could change how fiberous the drink is. 

I drink a 1/3 now and save the rest for a snack. I get about 3 out of this depending on how hungry I am.

Join the Discussion: 

How was your first day of the food challenge? What is going to be your staple food to get you through? 

DAY 1: MOSTLY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

A great way to stay on track is to make a few extra smoothies so you can take them on the go...

 

Day 1: Mostly Raw food challenge 

It's about that time again, I need to cleanse my body. I wanted to do this right after I finished my radiation treatments but I was just too tired, physically as well as mentally. But I am now about 6 weeks out from my last treatment. I'm still mentally tired but I am not physically tired. So I'm going to do the push and do a 10 day cleanse. 

What will my cleanse guidelines be? 
Good question. I'm going back to basics... Mostly smoothies. They are easy. And I also plan to do mostly all raw. So when time permits I'm going to include salads or make some fun raw things from this site. I plan to include 1 vegan meal a day. That will be in the evening. It's cold here right now so I need that warmth and I do love food so that will be my treat each evening. 

How will I accomplish this? 
Another good question... I'm planning everything out. So far I have 2 days planned. And I have my smoothies all planned out. I'm going to keep it basic by drinking 2 different smoothies several times a day. I like the taste of both and if I keep it simple, so a little boring, I can keep it up. 

I also plan to make more than one smoothie at a time. That way I can store the extra smoothie in the fridge and it's ready to drink whenever. Or if I'm on the go I can just take the smoothie with me as a snack to keep me from grabbing a bad snack while running errands. 

I'm feeling pretty good about this. Last time I did this was when I found out about the cancer and within a week I felt amazing!! My blood count was high & my blood was super rich. So  I'm hoping that this raw smoothie cleanse will give me the jump start I need. I'm hoping it helps my back heal faster and cleanses my back of all that radiation. I want to be thinking more clearly.. I feel like I've been in a bit of a fog. 

So follow me on my 10 day journey... It should be fun!!

Join the discussion:

Are you going to join me on my 10 day journey and start a smoothie cleanse? If so, leave me a message and tell me all about... How many days & what are your guidelines? I'd love to hear all about it!

IT'S MONDAY: REGROUPING AND 10 DAY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

 

 

It's been a slightly rough week last week and with my son under the weather this weekend and house guests from out of town, you can imagine the busy-ness.  Time to kick things into gear!   A couple of my contributors and I are kicking it up an notch and will be doing a 10 day food challenge.  Raw to mostly raw food for 10 days without diviating.  No processed foods.  Is anyone with us?  

 

Our contributor Jean-Marie, who's cancer is in remission and currently cancer free after a few months of treament, will be posting most days about what she is doing and how the challenge is going.  Let's support her and all who will taking part.  I am going to join the band wagon with her and do this challenge. Nothing complicated, just eating mostly foods as we can to each meal.  We may add a fresh vegan meal here and there, but mostly raw.

 

Here are a couple helpful charts to help us keep these food in the forefront of our minds.

 

 

 

 

 

We know its not easy to stay focused on eating right, so let's help each other do it and get focused!

 

Have a great week everyone!  Let's do this!

 

xF



FAVORITES LIST: SALAD RECIPES

via tartelette blog: quinoa + butternut squash + kale

Sometimes we just need a little inspiration right?  I have several friends and know people who would LOVE to incorporate more vegetable into their diet, but they just need a little inspiration.  We all need inspritation so we aren't eating the same old salad everyday.  I love creating these favorites list of recipes that I would love to try and taste.  Sometimes I drool just looking at these, but I love logging them here, so we can refer back to them later. 
Salads are a really easy way to incorporate raw vegetables into your diet.  Of course, raw is always better than cooked, since you willl get the most nutrients out of them this way.  I  love the colors and combinatioins in these salads and can't wait to try them!

via green kitchen stories: millet pumpkin winter salad

 



FAVORITES LIST: SALADS



Quinoa + Butternut Squash + Kale

 

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

 

Kale + Grapes + Poppyseed Dressing

 

Millet + Pumpkin Winter Salad

 

Shaved Root Vegetable Salad with Beets

 

Cherries + Fennel + Lentils

 

Moroccan Carrot Ribbons + Lentils

 

Tripple Raddish Noodle Salad

 

Coconut + Quinoa + Spinach + Pomegranate

 

 

 

Enjoy and have a wonderful day! Bon Appetit!

 

 

 



 

 

RAW NUTELLA (CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD)

 

 



I only know one or two people who have never tasted Nutella, which is strange because you would think everyone must have tasted Nutella once in their life! It's nostalgic to me.  Growing up, I loved the taste of spreading it on toast, eating it with fruit or just taking a spoonful to into my mouth.  Who doesn't like Nutella, really?  When I starting eating more plant based and more raw, I had a ton of friends ask me to figure out a raw Nutella recipe.  Well, here's a great start.  I got my inspiration from Fragrant Vanilla Cake.  Amy is so good at transforming our old favorite desserts into fabulous raw creations!  This recipe is not as super creamy as the original Nutella, but let me tell you, its super chocolatey good for sure.

 

RAW NUTELLA (CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD)

1 cup raw hazelnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond milk

Blend the hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground.  Add the sea salt, agave, cinnamon, and Vanilla and process utnil its combined well.  While the motor is running, add the almond milk slowly to make it smooth, for 1-2 minutes or more.  Blend it until is very smoooth.  Store in an air tight jar in the refrigerator and enjoy!

What do you like eating your raw nutella with?



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw chocolate spread recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.