Spinach Pumpkin Seed Crackers with Cashew Cheese

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Yum. Raw spinach pumpkin seed crackers with raw lemon cashew cheese spread.

These dehydrated crackers started with equal parts of ground pumpkin seed, ground flax seed, and ground sunflower seeds. To that, I added some raw spinach, a bit of lemon juice, sea salt and blended in the Vitamix, adding water until it reached a spreadable consistency. You may add nutritional yeast if you like, but I prefer these without.



Then I mixed in some whole pumpkin seed, flax seed, and sunflower seeds and let the mixture set for several hours in the fridge. This allows a chance for the flavors to blend and for the whole seeds to absorb moisture.

Next, I spread the mixture out on the Teflex sheets of my dehydrator and dehydrated for several hours (about 6, I think) and turned the Teflex sheet over, removing it slowly so that the soft underside is exposed. I dehydrate a few more hours, then score into serving sizes - larger squares for crackers, smaller squares or rectangles for dipping. Continue to dehydrate until the crackers reach the crispness you desire. You may wish to remove some at the halfway stage to use as a flatbread, while letting the rest get dry all the way through.

The cashew cheese is made with soaked cashews, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and a bit of nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy flavor. I really don't tolerate nutritional yeast well at all and will be looking for another option for that, as it does give it the cheesy taste. I don't have the recipe I had originally, but I think you can find the same thing here. 

Raw Apple Dessert

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This raw apple dessert was so yummy and so near an actual baked apple pie. Yes, it is possible to get the apple slices soft, rather than crisp.

After slicing the apple (I made this little dessert with just one apple), I sprinkled the slices with a bit of sea salt and then tossed them in some coconut sugar and cinnamon.


Then I laid the slices out flat on my Excalibur dehydrator and dehydrated them for a few hours on 105 degrees, which softened the apples considerably.

Once the apples were soft, I placed the slices in a bowl and drizzled a very small amount of raw local honey over them and mixed it all up a bit. Besides adding a little extra sweetness, the honey gave the effect of that wonderful apple glaze you get in a baked apple pie.

I put some pecans and dates in the food processor, along with a very small amount of coconut oil, and processed to get the crumb crust. Then I pressed the mixture into a small baking dish, which was not destined for the oven. Then I arranged the apple slices inside. I could have just as easily placed the apple slices in first and then put the crumbs on top and called it apple crisp, but either way you arrange it, it really did taste yummy!

Raw Butternut Squash Casserole

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I think I have found my new comfort food: Raw butternut squash "pasta" with creamy cashew "alfredo" sauce.  I was amazed that it actually was "pasta-like." The sauce was amazing. I did cheat with the sauce, though, as I accidentally bought roasted cashews awhile back, so I used those, which gave it a really unique flavor.

So, here's what I did: I peeled the squash with a potato peeler and cut the squash in long quarters. 

Then I used the peeler to take off strips of squash. I added a little oil to the strips (I think it would have been really good with peanut oil), stirred, and let it set while I made the sauce. 

For the sauce, I took the cashews and ground them in my Vitamix. (You can use a regular blender, but it may be grainy.) Then I added some smashed garlic, sea salt, and a little water. I blended it until smooth. (If I had had raw cashews, I would have soaked and drained the cashews and then made the sauce. I think half raw and half roasted would also be good.)

Then I poured the sauce over the noodles and added a little paprika for color. I put a dollup of blended raw young coconut meat on top, and a few sprigs of spearmint. It looked purty! I served it with pomengranate arils, which made a nice color combination.

Just a note - The next day I had some leftovers of this, and to my surprise, the flavors had blended to something that bore an uncanny resemblance to tuna casserole. This was fine in my book, because I had been missing tuna casserole something fierce! 

This, like most raw dishes, is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.

Raw Mushroom Pie, Amazing "Mmmm" -Factor

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This raw mushroom pie has an amazing flavor that comes from the blend of peanut oil, balsamic vinegar, and raw agave nectar. It is sometimes hard to find oils that are truly raw, even when they say "cold-pressed," so just do the best you can and substitute if necessary.

However, I truly feel that the peanut/balsamic/agave blend (equal parts) is what really makes this dish.

Start preparation a day or so before by soaking some cashews and running the drained nuts through a food processor with some sea salt, onion, and garlic, all done to taste. Then pack the mixture into a pan of appropriate size, I try always to use glass.

Now, slice mushrooms and toss with a marinade made of about equal parts adjust according to taste) peanut oil, balsamic vinegar, and raw agave nectar.

Top the cashew mixture with the mushroom mixture, cover, and put inside the fridge for a day or to allow the pie to set up and the flavors to blend. When just about ready to serve, slice some sweet red peppers and place on lettuce leaves, and top with a square of the mushroom pie. Garnish, if you like, and enjoy! This makes a wonderful raw main course for company.

You can mix all the veggies with the peanut/balsamic/agave marinade if you like. This allows all the veggies to soften slightly and allow flavors to blend. This works great as a marinade for lots of other veggies as well.

Raw Chocolate Ice Cream, No Guilt

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Did you get enough ice cream this summer? It sure did taste good, didn't it? But if you're anything like me, it probably left you feeling all gummed up inside. Maybe now you're constantly clearing your throat or blowing your stuffy nose trying to get rid of all the mucous. Yuck!

But here is a raw ice cream you can feel good about. It is made with dates, bananas, and raw ground cacao. Just mix those ingredients in a food processor in whatever combination  tastes best to you, adding a little agave nectar or honey if you really feel it needs it. Then stick in the freezer in a stainless steel bowl. Take it out every half hour or so and stir the outside to the inside until the dessert is frozen through. This reduces ice crystals. 

Enjoy!!! 

Canteloupe Juice with Sea Salt, So Refreshing!

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Melons are so plentiful right now, so it's the perfect time for a sweet drink I first tried in Mexico. Fresh canteloupe juice with sea salt is an electrolyte drink that cannot compare with those prepared commercial concoctions. Canteloupe is loaded with potassium and some of the other electolyte minerals, and when sea salt is thrown in, the sodium/potassium balance allows for water to pass in and out of cells, carrying critical electrical impulses as it goes.

The body requires a delicate balance between the electrolyte minerals, especially sodium and potassium. Salts are formed in the body by the combination of acidic minerals with alkaline minerals. Alone these minerals could be death-dealing, but combined they neutralize one another and form salts that are not only beneficial, but necessary for life. If too much of our electrolyte-laden water of life leaves our bodies too quickly, as it sometimes does when we sweat too much, we can quickly become dehydrated. Replacing the water volume with plain water often does very little, as this electrolyte balance is what allows water to enter and leave the cells. Without enough sodium, water cannot enter the cells and remain there long enough to do its job. Without potassium, water cannot leave the cells to transfer from cell to cell. This is what allows for the huge market for electrolyte drinks. But, of course, these drinks are loaded with all kinds of food colorings and refined sweeteners, along with the electrolytes.

A warning about canteloupe and other high-potassium foods: If a person eats a lot of these foods and happens to be even a little deficient in sodium, it can produce severe sodium deficiencies, which can be very dangerous. Especially is this the case with a person who is sticking to a raw food diet and not getting all the sodium-based preservatives that goes into processed foods, for which sodium has received its underdeserved bad name. So enjoy canteloupe juice with sea salt in moderation :o)

Macaroons, Blonde or Chocolate

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Among my favorite dehydrated goodies are coconut macaroons! They are so yummy and really great for on-the-go snacks. This all goes according to taste, but they go something like this:








1 cup blended young coconut meat (optional)
1/2 cup coconut oil (optional)
1 cup agave nectar or raw honey (more or less to taste)
3 cups dehydrated almond meal (or something of that nature)
3 cups dried coconut (the good stuff, no additives)

These measurements are just approximate.You can use less almond meal, more coconut or vice versa--just go by taste and what you have on hand. You can add vanilla if you want. If you want chocolate, add about 1/2 cup raw cacao powder and increase the sweetener if necessary.

Now, I roll it out (or you can leave it in the fridge a few hours first), using some parchment paper between the dough and the roller to prevent sticking, or pat it out, to a thickness of about 1/3 to 1/2 inch and use a small round cookie cutter to cut. I carefully use a frosting spatula to lift the macaroons up and place them on the dehydrator tray and start dehydrating at a temp of about 105*.

This will take several hours. I check on them every so often, and take out any that seem to be getting done faster than the others. I like to take them out at different stages so I have some that are chewy, some that are crunchy. The chewy ones are wonderful, but the crunchy ones carry better.

Yummy Grapefruit Salad!

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Lately Jamie and I have both been craving ruby red grapefruit like crazy! I especially like them when I take a few extra minutes to clean them (remove the skins and membrane). They are so refreshing! But I can't seem to eat a lot of fruit without it doing things to my blood sugar and hydration levels unless I eat it along with some protein and/or something high in good fats. Like....avocados! Well, I wasn't too sure at first, but I decided to try them together and I loved the combination! Then I decided to add some cilantro--Even better!

Start by peeling and sectioning your grapefruit. Then take each section and make a cut along the inside edge, cutting away just a sliver to allow you to pull back the membrane from each side of the section. Pull the membrane back carefully, and slowly continue pulling until the white thick membrane comes loose from the back as well. Once you have your cleaned grapefruit sections, simply arrange with avocado slices as pictured above.

Hot and Sour Soup~A Raw Foods Treat

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Well, before I leave off this little spew about coconuts, I will throw in another delightful raw foods idea that I threw together a week ago or so.

I love hot and sour soup, so I went online looking at some raw foods recipes to make some, but in the end, I wound up just throwing some things together like I always do. I'm not much for recipes - even when I was cooking all the time, I was always one to throw in some of this and some of that.

In this case, I took some red and green peppers, some mild, some hot, and some green cabbage and green onions, and I put them through the food processor to chop, then I added them to some young coconut water and cut some strips from the fairly firm coconut flesh for noodles, tossed in some sea salt and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar (mostly for a little color), and there it was. (The next day, I had some leftovers and added some little strips of mushrooms, and that was good too.) I was afraid it would taste too "coconut-y", but it was amazingly similar to a light chicken broth.

I ate this at room temperature, but it was still very satisfying. I was amazed at how filling it was! And even a little warming, since the high good fat content of coconuts and coconut water is always very warming to me anyway. I'm sure it will be a favorite of mine in any season.

Amazing Young Coconut Water

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For the past year and a half or so, I have been trying to drink young coconut water as often as I can get it. I have noticed amazing benefits from this refreshing drink. The first time I had it, I wasn't too sure about it's taste, but now I crave it whenever I get away from it for awhile.

Young coconut water is teeming with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and good fats. It's very hydrating. It also is a good weight loss food, because though it is high in fat, as long as it's raw, it also has proportionately high amounts of the enzymes needed to break down fats.

To open a young coconut, start by shaving the husk off the top (the pointed area) with a sharp knife. Then take a butcher knife and use the corner near the handle to make a crack in the shell. This will take a litte force, so be careful (adults only, please!)

Then use the corner of the butcher knife to pry open the shell, and pour that lovely water into a bowl first, so as to catch all of it, and then into a glass. Enjoy!

I break open a young coconut every morning that I possibly can, and I save the soft meat in a large ziploc bag in the freezer. When I get a bagful, I thaw them out, blend them up, and mix them with raw nut meals and a raw sweetener to make cakes, bars, and cookies. More on those later.

Delightful Dried Pineapple

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I've always loved dried pineapple, but never as much as the stuff I make in my own kitchen.

Many people may not know that much of the dried pineapple they find in the stores may not be raw at all. You know those amazing-looking big round pineapple rings in the bulk section of many grocery stores? Nothing but sugar-coated cooked pineapple rings of the canned food variety.

But you can make your own dried pineapple that is truly raw!

I recently got a good buy on pineapples, so I dehydrated a bunch. I like to do them like this: Thin-slice the pineapple all the way through without removing the center core and then cut away the outer skin with a kitchen scissors. After slicing, you may, if you like, sprinkle lightly with organic, unbleached sugar, but there is no need because these pineapple rings are delightful just as nature intended.

Arrange on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate for anywhere between 12 and 36 hours, depending on how dry you want them, checking often to remove the ones that are dry first.

I love the way it shrinks up in the dehydrator and comes out looking like a nice, yellow flower. You can eat the center, if you like. It's just a little more chewy. I like them best right out of the dehydrator, nice and warm, but for those you want to keep longer, just lay them out on a flat surface until cooled down and then put in plastic bags. If you are drying them for long-term storage, make sure that you have all the moisture out, or you may find a breeding ground for mold and such.

Enjoy!!!
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Yummy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

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Here is a great smoothie that is very filling and ....mmmmm.....

I took about half of a small raw pumpkin and cut it in chunks, put it in the blender with some raw coconut water and young coconut meat, some ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and a little raw wildflower honey. It was SO good! I think next time, though, I may use carrot juice and pulp instead of the coconut water and coconut--It will give it a more "orangey" color.

Pumpkin's color is a good indicator that it contains the anti-aging, disease-flighting alpha and beta-carotenes, which are converted to vitamin A. It also contains vitamins C and E, along with magnesium, potassium, pantothenic acid, and more. Of course, pumpkin's many health benefits are magnified tremendously when it is eaten raw.