Cranberry Apple Tart

Well, I have to say the time has just flown since my last post and I must apologize. The good news is that this is the year my health has improved to the point where I could return to my passion, which is interior design and that has kept me very busy with deadlines these last few months. I have to say I think a great deal of credit has gone to my mostly improved eating habits. I can't say I'm above backsliding into some old habits now and then but for the most part, I eat quite a bit differently than I used to.

When it came time for Thanksgiving this year, we thought to our favorite recent Thanksgiving meals and decided that a plant based dinner, mostly raw is what suits us best. Because raw and plant based foods are so filling and there is only the two of us, we spread out the celebration over the weekend instead of all at once in one meal and that was very rewarding.

I'm starting here with sharing the dessert first because... well, you have to have priorities. ;-)

 Cranberry Apple Tart with a Caramel Drizzle

Very simple and also very delicious. Fresh apples, cranberries, a pear, dates, raisins, nuts and sweetener of choice and you've got a wonderful impressive tart in the bag. No one even has to know it's raw but your friends and family that want to avoid gluten, and dairy will surely appreciate it. The cranberries add a little tartness and quite frankly, the filling could be used as a cranberry apple relish/ sauce as well.

Crust:

2 cups almonds

1 cup dates, pitted and stemmed- soft

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all the above in a food processor and process until crumbly and the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Be careful not to over process though to the point of creating a nut butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan or pie pan. Freeze until ready to assemble.

Tip: If you have leftover crust add a little dried coconut and some chopped walnuts and set aside for topping your favorite banana ice cream, cereal or fruit bowl. So delicious!

Filling:

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 apples, peeled and cored, reserve 1/2 an apple for topping

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup of dates, pitted, stemmed and soft (soak in water if necessary to soften)

1/2 cup of raisins, soft (soak in water for about 30 minutes until plump and drain)

1/4 cup coconut or agave nectar

pinch of cinnamon

Place all but 1/2 an apple and half the lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until well mixed but chunky. You can do a couple of things at this point: Rough chop the rest of the apple and stir into the mix or do like I did and slice thinly the 1/2 apple and toss with the remaining lemon juice and decorate the top of the tart right before serving.

Remove tart crust from freezer and remove the tart from the pan. It should be well set. Spoon mixture into the tart, and either decorate top and serve or return to the freezer until serving.

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup of dates, seeded and stemmed, soft

2 tablespoons coconut butter

3 tablespoons coconut or agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons filtered water

Blend until well combined and to desired consistency. I actually start this in the food processor and then finish in the Vitamix to get it really smooth.

Poor into a nozzle tipped container or use a plastic bag with the corner snipped off to get control over the drizzle. 

Serve up your tart with a drizzle over top and don't forget to add a little on each slice.

Tip: 

This cuts much easier when frozen so I recommend cutting into slices and then defrosting to serve. The tart will keep about 3 days covered well in the fridge or for longer keeping, freeze.

I hope you give this one a try. It's a nice twist on the old standard apple.

Keep an eye out for the rest of our holiday dishes from the weekend. They are great for this fall time of year.

Happy Holidays!!

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Frosted Raspberry Black Bean Brownies

No doubt this title sounds a little strange. I know it did to me when I first read about these. Black beans and brownies are never three words I would have put together without wincing. Probably what you are doing now.

But surprise! It works!

Over on Dr. Fuhrman's member site this is one recipe that everyone seems to love so I thought, hey! I love brownies so I'm game.

But why would anyone make brownies with black beans at all?

I hear ya. Well the benefits are many:

no processed sugar
no flour (aka gluten)
no dairy
no soy
vegan
no heavy amount of nuts like most raw desserts (although there is some nut butter)
plus lots of beneficial carbs and fiber from the black beans
chia!

Beans of all kinds are a dieters best friend as they fill you up, have great fiber and are a good source of calories when eating a high produce (and low calorie) diet.

I added raspberries because really what goes better with chocolate than raspberries?

I also decided to use a 12 individual cheesecake pan when I read that the serving size was 12. I cut the time down for mine because of the pan and frankly I could have cooked mine longer. They were not as fully cooked as they could have been. They came out more like a pudding cake, which was still quite good but for a crunchier outside, more time would have been better.

The frosting is optional and also vegan, sugar and nut free. Have you had "Chocomole" aka chocolate frosting made with avocados before? It's very good and even great as a pudding.

So let's get to it, shall we?

Raspberry Black Bean Brownies

Recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman's Black Bean Brownies from the website: DrFuhrman.com

Ingredients for Brownies:

2 cups of no or low salt black beans, drained and rinsed or home cooked
10 pitted medjool dates, soaked until soft
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
1 pint of raspberries, divided.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine black beans, dates, almond butter and vanilla in a food processor or high-speed blender. I used my Vitamix for this and while you can, you will get quite a workout with the plunger as this batter is really really quite thick. I had to add a couple of tablespoons of water to get it moving at all. Next time I will use a food processor.

Once well mixed, go ahead and add the cocoa powder and the ground chia seeds and blend again.

(Sorry, about the lighting here. I lost my sunlight unexpectedly- darn clouds!) 

Spread half the mixture into a lightly oiled pan (8x8) or muffin/ cheesecake pan. Mine was non-stick so I did not use any oil.

Mash up 3/4 cup of the raspberries in a cup and then spread over half the brownie batter. Then add the remaining batter over the raspberry layer to the.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 200 degrees.

Cool completely. Apply topping if desired. Cut into 12 pieces or remove from cups.

Can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to a week. (I froze mine.)

Chocomole aka Chocolate Frosting (optional)

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao

5 pitted medjool dates, soaked until soft.

splash of vanilla

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Frost brownies if using and top with remaining raspberries.

 Eat!

Well are you game? I hope you give these a try. And if you do, please come back and tell me your verdict.

I'll be sharing this over at Healthy Vegan Fridays and also on Gluten Free Wednesdays over at the Gluten Free Homemaker's site.

Oh and one more thing:

When you have that blender all chocolateied (is that a word?) up after making the frosting use that left over goodness to whip up a smoothie.

Chocolate Raspberry Banana Smoothie:

  

Blender coated with chocomole

1 cup of almond milk

handful of raspberries

2 dates

2 frozen bananas

YUM!!

Until next time…

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Fresh Fruit Vanilla Creme Tart with Chocolate Brownie Crust

We are interrupting our regularly scheduled Super Soup Sunday to bring you a festive Memorial Day dessert idea. It's also a departure from my low fat, sugar free and salt free recipes because it's a special occasion and this favorite recipe is really just too luscious not to share. Plus it's better to share so you don't eat it all by yourself. It's a raw dessert (shhhh!) I guarantee your non raw or even non health conscious friends and family will definitely appreciate this fresh fruit tart with a dark chocolatey brownie crust.

It's to live for! 

Plus it's just a beautiful dessert anyway you decorate it.

The Chocolate Brownie Crust

raw, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, soy free

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup medjool dates, soaked about 20 minutes and pitted- soft not soggy
1 cup almonds
3/4 cup cacao or unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Process all the ingredients, except vanilla in a food processor until crumbly, scraping down sides as you go to keep it well mixed. Add the vanilla as it's processing. You want the mixture to stick together and hold when pinched between your fingers. Add a little water if necessary until it does. Be careful not to over process. You don't want chocolate almond butter.

When the crust is ready, lightly coat the bottom of a tart pan with a little coconut oil and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides.

By now you probably have noticed I love kitchen gadgets, even in my tiny kitchen. Just like in interior design and construction, the right tool makes for a better job and these are no exception.

When it comes to raw desserts, these are a couple of life savers:  A tart/quiche pan with a removable bottom. (just be careful- these edges are razor sharp!) Any shape is good. I even have little ones for individual tarts. Also this little wooden tart tamper for getting the crust pressed just right (believe me this little tool really saves your fingers.)

Set the crust pan into the freezer to firm up while making the creme.

Vanilla Creme Filling

raw, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, soy free

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours and drained

2/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon of vanilla

Blend well until nice and creamy.

Pour into crust and spread around in a nice even layer. Return to freezer until well set.  Maybe an hour or so. When set, lift up the bottom plate carefully from the middle center to free the shell from the mold. There will still be a plate underneath just not around the sides- the beauty of the tart pan makes for easy serving.

Then decorate with fresh berries of your choice. In a pattern or….

… randomly. It looks deliciously inviting either way.

You can decorate right before ready to serve but make sure it has thawed a bit. Or decorate ahead of time. If you do it ahead of time, let it thaw about a half hour or so before serving so berries are not frozen. (Even the thought of biting into frozen berries makes my teeth hurt!) Keep in mind that coconut oil turns to liquid at around 75 degrees so it's better served slightly chilled and not left out in the sun.

Keep leftovers, if any, in the freezer.

I hope you try this one. It's pretty easy, always lovely, and better yet always enjoyed.

Please note: I was experimenting with my night lighting when taking these pictures, and some were even taken quite a few months back. So please forgive them not turning out so great. I'm getting there!

I'm going to be sharing this on both Healthy Vegan Fridays as well as Raw Food Thursdays.

If in the states, I hope you enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend. If you are elsewhere, why not celebrate anyway and make yourself a delicious tart?

Until next time….

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Spicy Peanut Zucchini Noodles with Broccoli and Carrots

Slightly spicy peanut and ginger sauce over freshly made zucchini noodles with added broccoli and carrots.  Doesn't that sound good? 

I thought so.

I was perusing through a new book by the producers of the must see film, Forks Over Knives called applicably, Forks Over Knives, the Cook Book, when I ran across this recipe by Julieanna Hever.

First let me say, if you are looking for inspiration with a plant based diet, there are a lot of great looking recipes in this book- 300 to be exact. This one was the first to make me get up out of my chair and actually make a shopping list.

Bonus: This is good hot, cold and even raw. You can't go wrong.

The recipe calls for brown rice noodles but I decided to up the veggie content and go with fresh zucchini instead. I also added some carrot shreds and garnish. You could make this totally raw if you prefer but I did steam the veggies and veggie noodles to lessen the crunch and chewing.

For the raw version, just forget the stove instructions. And of course you can substitute a cooked noodle of your choice for the zucchini.

Spirooli in Action

While you can always use a hand vegetable peeler or even a julienne peeler to make noodles, I decided to use the Spirooli. This is a new toy for me that I instantly loved. It makes long noodles out of lots of different vegetables in minutes. It's easy to clean, dishwasher safe and I like that the three different blade types fit in a little drawer type set up in the machine itself for simple storage. Little suction feet help it to stick to the counter top too so it doesn't move around on you. For someone wanting to move away from gluten, or packaged food this is a great gadget to have around.

Spicy Peanut Zucchini Noodles with Broccoli and Carrots

Adapted from the book Forks Over Knives, the Cookbook

A delicious and refreshing noodle bowl whether served hot or cold. Slightly spicy peanut dressing adds a great flavor to the zucchini, broccoli and carrots. 

Ingredients:

5 medium sized zucchini (also called courgettes, and green summer squash) or 8 ounces of noodles

4 cups broccoli florets, about 2 large heads

2 large carrots, julienned (if organic there is no need to peel)

1/2- 1 cup coconut water, fresh or bottled is fine

3 tablespoons peanut butter, or nut butter of choice. (I used some nothing added peanut butter.)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup ( B grade), or liquid sweetener of choice

2 tablespoons of Bragg's Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

Garnish: (optional)

1 chopped green onion, green part only

1 tablespoon chopped cashew pieces

1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds

Start with making your noodles. Figure about 1 zucchini per person but plan for left overs too.

If using grain based noodles, start the water on the stove top and follow package directions. When the noodles are done, add the broccoli and carrots to the water and cook about 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

If steaming your veggies including zucchini noodles, set a large pot and steamer on the stove with enough water to cover the bottom and bring to a boil.  Add individually zucchini noodles, broccoli and carrots until lightly steamed, a couple of minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

For the sauce:

Blend 1/2 cup of coconut water, nut butter, maple syrup, Bragg's Aminos, ginger and red pepper until well combined, adding more coconut water until desired consistency. Serve cold or heat gently in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until warmed through. Note: heating may make the sauce thicker.

Pour sauce over noodles and toss well. Plate and garnish with cashew pieces, green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

So there you have it; a great fresh noodle dish with loads of flavor. Perfect for summer.

This is my entry for Healthy Vegan Fridays  blog party and also for Raw Food Thursdays

So have you made noodles from veggies? or is there another great gluten free noodle that you've discovered? I'd love to hear what people are trying and liking.

Until next time…keep it real, the food that is.

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Veggie Wrap with Spicy Asian Hummus

Tired of salads and miss sandwiches? Try a wrap! It's an easy and tasty way to get your veggies in.

The combinations are virtually endless but we are finding that one ingredient makes a big difference- hummus. Lately we have been learning that hummus is a staple we need to have in the fridge at all times. It's a great way to eat raw vegetables as a dip. I can down a whole bag of baby carrots if I have hummus around. It's also a good substitute for mayo and cheese in wraps like above or pitas, bread sandwiches….  the list goes on. 

I have been making all kinds of hummus lately trying to find that favorite combo of flavors that will be the regular star of our fridge.

I have to tell you that I never really liked hummus before I tried some raw versions. And I actually hear this a lot. I also hear that people like hummus but hummus doesn't necessarily like them. I think it's the chickpeas. Some people have trouble digesting them. For me they are kind of gritty in texture and not as smooth as some others. I've been experimenting with tahini based as well as white bean hummus/dip lately. The culprit to avoid in store bought hummus and many recipes is OIL! Some can have 1/2 a cup or more!

That's pure fat and don't be fooled; it isn't a good fat either! Tahini on the other hand is just ground sesame seeds and in limited amounts is actually healthy. I've read reviews where people say this or that recipe is "so light and low fat" because it doesn't have 2 tablespoons of tahini but it has over 1/2 a cup of oil! 

That just won't fly. I try to keep my portion of seeds/ tahini to less than 1 ounce per day, which is doable with a good recipe. But I am way off track because this recipe has neither olive oil or tahini in it.

I adapted this recipe from the creative minds over at White on Rice Couple's blog. For their original recipe check here.  I've made some changes to lower the fat content but the main tasting ingredient here is the Spicy Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. I chose the cannellini white kidney beans due to the creaminess when blended.

Spicy Asian White Bean Hummus/ Dip

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can of white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed but save the bean water from the can.

1/4 cup of the bean water or water as needed

1-2 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Sauce, per taste

2 teaspoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or a low salt Tamari/ Soy Sauce

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and pressed, unless using a high speed blender then just peeled

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoons of lime juice

Drain the beans and then rinse well, saving the bean fluid.

Blend all the ingredients starting with 2 tablespoons of the bean water. If you need to thin it to get it going add a little more until desired consistency. Blend until creamy. Hummus is one of those things that gets better with a little time so let sit in the fridge for a bit before serving, if you can wait.

Enjoy this spicy dip with anything you can think of.  Or make…

 A Veggie Wrap

This combination idea came from Dr. Esselstyn and his wife, Ann from the their best selling book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

Ingredients:

corn

tomatoes, chopped

spinach

green onions, chopped

cilantro, chopped

carrots, shredded

pea sprouts

wraps

I used a gluten free wrap by the Tortilla Factory that uses a whole grain, ivory teff (check it out here.) It was quite good but you do need to heat it a little first to make it pliable. A whole grain wrap such as the Ezekiel brand would be a good choice too if you don't have gluten sensitivities. 

Preheat oven to 450.

Spread the wrap, once pliable with the hummus. The more the better. (I was a little skimpy here.) Then pile up your veggies and roll as tightly as you can. Slice in half and then heat until crispy in the oven, about 10 minutes.

Delicious! 

But don't just take my word for it. Check out the happy face of my taste tester, Rich.

He was just reading over my shoulder as I was posting this and said those were really good! When can we make those again? I guess I know what to make for lunch tomorrow. ;-)

So, do you have a favorite hummus recipe or dip that's light on the oil and salt?

What are your favorite ways to eat hummus? or are you like I was and hummus squeamish still?

I'm telling you, step away from the store bought stuff and even the chickpeas if you don't like them and try something new. You may be surprised.

Until next time…

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