Birthday Breakfast

If you could have anything in the world for breakfast, what would it be? When I awoke on my birthday I decided a banana split was in order & TA-DA, banana split "cereal" was born.

1 Banana, diced
3 Strawberries, diced
1/4 C Walnut pieces
1.5 T Agave
1.5 T Coconut oil
3/4 - 1 T Cacao powder (Or cocoa powder, cacao is the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa)
Coconut milk (available next to soy milk at the store, or substitute your favorite milk)

Place fruit & nut in bowl. Warm coconut oil to a liquid by putting it in a small bowl and placing that in a larger bowl which has been filled with warm water. Add agave & cacao to oil & mix, warming by method above if needed. Drizzle fruit with fudgy cacao syrup & cover all with coconut milk. I was still sleepy and ended up dumping instead of drizzling so, as you can see, there was quite a bit of fudge sauce on this one.  Oh well, happy birthday to me, hehe!  In the photo you will see I sprinkled it with cinnamon before eating because I use cinnamon in most things with fruit and nuts, its totally optional. Feel free to take your time enjoying this one, I know I did. :)

Teacher's Pet

I started this blog to share with family and friends who tell me "if you only lived in the same state, you could feed me your wonderful cooking."  Well, my concoctions just aren't all that difficult to make.  A good amount of creativity goes into dreaming them up but I like to keep things simple and leave the complicated stuff for the weekend.  Here are a few things I have taught them to make and even a photo from the other side of the country where my best friend made her first Dave Sketti!!Green smoothies and fresh juice usually start off my day.  I've even got my dad making this stuff :D  Here are two I am currently addicted to.  First up is a banana protein smoothie.  Large handful of spinach, 1 broken up banana, couple dashes cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice,  a touch of vanilla, a squirt of agave or honey, a couple heaping spoons of hemp protein powder (you can leave this out or use a different protein), almond milk.  Put everthing in the blender except the milk, then add just enough milk to get it to mix.  Run blender until it is very smooth, then slowly add in the remaining milk until you reach your desired consistancy/thickness).  This makes for a much less chunky smoothie.  If you add all the liquid at the beginning it just doesn't blend as well.

Beet was a 4 letter word to my husband until I juiced up this beet, pineapple, lemon, apple favorite of mine and plunked down in front of a movie rental with him.  Throughout the movie he was stealing gulps from my tall glass of iced crimson drink.  It wasn't until the next day when I was telling my friend about how I had converted him that he said "What??  That wasn't berry juice??"  1 peeled beet with or without greens, 1 slice pineapple (you can leave core but I cut off the outside), 1 peeled lemon, 1 apple.  Put through your juicer and serve over ice.

Raw almond butter is a huge part of my diet.  I use it in smoothies, wraps, dips, and anything else I can dream up.  My dad called me the other day and I could hear him smiling as he told me he was enjoying an almond butter and honey sandwich.  Atta boy!  I absolutely love when I can tell someone is elated by their food being so delicious AND good for them.  That's what I'm all about.  Health food is not yucky, if it is, you are doing it wrong!  Haha.  Here is a pic of one of my favorite snacks.  A sliced up apple and some almond butter.  Also fabulous on celery and carrots.

And the feature of the day.......Dave Sketti!  Here is a pic of it all assembled, followed by a pic from teacher's pet after success on her first try!  That's why I named it after her :D  To make this fabulous dish you only need 3 ingredients.  1 spaghetti squash, these usually have directions right on them.  Simply cut in half, scoop out seeds (like a pumkin), place cut side down on a microwave safe plate, pour 1/4C water onto plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 12 minutes (give or take a few minutes).  You know its done if it gives when you push on it.  Let it cool, then simply run a fork across the inside to free the "noodles".  Toss with pesto and halved grape tomatoes.  This would also be fantastic with pine nuts sprinkled on top but in keeping with our easy and inexpensive theme, they are not part of the recipe.

Healthy & Happy

Here's what I've been up to lately.  I have thrown in a few cooked items for a family member who is not a raw foodie but needs to get healthy quick.  This post's for you.A fruity delicious start to the day.  Fruit & milk.  It's a little like when I was a kid and mom would chop up fresh peaches and pour cream over them.  Chopped banana, diced strawberries, sprinkle of dried cranberries, dash of cinnamon, coconut milk poured over the top.  So fruity & creamy you could have it for dessert instead!

Next is a nutritional power house that's perfect for someone who loves some fresh, crunchy food. Wash kale, remove stems, chiffonade or chop, drizzle with lemon juice & olive oil, then massage them into the kale.  Toss in shredded carrots & sprouts.  I bought a variety package of already sprouted beans.  Sprinkle with salt if desired.  This is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and crunch!

This one my best friend demanded I make.  So, when I saw portobellos on sale, I jumped on it!  I cleaned it up, rubbed a little olive oil on the top of the mushroom, then turned over and removed stem, spread a little pesto around on the inside, spooned a layer of tomato sauce on, sprinkled with cheese, and put my favorite veggies on top.  Bake @ 325 for 13 minutes, give or take a few.  Mine is on the right and hubby's is on the left with some salami on his.  He ooohhh'ed and aaahhh'ed over this so it must be good!  Incredible dinner and MUCH more filling than I expected.

Simply Raw

I was a self proclaimed "lazy vegetarian" for years before discovering a whole new world of cuisine.  I sat for a raw foods demonstration at an unassuming little table in a park on a windy Florida day expecting nothing more than to watch "eccentric" people show what they eat while hugging trees.  What I discovered was a vibrant blend of textures, colors, and flavors!  Raw food does not have to be complicated or time consuming.  The ingredients are so fresh and delicious that they don't need a lot of work to become something wonderful.  Save the complicated recipes for the weekend!  Here are some simple things I've put together recently.

Carrot Grapefruit Juice

Made from 2 fresh ingredients and a juicer!  A zippy start to any day!

Sprout, Avocado, Tomato Salad

I tossed beautiful cherry tomatoes (fresh from a farm stand), sprouts, and diced avocado into a bowl and sprinkled with fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt, & pepper.  Much more satisfying than you might think.

My local farm stand had the most fantastic tomatoes in a variety of colors.  I cut them into wedges, broke up some asparagus, minced some fresh basil, and drizzled with balsamic & olive oil.  Sprinkled with a touch of salt.

Think being a raw foodist means nothing but salads everyday?  Wrong!  Check out this fabulous wrap.  I wilted a kale leaf in the dehydrator (to make it more flexible), filled with my favorite matchstick'ed veggies, and used a dipping sauce I had handy.  This time it was a combination of raw almond butter, water, dates, ginger, and cayenne.  I combined 2 dip recipes from a fellow raw friend to make that one.

More wraps please!   I'm a wrap obsessed girl, so here's another one.  All raw except the rice paper wrapper.  You can substitute any leafy green if you like to keep it strictly raw.  This one has kelp noodles (full of trace minerals), carrots, avocado, carrots, sprouts, basil, cilantro, and my favorite part..........wait for it......mango.  It's just not the same without it.  This wrap is so good it doesn't even need a sauce.  I make this every week or so, I never get tired of it!  Switch up the veggies to use whatever looks good where you shop that week.  *Kelp noodles are available at asian markets, if you can't locate them substitute with the rice noodles you soak for 10 minutes and can even get from the asian section at Walmart.  Rice paper wrappers are available at lots of stores in the asian section also.

Chia rice pudding!  I eat this one for breakfast quite a bit and try to bring enough to go around because the girls at work love it!  For this one I mix 1C almond milk, 3.5T chia seeds, a small handful of dried cranberries (you can use raisins but I substitute tart goodies wherever I can), and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well to avoid clumps.  Cover, place in fridge, and allow the chia time to absorb the milk, at least an hour.  Give it a taste and see if you like a little agave to sweeten or not.  Makes a great dessert!

My Raw Tuesday

Started my day with a delicious raw cereal that tastes like banana bread only better!  Diced banana, handful of blueberries, chopped walnuts, a little shredded coconut ground to powder, light drizzle of honey, with almond milk poured over the top.

This one & ice cream inspired by rawon10 blog, check it out.

Morning snack was a tangy pineapple, beet, lime, pear juice, mmmm!

For lunch I had a salad of spinach, asparagus, grapes, and mango.  This picture is worth a thousand words...

Afternoon snack was grapes and trail mix.

Dinner was raw ice cream with raw brownies.  Hey - I'm 30 years old and I'll eat what I want!  Hehehe!  The recipe is on rawon10's blog & makes a regular appearance in my kitchen & tummy!  Best dessert ever.

Breakfast Banana Wrap

I learned this recipe from my friend Ben. It is just as filling as it is yummy! I have added some extra options so you can try all the variations and decide what you like best.

Whole grain wrap

Natural peanut butter or almond butter

Banana

Agave nectar, or honey

To make this raw vegan, make a raw dehydrated wrap and substitute raw almond butter for peanut butter.

Spread a little peanut butter on one side of wrap, place a banana on it, squeeze a thin line of agave nectar, or honey along side the banana, and roll up while folding bottom upward as you would on a burrito. (This helps keep your nectar or honey from dripping.)

Assembly tip: Agave nectar is very runny, have napkins close if you choose this option. Honey is less runny but may still drip a little. Jam is a drip free option. Do not assemble ahead of time if you chose a yummy drippy option :)

Grocery tip: My favorite wraps are the "Flat Out" brand. Delicious!