No Bake Choco-Oaties & Savoy Truffles

I created a delicious treat that reminds me of the no-bake cookies that you make with oatmeal, peanut butter & chocolate.  My healthy version is YUMMY and uses almond butter instead of peanut butter!  I store them in the freezer so they stay firm. (recipe below)  Also, I made Savoy Truffles from Rawvolution by Matt Amsden.  These are delicious carob/coconut balls that are rolled in coconut.  They also stay in the freezer.  If you don't have this book, it is a great one to have in your library. Below is my Raw Choco-Oaties creation and the Savoy Truffles.


NO BAKE CHOCO-OATIES
Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups whole rolled oats
3 tbsp. raw cacao powder
1/2 cup raw agave
1/4 cup almond butter
Extra cacao powder to roll balls in.

Mix ingredients together and roll into balls.  Dough will be sticky. Then roll dough in cacao powder. Store in freezer for a more firm ball.

Savoy Truffles
Printable Recipe
Makes 20

2 cups raw almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1/2 cup carob or raw chocolate powder
1/3 tsp. sea salt
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil

In a mixing bowl, combine the almonds, carob or chocolate powder, salt, and shredded coconut, and mix well.  Add the agave nectar and oil and mix until a dough like consistency is reached.  Using your hands, roll the mixture into ping-pong sized balls. Roll in coconut flakes.  Serve as is or cover and freeze before serving until thoroughly chilled for  a more solid consistency.

Raw Fruit and Greens with Papaya Seed Dressing

I found this gorgeous salad over at Foods for Long Life. Joanne's recipes are not only beautiful to look at, but extremely healthy. Butter lettuce, strawberries, avocado, papaya & raspberries make this so delicious. In this salad, I liked that Joanne used the salad ingredients to make the dressing, which is something I like to do as well. I also loved that she used a tablespoon of the seeds.  Read her post about the benefits of papaya and get her recipe.  Here are pictures of my salad and delicious papaya:)

Lemon Chia Fudge

Okay, doesn't everyone deserve a treat once or twice a year? (alright, maybe more often.) Especially one with lots of health benefits. Or, maybe you just want to make a delicious treat for someone special.  Here is a healthy version of fudge I created.  It has been tested and has received extra awards from my household.  This particular fudge is made with semi-sweet Vegan chocolate chips, so it has a dark chocolate taste. Very smooth and tasty with a hint of lemon. Great treat for the holidays.  I used Chia seeds because they are a good choice of Omega-3, anti-oxidants, calcium, protein, fiber, and many other vitamins & minerals and they work perfect in this recipe. Just one tablespoon would keep the Aztec warriors going all day.  Because Chia seeds absorb so much water, and have high soluable fiber levels, they help release natural, unrefined carbohydrates slowly into the blood system.  Unlike flax seed, chia seeds do not need to be ground up before eating them. Chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don't deteriorate and can be stored for years without becoming rancid. Your body easily digests them with 7 grams of fiber. You can eat them straight from the bag, mix them in your favorite drink, top them on your fruit or vegetable salads or just about anything.
     I used raisins to sweeten the fudge.  Raisins have tons of antioxidants, contain calcium to build strong bones and contain a considerable amount of iron. You may think they are harmful for the teeth, but on the contrary~raisins are good for healthy gums & teeth. They help kill bacteria that causes tooth decay. They are also good for your eyes and help prevent macular degeneration.
     Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber,  B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. In 2003, the FDA recognized the benefit of nuts and their role in heart disease prevention by approving a health claim for 7 kinds of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts).
     Lemons give this fudge a delicious flavor and add extra vitamin C.
    You can feel good about eating this fudge!

LEMON CHIA FUDGE
Printable Recipe

1 cup Vegan chocolate chips (melted)
3/4 cup organic raisins
1 tbsp. organic vanilla extract
2 tbsp. Organic Chia seeds
1 lemon (juice only)
1/2 - 1 cup raw walnuts (chopped)

Melt chocolate chips in a saucepan on low.  In small food processor or blender mix raisins, vanilla, chia seeds and lemon juice.  Process until smooth. Pour in melted chocolate and mix well.  Stir in walnuts and pour into small (very small 6" x 7" container). I used a small glass pyrex dish and used 3/4 of the dish by smoothing it to the size I liked. Also, smooth top of fudge with a little water on your finger tip so it looks perfect.  Place in freezer and watch carefully for fudge to firm up, but not get too firm so you can slice easily.  Slice into squares and either put back in freezer or leave out at room temperature. ENJOY!

Corn and Cashew Nut Curry with Perfect Brown Rice

I am having a lot of fun with curry this week as you can see. This is a hearty dish with a mild flavor.  I love the blend in this dish and the cashews were so good. I used lemon grass stalk in both the curry dish and in my brown rice as it was steaming.  This recipe gives you another chance to use your Thai red curry paste.
Lemongrass can be purchased at an Asian Market.






Corn and Cashew Nut Curry with Perfect Brown Rice
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 red serrano pepper (thinly sliced)
1/4 yellow onion (sliced)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup raw cashew nuts
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
4 medium red potatoes (cut in cubes)
1 lemon grass stalk, fnely chopped
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 14 oz. can corn (drained)
4 celery stalks (sliced)
2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp. sweetner of choice
4 scallions thinly sliced
sliced basil leaves

1.  Heat oil in frying pan or wok.  Add the garlic, red pepper and onions.  Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add the cashew nuts and stir-fry a few more minutes until they are golden.

2.  Add the red curry paste and cook for 1 minute, then add potatoes, lemon grass, tomatoes and boiling water.

3.  Bring water to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

4.  Stir in the corn, celery, tomato ketchup, soy sauce and agave.  Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Spoon into bowl and sprinkle with the sliced scallions and basil with brown rice.

PERFECT BROWN RICE

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 lemon grass stalk (remove outer leaves & cut lower piece into 4 chunks)
1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
2 basil leaves

Cook 1 cup rice, chopped lemon grass and curry paste in olive oil until light golden brown(about 5 minutes stirring constantly). Add 2 cups water and sliced basil leaves all at once. Bring back to a boil and then turn down to simmer for about 30-40 minutes.  
Perfect brown rice. Season as desired. You can replace water with vegetable broth.

                                                                    Health Seeker's Kitchen
                                                                           Lemon Grass

Tofu and Green Bean Red Curry

This is a delicious recipe that everyone needs on their list of regular meals.  It is so delicious!!  The red peppers, cilantro & lemon/lime peel make this unique and so flavorful.  The tofu and Portobello mushrooms take on the flavor of the Thai red curry  paste.  You have to try this~we all loved it.

Tofu and Green Bean Red Curry
Printable Recipe
Serves 2

1 13.5 oz. can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave nectar
3 cups Portobello mushrooms (cut into squares)  (2 mushrooms)
1 cup green beans
6 oz. firm tofu (Rinsed, drained and cut squares)
lemon and lime zest (use a citrus zester to get long thin pieces)
2 small red chili peppers (sliced thinly in circles)
fresh cilantro leaves to garnish

Pour 4 oz. of the coconut milk into a pan.  Cook on medium for about 3 minutes.  Add the red curry paste, soy sauce and agave to the coconut milk.  Add mushrooms, stir and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the remaining coconut milk.  Bring back to a boil, then add the green beans and tofu cubes. Turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.  Spoon the curry into a dish and garnish with the sliced red chili peppers, lemon & lime peel and fresh cilantro leaves.
I served it with both chop sticks and a spoon.

Fresh Garden Salsa & Fantastic Refried Beans

My son & daughter-in-law brought over some of their garden tomatoes, peppers, spaghetti squash & yellow squash a few days ago and they were all gorgeous! Their garden is sure doing a lot better than mine this year. I decided to make some homemade salsa and it turned out delicious.  This is my daughter-in-law, Jeni's, foolproof recipe!  It is always a hit whenever she makes it.  Also, for quick and easy, I made some refried beans to go with it.  I made the refried beans from Fantastic World Foods and added 1 tablespoon of my garden salsa & 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice.  I served it up with some whole grain corn chips. YUMMY!

Fresh Garden Salsa
Printable Recipe

1/4 large white onion
1/4 bell pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 lime (You can add the flesh of the lime or just the juice)
1 hot pepper - i.e. Jalapeno or Serrano (you can add whole or half or a combination)
2-3 sprigs of cilantro (you can also use dry cilantro.  About 1/2-1 tsp.)

5 Roma tomatoes
1 tsp. salt

combine first 6 ingredients in a blender/chopper until chopped finely.  Set aside in a bowl. (I do this to ensure the peppers and onions are chopped finely so you don't get a whole mouthful of onion or pepper.) Chop tomatoes and salt in blender/chopper. Combine onion/pepper mixture with tomato mixture.  Mix and serve!!  (Sometimes it is better to make in advance to allow the flavors to meld together for a couple of hours.)

Carrot Raisin Salad

Back in my college days I made carrot raisin salad all the time.  I love the combination together.  Today for lunch I created a new version of my former recipe. It ended up being so delicious and easy. And yes, I did eat the whole batch.  This recipe is enough for one person or several people as a side dish.  It is very filling with 3 carrots, 2 apples & 1/4 cup raisins.

Unlike most vegetables that carry a high source of one vitamin or another, carrots are concentrated with Vitamin A, beta carotene, fiber and numerous other vitamins which work together to solve a number of maladies. Whether you consume them cooked, raw or juiced, carrots will provide your body with its beneficial nutrients. If you want to boost your immune function and stay healthy this winter, eat carrots every day.  If you can juice them with some greens you will absorb more of their wonderful health giving nutrients. One thing that is wonderful about carrots~they are so inexpensive to buy. Enjoy carrots in a variety of ways.  Be creative!

Carrot Raisin Salad
Printable Recipe

3 large carrots grated
1 1/2 apples grated (leave peelings on)
1/4-1/2 cup raisin
2 basil leaves (thinly sliced)
Walnuts (chopped for top)

Dressing:
1/2 apple (remove peelings)
1 lemon (Juiced)
1 Tab. raisins

To make dressing put 1/2 apple, juice of one lemon, and raisins in small bender &  blend until completely smooth.  Pour on top of grated carrots, apples, raisins & thinly sliced basil leaves. Mix well.
Lightly sprinkle on chopped walnuts.

Grilled Peaches with Blueberry Ice Cream

This is a  delicious mouth watering dessert I created the other night. I think you will love it.  Instead of  blueberries you can also use peaches or another frozen fruit of your choice.

Grilled Peaches with Blueberry Ice Cream
Printable Recipe

Serves 6

Grilled Peaches
3 peaches
extra virgin olive oil

Cut peaches in half so that one half has the top and the other half has the bottom. Brush peaches lightly with olive oil.  Place on grill or frying pan and lightly brown.
Set aside.

Blueberry Ice Cream

1/2 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
pecans (chopped for topping)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Place in ice cream maker and run for about 20 minutes. Place in home freezer until ready for use.  Use within a few hours or it will become too hard to scoop.
TO SERVE:
Place 1 scoop of blueberry ice cream on top of peach.  Drizzle with 1 tsp. almond milk and add chopped pecans. 
ENJOY!!

Red Potato Curry over Lemon-Basil Zucchini

For Sunday dinner I created my own version of a potato curry and it was FABULOUS!  My hubby said it was very filling and DELICIOUS!  Kevin, my son,  said he really liked it a lot and that it had 3 of his favorite things in it (potatoes, rice & noodles (he thought the lemon-basil zucchini were noodles). They both said they definitely wanted this dish again and they gave it a 10. I served it on both rice & raw, fresh zucchini noodles for the guys and I had mine with just zucchini. I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think:) I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS!
   
Red Potato Curry over Lemon-Basil Zucchini
Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups tomatoes (diced) about 4 large Roma tomatoes
1 small Serrano pepper (diced)
2 (15 oz.) cans low sodium white beans(drained)
6 large red potatoes (cut each potato into 16 pieces)
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp. minced ginger
1-2 tsp. sea salt (start with 1 tsp. and then add more as needed)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground curry
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

In large pan combine broth, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, olive oil, ginger, spices, pepper & salt. Simmer uncovered for 35 minutes.  Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve over zucchini noodles, rice or both.

Zucchini Noodles
3 medium zucchini (slice with a spiral slicer)
Juice of 1 lemon
Liquid from potato curry dish to make 1/2 cup with the lemon juice
4 basil leaves (sliced)
salt & pepper

Peel and slice zucchini noodles with a spiral slicer.  Mix lemon juice & curry mixture juice to equal 1/2 cup.  Add 4 sliced basil leaves and salt and pepper  to taste.  You do not need to warm the zucchini noodles. 

No Subsitute for Green Foods

There is no substitute for green foods in our diet.  A large vegetable salad every day is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.  As a preventive of disease, it is far superior to all the vaccines and serums ever devised to keep you healthy.  It is important that we eat them every day.  The green leaves of plants are our richest sources of organic minerals and they are rich sources of vitamins.  They also offer small quantities of the highest grade proteins as well as chlorophyll. Chlorophyll gives us the most protection against carcinogens and debilitating diseases. Chlorophyll promotes elimination of toxins from the body. It helps to strengthen cells and the immune system. Collard greens are extremely high in calcium. Green Foods pack more nutritional punch per ounce than any other foods on the planet. Some green foods include spinach, kale, chard, turnip greens, beet greens, cabbage, broccoli, okra, green beans, fresh peas, asparagus, collards, lettuce, celery, Chinese cabbage, Bok choy, etc.  All of these vegetables are good in their raw state.  A salad doesn't have to be a lot of work.  You can just pile the veggies on your plate with out doing much cutting at all.  Serve big lettuce leaves, stalks of celery and a cucumber sliced.  All you really need is 3 or 4 different items for your beautiful creation. 


It is also very important that children have a daily salad.  With the salad you can add a steamed vegetable as well.
Besides green vegetables, I add green smoothies to our diet (made from green barley grass, frozen bananas & parsley).
There is no substitute for green foods in our diet, so be sure to include them every day-your good health depends on it!

Gorp Energy Bars

I woke up the other morning thinking about Gorp bars and how to create a healthy, but delicious version. If you are planning a long bout of exercise and need a simple way to pack the same convenient nutritional punch as an energy bar (with ingredients you know are good for you), try GORP. GORP, which some say stands for “Good Old Raisins and nuts” or “Granola, Oats, Raisins and nuts,” others claim it is a backronym that actually stems from the Old English verb "gorp," meaning to eat greedily:)

GORP is chock full of vitamins and minerals necessary to fuel a long workout. While GORP can be mixed with a number of different ingredients based on an individual’s nutrition needs and taste preferences, some common ingredients include: cashews or almonds, raisins or dried fruit, chocolate chips, oats, and various seeds. You can experiment and add cashew butter instead of almond butter or dried fruit instead of raisins.  Also, adding 1/4 cup of seeds will add even more nutritional value. 

I came up with this creation that I personally love. These bars are made with oats, white whole wheat flour, almond butter, coconut oil, agave nectar, applesauce, Vegan chocolate chips, almonds and raisins.  These are a perfect extra energy snack or treat. 

Gorp Energy Bars
Printable Recipe

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup raw coconut oil
1/2 cup raw agave nectar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup almonds (chopped)
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.  Mix almond butter, coconut oil, agave and applesauce together. Mix both dry & the wet mixtures together and then fold in the chocolate chips, almonds & raisins. 
Press into 9 x 9 greased baking dish trying to make it level.
Bake for 30 minutes.  Cut while hot (15 bars). Cool in dish.

Toasted Almond-Cherry Ice Cream

Since my daughter Heather, her husband and their little girl were coming over to watch football last night, I decided to make some fun ice cream for them. I put several ideas together & came up with one of the tastiest ice creams I have ever had.  It satisfied all the wonderful things you want from ice cream -smooth texture (for a perfect looking scoop), sweet, flavorful, HEALTHY and a toasted nutty crunch!! I used organic coconut milk, Medjool dates, agave, frozen dark & sweet pitted cherries (No sugar added), vanilla & toasted almonds. As you can see by the picture, this was a heavenly treat that everyone loved!  It passed all my taste testers with a 10!  To freeze the mixture I put it in Cuisinarts Ice Cream Maker.  It takes less than 20 minutes to freeze it to soft stage and then an additional hour or two in your regular home freezer. This Ice Cream maker does a great job and is fairly inexpensive to buy.  It doesn't require salt or ice which is really nice. I hope you will give it a try-it's amazing!

Toasted Almond-Cherry Ice Cream
Printable Recipe                   Serves 4-6

3 cups organic unsweetened coconut milk (Cold)
2 Tab. raw agave nectar
7 Medjool dates
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 12 oz. frozen package of dark, sweet pitted cherries
          (save a few cherries & some juice for putting on top of ice cream)
1/2 cup lightly toasted almonds, diced with skins on

To toast almonds:
Dice each almond into about 6 pieces. Leave skins on. Toast almonds in pan with 1/2 tsp. olive oil. Watch and stir carefully so you only lightly toast them. Set aside.

In blender add the 3 cups of coconut milk, agave nectar, Medjool dates & vanilla.  Blend until you can't see the dates very well.  You will still see specks of dates and that is normal.

To the blender add your package of unfrozen cherries.  There will be a little liquid in the bag. You can either add this liquid to the mixture or save to drizzle over the frozen ice cream.  Save a few cherries to sprinkle on top as well. PULSE THE BLENDER A FEW TIMES TO CHOP THE CHERRIES-YOU DO NOT WANT THEM TO BECOME MUSH IN THE ICE CREAM BUT REMAIN IN CHUNKS. (So, just a few pulses)

Fold in toasted almonds and you are ready to place in ice cream freezer.

Put mixture in Ice Cream maker until solid. Mixture will still be a little soft. Transfer to regular home freezer and let sit an additional 1-2 hours. 

Enjoy!!

Fresh Pineapple Red Pepper Salad

I love this simple, refreshing Pineapple Red Pepper Salad with butter lettuce.  The salad dressing is made from just blending the fresh pineapple and red pepper together-it doesn't get any easier than this.  Delicious and so healthy. Everything blends so well for easy digestion. The butter lettuce I purchased still had it's dirt & roots attached-so cool and almost garden fresh. (see picture) You can also use some of the fresh pineapple to make a smoothie to serve with it.  Delicious!!


Pineapple Red Pepper Salad
Printable Recipe

1 large head of butter lettuce
1 cup pineapple (diced)
1/4 cup red pepper (diced)
1 cup walnuts (break into small pieces)

Dressing:
4 oz. pineapple
4 oz. red bell pepper

Cut butter lettuce into smaller pieces and place in bowl.  Add diced pineapple & red pepper. Prepare dressing by blending pineapple & red bell pepper in blender.  Pour dressing on salad and garnish with walnuts or your nut of choice. 
Serves 4

 Photo by Debbie (The Health Seeker's Kitchen)