Speaking of dessert...

We have these strips up all over my house. This one makes me laugh everytime.

My Oh PIe!

I am exhausted! To the point that I thought about not posting a recipe this weekend. I spent all day tearing up the remaining pieces of yard/plants/weeds in my landlord's yard and prepping/making beds for the spring garden. Here's a picture to prove it:

It's been a while since I've had a day full of manual labor! I guess it got me thinking about treating myself to something special....

As in mudslide pie! (That's the pie in the picture I posted first.) I've never been a pie girl. I've always blamed it on growing up in a family that seemed allergic to baking. I lived with a beautiful soul who loved to make pies, and I always believed it to be some incredible feat. Well, let me tell you. It is impossible to mess up this delicious dessert. Just try, and don't let any excuses get in your way. Again, this was something that I took to a staff lunch, and most of my co-workers were amazed that something raw could taste so darn good.

Mudslide Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

For the crust:

1 1/2 c. coconut flakes

3/4-1 c. almonds

1 1/2 oz. cacao powder

3/4 c. well-packed, finely chopped dates

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

For the white chocolate filling:

1 1/4 c. coconut milk ***

1 1/4 c. cashews, soaked for 8 hours and drained

1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. agave nectar

2 tbsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. soy lecithin (found at any health food/natural grocery store, look for non-gmo)

1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. cacao butter***

***Coconut Milk: You can either buy the stuff in the can (not as fresh) or purchase a young thai coconut from any asian market. To make milk: Blend water (translucent liquid) with the coconut meat. Be careful when prying the top off. (I have a large scar on my pinky finger from not being careful!!) Use a large, sharp cleaver or heavy chef's knife. Hold the coconut against a flat surface with the point facing up. With one large swing, bring down the cleaver or chef's knife about 1 1/2 inch from the top point. Move around the point and continue the same motion, creating a "lid" that you can pry off the coconut.

***Cacao butter is really expensive. When I can't afford it, I throw in 1 1/4 c. +1 tbsp. coconut butter (bought from the bulk section at my local health food store) and about 2 tbsp. extra cocoa powder.

For the almond butter filling:

1/3 c. raw almond butter

1 1/4 c. white chocolate filling

For the chocolate filling:

1/4 c. almond milk***

2 tbsp. agave nectar

1 1/2 tbsp. cacao powder

1 tbsp. vanilla

Small pinch of salt

1 tsp. soy lecithin

2 tbsp. raw cacao butter

***Almond milk: Blend soaked almonds and water until smooth, milk consistency. Use a 1:3 ratio. For every 1 c. soaked almonds, use 3 c. water. (Remember to soak your almonds for 8 hours.)

To make the crust:

To the bowl of your food processor fitted with the 's' blade, process coconut flakes, almonds, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt until small and crumbly. Continue processing while adding small amounts of the dates until the crust sticks together. (I had to use more dates than the recipe called for to get the crust to stick together. Finely chop a few extra than the recipe calls for to be prepared.) Grease a 9-inch pie pan with unscented coconut butter and press the process ingredients into the pan, forming the crust.

To make the white chocolate and almond butter fillings:

Blend all the white chocolate filling ingredients except lecithin and cacao butter until smooth. Add cacao butter and lecithin, blending until well mixed. Leave a little less than 1 1/4 c. of this mixture in your blender. Set the other portion in your fridge. Add the almond butter to the blender, blend until smooth, and refrigerate this portion as well.

To make the chocolate filling:

Blend all the ingredients except the lecithin and cacao butter until smooth. Add the lecithin and cacao butter until well mixed. Set in fridge.

Swirling the fillings together:

You want all three fillings to be set to a consistency similar to pancake batter. Spoon the fillings into the prepared crust. Do this in layers, alternating each filling. Stick in a chopstick and twirl it around to get a neat marble effect.

Set in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, and then serve immediately. I was taking mine to work the following day, so I let it sit in the freezer overnight.

This is a must try raw dessert! Bon appetit!

By The Way

This is what the buckwheat crackers look like. I cut them this way because I was using them to spread cilantro jalapeno hummus (the recipe will be posted shortly, don't worry!) on. Other ideas: you can crumble them up to add crunch to your salad or use the dough as a pizza crust. YUM!

Nacho Average Snack

Well, it's actually only a snack when you share it with friends, like 9 or 10 of them. I took these 'nachos' to a staff lunch and they were gobbled right up. Eat 'em for dinner, eat 'em for lunch, just eat 'em!

There are several components to this recipe and I picked and chose from different books and online sites. The main idea came from Cafe Grattitude's book 'I am Grateful'. Enjoy!

Raw Nachos

'Refried Beans'

Makes approximately 2 cups

2 c. sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours and drained***

8 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked for 4 hours keeping the reserve water on hand 

(you could also use the kind that come marinated in olive oil and spices, no soaking required)

1 chipotle pepper, soaked for 4 hours keeping the reserve water on hand

1/2 jalapeno

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 c. packed cilantro with stems, chopped

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. chopped garlic (I always use more garlic, but hey that's just me)

***Note: To soak: Just cover the seeds fully in water. Sunflower seeds sprout and will go bad quickly, so don't soak and rinse them days in advance and expect them to keep.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the 's' blade, puree the drained seeds, tomatoes, and chipotle to a smooth consistency. Save a few tbsp. of the sunflower seeds to fold in at the end to accomplish a chunky texture. Use the reserve water from either the tomatoes or the chipotle to keep the mixture moist. For a spicier flavor, you would want to use more of the chipotle reserve water. Be careful not to use too much, the goal is to reach the consistency of refried beans. Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor, and continue to mix until smooth.

Taste and adjust the flavor as necessary. Fold in the remaining sunflower seeds, and set aside. 

Guacamole

Makes approximately 2 cups

3 large avocados

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

1/2-1 jalapeno, with seeds (or without you wuss. just kidding!)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice

1/4 c. chopped green onions

Pepper to taste

I always make a little extra salsa (you'll find the recipe below) to add to the guac, for a fresh tomato layer. I also add a dash of hot sauce (e.g. Tapatio or Cholulua), for some extra heat! 

In a mixing bowl mash avocado and olive oil with a wooden spoon. Fold in the rest of the ingredients until mixed throughout, and set aside.

Salsa

Makes approximately 2 cups

1 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes, cherry or heirloom

2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice

2 tbsp. minced red bell pepper

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced jalapeno

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

I like my salsa to be chunky so I make sure when I am chopping that I am getting all my ingredients to their desired size. I simply take the ingredients and fold them in together, making a chunky fresh salsa. You can also place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy. The salsa thickens 2-3 minutes after blending. Set aside.

Cashew 'Sour Cream'

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 c. cashews, soaked 6-8 hours, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 c. fresh water

Place cashews in a blender, along with 1/4 tsp. salt, lemon juice, and half the water. Turn the blender on low, turn the speed up slowly, and add more water as necessary to keep the mixture pulling to the bottom of the blender. When a semi-smooth ricotta-like texture has been achieved, stop blending. Taste your creation, add more lemon juice and salt as necessary (this cheez doubles as a 'ricotta', so adding more lemon juice and salt takes it to a sour cream flavor).

Put the 'sour cream' in a mason jar and cover the top with a hemp or cotton cheesecloth. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for an hour or so. Stores nicely in the refrigerator in a squirt bottle. An empty honey bottle will work just fine.

The reason I suggest the cheesecloth method is because the mixture's exposure to oxygen allows the flavor to continue evolving. 

Buckwheat Crackers

Makes one 10 inch crust

2 c. whole grain buckwheat, soaked for 8 hours, rinsed, and drained ***

2 c. sunflower seeds, soaked for 8 hours, rinsed, and drained

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

2 c. carrot pulp (leftover from making juice)

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. italian spices

1/4 c. flax seeds, soaked for 1/2 hour, rinsed, and drained

1/4 c. olive oil

*** Be sure to rinse the buckwheat very well.

In the food processor fitted with the 's' blade, mix all ingredients. Use a rubber scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl often until you achieve a creamy texture. I also set aside some of the soaked flax to mix in after the rest of the mixture has been pureed in the food processor. Flax is sticky so it helps glue the cracker together. 

Coat a solid plastic dehydrator sheet (or a cookie sheet to stick out in your solar dehydrator) with olive oil and scoop 4 big scoops of dough onto it to make a mound about 6 inches in diameter. If the dough is sticky use filtered water or orange juice to moisten your fingers and the dough's surface. Shape the dough into a rough square or circle and pat top of crust flat. Smooth the top and edges to form a 10"x10" square. Dehydrate at 99 degrees F for 8 hours until the crust is dry enough to transfer. Lift the crust with a spatula and transfer to mesh dehydrator rack and dehydrate for another 8 hours or until there is not even a hint of moisture left. If using a solar dehydrator, dehydrate the dough on a cookie sheet until the dough is dry enough to transfer. Transfer to mesh rack, and pray that your dough will be dry in 2 or 3 days!

These crackers store very well in an air tight container. 

Nacho Assembly

On a serving plate place a layer of buckwheat crackers. Top with 'refried beans', then guacamole, salsa, and several squirts of 'sour cream'. Garnish with cilantro.

The first time I ate these 'nachos', I used thick cucumber slices instead of the buckwheat crackers. You could also try squash or bell peppers. Be creative!

Woke up this morning...

and drank a raw cacao/sunflower butter/banana shake! Throughout my raw journey I've experienced a lot of fruity morning beverages, but I never thought to make something with chocolate; mostly because cacao powder and cacao nibs are considered 'the precious' in my book. However, this morning I woke up feeling saucy and decided to go for it. I am sure glad that I did as it was an incredible breakfast treat. James walked around with a chocolate ring surrounding his mouth for a good 'bit. I didn't have the heart to tell him; I thought he might be saving it for later. It's just that good.

When I first tasted it, I thought that the cacao overpowered the sweet banana flavor, so I added more banana. The mixture ended up with a thick consistency, which got me thinking that this recipe would make great pudding. Instead of drinking it for breakfast, (which I suggest you do) let it sit in the fridge or freezer and set to a pudding-like consistency. This would make an excellent dessert. Don't be afraid, be daring. Add some of your favorite fruit, make a parfait with it, go crazy!! If you want it to be a tad sweeter, I suggest adding a drop of raw agave nectar.

This recipe was adapted from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen (www.aniphyo.com)

What's Shakin'

Serves 2

• 2 medium ripe bananas
  
• 1 tbsp. raw cacao powder or cacao nibs (or both!)
  
• 1/4 c. sunflower butter***
  
• 1-2 c. filtered water (add the 1st cup and blend, add the rest a little at a time until the consistency you want is achieved)
• Drop of agave nectar (for a sweeter flavor)

Place all ingredients in your blender, and blend until smooth.

If you are making raw pudding: Use less water, seal it in a glass or food grade plastic jar, and let it set in the refrigerator/freezer. 

***Sunflower Butter

Using your food processor or blender, blend raw sunflower seeds until they form a smooth paste. If the mixture gets too dry, add small amounts of vegetable oil a few drops at a time until the consistency you desire is achieved. Add salt to taste. Keep whatever you don't use for your shake/pudding in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

Last, but definitely not least, I've got to give a shout out to a good friend back in Eugene OR. The mug you see in the above photo was a birthday gift made by a very talented, Mr.Kelvin Pond. Thanks for giving me something beautiful to drink from as I welcome the new day!