B7DRC February 2014 - Day 2: Bring on the Rawcho Cheese + a frosty Macaccino that will knock your socks off!

Day 2 is here and kickin’…and so is this weather! The forecasted flurries have turned into this heavy snowfall which is quite beautiful view, but is also a sad indicator that my dreams of sugar snap peas and juicy berries is still very, very far away from becoming a reality. Oh spring where art thou? *Silence* *Sigh* Oh well. Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience”…and so I shall.

Now that I’m more at peace with Mother Nature, who’s ready to see what goodies I made using the best food ONLY Mother Nature can offer!?

Upon Wakening

This morning I had a warm, raw apple cider vinegar tea with a drizzle of raw lemon. Apple Cider Vinegar has an array of health benefits. It aids in weight loss, helps the body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level, it aids in detox, and much much more! I can really tell how much my body LOVES this tea when I drink it right when I wake up and right before I go to bed. I always feel so amazing afterwards!

2 tsps or 2 capfuls to 1 8 ounce cup of warm water with as much honey as you need to lightly sweeten is all you need!

“Juice”

I am officially ADDICTED to this frosty, Macaccino recipe courtesy of The Grounded Nutrition. It’s sweet, chocolaty, earthy and super frosty! To boot it’s loaded with minerals, antioxidants and natural energy boosters! It’s soooooo good and one of my fave drinks to have in the morning time! I usually have 2 or 3 of these a week. I like adding Garden of Life’s Marley Coffee or Yerba Mate raw protein powders in the mix for a little flavor and protein boost. This drink is a must try! If you get addicted though, don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Macaccino

Adapted from The Grounded Nutrition
Makes 16 ounces 

• ¼ heaping cup of dates, soaked overnight
• 1-2 Tbsp of cacao powder (based on flavor preference)
• 1-3 tsp of maca powder (based on flavor preference)
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup nut or seed mylk
• 1 cup ice

1. In a high speed blender, add the dates, cacao, maca, water and nut milk and blend on high til smooth.
2. Add in the ice and blend on high until the ice has broken down and you have a nice frosty drink.
3. Pour and serve immediately!

Hmm this baby needs a raw, coconut whipped topping….

Smoothie

Today I decided I would try a smoothie that was low in sugar in order to control my love for all things sweet…while it was okay, it was definitely clear that I have a major sweet tooth problem! I love sweet, juicy fruit and can eat/drink a lot of it if my heart (and pockets) so desired! While it’s actually not a bad thing that I love my sugar in the form of raw fruits and treats, it’s good every now and then to break the habit and give my body a new challenge. So cheers to low sugar smoothies!

Strawberry Creamsicle

By Young and Raw

Makes 16 ounces

• 1-2 stalks of celery (mine was really strong in flavor so I used one)
• ½ cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 juicy orange, peeled
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• 1 cup nut mylk
• 1 Tbsp chia or hemp seeds

1. Blend and enjoy!

Lunch

I don’t know why, but yesterday evening I had MAJOR “cheese” sauce cravings. Major. I recalled Brad’s Raw Made Easy had a recipe for Raw Nacho Cheese aka Rawcho and decided heck, it would be perfect as a taco salad dressing! Boy was I right! It was the perfect compliment to my veggie loaded salad! I even added a little dill in there for fun.

What I love about Brad’s Rawcho cheese is that it uses the yumminess of raw fermented miso in place of nutritional yeast to give it that savory, cheese-like flavor. I was actually quite surprised by how much the flavor resembled that of nacho cheese! Great recipe Brad!

Taco Salad with Rawcho Cheese

Salad by Beth Mickens
Rawcho by Brad from Brad’s Raw Made Easy (Need to buy the book to get the recipe ;))

For the Salad:

• 2-3 cups of leafy greens such as red leaf lettuce or romaine
• 12-15 grape tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced and diced
• 3 Tbsp to ¼ cup corn
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp diced red bell pepper

1. Arrange leafy greens on a plate. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss well to combine.
3. Pour over leafy greens.
4. Drizzle with rawcho sauce and a sprinkle of cilantro, if you desire, before serving.

Enjoy!

Dessert

I was all ready to make these delicious raw, chocolate caramel cookies until I realized…they need to be dehydrated (BOO!) which I can’t do until Thursday and Friday when I’m home. So in the meantime as I wait PATIENTLY, I decided to whip up these yummy German Chocolate Brownie Balls by Chocolate Covered Katie.

These sweet balls of yumminess are nutty, chocolaty, chewy with that brownie like texture we sometime crave when eating 100% raw. The little twist is the delicious coconut inside that gives it that German Chocolate Cake feel. Simple, easy to make and of course, satisfying and delicious! Thankfully I can make those cookies in one more day because these babies aren’t gonna last long!

German Chocolate Brownie Balls

By Chocolate Covered Katie
Makes 9-12 balls 

• ¾ cup dates
• ½ cup pecans
• 2-3 Tbsp of cacao powder (I used 3)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp shredded coconut
• Pinch of salt

1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are broken down and well combined.
2. Pour into a bowl and squish the brownie crumble together with your hands until a dough forms.
3. Using a Tbsp measure, measure and roll into 1 Tbsp balls until all the dough has been used.
4. Eat whatever crumbs are left!
5. Refrigerate til ready to eat!

Dinner/Late Night Snack

Nibbled on a large juicy apple as a light late night snack! Love apples!

Day 2 is done and the snow, gone! Seriously the snow accumulated then melted in less than 8 hours. Patience pays :)

See ya tomorrow!

*Beth* 

CHALLENGERS RECIPES

Energy Balls

By Ang Roberts

•  1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup raw almond butter 
• 1/2 cup flaxseed
• 1/2 cup honey or preferred liquid sweetner
• 1 tsp vanilla

1.  Process in a food processor till well combined.

Curried Chickpea Salad

By Ang Roberts

• Chickpeas, soaked and/or sprouted
• Red Onion
• Red Pepper
• Raisins
• Curry Powder
• Olive Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Lime
• Sea Salt

 Afternoon Pick Me Up Juice

By Lucia Morrison 

• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Clementine
• 6 Strawberries

Curry Avocado Soup

By Nick Lassonde

• 2 avocados
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 turmeric root
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 handful of cilantro
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp curry leaf powder
• 2 cups of water

1. Blend in a high speed blender.
2. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.  

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

By Kristin Lassonde

•  2 apples
• 1 banana
• 6 dates
• 1/2 cup almond pulp
• stevia to taste
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 cup RAW rolled oats

1. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender.
2. Fold in another 1 cup of RAW rolled oats and 1 cup of raisins.
3. Spread mixture thinly on dehydrator sheet and score in desired shape.
4. Dehydrate for several hours at 115 degrees until gooey then flip and dehydrate a bit longer til desired texture is achieved.
5. DEVOUR!