B7DRC - August Edition: Raw BLT Bites and a Berry Beet Jucie!

Wohoo it’s Thursday and also Day 4 of Brad’s Raw Challenge. With it being Thursday and all, it seems almost necessary to post a #tbt (aka Throw Back Thursday) recipe. I figured since I haven’t made anything sweet this week (I’ve been slowly nibbling on one of Hail Merry’s amazing raw chocolate mint tarts!), I would share one of the very first raw desserts I made during one of my very first challenges!

We all know how much I LOVE my cacao powder, so it should be NO surprise that I had at least one chocolate treat a day. What WAS a surprise was that I had a dessert that week not MADE of chocolate but accompanied BY chocolate. In other words, it wasn’t the main ingredient! Shocking! Instead, it was a simple banana ice cream with a hardened chocolate shell topped with raw coconut, pecans and cacao nibs.  I recall this very treat and I have to admit, it was really good. I especially loved the chocolate shell which had a nice crack to it before it melted into my mouth into a smooth, creamy syrup. I’m thinking we may just need to make this again. Recipe here. Happy #TbT!

Now to get back to present…

Early Morning:

This morning I decided to have an old favorite: an Apple Cider Vinegar tea. I added about ½ Tbsp into a mug of warm water and added 1 teaspoon of raw honey to sweeten. Yumm! 

Breakfast:

For breakfast I had, what I like to call, a Fully Raw Kristina fruit platter. I know, it’s not much of a platter in comparison to what the beautiful Kristina can devour but it definitely was inspired by her. If you have no clue who am I talking about, Kristina is the genius behind Fully Raw, an organic co-op in Texas. She provides hundreds of families with fresh, organic produce so that they can live healthy, happy, raw-inspired lives. She’s a vibrant, energetic woman who’s passionate about eating and living healthy through raw foods. 

If you have some time, check her out! Here’s her YouTube page. It’s loaded with videos on healthy, raw eating along with some delicious raw recipes!

My Fully Raw platter is filled with peach slices, grapes and a banana.

 Lunch:

Inspired by my raw eggplant bacon, I decided to make simple raw BLT bites for lunch. This dish is really quick and easy to whip up and even easier to eat! While I have to admit the eggplant bacon doesn’t exactly TASTE like bacon (I think that’s due to the lack of liquid smoke), it still works well with this particular dish. In my opinion, the eggplant bacon is good enough to be eaten as is as a snack, but that’s boring… unless I took a funny pic of me gnawing on it. Maybe next time. :)

Eggplant Bacon

Recipe adapted from Raw and Simple

• 1 eggplant, any size
• Salt
• 4 Tbsp of nama shoyu or GF tamari
• 4 Tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar
• 4 Tbsp of raw honey or maple syrup
• 2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder
• Pinch of pepper
• Pinch of garlic and/or onion powder (optional)

*NOTE: Most recipes call for cold pressed olive oil but I didn’t really care for it last time so I didn’t use it this time. However, there seemed to have been a difference between the two. The first one was more flavorful than the second one so maybe the oil IS needed. If you decide to add oil, add 4 Tbsp of cold pressed EVOO.

1. Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, thinly slice the eggplant, length wise, into long, thin slices (think bacon!)
2. Place the slices in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 1-2 hours.
3.  In the meantime, blend together the remaining ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl.
4. Once the eggplant has been allowed to sit, rinse, thoroughly drain and press the water out by placing the slices in between paper towel and gently pressing down.
5. Add the eggplant to the marinade and toss to coat. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. Some recommend overnight but it’s up to you J
6. Carefully lay out the slices onto your dehydrator tray and dehydrate between 110 and 115 degrees for 24-48 hours or until crispy.
7. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container.

Raw BLT Bites

By Beth Mickens

• 5-6 leaves of Bibb Lettuce
• 1/3 cup of cherry tomatoes, halves
• 1/3 cup of eggplant bacon, chopped into pieces
• Oil-Free Cashew “Mayo”, to drizzle
• ¼ cup of cashews, soaked
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp raw honey
• Pinch of salt
• ½ clove garlic (optional)
• Water as needed

1. Layer bibb lettuce leaves onto a plate
2. Fill each leaf with a Tbsp or more of tomatoes
3. Add about 1 Tbsp of bacon
4. Drizzle with cashew mayo
5. Serve immediately.

Snack:

After talking beets with fellow challenger Ang, I went on a search to find a yummy beet smoothie that I would hope satisfy both our palates. I’m still on the prowl for a smoothie containing, whole raw beets….well at least a yummy sounding/tasting one…but I DID come across this one which I know will be loved! While this recipe is supposed to be a juice, I changed it up and turned it into what I like to call a “Jucie” aka a juice smoothie. 

It’s fruity, sweet yet still contains a little bit of rooty earthiness. The consistency is more that of a thick juice when enjoyed later on in the day or that of a frosty if enjoyed right after blending. Either way, it’s yummy and well, that’s all the counts!

Berry Beet Jucie

Recipe adapted from Flora Foodie

Makes enough to fill 1 1/2 - 16 ounce jars

• 1 small beet, chopped
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped

1. Add all three into a high speed blender. Add about ¼ - ½ cup of water and blend on high until smooth.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag.
3. Pour the beet juice back into the blender and add the following:

• 1 cup blueberries, frozen
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• ½ banana

1. Blend on high until well blended and smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Dinner:

While I did nibble my way through half of dinner, I stopped myself short and made a simple avocado half to enjoy instead of scraps. Yes, folks, I finally had some sort of dinner this week! This avocado meal contains just tomatoes, green onions, lime juice, salt and pepper inside an avocado half. Simple, easy and oh so filling!

Now where’s dessert!? *searching….*

Do you guys have any #TbT recipes to share? Any old faves??

*Beth*

B7DRC: - August Edition: Raw Eggplant Curry over Parsnip Rice!

Usually by Wednesday I’m screaming, “I can’t believe we’re already on Day 3!”, but for some reason, today I’m wondering why it’s ONLY Day 3? I feel like it’s been longer than that. It must be one of them SLOW weeks, hehe. No worries. I guess that means more time for me to play! With my food of course ;)

Talking about playing with my food, today I made not one, but TWO eggplant dishes that I’m pretty excited to share with you so let’s get started!

Early Morning:

This morning I skipped the tea and went straight for a juice. I so wanted to have watermelon again for breakfast but the last thing I wanted to do was bore the heck out of you with my monotonous meals. So instead of eating it raw, as is, I decided to turn it into a juice! I figured what could be more perfect than starting my day off with a refreshing, hydrating sweet watermelon juice? Thankfully I was right; nothing could have been more perfect. I added some cucumber and mint in my juice to add a bit of variety in flavors as well as to take the edge off the sweetness of the watermelon. Overall, it was super tasty and perfect for this oddly, humidly hot day.

Watermelon Juice

By Beth Mickens

Makes a little over 16 ounces

• 5 cups of watermelon (I didn’t measure but it filled my vitamix a little over half way full)
• ½ cucumber, peeled
• 1 small handful of mint leaves

1. Put all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or until everything is well blended.
2. Strain through a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer.
3. Serve with a couple cubes of ice and some fresh mint leaves

Breakfast:

The farmer’s market is beginning to show signs of fall as the watermelons get smaller, the berries disappear and apples begin to slowly make their way into the stands. It’s a bittersweet feeling to see the summer slowly dwindle away but in a way, it’s a good thing. We all could use a break from the same fruits and veggies and from the scorching high temps, don’t you agree? After all, it’s that break that has us running back to spring and summer the moment signs of change arrive.  

This past weekend I noticed apples were taking the place of peaches and plums and while I was a bit saddened by the idea of no more peaches, I was also thrilled to see my favorite apple return; the honey crisp!

Honey crisps are extremely crispy, juicy, slightly tart, a little sweet and oh so so so good! They’re not great for baking pies but perfect for juicing. I didn’t do either..yet. Instead I just enjoyed my apple as is, ice cold and crispy, and took in the taste of fall. 

Lunch:

Yesterday I had only one goal: make eggplant bacon. As I was shaving off the slices I needed to make my “bacon” I realized that my eggplant was a bit too large. I didn’t want to make too much bacon ‘cause Lord knows I would eat it all and well, that’s a lot of salt to be eating in one sitting. So I laid the other half of my eggplant on my plate and begin to think, think, think. I thought of all the ways I enjoyed eggplant in the past and finally came up with one word: curry. 

In the past one of my favorite dishes to make was cooked curry. I didn’t care what veggies were included as long as it was smothered in some sort of curry spice or curry sauce. I recalled eggplant being quite tasty with these spices and so off I went to experiment. 

At first I tried to make a raw masala sauce and well, it just wasn’t pleasing the taste buds. Then I tried another sauce with hemp seeds and tomatoes…nope that didn’t work either. Finally, I came across this raw curry dish and modified it to work in my favor with the ingredients I had on hand.  The results? Finally success! 

I served my curried eggplant over a bed of raw parsnip rice and served it sprinkled with a bit of cilantro. The flavors melded well together and provided a delicious chewy, yet still crunchy kind of meal. The curry was the best part :)

Eggplant Curry over Parsnip Rice

By Beth Mickens

Sauce adapted by Sweetly Raw

Parsnip Rice:

• 1 large parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
• Squeeze of lemon juice
•  Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp of coconut, shredded unsweetened

1. Add the parsnip into a food processor and process until a course, rice like meal is formed.
2. Add the coconut, lemon and salt and pulse to mix.
3. Pour into a medium bowl and set aside

Eggplant Curry

• ½ eggplant, peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ carrot, peeled and julienned
• ½ green onion, sliced
• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp raw coconut butter
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• ¼ red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ lemon, juiced (about 1 Tbsp)
• ½ garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon of raw honey
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon of curry powder (or more!)
• ½ + Tbsp of water to blend
• Salt to taste

1. In a small bowl add the diced eggplant and salt and toss to combine.
2. Allow the eggplant to sit for about 30 minutes. This will remove some of the bitterness and it will soften the eggplant, resulting in more of a “cooked” texture.
3. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bullet style blender add the coconut butter, hemp seeds, red bell pepper, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, honey, curry powder and ½ Tbsp of water to start. DO NOT add any salt at this point. You will need to see how salty your eggplant is before adding salt to your dressing. You may not need any.
5. Blend adding as much water as needed to reach desired consistency. You are looking for a thick, yet pourable sauce.  Set aside.
6. Once the eggplant has been allowed to sit, rinse the eggplant thoroughly to remove a majority of the salt. The eggplant will have a slightly salty taste which is fine.
7. Pour your eggplant into a couple of paper towels, layered, and gently squeeze the remaining water out.
8. Add your eggplant to a small bowl along with the carrots, tomatoes, and green onions. Add the curry dressing and toss to combine.
9. Taste before seasoning with salt.
10. Add the cilantro and gently toss to incorporate.
11. Spoon the eggplant curry on top of the parsnip rice and garnish with cilantro before serving

NOTE: I enjoyed this meal the next day which allowed the veggies to really absorb the dressing. The only downside was that the sauce got a bit thick/hard so if eating the next day, leave out to reach room temp before enjoying.

DOUBLE NOTE: Sadly, I can't remember exactly how I made the sauce since it was throw together, but I'm also positive I added some fresh basil. Add it and see what ya think :)

Snack/Dinner:

I had a pack of Trace Minerals Reds Pak which is pretty much red nutrient powder as opposed to green powder. It’s loaded with red fruits and veggies with an ORAC count of 5200! Antioxidant power! I debated on what to add to it until I opened the pack and smelled what I recall as the best drink ever: Kool-Aid. It smelled like red Kool-Aid! The best fruit to add? Pineapple to create what I call Pineapple Punch. 

It’s sweet, juicy and it tastes, well, like a tropical punch. Who knew there was a healthy way to re-live those childhood memories of drinking copious amounts of sugar loaded Kool-Aid! Do they even make that stuff anymore?

Pineapple Punch

By Beth Mickens

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 ½ cup frozen pineapple
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 1 pack of Trace Minerals Red Pak
•  Water to blend (about ½ - 1 cup)

1. Blend and enjoy!!

Dinner:

As for dinner, I did it again. I nibbled my way through. This is NOT a good habit to form…*sigh* Well, at least I was nibbling on tomorrow's lunch which includes this yummy looking eggplant bacon!! Actually, this a pic from last week's batch because I forgot to take a pic today (dope) but it looks the same and tastes the same too! Recipe will be available tomorrow!

Until tomorrow...

*Beth*