B7DRC Day 4 - the July Edition

It’s Day 4 and as you may notice, as much as I like to make my own recipes, I also love to test other recipes as well. I enjoy taking different recipes of the same type of food (e.g. chili) and test them to discover which one is the best in terms of taste, texture and similarity to the “cooked” version. So it’s probably no surprise to find me testing recipes this summer for a couple of well-known chefs/bloggers as they work on their new cookbooks. I’ve been having a blast, with tons of recipes to still test and all I can do is share pics. So expect more mystery food porn pics to come…and not all of them are raw, but all of them ARE vegan and insanely mouthwatering!

Early Morning:

Today my jar holds water, lemon and mint!

Breakfast:

I love apples, especially when smothered in Nutiva’s coconut manna or some type of nut butter or baked into a delicious, homemade pie. They’re usually at their best during the fall when they are in season, but I love the cold, crisp, juiciness of an apple during the summer as well.  Plus, it’s loaded with fiber, a nutrient most people do not get enough of. So eat an apple! Eat lots of apples!

Snack:

Another simple, yet delicious salad! My favorite type of food is Mexican food. Tacos, enchilada, chips and guacamole, I love it all and I can eat it almost every day! So it doesn’t shock me that I end up making at least one, if not two, Mexican-style salads or meals a week. 

As I was making last night’s dinner, the sight of corn, tomatoes, green onions and avocados automatically made me think a simple Mexican salad is a must make for a next day meal. The only problem was I was craving for guac as a dressing and didn’t feel like putting all the effort into making guac out of ¼ of an avocado. So I took the ingredients, blended them together and made a guacamole salad dressing! It’s not as perfect as guacamole, but it served its purpose of tasting gosh darn similar.

Simple Mexican Salad with Guacamole Dressing

Recipe by Beth Mickens

Serves 1

For the salad:

• 2 cups of romaine lettuce, shredded
• ½ corn cob
• 3 Tbsp of red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ green onion, sliced
• Chopped cilantro, to garnish
• Sprouts, as a garnish (optional)
• Raw pumpkin seeds, as a garnish (optional)

For the dressing:

• ¼ avocado, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp of red onion
• 1/8 tsp of garlic
• ½-1 lime, juiced
• Handful of cilantro (about 2-3 Tbsp)
• Salt, to taste
• 2-4Tbsp of water, to blend

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender, starting with the lowest amounts and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust amounts according to taste and consistency preferences. I preferred mine a bit thick.

To Assemble:

1. Uniquely plate the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions.
2. Add a dollop or three of the dressing into the middle of your salad
3. Top with chopped cilantro, sprouts and/or pumpkin seeds
4. Serve immediately or make the night before for a yummy salad for the following day.

Lunch:

I’m having dessert for lunch today! It’s Blueberry Cobbler…in smoothie form! It’s sweet, creamy and nutty with a lovely berrylicious base and loaded with greens! It’s perfect if you’re craving for something sweet yet healthy. 

Blueberry Cobbler

Recipe adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

 Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup raw almond milk (the original recipe calls for coconut milk)
• 1 Tbsp shredded coconut or coconut oil (depending on how much coconut flavor you want)
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 Tbsp flax
• Sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Blend and enjoy!

Snack:

Mmmmmm! Remember I mentioned previously that I have been doing some awesome recipe testing? Well this is one of them which comes from Jonie Marie Newman, author of several cookbooks including  “Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food” and “The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet” and owner of the blog, "Just the Food".  She’s in the process of writing a new book and asked for volunteers to test some of the recipes that may be featured in the book. Of course, I jumped on board and was thrilled when she accepted my  offer to assist. The recipes I have tested so far have been amazingly delish, I cannot wait to make more! 

This simple dessert is loaded with flavor. It’s obvious that this sweet treat is a chia pudding, but what makes it the best chia pudding I have ever had must remain a mystery. All I have to say is I am going to BEG to share this recipe once her book is released because it is a must try. I rarely make the same dish twice and this I have made 4 times already! It’s THAT good.

Dinner:

I debated long and hard on what to make. Everything I wanted to make required the soaked nuts that I accidentally forgot to soak the night before (dope!). I tried to remember what was in my fridge and to no avail, I came up with little to nothing..at least nothing NEW. And then I saw this Summer Reboot Salad posted today by Kathy from the Healthy. Happy. Life. blog and praised her for saving me from an evening of contemplation.

It was simple to make and even easier to devour. The salad is not only loaded with veggies, but it's also loaded with tons of protein. The dressing was strong enough in flavor to compliment the earthiness of the kale with just a dollop.

Sweet, savory, earthy....just what I needed for dinner! It was also a great energy booster! I took a run with my family right afterwards with no cramps and tons of energy to spare afterwards! Woot woot!

I used the exact same recipe, using all raw ingredients for the salad and dressing. For the salad I used broccoli instead of cabbage and for the dressing, hemp oil instead of olive oil, lemon instead of rice vinegar, and raw honey instead of maple syrup. The results, I'm sure, were just as scrumptious!

Dessert:

Well I HAD intended to make raw chocolate banana ice cream BUT my plans changed as I went running with my family instead. Not a huge loss of course :) Instead I devoured the remaining two pieces of my almond butter cups! 

And there slips by another day!

Curious, what's your favorite dessert? I need to make something new :)

*Beth*

Brad's 7 Day Raw Challenge - Day 2: It's all about the Raw Chocolate!

It’s Day 2 of our challenge and I’ll be honest, I’m having a heck of a time with figuring out what is raw and what is not this go around. I’ve been raw for about a year now and yet I still struggle every now and then, especially when I’m attempting to complete a 100% raw challenge. Unfortunately, not all products are labeled raw, even though they may be, and so it’s up to the consumer to make that decision. Yes, I could buy products labeled “raw” but it’s either hard to find, extremely expensive because of the raw label, or I only need a small amount for a specific recipe, so I have no need to buy a bunch.  Why now? Well, because for some reason this week I’m surrounded and in need of some potentially raw products. 

For example, I just received some freeze dried fruit products in the mail and would LOVE to eat them only I’ve learned not all freeze dried foods are raw. My smoothies are calling for dried fruit which again, may not be raw depending on the temps used and I bought organic cacao butter, which I’m 99% positive is raw, but it’s not labeled! Aaah! 

So as you can see, even me, the raw foodie, can struggle sometimes with a 100% raw challenge but rest assure, this is only for this challenge. Normally I follow an 80/20 diet – 80% raw, 20% cooked. I leave room for some lenience. I just don’t believe in being too strict with any lifestyle change I make. It becomes exhausting and it leaves very little room for exploring and discovering new things. However, don’t get me wrong, I learn a lot on these weekly challenges! Look at what I’ve learned already about the process of freeze dried foods and the benefits and uses of cacao butter. These challenges are meant to be just that; a challenge. They bring me out of my comfort zone and push me to new limits. If this was easy what would be the purpose? That’s why I do this each month and even more, why I share it with you. Love it!

So here is Tuesday’s recap.

Breakfast:

Another wild concoction by Kobi Kenzo! This one left me full for hours…as in way past 12:00pm hours even though I drank it at 6:00am. Way too long for my liking! I think I need to switch up my eating routine and start small and work my way up. I think drinking such a nutrient and calorie dense smoothie is a bit too rough for my system so early in the morning. I think it’s time to adjust my eating routine with my schedule….this also may be the cause of my lack of weight loss….hmmm. Have to listen to my body!

This smoothie was delicious in taste but the texture was quite gritty. For some reason apples just purely SUCK at being blended! Darn apples. I have yet to find a good apple and fruit blend that produces a smoothie that is strong in apple flavor yet smooth and creamy. I’m thinking next time I’ll add a banana and some avocado or yogurt to it and see if that helps. Again, it tastes great so don’t hack it til you try it! If you love fruit and chocolate you’ll love the flavor of this one!

The Mixer

Adapted from  Kobi Kenzo

• 1 handful of spinach
• ½ cup of romaine lettuce (2-3 leaves)
• 1 stalk of celery
• ½ cup raw almond milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 apple, cored, chopped and frozen
• 3 dried figs, soaked
• 3 dried prunes, soaked
• 1 scoop of raw hemp protein or 3-4 Tbsp of raw hemp hearts
• 2 Tbsp of raw cacao powder

Lunch:

Along with my addiction with collard wraps is my addiction for kale salads. I can eat either one on a daily basis and never get bored. Odd considering I’m one to never eat the same thing twice. The secret? The sauce. My source? Nouveau Raw. I am in absolute love with her recipes and await the day we move so I can once again, whip out my dehydrator and make some of her amazing recipes for fruit leather and kale chips. I’m in awe of her skills. I mean seriously, who would think of making raw, choco covered pretzels!?

She has a huge variety of kale chip recipes which I use the sauces from to create yummy kale salads with. Today’s pick was a Middle Eastern Tahini Sauce which I paired with some classic middle eastern salad ingredients. The results? A unique and flavor bursting twist on a typical dish. Yummness. 

 Middle Eastern Salad with Tahini Sauce

 Sauce adapted from Nouveau Raw

Salad from Beth Mickens

Serves one good size bowl or two sides

Middle Eastern Tahini Sauce

• ½ medium red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, about ½ lemon
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp tamari or nama shoyu
• 2 Tbsp raw sesame tahini
• 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
• ½ garlic clove, mashed
• Dash of cayenne

1. In a small blender (I used my handy, dandy bullet), blend together the bell pepper, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and tamari 'til well blended and the bell pepper is liquefied.
2. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add the tahini and 3 Tbsp of the red pepper mix from above. Gently whisk together.
4. Add the nutritional yeast, mashed garlic and cayenne and gently whisk 'til thoroughly mixed. You may add a bit more liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
5. Set aside

For the Salad:

• 1/3 bunch of kale, washed and chopped (about 4 loose cups)
• ¼ cucumber, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup of grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tbsp of red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped curly parsley
• ½ Tbsp of chopped mint leaves
• 1 green onion, sliced or 1-2 Tbsp of red onion
• Lemon
• Salt to taste
• Sesame Seeds or Chopped Almonds
• Raw olives or sundried tomatoes, chopped (if available)

1. In a medium bowl, add the chopped kale. Spritz with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and begin to massage the kale until it starts breaking down and looks wilted.
2. Add the remaining veggies along with the tahini sauce and toss to combine til everything is completely dressed.
3. Top with sesame seeds or almonds and raw olives or sundried tomatoes, if using,

This is great the next day!

Dessert: 

Raw Banana Brownie Bites with Lucuma White Chocolate

Recipe by Zakka Sweet Design

I always have to make a fancy dessert for each challenge that USUALLY, not always, lasts me throughout the week.  This week’s dessert was a semi-failed attempt at Raw Lucuma Chocolate Covered Chocolate Banana Brownies. It was an obviously over ambitious task but I went with it anyways. It was not only my first time using cacao butter, but I was also using a recipe that lacked detailed instructions AND it was in metric units which made it a tad difficult for my impatient self to convert. Needless to say, it needs serious work before perfection can be met with these babies. I can’t lie, it was a good try though and they’re still tasty! Just a bit off… Maybe I’ll try just the brownie recipe first and maybe a basic raw chocolate recipe too before I go and try to make them both and the same time on a busy night! LOL

If you’re interest in the recipe, here it is: Raw Banana Breakfast Bites by Zakka Sweet Design. She has some other delicious recipes as well…ooh like an almost raw Marble Fudge or…OMG raw fudgsicles!!! I need to find popsicle molds…and fast! I think I’m in love... time to go and browse...

Dinner:

I finished my day with a meditating 30 minute run plus some toning before I sipped on a kombucha and called it a night. My body needs some repairing so a few nighttime fasts I think will do it some good. Listening to my body is so important. I just wish it wasn’t so hormonal.

Seem like a lot of chocolate? Don;t worry. Raw Cacao is loaded with antioxidants and minerals that are GREAT for your body! Just check out the list below. It'll having you running for raw cacao treats in no time! As if you need an excuse :)

Source

* Beth *