B7DRC February 2014 - Day 4: Quick, raw eats for when life happens.

We’re halfway through Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge and I’m feeling great so far sans the mild, sore throat. I can’t determine if it’s the dry air in our home, the cold weather (right after warm weather) or if I got a small bit of my daughter’s head cold. Either way, I’m working on, once again, healing it with warm tea and “flu shots”. I’ve noticed that for the past few challenges I have had to deal with a sore throat. I wonder if maybe it’s a detox symptom? Hmm… 

As you read through today’s eats you may notice that my menu seems abnormal. No juice. No smoothie. Two salads. I know. It’s weird for me too, but sometimes life just gets in the way of your plans and instead of stopping everything you’re doing to scream, cry and mope, just ride along. You never know what you may discover or learn! Life is, after all, a journey.

So here is Day 4’s eats.

Breakfast

I was in a rush this morning to get out of the house so all my planned juices and smoothies were out the door. Instead I grabbed a classic fave: banana with raw (cashew, almond and walnut) nut butter, raw honey, cacao nibs, and coconut. The perfect breakfast: carbs, protein, quick, easy and fulfilling.

Lunch

Once I finally got home I was getting quite hungry, but was once again, in a rush to make my food so I could get to work. I grabbed some greens, added some cukes, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and sunflower seeds and whipped up a quick salad which I drizzled with some cold pressed grapeseed oil with garlic, lemon, salt and pepper for a quick dressing. Yumm!

Dinner

Another quick one! I made a quick massaged kale salad which I massaged with grapeseed oil, raw garlic, lemon and salt! I mixed in some shredded carrots and green onions for added goodness.

Dessert

I have been craving for something caramely and wanted my next treat to include raw caramel. Sounds yummy doesn’t it!? I saw a recipe for chocolate caramel cookies and was all prepped to make them…until I found these. Raw caramel chocolates. 

Yes they are just as amazing as they look and sound. What makes these different from any other raw chocolate is the texture of the chocolate itself. Instead of being that hard chocolate that cracks when you bite it and melts instantly the moment it hits your lips, this chocolate is fudgy and chewy. Whether or not Emily, the author of this recipe, intended for the chocolate to be chewy is beyond my knowing. I may have easily messed up the recipe somewhere along the way and created a whole new chocolate. Either way, I love it!! The results are a chewy tootsie-like chocolate with a creamy caramel center. The pecan adds a little nuttiness and crunch which complements the chocolate and caramel very well. The only issue I have is this: I. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. THEM. AAAH!

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cups with Pecans

By Emily from This Rawesome Vegan Life

Makes 12 Mini Cups

 

 Prepare mini-muffin cups by lining them mini cupcake liners.

Melted Chocolate

• 1/3 cup coconut oil or cacao butter, melted (I used a mix of both)
• ½ cup coconut nectar or date paste (I used raw honey and maple syrup)
• ¾ cup cacao powder

1. In a double boiler, melt coconut oil and/or cacao butter.
2. Remove from the double boiler and add sweetener; mix til well combined.
3. Sift in the cacao powder and mix well.
4. Add 1 ½ heaping tsp to the bottom of the liners and push some of the chocolate halfway up the liners in order to coat.
5. Set in the freezer to set.

Salted Date Caramel

• ¼ cup dates
• 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil
• ¼ - ½ cup of warm water
• Pinch of sea salt

1. In a small blender, blend the ingredients together until a thick creamy caramel has been created. I only used ¼ cup of water for a thick caramel but use as much as you need to achieve the consistency you want.
2. Remove the pan out of the freezer.
3. Add about 1 tbsp of caramel. Smooth out with your finger.
4. Top the caramel with another heaping teaspoon or so of chocolate to cover the caramel.
5. Place back in the freezer to set. 
6. Keep in the freezer until ready to devour!

Day 4 done. Of course, as you may have realized, it’s day 5 because last night I crashed before I even had a chance to write my post for the day. Lesson learned: I need my fruit for lasting energy!

*Beth*

CHALLENGER'S RECIPES

Massaged Kale Salad

By Kristin Lassonde

•  Chopped Kale
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Tomatoes
• Onions

1. Massage kale with apple cider vinegar til soft and wilted. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix til combined.
3. Enjoy!

 
Green Juice

By Lucia Morrison

 

 

• 3 large handfuls of kale
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 inch cut cored pineapple
• 8 raspberries
• 1 clementine
• 28 blueberries

Banana Nut Butter

By Nick Lassonde

 

 

1.  Blend 1 tsp nut butter per 1 medium banana
2. Mix in cinnamon, cocoa, carob or stevia depending on flavor preference. 

OTHERS

• http://www.choosingraw.com/chocolate-avocado-sauce-and-chocolate-avocado-breakfast-salad/

 

B7DRC February 2014 - Day 3: Warm Turmeric Milk to beat the Cold Winter Snow

It’s Day 3 and yes, another snow day! It snowed heavily til noon, dropped about an inch or so of snow on the ground and then before we knew it, the sun was out and the snow had melted. Craziness! This weather… It was nice to stay in though, and relax in my pajama bottoms for the day. I definitely can NOT complain about that. :)

Today was sort of a bleh day for me. If you haven’t noticed from my previous monthly posts, this challenge and my “monthly” tend to fall during the same week. That’s why you always see me posting recipes for sweets and treats! You may have also noticed that one or two days in the week I eat little to nothing. That’s because I’m dealing with all the nasty side effects that come along with “it”. The good part about all this is that I’m motivated to eat clean and not cave into all the chocolate cravings…okay well I do give in, but with delicious, healthy, nourishing chocolate treats. ;) I’ve also learned which foods ease the pain and which foods do not. My favorites: turmeric and cacao! That’s what this journey is all about right? Learning to listen to our body and how to provide it the nourishment in needs to function properly? It’s amazing the things we learn!

As I stated before, today’s eats wasn’t as much but what I did eat was yammers!

Upon Wakening

I had another warm apple cider vinegar tea with raw honey. I needed it.

“Juice”

Have you ever noticed juice cleanses always include a nourishing milk to add substance and give your palate something to enjoy that’s heavier and a bit “fattier”? Yeah I have too. I wanted to try one for my morning juice, but I wanted it to make sure it was bursting with health benefits and not just nut milk and sugar. I recalled seeing a Turmeric Milk recipe by Gena from Choosing Raw and decided, why not! It’s new, different, warm not cold and of course, loaded with nutrients! 

This milk was exactly what I was expecting it to be: comforting and fulfilling. It was smooth, sweet and spicy…and oh so good. I perfect drink to enjoy when it’s snowing outside!

Just a few notes: The hemp milk is a bit “gritty” if you do not strain it, but they do settle pretty quickly to the bottom of glass. Feel free to do either. Also, instead of spices as seen in the original recipes, I had a tea spice mix I used that contained ginger, cardamom, etc.

Turmeric Milk

Adapted from Choosing Raw

Makes 16 ounces

• 2 cups of nut milk or 6 Tbsp of hemp seeds with 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 ½ tsp of ginger spice tea mix (ginger, cardamom, black pepper, etc)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1-2 Tbsp of raw honey or maple syrup, to taste

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender til well blended.
2. Warm slightly over the stove.
3. Serve immediately in your favorite tea glass.

Smoothie

No smoothie today! That milk kept me full for quite a while!

Lunch

I was skimming the fridge for lunch when I noticed that I had leftover raw kale-chi in the fridge that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago at a local farm store. Kale-chi aka kimchi made with kale! It’s tangy, spicy and loaded with raw goodness. I thought hard about what I could add it to and thought, Korean noodles! Zucchini noodles with veggies tossed in a savory Garlic Hemp Asian sauce and topped with avocado and kale-chi all over mixed greens! Awesomeness!? You bet!

Raw Korean Noodles with Garlic Hemp Sauce and Kale-Chi

By Beth Mickens

Noodles

• 2 cups of mixed greens
• 1 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 green onion, sliced

Sauce

• 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp of hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp aminos or tamari
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp raw honey or preferred liquid sweetner

Garnishings

• ¼ avocado, sliced
• ¼ cup raw kimchi

1. In a small blender, blend together the hemp seeds, aminos, water, and honey til well blended and smooth.
2. In a small bowl add the zucchini noodles, carrots and mushrooms.
3. Pour half of the dressing and toss to combine well.
1. NOTE: If you plan on eating the next day, leave the noodles in the bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the juices from the noodles then proceed with the next steps.
4. Add some mixed greens onto a plate. Top with noodle mixture.
5. Garnish with avocado, kimchi, green onions and sesame seeds.
6. Serve with additional dressing if desired.

Dinner

For the remainder of the day I sipped, no gulped, on tons of water to stay hydrated and nibbled on the rest of my brownie balls. Told ya they wouldn’t last long :P

Hopefully I’ll have more of an appetite tomorrow. 

Have a good night!

*Beth*

CHALLENGERS RECIPES

 Juice Pulp Crackers

By Kristin Lassonde 

• 3 cups juice pulp
• 3 heaping tsp ground flax seed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 heaping tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 heaping tsp garlic powder
• 2 heaping tsp onion powder
• 2 heaping tsp paprika
• 1 tomato

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor
2.  You will need to add some water while processing
3. Spread out onto a dehydrator sheet. Score to desired size.
4. Dehydrate for about 24 hours.

 Sprouted Buckwheat Cereal

By Kristin Lassonde

• Dehydrate sprouted buckwheat overnight so it is dry
• Blend in a blender favorite fruit such as apples and pears with water as needed and spices such as cinnamon and stevia (Ratio of 1 piece of fruit per dehydrator sheet of buckwheat)
• Soak the sprouted dehydrated buckwheat in the fruit mixture for about 30 minutes to settle
• Spread on a dehydrator tray thinly and dehydrate until desired crunchiness is achieved
• Break into pieces in a cereal box. Feel free to make this recipe more exciting by adding mix-ins such as dry fruit, sprouts, or anything else. 

  Dessert Juice

by Lucia Morrison

• 8 Raspberries
• 8 small chunks of pineapple
• 1 clementine
• 1 small gala apple

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!

B7DRC February 2014: Day 1 - A Blueberry Green Tea Juice to start your challenge off right with tons of energy!

Welcome to Day of Brad’s 7 Day Raw Challenge for February 2014! Another month almost gone right before my eyes! Whew!

This week I won’t be completing the challenge 100%. My dad’s birthday is this Friday and we’re celebrating at his favorite Korean BBQ restaurant where vegan, let alone raw food, is minimal. Since it’s my dad’s birthday I decided to let this one slide. J

For this month’s challenge I’m focusing on two things: morning juices or juice like drinks and dill. I’ve learned over the past few months that my body loves a good awakening via a yummy juice as opposed to something heavier like a smoothie, raw cereal or even fruit. However, juicing right now is a bit hard to do with the lack of cheap, available produce as well as time. So I have reduced my juicing to the two days a week I work from home…for now. So what do I use instead? That’s where the juice-like drinks come in! Drinks that are similar to juice in caloric content, nutrition and satisfaction. Yumm!

And dill. I am a huge dill fan! Ask me why and I honestly wouldn’t know. There’s just something about the aroma and flavor that’s comforting. It’s very springy, earthy and outdoorsy. Get it? Yeah me neither. Anyways I bought a bunch – a HUGE bunch – and figured to ensure it doesn’t go to waste, why not have dill as my featured ingredient for lunch this week! Sounds fun!

So let’s get started! Here’s Monday’s eats!

Upon Waking

Warm water, fresh lemon juice and some sweet raw honey! Hello Monday!

Juice

Today’s green juice recipe comes from The Grounded Nutrition. Every few months they hold a 10-Day Vibrant Living Cleanse that I absolutely love! The recipes are clean, vegan, mostly raw and oh so nourishing. Definitely check them out!

This juice came from the very first cleanse I participated in. I remembered it very well and went back to look for the recipe so I could use it in this week’s challenge. It’s super easy to whip together in the morning when you’re in need of a quick energy boost right before you head out the door! It’s slightly sweet, light and refreshing!

WARNING: You may encounter blue teeth specked with blueberry bits so check the mirror often. Also, beware of pits in your dates! I swore I checked them but then blended a bit right into my drink. I spent the morning sipping pit pieces…yuck!

Blueberry Green Tea

By The Grounded Nutrition

Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 cups green tea or 1 tsp of matcha green powder to 2 cups of water
• ¼ cup pitted dates, soaked overnight
• ¼ cup ice cubes
• 1 cup greens (spinach)

1. In a high-speed blender at the dates, green tea and greens. Blend til smooth.
2. Add the blueberries and ice and blend till the ice has broken down and your juice is a bit frosty.
3. Serve immediately.

I think this could use a little lemon punch next time J

Smoothie time!!

Me love smoothies! They seriously need to make a smoothie monster. Just sayin’. I’m currently in love with this amazing tropical blend my FullyRaw Kristina! Using only the juice from the oranges, this yummy smoothie packs a powerful, citrus punch that’s also juicy sweet and a bit earthy thanks to the greens and cilantro. If you’re not a cilantro fan then no worries. Leave it out! This smoothie is just as great without it!

Tropical Breeze Smoothie

Adapted from FullyRaw Kristina

Makes 16 ounces

• 2 large leaves of red leaf lettuce or preferred greens (like kale!)
• 1 large juicy naval orange, peeled
• ½ heaping cup frozen pineapple (or fresh!)
• ½ scant cup, mango
• 1 small handful of cilantro

1. In a high speed blender add all of the ingredients and blend on high until smooth.
2. Serve with a few sprinkles of shredded coconut on top!

Lunch

Since this week is ALL about dill, the very first meal that came to mind was chicken salad! I know, not very veg OR raw is it!? Don’t kill me yet! I can explain. My very first job was at a café that made almost on a daily basis, fresh chicken salad with loads of dried dill. You could smell it in the back when it was being made and up front as we used it to prepare salads or sandwiches with it. Dill was never really a part of my life until then, so you can see why when I think dill I think chicken salad. Whew.

So in honor of my very first job, I decided to make a “No-Chicken” Kale Salad. I used all the ingredients and flavors found in your typical chicken salad and turned it into this amazing raw, massaged kale salad. It’s flavorful, fresh and super filling! Let me know if it fits the bill!

“No-Chicken” kale Salad

By Beth Mickens

Serves 1 

• 3-4 cups of shredded kale
• 2 small stalks of celery, chopped
• ½ cup red grapes, sliced in half
• 1 green onion, sliced
• ½  ripe avocado
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• ½ lemon, juiced
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pepper

1. In a large bowl add the kale, set aside. Feel free to pre-massage your kale with a pinch of EVOO and salt or you can use the avocado dressing as a massager. Whatever works for you J I do both!
2. In a small bowl add the avocado, lemon juice and dill. Mash til well combined and you have a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add your avocado sauce to your kale and massage well til wilted and/or toss to coat.  
4. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of hearty hemp seeds!

Dessert

I made these raw cake batter truffles which I mixed with cacao nibs. They’re okay but not my cup of tea...I'm a chocolate gal. So I'm making some yummy chocolate treat tonight!

“Dinner”

I nibbled my way, as usual, through dinner and finished it with a warm herbal, detox tea.

CHALLENGERS RECIPES

Energy Juice

By Ang Roberts

• Beets
• Carrots
• Apple
• Orange
• Lemon

Green Smoothie

By Ang Roberts

• 2 cups kale
• 1 cup water
• 1 frozen banana
• 3 mandarins, peeled
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds

Joel's Green Juice

By Lucia Morrison

• 1 cucumber
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 inch ginger root
• 8 leaves of kale
• 1/2 lemon

Pineapple Mint Sorbet

By Nick Lassonde

1. Simple blend in a high speed blender frozen pineapple with mint extract or fresh mint leaves! Yumm!

Sprouted Buckwheat

By Kristin Lassonde





1. Rinse buckwheat several times until water is clear.
2. Soak rinsed buckwheat covered for about an hour.
3. Drain and set in a colander covered in a dark area to sprout.
4. Set an alarm to rinse and drain once every 4-8 hours.
5. After a few dats or when desired length is achieved, eat your sprouts!
6. Can be dehydrated as well!