Raw Cashew Veggie Wrap

This wrap is the definition of the phrase, "delicious and nutritious." It has such great flavor and is an excellent source of raw phyto-nutrients!

Cashew spread:

• 1 cup raw cashews 
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• juice of half a large lemon 
• 1 tsp tamari 
• 1/2 cup water (plus more to thin, if necessary)  

You will also need:

• collard green leaves 
• shredded carrots 
• tomato (cut into chunks) 
• avocado (cut into slivers)
• sprouts (of any kind) 
• mushrooms (of any kind) 

1. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.(can be a little chunky if you desire) 
2. Spread a generous amount of the cashew spread on two collard green leaves. 
3. Distribute the carrots, tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, and mushrooms evenly in the center of the leaf. 
4. Roll the leaf into a burrito looking wrap. Then wrap it again with the other leaf. Cut in half and enjoy! 

Raw Cleanse

This week I am doing a raw cleanse. What is a raw cleanse you ask? Ill tell ya. A raw cleanse is a detox where you consume only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as soaked grains and legumes. Everyone does their own cleanse differently, but I prefer to consume two raw green juices a day as well as three raw meals per day, for seven days. I also incorporate some raw snacks for my own sanity.This cleanse is supposed to clean and clear out your digestive system, detoxifying you of any chemicals and impurities your body has built up.The cleanse doesn't get rid of everything toxic in your body, but it sure makes you feel awesome, which is enough to sell me! It helps balance blood sugar, overall energy, and can really be a booster to your immune system.

For those of you looking to try something like this, I am going to post all my raw recipes that I make/eat this week as well as everything else I consume so that you can get an idea of what you may want to do for your raw detox. Something like this is definitely more fun when done with others, so grab a buddy and try it. What have you got to lose? 

Some tips:

-Drink water with and between every meal 
-take it easy; don't do heavy exercise and rest regularly
-get good sleep, try for about 8 hours a night
-eat slowly and chew thoroughly 



DAY ONE:

• 8 oz water

• 16 oz green juice (apple, celery, romaine, carrot,ginger) 

• fruit porridge (banana, pear, chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, raw cocoa powder, raw honey, hemp seeds, almond milk)  
• 12 oz water 

• Apple 

• raw cashew greens wrap

• raw cashew creme pie 

• grapes
• 12 oz warm water with lemon
• clementine 
• pumpkin seeds 
• 12 oz water 

DAY TWO: 

• 8oz water 
• 12 oz green juice 
• raw apple and pear crisp 
• clementine 
• almonds and pumpkin seeds 
• 16 oz water 
• raw collard greens wrap 
• raw cocoa and carob brownies 
• 16 oz water 
• grapes 
• marinated portabella and sprout salad 
• 12 oz tea 

DAY THREE:

• 8oz water 

• 16 oz green juice 
• banana apple crisp 
• raw pumpkin seeds & raisins 
• cherry & pineapple sorbet 
• 8 oz water 
• large salad 
• raw pie 
• 12 oz tea 
• banana 
• carrots
• raw carob brownie

 DAY FOUR:

• 8 oz water 
• 16 oz green juice 
• apple and pear crisp 
• balsamic roasted vegetable wrap (not raw! This was my one cheat when I went out with the family for my moms birthday)
• sliver of raw cashew cream pie 
• 12 oz tea
• large green salad 
• cherry banana date sorbet 
• 8 oz water

DAY FIVE:

• 8oz water 
• 16 oz green juice 
• banana pear crisp 
• 12 oz tea/almond milk 
• raw collard green wrap with cilantro pesto 
• raw banana cherry sorbet 
• raw carob brownie 
• kale, Brussels sprouts & red onion salad 
• banana pineapple sorbet 
• 8 oz water 

DAY SIX:

• 8 oz water 
• apple crisp 
• salad smoothie (romaine, spinach, banana, berries, almond milk)
•  pumpkin seeds, raisins, almonds 
• apple 
• 20 oz water 
• 2 clementine
• raw carob brownie 
• kale and herb salad with sesame sunflower dressing 
• sliver of raw pie 
• 3 dates 
• 8 oz water 
• 12 oz tea 

DAY SEVEN:

• 8oz water 
• banana cereal (banana, pumpkin sesame chia flax and sunflower seeds, almond milk)
• 16 oz green juice 
• apple 
• clementine 
• 16 oz water 
• kale and herb salad 
• 2 dates 
• raw chocolate chip cookies 
• apple 
• green juice 
• 8 oz water 
• clementine 
• carrot 
• almonds 

How did it go? How did I feel?  

The first two days I felt hungry and light. When I eat raw foods (raw fruits and vegetables mostly) I tend to feel light and satiated throughout the day. Its a wonderful feeling; everything you eat makes you feel energized and non-groggy. You know that feeling when you want to sleep after you eat a big bowl of oatmeal, or a sandwich? Well with this detox, you don't have that. I felt really great for about five days, then I started to eat too much dried fruit and not enough vegetables. Gotta work on that balance. Well, this week was definitely fun and I would recommend this detox to anyone looking to get back on track to their diet regamine or interested in a raw food lifestyle!

Meatballs with Parsley Spinach Pesto

Meat? No, I did not use meat in this vegan savory meal. In fact, these meatballs are made primarily of walnuts and almonds, which are a great source of magnesium and copper!  Nuts provide lots of protein and good fats; consider them a gift from nature. For the pesto, I used parsley from my backyard. Fortunately the plant weathered the recent hurricane quite nicely. Parsley is rich in potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Herbs are natures medicine, and thankfully we have access to so many of them! 

Alrighty, now for the good stuff. These meatballs are a great appetizer, a meal addition, or snack. They should be crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. They have a little kick from some red cayenne pepper I put in. 

Meatballs:

• 1 cup soaked almond**
• 1 cup soaked walnuts**
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 1 tsp onion powder 
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt    

   **soak walnuts and almonds overnight in water
Parsley Pesto:

•  2 cups parsley 
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
•  1/2 lemon, juiced 
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast 
•  1 avocado
•  2 cups baby spinach
•  1/2 cup broth or water
•  pinch of salt and pepper

 What to do:

1. Add soaked  walnuts and almonds to your food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until mixture is evenly combined. 
2. Lightly oil a nonstick cookie sheet. Roll the mixture into even balls and place them about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. 
3. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until crispy on the outside. 
4. For the PESTO: Combine all ingredients in your food processor and pulse until mixture is even in texture and consistency. 
5. Enjoy! 

Gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookies

Chewy, sweet, chocolatey, crunchy on the edges and chewy on the inside. These cookies have all of these wonderful characteristics and more. I put some maple sugar in them for a little bit of a twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie.

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour 
• 1/2 cup cashew flour**
•  2 tbsp maple sugar  
• 3 tbsp arrowroot powder 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• pinch sea salt 
• 1/2 cup coconut nectar 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips 

1. Mix the first six ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl
2. Stir the coconut nectar, coconut oil and vanilla together in a small bowl
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together. Add the chocolate chips last
4. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Wait about 10 minutes for the cookies to cool. (they fall apart right out of the oven) Enjoy! 

** to make cashew flour: blend raw cashews in a high powered blender for a couple seconds or until the nuts turn to powder. 

Vegan maple pumpkin spice cake with cashew coconut icing

My birthday was this week! I decided to make a pumpkin cake because of this beautiful autumn season. Pumpkin is great because it adds flavor, nutrients and moisture to a cake. It can also act as a fat substitute. If you like pumpkin, you'll love this recipe!


For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1 cup maple sugar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp ginger

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Pinch sea salt

• 1 cup pure pumpkin purée

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1/2 cup apple sauce

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

For the Streusel:

• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans

• 3/4 cup chopped dates

• 1 cup coconut flakes

For the icing:

• 2 tbsp coconut butter

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews

• 1/2 cup lite coconut milk

• 3-5 dates

• 2 tbsp raw honey

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

CAKE:

1- Whisk all dry ingredients together
in a medium bowl.

2- Mix all wet ingredients together, except apple cider vinegar.

3- Combine thoroughly the wet and dry mixtures, then add the apple cider vinegar at the end.

4- Spray two cake pans, divide the cake batter evenly in both and bake at 375 degree for about 25 minutes.

STREUSEL:
- Chop pecans, dates and coconut and mix together. Set aside.

ICING:
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender. Add more coconut milk to thin, add more cashews to thicken and add more dates or maple to sweeten.

ASSEMBLY:
-Place one of the cakes on a sizable plate. Spread some of the icing on the cake, then add the streusel. Place the other cake on the top. Ice the top of the cake generously. Garnish with toasted pecans and coconut flakes. Enjoy!

Stuffed peppers with cashew pinenut ricotta

Ah, winter has arrived! Tis the season for warm creamy vegetable dishes! These vegan stuffed peppers are truly decadent. My family loved them!

Ricotta 

• 1 cup soaked raw cashew

• 3/4 cup raw pine nuts 

• 2 cloves garlic 

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 

• pinch of sea salt 

• 1/2 cup water 
• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp dried chives 

• 1 tbsp parsley

• 1/2 tsp onion powder 

Stuffing

• 2 garlic cloves 

• 2 cups chopped portabella mushrooms 

• 8 cups chopped kale 

• 8 cups baby spinach leaves 

• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes 

• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils 

• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice 

•  6 red bell peppers 

1.  To make the ricotta: Add all ingredients to your food processor. Add more water to thin for desired consistency.
2. To make the stuffing:  Water or broth saute the mushrooms and garlic until soft. Add kale and saute until soft. Add more water/broth as needed. Add lentils, spinach, rice, and red pepper flakes. Stir in Ricotta and mix until fully combined.
3. Assembly: Cut the tops of the red bell peppers, and take the core seeds out. Fill the peppers with the stuffing mixture. Put the loaded peppers in a cupcake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Banana Spice Muffins

These muffins are vegan and gluten free. Delicious and nutritious. They are nice and dense to comfort in these cold temperatures. 

 

• 1 cup date sugar/coconut sugar 

• 3 ripe bananas 

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

• 2 tbsp ground flax

• 1/4 cup warm water 

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

• 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour 

• 1/3 cup arrowroot flour 

• 1 tsp baking soda 

• 1 tsp baking powder 

• 1 tsp cinnamon 

• 1 tsp xantham gum 

• pinch of sea salt 

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

• 1 cup chopped dates

1. Mix first five ingredients in a bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes, then add in the coconut oil.

   2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, then stir in the nuts and dates. 

   3. Bake at 325 for about 25 minutes. Enjoy!