Banana Cocao Shake

My favorite shake to make this week is the Banana Shake in Raw Food Made Easy; using the Chocolate Shake Variation.  I have made it once a day since finding it.  The ingredients are few and very simple to make quickly.  They fill me up and rather than a snack, are more of a replacement meal.
Here is my version of the recipe:

1 frozen banana
1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
(The recipe includes 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar, however, I find that I do not need it.  It is sweet enough with the store-bought almond milk.  If I were making my own, it may be needed.)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS unsweetened cocao powder

Using the slower speed on the blender and move up to blend/puree.  This is a large shake; full of chocolate flavor and lower on calories due to the lack of added syrup or nectar.  Excellent!
(For a much thicker shake, cut the milk down to 1/2 to 1 cup of almond milk.)

Cream of Tomato Soup

This afternoon I made this Cream of Tomato Soup from Raw Food Made Easy.
I really enjoyed the recipe, however, I will add more spices to it next time, for example, white pepper.  It was very good but I felt it needed a little "kick".

3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp crushed garlic (1 glove)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
2 tsp minced fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried

Place the tomatoes, water, garlic, onion powder, and salt in a blender and or food processor until smooth.  Add avocado and olive oil and blend again until smooth.  Add basil briefly, just to mix.  Serve immediately.  For a chilled soup, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. 

Mediterranean Kale

Using Raw Food Made Easy, I put together this recipe for Mediterranean Kale.  It is a light marinade recipe.  Yield:  One Serving

4 kale leaves, stems removed
1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1 TBS raw pine nuts
1 TBS sliced black olives
Dash black pepper


Toss well with your hands, working the dressing into the greens. Add bell pepper, pine nuts, and olives and toss gently.  Marinate for ten minutes at room temperature before serving.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving. 

Marinara Sauce over Zucchini Pasta

The lunch I made today is going to be one of my all time favorites. I was very excited to dive into one of my new non-cookbooks and so I started with "Raw Food Made Easy for one or two people" by Jennifer Cornbleet. This book appealed to me right away because you are able to experiment with recipes and see if you like them before making enough to feed an army. I can tell that I'm going to enjoy her recipes. The ingredients are familiar and most of the cooking directions are quick and easy. When I first looked at this recipe, however, I was not convinced that I would enjoy zucchini in the place of traditional pasta, but I was surprised to find that the zucchini absorbs the flavors of the marinara sauce and it was delicious. So, here is the new recipe that I made for a quick lunch. It was wonderful!

Marinara Sauce

In a food processor, combine the following ingredients and pulse until well blended:

1 ripe tomato
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
1 TBS minced fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp grushed garlic (1 clove)
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
Dash black pepper and cayenne

Makes two servings.

 This basil was from my garden.  I can still smell the basil in the kitchen.













This is the Marinara Sauce.  If you want more liquid, soak the sun dried tomatoes prior to blending for at least twenty minutes.

Zucchini Pasta

Peel the zucchini with a potato peeler removing all of the skin.  Then, hold the zucchini and create long ribbons or fettuccine by drawing the peel down all the sides until you reach the seeds and core.  Place in a bowl and serve with Marinara Sauce.