Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

I just finished having almond oatmeal and it was delicious.  I have been vegan for over five years and I notice that I feel the best when I eat mostly raw vegan foods.  I do eat a few steamed veggies at night at times because they are a quick and healthy meal.  I have an old electric wok and I steam veggies like potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, and beans.  However, for all of my morning and midday meals, I eat as raw as possible.  This morning I had this wonderful oatmeal with hemp milk. The recipe is from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. 

 

 

2 cups of oat groats, soaked overnight, and rinsed well

1/2 cup semi-soft pitted dates (I used medjool)

1 TBS ground cinnamon

2 TBS water

1/4 cup almonds

 

Put the soaked oats, dates, cinnamon, and water in a food processor and process until a texture similar to cooked oatmeal.  For a thinner consistency, add another 1/4 cup water.  (I did not do this.)

Then I added the almonds and pulsed a few times until the nuts were chopped a little bit. 

 

Makes four servings.  You can add drizzled maple syrup and any nut milk. The oatmeal should keep in the fridge for up to two days. 

 

Enjoy! 



Non-processed Food Diet

It is the time of the year when people are thinking about diets, new ways of eating, and losing the weight they gained over the holidays. Over the years, I have tried lots of different diets. What I have found is that many diets work for a while, but only those that you can adapt to your daily life, work for the long term.

For over a year, I have eaten 80% raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. The reason I say 80% is because I do use things like purchased Almond Milk and other items like raw cashews which are not technically raw. I also enjoy a glass of red wine.

Within the last two months, after much reading, I have added cooked legumes to my diet. I wanted the nutrients in lentils and beans but was not happy with eating sprouted beans which raw food recipes suggest. There are nutrients in legumes that we can not get in other foods. Some raw food nutritionists suggest eating cooked legumes for these nutrients. I enjoy sprouts in salads, but could not eat, with enjoyment, sprouted beans in dips, etc. The bottom line is that you have to enjoy your diet to stick with it. Most of the items I eat daily, I love! Raw tahini is one of my favorites.

It has now been about a year and a half that I have eaten all vegan with the exception of occasional drops of honey. I use my Vita-mix every morning and enjoy a daily smoothie with frozen bananas, cacao, blueberries, hemp seed, and almond milk. I'm not hungry until lunchtime. The cacao gives me the same boost I would get from coffee, in raw form.

All vegan diets are not alike. I found that even on an all vegan diet, some vegans still may eat a lot of cooked processed foods. Cutting the processed foods with "unknown" ingredients may be the key in all positive diet changes, in my opinion. For example, a few of the vegan cookbooks use a lot of what I call "copy-cat" foods. They try to make a vegan copy of sausage or other meats out of vegetable protein. To me, this is just more processed food. I don't eat them.

What I've learned over the last year and a half is that for me, the best diet is basically raw, unprocessed vegan foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds) with a fresh soup, daily, made from vegetables and dried legumes. I plan to add some of my soup recipes soon as they have been staples in my house and popular with non-vegan family members during the holidays.

Eating fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds has changed my health. I have been off of blood pressure medicine for over a year. My blood work is all within the normal range. I lost over twenty pounds. The most important fact is that I feel the best I have felt in years.

Every one has to find the diet that fits their body. Fad diets don't work. The diet that is healthy and gets your body into the best physical shape is what is best for each individual person. For me, I don't eat anything with a face. That was an easy choice for me because I love animals. It has changed my health and my system. It is not a temporary diet, it is a life style change. I hope that each one of us will find the diet that works best for you and will make this new year, the happiest and healthiest 2012 for you and your families.

Happy New Year!

Smoothie with hand-picked organic greens

Yesterday, I was able to make a green smoothie with greens picked from my mother's garden. A few months back, she planted a winter organic garden. Her garden was near citrus trees with sweet juice oranges. The orange crop in her yard were very small this year; quantity and size. However, she hand-picked a bag of juice oranges and about three cups of mustard and radish (tops) greens which were leafy and crisp. When I got home, I peeled two of the juice oranges, a navel orange, all of the greens with the stems removed, an organic apple, and a banana. All were placed in the Vitamix for a minute or so with a few cubes of ice.

The smoothie was the most beautiful shade of green AND it tasted very good, too. I couldn't get over the difference in taste with this smoothie that used only fresh oranges. I usually use one orange and a cup or two of pulp orange juice (not from concentrate). This was, by far, the best green smoothie I've made to date. :-)

Energy Bars

Energy Bars

(Adapted from Green Energy Bars with Goji and Cacao from “Eating Raw”)

This recipe may be used as bars or rolled into balls. The bars are dehydrated and the balls are not so I decided to go with the balls. Here is my version of the recipe:

¾ cup almonds, soaked for one hour in purified water, then drained

1 cup dates, pitted, soaked for one hour in purified water, then drained

¼ cup sunflower seeds, soaked for one hour in purified water, then drained

¼ cup goji berries

¼ cup raw cacao nibs (or you may use cacao powder)

¼ cup tahini (or raw almond butter)

½ cup raisins, soaked for one hour in purified water, then drained

2 TB flax seeds, soaked for one hour in 1 TB of purified water

1 TB dark cocoa powder (not raw; may also use carob powder)

1 ½ tsp. Maca powder

1 tsp. Cinnamon

pinch cardamom

shredded coconut (unsweetened, raw)

Place almonds and dates in food processor and process with S blade until you have small chunks. Add to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the coconut. Mix until well blended.

Roll into 2 inch balls and roll in coconut, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

May be used as a snack for high energy. Recipe makes 12 balls or bars. Approx. 195 calories per bar.   

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.)

VitaMix 5200

I'm so excited!!! I ordered my Vitamix 5200 today.  I have been reading about it for weeks and if you want to go on a raw or whole food lifestyle diet, it is a staple in the kitchen.  You can put meals together in seconds.  I ordered mine directly from the company.  It is very expensive for a blender but not for a kitchen appliance.  It has a seven year warranty.  Can't wait to put it to great use!
P.S. I did get it at a discount because I ordered a refurbished model.  Same seven year warranty.  Great value!

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. 

Cacao Raw Chocolate Nibs

This week I ordered Raw Chocolate Nibs.  They were listed in several of my recipes and I wanted to try them.  They were a great addition to my raw foods.  Each piece is pure chocolate flavor without sugar or any additional additives. (If you like the chocolate bars with 75% cacao or higher, you should like Cacao Nibs.)  I had all raw foods in my meals today so I decided to have a cup of my soy yogurt with a tablespoon of Cacao Nips on top.  Excellent dessert with high magnesium content and no additional sugar.  This will definitely be a staple in my cabinet!  I can't wait to try them in several of my new raw recipes.

Pecan Sunflower Burger and Walnut Hemp Burger

One of the easiest raw foods to make in a hurry that is very filling is the Thrive Diet's burgers.  I previously listed the Almond Flaxseed burger and liked it very much, however, today I made the other two recipes listed in Brazier's book:

Pecan Sunflower Burger (my personal favorite because they are spicy...)

1 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFA Oil Blend (sold by Brazier's company: Sequel Naturals)
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend.
The recipe says to shape into two burgers but I find they are too big so I make the recipe into three burgers.  Still very filling but not over the top, particularly if you are going to have a small salad with it.

I enjoyed this burger raw.  The first time I made the Almond Burger, I cooked it for 35 minutes at 300 degrees, however, he suggests eating them raw and honestly, they have a lot more flavor and are very moist if they are not cooked.

The second burger I made today was Walnut Hemp Burgers.

Walnut Hemp Burgers

1 cup of raw walnuts
1/2 cup hemp seeds
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFFA Oil Blend
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp sea salt

Follow the same directions as the burgers above.  I decided that since I used the food processor already, I would make the additional burgers and put in the fridge for another day.

Brazier suggests serving them with a bun and burger condiments.  I have not tried that as I just prefer to eat them raw with a salad.

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.

Sweet Potato Chips

One of the recipes that I've made several times now and everyone loves, is the recipe for Sweet Potato Chips. It is a modified version of The Thrive Diet's Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries. These chips were gone so fast today, that I didn't even get a photo. Basically, they are VERY simple. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. You take a sweet potato and slice it VERY thin (chip size) after peeling. Rub coconut oil on the bottom of your baking sheet, then place the thin slices on the sheet. Bake for thirty minutes then continue to check the chips until they are as crisp as you like them. My batch today was finished in 40 minutes. If you want to spice them up then you can add the ingredients in the Thrive Diet which include basil, oregano, garlic, and pumpkin seeds. Honestly, I love them just the way they are... crisp, sweet, and delicious.

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce and Chili Kidney Bean Pizza

This recipe has great flavor ( from Brazier's Thrive diet) which is entitled “Chili Kidney Bean Pizza”; always keep in mind that Brazier says his pizzas are in shape only, not necessarily standard-type pizza. I will definitely make it again! When I do make this again, I will put it in a casserole pan and not on a pizza pan. The reason is that the flavor is fabulous (I'm sure it is the Marinara Sauce), but the brown rice is not sturdy enough for a standard-type crust and it was impossible for me to cut the pizza in the normal way and hand out slices. It broke apart.  The only other option would be to have an extra large pizza serving utensil. We all agreed that the taste was excellent but the pizza pan did not work. Next time, casserole dish and the recipe will be a complete success. Here is the recipe:

Chili Kidney Bean Pizza

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

1 ½ cups kidney beans (I used white)

¼ cup coconut oil

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp chili flakes

sea salt to taste (I used 1/8 of a tsp)

Using a food processor, blend up all crust ingredients and press into a pan (casserole dish preferred)

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce (EXCELLENT!)

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 clove fresh garlic

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1 cup water

½ cup grated cucumber

3 TBS hemp oil

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

¼ tsp thyme

Sea salt to taste (1/8 tsp)

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for 20 minutes.

In a food processor, process all ingredients until smooth.

Top pizza with sauce or you can use it for any other recipe that asks for Marinara Sauce. 

Cook at 300 degrees for 45 minutes.  Brazier says that by cooking at 300 degrees or less, you retain all of the original nutrients from your food.  He also states that through his research, he believes  you should either eat your food raw or never cook it higher than 300 degrees. 

Thrive's Almond Flaxseed Burgers

Tonight, I made Thrive's Almond Flaxseed Burgers.

The photo to the left is the burgers after being cooked at 300 degrees for 35 minutes.  The option was to eat them raw or cook them at a low temperature.  For me, eating raw garlic bothers my stomach so I preferred to cook the burgers.  I thought they were very good raw, except for the overwhelming garlic taste.  When I make them again, I'll leave out the garlic and eat them raw.  I did enjoy them cooked and they reminded me of the crust on the Sun-dried Tomato Pizza that I made last night.  I read on another blog that a couple made the burgers and commented on how good they were but said they were VERY filling.  The recipe was to make two burgers; I made the ingredients into three burgers to decrease the size per serving. 
Here is the recipe:

Almond Flaxseed Burgers

2 cloves garlic (I used one)
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed (I ground the whole flaxseed in a coffee grinder.)
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 TBS coconut oil
Sea salt to taste (I added 1/8 of a tsp)

Here is the photo of the burgers prior to cooking:

Brazier suggests topping with Black Bean Salsa and putting them in hamburger buns.  I ate them without any toppings since this was my first experience at this recipe. 

I personally liked them.  I just would not call them a burger; just burger shaped.  :-)

Dinner: Thrive Diet Style

Tonight, we made a few new items from the Thrive Diet.  The first item was Sweet Potato Oven Fries, using the recipe from the book entitled: Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries.  I wanted to try these fries without the added spices first, using only the coconut oil.  All of Brendan Brazier's recipes are either raw or cooked at 300 degrees or less.  For that reason, if you are cooking, you must allow extended time for cooking as lower temperatures take a bit longer than you may be used to.  Our variation was to shred the sweet potatoes then spread a little coconut oil into the bottom of the baking pan. Oven was preheated to 300 degrees.  We sprinkled the shredded sweet potatoes into the pan and cooked them for 35 minutes.  They were delicious. 

The reason I decided to make the oven fries was because I first wanted to make the Sweet Potato Sesame Pizza for dinner.  It was also cooked at the same time in the 300 degree oven.  The pizza has a crust which you make in the food processor. 

Crust:
1 cup of ground sesame seeds
1 cup of grated sweet potato
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup coconut or hemp oil
1 TBS garlic
1 tsp dried basil
and sea salt to taste

Topping:

The topping was excellent.  It was his Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce.  1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 cup grated cucumber
(I added 1/2 cup nutritional yeast for the cream-textured sauce)
3 TBS hemp oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
Sea salt to taste

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for 20 minutes.  Retain the water.  In the food processor press all of the ingredients, including the sun-dried tomatoes water, until desired consistency is reached.  Simmer for ten minutes. Add to top of pizza crust.
(In my photo of the pizza, you will see that I did not blend the toppings.  I thought it was great!)

Brazier explains that the term "pizza" is a loose one but it looks similar.  I thought it was very good.  I forgot the sea salt but will remember it next time.  I made half the recipe and I cut it into four quarters.

Hummus with Roasted Red Peppers

I am on a hummus kick, it seems, but I made another hummus recipe this afternoon and I loved it. It was completely different from the previous ones I've made. It is from "125 best Vegan Recipes" by Maxine Effenson Chuck and Beth Gurney.  The original recipe includes:

• 1 (14 to 19 oz) can chickpeas:  rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• half of a red roasted pepper, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt

My version of the above recipe: I used lemon squeezed from the plastic yellow lemon, 1/2 small jar of garlic seasoned Italian red peppers, the can of chickpeas, 1/4 cup tahini, 1 tsp of ground cumin, and 1/8 tsp of white pepper.  I left off the salt and the garlic was in the red roasted peppers.  I blended everything together in the food processor and let it blend until creamy.

Serve chilled.  Great on carrot and celery sticks.   

A Hummus Recipe from Veganomicon

This is my hummus that I made last night from a recipe in Veganomicon, which is one of my main recipe books. I use it all the time.  I ordered the food processor, mentioned in an earlier post, and was very excited to use it.  Having just had gallbladder surgery, I was slow in getting started, however I wanted to try something new and my son enjoys hummus.  

Here is the recipe I used, which is cut in half in size from the original, with a few little additions:

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/8 cup water - adjust to your preferred thickness

1/4 cup chopped black olives

The following ingredients are to be adjusted by your taste:

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Paprika (Hungarian Smoked) preferred

(Isa's original recipe is found on pg. 67 of Veganomicon)

Place half of the chickpeas in the food processor with the olive oil and pulse several times.  Then pulse until smooth.  Add all of the remaining ingredients, remembering to scrape the sides with a spatula.  

Since I did not want to eat any oil after my surgery, I only sampled it for seasonings.  It was great.  I did add more cumin than I did originally, and a little white pepper.  My son, who had two helpings, enjoyed it.  

The photo above shows the finished Hummus in a storage bowl.  Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Applesauce Muffins - Sugar Free - Stevia in the Raw

I have been searching for a muffin recipe using Stevia.  I found several but I already had a recipe that I loved.  Isa has an Applesauce Muffin recipe in the book mentioned below.  I love it and have used it over and over.  I wanted to try the recipe with Stevia to take out some of the sugar, even though there was only a 1/2 cup in the original recipe.  IT WORKED.  Here is a photo of the muffins, right out of the oven:

I used the original recipe but substituted 12 packets of "Stevia in the Raw" which is one of the individual packets of Stevia and used these rather than the 1/2 cup of brown sugar.  In addition, I added one small very ripe banana.  You must add a little more fruit or soy yogurt to replace the sugar.
Wet ingredients:  3/4 cup almond milk (my favorite), 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, and 3 tablespoons canola oil.
Dry ingredients: 12 packets Stevia in the Raw or similar Stevia packets, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 3/4 cup oat bran, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Isa uses Cardamon, but I like this much better), 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, and then fold in 1/2 cup raisins.
Cook at 350 degrees for 28 minutes.  I used the small 24 cup muffin tins, so I only cooked mine for 20 minutes.  All in all, I am VERY PLEASED with the results.


SweetLeaf All Natural Zero Calories SteviaPlus, 100 Packets, 3.5 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 2)

Fudge Vegan Delicious!

I began searching online for a recipe that I made many years ago which contained dates and cocoa.  What I found, was even better.  I was so excited about the recipe that I also purchased a food processor that I've been needing from Amazon.  Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor. Then I made the recipe.  IT IS WONDERFUL!
Check out the photo below:

The recipe, which has only four ingredients, was made from the following site written by Chocolate Covered Katie:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/10/13/make-these-now/

You use: 

1 cup of walnuts

1/2 pound of Medjool dates (14 to 15 or 230 gms)

1 tsp. vanilla

4 heaping teaspoons dark cocoa

Put everything in the food processor until blended.  The mix is easy to handle and roll into balls.  I placed mine in the fridge since the dates said to refrigerate after opening. I have to resist from helping myself often to each of these treats.  THANKS, KATIE!!!