Orange Cheesecake In the Raw
I know that a raw vegan cheesecake sounds oxymoronic, The first question that people ask when I tell them about this dish is, “How is it cheesecake?” Well, strictly speaking, it’s not. However, in my humble opinion, it is far better! I originally was given a lemon version of this recipe when I was training as the raw food dessert chef at the cafe my mother used to own. I was about fourteen years old, and was psyched to be doing something other than spilling drinks and trying to unlock the secret of dairy free cappuccinos. It became an orange cheesecake, simply because we ran out of lemons one day.…
Broccoli Carrot Slaw With Sweet and Spicy Tahini
Broccoli is an anti-oxidant rich powerhouse that supports healthy cells throughout the body. Plus it tastes good and it’s one of those healthy veggies that even most kids don’t turn up their noses at. That makes it a go-to in my house at all times! Broccoli at the Fairgrounds… The very first time I really made this recipe was years ago when I joined forces with three other raw afficionados to set up a booth for a fair in Santa Fe, NM, where I live. I honestly don’t know where our heads were. Somehow we believed that we could successfully bring raw food into the fairground! As if…! The moment…
Jammy Fruit Salad with Arugula
My son loves fruit but when it comes to condiments, he’s really not much of a fan. He never even liked sauces, never mind salad dressings. From the beginning that became a challenge. Because, let’s face it, salad dressing is kind of like ‘clothes for greens’. (I guess that’s why they call it ‘dressing’ in the first place). It gives it that little extra ‘oomph’ that takes it over the top and helps to accentuate the flavor of everything that touches it. I mean, even I don’t think it’s that much of a thrill to eat a bunch of lettuce completely dry. And salad is -hands down – my favorite…
Melon Ball Summer Stew
Don’t be intimidated by the nifty little melon ball-er. Using one is easy and fun and it’s somehow so rewarding to see those little melon balls falling into a bowl to form vibrant mounds! Even if there not perfectly round, they’re still perfect; each one a burst of fresh sweetness! This is the kind of food that actually makes you want to play with it – even if you’ve got your mother in the back of your mind telling you not to! Now, mind you, you don’t have to make melon balls for this to be good. Cutting the melons into large dice would work just as well. It probably…
Almond Ginger Chia Pudding
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Whenever I prepare food or smoothies with these tiny seeds, I can’t help but remember all those commercials for Chia Pets. And -let’s not forget – the famous Chia Head (scary and ridiculous)! I, myself, succumbed to the lure of the miraculous Chia Pet when I received one of the kits for my birthday. That was a long time ago. As I recall it was a hedgehog that actually looked pretty damn cute when it began to sprout green chia quills! But, never, at that time, did I ever anticipate a day that I would actually be eating those little seeds. And – even more miraculous – that I…
Guacamole and Avocado ‘Toast’
You can’t go anywhere now-a-days without running into avocado toast and, I’ve gotta’ admit, there’s something to it. Avocado is only just one of the worlds best fats – not to mention all the other nutritional benefits packed into these little green gems. And even if we still want to keep our fat intake on the down low, anyone would be doing themselves a favor to choose avocado toast over bacon and eggs any day of the week. For me, this fashionable feast gets dialed up a notch. The toast gets tossed, of course, in favor of some raw multiple O bread. And even though you could, technically, just smash…
Green Grape and Cucumber Minted Soup
Late spring and summer is such a wonderful time to be raw! And that means it’s prime time to begin incorporating more raw food into your diet! During this time of the year it takes barely any energy at all to create satisfying raw dishes that will completely steal the spotlight away from cooked foods. It’s just not what our bodies crave in the heat! Me, I love to whip things together in the kitchen but it’s just too warm to spend a lot of time doing it, so my summer fall-backs are incredible soups and smoothies that I toss together in a blender in a matter of minutes. This…
Dijon Mustard in the Deceptively Raw
Here on the farm we all love fiddling with a manner of vegetarian and vegan recipes, trying to make them into something raw. And not gross. Sometimes it’s really challenging because a lot of these recipes will call for condiments – like dijon mustard, for example – and these things are just not readily available to us oddballs. All these condiments started out being raw, no doubt, but not anymore. Now everything and it’s grandmother is processed. And we’re trying to veer away from that. Things have changed. Mustard has been around for a long time. Originally people used to chew the seeds during meals- ostensibly to disguise the taste…
Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho
It may sound crazy to say this but there’s nothing like soups in summer! Yes: it’s true! Only I’m not talking about those steaming cool-weather concoctions that warm you up for a nice curl in front of a roaring fire. Granted, those have their place, for sure. But these summer soups are cool, refreshing, hydrating and addictive. Not to mention, super simple to throw together! Summertime really becomes a snap when you’ve got this kind of stuff on the menu. I basically look at every stray bit of produce in my fridge as an opportunity to create culinary bliss at this time of year. Surely, more of these satisfying soups…
Fried Rice in the Raw
What’s fried rice when it’s not rice? And when the fried rice isn’t fried? There’s no telling really, is there? But this happens to be a very tasty and remarkably similar tasting version of the fried rice we all know and love with all the flavor of Asia completely intact. Only minus the frying. And also minus the MSG. This is a recipe that can change the mindset of almost anyone with a cauliflower phobia – and there’s plenty of those out there. In fact, you’ll barely know it’s there at all! And the nice thing is that you can eat this cold or at room temperature… or you could…
