Another Fabulous Herbal Dressing

Hello, everyone!  Thanks for the comments on last week’s frequent postings. 

I have been making a dressing similar to the mustard-chive-date one that I posted, but I put in about 3/4 c. water, 2-3 dates, optional clove of garlic, pinch of pink salt, 1 T. mustard (dijon or stoneground), 6-7 spinach leaves or collard leaf, 2 T. basil, 1/2 c. cilantro, and 1/2 c. parsley, and just whirl it together in the Vita-Mix.  It turns out a beautiful green color and tastes delicious and rich, even with no added fat.  I commonly have cilantro, parsley, and basil on hand, but if you don’t, it’s fine to use just one or two of those. 

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Strawberry Brilliance Pie

Sweet Gratitude

(Edited later to add this photo and comment:  You ever notice how the first piece of pie is usually the messiest?  Well, I knew I was going to cut this pie further down into 16 pieces, so I figured I might as well get a picture tonight.  It looks great!  I hope it travels well.)

Without topping.

and with:

You can’t really tell its goodness yet; I’ll try to get an inside shot!

Zucchini Noodles w/ Parsley Sauce

So I wanted my zucchini noodles with a basil sauce, but the store nearby didn’t have fresh, so I chose Italian, flat-leaf parsley instead.  I did find local grape tomatoes, which was nice! 

The sauce has parsley, tomato, and a little mango juice; whole parsley; garlic; a date; and pink salt.  Very easy, very spunky!  It’s not rich, as there is no oil.  You can add sun-dried tomatoes, too, if you like.

FYI, zucchini noodles do get watery as they sit, and combined with a sauce even more.  I’ll take that hydration, though. 

You can make the noodles by using a mandoline, spiralizer, peeler, or knife.

Mustard-Chive-Date Dressing

I feel as if I made the best no-fat-added dressing I’ve ever had….so I measured tonight to post the recipe!  This dressing is sweet and tangy, mostly raw except for the prepared mustard (which has negligible calories).  I made a dressing with whole mustard seeds and didn’t like it as much; I don’t find any ill effects on my health from consuming prepared organic mustard.  This keeps well when blended in a Vita-Mix; mine didn’t even separate after 2 days in the refrigerator!

Makes about 1.25 to 1.5 cups.

1.25 c. water

8 pitted dates (I used Medjool)

1 c. fresh chives

3 cloves garlic (or to taste)

1.5 T. mustard (Dijon or regular, whatever you prefer; I used Dijon)

1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt, or to taste

(Note:  I’m also not a huge vinegar fan, and it’s actually a skin irritant for me when the vinegar contacts my skin, so ingestion may not be ideal, either…..another reason I probably love this dressing!)

Blend in your blender or Vita-Mix until smooth.  That’s it!

I am LOVING these organic microgreens from Trader Joe’s.

 

A tip I thought I’d post on raw eating:  It’s important to have food available for when hunger strikes, because if you are addicted to the cooked food and have no raw food around, well, you know what will probably happen.   

I almost always have at least these items in my kitchen:  fresh collards, kale, spinach, apples, pears, oranges, sprouts, carrots, celery, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, and romaine; frozen bananas.  I keep the vegetables stored in a way that I can open the fridge and see what I have, grab it quickly, rinse it, and eat or juice/blend it.  I also like to have some type of berry within my reach.  If it helps you to rinse vegetables and fruits prior to storing, do that.  Do whatever it takes to have fresh food around…..and no excuses on going to the grocer!  Find one nearby, on your way to or from work, and visit the produce section only, picking up the above items. Spend 5-10 min.  5-10 min. if you do it fast!    Pretend you’re a vegan ninja.

Pic of the Raw Lemon Strawberry Pie

Sweet Gratitude

As it turns out, the strawberries are perfectly sweet to balance the tartness of the lemon, and look how colorful it is!  The crust comes out of the glass pie pan fine, but the lemon part separates a little from the crust.

Also, the strawberry parfait keeps for only 2-3 days.  I’m glad I’m sharing this!  I guess Irish Moss doesn’t take to the freezer well.  Desserts….well, all food is better fresh, anyway.  :)

Raw Lemon Meringue Pie….oh, well. :)

Sweet Gratitude

This is the beginning of the raw lemon meringue pie.  It has a macadamia-cashew-coconut-date crust.  This was my first time working with Irish Moss as a thickening agent.  It was a bit of work but turned out great; I imagine this makes it so you can use less coconut oil or coconut butter, thus adding less fat and more varied nutrients.  

So I got my two coconuts ready to make the meringue, cut one open and realized the water smelled. Then I tasted it.  Immediately spat it out.  This coconut was bad; let’s try the next one.  Same thing!  And I didn’t want to run to the store just to get the same thing over again, so I figured I’d improvise.

I had already bought 2 lbs. of strawberries today, had vanilla beans and cashews soaking for the meringue, so I chose the strawberry parfait to top the pie.  I also had some left over that I just put in dessert dishes/ramekins.  The strawberry mixture smells great!  I didn’t test the final result because I’m doing no added fat for 3 days a week and this day is one of them.  Without the coconut butter (which is made using whole coconut, as opposed to just the fat), it was divine!  No seaweed taste.  :)

Let’s hope the strawberry parfait and lemon pie go well together.  If not, there’s always cooked chocolate cupcakes for the cooked food eaters!

Chocolate Raspberry Cake (raw)

Sweet Gratitude

This is my second dessert from the Sweet Gratitude cookbook.  The batter, mostly comprised of coconut oil, ground nuts, and dates, didn’t seem as smooth and light as the book described, but I think it will still taste great and the frosting is absolutely delicious!  I’ll try to get an inside shot.

Verdict:  Very sweet, delicious.  Minor problem of the nuts not being ground enough but otherwise, the batter/cake part seems great!

Raw Marble Cheesecake

Just Desserts (from Raw Goddess Heathy)

Pretty frustrated when the springform pan of the prettier and more accurate “marble” did not release, I took a photo of this one instead.  It’s a really good cheesecake, made from readily-accessible ingredients, and the chocolate flavor is just right.  I can’t wait to try more from this book!  Thanks, Heathy (www.rawgoddessheathy.blogspot.com).

Raw Pecan Turtle Cheesecake Slice

Sweet Gratitude

This dessert was excellent, very rich and chocolately!

Pecan Turtle Cheesecake

Sweet Gratitude (a raw food dessert recipe book)

This is going to be so good!  I didn’t want to take it out of the pan yet, since I will be traveling in a vehicle to share this with friends tomorrow, so I hope to get an inside shot then.  If you’re a raw foodie who loves making desserts, I would get this book – everything sounds so awesome and creative.

The bottom layer/crust is chocolate with pecans; the filling is both a chocolate and a caramel cheesecake swirled together, and the top is a caramel sauce with cacao nibs, pecans/macadamias, and yacon syrup.