march kitchen madness

i've had a lot of energy in the kitchen lately, which seems to be common for me this time of year. it was five years ago this month that i finished up a vegan cooking class and decided to "go veg". maybe it's the promise of spring that gets me motivated. who knows, but i'm going with it!

on instagram i've been sharing many of my creations. it's just easier to post there, but the downside is i can't go into too much detail. so i thought i'd do a little round-up here in case you wanted to try something i posted.

1 // banana soft serve. this stuff never gets old. (actually, it does. ha! we go through phases with it.) this time i added peanut butter and raw chocolate and the taste reminded us of turkey hill peanut butter ripple ice cream. mmm! cold bits of peanut butter in frozen chocolate creaminess...

banana soft serve:

blend 3-4 frozen bananas in a food processor until smooth and "fluffy". you may want to let the bananas thaw about 15 minutes and you'll probably have to stop a few times to scrape down the sides. once a frozen banana flew up and broke the lid right off my old food processor, so now i hold the lid down tight and let the bananas thaw so they're not so hard. there are also gadgets that make banana soft serve (like this one) but i haven't tried them so i'm not sure how well they work.

2 // raw chocolate peanut butter cookies. john is a sweets lover and wants dessert every night. this week we said no to the processed vegan cookies at the store and i had to hear about it every night. lol, not really. i like to make john treats - he's so appreciative and sometimes cleans up my messes. yesterday i came home to a spotless kitchen, floors and all! i say that deserves dessert.

these cookies were his idea, actually. i used to make raw chocolate chip cookies with a cashew base, and john suggested i try a similar approach with peanut butter and chocolate. (noticing a trend here?=) so what i did was grind one cup raw cashews in the magic bullet, then stirred in peanut butter, melted coconut oil, raw cacao powder, liquid vanilla and maple syrup until a nice dough formed. when i make these again i will take note of the exact measurements and share.

3 // liquid vanilla. i am a huge vanilla fan. when i was a teen i wore vanilla-scented perfumes. a few years ago i got very angry with john for bringing me peanut butter fudge and not vanilla (do you even know me?!). tired of paying $12 for a bottle of organic vanilla extract (the conventional stuff is usually made with corn syrup, even the ones labeled pure), i decided to make my own vanilla flavoring. with the help of sweet gratitude raw dessert book and my vitamix, i easily whip up liquid vanilla in a ratio of 1/3 cup water to 1 vanilla bean. it stores for weeks, even months in the fridge.

4 // chocolate and coconut cream swirl. i've shared this recipe here before. the chocolate cream is made with avocado and the coconut with meat from young thai coconuts. they used to be hard to find, but now our local produce outlet is selling young coconuts. i make both creams in a high speed blender (the magic bullet or vitamix) but i'm thinking the food processor might do the trick.

i hope you all have a very sweet weekend. daylight savings time is here!!!

xoxoxo

mother's day ice cream cake

happy mother's day! the month of may is flying by! it's such a nice time of year with the foliage and warm weather - i wish it would slow down just a smidge. i've been on the go a few weeks now and am in need of a recharge day (or three.=)



amidst babysitting, gardening, family visits and spring cleaning, i found time to plan and execute a three-layer ice cream cake for my mom. the pansies and pea shoots were inspired by my blog friend aimee from bitt of raw.

bottom layer up: coffee coconut ice cream, blonde crunchies, chocolate ice cream with chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate buckwheat crunchies, vanilla ice cream.

two years ago, i made a similar cake since my mom likes chocolate, coffee, almond and coconut. both were pretty good, but i prefer the fruitier cakes.

my mom's biennial pear tree will be producing fruit this year and i plan to pair them with local raspberries or blueberries to make a variation of pearberry bliss. i'm also excited to make fruit roll-ups with organic strawberries from muth. yay for fruit season!

oh, and john ate the first of our eight strawberries today, declaring it perfect! also, he made us a new 4 by 6 foot bed! garden update coming soon...

raw raspberry brownie bites

to make raw brownies you simply need five things (dates, nuts, cocoa/cacao powder, salt and a food processor) and not even five minutes. they are one of the easiest desserts to make. you blend the ingredients for about 30 seconds, press them into brownie shapes and they're ready.

this time we added raspberries to snaz them up a bit. adding berries and liquid vanilla made the batter a little wet, so we dehydrated our brownie bites a few hours.

as raw brownies are very rich, bite-sized pieces are the best way to serve them, in my opinion. (they're actually more like a delicious nutty fudge than a brownie, but a little less dense.)

raw raspberry brownie bites
(makes about 18-20)

1 C medjool dates
1 C raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, or a mixture)
1/4 C cacao powder
8-10 raspberries
3 tsp liquid vanilla*
generous pinch of salt

in a food processor, blend until batter holds together when pressed. shape into bite-sized squares.

*liquid vanilla is made by mixing three vanilla beans, chopped, with one cup water in a high speed blender. in this recipe, lv can be replaced with vanilla extract or scraped raw vanilla bean, to taste.

***

i hope everyone is having a nice weekend. we're snowed in (but not really) and i'm loving it.=)

desserts in jars: choco-coco cream

this twisted treat is decadently sweet, smooth and super creamy. add some peppermint and goji berries for a festive delight!

the chocolate cream is made with avocado and honestly, you'd never know. non raw-foodies have tried it and loved it. let's not forget, avocado is a superfood! (one that's getting mighty pricey, have you noticed?)

there i am in the spoon=)

the coconut cream is made of cashews and young coconut meat. the addition of vanilla bean makes it taste like vanilla mousse. mmm, vanilla is my favorite.  

the recipes call for raw cacao (though any cocoa powder would do) and coconut butter or coconut oil. more and more are using coconut oil (for more than just cooking, wink wink).

non-gmo soy lecithin in this recipe is optional as a thickening agent. those who like to work with irish moss gel may use that, but neither are neccesary for this dessert. you may also sub vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. i've posted the recipes before but here they are again.

coconut cream

(adapted from sweet gratitude's coconut meringue)

3/4 C coconut milk*

2/3 C coconut meat from one young coconut

2/3 C cashews, soaked about 2 hours

2 T agave

1/2 a vanilla bean (scraped insides only)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

blend all in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy, then add:

1 T non-gmo soy lecithin

2 T coconut oil or coconut butter

resume blending until fully incorporated. set in fridge until firm. 

*coconut milk can be made by mixing one part fresh or dried coconut with three parts water.

***

chocolate cream

adapted from heathy's chocolate nutless creme

one large ripe avocado

1/4 C agave

2 T water

1/2 a vanilla bean (scraped insides only)

pinch salt

1 T coconut oil, melted

5 heaping T cacao powder

in a high speed blender, blend first five ingredients well. add remaining ingredients, and continue to blend until smooth. chill for a few hours before serving. 

***

today i'll be making more gifts in jars. it just makes sense when you've got over 100 mason jars lying around!

blueberry zucchini bread

two summer gems baked into one moist and delicious treat!

blueberry zucchini bread
adapted from allrecipes

ingredients

3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 T cinnamon
3 pastured eggs
1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C applesauce (unsweetened)
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2-3 C grated zucchini
1 pint blueberries

method

• grease and flour pans*, and preheat oven to 350°.

• sift flour, salt, baking soda, powder and cinnamon in a bowl.

• beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla together in another bowl.

• add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat until mixed.

• fold in zucchini and mix well. gently fold in blueberries.

• pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 50 to 70 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

* this recipe made one 8x4 loaf and 12 cupcakes. the cupcakes were done in about 25 minutes. you could also make 2 8x4 loaves or 4 mini loaves.

zucchini bread recipe

yields 2 loaves

ingredients

3 C unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder 
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 pastured eggs
1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C unsweetened apple sauce
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 C grated zucchini
1 C chopped walnuts (optional)

method

grease and flour two 8x4 inch pans. preheat oven to 350°. 

sift flour, salt, baking soda, powder and cinnamon in a bowl.

beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla together in another bowl.

add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well.

fold in zucchini and walnuts. pour batter into prepared pans.

bake for 50 to 70 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.


enjoy!=)


*recipe adapted from mom's zucchini bread with mommy from seattle's modifications

ice cream cake ebook giveaway

thank you for the sweet comments on my strawberry banana ice cream cake post. i wish i could share a slice with all of you! what i can do is guide you in making your own and offer a chance to win the ultimate raw ice cream ebook by heather pace.

the bottom layer of this cake is simply frozen banana pureed in the food processor until light and fluffy. after smoothing the banana into a 7-inch springform pan and placing it in the freezer, frozen strawberries with a few squirts agave nectar and lemon juice went in to the food processor next (i didn't bother to rinse it.)

while one layer was freezing, the next was being made. (i was also able to clean up a little and get some laundry done=). dehydrated buckwheat was mixed with maple syrup, cacao nibs and powder for chocolate buckwheat crunchies, and fresh coconut, cashews, macs, coconut butter, vanillla and agave was blended for the vanilla layer. the recipe needs tweaking before posting, though i will share this decadent peanut butter sauce that is the perfect compliment to this cake.

peanut butter sauce

3 T peanut butter (unsweetened and unsalted)
1 T melted coconut oil
1 T water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice, to taste)
pinch of salt

blend all ingredients until smooth.

kelli's notes: if you use sweetened/salted peanut butter, it may be best to omit the last two ingredients. it's so good, you might want to double or triple the recipe.=)

fun swirly top

last year around this time i was an ice cream cake-making machine; once i started, i couldn't stop!

heathy introduced the raw food world to these sensational creations with an ebook and a challenge to create our own. compared to other desserts, i find raw ice cream cakes to be fairly easy to make and insanely fun to create. another plus is they're a bit less expensive because fruit and buckwheat crunchies take the place of pricey nuts/dates often used in raw desserts. (if you grow or pick your own fruit, even better!) and who doesn't enjoy a slice of cool ice cream cake on a warm spring/summer day?!=)






entry #1: rawspberries and cream

entry #2: chocolate strawberries and banana

entry #3: café almond biscotti

final, 2nd place-winning entry: pearberry bliss

wouldn't you like to create a raw ice cream cake of your own?  

heathy's ultimate raw ice cream cake ebook is available for purchase here. enter for a chance to win a copy by leaving a comment below telling me what kind of ice cream cake you'd like to make. for one extra entry: blog, facebook or tweet about this giveaway.

the winner will be selected randomly and announced monday, may 16th, 2011. this giveaway is now closed.

happy cake-creating!

luscious lemon cupcakes and three legume quinoa

delightful. i enjoyed making these cupcakes as much as i did eating them.

lemon in the midst of winter is a great pick-me-up.

 ♥

the vibrant color and citrus scent tickle me pink and inspired me to add raspberries to the icing. raspberry and lemon - need i say more?

many thanks to the lovely candice of chia seed me for sharing the recipe, and ms. isa, author of vegan with a vengeance for creating animal-free gems.

above is a quick quinoa i threw together with ingredients i had on hand. it went over with our friends just as well as the cupcakes and was really simple to make.


three legume quinoa

1 C quinoa, rinsed well
2 C filtered water
1 C cooked kidney beans
1/2 C fresh or frozen shelled organic edamame 
1/4 C fresh or frozen peas
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
italian seasonings, to taste
salt, to taste
olive oil

in a large saucepan over medium, heat 1-2 tsp olive oil and garlic a minute or two, stirring often.

add rinsed quinoa and toast about 5 minutes, stirring often.

add water and bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes.

add seasonings and legumes. cover and simmer 3-5 more minutes. quinoa is ready when all water has been absorbed and grain is "fluffy".

this salad is delicious served warm or chilled.

note: for a "crunchier" quinoa, use a bit less water. i usually cut back a tablespoon or two.

optional: add olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. top with raw or toasted almonds or pepitas before serving.


+ highlighted hearts under an image indicate photos not taken by me. click for the source.

coffee coconut ice cream with irish moss

utterly delicious, and dairy-free!

1 1/4 C strong black coffee
1/4 C coconut flakes
1/2 C young coconut meat
1/4 C coconut water
3 pitted dates
3 heaping T irish moss gel
1 T raw coconut butter
1 T maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
love


blend first two ingredients well. add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. process in an ice cream maker or simply place in freezer, stirring every so often.


top with raw chocolate shavings and enjoy the buzz!


if coffee isn't for you, replace with water and add a bit more vanilla, to taste.

+

2 oz soaked irish moss
1 C water


rinse irish moss well and soak overnight in the fridge. chop into pieces and process in a high speed blender until completely smooth and gel-like, stopping to scrape down the sides. store in fridge about a week or so.


+nouveau raw posted a great guide for irish moss gel here.

++edit: here is a great source for raw irish moss. (pure joy planet)

stuffed squash and raw brownie bites

 inspired by heathy

 

recipe from the delicious revolution

raw apple cobbler

raw apple cobbler
(serves 2)

2 apples, sliced thin

sauce:
1 ripe pear
1 apple
1 medjool date
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 inch piece of vanilla bean, or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
juice of 1/4 lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg


blend all sauce ingredients until smooth. pour over sliced apples.

topping:
1/4 C. walnuts
1/4 C. pecans
1 medjool date
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
drizzle of maple syrup


in a food processor, blend all topping ingredients until crumbles form. optional - mix in a few tablespoons dried coconut, buckwheaties and raisins. sprinkle topping on apples and ENJOY!

gluten-free waffles and ice cream

having enjoyed nature's path cereals, john and i decided to give their gluten-free waffles a try. they were in the freezer section of our whole foods and from what i remember, vegan and fairly inexpensive.

though we never ate them with maple syrup like we'd planned.

all six waffles were:

slathered in peanut butter/loaded with strawberry-banana soft serve/sprinkled with powdered sugar

...which was totally fine by me.=)

stuffed zucchini and nectarine cobbler

muth family farm's organic csa week 9: kale, chard, romaine, watermelon, fennel (woohoo!), green onions, eggplant, golden squash, zucchini, jalapeno, sweet peppers, heirloom tomatoes, white onion, white pepper, cucumber, blackberries and raspberries

the zucchini didn't have to go into our basket, and we were encouraged to take as many as we wanted. i could always make more zucchini chips, but i stood there thinking, 'how could i use these for dinner tonight?'. enter bernadette.

bernadette says something like, "oh i love when they're big like that" and i resist the urge to yell out "that's what she said!".=) she begins explaining to one of the workers that she stuffs and bakes the larger zucchini. my ears perk right up and i butt join right into that conversation!

bernadette says she simply scoops out the centers and makes a stuffing made of chopped onions, tomatoes and italian seasonings, which goes in the hollowed out centers.

raw

like zucchini boats! she bakes them for her family with a rice-based cheese and describes them as being like pizza! genius!

baked

herb stuffed zucchini with fennel

1 large zucchini

1 C. diced tomato

1/4 C. diced onion

3/4 C. chopped fennel

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1-2 garlic cloves

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. rosemary

few basil leaves, chopped

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

slice zucchini vertically and hollow out the center (a teaspoon does the trick). chop the center and add all ingredients to a large bowl. mix well, adding olive oil to your liking. pack stuffing into centers.

enjoy raw, dehydrated a few hours at 115°, or baked for about 20 minutes at 400°.

for a cheesy flavor and added protein, top with gina's hempasan.

•

so bernadette introduces herself and says she eats a lot of raw food (figured - she had the glow). she tells me of a website  (i forget the name) with a recipe for a raw peach cobbler made with peaches and mangoes. tell me more!

bern says she blends some of the fruit with dates to make a sauce, then pours it on the sliced peaches. she tops it off with walnuts and raves that it tastes just as good as cooked cobbler. just to be sure, i had to try it for myself... *wink*

and she wasn't kidding! fresh out of peaches, i substituted nectarines, as any fruit would taste amazing, i'm sure. mmmmMMM! when are you making this!?=)

community nectarine cobbler
(serves 2)

2 nectarines, sliced thin

sauce:
1 ripe mango
1 medjool date
pinch of salt
1/4 inch piece of vanilla bean, or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
juice of 1/4 lemon

blend all sauce ingredients until smooth. pour over sliced nectarines.

topping:
1/4 C. walnuts
1/4 C. pecans
1 medjool date
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
drizzle of maple syrup

in a food processor, blend all topping ingredients until crumbles form. sprinkle on nectarines and enjoy!

•

if you're reading, thanks bernadette!!!

artichoke hearts•pickles•kraut•kale salad with hemp seeds

banana soft serve with raspberries

•

banana soft serve with raspberries

+

peanut butter
=

heaven

=)

berry yummy

very berry dreamy...

carmella's blueberry dream pie

berry healthy...

kale, chard, banana, apple, blueberries and irish moss

berry creamy...

a variation of heathy's triple berry cake

berry refreshing...

frozen bananas, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, rice milk and vanilla bean

and berry cute!

my niece alaina

the photo has nothing to do with berries, but she's just so berry sweet!

=)
 

the ultimate raw ice cream cake challenge: pearberry bliss

edit: this cake won 2nd place! woohoo!=)

PearBerry Bliss

the idea for this ice cream cake was inspired by a pearberry parfait i made in march for our friend, yahya. a nice, ripe pear is one of my favorite fruits, and i love all shades of purple.

the trinity of tart blackberry, sweet pear, and raw cacao is heaven to my taste buds... i just had to recreate it in ice cream cake form.

allow me to take you through the process...=)





1. the sketch

the original plan, until i bought a spearmint plant.

pearmint sorbet with chocolate sounded really yummy, so i went with it. the vanilla ice cream with pear chunks square was omitted, and pear sorbet (minus mint) took its place.

2. blackberry ice cream

heathy's berry ice cream recipe with chocolate chips. irish moss subbed soy lecithin. 


3. the pear sorbet center

frozen chunks of pear and banana blended in the food processor.

4. blonde crunchies

heathy's recipe for vanilla flavored buckwheat crunchies. 


5. pearmint sorbet

chunks of frozen pear and banana with a few spearmint leaves, blended in the food processor 'til smooth and creamy. 


6. chocolate ice cream center

heathy's chocolate ice cream recipe. (once again omitted the soy lecithin and subbed irish moss gel, my new favorite emulsifier and anti-aging cream.=)


7. sampling the leftovers =)

***

the sketch called for a pearmint sorbet and blackberry sauce swirled topping.

*blended blackberries, agave, and lemon juice strained through a nut milk bag to remove the seeds.

once again my fruit mixture turned an unpleasant color. (stinkin'oxidation!) luckily i had lots of blondies leftover, so i coated the top of the cake.

(see my new 4x4 and 2x2 beds in the background? we're planting tomorrow=) 

 

***

major kudos to heathy for 1) creating such amazing ice cream cake recipes and 2) hosting such an awesome challenge. what a blast it's been, and summer hasn't even officially begun!

and high fives to all who participated! each and every cake looks delicious and is incredibly creative.  whaddya say we all meet up and do a slice swap?=)