March » 2010 » Loving Superfoods

Not All Agave is Created Equal

Today Mercola posted an article basically ripping apart agave nectar, claiming that it is far worse than high fructose corn syrup. Some of us feel Mercola is a bit too simplistic in his thinking and that he may even have the hidden agenda of creating controversy so people forward his articles. It seems to be working!

There does seem to be a lot of controversy around agave these days. David Favor, the creator of SunFire Super Foods (the brand of agave we distribute), has posted this link is to earlier questions and responses about agave: http://radicalhealth.com/super-foods/vanilla-agave-nectar-decoded.html

Additionally, David’s response to Mercola’s article is this:

Read the rest of this entry »

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Raw Corn Bread (Dehydrated) and Zucchini Bread Too!

We just had a lovely group of about 20 people over for our monthly Raw Superfood Dinner and this Raw Cornbread went really well with the Celery Sunflower Soup or the Raw Alive Chili. Many thanks to Yemiah’s Raw Food DVD’s for this recipe and inspiration for the variation I tried out below 1… Zucchini Walnut Rosemary Bread. Mmmmmm!

Note that this recipe calls for a dehydrator. I use and highly suggest the Good4u 10 tray dehydrator … It’s quiet and convenient. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could try drying the corn bread in your oven on it’s lowest setting (warm) with the oven door ajar. You risk heating the bread above 115 degrees (the limit for maintaining it’s “raw-ness” and the enzymes that go with that). Just keep an eye on the bread and make sure it doesn’t get too hot and crispy.

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Here’s the recipe for the corn bread:
2 Cups Almond Pulp (grind 2 Cups of Almonds in your food processor or dry container of the Vitamix)
16 oz frozen organic corn niblets defrosted
1 tsp Sun Fire Salt
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar (great if you prefer a slightly sweet cornbread like I do)
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1-2 Jalapeno Peppers chopped fine (optional)

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Food process everything except the jalapeno until a doughy consistency is formed. Add the jalapeno and process a little longer until well chopped and mixed.

Spread dough onto a teflex sheet about 1/4 inch thick and dehydrate for about 6 hours. When top of bread is dry to the touch, flip onto the mesh sheet and pull off the teflex. (see a video of how to do this with flax crackers here). Dehydrate another 8 hours, then slice into squares and dehydrate another 2 hours or so. Once you cut the bread into squares you should be able to get an evenly “cooked” bread.

Store in the freezer or refrigerator for best results.

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And here’s the Zucchini-Walnut-Rosemary Bread Version:

2 Cups Almond Pulp (grind 2 Cups of Almonds in your food processor or dry container of the Vitamix)

2 Cups Zucchini (cut into chunks)

1 tsp Sun Fire Salt

3 Tbsp Olive oil

1-2 Tbsp Rosemary (fresh is best)

1/2 Cup Walnuts

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Food process everything except the walnuts until a doughy consistency is formed. Add the walnuts and process a little longer until well chopped and mixed.

Store in the freezer or refrigerator for best results.

Enjoy!

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Raw Key Lime Pie

I love key lime pie and now that I found this raw version I love it even more. Regular key lime pie tastes so sweet and processed to my tastebuds now that I’m used to eating more raw, pristine, live foods. I found a raw key lime pie recipe online and have adjusted it to taste even more like the key lime I remember and better.

This raw dessert takes a bit longer than our yummy raw apple pie, but it’s worth it when you’ve got a key lime craving. I make suggestions for simplifying below, and I highly suggest you take the time to zest and juice those tiny key limes at least once so you taste how really yummy, key limey they are.

Here’s the recipe …

For the Crust:
1/2 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup Dates
1/4 Cup Raisins
2 Tbsp orange juice (or water if no orange juice available)

Process all the ingredients in a food processor until crumbly and dough-like. Press into a 9″ pie pan or a spring-form pan and chill while you make the rest of the pie.

For The Key Lime Filling:
1 Cup Cashews (soaked)
Zest of the key limes or limes
Juice of 18 key limes or 8 limes. (should make about 3/4 cup juice)
4 average avocados or 2 large ones

Blend everything until creamy (you may need to process this in several batches if you’re not using a high-powered blender like the Vitamix). Pour into chilled crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate while making the frosting.

For the Frosting:
1 Cup Macadamia Nuts (not soaked)
1/4 Cup Cashews (soaked)
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (or 1 vanilla bean scraped)
3 Tbsp Vanilla Agave Nectar (or honey)

Blend everything in clean blender until smooth. Pour on top of filling and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with key lime wedges, lime zest or just enjoy as is!

I’ve never had a pie longer than a day because it gets eaten up so fast. I’m guessing it would last in the fridge for about 4-6 days. I’m testing freezing one and will report back on that soon.

Now, if you want to make this easier, you could use bottled lime juice (I like the Santa Cruz brand). I’d start with 3/4 Cup of lime juice and taste test from there. I’d also forgo the lime zest as that’s what really takes a lot of time.

If you want a nut-free version of key lime pie, I would make a key lime mousse in a glass. So, no crust and substitute coconut butter for the cashews in the filling. Instead of the whipped topping, top it with slices of kiwi, mango and banana. Mmmmmmm yummy and even easier!

Enjoy!

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Dad is great, he gives us Chocolate Cake!

Whenever I think about chocolate cake I think of the Bill Cosby routine where it’s his turn to feed his kids breakfast and he gives them chocolate cake. All the kids start chanting, “Dad is great! He gives us Chocolate Cake!”

I chant this a little when I eat this raw version of Chocolate Cake. And unlike the Bill Cosby skit, you don’t get in trouble with mom when you have it for breakfast, because it’s raw, and well, a heckuva lot better for you than cooked, processed chocolate cake.

So here’s the recipe I use whenever I crave chocolate cake:

2 Cups Almonds (or half pecans) (best if the nuts are soaked, but OK if not)
1/2 Cup Cacao Powder (or add a little Carob powder if you like that flavor)
1/2 Cup Vanilla Agave Nectar (or sweetener of your choice)
2/3 Cup Tahini (or other nut butter)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Optional: half a pear or 1/2 Cup coconut milk for extra moist cake

Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender. Spread batter onto wax paper or into a cake pan. Eat immediately or freeze for later enjoyment.

I usually spread my cake into a thin layer because a little bit goes a long way. When I eat it, I sometimes put it in a bowl and add some coconut milk so I get a flavor sensation of chocolate cake and the creaminess of ice cream without the extra hassle. Or I put some extra fruit on top for even more moist tasty sensation.

You are great! You’re eating Chocolate Cake!

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Not All Agave is Created Equal

Raw Corn Bread (Dehydrated) and Zucchini Bread Too!

Raw Key Lime Pie

Dad is great, he gives us Chocolate Cake!

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