Posted: February 21, 2010 | Author: Kate | Filed under: Recipes, Treats, Uncategorized | Tags: Smoothies |
Original post title right? No? You should see the ones I spared you from.
Many raw foodists imbibe a lot of blended foods and juices, some even going as far as subsisting on liquids alone. I’m not, and will probably never be one of those people, although I am partial to my morning green juice, and I indulge in the occasional green smoothie (I’m talking at least 50% greens). Lately I’ve also been going bananas (I know, I’m on fire!) for Fruit smoothies. I’ve been using them specifically for afternoon snacks at work, to nullify my 3pm sugar cravings in a heathier, easier to digest way. I love how smoothies are such a great way to sneak nutrition into a sweet-tooth-fix.
This week I’ve been riffing on a Banana and Berry theme, with a few extras thrown in. You can use whatever flavours you’d like, all you need is fruit, your “extras” and water or nut milk to liquify the mixture.
Aside from the goodness of the berry, banana and hazelnut milk base – hello potassium, protein and antioxidants, this week’s smoothies also had:
Pumpkin Seeds (protein, iron (there’s around 25 grams per ¼ cup) zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and potassium and essential polyunsaturated fatty acids.)
Chia seeds (Omega 3, iron, protein, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, boron, and copper)
Raw cacao powder (antioxidants, anti inflammatory properties, sulphur, magnesium, sulphur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, and manganese; plus some of the B Vitamins.)
LSA (Omega 3, protein, Vitamin E, Folate, Thiamine, Pantothenic acid, Vitamin B-6, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Zinc and Selenium and Antioxidants)
Ground Hemp Seeds (Omega 3, 6, 9, protein, amino acids)
Obviously I haven’t listed every vitamin/mineral/health giving property provided in each of the ingredients, but you get the idea…
I know you all know how to make a smoothie, but….throw it all in the blender, and blitz until smooth. It’s even better if your fruit if frozen, because it makes the smoothie a bit icy and frappe like.
Next week I might go for a coconut theme. If you have any suggestions or favourites, let me know.
Posted: January 21, 2010 | Author: Kate | Filed under: Recipes, Treats |
Apologies for the lack of recent posts, apart from work and life being as full on as usual, I’ve been helping my parents move house. I have a feeling you’ll forgive me after today’s post, because I’m giving you a recipe for good for you and your tastebuds treats: Raw Truffles.
Inspired in equal parts by
Revive‘s Frooze Balls (yummy little snack bites) and
Katie’s Fudge Babies, I whipped up some
Raw Chocolate Coconut Truffles. In a food Processor, Magic Bullet or similar, combine 1/4 cup each of dates, soaked cashews* and shredded coconut, a heaped teaspoon of cacao powder (preferably raw, I recommend
Loving Earth.) and a small teaspoon of Coconut Oil. Blitz until combined.
Wouldn’t recommend getting your shredded coconut this way. But I was bored last weekend…
Try not to eat all the mix RIGHT NOW, then roll the mixture into little balls and roll again in shredded coconut, if that’s your sort of thing. (It’s definitely my sort of thing…) Again, try not to eat them all straight away.
Trying, and failing….
If the mix seems too liquid, add a bit more of the drier ingredients. Put them in the fridge to set.
Done and done. These treats are vegan, mostly raw, (depending on your cacao powder and coconut), full of enzymes and minerals and free of processed sugar. They’re not too sweet and they’re rich and tasty. Everyone loves them and asks me for the recipe.
Enjoy your weekend everyone. I’ll be back with a post about a couple of new challenges I’m setting for myself soon.
*Soaking nuts breaks down their enzyme inhibitors, making them easier for your body to digest and assimilate. It also makes them a lot easier to blend, which is really helpful here.
Posted: January 2, 2010 | Author: Kate | Filed under: Recipes, Treats |
Tahini is by far my greatest discovery since I’ve adopted a High Raw, Vegan lifestyle. Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds, either hulled or unhulled. The taste is a little nutty, quite creamy and a lot delicious.
Summer salad with Tahini dressing. Very. Popular.
Why is it good?
Tahini is a great source of calcium, protein and B vitamins, as well as essential fatty acids. It’s high in vitamin E and contains the amino acid Methionine, which is good for liver detoxification and helps with the absorption of other amino acids.
I prefer the unhulled version for two reasons; the taste is slightly stronger and it contains more calcium, proteins and vitamins than the unhulled version.
Look for Raw, not roasted Tahini, the nutrition is much diminished with roasting. My current favourite is the
Kaiora Organic Unhulled.So what do you use it for?
I first tried Tahini as a dipping sauce. It’s tasty on its own, but i really love it mixed with Tamari Soy Sauce and Lemon.
It’s great with crudites or raw crackers. Tahini Dip has saved me at several office drinks.
The great thing about Tahini is that it pretty much goes in everything. It makes the best salad dressings. It tastes so creamy and rich but is actually good for you. I took a huge salad to a friend’s house for dinner the other night and they couldn’t get enough!
I’ve been staying with my parents over the holiday break and they’re particularly taken with Tahini based dressings. I gave my Mum a little tutorial tonight.
Like I said, you can mix Tahini with everything, honestly. But my Tahini-Soy dressing is a constant winner.
1 tablespoon Tahini
4 Tablespoons Tamari or Raw Soy
Juice of half a lemon
1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
A few Chili flakes
A pinch of Himalayan Crystal Salt
Enough Olive oil to loosen
Just mix it all up in a small bowl or jug. You can just make it an pour on the salad or leave it in the fridge for a few hours. Add more of anything, this is all about what tastes great to you!
I even use Tahini in smoothies. (Told you it goes with everything!)
Strawberry Thickshake
1 punnet Strawberries
About 1/4 cup Coconut meat
About 1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
1 Tablespoon Tahini
2 teaspoons each Chia and Flax seeds.
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend. and blend. and blend. You get the idea. Just make sure it’s smooth.
Who doesn’t love a pink drink?
You can even use a food processor to make this if your Coconut meat is particularly hard.(Or if you put your blender in the dish washer and turned it on while also gathering ingredients to make your smoothie, like I did. Good one.)
Do you have any other magical Tahini recipes? Please share!
