Super Easy Raw Chocolate Mousse

When you're itching for something "chocolatey", this is it - it's SOOOO rich, super smooth, decadent, and it hits the spot with just a few spoon-fulls so in essence, you've made your dessert for the week (and then some).  

What's great is that you're using whole ingredients - ones you can spell, recognize, and none of that fru-fru hard to pronounce stuff. Add almond extract for a little bit of an amaretto flavor or hazelnut for more of a Nutella spin.  Either way you make it, just be sure to MAKE IT! 

1 cup soaked dates  (soak them for about 2 hours or so until they've softened up a bit)

½ cup reserved date water

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large avocados or 3 small, pitted and peeled

½ cup raw cacao powder

pinch sea salt

Always always always make sure (even with pitted dates) that you've checked each one and all the pits are gone.  I can't tell you how many times I've found pits in pitted dates.  Just save yourself your blender by doing this one little step!  

In a high-speed blender, blend together the dates, water and vanilla extract until really smooth.  Add in this order the cacao and rest of the ingredients (if the cacao is on the top, it will be hard to mix in) and blend until you have a very smooth batter.  Enjoy with berries or shredded coconut.  It's very rich, so make sure you share!  

Curry Cauliflower Bisque

I love winter - the cold, the wind, all of it.  I also love how it challenges us raw foodies to come up with warming foods to soothe our soul and offer some much-needed heat.  No, fried chicken and tater tots won't do it. But this soup will do the trick, for sure.

It uses cauliflower, which is abundant and sweet in winter months; warming spices such as cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, and garam masala along with ginger, garlic and jalapeno also keep your internal temperature up; and the sweetness of the coconut water really keeps you satisfied.  It's a meal in itself, served with some fun crackers or sweet potato chips.  Seconds are expected.  

½ cup soaked cashews

3 sundried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

½ head cauliflower (about 2 cups)

1.5 cups hot fresh coconut water (just heat up on stove till warm to the touch)

1 tsp cinnamon, cumin, garam masala, curry powder

½ tsp chipotle powder

½ inch slice ginger

3 dates

1 tablespoon jalapeno with seeds

1/2 cup water (or more, based on the consistency you desire)

Garnish:  

(optional) crackers, cilantro, cucumber, chopped pepper 

and chopped scallions, to garnish

Blend all the ingredients together (except for garnishes) and add water or almond milk as necessary to create a thicker or thinner texture, as you wish.  The cinnamon and sundried tomatoes give this a reddish brownish hue, so if you're not privy to that, you can omit one of both (but they both give it a terrific taste).  

Celebrate this soup by garnishing with cilantro, cucumber, chopped pepper and scallions and some crackers.  Enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

Everyone knows sweet potatoes are great for you, are warming and available all winter long, and a great dose of sweetness and beta carotene. But apart from the candied sweet potato mash we often get served at Thanksgiving, what else can you do with them?

If you have a dehydrator, these chips are a "make themselves" type of treat.  They're crispy, tangy, sweet and spicy and offer real comfort food next to your raw soup or hummus. 

You can also alter this recipe as you want - more salt, less hot spice, more cumin, etc.  Add in parsley or even chopped cilantro and it will be delicious, without fail. 

The sides curl up on their own beautifully, and look super pretty on an opposing colored plate.  If they become less crisp, just put them back into the dehydrator for another hour or so.  

Also, if you slice them thicker than usual, they'll be difficult to bite into (and you'll end up chewing till the cows come home...and then you'll end up chewing even after the cows come home!) Try to get them as thin as possible.  No need to peel them, since that's where most of their deliciousness resides. 

1 sweet potato or 1/2 large one, sliced super thin on a mandolin 

(the thinner the better)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon water, to thin

1/2 teaspoon each of: smoked paprika, chipotle pepper, cumin, salt, pepper

Mix the maple syrup, water and spices together and pour over the sweet potato slices.  Coat them well, and even massage the marinade into the potatoes if you can. 

Layer them in a single layer on a lined dehydrator sheet, and dehydrate at least over night (longer if you want them crispy) at 105 degrees. 

Enjoy!

Quick Sauteed Swiss Chard with Olives and Tomatoes

One thing I love about this CSA is that you never know what you're going to get, but whatever it might be, the produce will always be delicious, fresh, and vibrant with nutrition. The last time our veggie shares arrived, we had these gorgeous and ginormous bunches of swiss chard, and I quickly jumped to make it magical stuff happen in the kitchen.  

I love swiss chard - here is a picture of it in my garden from this past year (this is regular swiss chard but it also comes in rainbow and red).  The stems are crispy and the leaves are very tender but they hold up to water well when it rains (think red leaf lettuce tender but romaine sturdy - I know, interesting combo).  It's incredibly prolific in the garden and from 6 seedlings, we were eating swiss chard from May into the fall. 

It's bitter, dark, earthy, and super good for you.  Some people say that it's too bitter, but by all means cook the chard with some type of onion, and those sugars will balance out any type of bitterness you might find.  And the liver loves bitter foods, so if you're detoxing or trying to aid in its healing process, definitely include bitter greens like chard in your repertoire.  Your liver will thank you.

I love how simple this is - the bitter greens, sweet tomatoes and onions, and tangy olives...I can eat the whole thing myself (and I often do) and wish for more. 

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 red or vidalia onion, chopped 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

1 large bunch of swiss chard, any color (stems chopped separate, leaves chopped separate)

1/4 cup sliced olives

1/2 cup small cherry tomatoes

sea salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet on medium heat until hot.  Add in the coconut oil and let it melt.  Add in the garlic and the onion and saute until almost translucent.  Add in the stems and cook until soft, about 5 minute or so (lower the heat or add a little water/broth so they don't burn). Add in the olives and the leaves just toss until heated through, a few minutes.  Add in the tomatoes at the last minute and toss well (you want the tomatoes heated through but not hot enough to crack).  Season to taste.