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. 

Rustic Chipotle Cilantro Burgers

These are delicious, but not very sexy.....not flamboyant in any way, not pompous, just simple, delicious and nutritious.  They're kind of unassuming and shy, actually...but they hit the spot.  They can be eaten as is, out the door in a napkin, or between some home made bread, avocado, and lots of delicious sweet onion. 

If you like veggie burgers but you don't like the price, these are great for that reason also.  Filled with heart-healthy fiber, and packed with a kick, they are a snap to make...and to boot, they freeze well (which is why they are on my regular rotation).  

I regularly use my pressure cooker (1) because it's fun, (2) I feel like I'm using heavy machinery, (3) it's a gadget, and I love gadgets, and (4) it's so super cheap to make beans! And they always come out perfect.  Just make sure you soak your beans overnight and cook them with kombu in the pressure cooker, based on the manufacturer's instructions.  Otherwise, you can use canned beans (but please buy BPA free like Eden brand, and give them a good rinse).  

1 zucchini, shredded

1 onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

3.5 cups cooked chickpeas

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

First, saute the zucchini and onion in the coconut oil until they start to sweat, about 5 minutes.  Place these in the food processor with the chickpeas, chipotle, & oats. Add the cilantro, and blend (not too much - you should still be able to see some of the cilantro vs. creating a green batter). 

By 1/3 cup full, create patties and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  These will be pretty sticky and will not want to leave your hands, but just pass them between your hands until they resemble a semi-flat shape (about 3/4 inch thick).  If this is too sticky for you, let the batter sit for 10 minutes and the oats will draw in some of the moisture and solidify the batter a bit more.  

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

I like to salt/pepper these right out of the oven.  The reason being that I want the salt taste to hit my tongue, rather than it being dispersed in the whole batter.  I end up using less salt that way. But you can salt as you'd like. 

Tangerine Cacao Chia Pudding

One of my favorite recent splurges was a tangerine essential oil from Young Living.  Worth every penny (and it cost a pretty penny!) At the beginning, I cherished it and dabbed a drop on the inside of my wrist and breathed in the amazing vapors.  More recently, I've adventure to include it in foods and let me tell you, it's out of this world.

Everyone has a good recipe for chia pudding, but this one, if I may say so myself, is out of this world. There's something about the combo of orange/tangerine and cacao.  Not sure what it is.  Perhaps I grew up with it in Romania, but I can't remember....for some reason, it hits a deep spot in me from my childhood.  I still have yet to place it but whenever I taste it, I love revisiting.  (Upon writing this story, I asked my husband if he could place it and he said..."I know what it is...Milano Cookies".  I can't believe he beat me to it! Hence the name...Thank you, Nate...)

Chia balances blood sugar, fills you up with fiber, anti-inflammatory omega 3's, and it's so fun to eat! Kind of crunchy, keeps you hydrated (since it absorbs at least 10 times its weight in liquids), and keeps you satisfied for a long time.  I love it - it's in my essential pantry items list (although I keep it in the fridge). 

This chia pudding pretty much makes itself.  The work is super minimal, but I highly recommend giving it a good stir so the seeds don't all get lazy on the bottom of the jar.

4 cups almond milk

3 heaping tablespoons cacao

4 heaping tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons maple syrup

5 drops Young Living tangerine oil (link HERE)

Easy version (but might be more clumpy):  Mix all the ingredients in a mason jar and give it a good shake.  Please make sure you do this next step - once you've given it a good shake, stir it up a bit with a long spoon just to dislodge any chia that may have stuck to the bottom.  Keep it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, and give it a good shake (or stir) every so often. Some people weep when they eat this.  It's that good. 

Harder version, but worth it:  In a strong blender, combine the milk, cacao, syrup and tangerine oil until smooth.  Pour this out into a bowl and whisk to make sure it's all combined well (and just to look at it - it's so pretty :) 

 Add in the chia....

And mix well for about 5 minutes (yes, I said 5 minutes).  Then refrigerate from 4 hours to overnight and enjoy.  Mix well again before serving. 

Maple Amaranth Porridge

I love oatmeal as much as the next guy, but sometimes I like to mix up my grains a bit and get a little crazy.  Like this Maple amaranth porridge.  I was transfixed by how crazy little this grain is, and how packed with nutrition it is. I would highly recommend you try different grains, and start with this one for complete beginners.  Amaranth cooks down into this gelatinous beautiful goop. 

A native of Peru, Amaranth is packed with calcium and protein and it also contains "lysine", an amino acid which is not as common in other grains. It's known to lower cholesterol, is good for the heart, and it's gluten free.  It's an all-around winner, I say.

1 cup amaranth

3 cups water

Cook the amaranth in the water until most of the water is absorbed.  Cover and let cool.  You can make a big batch of this (as I do) and scoop out a portion to make for your porridge.

3/4 cups almond milk

maple syrup

cinnamon

Scoop out 1/2 cup amaranth into a pot and add about 3/4 cups almond milk, preferably home-made.  Let it simmer and thicken, just a few minutes.  You may use a whisk to break down the lumps of amaranth.  Pour out into a bowl, season with a little sea salt, maple syrup and cinnamon and enjoy.