Honey Fried Bananas

Seems as though I'm on a sweet track lately with my third desserty recipe in a row after healthy raw days, but who's keeping counting?  If you've never tried fried bananas before, now's your chance.  They are so delicious and simple to make.  

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

You can never have enough cookie recipes, right?  Well, that seems to be my motto anyway.  I love making cookies filled with healthy ingredients and chocolate chips.  The chocolate chips always add a bit of disguise to whatever nutritious things are lurking in the cookie!  And the coconut spread adds a nice flavor dimension to the cookie without knowing exactly what it is.  (You can omit the shredded coconut if you or your kids aren't keen on coconut.)

Easy No-Bake Chocolate Protein Crisps

Need a super fast, healthy yet decadent, crispy and satisfying snack?  Well, here ya go!  These No-Bake Chocolate Protein Crisps are so easy to make and you can substitute different breakfast cereals into the recipe as well as various nut butters. 

Oh, and they're excellent for little helping hands in the kitchen!

They remind me of something my neighbor friend's mom used to make for us as an afternoon snack, but I think her version had corn syrup, corn flakes and peanut butter. 

 I ate these straight out of the pan while my kids watched me screaming "aw, mom!!!".  

They're that good.

More Raw Adventures & Cashew Cheese Spread

I was so excited to take my parents to Cafe Gratitude when they were out visiting me.  I had been wanting to eat their for so long.  I was drooling over their enticing raw menu online for a while before we actually went.  Their drinks alone are worth the trip there!  If you have a raw food restaurant in your area and haven't gone, I urge you to try it at least once as it certainly is a fun experience and a nice way to eat outside of the box.  The best part is when you've finished the meal, instead of feeling sluggish and bloated, you feel light and energized.  A far cry from a night at The Olive Garden (not that I'm bashing The Olive Garden, I've been on plenty of date nights there for cheaps sake).

Anyway, my dad ended up ordering "mac n cheese" which was made out of zucchini in a cashew cheese sauce.  He couldn't help but laugh while eating it because it wasn't really much like macaroni and cheese but he (and I) loved it, nonetheless.  It convinced me that I needed to get one of those handy vegetable slicers (ya know, like this one).

My mom ordered the pizza and raved about it!  Picture a sunflower & onion crust with pesto and "cheese".  So satisfying!  I decided I'll have to try to make it at home because I tried one bite and was hooked too.

I ordered the enchilada which was bursting with various flavors.  It had a lovely sprouted seed filling wrapped up in a live spinach tortilla.  Throw on some cashew sour cream and you have a winner!  Pair it with Cafe Gratitude's wheatgrass juice made with apple, ginger and lemon juice and you have one happy gal!

My kids came along too and had sushi and a ginger lemon juice drink with agave.  I think it was a bit too gingery for them but I loved it.

I can't wait to go back and dream about hiring a raw food chef to cook for me daily.  That would be bliss!  Until then, I'll have to make do with their book while pretending to know what I'm doing.
(My hubby ordered me their cookbook after I wouldn't shut up about it.)

So back to the recipes, remember that cashew cheese spread I mentioned in my previous post?  Well, here it is!  My kids love it as well as the hubby, which means most normal people will too!  (My family and I tend to be a bit persnickety when it comes to grub-at least that's what our friends say!)

Definition of persnickety: overparticular, fussy, snobbish, requiring painstaking care


Yup, that's us!

Cashew Cheese Spread/Dip

makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 C. raw cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes and drained)

1/4 C. water

2  Tb. vinegar

1 Tb. apple cider vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lime (or use two lemons if you don't have a lime)

2 Tb. nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of black pepper, to taste

Throw drained cashews into food processor or blender and process with water for 30 seconds.  

Next, add the rest of the ingredients and mix until completely pureed.  Be sure to stop from time to time to scrape the sides.  

If you want the consistency creamier, add more water.  

I also made dehydrated onion crackers from Mimi Kirk's recipe.  My kids wouldn't touch it but I liked it!

As you can see, the cashew cheese spread/dip didn't last long!  

Some of you may have noticed a few changes to the VK blog.  Hope you like it!  

It's Raw Day Again!

Ready for another raw adventure? Want to pursuade someone (like your unsuspecting, omnivorous husband) or yourself to get more RAW foods in their system?  

I challenged my husband to one day of eating raw vegan (different from just eating raw for those of you who don't know) and to my surprise, he agreed!  I prepped him by making sure he knew what he was in for and reassuring him he'd have to stick with it and he said no problem.  Yippee!   

Below is the menu he ate.  I wanted to make sure he wasn't at all hungry since he hulks out when hunger strikes. 

I've set this part of my kitchen up to support my plan by having easily accessible raw nuts & seeds, fruits & veggies, the blender (wish it was a VitaMix but whatever...) & food processor.  The nuts & seeds keep fresher longer in the fridge but I just like how they look on display and use them often.  Plus, my kids see them and ask for them more often on the shelf which I appreciate.

Here's my plan.  

I've been eating a vegan diet for over a year now and loving it, but it is possible to still eat junk and eat too much and eat too many processed foods and still be vegan.  So from time to time I like to "clean out" by eating raw for one day (one day only, people-totally doable).  

Believe me, I'm a sucker for chocolate, comfort foods, treats, etc. so if I can do it, anybody can.  I'm weak.  

Anyway, now I'm back to my 75-80% daily raw eating which feels so great.  I'm not saying it's gonna last, but I'm enjoying the ride for now.  Some raw foodies who give me inspiration are Mimi Kirk (71 years old and so fabulous!) and Dara Dubinet (super positive celebrity raw food chef and raw food genius).  There are many others but those are my two current faves.

(Here's where I posted my previous "Raw Day" recipes.)

Breakfast:
*not necessarily eaten all at once, but throughout the morning
Green smoothie (recipe)
Fruit salad
Raw granola with fresh berries 

Raw Granola

makes 1 serving

(Adapted from LearnRawFood.com, I posted previously about it here)

I basically threw about a cup total of various raw nuts and seeds that had been soaked (although you could do this without soaking them first) and processed them in the food processor with medjool dates (take the pits out), ground flax seed, vanilla, honey and a dash of cinnamon.  Pour on the nut milk and sprinkle on some berries.  So yummy and satisfying!  If you haven't tried it, I urge you to.  This would even be a great mid-afternoon snack as it makes you feel full longer.

 Lunch:
Veggie Rolls (previous recipe here)

Veggie Rolls

makes 1 serving or about 8 pieces

1 sheet nori

handful of fresh greens (I used mixed herb salad greens)

bell peppers, cut into strips

a little less than 1/2 avocado, cut into strips

1/2 regular sized carrot, cut thinly or julienned

tomato slices, cut thinly

sesame seeds

chia seeds

nama shoyu (or soy sauce) to dip

There are a ton of variations you could do with a veggie roll but in this version I choose not to use any nut butters (like cashew cheese which would be so great in this!) since we had nuts for breakfast.  You could also add a peanut sauce instead of the soy sauce to dip or drizzle on top.  

I've found the trick to making this work is all in how you slice the veggies.  If you take the time to slice things thinly (or julienned) and lay them in nice rows, it all rolls up with ease.  

Lay the nori sheet flat onto a bamboo mat, shiny side down.  

Place greens, avocado & veggies on the lower half of the nori.  Sprinkle seeds on top.

Dip your finger tips in water and gently wet along the top of the the nori.  Then roll tightly, using the bamboo mat.  Use a very sharp knife to cut into bite sized pieces.

Our kids joined in with our "raw day" and gobbled up some of the sushi.

Sushi is the perfect size for kids little fingers to dip into liquid Braggs Liquid Aminos or nama shoyu (or mix the two together).

Dinner:

kale salad (here's a previous kale salad recipe)

dehydrated flax crackers with cashew cheese spread*

*recipe will come in the next post

Easy Kale Salad 

1 1/2 C. kale, torn into bite sized pieces

1/2 avocado

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. sesame oil

dash of pink himalayan salt*

*I found some at Trader Joe's that was super inexpensive but I also think it's worth the money to get some of this as it contains all of the 84 elements found in our bodies-at least that's what they say!

1 Tb. walnuts

1 tsp. sesame seeds

1 tsp. hemp seeds

Rinse and pat dry kale pieces.  Massage avocado, lemon, sesame oil and salt into kale leaves using your hands.  (Apparently, this breaks up the fibers in it making it easier to chew and digest.  Plus it's just fun to do.)

Let sit for 10 minutes or so to further "soften".

Sprinkle in walnuts and seeds.    

Add more salt as desired.

So although the raw day was a success, I have to say that my husband's friend invited him over for a late night dinner and guess what he ate?  Steak.  Yes, that's right. You win some, you loose some.

 Whatever.

But he said he'd be willing partake in "raw day" again because of how great he felt. 

NKXTH8GHFFJG

The Best Peanut Butter Cups

Ever since I tried the scrumptious vegan peanut butter cups in Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet, I've been having fun playing with various recipes.  (Here's one I tried a while back.)  And after ordering Cleo's brand vegan pb cups from Vegan Essential's, I've decided to try, try again.  Cleo's were soooo good, I couldn't tell the difference between the Reese's brand and theirs.  Neither could my super-picky, Reese's loving hubby. 

This is Cleo's version...wayyy good!

Anyway, I think I've played around with 10 recipes filled with various ingredients before loving this one.  You could even substitute peanut butter for other nut/seed butters if you're dealing with allergies.

  I was sure to not only test it on any victims I could find, but also made sure to do some taste-testing myself.  It was a necessary part of the job, what can I say?  

Oh, and the best part!  It's less than 5 ingredients!

The Best Peanut Butter Cups

makes 12 regular sized cups or 24 mini cups

2 C. (vegan) dark chocolate chips

3/4 C. creamy peanut butter, unsalted

1 Tb. date sugar or 1/4 tsp. stevia

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Line muffin tin with paper or reusable liners.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave or on stove until just melted (do not over-cook as chocolate tastes icky when you burn it...not that I'd know from experience or anything...ahem)

In another bowl, mix together peanut butter, date sugar or stevia and salt.  If your peanut butter was in the 'fridge, it may need some warming up in the microwave.  You want it to be soft enough to easily stir.  

Using a small spoon, carefully add enough of the melted chocolate into each cup to fully cover the bottom of the muffin cup and use the back of the spoon to draw the chocolate up the edges a bit.  Make sure you only use half of your melted chocolate as you'll need the other half to cover them.

note:  I use my youngest's toddler spoons for this one but a little teaspoon measuring spoon would work too!

Next, drop in the peanut butter mixture.  Use about 1 1/2 tsp. full for the mini cups and 1 Tb. full for the standard-sized cups.

Using the remaining 1 C. of melted chocolate chips, drizzle it over the peanut butter center until fully covered and filled to the top of the muffin cups.  

Place in 'fridge for at least 1 hour (as impossible as that may be!)

I've been known to speed up the process by sticking them in the freezer for 5 minutes and saying "yup, they're ready!"

Store in 'fridge if it's a warm day or at room temperature if you like it a little gooey and the weather isn't too warm.

 Tip: To make them look more like the real thing, you can trim down half of the sides of a standard sized muffin/cupcake liner so they're shorter.

Evidence!

Go Bananas! Chocolate Banana Crunch

Since we're on the subject of Back-To-School...this is a great after-school snack!  It also can be made raw, but who's telling?  And if you've got little helpers in the kitchen like I do, this is an easy one!  Though, be prepared to get a little messy.  (Hey, chocolate fingers never hurt anyone, right?)  You only need 3-4 ingredients and a microwave and you're on your way to snacking fun.

There are two versions.  One is nut-free.  Both are scrumptious!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Crunch

makes 20 pieces

2 bananas

1 C. vegan dark chocolate chips (*or cacao butter + cacao powder + agave syrup to be raw)

1/2 C. creamy peanut butter (unsalted)

crushed peanuts to sprinkle on top

Peel bananas and slice about 3/4" thick.  

If you feel like being super fancy, try slicing them on an angle...oh, yeah!

Melt chocolate in microwave until smooth.  Add in peanut butter and stir while chocolate is still warm so the peanut butter gets smooth and combines with the chocolate.  

Use a fork or toothpick to carefully dip banana slices into chocolate, either half-way coating or covering completely.  

Sprinkle on crushed peanuts (or any other kind of nut you like).

Cool in 'fridge (if you have patience enough to wait) until chocolate peanut butter combo. becomes hard to the touch.  

Store in covered container in 'fridge or freezer for a super cool treat!

*for you raw foodies:  grate 1/2 C. cacao butter and melt over low heat using double boiler or glass bowl over boiling water until just melted, remove from heat.  Add 4 Tb. cacao powder and 1 tsp. vanilla extract, mixing well.  Stir in 2-3 Tb. agave nectar until smooth.  

Do you trust your child with knives?  Apparently, I do...yikes!  

Chocolate Banana Dessert or Snack

These are made like the recipe above, just omit the peanut butter and crushed peanuts.

This is a snippet of the mess factor involved.  Once cooled, use a fork or spatula to scrape them onto a more presentable plate or tray.  

Remember the boy who hated coconut (look at this face)?  Well, I put him to work diggin' out the meaty fruit on the inside.  He was a much happier camper with that!

Super Seeded Breakfast Cookies-Just in Time For Back-to-School!

 These super seeded breakfast cookies are great for mornings when you don't have a lot of time.

They're easy to grab 'n go!  Take them in the car on the way to school or pack them in your kids' lunch boxes.  Full of healthy breakfast cereals and seeds, these cookies are sure to please both moms and kids alike!  You can substitute almost any breakfast cereals you have on hand (Kashi would be great!).  You could even throw in some nuts for added protein and crunch.

I've had to resort to "breakfast cookies" due to my middle child refusing to eat most breakfast foods.  A couple of these with some fruit or a smoothie and he's good to go!

Double the recipe and freeze some for later.  

Super Seeded Breakfast Cookies

makes 18-20 cookies

1 Tb. ground flax seed + 1 C. water for "flax egg"

1 C. corn flakes

1 C. old fashioned oats

1 C. millet puffs (or use another kind of cereal here)

1 1/4 C. whole wheat flour

2 Tb. hemp seeds

1 tsp. chia seeds

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 C. date sugar (you could use another type of sugar too)

3/4 C. soy vanilla or plain yogurt

1/4 C. cooking oil

1 Tb. soy milk, plain or vanilla

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

optional: cinnamon + sugar combined for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven 375F.  Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or spraying with non-stick spray.  

In small bowl, combine ground flax seed and water to make "flax egg".  Set aside.

Pulse 3 types of cereal in food processor until coursely crushed.  (Or you could throw them all in a large plastic bag and have the kids go at it!)

In large bowl, combine crushed cereal, flour, seeds, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar.

In medium bowl, mix together yogurt, oil, soy milk and vanilla.  

Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring until just combined.  

Stir in chocolate chips.

Using your hands or a spoon (an ice cream scoop comes in handy right about now), form golf-ball sized pieces and place them about 2" apart on baking sheet.  Slightly flatten with spoon or fingers and sprinkle on cinnamon/sugar mixture (a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon works great for this).

Bake 12-15 minutes or until slightly crispy on outside.  (I always use the "nose" test-when you can smell them, they're most likely done)

Let cool on pan 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.  

If you're freezing some, be sure to cool them completely first and separate them with wax paper.

Get 'em before they're gone!

I love buying coconuts for the water and the "meat" but usually only do so once in a while.  My oldest son and I love to drink the coconut water but we're working on my 5-year old still.  He's not a fan but at least he gave it a try...

...guess that means more for us!

Easy Gardening For Kids

Two years ago I knew nothing about gardening.  One year ago I knew a little more and this year, I feel like a pro!  Well, not quite.  But I'm getting better!  It helps that my kids love to plant seeds and dig in the dirt.  And there's such a feeling of pride when something you plant actually flourishes into food.  Amazing...nature.  So perfect!

I wanted to share some fun and easy tricks my kids and I do in the garden that's cost-effective.

One is, use chopsticks and a permanent marker to write vertically what you planted and stick it in the ground or pot.

The honeydew and watermelon were seeds from the fruit we cut up and surprisingly, it grew!  I need to transplant them to the yard.  

Gardening is great for science experiments too!  Have the kids plant a bean in a clear glass or jar that you keep outside and can watch the roots start to grow.  

Help your child draw a map of the yard/garden with labels where the plants are.  This has helped me remember long-forgotten seeds that were planted.

This sunflower is so beautiful!  My 5-year old planted it and we completely forgot about it.  Now it's 8' tall!  These are so easy to grow as they require little attention.
 Or cut them and place in a vase to enjoy indoors!

Apparently, you can also grow toy cars!  My kids have been known to plant various toys with the hopes of growing a toy tree.  A couple weeks ago I overheard them talking about some chocolate chips they planted and have been watering.  

This pumpkin plant is really cool with the giant pumpkins that are starting to get bigger.  It was one of those little "seeds in a cup" from my 5-year old's school that he took home at the end of the school year last year.  

I recently read up on indoor houseplants and how they can really improve the air quality in your home.  A couple weeks ago we purchased a new area rug and the fumes from it were intense.  I found a great book discussing which plants are great for removing indoor pollutants and how they help.  There's a part mentioning NASA's findings as well.  Very interesting...

So the boys and I went out a bought a couple plants from the list.  I've been notorious for not being able to keep indoor plants alive but I'll do my best!

Peaches and pears are in full season in my backyard!  The peaches are like candy, they're so good.  These are great for juicing too!  

So grateful for the folks who planted them way back when before we lived here!

My older boys think they're photographers now.  Luckily the 2 year old loves to pose!

(Almost Raw) Chocolate Toffee Nut Crumble

This is such an easy, simple dessert to make.  It's a hit for kids or adults alike and goes fast so maybe it's best to make a double batch!  

(Almost Raw) Chocolate Toffee Nut Crumble 

makes 10-12 servings or fills one 8" x 8" pan

1 C. raw nuts (cashews, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
1 C. vegan chocolate chips*
1/2 C. raw agave nectar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Crush the nuts either by hand or with a mallet of sorts in a plastic bag or in a food processor 'til broken into bits, but not ground into a powder.
Sprinkle the nut pieces into an 8" x 8" baking pan.
Pour raw agave nectar on top, being sure to coat it all as evenly as possible.
Next, evenly sprinkle on salt.
Melt the chocolate chips either in the microwave or on the stove, being careful not to burn them.  Remove from heat until just melted and stir until smooth.
Pour evenly on top of agave/salt/nut layers and use a spatula to spread out.
Place in freezer or 'fridge, depending on how long you can wait to eat it!
When the top chocolate layer is hard to the touch, break it into 3"- 4" pieces.

This is great over soy vanilla ice cream too!


*if you want this to be raw, substitute the melted chocolate chips with cacao butter and barely melt it

Careful...they go fast!

"Ranch" Dressing/Dip/Spread

Veggie Dip

What better to dip yellow cauliflower into than "ranch" dressing?  It's a great alternative to hummus and will get the pickiest of eaters to eat some fresh veggie sticks.  Cut up raw carrots, zucchini, cucumbers or broccoli to dip!

Vegan "Ranch" Dressing/Dip/Spread

makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 Tb. vinegar + 1/2 C. soy or rice milk (to make buttermilk)

1 C. vegan mayo (I used Earth Balance's Mindful Mayo)

1/2 C. vegan sour cream (I like Tofutti brand)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped (or if using dried, use 1 tsp.)

1 Tb. fresh chives, finely chopped

kosher salt to taste

In small bowl, mix together vinegar and soy or rice milk.  

Set aside to "curdle".

In medium bowl, use a whisk to combine mayonaise, sour cream, garlic powder, parsley and chives.  Slowly pour in part of the buttermilk and stir.  

You can use more or less, depending on the consistency you want.  

Add salt to taste.  

Use as a dip or spread on a sandwich!

*Of course, you could mix in any herbs you like.

Veggie Roll-up

I used the "ranch" dressing/dip/spread on a veggie tortilla roll-up for lunch yesterday and it was sooo good!  I'll be having another one today.  If you don't want use a tortilla, try regular ol' bread, rice paper, nori (dried seaweed sheets), or lettuce to roll it up with.

Veggie Roll-up

makes 1 tasty roll-up or sandwich

1 whole wheat or sprouted wheat tortilla

1-1 1/2 Tb. "ranch" dressing/dip/spread

1 C. mixed salad greens

1/2 avocado, slightly mashed or chopped

1 Tb. fresh tomatoes or salsa* (I made homemade salsa with my garden tomatoes)

1 Tb. sunflower seeds

1 tsp. chia seeds

kosher salt to taste

Lay tortilla flat.  Spread on "ranch" dressing/dip/spread.  

Layer on salad greens down the middle.  

Pile on avocado, salsa or tomatoes, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and salt.  

Tightly roll it up starting from one edge and slice in half diagonally to be fancy.

I was wishing I had some grilled eggplant or zucchini to add to this.  Go crazy with whatever veggies you have on hand to add. 

*We have a ton of tomatoes in the garden right now and after making homemade salsa, my 7 year old son decided it would be a good idea to throw it into the food processor.  So he processed it.  Then he processed it some more.  It turned into a mush and looked really unappealing but it actually tastes delicious as a sandwich spread!  No reason wasting good mashed salsa puree, right?

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