I've been busy today :)

For lunch I had raw sandwiches made from red pepper flax bread, fromunda cheez, marinated mushrooms, orange peppers and spinach.  I also made some fruit and nut bars and dehydrated some oat groats to add variety to my buckwheat groats breakfast routine.  I'll probably mix them together tomorrow with Goji berries which I am now officially addicted to.

Red Pepper Flax Bread

Soak 1 part chia seeds in 2 parts water for about 20 minutes.  It will form a thick gel, no need to drain.

Soak sunflower seeds for 6-8 hours

Mix together:

chia seeds

soaked sunflower seeds

shredded carrots

very finely chopped red peppers (I tried chopping it in the food processor once and the taste wasn't as prominent, I don't recommend it)

Braggs

a little salt

flaxmeal (ground flax seeds, best if fresh ground) 

and water

Spread onto parchment paper, mark square or rectangle shapes with a knife.  Dehydrate at 115 for a bit, then flip and dehydrate some more, time depends on thickness.

Coconut Walnut and Spirulina Fruit and Nut Bars

Ingredients:

Soaked walnuts,

Dates (soaked in fruit juice, the length of time depends on the acidity of the type of juice used...shouldn't be too soft or your bars won't solidify)

Unsweetened shredded Coconut

Process the dates and shredded coconut in food processor (about one part each), add spirulina.  Pulse in walnuts to chop.  Spread on parchment paper, use a knife to make squares, and dehydrate for a couple of hours before flipping and dehydrating on the other side.

Pear and Cashew Fruit and Nut Bars

Ingredients:

Soaked cashews,

Dates (soaked in fruit juice, the length of time depends on the acidity of the type of juice used...shouldn't be too soft or your bars won't solidify)

Soaked Oat Groats

Pear

Process the dates and pear in food processor (about one part each).  Pulse in oat groats and cashews to chop.  Spread on parchment paper, use a knife to make squares, and dehydrate for a couple of hours before flipping and dehydrating on the other side.

I really enjoyed the addition of oat groats to these, gave them a little more texture although I don't think I used enough this time.  I'll definitely be adding groats to my bars more often.  Also, I've never used fresh pear before!  Now that I've had them, I'm not sure why! :)

Smoothies!!!!

I love smoothies and have one almost daily for lunch or breakfast.  The recipes are similar, sometimes I get a little crazy and throw some veggies in there (today I added spinach and carrots).  I always add Hemp for protein and fiber and spirulina for just about everything - spirulina is amazing.

Here's a smoothie I had a few days ago:

Kiwi, Mango, Pineapple with Cranberry/Pomegranate juice.

On a sad note, my magic bullet died yesterday.  He is already sorely mixed.  I tried to make a smoothie with the house blender...it just wasn't the same. :(

My favorite Kale Crisps

These are my all-time favorite kale crisps, and my own recipe.

Oriental-Inspired Kale Crisps
Whisk together in a bowl:
Olive Oil (about 1/2 c, also, to cut on oil, you can use 1/4 cup or less of flax seed oil instead of olive oil)
Toasted Sesame Oil (about 1/8 c)
Minced Ginger
A few splashes of Tamari (raw soy sauce)
A bit of salt
About 1/4c water
Nutritional Yeast (1/4-1/2c)

I also think these will be good with sesame seeds (soaked for ~4hrs before tossing in the recipe), but keep forgetting to pick some up.

Mix in bite-sized chopped pieces of Kale.  It's best to use your hands and rub the kale with the marinade.  Place in a dehydrator.  I set the temperature to 95 last night and dehydrated overnight since if you dehydrate for too long on too high a temperature they get really dry and "sharp," if you do this during the day, setting it to 115 for about 4-5 hrs should do.

The day that will forever be remembered as the day I saw a whale shark...

I was ready for today with my super nutritious new favorite breakfast:

Buckwheat Crispies Cereal

To make the buckwheat crispies, soak buckwheat groats for 4-5 hours, rinse well then dehydrate at 115 for about another 4 hours.  The crispies have a sort of delicious nutty flavor on their own, I had today's crispies with goji berry, walnuts, and almond milk (store bought, but eventually I'll start making my own).

Goji berries are delicious, and high in amino acids, antioxidants, and monosaturated fats.

For more info: gojiberrieshealthbenefits.com  also, I found this site not too long ago, has a pretty good summary of all those "hip" healthy superfoods and herbs that are all the rage

First Post - Papa a la Huancaina

My first post is one of the least healthy and non-raw (and non-vegan due to eggs) things I've made in a long time...and it was delicious!

This is a traditional Peruvian food - and one of my favorite all-time dishes - that I've made vegan by substituting ingredients.  I made this for my co-worker, Amy, who had this while she as volunteering in Peru.

Papa a la Huancaina

Vegan cream cheese (Follow Your Heart makes the best vegan cheeses)

Olive oil

Non-dairy milk (I like almond milk)

Salt

Aji Amarillo paste

Process all ingredients in food processor, pour over sliced potatoes and garnish with Peruvian or Kalamata olives, lettuces, and (organic vegetarian-fed free-range) eggs.