Tag: raw

Breakfast · Recipes · Sweet things

Raw Superfood Cacao Granola

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raw, vegan, gluten free, granola, breakfast

 

This recipe can either be made in a dehydrator or on a low temp in the oven. It tastes fantastic when rehydrated with a little almond milk and fresh fruit. It’s super light weight so it’s perfect for taking into the hills on hiking adventures.

The buckwheat and nuts provide good energy and by soaking it and the nuts overnight they will start to sprout and breakdown all the enzyme inhibitors in them. I first tried a recipe similar to this at a fantastic raw chef training run by Rene Archner so big thanks to him for the inspiration.

granola mixture

superfood granola mixture

Makes approx 6-8 cups, Prep time 30 min, Cook time 10hrs approx in the dehydrator or 2 in the oven.

Recipe

1 cup buckwheat groats

1 cup almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 ½ cups of fruit pulp I used persimmon but date paste or mashed bananas will also work well, just blend them with a little water until they are a nice smooth consistency.

3 pears or apples diced

2 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla paste

2 Tbsp cocao powder

2 Tbsp cocao nibs

1 T maca powder

Pinch sea salt

¾ cup coconut thread

Soak almonds, buckwheat and sunflower seeds overnight (10-12 hours) in water. Rinse well and pulse in food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer into a large bowl and mix in fruit pulp (make sure it’s nice and smooth). Mix in thoroughly, add all other ingredients and combine well with your hands. Taste and add more fruit pulp if you want it sweeter.

Crumble mixture onto dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 1.5 hours at 145F then turn down to 115F for 6-8 hours, until mixture is completely dry. Transfer to an airtight container.

If you’re using an oven, crumble mixture onto lined baking trays, bake at 100C for 1 hour, check it regularly and after 45 min flip mixture over, bake for a further hour or until crisp.

Serve soaked with almond milk and fresh fruit on top.

raw, vegan, breakfast, granola

Breakfast · Drinks · Snacks and starters · Sweet things

Grab the Greens Smoothie

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smoothie, greens, breakfast

Serves 2, prep time 5 min

I first adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Everyday Cookbook. This version comes out very thick so can be eaten with a spoon, if you want it thinner juice your apples first or add a little water. Don’t be put off by the strange sounding combo of ingredients, it tastes divine! It you can’t find cavelo nero, kale or spinach will work well.

Full of all sorts of goodness, brazil nuts for selenium, ginger for warmth and circulation, spirulina for iron and protein, maca for immunity and hormone regulation its your daily dose of super charged super foods.

 

Recipe

2 large apples

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 avocado or banana peeled

10 brazil nuts soaked 2-6 hours

1 handful sprouted mung beans or lentils

1 cm piece of ginger, grated

4 mint leaves

2 cavelo nero leaves, de-stemmed and chopped

½ tsp spirulina or barley green powder – optional

1 tsp maca powder

 

Cut and core apples, drain and rinse the soaked brazil nuts. Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and process until smooth, pour into glasses or bowls and top with fresh fruit.

Breakfast · Recipes

Raw Bircher Fruesli

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breakfast, muesli, raw

Serves 1, prep time 5 min

I tend not to eat bread or muesli in the morning as I find it sits to heavy in my stomach. Instead I make this, loaded with good fats and protein to help kick start your day. It helps to soak your seeds and nuts overnight to help break down the enzyme inhibitors and start them germinating.

Recipe

1 medium apple or pear

½ a banana

3 brazil nuts

4 almonds

3 dates

1 tsp pumpkin seeds

1 tsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp non dairy milk

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp coconut flakes

1 tsp tahini

Soak nuts and seeds overnight- optional, slice almonds and brazils and put in bowl.

Grate apple and add to bowl along with thinly sliced banana and dates.

Mix in all other ingredients, you can also slice in any seasonal fruit you may have.

For a chocolaty taste add in 1 tsp of cocoa powder.

Breakfast · Recipes · Sweet things

Cookies n Cream Chia Pudding

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cashews, chia, cocao, raw

 

cookies n cream mixing bowl

 

HealthPost goodies

The wonderful folks at HealthPost recently sent me a goodie box with the fantastic BioBalance range that they distribute. While I always like getting mail, this package was especially exciting, full with things I love, made by a top notch local company.

BioBalance supply a diverse range of supplements, food, and health products. Their range is fantastic; from NZ grown Wakame to Peruvian Maca powder, these guys have all the good stuff. Best of all you don’t even have to head to the shops to find them, you can order direct, online through HealthPost.co.nz and a few days later these treats show up at your door, now that’s awesome!
The products I had the pleasure of testing were as follows, I have provided a few ideas of how to use them so you can order some for yourself and start experimenting and the taste explosion for yourself!
Organic Raw Cashews– I thought all cashews were raw, but recently I learned that most nuts are often subjected to high temperature to remove the shells and dry before packing, the BioBalance cashews are dried over very low heat, which helps to retain nutrients and flavour. I actually couldn’t stop snacking on them, they were honestly the best cashews I have ever eaten. Pop in your lunch box, make into a base for a raw cheesecake, or soak overnight and turn into a cashew cream cheese.
Maca Powder– A ‘superfood’ made from the powdered root of the Maca plant. It has been used in Puruvian Cultures for years as a nutrient rich endurance food. Add a tsp to your morning smoothie or into an energy ball recipe.
Coconut Oil– A rich source of vitamin, mineral and dietary fibre, it’s a fantastic oil to cook with, use in beauty products (I make deodorant out of it). You can also use it for the ancient ayurvedic therapy of oil pulling where you swish oil around in your mouth to help clear out bacteria and plaque.
Spirulina Powder- A nutrient rich algae, it is high in iron and contains a higher percent of protein than any other food. Its great mixed into a green juice or smoothie, and also works well in homemade muesli bars.
Coconut Sugar– A low GI sugar with loads of health benefits including being high in B vitamins and zinc, it tastes delicious and can be used as a substitute for refined sugar in most recipes, I use it in raw vegan ‘cheesecakes’ and in raw chocolate.
Chia Seeds– The fantastic Chia which is the Mayan word for strength, its packed full of goodness and the richest source of plant based omega 3, soak with nut milk and honey for a delicious pudding, use as an egg replacer in baking or mix into your cereal for a protein punch.
Raw Cocao Powder– This can support the heart, nerves and muscles, its high in magnesium and other minerals. Use instead of cocoa in any recipe or mix with coconut sugar, and coconut oil for a truffle treat.
Organic Sweetened Cocao Nibs– These crunchy delights are straight from the cocao bean, high in iron and delish sprinkled on top of porridge/granola or a smoothie. They are sweetened with coconut sugar. A wee tip to help you know if cocao products are raw or not- raw ones will be spelt cocao and non raw varieties which use heat in manufacturing process are spelt cocoa.

BioBalance Cookies ‘n’ Cream Puddings
A recipe using the delicious BioBalance range, I have used all BioBalance products, of course you can mix and match with your own brand ingredients but for the yummiest results give their range a try!
Serves 4, Prep time 20mins
1 cup BioBalance cashews, ground to a flour in food processor
2 cups Almond or non dairy milk
½ cup BioBalance Chia seeds
4 Tbsp BioBalance Coconut sugar
1 tsp BioBalance Maca Powder (optional)
1 tsp Natural Vanilla essence
3 heaped tsp BioBalance Raw Cocao Powder
2 Tbsp BioBalance Sweetened Cocao Nibs
1 small banana sliced thinly

Mix together cashews, chia, sugar, vanilla and milk, make sure you stir it really well, leave it to sit for five minutes and then stir again. Put 2/3 of the mixture into a separate bowl and mix in cocao powder. In the other bowl mix in the maca powder (if using).
Divide half of the choc chia mixture between 4 small glasses, sprinkle with 1/3 of the cocoa nibs and then add a thin layer of banana. Next spoon in all of the maca chia mixture (divided across all glasses) and sprinkle with more nibs and another layer of banana. Finish with the final layer by spooning in the rest of the cocao mixture. Sprinkle the last of the nibs on top. It should look like the colours of an Oreo cookie, chocolate, white, chocolate.
Keep chilled before serving to your adoring guests!

Check out what else HealthPost have on offer at www.healthpost.co.nz

Recipes · Snacks and starters · Tips

5 Quick, Healthy Vegan Snacks

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carrots

I am often asked about easy, quick and healthy snacks, here is a few of my favs! Great for when you are in a hurry and don’t want to reach for a biscuit!

vegan apple snack

  1. Nori Wraps – Rip sheets of nori into 4 pieces, top with avocado, sprouts, capsicum and salad dressing
  2. Carrot Crackers – Slice carrots length ways about .5 cm thick, top with your favourite cracker toppings- hummus, chutney, tomato.
  3. Banana Ice cream – Chuck a frozen banana in the food processor with a dash of non dairy milk and 2 tsp cocoa powder for instant, healthy ice cream.
  4. Balsamic and Sesame Dip with vege sticks- Mix 1 tbsp tahini with 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, combine really well, dip with carrots, cucumber, celery
  5. Nut Butter Fruit Bites – slice fruit into rounds, top with almond butter, a few sultanas and a sprinkle of  coconut flakes, especially good on banana!

Happy Snacking!