Christmas Cookie #8: raw thin mints

Here is our eighth Christmas cookie recipe: raw thin mints
We used deglet noor dates. They are smaller than Medjool dates, so we added twice the amount. One can use maple syrup or honey instead of agave. Honey is a 1:1 ratio.When using maple syrup add a little less, it is sweeter and a thinner liquid. One recipe made a dozen cookies; however we tripled the recipe. We did dip them in chocolate. These are good.
http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/2008/01/chocotastrophy-do-try-this-at-home.html

Christmas Cookie #7: raw gingerbread men

Here is our seventh Christmas cookie recipe: raw gingerbread men
http://thechalkboardmag.com/how-to-make-the-tastiest-raw-gingerbread-man-cookie
We used 1 cup of coconut palm sugar instead of maple sugar, plus 2 TBS of maple syrup. We still needed to add 2 TBS of water. We used soaked, dehydrated walnuts instead of pecan (allergic to pecans). We decorated them with dried cranberry pieces. This recipe yielded 18 gingerbread men.

Our Thanksgiving Meal

For Thanksgiving we served the traditional turkey, gluten free stuffing, gluten free gravy, green beans with raw onion rings, a tossed salad, and baked potatoes/sweet potatoes, but we will also include a few vegan recipes as well as a couple of raw recipes, including raw cranberry relish, raw drinks raw cookies, and a raw pie.

For appetizers we had dates stuffed with goat cheese, daiya cheeze or almond butter, ranch dressing with veggies, and cheese/cheeze with gluten free crackers.

The raw onion rings (from Ani's Essential Raw book - thinly sliced

onions bread with soaked/sprouted, dehydrated, then ground buckwheat with herbs and dehydrated until crisp to top the lightly steamed green beans.

For the salad dressing we served two dressings.
The first is a Caesar type dressing. The recipe is as follows: ground pumpkin seeds (1/2 cup), 4 TBS olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 TBS maple syrup or honey, 4 TBS raw apple cider vinegar or the juice from 1-2 lemons.

The second is a vegan ranch dressing 2 cups vegan mayo, 2 TBS parsley, 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar, 2 TBS onion powder.

Olive and vinegar were also available.

For the vegans we serve a roasted stuffed pumpkin. We stuffed the slit pumpkin with a sunflower seed based stuffing from http://rawveganpower.com/recipes/raw-vegan-thanksgiving-recipes/
and baked it at 350 for an hour and a half.

We made a raw cranberry relish.
We used 2 cups of raw cranberries, 1/2 cup of raisins, and 3/4 cup of dates dates in the food processor. After welled chopped, we added the 1 orange and 1 apples to pulse until well mixed. We also added the juice of one orange. At first we went with a 1/2 cup of dates, i loved it, but it wasn't sweet enough for the rest of the family.

We will finish off the meal with a raw "walnut" pie. We altered the recipe using hazelnuts and walnuts in the crust and just walnuts in the filling due to a pecan allergy. We added a chocolate layer on top of the crust, pouring the walnut and date filling on top of it. The recipe link is from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/11/raw-walnut-pie-pecan-

We also had a plate of raw cookies. The link is http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/11/12-raw-christmas-cookies.html
My husband wanted WholeFoods' Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie, so we had that as well.

Our beverages were nutnog from
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-pumpkin-spice-hazelnut-nog/
For the Hazelnut milk we soaked 1 cup of hazelnuts overnight. In the morning we drained them, added them to the blendtec with 3 cups of water to make milk. We then followed the recipe for the raw pumpkin-spice hazelnut nog.

and Kombucha Sangria from  http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/11/kombucha-sangri.html

We also served iced tea and coffee.

Raw Chocolate caramel hazelnut tort (orange and peppermint)

Oh My Goodness, this is the best raw cake we have made. Even the hubby likes it!!! We only zested two oranges, and that was plenty of orange flavor. This yielded about half of the zest needed for the recipe.
For Christmas, we made this with crushed dye free candy canes and peppermint gluten free cookies (i know the sugar) and replace the orange extract and juice with peppermint extract and tea.

I also wonder if a date paste would work instead of the maple syrup, or even splitting it.
The recipe can be found here
http://www.rawmazing.com/orange-chocolate-hazelnut-tort-with-hazelnut-caramel-topping/

Christmas Cookie #6: raw almond cranberry cookie

Here is our sixth Christmas cookie recipe:  raw almond cranberry cookie
http://www.inhabitots.com/how-to-make-delicious-healthy-raw-vegan-almond-cranberry-cookies/
We dehydrated these for 1 hour at 140 and then 116 until slightly crisp. This recipe made 4 dozen cookies plus quite a bit of dough for sampling by our son.

Christmas Cookie #5: pistachio cherry macaroons

Here is our fifth Christmas cookie recipe: pistachio cherry macaroons
http://www.rawmazing.com/pistachio-dried-cherry-macaroons/
This recipe made 18 cookies. We followed the dehydrating directions in the recipe. They were put into the freeze after the chocolate was poured over them.

Christmas Cookie #4: raw wedding cookies

Here is our fourth Christmas cookie recipe:  Raw Wedding Cookies http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/2008/12/hawaiian-wedding-surprise.html
To make date paste, soak 1 cup of dates for 1-2 hours. Place the dates in the food processor with 2 TBS of water and process until smooth. This can be frozen to store  for up to 3 months. We placed 2 TBS  in ice cube trays to freeze. These cookies are really good not dehydrated but with no crunch. The recipe made a dozen cookies

kombucha mustard

We saw this recipe on facebook and thought why not give it a try, we were planning to make mustard anyway. To make mustard we usually use raw apple cider vinegar  instead of kombucha, without the 7 day wait time. When making mustard, we add garlic powder, salt, and turmeric. Either recipe is so easy, but using the kombucha adds probiotics to the mix. We used our blendtec instead of the food processor. The mustard is hot, but so good. The recipe link is http://www.20somethingallergies.com/kombucha-mustard/

kombucha sangria

Who would have thought this would have three added health benefits, fruit,  red wine and probiotics, in one glass!!!
This recipe is easy and good. We used a second fermentation of kombucha. The second fermintation contained pomegranate juice, ginger, and lemon and lime slices . We did not add the cloves.We used triple sec instead of brandy.
Even my husband liked this, until he saw that there was kombucha in it; however, it didn't stop him from finishing the glass. Here is the recipe:  http://theskinnypear.com/mason-jar-sangria/

Christmas Cookie #3: raw oatmeal cookies

Here is our third Christmas cookie recipe: Raw oatmeal cookies
http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2012/06/chocolate-raisin-oat-cookies.html#.Ul5voVDOnC8
We used an extra 1/4 cup of raisins instead of figs. We used maple syrup and needed 1/2 cup for the moisture. These are a little too sweet for me. Next time we will  reduce the maple syrup to a 1/3 of a cup and for the needed moisture either soak the raisins or add water for cookie dough consistency. The melted chocolate chips are so good. We did dehydrate them overnight at 115 to keep the cookies live. This recipe yielded 3 dozen cookies.

Celiac for me

Our son was diagnosed with Celiac during his fourth year. His antibodies were high. He was put on a gluten free diet, including oats at that time. We were blessed to have a neighbor and now friend, Deb, who was able to mentor us down this road. Deb and i were able to take this information and teach classes to our area Autistic society 15 years ago.
As we read more and more about celiac, i was positive, i too, had it. At this point i was 90% gluten free. I would eat it when there wasn't another option available, and at that time, people didn't know what it was and felt i was making it up, doctors included. I was scheduled for my third sinus surgery but didn't need it just be reducing my gluten intake, as a matter of fact, i haven't had a sinus infection since then. However, during those years i had my gall bladder and appendix removed. I had gone to a gastrologist for IBS. I asked to be tested for celiac. The antibody test was slightly elevated, but not elevated enough to be considered celiac. I was given a colonoscopy and polyps were found and a prescription for IBS. I never filled it.
Seven years ago, i began to become anemic with bruising (softball size bruises) on my joints. I was taking 2 hour naps and could hardly move one summer. After a couple of months of not being able to be my energetic self or donate blood even on iron pills, i went to the doctor. There i was diagnosed with lymphoma based on my total ferritin levels which had dropped to below 4. My liver wasn't able to store iron. Before going to an oncologist, i went to another gastrologist who believed celiac was a disease. He tested my antibodies, slightly elevated as before. He also ran the genetic marker test. I have two copies of the gene, meaning i received it from both my parents (who are in denial as are my siblings) and i had lesions but not dead cilia. At this time i also had a colonoscopy and had polyps removed.
This doctor told me 90% gluten free isn't good enough, not only did i need to be 100% gluten free, but also remove dairy and soy for 6 months. After six months i could try to add them back.
After 6 months i did try to add them back, neither are my digestive tract's friend but i can eat a limited amount occasionally.
My last colonoscopy, no polyps.
Looking back on my symptoms i was classic celiac. I had digestive issues (chronic diarrhea as an infant and constipation as an adult), failure to thrive, allergies, asthma, sinus infections, late starting of my menstruation (just shy of being 16 years old), endometriosis, fertility issues, miscarriages, twins pregnancies were the only way i could maintain a pregnancy, a ferocious appetite and slim, early menopause (mid forties), gall bladder and appendix removed... As you read this, not just digestive issues. Other non-digestive issues are cancer, mental health issues (depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia...), diabetes, ear infections, loss of tooth enamel. Did you know that most people with downs syndrome also have celiac?

This week i have been listening to the Gluten Free summit at http://theglutensummit.com . What a gift of confirmation for me and a blessing to those who are starting down this road.

Here are some other wonderful links:
This link is a wonderful resource for information from brands of foods, medications, general information, newsletter. The link is http://www.celiac.com/

This link offers monthly free webinars, newsletters, and information  to assist with living with Celiac. The link is  http://www.celiaccentral.org/

This is a wonderful resource for those who need help changing to the celiac lifestyle, including finding a support group near you. The link is  http://www.gluten.net/

Nutrient Dense food article

We have been on a nutrient dense diet for three years now. A year ago we were introduced to Dr. Joel Fuhrman and the term nutrient dense, as we stated in http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/09/where-is-our-canary-now.html . We were so excited that we were already doing this. It assists with alkalizing our body, keeping away illnesses, and maximizes our health.
This terminology has now become so common there is now an article in Mother Earth News.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/nutrient-dense-foods-zebz1309znsp.aspx?PageId=1#axzz2jtGiyy7g

Cauliflower hummus

Our son ate a gluten free brand hummus yesterday. Within an few minutes he had such a stomach ache. He cried for several hours and drank literally 2 quarts of ginger/peppermint tea. Our mission today was to find a bean free hummus.
We found this recipe http://www.dailybitesblog.com/2012/08/16/easy-no-bean-hummus/ . He had no reaction and LOVED it!!! We used ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds.

Christmas Cookie #2: Raw Peppermint Candy Canes Cookies

Here is our second Christmas cookie recipe: Raw Peppermint Candy Canes Cookies
http://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2010/12/21/raw-christmas-cookies/

The dates were soaked in water for a couple of hours to soften them. After processing the mixture in the food processor, the dough was rolled between two sheets of parchment paper, cut with a candy cane cookie cutter, and dehydrated overnight at 105. The recipe made a dozen cookies.

raw walnut pie (pecan pie)

We love pecan pie, the creaminess, the sweetness, the crunch. Prior to being diagnosed with celiac, we would order, the chocolate bourbon pecan pie and request the WholeFoods bakery replace the pecans with walnuts.
This raw walnut pie was easy to make. We used walnuts and hazelnuts in the crust and walnuts in the filling and on top. The next time we make this, we may try adding the chocolate layer just for my husband.
 Here is the recipe link
http://food52.com/recipes/24716-raw-vegan-pecan-pie

A "regular" pecan pie has ~ 500 calories, 27 grams of total fat, 106 mg cholesterol, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.
This walnut pie has 321 calories, 21.4 grams of total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 5.5 grams of dietary fiber, and 4.5 grams of protein.

Christmas Cookie #1: Rawgalong

Here is our first Christmas cookie recipe and my favorite: Rawgalongs
We make our almond butter (2 cups of almonds, 2 TBS honey, and a dash of salt, http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-almond-butter-recipe ) and raw tahini  (2 cups of sesame seeds in the blendtec, a couple of rounds at 1 and then a round at 3). We used deglet noor dates. They are smaller than Medjool dates so we added twice the amount. One can use maple syrup or honey instead of agave. Honey is a 1:1 ratio.When using maple syrup add a little less, it is sweeter and a thinner liquid.
http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/2008/01/chocotastrophy-do-try-this-at-home.html
This recipe make about 1.5 dozen cookies. These were so worth the time. When we made them again, we tripled the recipe, made the cookie portion and froze them to assemble as "needed".

12 raw Christmas cookies

For years our family would make 2 recipes of cookies each week for 6 weeks prior to Christmas and save 2 dozen of each to give away sampler plates as Christmas gifts. In this manner, we will be posting two recipes a week.
Due to Celiac in our home, the cookies were all gluten free. Our older children have moved out and our youngest has a  metabolic disorder limiting his diet even more, raw works best for him, and not surprising, for me as well.
These are the dozen recipes we selected to make this year: Rawgalongs, Peppermint Candy Canes, Oatmeal Cookies, Wedding Cookies, Pistachio Cherry Macaroons, Almond Cranberry Cookie, Gingerbread Men, Thin Mints,  Thumbprint Cookies, Cinnamon Walnut Cookies, Almond Cookies with Jam, and Key Lime Truffles.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

This recipe is so easy and tastes good. We doubled this recipe because one of us will eat the entire pizza and part of the second. Our old girls lay x-jumbo eggs, so we only needed one with a double recipe for it to stick together. We topped it with a tomato based sauce, sauteed veggies (onions, red peppers, and mushrooms), and Daiya cheese.
http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/05/the-best-dairy-free-cauliflower-pizza.html

Chickpea and Chicken Divan

 We used the following recipe, but exchanged the miso for chickpea miso and used no oil, just broth. We also added ground nutmeg to the cheeze sauce. The favor is outstanding. Next time though we would use less liquid and thicken it.
http://thevfk.com/chickpea-divan/





We have made a double recipe for the chicken divan, so one can be frozen for a later time.
For the doubled cheese sauce we used broth instead of cream to reduce calories and fat. Using the heavy whipping cream adds 200 calories and 22 grams of fat to each serving.
With the rue we used 2 TBS of soy free earth balance margarine, we don't have butter in the house, and 4TBS of arrowroot starch. Once thickened we slowly added the broth until all 4 cups were added whisking to assist with declumping. Once at the desired thickness add the 2 cups of white cheddar cheese. Once it is melted add the 1 cup parmesan cheese. Once it is melted add a teaspoon of nutmeg. The cheese is poured over the cooked diced chicken and broccoli. An additional 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese is sprinkled over the top.
Both Divan dishes are cooked at 350 for 30 minutes.

Raw Sauerkraut

The farmers market had cabbage heads for a $1 yesterday, so we are making raw sauerkraut, plus we need it. There are so many recipes for raw sauerkraut online, using many additional ingredients. We use mason jars with the BPA-free plastic lids.for fermentation.
We thinly sliced the cabbage using our food processor.
We used 2 TBS of kosher salt per head and massaged it to break down the cabbage cell walls. After the cabbage has excreted liquid covering the cabbage, it is pounded into a wide mouth mason jar. It is covered with an outer cabbage leaf. If liquid is needed add salt water (1 TBS salt and 1 cup of water) until the shredded cabbage is covered. It is left on the counter, in a container to catch overflow liquid, for a 3 days. Then it continues the fermentation process continues in the refrigerator. After 2 weeks, it is ready to eat.

Potato Leek Soup

With a surplus of leeks, garlic rosemary and thyme in the garden and 10 pounds of potatoes at the Farmer Market for $1, potato leek soup was on the menu. We used this recipe http://www.highinfatuation.com/vegan-potato-leek-soup/
Instead of using soy milk, we omitted it. Our favorite bouillon is Rapunzel bouillon cubes. We added 2 TBS nutritional yeast. We added sliced green onions, Daiya Cheddar and egg plant bacon as a garnish. The hubby even liked it, BUT will add REAL bacon and REAL cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

6 tennis ball sized white potatoes (or any equivalent in size and color), washed but not peeled, and diced
2 large leeks, all the white and most of the green parts
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil (omitted) 
3 Tablespoons white wine, if you have some
1/2 tsp thyme (fresh would be better)
1/2 tsp rosemary (fresh would be better)
4 cups vegan bouillon (that’s 4 cups of hot water with 2 cubes dissolved in it)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt, or to taste
fresh black pepper to taste
1 cup plain soy milk (omitted)

2 TBS nutritional yeast

eggplant bacon (from Ani's Essential Raw Food)
thinly sliced pealed eggplant, softened by salt, then drained
2 TBS liquid aminos (we use coconut)
2 TBS oilve oil
1 TBS agave
dehydrated

Butternut Squash Pizza's

This pizza crust is so easy!!! and sooo good!
Our son loves a white sauce, so we used a non-dairy "ranch" dressing, eggplant bacon and Daiya cheddar. The remaining butternut squash discs we have frozen for later use.

The recipe is from http://empoweredsustenance.com/butternut-squash-pizza-crust-gaps-paleo/


non-dairy ranch dressing (from Hallelujah Acres)
2 cups of soy-free vegan mayo
1/4 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of parsley
2 tablespoons of onion powder

eggplant bacon (from Ani's Essential Raw Food)
thinly sliced pealed eggplant, softened by salt, then drained
2 TBS liquid aminos (we use coconut)
2 TBS oilve oil
1 TBS agave
dehydrated

November Potluck

Today we were blessed with a Nut Mushroom Loaf, No Cream Mushroom Soup gravy, a cauliflower salad, and roasted vegetables. We also had raw girl scout cookies for dessert.
The mushroom recipes are from
Raw Nut Mushroom Loaf
http://www.addictedtoveggies.com/2010/11/easy-raw-vegan-recipes-thanksgiving.html
No Cream Mushroom Soup
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/11/no-cream-of-mushroom-soup-rosemary.html
The cauliflower salad contained cauliflower, carrots, peppers, herbs and spices with a cashew aioli mayo. The cauliflower was marinaded in lime and salt overnight.
The roasted vegetables were roasted with herbs and olive oil.

The raw Girl Scout cookies are from this link
http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/2008/01/chocotastrophy-do-try-this-at-home.html
Everything was delicious!!! Thank you all for the dishes you brought to share.

Sprouted Black Lentil Jicama salad

The farmers market this morning must have had 50 cents day. We were able to purchase the jicama, cilantro, and red bell peppers at that price as well as many other produce.
We were able to throw together this salad using produce from the refrigerator. The tomatoes, garlic, and scallions are from the garden.
A half of a cup of dried black lentils were soaked overnight, then drained, rinsed, and drained. They were rinsed and drained twice a day until the quart mason jar was completely full of sprouts. This takes 2-3 days.
For this recipe we used
1 jicama
1 cup sprouted black lentils
3/4 tsp cumin
1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber
2 small tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 sliced scallions
2 TBS olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
a couple of twists of salt

Nutritional information:  (serving 4)

calories: 146.6

fat: 7.5 g

carbs: 19.9 g

fiber: 7.7 g

protein: 3.1 g