Vegan Gratin Potato

Today is my husband's birthday. He wanted a standing rib roast and au gratin potatoes for his birthday dinner. Due to dietary issues within the household, vegan, non dairy... we developed this recipe to meet our family needs.
All of our dairy eating men LOVED these, as well as the vegans. They were so creamy!!!

Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced thin, we used a mandolin
2 pounds potatoes, sliced thin, we used a mandolin
1 bag of daiya cheese
salt and pepper to taste each layer

2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 almond milk
1 TBS olive oil

Directions: Spread the olive oil on the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer potatoes slightly overlapping. Salt and pepper. Layer the onions over the potatoes. Sprinkle the daiya cheese. Repeat until all the potatoes and onions are used, with the daiya cheese topping it. Pour the broth over the potato casserole. Add almond milk until the liquid is just below the top layer. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Press the potatoes into the bubbling liquid and bake for another 35-45 minutes.

We used a typical standing rib roast recipe
Ingredients:
3-4 pound standing rib roast
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS course Celtic sea salt
1 tsp course ground black pepper

Directions:
Placing the roast rib side down, we coated it with the crushed garlic, salt and pepper
We allowed the roast to come to room temperature (~2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 450. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 and finish roasting for ~1 hour (15-20 minutes per pound). We wanted it medium rare, meat thermometer at ~140. Allow the meat to rest about 20 minutes prior to serving.

Jicama guacamole from Clean Eating

We loved this recipe and served it at a dinner party last night. It was a hit! 

We are able to purchase jicama at the farmers market for $1 a piece and always looking for recipes. Thank you Courtney for helping make this with us yesterday!

We added a 1/4 of a jalapeno instead of a whole one and used frozen organic strawberries instead of fresh.

Ingredients:
2 avocados
1 tsp course Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 jalapeno
1 cup strawberries, diced
1/2 cup jicama, diced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime

Directions: Mash 1 and 1/2 avocados with 1/2 tsp salt and the garlic powder. Set aside.
Dice the jalapeno, strawberries, onion, cilantro, remaining salt, and  lime juice. mix in a bowl. Fold in the mashed avocado mix with the diced fruits and vegetables.

We served it with sliced jicama

Raw Cashew Cream Cheese

This recipe is from the Cherie Soria's ebook, A Cheese Lovers Guide http://rawfoodchef.com/PDFs/LivingLightACheeseLoversGuide.pdf.

Ingredients:
2 cups cashews, soaked for 6-8 hours, drain, rinse and drain (macadamia nuts could be used instead)
1 cup filtered water
1/4 tsp live probiotic powder

Directions:
Add the above ingredients to a high speed blender, blending until smooth.
Place the cream cheese in glass jar to ferment for 8-12 hours in a warm place. It thickens as it ferment.
It stores in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

It is the best alternative soft cream cheese we have tried.

Raw Almond Yogurt from Cherie Soria

Almond Yogurt from Cherie Soria
This has been such a hit in our dairy free home!!! The recipe is from her ebook, A Cheese Lover's Guide, http://rawfoodchef.com/PDFs/LivingLightACheeseLoversGuide.pdf

Ingredients:
2 cups of peeled almonds, soaked for 8 hours after peeling
2 cups filtered water
1/4 tsp of probiotic powder (make sure it is live, from the refrigerator section of a store and store in the refrigerator in your home)

6 tsp lemon juice
vanilla to taste

Directions:
To peel the skins off the almonds, soak in boiled water for 5 minutes, drain and the skins (mostly) slip off
After soaking the peeled almonds for 8 hours, add the almonds to a high speed blender with the water and the probiotic. Once smooth, divided into 6 pint mason jars to ferment for 8 hours (on your counter). After fermentation, add 1 tsp lemon juice per jar and a dash of vanilla (if desired) and refrigerate. This will store for a week.

nutritional information
calories: 272.1
fat: 23.4 g
carbs: 10.2 g
fiber: 5.8 g
protein: 10.0 g

If desired, use the sweetener of your choice.
We use date paste as our sweetener, 1 TBS per jar.
Ingredients:
1 cups of pitted medjool dates
1 cup of filtered water
1 inch of a vanilla bean

Directions:
processed in a high speed blender until smooth.

We also added 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries per jar.

Avocado Sweet Pepper Dressing

This is an amazing salad dressing from Brian Clement's book Living Foods for Optimum Health. We are always looking for a good salad dressing that has fat and fiber, instead of just fat (oil).

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 TBS fresh coriander leaves
1 bell red or yellow pepper
1/4 cup water

Directions:
place all the ingredients in a high speed blender on a medium cycle for 30 seconds.

Raw Butternut Squash Soup from Brian Clement

This recipe is from Brian Clement's book Living Foods for Optimum Health, page 199.

1 butternut squash, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red onion chopped
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Braggs liquid aminos to taste, (we used coconut aminos)
1/4 cup water*
inch of fresh ginger root**
1 medjool date, pitted**

Place everything in a high speed blender, adding enough water* to have the consistency desired.
** we added these to the recipe

Another raw butternut squash recipe is posted on http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/08/august-potluck.html This is a sweet, almost dessert type of soup.

Lucuma Caramel

I saw this recipe somewhere but can't find it again to cite. This is served with apples slices. If someone finds it, please let us know, so we can cite it.

Lucuma Caramel
serves 1
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lucuma powder

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
apple cored and sliced

Raw Curry "Chickenless" salad on a portobello bun

We loved Curried Chicken Salad and thought we would try a chickenless version. We adapted our chicken recipe to a raw vegan recipe. We served it with the Raw Vegetable Antipasto . If you didn't want it raw, one could roast the mushroom caps to use as a bun. The Raw Chickenless Salad would also be wonderful on a bed of leafy greens.

serves 2-4 (with our son, it is only for 2, 3/4 for him and a 1/4 for me)
Ingredients:
Curry Chickenless Salad:
4 cups sprouts (lentil and red clover, but a combination of textures are needed)
1/4 cup cashew mayo * (a vegan mayo could be used in a pinch)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup grapes sliced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
salt if needed to taste

Mix all but the sprouts. Pulse sprouts. Then add pulsed sprouts to mixture.

Nutritional information: for 1/4 of the recipe
calories: 64.6
fat: 0.4 g
carbs: 14.9 g
fiber: 3.4 g
protein: 2.9 g

Portobello bun:
2 large caps per serving
marinade the caps in a vinaigrette type dressing for at least 30 minutes**

**vinaigrette marinade:
3-4 TBS of olive oil
1 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
2 tbsp fresh thyme, basal and parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

remove from marinade and dehydrate until soft @105 for 2-4 hours

Toppings:
lettuce
sliced tomato

* The cashew mayonnaise is from Raw Food for Dummies
ingredients:
1 cup soaked, drained, rinsed, drained cashews (soak for 4 hours, macadamia nuts or sunflower seeds could be substituted for the cashews)
6 TBS filtered water
3 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS liquid sweetener (agave, coconut nector...)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
a pinch of ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

directions: puree all the ingredients but the olive oil in a high speed blender until smooth, using a rubber spatula to push everything toward the center vortex. With the blender running slowly add the olive oil through the hole in the blender lid until the mixture is emulsified.

Homemade vapor rub from Wellness Mama

Homemade vapor rub is similar to Vicks vapor rub but without petroleum jelly. Naturally effective with essential oils!

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Remedy

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil
• 2 level tablespoons of beeswax pastilles
• 20 drops of Eucalyptus Oil
• 20 drops Peppermint Oil
• 10 drops Rosemary Oil
• 10 drops cinnamon or clove oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt beeswax with oil of choice in a double boiler until just melted.
2. Add the essential oils (use half the amount for a baby version or dilute with coconut oil before using)
3. Stir until well mixed and pour into some type of container with a lid to store. Little tins work well, as do small jars. I also always make a few in lip chap sticks to keep in my purse or use on baby feet.
4. Use as needed to help sooth coughing and congestion.

Notes

Make sure to dilute for babies and children and use as little as is needed. Can also make with the herbs instead of essential oils by infusing the oil with 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs in a double boiler over medium heat for 2 hours.

Recipe by Wellness Mama at http://wellnessmama.com/3527/natural-vapor-rub/

Garlic Mushrooms

These are so good!!!
Garlic Mushrooms:

Ingredients: 

16 even-sized open cup mushrooms, stalks removed
3-4 TBS of olive oil
1 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
2 tbsp fresh thyme, basal and parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 c dehydrated ground buckwheat groats and herbs

Directions:
Marinade the mushrooms in the olive oil, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the marinade and toss in the buckwheat crumb mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a shallow pan and place in the dehydrator.
Dehydrate at 105 until soft, 2-3 hours.

the original recipe is from http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/vegetable/roasted-garlic-mushrooms-2.html

December Potluck

This month we have completed the holiday menu with raw desserts. For the January potluck, we will be preparing soups and salads. The date will be the 3rd at 1 in our home.

White Chocolate Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tort from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/03/white-chocolate-dark-chocolate.html was made but we used cacao butter for the ganche instead of coconut oil to keep it harder.









Pumpkin Pecan Fudge   inspired by recipe on The Healthy Family and Home

1/2 c  melted cacao butter

1 c raw pumpkin puree

1 c coconut oil melted

3/4 c agave nectar

1/2 c cacao powder

1/2 c raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 c to 1 c pecan or walnut pieces

All ingredients except nuts in high speed blender (BlendTec or Vitamix) until smooth.  Add nuts and pour into 8X8 or 9X9 baking dish.  (I lined the bottom with parchment paper)

Put in freezer or fridge until set, cut and return to fridge.  Keep cold until ready to serve so they retain shape.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

The original for this is at: http://www.thekitchn.com/raw-recipe-spiced-pumpkin-cupcakes-with-vanilla-icing-and-ginger-caramel-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196681

1 c raw pumpkin seeds (pulse in food processor until floury)

1 1/4c raw pumpkin puree

3/4 c agave nectar

1 Tbls lemon or lime  juice

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1 c minus 1 Tbls coconut flour
 

Place all ingredients EXCEPT coconut flour in food processor.  When smooth, pour in coconut flour.  Mix thoroughly.

Line cupcake tin with paper liners.  Fill with dough, pressing down evenly.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days (can also freeze for up to 2 wks in airtight container)

An hour or so before serving spread with frosting of your choice.  (I frosted as soon as I got them in the papers, then refrigerated) 

1 batch of frosting (You can use the one on the web site, Betty used the Ginger whipped cream from Pumpkin Parfaits 

http:/www.rawmazing.com/raw-pumpkin-cranberry-ginger-parfaits/

Ultimate Carmel Chocolate Squares from "Rawsome Vegan Baking" by Emily von Euwwebsite ThisRawsomeVeganLife.com

Makes about 12
BASE:2 cups raw almonds
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
Splash of vanilla extract
CARAMEL LAYER:
1 cup pitted dates
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1/4 cup water
Splash of vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
CHOCOLATE LAYER:
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/4 cup cacoa powder
2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
TO MAKE THE BASE LAYER:  Pulse the almonds into flour, then add the dates and vanilla and process until it begins to stick together.  Press into the bottom of a parchment paper lined 9 inch square baking paln and place in the fridge until you add the caramel layer.
TO MAKE THE CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE LAYERS:  Blend all the caramel ingredients until smooth, and then spread onto the crust.  Then do this for the chocolate layer, took and spread it over the caramel layer.  Let it sit in the fridge overnight and then slice and serve the next day.
Notes:  Donna did not have a 9 inch pan and used a 7 x 10 inch pan.  She had to double the chocolate layer and cut it into small squares since it is very rich and delicious and it made 20 squares.

Carrot energy balls minus the shredded coconut. The link is http://www.realrawnutrition.com/2014/01/raw-recipe-tip-carrot-cake-bites-aka-energy-balls/

Hot Cacao. The link is http://www.realrawnutrition.com/2014/01/raw-recipe-tip-carrot-cake-bites-aka-energy-balls/







Almond "Nut"nog

6-7 cups almond milk

4 frozen bananas

1 cup dates (soaked overnight)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blended  in Vitamix!

Raw Healthy Cranberry Fluff

Our friend Louise posted this cranberry fluff dessert from http://realhousemoms.com/cranberry-fluff/
We have come up with a way to make it healthier.

Ingredients:
12 ounce fresh cranberries
3/4 cup medjool dates
1 cup fresh pineapple
2 cups apples, diced
1 cup sliced grapes
1 cup chopped "crispy" nuts *

Directions: process in the food processor

Fold in the entire cashew whipping cream recipe below

Cashew whipping cream
Ingredients:
1 cup soaked cashews (soak ~ 6 hours, drain, rinse, drain)
6-8 soft medjool dates, pitted
3/4 cup of water
1 tsp vanilla or a couple of inches of vanilla bean

Place ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.

* we soak all of our nuts and seeds prior to using them. Many we also dehydrate and store. There are many sites that explain this method but this one is the most straight-forward http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-soak-and-dehydrate-nuts-the-nourishing-traditions-way/