Raw Pumpkin Parfaits with Cranberries and Ginger Whipped “Cream”

Our friend Betty made these pumpkin parfaits for us and our son LOVED them. She made a few alteration to the original recipe which are listed below.

Raw Pumpkin Parfaits with Cranberries and Ginger Whipped “Cream”

Pumpkin Purée

• 1/2 medium pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (you need to use a sugar pumpkin for this)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
• 2 tablespoons raw agave nectar or sweetener of choice

1. Place pumpkin, cinnamon and agave in food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse until puréed, adding water if needed. You will have to scrape down the sides of the food processor while processing. 

Ginger Whipped “Cream”

• 1/2 cup cashews meal
• 2 TBS to 1/4 cup water 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons raw agave nectar or liquid sweetener of your choice

1. Place cashews and water as needed in high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. 

2. Add melted coconut oil, fresh ginger and raw agave. Process until well blended. 

3. Transfer to container and chill until set. 

Cranberry Layer

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar

1. Place in food processor and process until purée is achieved. I like this layer to be a little chunky. 

Pecan Layer

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Place pecans and cinnamon in food processor. Pulse until chopped. 

Assembly

1. In parfait glass, place a layer of pecans, topped with a layer of the pumpkin purée, a layer of cranberries then a layer of the ginger whipped “cream”. Repeat topping with more pecans.

The recipe is from http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-pumpkin-cranberry-ginger-parfaits/

Avocado Garlic Aioli

We love avocado garlic aioli and decided to make a raw version. We will be using this with our Raw Sprouted Lentil Burgers from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/10/raw-sprouted-lentil-burgers.html

We use cashew mayo in recipe and the recipe is below.

ingredients:
1 large avocado, pitted
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 TSP lime juice
1/4 cup cashew mayo*
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: place all the ingredients in a food processor, blending until smooth.

* 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.

Crisp Baby Bok Choy Greens in Tangy-Sweet, Sesame Soy-Free Vinaigrette

Debbie sent us this recipe from http://thecozyapron.com/cozy-cameo-pass-the-bok-choy-greens-and-my-skinny-jeans-please/
She made a couple of changes "I added a tablespoon of tahini to the dressing and it was wonderful.  I used raw sesame seeds, added some ginger, and increased the garlic. " We put our changes below. The original recipe is on the link above.
Sesame is wonderful for some easy to absorb calcium.

Salad ingredients: (serves 4)

8 Baby Bok Choy, rinsed and dried then thinly sliced (including leafy greens)
½ cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon raw black sesame seeds, for garnish

Preparation:-Place sliced Bok Choy and carrot into a large bowl and into refrigerator while vinaigrette is prepared.

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette 
ingredients:
2 clove fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 TBS tahini
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut amino
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 TBS ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:-In a small bowl, add all of the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk together until well combined.-Pour the vinaigrette over the Bok Choy greens and carrot, toss together well to coat, and divide equally among plates, piling the greens high; sprinkle with about a teaspoon of the sesame seeds to garnish.

14 steps to cut processed foods

This is a wonderful place to start for those wanting to eat just real food!

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
  
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).

• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
  
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
  
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
  
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”

• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
  
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
  
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
  
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
  
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
  
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
  
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
  
• Week 14: No more than 5-indgredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/steps-to-cut-processed-food.html

Raw Pumpkin Pie from healthy self

Both of the previous pumpkin pies were wonderful, but i used them as a jump start for one of our own.
We loved how sweet and gooey pumpkin pie from FullyRaw and loved the cacao from RawGuru; however, FullyRaw was too sweet and RawGuru was too high in fat for us, plus i am not crazy about bananas or coconut. The texture of RawGuru was more like a baked pumpkin pie, but the FullyRaw had the flavor of a traditional pumpkin pie.
For ours we added the ground pumpkin seeds (we used a coffee/spice grinder) to give it the "whipped" texture, plus the benefits of zinc. We added the ginger to give it the traditional flavor. We used the whole spice instead of ground because the flavor is more intense.
The cacao powder in the crust and nib topping gave it our magnesium (chocolate) fix.

We also made the pie filling as a pumpkin pudding. Our son LOVES it!!!

Crust ingredients:
12-15 pitted medjool dates
1 1/2 cup walnuts, we soaked the nuts in salt water for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated*
1/2 cup almonds, we soaked the nuts in salt water for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated
2 TBS cacao powder
small piece of cinnamon stick (1/2 tsp ground)
Directions: place all the ingredients in the food processor, processing until "graham cracker crust-like". Press into a pie plate lined with parchment paper.

Pie filling ingredients:
3 cups raw pureed pumpkin **
a pinkie inch of ginger (1/2-1 tsp ground)
an inch of a cinnamon stick (1 tsp ground)
1 pound of medjool dates
an inch of a vanilla bean (1 tsp liquid)
1 cup ground pumpkin seeds (high in zinc and lower in fat than cashews)
Directions: place all the ingredients in a high speed bender until smooth. Pour into the pie crust, smoothing with a spatula.

Topping:
2 TBS cacao nibs
Directions: Sprinkle nibs over the top.  Freeze for at least 2 hours.

* soaking the nuts helps the phytic acid bind to  minerals and using salt water helps neutralize the enzymes allowing more nutrients to be utilized by one's body.

** We sliced, seeded, and peeled the pumpkin as if it was a cantaloupe. Then we diced the pumpkin and used a high speed blender to puree. We froze the pureed pumpkin in 2 or 3 cup portions.

Just the filling for 6 servings, we use it as a pumpkin pudding type dish

Nutrition Facts

6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

• Calories274.9
• Total Fat2.7 g
• Saturated Fat0.4 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat0.9 g
• Monounsaturated Fat0.6 g
• Cholesterol0.0 mg
• Sodium33.6 mg
• Potassium569.0 mg
• Total Carbohydrate65.5 g
• Dietary Fiber9.7 g
• Sugars48.7 g
• Protein5.2 g

• Vitamin A302.2 %
• Vitamin B-120.0 %
• Vitamin B-68.6 %
• Vitamin C2.3 %
• Vitamin D0.0 %
• Vitamin E4.0 %
• Calcium7.4 %
• Copper15.9 %
• Folate2.8 %
• Iron10.1 %
• Magnesium16.1 %
• Manganese15.8 %
• Niacin5.6 %
• Pantothenic Acid5.5 %
• Phosphorus5.2 %
• Riboflavin2.7 %
• Selenium0.0 %
• Thiamin2.5 %
• Zinc9.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Raw Pumpkin Pie from RawGuru

We wanted to make a raw pumpkin pie. We found two raw pumpkin pie recipes one from rawguru and one from fullyraw.  We are making them both and comparing them. Thanking Courtney again for assisting us with this pie!!!!
This one will be less sweet due to only using 15 dates plus a banana instead of 3 pounds of dates but  has more fat with the coconut, cashews, and cacao butter. We are using a white Cinderella pie pumpkin for both.
We made a few minor changes cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips and lucuma powder instead of mesquite.

Ingredients

At a glance

Cakes & Pies

Makes

1, 9

The crust:
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup cacao butter
1 cup walnuts
½ cup almonds
10 dates
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon carob powder

The cream:
2 cups raw pumpkin
1 cup cashews
1 banana
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons dried goji
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lucuma powder
5 dates
2 tablespoons cacao nibs

Methods/steps

1.Let soak the cashew overnight.
For the crust:
1. Melt the butter in a bain-marie.
2. Process the walnuts, the almonds and the coconut  in a mixer , separately, until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until the composition starts to hold together when squeezed.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a mold lined with parchment paper, and set aside in the fridge.
To make the cream:
1.Drain well the cashews.
2.Combine all ingredients in a food processor (except the chocolate chips)  and mix until everything is smooth. Add the chocolate. Pour the cream over the crust, smoothing out. Place it in the frigo to let it stiff. Decorate with some chocolate.

http://www.rawguru.com/raw-food-recipes/raw-pumpkin-pie.html.html

Raw Pumpkin Pie from FullyRaw

We wanted to make a raw pumpkin pie. We found two raw pumpkin pie recipes one from fullyraw and the other from rawguru.  We are making them both and comparing them.
This one will be sweet due 3 POUNDS of dates and other than the crust it is fat free. We are using a white Cinderella pie pumpkin for both.

This pumpkin pie is soooo sweet and gooey with all these dates. This is wonderful!!!
Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
crust:
1.5-2 cups pecans (we used walnuts due to a pecan allergy)
1 pound dates
pinch of cinnamon
Directions: place in a food processor and  pulse until crust like
press into pie pan

pie filling
2-3 cups sugar pie pumpkin
2 pounds dates
cinnamon (about an inch of 1 stick)
ginger (fresh pinkie size)
1 persimmon (we didn't have a persimmon, so we didn't add it)
1 vanilla bean scrape
Directions: put all the ingredients in the high speed blender until blended.
pour into the pie crust. Freeze for ~2 hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPD3b515T84