spaghetti squash with cinnamon

autumn and spaghetti squash are a wonderful pair. in autumn I like to bake a lot, and get good smells going around the house. unfortunately, I can't eat a lot of what I like to bake because of my diabetes. that's where spaghetti squash comes in.

it's a battle. I heave this heavy, smooth squash up out of the bag and onto my countertop. thud.

i grab my longest and biggest knife. after microwaving for about a minute to soften the skin (not really), I brace myself for a possible bloodbath in the kitchen.

one is supposed to slice off one end of the squash to form a flat base. then, standing the squash upright, slice it lengthwise in half. it is very easy at this part to slip the knife off the skin and into one's hand or arm. I imagine this in my head every time I do it. i don't think it makes me more careful, but maybe a bit calmer to pre-image this in my head so when and if it does happen  i am ready.

once you have two halves, place them one at a time in the microwave in a dish that has some water at the bottom. also put about 1/4 cup of water in the hollow of the squash to keep it all steamy and moist in the oven. microwave oven.

when it comes out let it rest about 5 minutes and then it is ready to eat. I eat mine right out of the shell with a fork.

I prefer mine sweet with cinnamon and a little earth balance butter and liquid splenda drops on top. stevia powder would work here too.

spaghetti squash is full of water and fiber, which is good if you are trying to lose a few. like me ;) it is also high in B vitamins and vitamin C. it is considered a 0 point food if you are on weight watchers. enjoy.

fat free banana crepe with berries

Eating raw vegan is a challenge. Eating low fat raw vegan and making gourmet -style food? a huge challenge. Less fat for me means higher insulin sensitivity. That's good for me.

I came up with this recipe to find an alternative to the high fat desserts and breakfasts I eat which can wreak havoc on my blood sugars. These crepes and berries are very sweet - no agave needed! Also, the combination of textures is really nice. The crepes are chewy, the berries are crisp and juicy, and the mellowness of the banana creme just holds it all together.

This recipe is a great breakfast, brunch or dessert idea. It requires a dehydrator, but if you don't have one you can make the crepes using an oven trick.

There are only three ingredients, which keeps things very simple. Here in Northern California, we are seeing the first real strawberries of Spring coming into the stores. Frozen can work too if you live in the north. I like how simple the recipe is and how easy it can come together. There are lots of variations on this same theme if you feel adventurous and want to try different fruits to include.

Ingredients:

4 bananas (one frozen)
1 cup blueberries
1 pint of strawberries


Crepes:
In a high speed blender, mix together two bananas with 1/4 cup cold filtered water. Blend until smooth. Spread into 4 circles about 6 inches in diameter on a teflex sheet for your dehydrator. Dehydrate for 4 hours. remove when still pliable. If they get too dry or crisp up you can soften them by dabbling a bit of water on top and smooth it in with your finger.

**if you don't have a dehydrator, you can use your oven. Turn it up to 200 and then right back off when it reaches full temperature. Using parchment paper or  a silpat, spread out your crepes and place in oven for 4 hours or until mostly dry.

Filling:
2 bananas (one frozen in chunks) and one room temperature.
blueberries and strawberries


Slice the strawberries and mix with blueberries.
Blend the bananas until you have a thick and creamy texture.

Assembly:

Pile the berries in the middle of the crepe and make a line. Then spread some of the banana cream on one side of the crepe and more on top of the berries. Roll the sides up and fold one over the other. you can use the banana cream as a glue so have fun and get creative! Like I said, there are many alternatives to just these berries. You can use kiwi, grapes, apple slices, figs! you name it.

In health,

.

Maca Lemon Macaroons

 Macaroons have been made again and again in the raw food community, for good reason. they are simple, tasty and handy to have around even for those who aren't raw foodists.

I wanted to kick things up and along came a suggestion to me for lemon macaroons.

I already make a great cashew lemon cookie from Cafe Gratitude's book, so I thought heading over to macaroon territory should be fun.

I combined the tart taste of lemon with the rich flavor of coconut butter in these macaroons. Maca rounds out the flavor with a hint of butterscotch and balances the vanilla.

recipe:

3 cups coconut that is preferably organic,shredded and raw
2/3 cup raw agave
pinch sea salt
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 T maca powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/8 cup coconut butter (soft)

mix well in bowl
scoop into little piles on teflex sheet for dehydrator
Dehydrate 12 hours at 105 degrees

As for my blood sugars and insulin needs with this recipe, two is my limit and the high fat content slows down the release of the blood glucose rise, so I take my insulin after I eat them rather than before. I may need to give most away when I make them because stopping at two will be a challenge!!!

I'd also say I could freeze them, which they would freeze wonderfully, but I don't like to freeze too much. I think freezing damages the cell structure of organic plant material. It's never quite the same afterward.

Enjoy these!

Chocolate Pudding

 I made this for my lunch yesterday. Not the wisest choice for my blood sugars- considering I ate almost the entire recipe. Even though it's raw, I still have to watch the sweet stuff! And take the appropriate amount of insulin albeit much less than if I ate non-raw sugary processed puddings.

What I learned from trying this recipe was that small amounts are best. Keep it a dessert.

It is very rich and stays with you, so I wasn't hungry until dinner, which was nice.

I felt good knowing that I was eating healthy fats from the avocado, and I was getting benefits of raw cacao like energy, and stress-reducing magnesium. Did you know that cacao has more magnesium than any other food?
Cool study on Cacao

Something I was surprised about was that the avocado flavor was not there at all. Mostly present was the banana and chocolate dominating everything else. I think I have avoided using the avocado to make sweet recipes for fear of it tasting too mushy and slick. Not the case here. The pudding has a good texture, much like a pudding should taste and feel in the mouth.

Ingredients

1 avocado
1 ripe banana
1 frozen banana
3 T raw cacao powder
1/4 c raw coconut nectar


Blend together

top with cacao nibs or mint

Mexican Raw Veggie Bowl

 This recipe is adapted from Cafe Gratitude's book. It is called Yo Soy Mucho.

It is a multi-item recipe, which seems complicated, but once you get going, doesn't take much time. One tool I used was a Cuisinart mini-prep which greatly reduced chopping time for me.

The bowl is a layering of shredded kale, a raw veggie "rice," salsa, guacamole and a Brazil nut topping.

I started with the Brazil nut topping first:

Chop together:

a handful of Brazil nuts

a clove or two of garlic

pinch of sea salt

set aside

next I made the  guacamole

I used:

2 avocados

1 T chopped jalapeno

pinch of salt

juice of 1 lemon

handful of cilantro

mix together in a bowl using a fork

cover and set aside

 

Instead of making the salsa I bought some fresh at Whole Foods. It had the same ingredients I was looking for (tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic) and I saved a little time.

The kale I used came from Capay farms. I know them well and have used their home delivery organic boxes from time to time. They supply Whole Foods in the  SF Bay Area with kale and week to week I look forward to their different varieties that come in. This week was a red kale that looks like an heirloom variety. The leaves were almost an arugula shape with gorgeous purple tips. Instead of needing to shred it with a knife, I just tore pieces with my fingers.

 

Final prep was the veggie rice.

Ingredients:

2 parsnips
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
pinch of salt

Chop up parsnips into 1 inch pieces.
Chop together in mini prep or food processor all ingredients briefly until you get a "rice" size.

Spread on teflex sheet and dehydrate at 105 degrees 20 minutes to soften.

Assembly:

Lay a handful or two of shredded kale on the bottom of bowl or dish. Add veggie rice on top. Next add guacamole and salsa to taste and finally add the Brazil Parmesan sprinkled all over the dish.

This is something I will make again and again. The Brazil nut Parmesan is definitely a must for lots of salads.This whole dish is not only colorful and tasty, but great for my diabetes due to its very high fiber and low glycemic nature. I am getting something good for me in every bite whether it's good fats from the avocado, Selenium form the Brazil nuts or calcium from the kale.

Enjoy!

pecan flatbread

 

I came up with a new recipe. 

It's a pecan and sunflower seed based raw flatbread. It is sweet but not as sweet as granola. More of a subtle sweetness. It also has a pretty purple color to it. Something about the pecans reacting to the cinnamon I think...

I started with Golubka's Nut and Zucchini Cracker recipe and added and changed a few things.

One of the changes is I added a sweetener to the recipe that came recommended from Seth, my raw food wholesale sales guy. It's called raw evaporated coconut palm syrup. It is raw and very low glycemic. It's tree sap from coconut trees. Only 35 on the glycemic index- which is really low!

To make the flatbread you will need a food processor and a dehydrator.

Ingredients:

 2 cups raw pecans soaked at least 4 hours

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 1/2 to 2 cups raw sunflower seeds soaked at least 4 hours

1 cup ground flaxseed

2 T cinnamon

1/2 cup raw evaporated coconut palm syrup

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup purified water 

Process the nuts and seeds with the zucchini. 

Mix with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. 

Make sure all the cinnamon is incorporated- it can hide in little pockets at the bottom of the bowl.

Spread out on 2 -3 teflex sheets and dehydrate for 12 hours or overnight. break into pieces.

You can also score the breads into rectangles before placing in the dehydrator, or for fun use a cookie cutter to make cute shapes.

confidence in the kitchen

I am really starting to have more confidence in myself and my skills in the kitchen. I am experimenting more. I am thinking of adding or taking away ingredients as I make recipes. I am losing the feeling of structure and anxiety I had when I started cooking raw. 

I admit, when I was hit with a truffle order I thought to myself- is this the BEST truffle I know? what's out there I don't know yet?

Between my cookbooks and websites and blogs, I found a good combination of ideas and ingredients that gave me a truffle I think will be a big hit.

It came from the blog Golubka which, if you haven't seen is a must read daily- this woman is truly awe inspiring. her photos alone make me want to jump right into them. She writes about raw food, and also her family, her experience and her hits and misses- very well done.

Her truffle, mixed with Cafe Gratitude's raw chocolate Ganache recipe and my own tweaks here and there brought out a truffle I can be proud of. It's here now... TRUFFLES 

I also went out in the garden today and planted lettuce in pots. I have wanted to do this for a LONG time now- I love picking my own greens for salads.

I went to my local nursery and bought 8 cell packs of lettuce. I planted those in pots I had at home. I also asked for plastic pots at the nursery for growing seedlings. I bought some soil and brought home 9 pots to re-use and transfer my sprouted basil and lettuce I have in my kitchen. Even thought it's just February and most of the country is freezing, I am enjoying 60 degree weather right now and feel like spring is already beginning. 

So check out Golubka and her beautiful blog. If you don't want to hunt and gather for Maca, Mesquite and Cacao, I'll make some truffles for ya-

my granola

claire's granola

I am a  type 1 diabetic and require insulin to live.

My days are spent monitoring my blood sugars at least 8 times a day and carefully counting and measuring my food so I can adjust my insulin to mimic what my body would need if I were normal.

Foods like granola are very tricky. They are usually packed with sweet and sticky and chewy with little nuggets of even sweeter and stickier. Granola tastes great but I have avoided the "regular" kind for a long long time thinking I couldn't ever get my insulin needs to match up with it.

The raw way of eating has allowed my food choices to include things I had previously excluded. Eating raw I can tolerate carbohydrates much more efficiently than before. I need less insulin, which creates a smaller margin of error. That is a good thing. I find myself eating raw desserts and other sweet treats with the confidence that I am not only eating healthy, but I am also giving my whole digestive and endocrine system a break so I don't have to fight as hard. Eating sweet things. I think that is really cool for a diabetic.

In my epicurean adventures with raw foods, I tried making a granola recipe that turned out really well. It tastes sweet but not too sweet, and has a hint of salty. It is crunchy and chewy. It is also raw so I can eat it and deal with my insulin needs easier- much easier than if I ate conventional granola.

What I like about this recipe  is that it is complex, like most, but it is deeper than most. I think adding in coconut oil brings to it a richness that I don't find in others I have tried. 

Here goes:

Mix together in these amounts:

2 cups soaked almonds

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds

1 cup soaked buckwheat ( keep it to 30 minutes and rinse well!)

1 cup coconut shreds

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

2 tsp vanilla powder

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 cup raw agave

all ingredients should be raw and organic if you can manage it.

dehydrate at 108 degrees at least 12 hours but more like 18 for crunchy. I start it on teflex and then flip it over 12 hours into it.

kale chips

I inhale these. 

They are the bread and butter of raw snacks.

To make these you really need an Excalibur dehydrator. I had one of the round plastic kind when I first started raw a couple years ago, and it just can't compete with the Excalibur. First off, the temps stay controlled from top to bottom, and when I have the dehydrator fully loaded and my hear is set on all me recipes drying perfectly, I like knowing temps are consistent. The round one (I read) is not nearly as efficient or controlled, and when we go through all the work of soaking and drying, we want  a good end result right?

My recipe for kale chips is the standard one, although I don't really even use measuring spoons anymore. I eyeball it but then, I've seen Martha Stewart eyeball stuff on tv so I don't feel so bad! In fact, it's like a right of passage. I just know instinctively and I have made this enough times to know how much of what to use.

I use:

• 1-2 bunches of kale torn into palm sized pieces and remove thick stem. (use enough so that each piece gets a good coating)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp raw agave
• 1 t nutritional yeast
• juice from a lemon or about 2T
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 cup soaked raw cashews ( at least 3 hours)

Using the S blade, process in food processor for about a minute. 

Toss mixture with kale in a big bowl and coat evenly. Put kale on trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for at least 6 hours. Overnight is best. The longer the crisper! 

Keep in an airtight container if you don't eat them all as soon as they are done...

From a mom's perspective, and a wife as well! I can tell you the smell alone drives my family crazy nuts- they get so excited and want to eat them all. It can be first thing in the morning and my 8 year old would rather eat kale chips than her pancakes. Cool huh.

now for the links if you want to shop....