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,

.

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....