Raw bread!

Just about everyone loves bread.  I actually don't really miss it, but most people who try to go all raw say that bread is one of the hardest foods to live without.  Well, whether you're all raw, high raw, gluten free or just trying to eat a little better, you don't have to live without it - you can absolutely include bread in your life!  My raw bread is free of grain, flour, gluten, sugar, eggs, preservatives, etc. & is packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, phytonutrients, good fats & FLAVOR!

You will need a dehydrator to make raw bread - or at least an oven with a very low setting.  Some convection ovens have a 'dehydrate' setting (my Jenn Air convection oven was my first dehydrator).  If you can afford it, an Excalibur dehydrator is worth the investment.

I demo'ed & sampled two variations of my raw bread, along with marinated mushrooms, raw cashew mayo & avocado spread at Whole Foods Market (3rd & Fairfax in Los Angeles) on Wednesday, March 13, to what started out as a semi-small gathering but became SRO.  Steve Factor was my sous chef, & even the amazing Chef Be*Live showed up to support me - what a special treat!  :-)

Kat & Chef Be*Live (aka Brian James Lucas)

Raw Onion Bread

3 C yellow onions, thinly sliced

1 C golden flax seeds, ground

1/2 C water

3 C zucchini, chopped (& peeled, if desired)

1/2 C carrots, chopped

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs nutritional yeast

1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Optional: green onions, parsley, basil or other herbs, spices, etc.

Thinly slice onions (easiest using the food processor or mandolin); set aside.

Grind flax seeds using a high-speed blender (VitaMix) or coffee grinder.  Add to a large bowl & set aside.

Add water & a handful of zucchini to blender & begin blending.  With blender running, slowly add zucchini & carrots until liquified.  Add vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt & turmeric; blend until incorporated.  With blender running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, then blend on high for a few seconds.

Add mixture to bowl with flax seeds; mix well.  Add onions to bowl & mix well - use your hands for best results, & to add a little of your love to the dough!  <3

If desired, add other ingredients such as green onions or other herbs, spices, etc. to the bowl & combine.

For thick bread, spread onto one lined dehydrator tray & dehydrate at 140 degrees for one hour.  Reduce temperature to 115 degrees & dehydrate for approximately one additional hour, or until the top of the bread is dry to the touch.  Place a screened dehydrator tray on top of the bread, flip over & remove the original tray, then peel away the liner from what was the bottom of the bread.  Dehydrate an additional 8-10 hours, to desired dryness.  If the slices in the middle are still a bit too soft, cutting the bread into pieces during the drying process will help them to dry more evenly.

Nope, it's not an omelet.  :-)

Kat & Steve Factor

Enjoy this bread with my raw Eggless Salad, raw burgers (recipe & demo to come soon!), raw cashew mayo, marinated mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, lettuce or spinach, sprouts, or any other sandwich ingredient you love!

Raw Cashew Mayo

1 C cashews, soaked/drained/rinsed

1 date, soaked

2 garlic cloves

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

1 T fresh thyme

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Soak cashews in water between 2-6 hours; drain & rinse thoroughly.  Soak date in water for at least 30 minutes to soften.

Add all ingredients except olive oil to high-speed blender (VitaMix) & blend until creamy.  My personal preference to achieve the creamiest mixture is to remove the lid from the blender & use a spatula to assist blending & maintain the vortex - if using this method, be very careful to hold the spatula firmly & don't allow it to come in contact with the blades!

Once this mixture is creamy, with blender running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, then blend on high for a few seconds.

Enjoy as you would any other mayonnaise - but even more!  Should keep in the fridge for several weeks, if not consumed before then!

Kat assisting the blender...not recommended by VitaMix.  ;-)

Raw Marinated Mushrooms

2 C sliced mushrooms (Portabella, Baby Bella, Crimini, Shiitake, etc.)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

Place sliced mushrooms in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt; stir.  Set aside for approximately 30-60 minutes, stirring once or twice during this time.  You may also place in the dehydrator to speed up the process & for a richer flavor.  Use as you would sautéed mushrooms - for instance, on a sandwich with raw bread!  ;-) 

Raw Leprechaun Bread

This is the second bread I gave the class to sample, in honor of St. Patty's Day & as a great example of how to use leftover green juice pulp & zucchini peels from the onion bread!

1 C flax seeds, ground

1/2 C water

1 Cameo apple

1/2 C zucchini peels

2 garlic cloves

2-3 C green juice pulp (e.g., celery, cucumber, parsley, kale, collards, green apple, lemon, ginger, etc.)
1 Tbs coconut or apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs nutritional yeast

1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

1 tsp garlic salt (or garlic powder - if using this, add 1/2 tsp additional salt)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Instructions very similar to first recipe...  :-)

Grind flax seeds using a high-speed blender (VitaMix) or coffee grinder.  Add to a large bowl & set aside.

Add water & a handful of apple to blender & begin blending.  With blender running, slowly add apple, zucchini peels, garlic & any large pieces from the green juice pulp until liquified (set aside remainder of pulp).  Add vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic salt & paprika; blend until incorporated.  With blender running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, then blend on high for a few seconds.

Add mixture to bowl with ground flax seeds; mix well.  Add remainder of green juice pulp to bowl & mix well - use your hands for best results, & to add a little of your love to the dough!  <3

If desired, add other ingredients such as green onions or other herbs, spices, etc. to the bowl & combine.

For thick bread, spread onto one lined dehydrator tray & dehydrate at 140 degrees for one hour.  Reduce temperature to 115 degrees & dehydrate for approximatey one additional hour, or until the top of the bread is dry to the touch.  Place a screened dehydrator tray on top of the bread, flip over & remove the original tray, then peel away the liner from what was the bottom of the bread.  Dehydrate an additional 8-10 hours, to desired dryness.  If the slices in the middle are still a bit too soft, cutting the bread into pieces during the drying process will help them to dry more evenly.

Not guacamole...

You can also enjoy this bread with any of the same ingredients as above, or with...

Raw Easy Cheezy Avocado Spread

Making the avo spread &
explaining my love for nutritional yeast...  :-)

3 avocados

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 C nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a medium bowl, mash avocados with a fork.  Add remainder of ingredients & mix well.

Spread on raw bread or crackers; add sprouts, cucumber or any of your favorite toppings.  Enjoy!  :-)

Mini open-faced sliders made with Leprechaun Bread,
Easy Cheezy Avocado Spread & cucumbers,
sprinkled with smoked paprika & red pepper flakes.

Enjoy the recipes!  Thanks to everyone for your support & love!  :-)

Steve Factor, Kat & Sibyl Fenwick - Cooking at 3rd & Fairfax Specialist

Steve Factor & Kat

Kat & Tama Paloma

My poster, spied the previous night, before Chef Be*Live took the kitchen stage.  :-)
Thanks to Jim Sprague, Jr. for the awesome poster!  <3

Peace, love & kale rocks!!

xoxo,

Kat

Eggless Salad

And you thought eating raw vegan meant you had to give up egg salad - not anymore!  This is a great replacement for traditional egg salad, without the use of animal protein.  It has the same look & feel of traditional egg salad & is very filling & satisfying.

1 1/2 C almonds
1/2 C water
2 T apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp turmeric (or more, for  more intense yellow color)
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
2 cloves garlic
1 T raw honey (or 2 dates)

3 stalks celery, minced
1/2 lg. red bell pepper, minced
1/2-1 C young Thai coconut meat, diced
spinach
sprouts
paprika

Soak almonds in fresh water at least 8-12 hours.  Rinse and drain well.  Add almonds, water, vinegar, turmeric, mustard, pepper, salt, garlic and honey to food processor fitted with the "S" blade.  (If using dates instead of honey, soak them in water at least 10-20 minutes first to soften.)  Process until smooth (you will probably need to scrape the bowl down several times during the process).

Add mixture to a bowl & stir in diced celery, red pepper & coconut meat.  Place on a bed of spinach.  Garnish with sprouts & sprinkle with paprika.  Enjoy!

xoxo,
Kat

Raw Pumpkin Roulade

Roulade = fancy word for roll.  ;-)

I saw a picture of a roulade in a magazine last week & had to give it a RAW whirl!  I made up the cake recipe (& tasted, of course!) as I went along.  I think it turned out pretty good...& was yummy!  :-)


Pumpkin Cake:
1 1/2 C warm water
24 dates (about 2 C), pitted, soaked in the warm water for at least 10 minutes (reserve soak water)
4 C pumpkin or squash, chopped (I used a Hubbard squash this time)
1 C ground flax seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
1/4 C honey
1/4 C coconut oil
1 C almond pulp (from making almond milk)

Ideally, you will need a high-speed blender (VitaMix) and a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade to make the cake.

Blend the date soak water & 1 C of the pumpkin until smooth.  Slowly add remainder of the pumpkin & blend until smooth.  Add the flax, spices & salt & blend quickly until smooth (flax will immediately start setting up & can slow down the blender).  Place mixture in the food processor.

Add dates & process until fairly smooth.  With food processor running, slowly drizzle in honey & melted coconut oil & process until smooth.  Scrape down sides of bowl & add almond pulp; process until smooth.

Spread onto one lined dehydrator tray.  Dehydrate at 140 degrees for one hour.  Reduce temperature to 115 degrees & dehydrate for an additional 3 hours.  Flip onto screened dehydrator tray & peel away liner.  Dehydrate at 115 degrees for an additional 1-2 hours.  

These pictures were taken after the cake was dry - you can trim the edges but I left them 'artisan' style.  :-)

 

Fermented Cream Cheeze Filling:

2 C cashews, soaked, rinsed & drained
1 C water
1 tsp probiotic powder (Acidophilus works well)
Meat of 1 young thai coconut
1/2 C coconut sugar, blended to a fine powder
1/4 C coconut oil, melted

Soak cashews in water for 4-6 hours; rinse & drain.  Blend soaked cashews & water in high-speed blender (VitaMix) until creamy.  You may need to (cautiously!) use a spatula with the blender lid removed to assist blending the top of the mixture & avoid trapping an air bubble, which sometimes occurs when blending a thick mixture.  Add probiotic powder & blend lightly, just until incorporated.

Spoon mixture into a cloth-lined colander covered with another wet cloth.  Place in a warm location (e.g., on top of or next to the dehydrator) overnight (8-12 hours, or more).  After this time, the cheeze will be slightly sour smelling and fluffy – this means it has fermented & is ready to use.  Spoon cashew cheeze into a bowl & set aside

Blend coconut meat with coconut sugar until smooth.  With blender running on low, slowly drizzle in melted coconut oil.  At this point I lightly blended HALF of the cashew cheeze to this mixture & reserved the other half of the cheeze because I wanted two different layers of filling.  If you like, you can blend all of the cashew cheeze in for just one layer of filling.  Either way, chill the mixture with the oil until slightly firm but still spreadable - I used the ice cream freezer but you could also chill it in the fridge for about an hour.

Butter Pecan Creme:

3/4 C pecans - soaked, rinsed & drained
1/2 C warm water
6 dates, pitted & soaked (reserve soak water)
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder)

Blend all ingredients except 1/4 C chopped pecans until creamy.


To Assemble:

Spread filling (either one layer or two) onto 3/4 of cake; dot with semi-soft dehydrated cranberries* & chopped pecans if desired; roll up into a spiral.  Chill in the refrigerator if not serving right away.  Garnish with additional semi-dehydrated cranberries & pecans. Slice into rounds & serve with a dollop of Butter Pecan Creme.

*Note: I think dehydrated cranberries are a bit too chewy for this filling.  For semi-soft cranberries, you may either rehydrate dehydrated cranberries by soaking them in warm water for about 10 minutes OR cut fresh cranberries in half, sweeten with apple juice & dehydrate for 24-36 hours.

This is my first layer...

  

All rolled up...

Sliced & served!

I hope you try making this - let me know how yours turns out!

Peace, love & kale rocks...
xoxo,
Kat

Raw Gingersnap Pumpkin Cheezecake

Here's another Holiday recipe for ya!  This is so yummy...it just went in the freezer & will be enjoyed tomorrow night at our (after) Thanksgiving Celebration & Raw Food Potluck.  I can't wait !  :-)


Gingersnap Crust:
2 C almonds or pecans, soaked, rinsed & dehydrated
1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 Tbs blackstrap molasses
1 C light figs, de-stemmed & chopped

Process nuts, salt & spices in food processor until nuts are chopped finely but before they begin turning into nut butter.  Add blackstrap molasses & figs; process until mixture is crumbly & holds together when compacted.  Press into bottom of 9" springform pan (I usually line the bottom of my pan with wax paper so I can transfer the cheezecake onto a serving plate without the pan).

Filling:

2 C cashews, soaked 4 hours, rinsed & drained
2 C pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded & chopped
2 1/4 C warm water
24 dates (about 2 C), pitted, soaked in the warm water for at least 10 minutes (reserve soak water)
2 Tbs ground flax seed
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp vanilla powder)
8 tsp lemon juice
8 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 C coconut oil, melted

Ideally, you will need a high-speed blender (VitaMix) to make the filling.  I find it is easier to blend the filling in batches & then stir everything together:

Blend 1 C of the date soak water & cashews until smooth.  Place cashew mixture into a large bowl.

Blend 1 C of the date soak water & 1 C of the pumpkin until smooth.  Slowly add remainder of the pumpkin & blend until smooth.  Add dates & blend until smooth.  Add most of the pumpkin-date mixture to the bowl.

Add remainder of the water to blender, along with the flax, spices, salt, vanilla, lemon juice & apple cider vinegar; blend until smooth.  With blender running on low, slowly drizzle in melted coconut oil & blend until smooth.  Add this mixture to the bowl. 

Stir until all batches are well combined.  Pour into prepared springform pan.  Freeze at least 4 hours.  Remove from freezer about 30 minutes before serving. 

If you lined the bottom of the pan with wax paper, unclamp & remove the outside cylinder; place a plate onto the top of the cheezecake & flip over, remove the bottom pan then carefully peel the wax paper from the crust; place a serving plate onto crust side & flip over.

Slice, serve & enjoy!

Please let me know if you try this & what you think!

Peace, love & kale rocks...
xoxo,
Kat

Holiday Recipes

A chill is in the air, & the holidays are upon us.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner...a time to thank God for all of our many blessings and to celebrate by sharing good food with family & friends.  I realized that a few of the holiday recipes I presented to my 'Raw Food 101' class last December weren't out here on my blog (pictures to come soon).  I hope you enjoy them with your family & friends this year.  Please let me know if you try them out & what you think!

Scarborough Stuffing

 
1 C pecans, soaked & rinsed
1 C pumpkin seeds, soaked & rinsed
1/2 C sunflower seeds, soaked & rinsed
1 sweet/tart apple (such as Fuji), cubed
2 C water
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
4 stalks celery, minced
1 medium sweet yellow onion, minced
2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
1/2 C fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 Tbs dried sage, crumbled
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 Tbs fresh thyme, finely minced
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 C flax seeds, ground
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C water (or more, depending on consistency desired)

Soak the pecans, pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds in water for 6 hours; drain & rinse well.  Pulse in a food processor several times, scraping down the bowl each time.  Process until the mixture is soft & crumbly but not doughy.

Place apple in a bowl with water & about 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; drain.  Add apple, celery & onion to a bowl with 1 tsp of the salt & stir.  Spoon onto one or two lined dehydrator trays & dehydrate at 115 degrees for about an hour, rotating the trays halfway through (dehydrate until softened, not dried).

Add all ingredients to a large bowl & stir.

Note: if you don't have fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme), you may replace the herbs & spices with poultry seasoning (adjust the amount to your taste).  Most poultry seasonings contain some ratio of all or most these herbs & spices (some also contain marjoram & savory, which I didn't include in this recipe).

 

Cranberry Sauce

12 dates, soaked

2/3 C date soak water
2 T lime juice
2 C fresh cranberries

Soak dates in water until soft.  Blend dates, soak water & lime juice in high-speed blender (VitaMix) until smooth.  Add cranberries & blend lightly or to desired consistency.

Egg-less Nut Nog

1 quart almond cream (2 C almonds + 4 C water)*

2 Tbs cashew butter
2 Tbs coconut oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bananas, frozen

*To make almond cream, soak 2 C almonds in water for 8-12 hours.  Drain & rinse well.  In a high-speed blender (VitaMix), blend almonds & 4 C fresh water until smooth.  Strain mixture through a nut milk bag.

Rinse the pulp from the blender & pour the strained milk back in.  Add the reminder of the ingredients & blend until creamy.  Pour into glasses, sprinkle with nutmeg & serve.

Green Smoothies - Three Ways!

This blog is short & sweet - literally - it has a very sweet ending recipe!!  These are the recipes from last Friday's class at Whole Foods ('Raw Food 101: Green Smoothies!').  I love teaching, & I truly appreciate all who attend my classes - thank you!!

 

In honor of St. Pat's Day, I demo'ed three completely different green smoothies: one fruit & greens, one veggies & greens (soup) & one dessert - yummy!!  Pretty pictures to come later, when I make all this again at home!  :-)  In the meantime, you can check out the pics taken by Lorah during class here & Kathy's (very pretty!) picture below.  Enjoy!!

It’s Easy Being Green Smoothie (aka Kermit)

2-4 dates, pitted & soaked

1 banana, fresh or frozen

1/2 C pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen

6 cranberries, if available

4 leaves curly kale

1/4 bunch cilantro

1/4 lime, peeled

2 Tbs hemp seeds

1 Tbs flax seeds

1 Tbs chia seeds

1 C water (including date soak water)

1 C ice

Soak pitted dates in water for at least 10 minutes to soften.  Add all ingredients to high-speed blender (VitaMix) & blend until smooth.  Adjust water & ice to your desired thickness/slushiness.

Green Bandito Soup

1 small zucchini

1/3 large yellow pepper

3 stalks celery

1 garlic clove

1/4 lemon, peeled

2 handfuls baby arugula

2 handfuls baby greens (spinach, romaine, kale, etc.)

1 handful Italian parsley

1 Tbs sesame tahini

3 Tbs nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp coriander

Pinch cayenne pepper

1-2 C water

Add all ingredients to high-speed blender (VitaMix) & blend until smooth.  Adjust water to your desired thickness (you may use slightly warm water, if desired).  Garnish with diced veggies, herbs &/or spices.

Experiment & substitute other veggies, greens, fat & spices to your taste!  Suggestions:
Veggies: cucumber, tomato, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, jicama; red, orange or green bell peppers; anaheim, poblano, jalapeno, serrano or other hot peppers, sprouts

Greens: kale, collard, chard, romaine, bok choy, spinach, watercress, dandelion, mizuna

Fats: almond butter, soaked & rinsed nuts or seeds, avocado, olives, olive or seed oil

Herbs/spices: cilantro, basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, leeks, onion, turmeric, ginger

Dreamy Mint Choco Chip Shake

Inspired by my recent trip to CaféGratitude in L.A., where I tasted (among many delights), “I Am Cool”

2 Tbs cashew butter

2 Tbs coconut oil

4 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

Handful fresh mint

1 tsp spirulina powder*

1 C water

2 T cacao nibs

2 C ice

Add all ingredients except cacao nibs & ice to high-speed blender (VitaMix) & blend until smooth.  Add cacao nibs & ice & blend until frothy.  Enjoy immediately & immensely!

*Note: Use any green powder you wish – spirulina, chlorella, blue-green algae, VitaMineral Green, or even a handful of greens such as spinach or kale – to increase the nutrition & pretty green hue of this shake.

Thank you, Kathy, for the beautiful picture...and for continually inspiring me & many others!

Peace, love & Kale Rocks!!

xoxo,

Kat