It's totally raw Friday and it's going to be a hot and muggy summer's day! Having no air conditioning in our house, I got up very early and opened all the doors and windows to let the cool breeze in.
It's going to be a busy day in the Raw Food Yogini's kitchen today! I have orders of raw crackers to fill and since the dehydrator will be the only thing humming, I'm going to fill any vacant space with wild edible flower pedals. Great to accent a cup of tea or perhaps a new recipe!
Better get cracking and get out there to pick some flowers before the heat of the day takes hold!
Have an awesome "totally raw Friday" everyone!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Perfect for the Cookie Monster in Me!
I just had one of those days, where all I wanted is chocolate and cookies!
Not wanting to break into my husbands stash of baked cookies I made my own raw version. I didn't have raw chocolate chips handy so I folded and used the commercial ones that I had in the house. I will have to find a raw chocolate chip version in the future or I may just have to make my own!
Unleash the cookie monster in you and enjoy one of these cookies!
From my raw food kitchen to yours,
Have a great long weekend everyone!
~Fortunata
The Raw Food Yogini
Not wanting to break into my husbands stash of baked cookies I made my own raw version. I didn't have raw chocolate chips handy so I folded and used the commercial ones that I had in the house. I will have to find a raw chocolate chip version in the future or I may just have to make my own!
Unleash the cookie monster in you and enjoy one of these cookies!
From my raw food kitchen to yours,
Have a great long weekend everyone!
~Fortunata
The Raw Food Yogini
Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use raw chocolate chips if you can find them, if not just use the regular dark chocolate ones you can find in any local grocery store.
1/3 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup raw pecans
1/3 cup raw hazelnuts
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp coconut butter
6-8 medjool dates
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Put all ingredients in a food processor except chocolate chips and process until crumbs can be pressed into a ball.
Transfer crumbs into a bowl and chocolate chips, mix and then press into cookie shape of your choice.
Place on dehydrator sheet and dehydrate 2 hours @ 140 degrees followed by an additional 3 hours at 115 degrees.
Cookies are ready when they appear dry on the outside. Store in a dry cool place or fridge!
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| Raw Food Yogini's Chocolate Chip Cookies |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Raw Food Yogini's-Gourmet Crackers
Here is a pic of my gourmet raw crackers both pre and post dehydration!
Some of my yoga students sampled them Saturday morning and before I knew it I was taking orders to fill this week!
Whether you are a raw food diet, vegan or not, and just want a great cracker to enjoy with your favourite spreads, these are a great healthy alternative!
Some of my yoga students sampled them Saturday morning and before I knew it I was taking orders to fill this week!
Whether you are a raw food diet, vegan or not, and just want a great cracker to enjoy with your favourite spreads, these are a great healthy alternative!
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| Memories of Sicily |
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| Thai Fusion |
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Raw Banana Pancakes-No Syrup Required!
Never having made raw pancakes before these turned out great!
Preparation time, less than 5 minutes
Dehydration time, 6 hours or more depending on their thickness!
Here is the recipe!
Banana Pancakes
makes 3 medium pancakes
1 cup ripe organic banana
1/4 cup organic raw shredded coconut
1 tsp ground chia
1 tsp ground flax (use a mix of half golden and half brown flax seeds; the golden seeds have a milder taste)
1 tbsp agave nectar
Cinnamon
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until a pancake like consistency is obtained.
Divide the mixture into 3 equal size pancakes on a dehydrator sheet.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and dehydrate at 115 degrees until you can easily flip approximately 3 hours. Flip and dehydrate on the same permaflex sheet until pancake like texture is achieved. Do not over dehydrate.
Preparation time, less than 5 minutes
Dehydration time, 6 hours or more depending on their thickness!
Here is the recipe!
Banana Pancakes
makes 3 medium pancakes
1 cup ripe organic banana
1/4 cup organic raw shredded coconut
1 tsp ground chia
1 tsp ground flax (use a mix of half golden and half brown flax seeds; the golden seeds have a milder taste)
1 tbsp agave nectar
Cinnamon
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until a pancake like consistency is obtained.
Divide the mixture into 3 equal size pancakes on a dehydrator sheet.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and dehydrate at 115 degrees until you can easily flip approximately 3 hours. Flip and dehydrate on the same permaflex sheet until pancake like texture is achieved. Do not over dehydrate.
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| Pre-dehydration |
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| Ready to eat! |
Serve with berries or any other fruit topping of your choice!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Dehydrator will be a humming today!
I think I'm a bit ambitious today and going to fill my dehydrator with some goodies to enjoy throughout the next couple of days.
Going to tweak my essence bread recipe with the sprouted kamut and wheat berries that are ready to go.
Someone asked me about raw pancakes this week and I personally never have made them because they just take so long to dehydrate....but since the dehydrator is going to be a buzzing today I am just going to have to make my own version.
I'm also going to make myself raw energy bars filled with nuts, dates, coconut and sprinkle in maca, cinnamon and of course raw cocoa to enjoy after a great workout or just as a snack.
Better get started so I can enjoy a pancake diner tonight!
Have a totally raw Friday everyone!
Going to tweak my essence bread recipe with the sprouted kamut and wheat berries that are ready to go.
Someone asked me about raw pancakes this week and I personally never have made them because they just take so long to dehydrate....but since the dehydrator is going to be a buzzing today I am just going to have to make my own version.
I'm also going to make myself raw energy bars filled with nuts, dates, coconut and sprinkle in maca, cinnamon and of course raw cocoa to enjoy after a great workout or just as a snack.
Better get started so I can enjoy a pancake diner tonight!
Have a totally raw Friday everyone!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Pretty & Pink-Beet Pineapple Juice or Smoothie-You choose
Love summer time and the freshness of produce in our grocery stores. I try to buy organic as much as I can and love how easier it has become to find organic in local regular markets as well as health food stores!
This morning I picked up some beets along with the greens. I just had a craving for some beet juice in my smoothy this morning. I love beets they are sweet and earthy tasting to me and they add so much colour to anything you add them in to.
Initially I thought of juicing the beets and the greens but then I had second thoughts. I would use the beets themselves in a beet hummus or add them to my salad and just use the stems for juice. Feeling a bit lazy to juice I decided to whip my morning drink in my vitamix instead and take advantage of all that goodness in the entire stem instead of just the juice!
Here is my Pretty & Pink Beet Pineapple Smoothy Recipe
2 cup fresh pineapple
1 cup fresh beet stocks cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup water
1 tbsp hemp seeds
Ice (as much as you like)
Place all ingredients in a vitamix and blend till smooth.
Pour into a nice long glass and enjoy!
If you want a refreshing drink instead of a smoothy, place all ingredients into a juicer (except the ice and hemp seeds), juice and ice and enjoy as a cocktail style drink!
Namaste
This morning I picked up some beets along with the greens. I just had a craving for some beet juice in my smoothy this morning. I love beets they are sweet and earthy tasting to me and they add so much colour to anything you add them in to.
Initially I thought of juicing the beets and the greens but then I had second thoughts. I would use the beets themselves in a beet hummus or add them to my salad and just use the stems for juice. Feeling a bit lazy to juice I decided to whip my morning drink in my vitamix instead and take advantage of all that goodness in the entire stem instead of just the juice!
Here is my Pretty & Pink Beet Pineapple Smoothy Recipe
2 cup fresh pineapple
1 cup fresh beet stocks cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup water
1 tbsp hemp seeds
Ice (as much as you like)
Place all ingredients in a vitamix and blend till smooth.
Pour into a nice long glass and enjoy!
If you want a refreshing drink instead of a smoothy, place all ingredients into a juicer (except the ice and hemp seeds), juice and ice and enjoy as a cocktail style drink!
Namaste
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sprouted Kamut & Wheat Berry Essene Bread
Second time around was a charm!
Below is the finished product, fresh out of the dehydrator!
Below is the finished product, fresh out of the dehydrator!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Wahooo, It's Totally Raw Friday!
It's totally raw Friday and I have sprouted wheat berries and kamut ready to make a loaf of raw essene bread!
Last batch I tried making at the beginning of the week ...ah... was a bit too sweet, great for breakfast but not too great with fresh tomatoes and cucumber slices.
Back to the drawing board and this time using less spices and dates in this batch....I think I may have to make a couple of small loaves trying different spice combinations.
Just love experimenting in my raw food kitchen!
Have a great Friday everyone and an awesome weekend!
Last batch I tried making at the beginning of the week ...ah... was a bit too sweet, great for breakfast but not too great with fresh tomatoes and cucumber slices.
Back to the drawing board and this time using less spices and dates in this batch....I think I may have to make a couple of small loaves trying different spice combinations.
Just love experimenting in my raw food kitchen!
Have a great Friday everyone and an awesome weekend!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
New Ideas from the Raw Festival
As always I'm always looking for ideas and inspiration to make something new so last weekend I went to the Rawfood festival to see what are other people are preparing and eating these days.
There was the usual vendors there, displaying and selling most of the same products that you can pick up at your local health food store, but then there was a vendor of raw bread. I had to stop and give it a try because this bread was a loaf not the usual flat breads that I have seen in the market. I can't tell you how great this bread tasted. So of course I picked up a couple of loaves, sliced and froze one and the other is slowly being enjoyed with various different toppings.
Being me, I just had to make my own version. Over the last couple of days I sprouted wheat kernels and last night I made my first loaf. I did some reading on line and they mention that the bread can go sour if not dehydrated properly so this morning I'm really anxious to give it a try. It's still a little soft, the bread should have a hard crust (just like the baked version) but the inside remains moist. I have never tasted anything like it before, and it really is good, so I really can't wait to taste my version.
Next Local Raw Festivals:
Raw stock August 25, Niagara-on-the-lake
There was the usual vendors there, displaying and selling most of the same products that you can pick up at your local health food store, but then there was a vendor of raw bread. I had to stop and give it a try because this bread was a loaf not the usual flat breads that I have seen in the market. I can't tell you how great this bread tasted. So of course I picked up a couple of loaves, sliced and froze one and the other is slowly being enjoyed with various different toppings.
Being me, I just had to make my own version. Over the last couple of days I sprouted wheat kernels and last night I made my first loaf. I did some reading on line and they mention that the bread can go sour if not dehydrated properly so this morning I'm really anxious to give it a try. It's still a little soft, the bread should have a hard crust (just like the baked version) but the inside remains moist. I have never tasted anything like it before, and it really is good, so I really can't wait to taste my version.
Next Local Raw Festivals:
Raw stock August 25, Niagara-on-the-lake
Friday, June 8, 2012
Looking for Inspiration? Take a Tour of Your Kitchen!
For some of us who have made or are transitioning into eating more raw, food preparation can sometimes be very daunting. Looking through recipe books can be an utter disappointment because the ingredient lists can often contain items that you have never heard of and even if you wanted to go out there and purchase them where would you even start to find them in rural Southern Ontario.
I'm just now beginning to find ingredients that I normally would have to travel into the city to purchase such as thai young coconuts and jicama in my local grocery and health food market. My husband always laughs when I walk into the grocery store and find a rare item. I get so excited and happy that I can now make something special.
So where am I going with this? Well, don't let huge rare ingredients in a recipe get you down. Instead look in your cupboard and fridge and opt out of the rare stuff in a recipe for something that just speaks to you and is in your kitchen just waiting to be enjoyed.
It's really important to have a few common ingredients in your kitchen at all times to be able to whip something together quickly.
So where do you begin? Begin with what you already have in your kitchen. To give you some idea of what I readily have available in my kitchen below is a list of basic ingredients that I use in a variety of impromptu recipes.
Nuts: Seeds: Others: Oils:
Almonds Sunflower Almond Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Walnuts Shelled Hemp Tamari Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Peacans Flax Apple Cider Vinegar
Brazil Nuts Sesame Nutritional Yeast
Macadamia Pumpkin
Hazelnuts Chia
Pine Nuts Variety of seeds for sprouting
Cashews
Fruit Fresh & Dried: Fresh Veggies: Herbs and Spices:
Dates Spinach Himalayan Salt
Raisans Kale Cayenne Pepper
Apples Mixed field greens Chipolte powder
Oranges Green onions Oregano, dried
Pineapple Red onions Basil
Melon Zucchini
A variety of berries, fresh and frozen Tomatoes fresh and sun dried
Shredded coconut Jicama
Bananas Cauliflower
Pears Broccoli
Avocado
Beets
Tomatoes (fresh and sun dried)
Fresh sprouts
Cucumbers
Carrots
Mushrooms (dried and fresh)
Having these basic ingredients readily available in your kitchen will give you the basics for any meal.
Now, get in there, take a look at what you have at hand, and let your ingredients guide you in making something raw for tonights diner!
Have a Totally Raw Friday Everyone!
I'm just now beginning to find ingredients that I normally would have to travel into the city to purchase such as thai young coconuts and jicama in my local grocery and health food market. My husband always laughs when I walk into the grocery store and find a rare item. I get so excited and happy that I can now make something special.
So where am I going with this? Well, don't let huge rare ingredients in a recipe get you down. Instead look in your cupboard and fridge and opt out of the rare stuff in a recipe for something that just speaks to you and is in your kitchen just waiting to be enjoyed.
It's really important to have a few common ingredients in your kitchen at all times to be able to whip something together quickly.
So where do you begin? Begin with what you already have in your kitchen. To give you some idea of what I readily have available in my kitchen below is a list of basic ingredients that I use in a variety of impromptu recipes.
Nuts: Seeds: Others: Oils:
Almonds Sunflower Almond Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Walnuts Shelled Hemp Tamari Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Peacans Flax Apple Cider Vinegar
Brazil Nuts Sesame Nutritional Yeast
Macadamia Pumpkin
Hazelnuts Chia
Pine Nuts Variety of seeds for sprouting
Cashews
Fruit Fresh & Dried: Fresh Veggies: Herbs and Spices:
Dates Spinach Himalayan Salt
Raisans Kale Cayenne Pepper
Apples Mixed field greens Chipolte powder
Oranges Green onions Oregano, dried
Pineapple Red onions Basil
Melon Zucchini
A variety of berries, fresh and frozen Tomatoes fresh and sun dried
Shredded coconut Jicama
Bananas Cauliflower
Pears Broccoli
Avocado
Beets
Tomatoes (fresh and sun dried)
Fresh sprouts
Cucumbers
Carrots
Mushrooms (dried and fresh)
Having these basic ingredients readily available in your kitchen will give you the basics for any meal.
Now, get in there, take a look at what you have at hand, and let your ingredients guide you in making something raw for tonights diner!
Have a Totally Raw Friday Everyone!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Nice Surprise at the Local Farmers Market
This past weekend I headed out to our local farmers market. Knowing that the entire town would be getting ready for Jazz fest I knew that I had to get to the market early just to be able to find parking.
Well parking was not a problem but the market due to all the other festivities did not have all the regulars there. A few booths were set up across the road in a parking lot. So Disappointing!
My mission was to purchase pea sprouts from a local grower and anything else that called to me. Since there was not much available, nothing really called out that I didn't already have at home. So I headed and found the sprout grower and there on his table was a package of raw nori.
B-O-N-U-S
Definitely going to make raw nori rolls similar to the ones below with the addition of the pea shoots that I picked up at the market for diner!
YUM
Well parking was not a problem but the market due to all the other festivities did not have all the regulars there. A few booths were set up across the road in a parking lot. So Disappointing!
My mission was to purchase pea sprouts from a local grower and anything else that called to me. Since there was not much available, nothing really called out that I didn't already have at home. So I headed and found the sprout grower and there on his table was a package of raw nori.
B-O-N-U-S
Definitely going to make raw nori rolls similar to the ones below with the addition of the pea shoots that I picked up at the market for diner!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Good Golly Miss Molly-It's Already Friday!
I have no idea where the time has gone. Time seems to be flying by this week.
Started off the week preparing a batch of raw sunflower bread for a friend, and prepping a lot of salad greens to have ready and on hand throughout the week so I wouldn't be tempted to indulge on things that I really shouldn't be and just in a blink it's Friday!
Not any Friday but Totally Raw Friday and today in the Raw Food Yogini's Kitchen we will be serving:
Green Berry Bliss Smoothie
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
1-2 handfuls organic spinach
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds (presoaked, makes them easier to blend)
1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
1 tsp or more vibrant greens
want an added energy boost? add 1 tsp of ground maca root.
Traditional Italian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
~This my most favourite salad, reminds me of summer days at my parents farm!
2-3 plum tomatos
1/2 english cucumber
2-4 chopped green onions
2 tbsp EVOO
1 large pinch of dried oregano
Salt to taste
Optional: Add a few kalamata olives or other olives of your choice...now you are moving it more towards being a greek salad!
Toss, let stand for a few minutes to allow juices to flow and flavours to blend, then enjoy!
Wild Mushroom Nut Burgers with large tossed green salad
~Haven't come up with a recipe yet for the wild mushroom nut burgers but I'm sure it will be good.
Off to my raw food lab, I mean kitchen, to develop a protocol, I mean recipe! ;)
Have a Totally Raw Friday Everyone!!!
Started off the week preparing a batch of raw sunflower bread for a friend, and prepping a lot of salad greens to have ready and on hand throughout the week so I wouldn't be tempted to indulge on things that I really shouldn't be and just in a blink it's Friday!
Not any Friday but Totally Raw Friday and today in the Raw Food Yogini's Kitchen we will be serving:
Green Berry Bliss Smoothie
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
1-2 handfuls organic spinach
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds (presoaked, makes them easier to blend)
1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
1 tsp or more vibrant greens
want an added energy boost? add 1 tsp of ground maca root.
Traditional Italian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
~This my most favourite salad, reminds me of summer days at my parents farm!
2-3 plum tomatos
1/2 english cucumber
2-4 chopped green onions
2 tbsp EVOO
1 large pinch of dried oregano
Salt to taste
Optional: Add a few kalamata olives or other olives of your choice...now you are moving it more towards being a greek salad!
Toss, let stand for a few minutes to allow juices to flow and flavours to blend, then enjoy!
Wild Mushroom Nut Burgers with large tossed green salad
~Haven't come up with a recipe yet for the wild mushroom nut burgers but I'm sure it will be good.
Off to my raw food lab, I mean kitchen, to develop a protocol, I mean recipe! ;)
Have a Totally Raw Friday Everyone!!!
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