Raw Food Dinner Party part 2

11 Aug 2009 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We were already a little full from the delicious Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes appetizer but of course I was excited to serve such a fun entree! Spinach and Wild Mushroom Quiche is such a great dish, but be advised it requires a lot of advance prep time 🙂 I also wish I had more of the tart base dough while I was making them, so that they would have come out thicker, but I was still very happy with these and they were great! The Raw Chef Russel James makes the most gorgeous raw food items, I was so excited to finally try one of his recipes. This recipe will require you to make the bases ahead of time so make sure to plan with enough time.

Fresh summer corn is one of my favorite things! I love the fresh sweet taste and pairing it with avocado and red onion is beyond delightful. I have made a variation on this many times and every time my husband and I love it so much. This was a fun dish to share with our friends as well. It is really quick and easy to prepare and then even easier to enjoy!

Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche served with Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

quiche and salad

Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche
Recipe from The Raw Chef Russel James
Makes 4, 11cm quiche

For the base
1c cashew
1/4c macadamia nuts
2T flax meal (ground flax seed)
1 clove crushed garlic
1T nutritional yeast
2t olive oil
1/4t salt
3T water
1T lemon juice

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed, leaving some texture to the nuts.
• Press into plastic film lined individual tart cases *so you have a thin crust. You will find that regularly dipping your fingers in a bowl of water helps with this.
• Place bases onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 2 hours. They should now be firm enough to remove from the tart cases so you can continue to dehydrate them for a further 6 hours.

*Tart cases should be approx 11cm wide and no than about 1cm high, to allow the mixture (details to follow) to dehydrate inside.

For the filling
2c wild mushrooms (or substitute for any type of available mushroom)
1/2t salt
1T lemon juice

• Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms, then marinate them in the salt and lemon juice and set aside.

2c  zucchini
1/4c water
1 1/2c cashews
1/4c white miso
2t lemon juice
1/2 medium white onion
3T nutritional yeast
1/2t salt

• Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

2c tightly-packed spinach
2T olive oil
1/4t salt

• Pulse spinach, olive oil and salt in a food processor for 10 to 20 seconds until broken down.
• Drain the mushrooms from earlier and transfer them to a large bowl, along with the blended courgette (zucchini) mixture, and spinach. Then also mix in the following ingredients:

1/4c finely sliced spring onions
1c diced tomatoes
1T minced basil

• Once thoroughly mixed, pour this mixture into the bases. You’ll need to slightly overfill the bases as the filling will reduce slightly in the dehydrator.
• Dehydrate overnight and during the day, for anything up to 24 hours.
• Remove from the dehydrator and decorate with slices of tomato and fresh basil sprigs. It’s also a good idea to brush the top of the quiche with a small amount of olive oil, to make them more appealing in their appearance.

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

4 ears of fresh corn, husked and cut from cob
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 avocados, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy the fresh taste of summer! 🙂

Raw Food Dinner Party part 1

10 Aug 2009 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Superfoods, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have always loved cooking food and giving to others. It is definitely one of my favorite things to do. But I have not had the chance to have a full blown Raw Dinner Party till now. I am so happy that we were able to this. There is not much better than good company and good food!

Here is our appetizer, which could easily be a meal on its own. It was amazing! While I was making the “sour cream” I had to make sure to put it in the fridge so that I didn’t eat it all before our friends came over! If you love truffles or bruschetta at all, you will go mad for this dish!

If you want a sneak peek for the upcoming recipes check out my menu in the picture below 🙂

Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes

bruschetta 3

Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes
Recipe from Entertaining in the Raw by Matthew Kenney
Serves 4-6
Bruschetta
1 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/3 cups walnuts, soaked 8-10 hours
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

“Sour Cream”
1 cup cashews, soaked 1-2hours
1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white truffle oil

Tomato
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers, soaked 1 hour
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons julienned basil

Assembly
1/4 cup basil leaves
fresh black pepper

Bruschetta
Place flax meal in a medium-sized bowl; set aside. Process remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add the bowl with flax meal and stir until well combined. Spread on Teflex sheets in desired shape to 1/2inch thickness. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 24-36 hours until almost completely dry but still a bit pliable

“Sour Cream”
Blend all the ingredients in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Refrigerate until firm.

Tomato
Toss all ingredients together and season to taste

Assembly
Spread a think layer of “sour cream” on each piece of bruschetta and top with a generous amount of tomatoes. Garnish with basil and black pepper.

my notes:

For the “Sour Cream” I used black truffle oil instead of white, but if you saw my note above, you would know that I am sure it does not matter. It was absurdly deelish!

For the Tomatoes, I did not use cilantro and I am not a fan and I did not use the peppers. Instead of the cilantro I used more basil. Instead of the peppers, I substituted jalapeno peppers and some chili powder.


bruschetta 4

Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho

10 Aug 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho
Recipe by Matthew Kenny from Everyday Raw
serves 2

gazpacho

This is a really great summer soup. Simple, fast and so refreshing! It is lighter and fresher than a traditional tomato based gazpacho, plus it is always fun to mix things up. As I have said before, I love raw soups and how simple they are. This involves dicing and blending and that is it! I love having some of the mixture whole since it adds such a nice texture to this soup.

I love tomatillos with their texture and surprising flavor! They are so gorgeous! If you have never cooked with tomatillos before, they are a treat! They have a papery husk that you peel off and they look similar to green tomatoes. But the taste is the surprising part as they are tart and almost citrus-like.

Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho

2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers
2 cups seeded and diced tomatillos
2 cups diced white grapes
1/4 cup ginger juice
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Dice all the ingredients. Set aside 1/4 of the diced mixture and blend the rest. Pour the blended mixture over the rest and Enjoy!

Raw Teriyaki Almonds

06 Aug 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Raw Teriyaki Almonds

I love all the snacks from Gone Nuts! and from Living Nutz! But as many of you probably know buying raw snacks can really add up in cost! Plus I always like to experiment or am just happy to make things on my own. I am sure I will buy from them again but here is my take on Teriyaki Almonds. I was just eyeing the amount of each ingredient I used, so below are all just estimates. These came out so yummy and gooey with the crunch of nuts inside! Deeelish!

almonds

  • 2 cups Almonds
  • 6 Dried Figs
  • 8 Dried Dates
  • 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
  • 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 cloves of fresh Garlic
  • couple of dashes of Cayenne Pepper
  1. Start off by soaking the almonds for 8+ hours. Rinse and set aside.
  2. Blend all the ingredients (besides the almonds) together.
  3. Pour over and combine well with the almonds and allow to marinate for 1 hour – several days. (I only marinated for a few hours)
  4. Then dehydrate at 115 degrees till desired texture. For me this was around 60 hours.

New NYC Juice Bar!

06 Aug 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights Tags:

I love Juice Bars of course! We could always use more 🙂 Check this new one out! 

Simple Raw Juice Bar
203 Mott St., b/t Spring & Kenmare Sts. (212-625-2081)
http://simplejuicebar.com/
Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.

Herb-Grilled Chicken Breasts, Thai Style with Bok Choi Stir-Fry

05 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , ,

chicken - herbs greens

This may not be the prettiest dish but it smelled super great and Michael really enjoyed the flavors! I would suggest slicing the chicken afterwards to make a prettier presentation. The bok choi cooks quick so put it on right after you get the chicken on the grill. You could also substitute the bok choi with other Asian greens to compliment the flavors of the chicken or to eat on their own as a vegetarian dish. I love bok choi, especially in the summer when they are so strong and a beautiful green!

Herb-Grilled Chicken Breasts, Thai Style
Recipe adapted from July 1998 Bon Appétit

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or 1 hot chili chopped
  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
  1. Combine first 10 ingredients in processor. Process until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
  2. Arrange chicken in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish. Spoon herb mixture over chicken, covering completely. Cover dish; chill at least 2 hours, turning chicken occasionally.
  3. Set grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates and serve.

Bok Choi Stir-Fry

  • 1 medium bunch of bok choi
  • 3 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or 1 hot chili chopped
    1. Clean and wash the bok choi carefully. (There tends to be dirt caught under the leaves)
    2. Cut into 3 inch pieces
    3. Heat the oil in a wok or large pot and add the garlic, salt and Sriracha and stir for about 1 minute
    4. Add the greens and stir until the greens go limp but the stems are still crunchy about 4 minutes.
    5. Add salt to taste

chicken - herbs

Almond Butter Cups

04 Aug 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Almond Butter Cups
Recipe from Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney
yields about 1 1/2 quarts

This recipe make many delicious, decadent, chocolaty squares. So if you do not want leftovers or do not have a crowd to feed I would suggest you half this. But I like leftovers 🙂 So I am happy with having delicious little bites in the freezer. The great thing about these is that they are so satisfying you don’t need too many.

almond butter cup close up

1 cup almond butter
1 1/2 cup agave, divided
2 cups coconut oil, divided
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup cacao nibs

  1. Mix almond butter, 1/2 cup agave, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and sea salt in medium bowl; keep in warm place until ready to use.
  2. Blend cacao nibs, remaining 1 cup agave, and remaining 1-1/2 cups coconut oil in the Vita-mix until smooth.
  3. Spread half of this cacao mixture on parchment-lined half sheet pan to create a thin layer. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to firm.
  4. Spread the almond butter mixture over hardened cacao layer. Then spread remainder of cacao mixture over almond butter; place in freezer until firm.
  5. Turn out pan onto cutting board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into small pieces. ENJOY 🙂
  6. Store extra almond butter cups in containers in refrigerator.

almond butter cup

almond butter cups

TapIt

04 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, New York Highlights Tags:

TapIt is a new service that allows you to refill your water bottle free of charge at participating NYC restaurants and cafés.

tapitdrinktapit

Thai Coconut Bliss Soup

03 Aug 2009 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thai Coconut Bliss Soup
Recipe from The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose
makes 2-4 servings

It is one of Natalia’s favorite soups and now I know why. It is beyond divine!! Such creamy deliciousness! I love all things coconut so was excited by a soup that used 3 young coconuts! It was so creamy and full of flavor. I know that anyone would love this soup, as long as they don’t mind coconuts of course! Plus I love that you have coconut water left over after the recipe. I love love love coconut water, it is totally magical. And of course, as with most raw soups this is super easy to make (once the coconuts are open!).

soup top

 1 cup sliced thinly shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Meat of 3 young coconuts
1 1/2 cups coconut water
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup olive oil
4 dates, pitted
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu soy sauce
1 clove garlic

  1. Place the mushrooms, basil, 1/4 cup of lime juice, and the sea salt in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  2. Blend the coconut meat, coconut water, ginger, olive oil, dates, soy sauce, the remaining 1/4 of lime juice, and garlic in a blender until smooth.
  3. Pour the blended mixture into bowls. Garnish with the marinate mushrooms and basil mixture.

soup close up side

soup close up

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

03 Aug 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: , ,

Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Recipe from Whole Foods
Serves 8

This recipe was made with some of my favorite flavors. I love Jamaican food so much! You can marinate this for a few hours while preparing the rest of dinner or you can do what I did and marinate overnight. It was so fabulous! When it came time to cook the chicken the marinade was totally infused into the chicken. I put everything into a foodsaver bag and let the marinade work its magic. I love this method because if you needed a quickly prepared dinner all the work is already done. I served this with a simple ginger and coconut rice and a little sprinkle of cilantro. I am so happy I made all 8 pieces for Michael as he really liked it and leftovers are always a good thing in my house. I am sure you could use this marinade on tofu or seitan and it would be scrumptious!

jerk chicken1

6 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

  1. For the marinade, combine green onions, onion, jalapeño, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, brown sugar, thyme, cloves, nutmeg and allspice in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place the chicken in a large bowl, coat with the marinade, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
  2. Preheat the grill to high heat. Place the chicken on the grill and grill 4 to 6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through. Discard remaining marinade. Serve hot.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries