Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
servings 2

Who does not love raw cookie dough!! Well here is the ‘raw’ version!! This recipe is beyond decadent and super fast to make! Whenever you get a sweet craving you can whip this up in 2 minutes, literally! We made this the other night and Michael has been asking for it ever since, I think it is addictive!!! If you do not eat honey you could substitute agave, but it would not be as thick.

cookie dough

2 tablespoon raw tahini
2 tablespoon raw cacao nibs
2 tablespoon raw honey
5 teaspoon coconut oil (I used Artisana brand because it is thicker, made with coconut and its oil!! the best)
a couple drops organic vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Eat with a spoon. ENJOY!!!

Sand Art Salad

My fabulous girlfriends can be so creative. Rae (an amazing artist, etsy site soon to come but for now see her portfolio on facebook) created this gorgeous Sand Art Salad. Yi-Ching (total master of photography, see her work here) took this great picture! Love it so much!! I always say, you eat with your eyes first! Beautiful Girls!

sand art salad

Jamba Juice is offering this BOGO deal on smoothies until August 9. To get the coupon, click here.

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These raw cookies tasted like regular amazing oatmeal raisin cookies!! So deeeelish!!  I would suggest that you double or triple this recipe as these went so fast! The oats softened up in the dehydrator and the cookies were soft and sweet. I am so amazed and highly recommend these! Plus they are so cute 🙂

oatmeal cookies

Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
makes around 12 cookies

2 raw rolled oats (you can use oat groats as well)
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup cashews

1. Grind 1/2 the oats, 1/2 the almonds and cashews in food processor until fine.
2. Pour into a large bowl
3. Pulse the rest of the almonds until chunky
4. Transfer almonds to bowl
5. Add raisins and agave nectar to bowl and combine
6. With your hands or a ice cream scoop make rounds of dough and flatten onto mesh dehydrator sheet
7. Dehydrate for about 12 hours at 110 degrees.

Note: If you are using your hands to form the dough it will be very very sticky, but so worth it! They will fall apart a little while making, but the dehydrator sorts that out.

 oatmeal cookies close up

Super Fast Veggie Stir-fry

I am sure everyone has those nights where they need to throw dinner together quickly or you have an abundance of gorgeous veggies in the fridge you have to use up soon. Here is a great go to stir-fry recipe that I throw together when I need something like that. Super fast, tons of nutrition and really deelish! Of course you can substitute any veggies you have in the fridge for what I have used. The same goes with the seasonings. Also I tend to just pour on the ingredients so the measurements are not exact and you should season to taste.

stir-fry side

Super Fast Veggie Stir-fry

1 tablespoon canola
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 lb snap peas, cleaned
1/4 head of red cabbage, chopped
8 ounces of mini portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 package of seitan or soy chicken (I used Morningstar meal starters chicken)
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons agave
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon ginger powder (or fresh ginger)
1 teaspoon Sriracha

    1. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan and add onions and garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes
    2. Add the red pepper, snap peas, cabbage, mushrooms and soy chicken and combine well
    3. Add the mirin, agave, tamari, ginger powder and sritacha and mix well
    4. Continue to sauté for another 4 minutes or until the veggies reach your desired texture
    5. Taste and adjust seasonings, Enjoy 🙂

stir-fry top

Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles

eggs vertical

I love dishes where you can go from cooking, baking, or preparing right to the table. Plus how adorable are individual portioned meals! I think they make such a gorgeous and elegant presentation. Since this was just for my husband I used two 12-ounce dishes and one 20-ounce dish making two great meals for him. For smaller portions I would recommend using four 10-ounce ramekins/dishes, as this recipe should make 4 portions. This was such a super easy and quick recipe to put together and sometimes I really appreciate that!

Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles
Adapted From EatingWell Magazine

2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles, drained and patted dry
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups plain soymilk (or skim milk)
6 large egg whites
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet
2. Equally divide green chiles, corn and scallions among the ramekins. Top each with cheese. Whisk milk, egg whites, eggs and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the ramekins
3. Bake the mini casseroles until the tops begin to brown and the eggs are set, about 35 minutes for 10-ounce ramekins, 40 minutes for 12-ounce dishes and 1 hour for 20-ounce dish

eggs close up

eggs horizon

Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce with Sweet Corn and Snap Pea Summer Side

halibut

Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce

I loved how simple and fast this dinner was to prepare. Since only Michael is eating this I use 2 pieces of fish (one for that night and one for his lunch the following day) as fish does not stay that well. But of course if you have more mouths to feed just double the recipe. You can also mix up the herbs to create a different taste each time you make this. If you make the chimichurri first it will be ready by the time it takes you to grill the fish. This dinner can literally be made in 20 minutes!

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoons hot red-pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 2 halibut filets
  • salt and pepper
  1. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, shallot, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper.
  2. Mix in the parsley (or other herbs). Put aside until the fish is cooked.
  3. Prepare whatever grill you are using. We use the Griddler so it is rather easy. You want to set it to medium-high.
  4. Brush the fish with the vegetable oil and then sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Cook the fish from 8 – 10 minutes, till done.
  5. Plate and serve with chimichurri drizzled on top.

I also made a little side dish from gorgeous bright summer vegetables. My favorite! There is no reason to go crazy with sauces when you are dealing with super flavorful and fresh ingredients.

Sweet Corn and Snap Pea Summer Side

  • 1 stalk of corn, shucked
  • 1/2 pound of snap peas, cleaned
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  1. Heat oil over medium high heat and add onions. Cook until they soften, around 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the snap peas and corn and sautee for another 2 minutes
  3. Salt and pepper to taste

Six Reasons to Drink Green Juice Every Day

Six Reasons to Drink Green Juice Every Day

Check out this short article on the fabulous benefits of Green Juice! MMMM!!! We drink our juice or green smoothies every morning but it is still nice to be reminded of the benefits we are getting. I love doing what is more beneficial for me as much as possible and why not have that be the focus and start of each and every day!?!

So even if you don’t own a juicer you can always either make a quick green smoothie or go to a local juice store and order one up. Love it!

Here is my favorite recipe for our everyday green juice. But of course feel free to spice it up every once in a while for a change.

My go to recipe is:

  • 2 different heads of greens (kale, chard, romaine, etc.)
  • either a celery or cucumber base (3-5 stalks of celery or 1/2-whole cucumber)
  • 1-2 green apples

It is really very simple and the whole process from washing the greens, juicing to cleaning the juicer happens in less than 15 minutes! So there is no time excuse for me, unless I am truly rushing out the door and then I could always stop at a local juice place and order it up I always try to use as many organic veggies as possible. We drink these raw and we want to get the maximum benefits, so organic is the only way to go!

 

Sweet Double Coconut Chia Pudding

I love all things Chia these days. I just cannot get enough of it. It is so delicious and nutritious, I feel amazing eating it. Plus the fact that is sublimely deelish doesn’t hurt either 😉 Here is a great recipe for another Chia Pudding, this one with the beloved young coconut. It is not the prettiest of puddings but it is really tasty. To see my original Chia Pudding click here. To see why Chia is so fabulous for you click here.

chia pudding

Sweet Double Coconut Chia Pudding
Makes 1-2 servings
Recipe from Casey’s Lifestyle Raw blog

1 young coconut, flesh and water
1/2 cup coconut flakes
2/3 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cloves
8 drops vanilla stevia (you could also use plain stevia and add some vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder)

Blend together the young coconut flesh and water, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and stevia until well mixed. Place the chia seeds and coconut flakes in a owl and pour the coconut mixture from the blender over the top of the dry seeds and coconut flakes. Mix well and put in the fridge to set for ten minutes-overnight. Enjoy!

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Moroccan Couscous Salad

The couscous came out so gorgeous! So colorful and delightful. This could easily be a vegetarian recipe by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable broth. I also loved that the veggies were not cooked, they only get a light steaming due to the hot couscous when you combine them. The smell was incredible! Lemon chicken in any form is popular in our house, especially when grilled. This is just a classic, simple way to prepare chicken. Great meal!

 cous cous and chicken

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Moroccan Couscous Salad
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit August 2008

Couscous:

2 cups low-salt chicken broth (use veggie broth to make this vegetarian)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 10-ounce box plain couscous
1/2 cup raisins
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup trimmed sugar snap peas, cut in half
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Chicken:

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds (optional)
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

  1. Marinate the chicken
  2. Prepare the CousCous
  3. Grill the chicken
  4. Serve

For couscous:
Bring chicken broth, 1 tablespoon oil, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Scatter raisins over, cover, and let stand until couscous softens, about 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, breaking up any lumps with fingertips. Transfer couscous to large bowl. Add cucumber, red bell pepper, carrot, green beans, and lemon peel. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice in small bowl. Add to couscous; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For chicken:
Place 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken and seal bag, releasing any excess air; turn several times to coat. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Alternatively, chill 1 to 3 hours and bring to room temperature before continuing.

Prepare barbecue (high heat). (or Griddler in our NYC Apartment’s case) Brush grill rack with oil. Transfer chicken from bag to barbecue with some marinade still clinging and grill until slightly charred and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle almonds over, if desired and garnish with lemon wedges.

cous cous

I love these colors!!

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