Kale Chips

I love Kale Chips!! You can make them with so many flavors or keep it very simple. There are tons of recipes out there. I prefer these simpler chips. They are gone so quick normally there is no time for a picture. But I made sure this time to take some 🙂 If you do not have a dehydrator I would suggest making these with the oven door ajar or if you want a quick vegetarian (non-raw) snack put the oven up to 350 degrees and bake these for 8-10 minutes. I am sure that would be divine too! This recipe is such a great alternative to any other kind of chips. They are crunchy, a little oily and salty; sooo super good! I have a tendency to check the dehydrator to see if they are done and munching the whole time! They are so good! I also like to use namu shoyu instead of salt because it brings more liquid into the kale rather than having to rely solely on the oil. The nutritional yeast bring such a good and cheesy flavor. So great! Make more than one batch if possible because these go QUICK!!

bowl of kale chips

Kale Chips

1 head of kale, stems removed and torn in pieces
1/4 cup of namu shoyu
2-3 tablespoons of oil (grape seed, canola, olive)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

Place the kale in a big bowl and then pour the rest of the ingredients in. (I normally just drizzle over, so the measurements are approximate) With your hands massage all the ingredients together making sure it is well combined and all the kale looks a little wet and nicely coated. Divide in half and place on 2 dehydrator mesh sheets. Dehydrate till crunchy, from 6-10 hours.

before kale
Pre-dehydrator Kale on the mesh sheet

after kale

 Post-dehydrator kale (with a few pieces missing from munching!!)

Flatbread Pizza with hummus, green olives, cherry tomatoes and za’atar

This was soooo good! I made the complete recipe for the crust and halved the rest as I knew there was never anyway we would eat all of this deliciousness. But I figured we could use the crusts for other recipes as they are very versatile. I love everything Pure Food and Wine and can’t wait to check out Sarma’s new cookbook, Living Raw Food! But this is recipe is from Raw Food Real World. All their recipes are pretty complicated but I am guessing that 99% of them are amazing! Due to the complexity level and the gourmet heaviness of some of the foods they are not everyday recipes for us. But when we make them we sure love them! I could see this dish being served at a fancy Middle Eastern restaurant or you can make them bit sized and serve them as hor o’dourves!!!! How fun!! So deeelish! I loved the use of Za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice blend of sumac, sesame seeds and the wild Syrian hyssop plant) in this recipe. I had bought some the last time I was in Israel and this was the first time I got to break it out and use it. Ahhhh… 🙂 The crusts were delicious and the hummus was the best raw hummus I have ever had! Such a great recipe! You could always break this recipe down and use just one component when you need it.

Flatbread Pizza with hummus, green olives, cherry tomatoes and za’atar

 pizza close-up

pizza crust on dehydrator sheet

The crust still on the dehyrdrator sheet

For the crusts:
5 cups walnuts, soaked 1 hour or more (I soaked them overnight – when soaking nuts, make sure to rinse well after)
5 cups cubed yellow squash or zucchini
3/4 cup golden flaxseed, finely ground (1 cup ground)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 to 1/2 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor to chop into tiny pieces (like couscous), but not completely smooth. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl. Add the squash to the same food processor bowl and grind into tiny pieces, but again not completely smooth. Transfer the squash to the bowl with the walnuts. Add the flaxseed, hemp seeds, salt and about 1/4 cup of water, stirring to combine. Add more water until a sticky dough forms – like wet muffin batter. You may need more or less water.

2. Divide the batter between four 14-inch Teflex lined dehydrator trays. Using an offset spatula spread the dough to the edges of the trays. The dough can be a bit gummy and sticky, so it helps to dip the spatula in water as you spread the dough (the excess water will all evaporate in the dehydrator)

3. Dehydrate the flatbread at 115 degrees for 6-8 hours, pr overnight. When the tops are dry, flip over and peel away the Teflex liners. Dehydrate on screens for another 2-4 hours.

4. Once both sides are dry, slide the flatbread onto a large cutting board. With a large chef’s knife, cut into 3×5 rectangles (or whatever size and shape you want). Place them back in the dehydrator trays and dehydrate for another hour or more, as necessary for firm crusts.

hummus

For the hummus:
4 cups cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more (when I woke up I starting soaking them, so around 8 hours)
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 small cloves garlic
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1 teaspoon sea salt
Up to one cup filtered water

In a food processor, add the nuts, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and salt and process, adding water 1/4 cup at a time until you get the smooth, fluffy consistency of hummus. You may need to add more water, or you may want to add olive oil for a richer hummus – just make sure it has enough stiffness so it will hold the topping on the pizza without running off the sides of the crust

olive tapenade

For Green Olive Tapenade: (You only need a half cup for recipe, so reduce if you want, or make the entire batch to have on hand.)
makes 3 1/2 cups

3 cups putted green olives
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small handful of parsley (optional) (I used the parsley. I think it added a nice texture and color)
freshly ground pepper

1. Process the olives in a food processor. With the motor running, add the olive oil and lemon juice and process until smooth. Add the parsley (if using) and process to combine. Season with pepper to taste

2. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. Will keep up to 1-2 weeks.

For serving:
1 pint cherry, teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 of a large bulb of fennel or 1/2 of a small bulb, shaved very thin on a mandolin
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup Green olive Tapenade
1/2 cup Green olives, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons za’atar seasoning
fennel fronds for garnish

Spread each crust with hummus and top with tomatoes, fennel, cucumber, olive tapenade and olives. Sprinkle with za’atar and top with fennel fronds

pizzas

za'atar from Israel
My Za’atar from Israel

Grapefruit and Baby Spinach Salad

side salad

I love delicious citrus! The grapefruit were just so sweet and delicious, they really made this salad. I also loved the jicama. It was sweeter than normal, but added that amazing crunch throughout. I have been obssesed with red onions in my salad these days, so that was no surprise, but as always deeelish! The dressing was sweet but still had that citrus and vinegar tang. All in all, amazing salad!

Grapefruit and Baby Spinach Salad

3 grapefruit, pink or red
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey or agave
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
3/4 pound baby spinach
1/2 jicama, small, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

    1. Remove skin and white pith from grapefruit. Work over a small bowl to catch the juice and cut the grapefruit segments from their surrounding membrane. Reserve the segments in the bowl. Measure 1/3 cup of the juice and set aside.
    2. In a Vitamix or blender, combine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, garlic and reserved grapefruit juice. Blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
    3. In a large salad bowl or seperate serving bowls combine spinach, jicama, onions, and grapefruit sections. Drizzle with the dressing and toss. Enjoy 🙂

salad close-up

Broccolini with Garlic and Olive Oil

I love all things Broccoli, but other than raw broccoli crudité, I am not that into the vegetable raw. So I was super happy when I came upon this tasty recipe. You don’t need to use the dehydrator, but I highly recommend it! I love that almost cooked, tender taste 🙂

Broccolini with Garlic and Olive Oil

This recipe is adapted from Rawrifficfood 

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch broccolini (washed, with stems trimmed)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves (peeled, and sliced thin or minced)
  • 1-2 tbsps Olive Oil
  • Sea salt and garlic powder to taste
  • Rep Pepper flakes to taste

Preparation

  1. Cut broccolini into florets.
  2. In a bowl or baggie, add the olive oil and the garlic, as well as the spices. Mix well, then add the broccolini and marinate for 30 minutes – overnight.
  3. Great on its own like this, but I suggest you dehydrate for 30 minutes to an hour until the broccolini and garlic is tender and a little warm.
brocollni

Sorry for the super fuzzy picture, it was so hard to take this picture! But I promise it was deeelish!

I love Rockin’ Raw!

Seriously Look at this Garden!

I love Rockin’ Raw. 718-599-9333 178 North 8th Street (btwn Bedford & Driggs) Williamsburg.I met some fabulous ladies there for dinner last night. It was only their 13th day of their soft opening and everything went super smooth! I am always perpetually early and my girlfriends are typically late, but as I was sitting in that magical garden waiting, I had no complaints at all. I loved it! The outdoor garden feels like you are in someone’s backyard but you also have the benefit of a phenomenal meal!

We started off with the N’awlins Rings. They were amazing; sweet and spicy, mmmm! I ordered the Louisiana Gumbo with “sausage -ñ-” and cauliflower rice.” It was so good. The rice was great and the texture, consistency, and spice of the gumbo was fabulous. I really felt like I was eating a cooked dish! Plus how often do you see raw okra? My friends ordered the Tallarines Verdes de La Lala (live pasta in Peruvian pesto style sauce) with Caramelized Plantains (OMG Yum!) and the Rockin’ ROLL with jicama, avocado, cauliflower (served with horseradish sauce, pickled ginger and cucumber). I had some of the pasta and it was great. I always find that zucchini pasta is delightful depending on the sauce and this was such a tasty and cheesy pesto! I was the only one to get dessert, as I could not pass it up when I am at such a fabulous raw restaurant. I had the heavenly Cookies & Cream Milk Shake made from nut milk, agave and little bites of cacao nibs, super good!!

We met Tere, the owner who was also our server and a delight. She was so sweet and explained everything for us including recommendations.

I love that they use nuts, but very sparingly there. I sometimes feel that raw restaurants go a little heavy on the nuts and the food becomes a little too dense and decadent for me. Of course I always enjoy the taste factor, but I am also more concerned about how I feel afterwards. The food at Rockin’ Raw was flavored mostly with veggies, which I can always appreciate and love the taste of! They even make a point to mark the items that are made with the nuts on the menu.

Overall, it was a great experience. Delicious food, great company, gorgeous and relaxing garden, nothing better! I highly recommend checking this welcoming place out. Their official Grand Opening is the weekend of June 27th. Enjoy!!

Oh and they are applying for their liquor license, so hopefully it will not be that far away 🙂

Update: The Grand Opening Party was so much fun! They were serving lots of HD’s from the menu and some previews that are going to be added later on. Thanks Tere! It was such a nice night 🙂

Louisiana Gumbo

 Photo Coutesy of The Discerning Brute, see his review here 

Rockin' Raw on Urbanspoon

Chicken Breasts Provençal with Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

I don’t eat chicken of course, but these are all flavors I love and I knew it would be a big hit! It smelled great as it was cooking and I was right, Michael loved it!

I love the technique of blanching tomatoes and peeling them. I learned this a while back in a cooking class at the The Natural Gourmet Institute and thought it was so cool that the 10-30 seconds the tomatoes spend in the water makes it so easy to peel them.

The Broccoli was great too! I steam broccoli most of the time, but Michael really enjoyed the crunch of the roasted Broccoli. It was insanely easy to cut up the broccoli and put in the oven. Such a great idea!

chicken and brocChicken Breasts Provençal

 Adapted from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons anchovy paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 10 pitted brine-cured black olives, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon finely shredded basil
Preparation
  1. Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch in a medium pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel, seed, and finely chop.
  2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
  3. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook chicken, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered. (I have a wonderful warming drawer that is so perfect for this!)
  4. Add garlic and anchovy paste to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Stir in tomatoes, stock, and olives and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in butter and any juices from platter.
  5. Add chicken and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with basil.

Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

Makes 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper (depending on how much you like spice, this dish is not very spicy, so feel free to use more!)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli with 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

NY Green Living Guide from Citysearch

A NYC list of eco spots – NY Green Living Guide

Raw Crisp Caesar Salad

I made this on Sunday night with the Romaine/Dressing/Parmesan and Monday used the dressing and parm on a regular big yummy salad…. SOOO GOOD!!!!! mmmmmm

caesar salad

Crisp Caesar Salad

Posted on Woody Harrelson’s site

A classic Caesar salad with crisp romaine lettuce and a Pinenut Parmesan.

  • 1-2 heads Romaine lettuce

Caesar Salad Dressing:

Makes 1 pint of thick dressing that will keep fresh for a week.

  • 5 tablespoons raw tahini
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (optional)(I did not use)
  • 1 nice clove garlic2 green onions, or 1/4 cup sweet onion(I used sweet onion)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 3 soft dates, pitted
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1-2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil (optional)
  • fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend

In a blender or Vita Mix: Blend tahini, pine nuts, tamarind, garlic, green onion or minced onion, lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup or dates, nutritional yeast, black pepper and sea salt, adding oil and fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend until very smooth.

Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Pinenut parmesan:

  • 1/4 cup pinenuts
  • 1/4 cup whole cashews or macadamia nuts
  • 1 teaspoon good oil or fresh water
  • 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • pinch dried garlic granules or powder
  • pinch Celtic or sea salt

In a food processor or blender: Chop pinenuts and cashews into a fine meal. Drizzle in a touch of oil or water. Chop in pulses until moist and ground. Add nutritional yeast, dried garlic and salt and chop in pulses until crumbly.

Assembly:

Separate Romaine lettuce leaves and break into pieces. Dollop dressing on, a few tablespoons at a time, and toss with lettuce until well coated, but not drenched. Serve and sprinkle with ‘Pinenut Parmesan’

Serves 4-6

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