Raw Cheddar Cheeze Dip

20 Aug 2009 1 Comment

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

As gross as it sounds I have always loved nacho cheese! This dip is similar and of course made with much healthier and non-processed ingredients. I ate this with raw corn tortilla chips and carrot sticks. I am sure this would also be delightful over broccoli, mmmm! Enjoy!

IMG_2136

Raw Cheddar Cheeze Dip
Recipe adapted from Vibrant Living by James Levin & Natalie Cederquist

1 cup red bell pepper
3/4 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup water
3 tbs rolled oats
2 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs tahini
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Add more water or oats until desired consistency is reached.

Lemon Pepper Chicken and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Oil

18 Aug 2009 3 Comments

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

Most of the time I like to own my kitchen. But sometimes we cook together and not only do I appreciate it but it really is a ton of fun! Michael and I were making dinner, raw corn tortilla chips (new recipe to come soon) and kale chips and we managed to do this all so quickly because we were working together. (btw Michael’s kale chips were the most deelish I had ever had! He is the kale master!)

This chicken dish is my go-to dish when I am tired or am super busy but still want to put a healthy dinner together for my husband. The chicken is super quick and so was the spinach. I love that this dish is so fast yet looks and tastes (Michael says 🙂 ) like a good home cooked meal.

chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken

  • 2-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • Juice from 1-2 lemons
  • Lemon Pepper, enough to coat chicken breasts
  • Salt to taste
  1. Set the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick oil
  3. Cover the chicken breasts with lemon juice and coat with lemon pepper and a sprinkling of salt
  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until there is no pink when you cut into a breast
  5. Serve

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Oil

  • 1 bag of 10 ounce organic spinach
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Salt to taste
  1. Coat a pan with olive oil
  2. Simmer garlic for 1 -2 minutes
  3. Add Spinach and sautee until wilted
  4. Salt to taste
  5. Enjoy

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!

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

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

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

26 Jul 2009 3 Comments

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

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

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Moroccan Couscous Salad

21 Jul 2009 6 Comments

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

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!!

Raw Corn Chowder

20 Jul 2009 2 Comments

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

I always love making raw soups because they are super fast and almost always come out deeelish. Plus blended foods are so good for you! When it comes to summer one of my favorite treats is fresh corn, there is just nothing like it! This soup was so flavorful and had the most gorgeous color from the cumin and corn combo.

corn soup

Raw Corn Chowder

Around 3 Servings

1 cup fresh corn kernels + 1/4 cup corn kernels, separate
1 clove garlic
2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup cashews
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lecithin or psyllium (optional to make the soup thicker)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
Ground pepper to taste
2 cups water

  1. Combine all the ingredients except the separate 1/4 cup of corn in a blender until smooth.
  2. Place the whole corn kernels in a bowl and pour soup over.
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy 🙂

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