StRAWberry Shortcake, Portobello Balls, Nori rolls and Info on Good Fats

Midterms are over so I finally have a chance to update the blog with some new recipes. It's about time! 

I tried out a recipe from Gone Raw (www.goneraw.com) two weeks ago and had to share it because it's awesome. Here's the link for the cookies but I'll also post the recipe here. 

Caramel Coconut Cookies

3 cups dried shredded coconut

1 cup dates, soaked and pitted

3 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 tbsp olive oil or coconut butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract (or half a vanilla bean)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cardamom

1 pinch sea salt

Preparation: combine everything in a food processor and form into cookies. Dehydrate for 12 hour on each side until the outsides are crunchy.

As you can see in the picture, I topped the cookies off with some delicious caramel sauce. I got the recipe of goneraw, of course. Here's the link, recipe below.

Raw Vegan Caramel

1/2 cup coarse-chopped brazil nuts

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup coarse-chopped cashews

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 1/4 cup raw honey

1 tbsp sesame tahini

1/2 tsp sesame tahini

1/2 tsp finely ground himalayan salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Prep: mix honey, tahini, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add everything else and mix it up. Dehydrate for about 24 hours.

When I went home to Virginia, a friend of mine prepared some amazing vegan treats. I'm not sure what to call them...maybe Portobello balls? I didn't have the exact measurements for the recipe and I think I should have added more portobellos to create a chewier texture. The walnut to portobello ratio in mine was a little too high on the walnuts and they came out mushier than I would have preferred. These are great in wraps or, as you can see in the picture, served over a marinated kale salad. Here are the ingredients:

Vegan Portabello Balls

Walnuts

Portabello mushrooms

Sun-dried tomatoes

Cumin

Garlic

Braggs

Himalayan salt

Parsley 

Cilantro

One day after class I came home absolutely starving but in the mood for something different from a green smoothie. I took some Nori and wrapped it up with some "Demonslayer" spread, c.o. the Momentary Prophets (a friend's band from back in Virginia), strips of purple cabbage, romaine and red bell peppers. It was filling and overflowing with flavor.

Demonslayer Spread

1 Red onion

3 cloves garlic

1 medium bunch cilantro 

(chop all three together)

2 lemons

2 or 3 soft avocados 

olive oil, to taste

(add with onion/garlic/cilantro in a big bowl and mash it all together)

1 tbsp spirulina

1 healthy pinch cayenne

curry powder, to taste

1 or 2 romaine hearts chopped into squares or strips

sea salt, to taste

mix everything together!

And of course, I have saved the BEST for last. As I wrote before, I invested in Cafe Gratitude's incredible dessert book a couple weeks back.   The owners of CG generously created "Just Desserts" for the world to re-create the restaurant's mouth-watering, 100% raw desserts. I actually haven't been to the restaurant myself but have read so much positive feedback on the book from Carmella and Heathy that I knew it would be worth the buy.

Let me just say right now that this book is IMPERATIVE for those of you out there who are interested in purchasing the best raw vegan dessert book out there. I prepared the StRAWberry Shortcake for my meat-eating fiance and also served another meat and potatoes friend of ours and both of them were incredulous that they were eating something good for you. There is nothing better than the feeling I get after pleasantly surprising the palates of some Standard American Dieters. The feedback I got on this delicious cake were "It's so creamy. How did you sweeten it? With dates? Wow, I didn't expect it to be sweet and creamy," and "I didn't expect it to be so filling and rich." Yup. mission accomplished! If you love traditional strawberry shortcake as much as my fiance (it's his favorite), you will definitely love this recipe. I am amazed by Cafe Gratitude's revolutionary cake-making techniques that they graciously share with us in their book. Someday I hope to eat at their restaurant.

On that note, I will close with some advice on how raw vegans can get good fats into their diet.

How do raw vegans get Good Fat?

Please note, when I say "good for you," I must clarify that I am not one of those people who chastise the use of coconuts/cashews/coconut oil/avocados because they are high in fat content.  If you're the sort of person who does this and then goes out for pepperoni pizza, go find another blog because this isn't for you.

In moderation, the use of these ingredients are actually wonderful for your health because they are full of monounsaturated fat.  The fat in nuts is especially good for you because they contain omega-3 fatty acids which are "essential" for you to intake because your body can't create them on its own. Monounsaturated fat, according to the American Heart Association, is superior to all the other fats but should only be less than 10 % of your total energy intake (I don't work well with percentages, but this clearly means that you shouldn't be eating very much of these fats every day. I usually eat a couple of nuts, if any, once a day and indulge in a decadent dessert every once in awhile.)

Coconut oil, also a monounsaturated fat, actually stimulates your metabolism, which in turn can actually help you LOSE weight, if that's what your going for. I actually enjoy the taste and utility of coconut oil in making frostings for desserts. But you can also get unscented coconut oil if you do not want the pungent coconut aroma invading your recipes. Coconut oil is made of medium chain fatty acids which your body metabolizes as soon as it is consumed. The kicker is that it is never converted to cholesterol or body fat, unlike saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol found in animal products.

The fact that you read this means you're interested in raw veganism. So good for you. You have the delicious power of choice at your hands. You don't have to be 100% raw, so try out a couple of recipes once in awhile and maybe...just maybe this lifestyle might be up your alley ; )