April 25, 2010

Breakfast

Pistachio Ice Cream

serves 2 ~ $1.19

1 ripe avocado ($.88)

4 ripe bananas ($.60)

2 tablespoons agave ($.20)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($.20)

pinch salt

1/4 cup pistachios ($.50)

Fruit and nuts. That's all this is, but it feels like a treat ... and I think it makes a perfect breakfast. 

In a food processor with the "S" blade, puree the avocado, bananas, agave, vanilla, and salt until very smooth. This will take a few minutes. Process in an ice cream maker until the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Fold in the pistachios and freeze until firm.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, just freeze the puree and stir every half hour or so until it's firm, adding the pistachios just before firm.

 

calories: 552

fat: 22 gr
carbs: 92 gr
protein: 8 gr

 

Lunch

Vegetable Noodle Stew

serves 2 ~ $1.66 per serving

1 ripe avocado ($.88)

2 tomatoes ($1.00)

4 carrots ($.50)

1 onion, finely diced ($.05)

3 stalks celery, finely diced ($.30)

1 medium zucchini ($.59)

1 1/2 cup water for blending

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes

olive oil for drizzling

This is my new addiction. Maybe it's the cold, rainy weather we've been having, but right now this is almost better than chocolate. Is there anything really better than chocolate?

I still have a freezer half full of frozen tomatoes from my garden last year, and I've used them here. In season, we sell our veganic tomatoes two for a dollar straight out of our garden and that's the price I've used here. It's quite a low price, but it's such a fulfilling thing to grow food. This time if year, though, tomatoes are still quite expensive in the stores. I talk about freezing and preserving produce for raw in my ebook, which is available to the right. I've really gotten a lot out of our raw, frozen produce this winter.

In a blender, puree until smooth the avocado, tomatoes, carrots, half the onion, and two stalks of celery. Add as much water as you like to create the desired consistency. I made mine thick and it was very much like a stew. Finely dice the other half of the onion and the remaining celery. Slice the zucchini into noodles using a vegetable slicer or spiral slicer. I slice the zucchini lengthwise and then use a vegetable peeler to shave off fettuccine sized noodles.

Divide the soup between bowls, salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the diced onion and celery and the noodles. Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of olive oil and some red pepper flakes, if desired. Extra yumminess can be had by marinating the zucchini noodles for a few hours using the same marinade recipe I've used for the fruit kebabs below.

 

calories: 292

fat: 15 gr
carbs: 38 gr
protein: 8 gr

 

Dinner

Dandelion Green Salad

serves 2 ~ $1.91 per serving

dandelion greens

1 head green leaf lettuce ($.2.29)

1 avocado ($.88)

1 medium onion ($.05)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave ($.20)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ($.20)

I'm amazed at how many edibles are in my yard. Right now, it's excellent dandelion weather. Dandelion greens are pretty easy to identify, but if unsure, please research what plants are edible and which are not. Dandelion greens can also be found in places like Whole Foods, or can be grown in the garden from seed.

To makes the salad, rinse the dandelion greens and chop the lettuce. Chop the avocado and thinly slice the onion and add. Toss with a simple dressing of olive oil, agave, and apple cider vinegar whisked together. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

calories: 419

fat: 30 gr
carbs: 41 gr
protein: 7 gr

 

Dessert

Fruit Kebabs

serves 2 ~ $2.14 per serving

1 lb strawberries ($1.89)

2 bananas ($.30)

1 mango ($1.49)

2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)

2 tablespoons agave ($.20)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ($.20)

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

I usually think fruit is perfect as it is, but this is perfect for when I'm in the mood for something a little different.

Chop the fruit and put on wooden skewers. Whisk together the olive oil, agave, vinegar, and red pepper flakes and marinate the kebabs for about an hour. The dehydrate for another couple hours until the fruit has started to soften and has warmed.

 

Total cost for the day: $6.90

total calories: 1,748

total fat: 82 gr 

total carb: 264 gr 

total protein: 27 gr

Something New

Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!) 
... Chocolate!

I've been working on a raw chocolate eBook! I've always been fascinated by chocolate ~ such an interesting subject; romantic, sensual, magic, ancient. There's  even a Mayan hieroglyph symbol for cacao (I've used that symbol on the cover). In this eBook, there are 33 recipes that are practical, economical, and easy to make, but also beautiful, elegant, and delicious. I'm including the cost and nutritional information for each recipe, lots of useful info on chocolate making ... and some fun and creative ideas for using raw cacao powder and other raw chocolate making ingredients ... like nibs and cacao butter. Have you ever made a chocolate balloon? You can now!

The eBook will be available and delivered June 21st, which is the Summer Solstice ... but is available now at a discounted preorder price of $10.00 (after June 21st, the price will be $14.00).

 

 

So noble a confection, more than nectar & ambrosia, the true food of the gods. ~ Bachot, 1662

and

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes about my dad, I think he's getting better.

April 18, 2010

 

Breakfast

Blueberry Fool

serves 4 ~ $.62 per serving

1 cup nuts (cashews) ($1.00)

2 ripe bananas ($.30)

juice of 1 lemon ($.69)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup water for blending, as needed

4 ounces blueberries, frozen and thawed ($.50)

whole blueberries

walnuts

agave

I was looking for ways to cut some of the fat in regular nut yogurt and decided to use ripe bananas and nuts in about equal amounts. This worked out wonderfully and as a bonus, eliminated the need for more sweetener.

A "fool" is basically a yogurt dish layered parfait style. Greek yogurt, which is very thick, is traditionally used. This yogurt isn't that thick as I've made it here, but could easily be thickened by draining some of the liquid through cheesecloth. 

In a blender, puree the bananas until very smooth. Add the nuts (I used cashews) and lemon juice and about a half cup water for blending. Puree on high for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for at least a few hours. It will thicken quite a bit as it chills.

To make the "fool," take half the yogurt and puree with a handful of blueberries. In each serving bowl, put a spoon of regular yogurt and another of blueberry yogurt, add a few whole blueberries to the top. Garnish with a couple chopped walnuts and a drizzle of agave, if desired.

calories: 268

fat: 38 gr
carbs: 24 gr
protein: 5 gr

 

Lunch
Veggie "Burgers"
6 servings ~ $1.71 per serving

These took just a little bit of preparation, but not nearly as much as I anticipated. Because they're dehydrated, the buns and burgers do need to be started the day before.

burgers ~ $.56 each

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped ($1.50)
9 tbsp flax meal ($.20)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped ($.40)
1 rib celery, finely chopped ($.15)
1 small onion, finely chopped ($.20)
1 jalepeno, minced ($.10)
pulp from one juiced carrot
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder ($.10)
1 tsp onion powder ($.10)
1/2 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
pinch of thyme

The flax meal, when soaked, becomes very sticky and will help everything together. Start the flax meal soaking in about 3/4 cup water. Chop everything very finely. I tried this first in the food processor and it got too soupy for my liking. It really doesn't take much effort to hand chop everything and the results seem far superior. Add in the soaked flax meal and stir until well incorporated. Form into six patties, about 3 inches across and dehydrate on plastic or teflex sheets overnight. The outside will be a little crispy and the insides just a little bit moist.

flax buns ~ $.26 per serving

1 cup flax meal ($.50)
1 red bell pepper ($.80)
1 medium onion ($.20)
1 clove garlic ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

I actually preferred the burgers on a couple of romaine leaves. Adding in more flax in the form of buns makes it quite heavy, but that would work out great on a day when you're feeling more hungry.

I use a grain grinder to grind flax seeds, but an herb grinder works well. And I keep them stored in the freezer to keep them fresh until use.

In a blender, puree the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, adding in the water to get things going. Put the flax meal in a medium bowl and pour in the bell pepper mixture from the blender. Let soak for about a half hour, adding more water as needed to make a sticky but spreadable mix.

Spread into twelve 3 inch rounds on a plastic or teflex sheet and dehydrate for 4-5 hours or overnight. Remove from dehydrator when the buns are still a little bit pliable.

toppings ~ $.99 per serving

1 tomato ($1.50)
2 avocados ($2.98)
1 red onion ($.89)
6 leaves romaine ($.60)

And this is the fun part. I kept it simple, with a bit of mashed up avocado as "mayo" and lots of tomato slices.


calories: 372
fat: 30 gr
carbs: 22 gr
protein: 9 gr
  

For just a few cents more, the burgers go really well with a side of Rory's Onion dip!

Raw Dawg Rory's Onion Dip
4 servings ~ $.26 per serving

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked ($.80)
4 tbsp onion powder ($.20)
1 tbsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp salt
about 1 cup ice water (for blending)

Put all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth and creamy. I enjoyed this today topped with onions and served on cucumber slices.



 

This recipe repost is from Raw Dawg Rory. Rory's wife Amanda is embarking on the most amazing project, she will be walking across the United States this summer. from Washington to Pennsylvania. You can find out more about it on her website, Live My Life Now Trek. 

Also, Rory's awesome ebook is on sale for the next week at a special price. Sales will help fund Amanda's walk! 

Rory also had some awesome advice on sticking to a raw budget ... he says:

Shop around whether online or at all your local health food and grocery stores....you'd be shocked at some of the price differences you'll come across and making friends with all the produce managers at your local grocery stores, I've received a lot of produce at a discounted price by talking with my produce managers and letting them know I was interested in picking up produce in bulk and also that I'd be interested in taking any over-ripe bananas off their hands ..sometimes I've received them for free or received a 50lb box of bananas for $6!! Those are two of my fave raw budget tips!

 

 Dinner
Garden Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing
serves 2 ~ $2.13 per serving

ingredients

1/2 head romaine ($.95)
1/2 bunch (or bag) spinach ($1.50)
12 radishes ($1.00)
2 medium onions ($.30)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
3 tablespoons agave ($.30)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The spiciness continues. There was an onion dressing I remember using a long time ago and I thought maybe I'd try to replicate it to go with this salad of greens, radishes and onions. It was perfect.

For the dressing, puree 1/2 onion, the garlic, agave, olive oil, salt, black pepper and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. It can be hard to make this in such a small batch because the blender just doesn't work on such small amounts. I get around that by using a pint sized canning jar attached to the blade part of my blender. But, you could easily double or triple the amount and it should store in the fridge for at least a few days.

The salad is just the romaine and spinach tossed with thinly slices radishes and onions and topped with the onion dressing and some more red pepper flakes.

 

calories: 280
fat: 15 gr
carbs: 38 gr
protein: 5 gr

 

Dessert
Lime in the Coconut Tarts
8 tarts ~ $1.11 per serving

6 dates ($3.00)
1/2 cup walnuts ($.50)
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut ($1.00)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons agave
pinch salt

2 avocados ($1.49)
3 bananas, dehydrated ($.45)
4 limes, juice and zest ($2.00)
4 tablespoons agave ($.40)

These are just insanely good. I really don't think there's a conventional dessert that could be any better tasting than these.

They certainly didn't last long in these parts, although theoretically they can be covered and frozen for up to a week.

Make the crusts first. In a food processor with the "S" blade, process the dates until mush. Add the coconut, coconut oil, agave, and salt and process until it begins to clump. Last, add the walnuts and process until the walnuts are fully incorporated and the mixture sticks together.

I used paper cupcake cups and a cupcake pan ... the paper lined pans seemed to make just about perfect sized tarts. Divide the crust mixture evenly into and press into the bottom and sides of eight paper lined cupcake cups. Put in the freezer for about a half hour, until firm.

For the filling, in the food processor with the "S" blade, process the avocados, bananas, lime juice and zest, and agave. It takes a minute or two, but this will become velvety smooth and the consistency of thick pudding.

A note about the dehydrated bananas ... these need to be just dehydrated enough to take some of the moisture out but not hard. I dehydrated my gently for about 6 hours and that seemed to work out well.

Spoon the filling into the tart crusts and chill well before serving.

calories: 395
fat: 24 gr
carbs: 43 gr
protein: 3 gr

 

Total cost for the day: $5.83

total calories: 1,315

total fat: 107 gr 

total carb: 127 gr 

total protein: 22 gr

Strawsome Giveaway Winner!

I use this random number generator for my giveaways ... and go by comments in the order they were made.

And the winner of the Strawsome giveaway is ... #29

Bitt, from a Bitt of Raw!

April 11, 2010

Breakfast

Pecan Pie

serves 2 ~ $1.45 per serving

1/4 cup walnuts ($.50)

1/2 cup raisins ($.50)

6 dates, soaked ($1.20)

1/4 cup pecans ($.70)

pinch salt

Maybe this is taking the idea of breakfast pie too far. But, nah, not really. It's still just nuts and fruits, which seems to be a good way to start the day. 

In a food processor with an "S" blade, process the walnuts and raisins until they are crumbly and stick together. Press into a small tart plate (the one I used is 5 inches diameter) and chill. Then in the food processor again, puree the dates with a tiny bit of the soak water until they form a gooey paste. Spread into the crust and top with pecans.

The amounts can be easily increased to make a larger pie for a more conventional dessert.

 

calories: 396

fat: 17 gr

carbs: 80 gr

protein: 5 gr

 

 Lunch

Pea Soup

Serves 2 ~ $.84 per serving

2 cups peas ($.75)

1 avocado ($.88)

1 1/2 cups water

1 small onion ($.05)

salt and pepper

We're planting peas here and already I'm looking forward to the harvest. I've gotten a bit ahead of myself though, and so used frozen peas for this. They're likely not raw, as most commercial produce (except for berries and some fruit) is blanched before freezing. It still made a delicious soup and would be even better with fresh peas, although they may be more expensive than what I paid for frozen.

Set aside a half cup of the peas. In a blender, puree the rest of the peas and the avocado with enough water to blend and give the desired consistency. It takes a few minutes of blending to get this really smooth in a conventional blender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in bowls and top with the reserved peas and minced onion.

 

calories: 258

fat: 16 gr

carbs: 31 gr

protein: 10 gr 

 

 Dinner

Samosas with Mango Sauce

serves 4 ~ $2.05 per serving

1 head cauliflower, chopped ($1.29)

1 yam , chopped ($.50)

1 zucchini, chopped ($.80)

1/4 cup walnuts ($.50)

1/4 cup raisins ($.50)

2 dates ($.40)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 cup green peas ($.38)

juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoon curry powder ($.50)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, finely minced ($.05)

2 jalapeno, finely minced ($.10)

1 mango ($1.49)

3 tablespoons agave($.30)

This recipe has a few more ingredients that I usually use, but it's still quite easy to put together. It's also not going to taste exactly like a real fried samosa, but it's still spicy and yummy.

In a food processor with an "S" blade, process the cauliflower, yam, zucchini, walnuts, raisins, dates, and garlic until pureed. This is a lot and I processed this in a few batches. Mix together with the rest of the samosa ingredients.

Form into cone shapes or triangular patties and dehydrate for several hours, until the outside is a bit crispy but the inside is still soft. To make the mango sauce, simply puree a peeled and chopped mango with the agave and about a 1/2 cup water until smooth. Serve the samosas with a generous dollop of mango sauce.

 

 

calories: 415

fat: 19 gr

carbs: 64 gr

protein: 8 gr 

 

 Dessert

Chocolate Ice Cream

serves 6 ~ $.65

2 ripe avocados ($1.49)

8 ripe bananas ($1.20)

4 tablespoons cacao powder ($.80)

4 tablespoons agave ($.40)

1/4 teaspoon salt

I've been trying to get a raw vegan ice cream that's creamy, but will freeze well. The banana ice creams are awesome when first made, but become solid blocks of ice when frozen. I was looking for the creaminess and scoop-ability of regular ice cream. This will scoop out nicely even when frozen.

In the food processor with an "S" blade, puree all the ingredients until completely smooth. This won't work with unripe avocados, they just don't get smooth enough. Also, don't add any water for blending. When smooth, process in an ice cream maker until semi firm and then freeze. If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour into a container and stir every so often until it's firm.

 

calories: 311

fat: 10 gr

carbs: 64 gr

protein: 7 gr 

 

 

Total cost for the day: $4.99

total calories: 1,380

total fat: 62 gr

total carb: 239 gr
total protein: 30 gr

Glass Straw Giveaway

The lovely Isle Dance had a glass straw giveaway on her blog last week. I was just thrilled to have won. The glass straws from Strawsome arrived within just a couple days. And wow, do I love these. They're artistic and practical, my favorite combination! I've used them every day and I think things taste even better using glass.

Strawsome is sponsoring a giveaway here, too. To enter ...

Take a look at Strawsome's website and leave a comment below about what you like about glass straws.

Additional entries (leave a separate comment for each) ...

• Blog about this giveaway
• Tweet this giveaway (no more than once a day)
• Follow my blog using Google friend connect

Deadline is 12 pm April 19