Bliss Balls

The name says it all. These babies can so easily be eaten up daily by my little familia, though that may be a little bit excessive. We're still trying to tell ourselves that we aren't addicted to peanut butter...that we can quit anytime we want, but this recipe makes it hard to do. See for yourself.







BLISS BALLS

Makes around 10 balls

Ingredients:

2 heaping tbspns peanut butter (the all natural and organic kind, of course), or almond butter
2 tbspns raw cacao powder, carob powder, or cocoa powder
1 1/2-2 tbspns raw honey
coconut flakes

1. Mix peanut butter, cacao, and honey until you have a sturdy dough. Start out with less honey and taste for sweetness and add more if necessary.
2. Roll into small balls.
3. Sprinkle coconut flakes onto a plate and roll the balls in the flakes so that each ball is coated.

* You can easily throw in other goodies here, for example hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, ground flaxseeds, oats, etc. If you do this just make sure to mix any dry add ins with the cacao powder first before stirring into the peanut butter and honey.

Zucchini Alfredo Pasta with green olives, tomatoes, and basil (raw)

Not only did I get a new blender for my birthday, but I also got 2 big bags of nutritional yeast. What more could a vegan chef ask for? This recipe includes nutritional yeast, but if you can't get your hands on it, it is still very tasty without it. It just adds a bit of cheesy flavor, not to mention tons of B Vitamins. This recipe is great if you're craving something creamy because it really "hits the spot," as my mom would say, without being too heavy.



ZUCCHINI ALFREDO PASTA:

Serves: 2
Equipment:

Blender
Cheese Grater or Pasta Spiroli slicer


Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis
handful of baby tomatoes, diced
5 or 6 green olives, diced
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes,diced
handful of basil, chopped

For the sauce:
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 tbspn orange juice (or lemon)
1 tbspn nutritional yeast
4-5 tablespoons water
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
italian spices to taste

Grate zucchini into long strips like noodles. Toss with salt, pepper, and any italian spices you like. Set Aside. In a blender combine pine nuts, orange or lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, spices and water until smooth. Add water slowly to get desired consistency (you may want to add more orange or lemon juice as well.) Toss zucchini noodles in the sauce. Add chopped green olives, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Experiment with other herbs too such as parsley or oregano.

Asian Veggie Noodle Summer Salad with peanut sauce and chili-lime cashews (almost raw)

I made up this recipe yesterday for my boyfriend and I. We sat outside in the sun and ate it and it was a perfect, light, and refreshing lunch for summertime. It's a great mix of sweet and spicy.









Asian Veggie Noodle Summer Salad:

Serves: 2 as an entree or 4 as an appetizer

Equipment: Cheese Grater or Spiroli pasta maker and Blender

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 tbspns of soy sauce
1 tbspn of natural peanut butter
1 tbspn of maple syrup, agave nectar, or raw cane sugar
1/2 clove garlic
small knob of ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper or thai curry
1 and 1/2 tbspns of water

2 medium carrots
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber
1 small or 1/2 large red bell pepper
1 small tomato
handful of cilantro

handful of raw cashews or peanuts *optional
1 lime* optional
chili powder *optional

1 orange *optional


If you choose to have the nuts in the salad, chop them into smaller pieces, place in a bowl and squeeze the lime juice over them. Spice them with chili powder or your favorite peppery spice and toss. Set aside.

For the peanut sauce: Blend soy sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and water. Blend until smooth and taste, adjusting sweetness if necessary. For a truly raw version of this, substitute the peanut butter for raw almond butter and the soy sauce for namu shoya.

For the salad: Using the largest holes on the cheese grater, or your spiroli, shred carrots and cucumbers into a large bowl. Since the red pepper is too tough to shred, cut it manually into thin long pieces. Pour the peanut sauce over the veggies and toss. Chop the cilantro and tomato into small pieces and mix in salad along with cashews or peanuts. Garnish with orange slices.

By the way, this peanut sauce has an endless uses. You could use it as a dressing for green salads, over vegetable stir fry and grilled tofu, or as a dipping sauce to lettuce wraps.

Falafel (raw)

This isn't my recipe, but it came out so good I have to share it. You don't need a dehydrator, and they really do taste like falafel!










Raw Falafel Balls

Serves: 3-4 people (makes about 12-14 balls)

Equipment: Food processor or Blender

Ingredients:

2 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
few pieces of white onion
2 tablespoons of tahini
squeeze of lemon
1 to 2 cloves or garlic, chopped
pinch of sea or crystal salt

Grind sunflower seeds in blender or food processor until you have a powder. In a large bowl, mix the powder and the rest of the ingredients. Combine until you have a dry dough. If it is too dry, you can add more lemon juice or some olive oil. When you have desired consistency, form into balls. Wrap in lettuce leaves, or serve over tabouli, cauliflower couscous, with peppers, chopped tomatoes, hummus, etc. Pictured is falafel, salad, zucchini hummus, and cauliflower couscous.

Chocolate Pudding Pie (raw)

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Serves: 4
Equipment: Blender, Pie Pan

Ingredients:

Handful of Walnuts
Handful of Almonds
Few Tablespoons of ground Flaxseeds
5-6 Dates
2 Bananas
2 small Avocados or 1 large
2-3 tablespoons of Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar, or Raw Honey
2 tablespoons of Cocoa Powder OR Raw Cacao Powder OR Raw Carob Powder
pinch of sea or crystal salt
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

In a Blender or Food Processor, blend nuts and dates until you have crumbs that you can form into a dough. You can use more dates if you prefer it sweeter and stickier. Press dough into pie pan and chill for one to two hours, or stick in freezer for half an hour if you're in a hurry.

For the filling: place bananas, avocados, sweetener, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon and blend until smooth. Taste as you go, adding more sweetener and more cocoa powder if you want it richer. When the pie crust is chilled, pour pudding over crust and chill for at least another hour. This pie is really good when it's a bit cold. Garnish with slices of bananas or shredded coconuts.