Little Helper

Today my little helper and I made a delicious Fruit Cobbler for the whole family. It has walnuts for the crust and topping. Inside is pears, persimmons, pomegranates and a lot of love. Do you like her flower design?

My husbands parents, sister and niece (12) and I are on a Daniel Fast this month. I thought they could use a little boost in knowing that you can eat a raw vegan dessert and stay in the guidelines of a Daniel Fast.

This recipe was taken from Matthew Rogers and Tiraziana Alipo Tamborra book Sweet Gratitude. We're grateful!

Official Daniel Fast Starts Tonight

Good morning everyone. Today is Sunday and I am having a bit of Rooibus (decaf) herbal tea, some berries and a raw bar that I made. (For now, the recipe is a secret!)

Tonight at sundown kicks off the corporate Daniel Fast with many people across the globe and right here in Southern California with Jentezen Franklin's church http://www.freechapeloc.org/ I have done a pre-kick off but will officially be on my Daniel Fast at sundown. I had plans to just juice and make smoothies but with all the organic produce that I have been so blessed to get this week I am inspired to make my family some raw gourmet dishes and sticking to the Daniel Guidelines www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting/danielfast.php . My main focus this month is unto God. I am seeking Him for what He has for my life for 2009. I will be as raw as possible during this time and will be drinking fresh organic juices every day. I may also be fasting many days with only water.

If you have questions on the Daniel Fast you can check out Pastor Jentezen Franklin's sites above.

Happy New Year

I am amazed at how fast time flys. It is 2009. Happy New Year to everyone. I am hopeful about this year that it will be the best year ever!
We spent the first day of the year with our dear friends Kristin, Wim and Emily. Kristin made a fabulous dinner for everyone. You have to try the mango wraps and thai salad from Matthew Kenney's book Everyday Raw. It is amazing. Kristin....you did a fabulous job. We loved it. We were Rawkin' the Night Away!
For dessert I made a Raspberry Cheesecake. Here is the recipe:

Raspberry Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups pecans
1/4 cup almonds
pinch sea salt
4 tbl agave
2 tbl cacao nibs
1 tsp vanilla
Filling:
2 cups cashews, soaked
1 1/2 cups raspberries
2 lemons, juiced
2 tbls alcohol-free vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil
dash of sea salt
Sauce:
2 cups raspberries
4 tbls agave
1/2 lemon, juiced
pinch salt
Optional: 1 pint of raspberries to line bottom edge of pie pan

Crust: Process nuts and salt until ground. Add agave, cacao nibs, vanilla and process until mixture sticks together. Press mixture into an 8 inch spring form pan. Place into freezer while making filling.
Filling: Blend all ingredients together except coconut oil until creamy. Then add coconut oil and blend again.
Assembly: Place raspberries along the edge of the pie pan. Pour filling into ontop of the crust and the raspberries along the edge. Smooth top with spatula. Place in freezer for 3 hours to set or overnight.
Sauce: Blend ingredients. Place raspberries on top of slice of cheesecake, pour sauce over top and serve.

Track Santa on Norad!

Ho! Ho! Ho! 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house every creature was stirring and we were rawkin' the house!

Our home is a buzz since we are hurrying to get everything in order for our guests tonight, making a raw Rudolph Cherry Cobbler (recipe from my friend Kristen. See additional photo at KristensRaw.com/photos) and getting last minute gifts wrapped and under the tree. We have stopped off at many folks houses today to drop off the rest of our raw goodie baskets and other gifts.

Last night we had lots of fun making mistletoe gifts and selling them around the neighborhood for $1. The kids had a blast and our niece made some money to go towards her trip to San Francisco in March.

Below is how I made this cherry cobbler. You won't be disappointed. It is soooo good.

Kristen's Rudolph Cherry Cobbler
Yield 8 x 8 glass baking dish

The Crumble
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup dried coconut
dash of Himalayan salt
1/2 cup dried cherries
6 Medjool dates, pitted
1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder (optional)
2 Tablespoons raw cacao nibs (optional)

The Cherry Filling
3 bags frozen cherries, thawed
1/2 cup dried cherries, packed
1 1/2 Tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon cherry extract
1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder (optional)

The Crumble:
Using a food processor, fitted with the 'S' blade, process the nuts, coconut, and salt until coarsely ground. Add dried cherries, cacao powder, cacao nibs and dates and process until the mixture begins to barely stick together. Then press 2/3 into an 8x8 glass baking dish firmly.

The Filling
Place two of the three bags of thawed cherries in a bowl. Blend the third bag of cherries with the remaining ingredients. Pour the blended cherry mixture into the bowl with the whole cherries and stir to mix.
Pour the cherry filling on top of the crumble. Sprinkle the rest of the cobbler crumble on top of the filling.
To serve warm, place into dehydrator for 45 minutes at 125 degrees.

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve and for those of you who still believe in Santa...don't forget to check him out at http://www.norad.com/!

Cookie Monster!

My family loves cookies. My little daughter is a big Cookie Monster and she is always sneaking them into her room and having a tea part with her brother.

Making raw cookies is a great way to get the kids in the kitchen with you and they get to learn 'hands on' about eating healthy.

Here is another one of those cookie recipes. Remember you can alter this any way you wish to your own families taste buds or whatever you may have on hand. This recipe was also taken from Ani Phyo and altered to what I had in my cupboards:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
2 1/4 cups quinoa flakes
2 Tablespoons of honey
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of Himalyan Crystal Salt
1/4 cup cacao nibs

Process dates and raisins in your food processor into small pieces. Add quinoa flakes, honey, cinnamon and salt. Process to mix well. Place into a mixing bowl and add cacao nibs. Mix well. Use a 2 tablespoon scooper to portion cookies. You can enjoy them now or place them in the fridge to get firmer...which is what I did.

The Gift of Life

'Tis the Season of Giving! This year I decided to give the gift of life. The gift of live, vegan, organic, raw tasty treats to family, neighbors, teachers, bus drivers and friends. For those of you who are my neighbors and are asking, "What the heck does live and raw mean?" The box of goodies you received has NO sugar, NO dairy (yup...no milk, no butter, no eggs), NO baking powder, NO baking sodas, NO artifical colors or flavors, NO preservatives and absolutely NOTHING pasturized. Nothing heated over 115. Everything in that goodie box is 100% organic, 100% vegan and raw. It's yummy and good for you.

This is what you recieved in your box that are nut free: Strawberry Macaroons, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cranberry Groat Granola. This is what you recieved in your box that contain unpasturized* raw almonds: Brownie Bites, Almond Haystacks. You may have also received some Spiced Nuts in place of the Cranberry Groat Granola. For my neighbors who have peanut allergies I did not use peanuts.

I hope all of you enjoy your goodies. You are all precious to me and I am thankful for each and every one of you.

I will be posting the recipes tomorrow so click back tomorrow!

Tonya

*I was fortunate enough to aquire unpasturized raw almonds for a co-op earlier this month. Our group ordered around 40,000 lbs of unpasturized raw almonds from a California grower. Those of you who bought some know how good they taste! I still have about 75 lbs left for any of you who may be interested. You can check out the link at http://www.rawketfood.etsy.com/.