Bitter Melon Salsa and Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Crackers/Chips

I was looking through my produce I got in my box from the Farmers Market and there was something in there I never tried before.

It looked like this but I'm not sure. Anyone know of anything else that looks like this?

Mom identified it as bitter melon. I think she was right. Anyway I peeled it and tasted it. It tastes kinda like a cucumber but the seeds are not really edible. I thought it would be great in a salsa. I got a ton of fresh sage in my box as well so I added that in and I have to say it's pretty good.

Bitter Melon Salsa:

1 large bitter melon 

1 yellow pepper

1/4 C onion chopped

1/4 C fresh sage chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

juice of one lime. 

Peel remove seeds and chop your bitter melon and pepper. Add in the chopped onion and sage and minced garlic mix it all up with the juice of one lime and this it. Simple. 

Crackers/ Chips:

1/2 C yellow flax seeds

1/2 C almond meal

1/4 C water

juice from 1/2 a lime

salt as desired

Mix the flax seeds, almond meal, lime juice and water. Let stand about 10 minutes then flatten  the mixture into crackers or chips and place on a piece of parchment paper. For best results, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. You can dehydrate  them if you want them to be raw or cook them in the oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven or dehydrator when firm. I used to have a dehydrator but sadly I left it when I moved so I had to cook my crackers but that best dehydrator I owned was the Excalibur. It was fantastic and had a lot of room. However, it's really expensive. I used to have the Ronco version from Ron Popeil and that one is ok (though on occasion it seemed the temperature got a little high and seemed to dehydrate the food unevenly compared to the Excalibur but it only costs like $39. So, I'm in the market for a dehydrator sometime soon. Anyone have any other recommendations? 

Unemployment Pie (aka Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie)

I'm so sad the haunted house where I work closed down temporarily. On the bright side we decided to have a "Bye Bye Pie Potluck" and I made a tasty pie! So, I'm sharing the recipe with you! This one is a little labor intensive but mostly because you have to crack open a few coconuts. Yikes! That's hard work but maybe you have a machete or a buzz saw or drill.... there's got to be something that makes opening a coconut easier. I am not suggesting you use a buzz saw. I mean you can try to do it at your own risk I have no idea if it will work. If you do try it and it works without injury, let me know. :)

Anyway, even though no one else who works in my maze is vegan, besides my sister who brought a delicious "chicken" pot pie (which will be blogged at a later date) I still like to bring my tasty vegan creations to share. Besides, there has to be something I can eat there!

 Bye Bye, Pie. You were tasty. 

So, here it is: 

Raw Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Crust:

2 C almond meal

3 T Coconut oil

2 T maple syrup or raw agave or date butter

Mix all ingredients into a bowl and press into the bottom of the pie tin. If you like a thicker crust, you can double the recipe.

Filling:

(Layer 1)

2 bananas chopped and spread on top of crust

(Layer 2)

Meat of 2 young coconuts

2 T raw cacao powder or raw cocoa

1/4 C maple syrup or raw agave or date butter

1/4 C cashews

2 T coconut oil

Mix above ingredients in a juicer fitted with a blank or vitamix, blender, etc and puree. Spread this layer over crust and bananas. Place in freezer while you prepare the next layer.

(Layer 3)

2 bananas chopped

1 C dates

1/2 C water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In blender or food processor puree dates with water and vanilla spread over layer 2 with the chopped bananas. Place pie back in freezer.

(Layer 4)

Meat of 2 young coconuts

1/4 C maple syrup or agave or date butter

2 T raw cacao powder

Puree above ingredients together in blender and spread over layer 3 then sprinkle shredded coconut over the top or if you prefer a sweeter topping, make more of layer 3. Keep in refrigerator until it's time to serve.

Raw Three Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

Need a easy, decadent chocolate fix, without all the sugar and fat? Today I looked in my fridge and saw my raw cacao powder. Knowing how healthy it is and how it makes my cramps and headaches go away in minutes, I wanted some. I also saw my date butter so that's how this happened. It's really simple and so delicious. Try it!!

Chocolate Mousse- Vegan, Sugar-free and All Natural

Vegan Raw Chocolate Mousse:
(Single serving)
1/4 C date butter
1 tsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp water

Pour ingredients into a bowl and mix with a spoon until blended. Eat. Be happy. Ok so it's four ingredients but water doesn't count. ;-)

Date Butter

Ok so date butter. It's not terribly exciting, it's pretty self explanatory how you would make it. I'm going to tell ya anyway. The reason I'm writing about date butter is because I think it's a great staple for sweeting smoothies or tea if you don't mind a little sediment. It's great for spreading on bread or add a little vanilla and a pinch of salt and you've got a great caramel apple dip. I also use it in in my recipes for raw pies and sweets. I like to just make a jar of it and keep it in the fridge to use at my leisure.

Date Butter:
16 oz medjool or honey dates
enough water to cover dates

Soak the dates 30 min or more. After you soak them, pit them and put them in the blender add about 2 cups of the water you soaked them in and blend until smooth. Store in a jar in the fridge and use often.

Blendtec vs.Kitchenaid 5 speed Blender

Wow. I may have been wrong about the Blendtec.  I still think it is a fantastic machine (I've never tried to liquify a whole orange or apple in a blender) but this video makes me think the Kitchenaid blender is a winner at less than half the price of the Blendtec. You want a really great blender because if you are making raw food, it will save you a ton of time in the kitchen. So check it out! Below are the best priced ones I could find.
                                  
 I believe a good blender is necessary and this one is way less expensive than the Blendtec so if you can't afford the top of the line Blendtec or Vitamix, you can still get a great blender.

Raw Fettuccine With Meatballs And Creamy Marinara Sauce

Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free, Paleo-Friendly Fettuccine With Meatballs And Creamy Marinara Sauce

I know I am posting a lot of uber-healthy recipes rather than decadent sweet treats. Trust me I have a ton of sweet recipes, which will be coming up soon but this summer it has been so hot and all I feel like eating is fresh, raw wholesome meals that won't heat up my kitchen and that take advantage of my amazing raw organic produce. So, if you're looking for junk food, hang tight I'll post those recipes later even though I might be switching over to a more plant based, less (or no) grain, soy, etc. I still have written down many vegan junk food recipes so I don't want them to go to waste. I will post eventually. I must clarify, when I say vegan junk food, I don't mean junk like the equivalent of fast food or twinkies. I always use quality ingredients which are healthier, they just are a little more processed than say Raw Fettuccine With Creamy Marinara and Meatballs. This recipe is vegan which means dairy and meat free. Also, it is gluten-free, grain-free, and 100% raw. It probably took less time to make than real fettuccine and didn't heat up my kitchen which is very important as we've been in a bit of a heat wave lately. Anyway, I am very excited about this recipe. I hope you enjoy.

Pasta:

4-6 zucchini 

juice of 2 lemons or limes

dash of salt

1 T olive oil (can be left off if you are cutting back on fat)

Peel zucchini and toss or eat the skins or feed to pets (I have a rabbit and guinea pig who love my veggie scraps). Use your veggie peeler to shred the zucchini into noodles then mix noodles in with the lemon or lime juice, salt and oil and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

My cute veggie lovers: Piglet and Thumper

Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce:

8-10 oz of cherry or grape tomatoes

1 T  red onion minced

1 zucchini peeled and sliced

salt to taste

1 clove of garlic minced 

5-7 leaves of fresh basil

5-7 leaves of sage

6-8 olives

Place all ingredients (minus the sage and olives) into a blender, Vitamix or Blendtec  (I know I'm pushing this blender a lot but it is my favorite you may also find a used or refurbished one cheaper on Amazon) and puree. Mix sauce into noodles. Add a few whole leaves of fresh sage and the olives chopped in half.

Italian Sausage Meatballs:

1 C Walnuts

1 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C sun dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic minced

2 T onion minced

2 T fennel seeds

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

water as needed

Soak your nuts and seeds while you prepare the noodles and sauce. If you don't remember to soak them, it's ok you may just need to add water while you are blending this mixture. Add all ingredients to a blender, Vitamix, etc or food processor and blend thoroughly. It should have the texture of a thick almond butter or something like that. Once mixed, roll into 1/2" balls.

Serve noodles and sauce over a bed of spinach and top with "Meatballs." There you a have a satisfying, delicious meal that is filling, wholesome and doesn't heat up your kitchen.  

Organic Produce Co-op!!

I just discovered the most amazing thing! The South Central Farmers Cooperative it's an organic produce co-op where you can buy a box of assorted produce for $20, $25 or $40 and pick it up weekly from your local farmers market or whichever of their locations is most convenient. Here's the link for anyone who's reading in Los Angeles: South Central Farmers Cooperative

Anyway, all the boxes are the same size but you can choose to pay more if you can to help cover those who can't afford as much. Pretty cool, huh? The boxes vary depending on what's in season. My box came with several types of zucchini, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, oranges, mandrine oranges, fresh basil, parsley and sage, squash, kale, and I think a bitter melon. I'm not exactly sure what it is. The box is supposed to feed a family of 4 for one week. Not sure how long it will last with how much produce my family of 3 eats but it's definitely going to save us some money. I want to start adding videos to my blog so I think I'll do one next week when I open my box. That way you can see how fresh and amazing it is. I was just too excited this week with my first box to think of doing a video before I started tearing into it. Seeing all the yummy raw produce inspired me so I will have some tasty, healthy recipes coming up. :)

If you have a local farmers market where you live, or maybe you live in a good farming community, you should see they have anything similar to the South Central Farmer's Cooperative and if not, maybe you can organize one for your area. It's a great way to save money if you're trying to be more frugal and eat more fruits and veggies or if you just want to eat more locally grown food. Keep an eye out for my upcoming recipe for raw fettuccine with creamy marinara and "meatballs." All made from fresh organic produce and no meat, grains or dairy. It should be posted by tomorrow so come back and check it out.