RAW PORRIDGE

Before going raw, every morning in the cooler months, I'd eat a big bowl of porridge every morning. It was delicious, filling and most importantly lovely and warming! I didn't make this recipe thinking it would be at all alike to it's cooked counterpart, and was very surprised when I had a taste! It looks and has a texture almost identical to cooked porridge! And in my opinion, of course tastes so much better made from fresh, sweet, flavoursome fruits :) I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! It's loosely based on Rawvana's recipe found here.

Recipe

2 apples 2 apples

4 bananas

4 medjool dates

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

Mulberries (or other dried/fresh fruit)

Walnuts & pepitas (or other nuts/seeds)

Tahini milk:

1 tsp Tahini

4 tbs water

- in a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and grate in the apples.

- finely chop up the dates (Tip: wetting the knife and your fingers with water prevents a sticky mess from happening!) and add them in, along with the lemon juice (to prevent browning) and cinnamon and mix everything well. 

- to make the tahini milk, add the tahini and water into a small air-tight container and shake vigorously until all of the lumps are gone and a smooth, white liquid forms.

- top the porridge with fruit and nuts and drizzle some tahini milk over the top.

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

This is a healthy twist on an old American favourite. To be honest, I've never tried (non-vegan) Thousand island dressing, but looking at the ingredients, this comes unbelievably close to what I imagine it would taste like! It's sort of like a tomato-ish mayonnaise. Like most raw dressings it's incredibly easy to make. Pour it on salads, zoodles, or other raw veggie dishes to create a creamy, crunchy, delicious raw meal!

Recipe
2 tomatoes
1 small carrot, peeled
2 tbs tahini
2 tbs chopped spring onion (green part only)
1 tsp sauerkraut (optional)
2 medjool dates
1 tsp paprika

- Blend all ingredients together and you're done! I sprinkled some dill & spring onion and juiced a bit of lime on top too.

CHILLI CHEESE FRIES

This is a fun, healthy way to use the chilli non-carne recipe here. 

Fries

1 kg potatoes, peeled is desired

2 tbs paprika

1 tbs cumin

Cheese sauce

1/3 cup cashews

1/2 cup water

3 large fries

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp mustard powder

2 cups chilli

Handful of coriander, chopped

Method

• For the fries, preheat the oven to 180C. Slice the potatoes into chips. Sprinkle the spices on top and thoroughly mix with a spoon or your hands to evenly coat each chip. Place in the oven for around 20 minutes or until soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside.

• For the cheese, blend the cashews, water & fries (Yep- add some of your fries! It tastes delicious, I promise!) on high for at least 30 seconds, until completely smooth. Add in the lemon juice & mustard powder and blend until well combined.

• Spread the fries evenly on a plate or large, flat-bottomed dish. Pour the chilli and cheese sauce over the fries. Sprinkle with coriander,

Enjoy! 

CHILLI (non-carne)

Unfortunately for us, our families aren't vegan, so we try to encourage them to eat less animal products by making yummy vegan dishes :) While we both enjoy raw or predominantly raw diets, we love to cook for our families. Here is one very popular vegan-for-omnivores Mexican dish that is super delicious and very versatile. It is low fat, loaded with veggies and totally scrumptious! It is a good idea to make large batches of the chilli and freeze some to use in different dishes to keep meals interesting & more convenient to prepare! 

Recipe 

1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) (make sure it's organic!)

1 cup boiled water

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 carrots, grated

2 zucchinis, grated

1 capsicum, finely diced

500g cooked kidney beans

2 cans diced tomatoes 

1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce

Salt, to taste

Method

• Put the TVP in a bowl with the boiled water and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Strain the TVP and squeeze as much water out of it as possible. Add about 1/2 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Add the TVP and cook for 10 minutes, stirring. Once cooked, put aside in a bowl.
• Add another 1/2 cup of water to the saucepan and add the onion and garlic in. Stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add the TVP back into the saucepan, along with the spices, carrot, zucchini, capsicum, tomatoes & kidney beans. Cook for 1 hour.
• Add in the sweet chilli sauce and salt. Finished! Serve with chopped coriander. 

Looking for ways to serve your chilli? Try these ideas...

- on rice (try turmeric-infused rice!)

- on pasta

- on a baked potato

- in tacos (with salsa & salad ingredients)

- in a burrito (with rice, salsa & guacamole)

- on nachos (with a cheesy sauce on top)

KIWI + GRAPEFRUIT DETOX-POPS

Kiwi fruits and grapefruits are both renowned for their detoxing properties, so I thought what better way to incorporate them into my diet than making them into these delicious, zesty little ice-blocks!

They're not super sweet, but they're extremely refreshing and are a perfect way to cool down on a scorching summers day :) They're also INCREDIBLY EASY



RECIPE:

• 1 330 mL carton of RawC coconut water
• 1 kiwi fruit
• 1/2 ruby grapefruit
• 1/2 Tbsp coconut sugar (or any other healthy sweetener of choice!)

METHOD:

• Blend the coconut water with most of the 1/2 grapefruit (leaving a few slices to put into the icebox themselves) and the coconut sugar
• Chop up the kiwi fruit into small pieces, as well as the rest of the grapefruit 
• Pour into ice block moulds and pop in pieces of fruit
• Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight
• Enjoy!

CHOC FUDGE BROWNIES with date caramel sauce

These choc fudge brownies will cure any sweet tooth's cravings - give them a go and see for yourself! 

Brownie Ingredients:

• 1 cup dates (preferably medjool)
• 3/4 cup almond flour or gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener of choice)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Pour some hot water over the medjool dates, just enough to cover them, and soak for approx. 10 minutes
• Drain, then place in food processor and process until smooth consistency is formed
• Add the flour, cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla essence and baking powder to the dates and process again until smooth.
• Line a 20x20 cm pan with baking paper and pour in, smoothing down the top
• Bake for 15-20 mins, then cut into squares once it has cooled (or just have one massive brownie CAKE...hehe)

Icing ingredients:

• 1 cup MEDJOOL dates (otherwise won't be smooth enough!)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup water

Method:

• Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth (may take a while, just be patient!) Scrape down the sides when necessary
• Now spread it on to your cooled brownies and enjoy! Top with anything else you desire (I used BlendCo superfood blend and some fresh blueberries!)

RAW VEGAN KIWI-MATCHA-MANGO-BERRY CAKE

Ok, so if you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm absolutely terrible at coming up with names for my desserts..... Like, "Kiwi-Matcha-Mango-Berry", really?? (Any suggestions would be great!) The unintentional colour scheme makes it perfect for Christmas, too! ;)

Anyway, it had been a loooooong time since I'd made anything due to exams and uni etc, so I kind of went crazy on this one... Hope you enjoy it!

RECIPE:

Base:

• 1 cup dates (preferably medjool)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds

First Layer:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 2 tsp matcha powder
• 1 1/4 cup copped kiwi fruit
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Second Layer:

• 2 cups chopped mango
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 1/3 cup mixed strawberries + raspberries (could use just one type of berry if easier!)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Raw Choc topping:

• 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 Tbsp Maple syrup

METHOD:
- For the base, place the almonds and dates in a food processor and process until a ball forms.
- Spread at the bottom of a cake dish, approx. 15cm diameter.
- For the next layer, process all ingredients until smooth. Pour on top of base and smooth out.
- Repeat for the next layer, making sure not to press down too hard when spreading, otherwise the layers will mix together
- Place in freezer for 8 hours or overnight
- In the morning, remove from freezer and top with your desired toppings!
- To make the raw choc sauce, mix together the melted coconut oil with the cacao and maple syrup, until all combined. If you are having trouble with this, you may need to place it in a pan over the stove to stop the coconut oil from hardening too quickly!
- I topped mine with the raw choc, strawberries and raspberries :)

Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a week!

Enjoy xx