One of the kids in my life returned from Italy recently.  She went on a school trip to Italy with her high school.  The same school trip that I went on when I was in high school.  I’ll be entertained with her pictures tonight and I’m sure that one of the pictures will be the pineapple that’s in the Courtyard at the Vatican Museum.  In honor of the occasion, I decided to whip up a batch of yummy pineapple smoothies.

Pineapple Head Smoothie

1/2 cup water (optional)
1/2 whole pineapple, golden and ripe
1 whole mango, peeled and cubed (fresh or frozen)
6-7 whole leaves mint
2-3 cups of spinach

Blend pineapple and mango together. Use water if desired. I have a fairly low powered blender so I always need water to get things started.  Some of the higher powered blenders may not need additional water.  Also, the riper your fruit is, the less water you’ll need.  Add mint leaves and spinach and blend until smooth.  For a nice treat in the summer, add a few handfuls of ice for a frosty treat.

Kitchen Table Talk…

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I cleaned out my freezer today and found a forgotten container full of frozen blackberries.  I had gone to visit a friend in the summer who grew blackberries and raspberries in their backyard and had completely forgotten that I had set aside a few pints to get me through the winter.  What a treat!  I left a pint out on the counter for about an hour to defrost a little and whipped up a delicious batch of blackberry smoothie.

Blackberry Surprise Smoothie

3 whole bananas
1 pint blackberries
2 cups baby spinach
3 to 4 peppermint leaves
1/2 to 1 cup water

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender and enjoy!

I thought I would try my hand at a raw soup.  I tried a raw soup recipe a few years ago by a well-known raw foodist from his recipe book and it really didn’t appeal to me.  My taste buds have matured a bit since then and I’ve also discovered what tastes I enjoy and don’t enjoy raw (spinach=yes, dinosaur kale=no) so I thought I’d give raw soups another chance.  What I love about the idea of raw soups is that they’re healthy, easy to make, packed full of nutrients and gluten-free.  What I like about this particular soup, is that it has some texture to it and I’ve added one of my favorite vegetables to eat raw: red peppers. Yum!

Cream of Spinach Soup

1 1/2 cups Sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
2 cups filtered water
3 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1/4 whole lemon, juiced (or to taste)
salt, to taste
1 whole red bell pepper, diced
1 handful cherry tomatoes
a dash cayenne pepper

Blend sunflower seeds with water until creamy. Add spinach, lemon juice and salt and blend until smooth. Add diced red bell pepper and tomatoes before serving.  Season with cayenne pepper if desired.

I made almond milk for the first time today.  I wanted the pulp to mix up a batch of raw almond cookies.  I don’t have a Vitamix or high powered blender which really would have made the process much easier.  I also didn’t have any cheese cloth so had a fun, albeit messy, time straining my pulp.  It was all in good fun and the resulting almond milk, which I blended up in a smoothie, was delicious!

Watch the video below to discover how to make your own almond milk.  Karen Knowler shares her tips for making raw almond milk.

Karen Knowler’s Raw Almond Milk

Today’s raw Christmas cookie requires a bit more work. I thought I had it a little too easy these past few days.  It’s still quite a bit less work than making the cooked counterpart so you’ll have plenty of time to whip this up as a last minute treat on your Christmas table. Enjoy! This recipe is courtest of Kristen Suzanne. You can find more great recipes at http://www.kristensraw.blogspot.com/

Capri Lemon Chocolate Bars
Kristen Suzanne of Kristen’s Raw

Bars:
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
10 whole dates, pitted, soaked 1 hour, drained
1/2 cup dried apple, soaked 1 hour, drained

Frosting:
8 whole dates, pitted, soaked 1 hour (reserve “soak water”)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons “soak water”
3 tablespoons raw chocolate or carob*
2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup coconut oil

For the bars: Process the nuts in a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, until coarsely ground. Add the lemon extract, agave, lemon juice, and process to mix. Add the dates and dried apple and process until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Press (or spread) the mixture into the bottom of the glass baking dish. Place in the freezer while you make the frosting.

For the frosting: Blend all of the ingredients together (don’t worry about blending the macadamia nuts until entirely smooth if you don’t want; they can add a nice texture to the frosting). Spread on top of the bars. Place in the freezer for about an hour. After they “set” you can store them in the refrigerator (up to 5 days) or in the freezer (up to 6 months).

As featured in the book Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens, MD. This is actually a salad dressing, but I have used it as a sauce or dip. I use it often with raw falafels.

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 whole tomatoes
1/3 cup flax oil
1 medium orange
1 teaspoon celtic salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne

In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

I don’t know about you but I’m in the mood for a nice healthy smoothie today. While I’ve been posting quite a few sweets recipes lately, other than a bite to evaluate the recipe, I’ve been passing on most of the holiday treats this season. The best way to avoid the holiday bulge is not not indulge in all the sweet treats making the rounds. I’m just as happy with a nice fruit smoothie.

I often get asked to find a good source of raw vegan smoothies and raw recipes. Karen Knowler, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working & coaching with, has some very creative and simple recipes that I just haven’t found anywhere else. In fact, one of my favorite raw vegan smoothies is courtesy of Karen.

Mono Melon Smoothie by Karen Knowler

1 ripe melon of your choice [Galia is my favourite melon for this recipe]

Simply cut your melon in half and spoon the ripe flesh out of the skin, putting the seeds to one side. If you are serving one person, half a melon will be enough, unless that person (probably you!) is very hungry! Blend your melon on high speed until no lumps remain this is your smoothie! Pour into a tall glass, find a cosy corner, relax . . . and sip silently if you can!

Karen’s Tips:
You could try adding one other fruit to this smoothie to give it a gentle twist, such as a few strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries. This will make for a stunning looking drink as well as new tastes to delight you and your guests. This is a great breakfast as it is just fruit. If drinking this at any other time of day, to avoid gas and bloating you must drink on an empty stomach, as all fruits digest the quickest of all foods, but melon is the fastest and when blended faster still! So wait at least 3 hours after eating your last meal to drink this hence the breakfast suggestion! This one won’t keep well in the fridge, so best to drink it as soon as possible. Why wait anyhow?!

My kitchen is getting busier by the minute. Had a few unexpected guests for dinner this evening. Good thing I had a few trays of raw Christmas cookies to keep them satisfied while I whipped up dinner. In fact, they helped to make the newest recipe that hit my inbox as part of the FREE 12-Days of Christmas Cookie mini-course while I worked on the main meal (ribs). These were a hit and so easy to make. I sent them all home with a tray of raw Christmas cookies and must say I have a few raw food converts on my hands.

Fluffy Snowballs

2 cups dates
1 cup coconut
a splash of fresh orange juice
a splash of vanilla

Process all ingredients in a food processor adding coconut a handful at a time to form a ball. Shape in small bite sized balls. Roll in coconut.

I’m back with another raw Christmas cookie recipe from the FREE 12-Days of Christmas Cookie mini-course. Today’s treat is Almond Crunch Bars. I was at my nephew’s birthday party this evening so I didn’t have time to try the recipe so you’ll need to give it a try and let me know if they’re as yummy as they sound. If you don’t have access to a dehydrator (and several recipes in the collection need dehydrating) you can use your oven on the lowest temperature setting and leave the door slightly ajar or even just place the cookies in your oven and turn on the oven light. The oven light generates enough heat to do the trick… and saves on your electrical bill.

Almond Crunch Bars

1 cup almond pulp
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup other seeds or chopped nuts (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, walnuts etc.)
1 large banana

Blend banana with the almond pulp. Stir in nuts and seeds. Spread on teflex sheet and score in bars. The banana supplies the sweet taste to these cookies.

On the 5th day of Christmas, another raw Christmas cookie recipe hit my inbox. I doubt I’ll have time to make this recipe today as I have loads to do around the house. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen trying out some new recipes as I plan my Christmas Eve menu but haven’t had time to post them here for you. You’ll have to make do with a few more recipes from the FREE 12-Days of Christmas Cookie mini-course. If you’re making this recipe for someone with gluten intolerance, be sure that your vanilla extract is gluten-free.

Figgy Pieces

1/2 cup soaked dried figs
4 or 5 fresh figs
1 cup almond pulp
1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

Blend the fresh and dried figs with the almond pulp. Add vanilla. If the dough is still too dry add some of the water used for soaking the figs.

I did this in a rectangular shape then scored in triangles to make a different shapes from other cookies. Before dehydrating place a slivered almond on top to decorate.