Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES with QUINOA and ALMOND BUTTER

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1/3 cup almond butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3 teaspoons water (more or less as needed)
1/3 cup chocolate chips or homemade raw chocolate cut tiny pieces 

Grind the quinoa and buckwheat into flour in a high speed blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips. If it's still very crumbly and dry, add some dates, or add more water in 1 teaspoon amounts until the mix is moist and holds together when you press it with your fingers. Add the chocolate chips and mix them in evenly. If you want to gently bake the cookies, add some dates and a little more water to the mix, then bake at 200 degrees (or use a dehydrator) for 30 minutes or until they get crunchy on the outside.  This is nice because you end up with warm cookies. I used an ice cream scoop to portion out nine big cookies, but you can do whatever you want. Serve with cold non-dairy milk and enjoy!

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SHOCKING PINK ICE CREAM 
Serves one or two or three... or me.

4 frozen, peeled bananas cut into chunks 
1/4 cup chopped red beet
Rawxies cookies or brownie chunks
1/2 cup berries
1/4 cup shredded coconut 

Blend the bananas with the beet until smooth. Add some mylk or water if needed / desired. Serve with the rest of the goodies. Yahhh baaabbay.

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I like to work hard. I like to relax hard (if that's a thing... I mean 'power naps' are a thing so relaxing hard can be a thing too, right?) I generally don't like long-term routines, so my workout regime changes at least once or twice a year. For awhile recently it was bodyweight exercises in my room plus dancing really sporadically to music. Things have changed. Now, most days I do P90X (and my workouts are always in the morning by the way). For those of you who don't know P90X: I will direct you to the wikipedia page on it. Basically it's an awesome program of videos that focus on different muscle groups (biceps, back, legs, chest, etc.) and there's a few that are high intensity cardio workouts as well (lots of jump squats, oh mama). There's also one for yoga, which is like an hour of warrior poses (feel da buuuurn) and then another 30 minutes of less challenging yoga moves. The program is technically designed to be 90 days long, and you're supposed to do a certain workout each day of the week, but I don't like following rules so I just do what I feel like. I usually do one workout (they're all about an hour) every morning, but they're tough and every few days or once a week I need a break, so I use those days for stretching, because there's a DVD for that too. It's an hour of taking care of yourself, and it feels so good. Tony Horton, the guy who designed the program, is really into yoga - and he was actually vegan for a little while; there's a part in one of the videos when he talks about making non-dairy corn chowder! - so there's a lot of yoga in the stretching video too.


Anyways, my point is that after I have worked my muscles and cardiovascular system a LOT all week, it feels amazing and so right to just spend an hour calmly stretching out my limbs and doing some light yoga. Work hard, relax hard - get it? ("Oooooooh, now I get it!") Afterwards, my body usually wants just one thing: homemade almond milk! So today I share a drink that is perfect for post-yoga nutrition. It's full of spices that are detoxifying digestive aids and blood cleansers. Besides, it tastes amazing. I need something more substantial pretty soon after drinking this but it's dreamy on its own right after I roll up the yoga mat. Ideas: add it to a smoothie... okay that's the only idea I have.

A note about the soaked almonds: I suggest buying raw organic almonds in bulk or in a large amount, soaking them all at once, then storing them in the freezer in ziploc bags or air tight glass containers. This is what I do in any case, and it works great for me. A note about the vanilla: try to get whole vanilla beans, then chop off a small segment and throw in the blender. It adds a really fresh flavour that you can't get from vanilla extract or even vanilla powder. I love getting my vanilla beans from Nature's Happiness; they are organic, fair trade, raw and pretty inexpensive.


WARMING CHAI ALMOND MILK

1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked for 8-12 hours in water then drained 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon segment of vanilla bean 
4 cardamon pods
3 Medjool dates
1 1/2 cups hot water

Throw it all in the blender until smooth. Strain with a nut milk bag, sieve or cheese cloth, and sip it up. Great after yoga and before or after meals. Add 2 frozen bananas to make it a chai milkshake. Life is good. 

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Meet me in the club oreo, it's goin' down.

Take me to the candy shop, I'll let you lick my lolly pop oreo.

I'm hot 'cause I'm fly into oreos, you ain't 'cause you not, this is why I'm hot.

And also this, just because.




Usually this is how my mind works: I find a way to incorporate the lingo of my raw food recipes and lifestyle into rap songs. I don't know why I do this, but regardless, now you know. Moving on.

This recipe is the BOMB yo. It tastes as good as the photos look, and I know ya'll are freaking out over the photos. Hehe. Basically we've got chewy chocolate cookies sandwiching a peppermint vanilla coconut creme filling. Yupp. Oh right, then all the cookies are dipped in chocolate, making them double chocolate. Can life get any better? Well, yeah, because these are also really good for you and easy to make. Okay, now life can't get any better. Unless you throw in a bowl of banana ice cream (but that is a constant truth).

As usual I give you a bunch of adaption/substitution options so no matter what sensitives you have, you can probably make these. I don't think I need to say much else about this recipe. I mean, look at it. Does anyone REALLY need more information? Get uncookin'.

PEPPERMINT OREOS DIPPED IN DARK CHOCOLATE
Makes 10-12 sandwiches

Cookies:
2/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup brazil nuts
1 cup dates
3 tablespoons carob powder
Pinch of sea salt
1-3 tablespoons water, if needed

Vanilla creme:
1 cup coconut chips
1 cup coconut shreds
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1-3 drops of peppermint essential oil, as desired

Dark chocolate:
Use this recipe. 

To make the cookies: grind the nuts into flour in a high speed blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the water) to the nut flour in a food processor and process until it all sticks together in a ball. If it's still too crumbly after a few minutes, add a little water. I did this and suddenly my very dry mixture became the perfect cookie dough consistency! Roll this dough out between two pieces of parchment paper then cut out cookies with a cookie cutter. Put them in the freezer until they are solid and can be handled without falling apart. If you have any extra dough, make a giant 'ugly' cookie and sprinkle it with some sea salt. No dough left behind.

To make the vanilla creme: blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender, adding the peppermint oil to taste (it's very potent!) If your blender isn't powerful enough to blend everything into a thick, coconut butter-like mixture, then add some more coconut oil, and perhaps a liquid sweetener or some dates and water.

Sandwich the coconut creme with cookies, making little dollops on each cookie then gently pressing down another cookie on top. Throw in the freezer for another 30 minutes or until they are solid and very cold.

Make the chocolate, then pour it into a tall, narrow bowl and dip in your frozen cookies. You will have to have 2-3 rounds of dipping, letting the chocolate on the cookies harden after each time. Enjoy!

NOTES: if you want the cookies to be darker, add more carob powder; if you want the creme to be whiter, try omitting the nut butter and adding more coconut oil or maple syrup.

SUBSTITUIONS: use oat flour, buckwheat flour, or any nuts instead of almonds or brazil nuts; use cacao or cocoa powder instead of carob; use vanilla extract instead of powder; salt is always optional; use more coconut shreds instead of coconut chips; use any nut butter instead of almond; use date paste instead of coconut oil; use peppermint leaves instead of essential oil.

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Pink layer:

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MEYER LEMON COCONUT CREAM TARTS with MINT + LAVENDER
Makes two huge tarts; four servings

Crust:
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1/2 cup almonds
1 teaspoon maple syrup (if desired) 

Lemon coconut cream: 
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup cashews 
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (preferably from Meyer lemons since they're sweeter) 

Garnish:
A few mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (optional) 

To make the crust: put the groats and almonds into a high speed blender and blend until it turns into a thick, slightly crumbly paste. If needed or desired, add a little maple syrup, then press into two tartlet molds or whatever shapes/molds you like. Put in the fridge.

To make the lemon coconut cream: put the coconut and cashews into your high speed blender and blend until it turns into a thick paste/butter. Stir in a 1/4 cup lemon juice and the maple syrup until evenly combined (or blend it in). If you'd like more lemon flavour, add more lemon juice! I like mine quite tart - no pun intended, seriously - so I used a full 1/2 cup. Spread this mixture evenly into your crusts, then let them sit in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple hours so the flavours can get to know each other. Garnish with mint, basil, lemon zest, maple syrup or whatever else you like! Life is good! 

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THE PERFECT RAW VEGAN BROWNIE (FOR TWO)

Adapted from "Basic Brownie with Chocolate Frosting" in Easy, Affordable Raw by Lisa Viger

Brownie:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup cashews 
1/4 cup cacao powder
Pinch of salt

Frosting
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons cacao powder 

To make the brownie: in a food processor, process the cashews until they are ground finely, then add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together. Press the brownie mix firmly into a cookie or tartlet mold. Refrigerate until it will hold its shape, then carefully take the brownie out of the mold and set aside. 

To make the frosting: mix together the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy. Spread on top of the brownie and enjoy! I like to chop it up and add it to my banana ice cream. 

ADAPTIONS: You can use any other nut instead of cashews. You can use carob or cocao instead of cacao. Salt is optional. You can use avocado, cacao butter or coconut butter instead of coconut oil. You can use date paste instead of maple syrup. 

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