Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Today I'm reviewing some products sent to me by a friend. They come from the companies Longevity Power and Ancient Sun Nutrition. I received a bunch of super food powders made by Longevity Power, and a couple raw chocolate bars made by Ancient Sun Nutrition.

The super food powders are ultra smooth and I've been adding them to my smoothies in the morning for an extra energy boost and increased mental clarity, as well as faster recovery after exercise. My fave smoothie recipe right now is 2 bananas, 1 orange, 1 cup frozen pineapple, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon spirulina powder! The raw chocolate bars didn't last very long - I ate them in two days and enjoyed every bite. One was minty and the other included blue green algae... sounds weird, but trust me, it's delish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils (french, beluga or green/brown)
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 large carrots, diced 1/4"
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil or 1/4 cup water for water saute
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted) or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
• 6-7 cups vegetable broth or water
• 2 - 3 bay leafs
• 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (if using hot use 1 teaspoon or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• mineral salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• chopped parsley for garnish

Rinse your lentils well and pick through removing any oddly shaped or colored lentils. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer to remove any powdery residue.

In a large pot/dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, until onions are tender. Add smoked paprika, cumin, thyme and nutmeg, cook until fragrant, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, broth, lentils, quinoa, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and tasting for flavor as you go. Once done, remove from heat, add balsamic vinegar and stir. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Spoon soup into serving dishes and top with chopped parsley.

You may like to serve this with some fresh homemade naan bread, like this one from Vegan Richa or this gluten free one from Golubka Kitchen

Soup serves 4 - 6

Notes:

Feel free to add 1 cup of quinoa instead of 1/2 cup. Just be sure to add the full 7 cups of liquids when cooking, adding more at the end if needed. You can also try using 1 1/2 cup lentils and 1/2 cup quinoa if you like.

For me, using a good vegetable broth in this soup was key to flavor. I used 4 cups of broth and 2 1/2 cups water.

Use 2 teaspoons of thyme if you don't have any dried basil on hand.

If you're a tomato lover, try using 1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes or 3-4 fresh tomatoes.

If you feel the soup is on the sweet side, add the juice of one lemon to cut the sweetness.

I literally could not stop eating this. It tastes so incredibly vibrant and delicious that I bet you won't be able to control yourself either. The bread is moist, chewy and bursting with flavour from the veggies it's made from; so it pairs perfectly with the fillings of tomatoes, cucumber and kale & olive tapenade, because those ingredients are supa fresh too.

Since it's winter, the kitchen is too dark to photograph food in now, so I have moved out to the deck (which we recently got a roof for, so the lighting isn't too harsh anymore). So here I am, out on our deck, gobbling up mini sandwich after sandwich and making quite a mess because I just want to get this glorious grub in my mouth... I think it was the last bit of confirmation needed by my neighbours to declare me 100% nuts. But there aren't even any nuts in this recipe! Gimme a break! ("Ha-ha... Emily, you're so hilarious...")

The recipe instructions tell you to marinate the tomatoes and cucumber, but FYI: the veggies you see in these photos were just plain and raw - I simply sliced them and used them like that. You can do whatever you want. You can also use whatever fillings you want! The reason I used tomato and cuke is because they were sitting in the kitchen and basically begging to be enjoyed (you can call me the veggie whisperer, it ain't no thang).

I can't wait for you guys to try this recipe out, because I KNOW you've been wanting more savoury lunch and dinner ideas. Me knowing that has nothing to do with my vegetable telepathy skills; I can just read comments on Facebook. Some other savoury recipes to expect include poutine, soups, bread, salads, pizza, wraps, etc. Having said that... I may or may not have made raw vegan tiramisu... it might be in the freezer... I'm sorry! But no one can defeat my sweet tooth. It's a von Euw thing; ask my dad.


I think if you make this recipe, you should listen to an album called Spiritual State by Nujabes while you eat. Here's an amazing track from it. Most of the album is instrumental, smooth and jazzy; but every now and then you've got some sweet rhymes being dropped. Very chill positive vibes... just like what you're gonna feel when you munch on these sandwiches.

I have to say: I am feeling amazing about life in general. Two days ago I received my first advance copy of my book, Rawsome Vegan Baking, in the mail, I just got a second book deal (expect a smoothie, juice and energy bar cookbook from me in December 2014), I'm going to be working closely with an amazing sustainability-focused company (more deets to come), school has started again and I love all my courses, I essentially got married to my record player, and I am overflowing with inspiration and recipe ideas for the blog! I feel like I kinda said all that in my last post, but I may as well repeat it because a) you could be new here and b) it's just how I FEEL!

Enough random typing. Let's eat.


TOMATO CUCUMBER SANDWICH on ONION & CORN BREAD with OLIVE & KALE TAPENADE

ONION & CORN BREAD

1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup corn  
1 chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes
Salt, pepper and cumin, to taste

Grind the flax and sunflower seeds into flour in a high speed blender. Put this flour in a food processor. Add the other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes kinda like chunky paste. You may have to mix it up with a spatula a few times. Spread onto dehydrator trays and dehydrate for about 2 hours, then slice into squares and flip over. Dehydrate for another 2 hours until the slices are pliable. Note: if you don't have a dehydrator, use your oven at it's lowest temperature.

OLIVE & KALE TAPENADE

1 bunch kale
1/3 cup olives
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pink Himalayan salt, as desired
1 peel garlic clove (optional)

Soak the olives in the olive oil over night. Throw all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until it reaches the consistency of pesto or tapenade.

TOMATO & CUCUMBER

1/2 cucumber
2 tomatoes
Salt, pepper and cumin

Slice the tomatoes and cucumber and coat lightly in olive oil and spices, set in the dehydrator (or oven at its lowest temperature) until it softens and its skin begins to wrinkle. Spread the tapenade onto your bread, followed by your veg slices. Chomp!

After the holidays some of us may be feeling bloated. I figured a cleansing smoothie recipe was what ya might be cravin'. And if you're in the best shape of your life - this is still perfect for you! Point being: it's never a bad time to drink a green smoothie. Even when sky-diving, it's still probably a good idea (just use your glass straw and an ecojarz lid). Dark leafy greens are seriously the best thing you can put in your body, and when you combine them with fresh fruits you've got a winning formula for long-lasting and delicious wellness. Oh baby it tastes gooood.

Guys. Can we take a moment to stop what we are doing and thank the universe for including chocolate.

I don't mean processed dairy-filled-laden-with-white-sugar-and-freaky-chemicals chocolate... I mean superfood-wholesome-healthful-and-deliciously-decadent-raw-vegan chocolate. This stuff will keep you living long, smiling big and probably singing in between bites. (The only downside might be that you don't want to share.) Let's eat foods that taste great, are good for us, and don't hurt anybody. Sound good? Good.

The ingredients in this recipe are pretty spectacular in their nutritional profiles. We've got spirulina, maca, reishi mushroom, goji berries and obviously cacao. Spirulina has a whackload of protein, iron, calcium and amino acids; it is great for keeping your bones and muscles strong and detoxifying the body. Maca is rich in B12, manganese, calcium, iron and potassium and works to balance hormones and give sustained energy. Reishi mushrooms are often used to strengthen the immune system and fight free radials (cancer-causing cells). Goji berries have an insane amount of antioxidants and protein and can be used medicinally to treat disease. Cacao has a ton of iron, magnesium, antioxidants and fiber. All these plants have been used for centuries by wise civilizations looking for long term wellness and strength. In today's world, they are available in nutrient-dense, gently processed powder forms which you can mix together with your sweetener of choice and cacao butter or coconut oil (both super foods in themselves)... and you wind up with the best chocolate in the world. Bam.

Is the planet a miraculous sphere of awesome or what!? Let's get jiggy with it! Or better put... healthy with it. Note: this chocolate tastes a little different than the regular kind because of the addition of the super foods. If you wanna start with something more like regular dark chocolate, use this recipe.


RAW VEGAN SUPER FOOD CHOCOLATE

1/2 cup melted cacao butter
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tablespoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder
1 teaspoon goji berry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of Himalayan pink crystal salt
2-3 tablespoons coconut nectar or other sweetener

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth but still liquid. If it's too thick, add more coconut nectar or melted cacao butter. Taste it and make sure you are in love, otherwise... adjust it to your desires. Pour into chocolate molds or onto parchment paper and set in the fridge for an hour or two, until solid. Enjoy!

This was made in anticipation for the holidays. The red and white are festive colours, plus who doesn't want (raw vegan) "cheesecake" at Christmas? Only the loonies. Watch out for them...

This cake is not only beautiful, it's delicious. The cashews create a rich, filling creaminess and when paired with fresh lemon juice, oranges and sweetened naturally, the result is practically divine. Impress all the skeptics - and non skeptics alike - with this at your next holiday dinner. Don't tell 'em it's healthy, raw, vegan and gluten-free until AFTER they've licked their plates clean and asked for seconds. Trust me - they will; or else they go in the loonie bin. I'm serious. But not really. But mostly.


My motto is "do what works for you" so here's a bunch of substitution options if this recipe doesn't quite fit your diet ideals: if you don't want or can't eat cashews, you can use fresh young coconut meat instead; or avocados, or any other nuts. Hemp seeds would even work. If you don't want nuts in the crust, use oats, seeds or buckwheat groats. If you can't have coconut oil, use cacao butter. If you don't like coconut nectar, use a syrup of dates and water. Bam! Anybody can make this work for them. Hallelujah to the heavens, amiright!?

I'm pretty much done with calling raw vegan "cheesecake" by that name... I prefer cream cake now. Although the inspiration comes from cheesecake, raw vegan cream cakes are just better in every way. They taste better, they're healthy, they're better for the planet, their ingredients aren't involved in the abuse of our animal pals... there're no down sides! So I'm tired of associating them with cheesecake... from now on - my "cheesecakes" will be cream cakes. It's also less confusing this way.

I'd like to say a big, warm thank you to all you lovely people who commented on my last post and emailed me about it. I know this blog is first and foremost about raw vegan recipes; but it's very therapeutic for me to let out what's going on inside my head. What becomes equally important when I share my emotions in a public space is the responses from you, which do SO MUCH to make me feel better. So many of you can relate, and that is extremely helpful and relieving to know. I think for a lot of you, it's good to know that YOU'RE not alone either! It makes me infinitely glad to realize we're all in this together, and that we can come together over our personal selves with healthful recipes. I am blessed. All my love to you. Let's eat cake.

GRAB THE RECIPE HERE.

• 1 pizza or focaccia dough (see notes for homemade dough)
• olive oil
• 1 fennel, thinly sliced about 1/4 inch or smaller
• 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 -2 tablespoons capers
• 2 - 3 teaspoons fennel seeds (thyme or herbs de provence would be great too)
• mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste, optional
• chopped flat leaf parsley, to garnish
• almond parmesan, to garnish