Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

• 2 cups packed almond flour or almond meal*
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, turbinado sugar or pure cane brown or white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, warmed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces (raw or roasted)
• 1/4 or so cup semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate chunk pieces, you can place some strategically on top as well
• sea salt to garnish

Being raw is this easy! People have been asking for a simple recipe that everyone can make, not just those with all the fancy equipment (I am one of those lucky guys). So here it is! All you need is some sticks, fruit, chocolate and two hands. Heck, you could do this even you are missing a forelimb. No excuses unless you actually have NO arms. In that case - I am deeply sorry. But I have been fortunate to keep both of mine in top shape through the years so this was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.


You can use a bar of dark/raw/vegan chocolate if you don't mind and you have it on hand, but the first option is to make your own raw chocolate which simply requires cacao, coconut oil and some liquid sweetener. If you don't have those, alternatives abound; you can use cocoa instead of cacao, nut butter or cocoa butter instead of coconut oil, and really any sweetener you like, such as raw honey, agave, maple syrup, date paste, or even raw sugar. As far as the fruit goes, you can use whatever you want. I place these decisions in your worthy (and hopefully attached) hands. I took these photos using my own two hands and Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Love it.

One last thing - give these guys a listen. Solid tunage.

My boyfriend and I have been eating so many veggie-noodle dishes lately. Our routine right now (and probably through the winter break) is to get up "early", work out together, make post-exercise green smoothies or juice, then do homework/something productive and go for a walk. Then we make lunch and watch whatever TV show we are currently addicted to - at the moment it is The Wire. Thug life.

Anyhoo, the past week we've been making different kinds of soba noodles with a ton of raw and roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, cilantro, beets, onions, garlic, bell peppers, etc. I like to add raisins and peanuts on top. So today I prepared some green tea noodles and served them with delicious, fresh vegetables.


green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs: serves two hungry people

Roasted veggies:
1 sweet potato
2 large beets
4 large mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tablespoon fave veg oil 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, fennel seeds, dill, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and rosemary if you have it
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

Noodles:
1/2 package green tea noodles
1 teaspoon veg oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

Toppings:
1/2 cucumber
1 cup cilantro 
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup raisins 

Prepare your plants: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice all the veggies so they are all roughly the same size. Mix in the oil, herbs/spices and maple syrup until everybody is evenly coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are soft and delicious. 

While they are baking, make the noodles: follow the instructions on the package, ya goof! Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking anymore. Then add a teaspoon of veg oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if you like. 

Cut up the cuke and cilantro for the toppings. When the vegetables are ready: put your noodles in two bowls, place the roasted veggies on top, followed by the cucumber, cilantro, raisins, peanuts and whatever else you think to add. Eat with your significant other while watching cops chase drug gangs in 90's Baltimore. 

Namaste, yo. 

• 1 pound dried  beans (black eyed peas, cranberry or great northern beans) or 3 cans (15 oz) various beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil or 3 tablespoons water (for water saute)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale (about 4 loose cups),  center stems removed and roughly chopped
• 2 large organic tomatoes, diced (I leave the skin on) or 1 can (15oz) crushed canned tomatoes with juice
• 8 cups vegetable broth, water or combo
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh 
• 2 teaspoons dried sage or 3 -5 leaves, chopped
• 2 -3 teaspoons smoked paprika, optional
• 3 bay leaves
• a pinch or two of red pepper flakes
• himalayan salt & cracked pepper, to taste
• 8 oz of pasta of choice, cooked
• almond parmesan and lemon, for serving

I don't remember what a "real" snickers bar tastes like but I know that they are basically just white sugar... gross. I had a fun time looking around the official snickers website where they claim snickers are "part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle."

raw snicker bars: makes about 10 bars

Nougat layer:
1/2 cup raw flour (such as oat, coconut, buckwheat, almond, etc.)
1/3 cup raw agave/maple syrup
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 pine nuts (optional) 

Caramel layer:
1 cup dates and enough water to cover them
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Raw chocolate coating:
Just use your fave recipe or my own 

To make the nougat: pulse the flour, pine nuts (if using) and sweetener together in your food processor until smooth. Add the almonds by hand. Shape into small logs on parchment paper and put in the freezer. 

To make the caramel: blend all ingredients together in your blender until creamy and thick, adding the least amount of water you can. spread a little on to the tops of each nougat log and put back in the freezer. 

When they are frozen enough, cover each one in chocolate and let harden in the freezer or fridge. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 16 oz. package pasta of choice (I used rice penne pasta) (works with an 8oz package too)
• paprika, garnish

Cheese Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for a 2 -3 hours (aides in digestion)
• 1 3/4 cups water or unsweetened almond milk, or combo like I did
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• juice of one large lemon or 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, to taste*
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• dash of cayenne powder 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook your noodles al dente and set aside.

While waiting for the water to boil, start with your bread topping first. I toasted two pieces of bread we had on hand really well and processed them in the food processor until crumbly, a high speed blender will work too. Place the crumbs in a small bowl, drizzle with olive oil and a twist or two of the salt grinder, mix well and set aside. Quickly rinse the processor/blender bowl and move on to the cheese sauce.

For the cheese sauce: In food processor/blender, combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients except for about 1/2 of the water/milk and blend until creamy. Add remaining water/milk and blend again. Taste for flavor adding anything extra to suit your taste.

Once pasta is cooked and drained. Add pasta back to the pot it was cooked in, add the cheese sauce and combine well. It may seem like too much liquid but the pasta will take care of most of it.

In baking dish, pour mac & cheese and top with bread crumbs. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, check after 15 minutes if crumbs are darkening too much for your liking, cover with foil.

When done, let cool about 10 minutes and serve. The sauce will thicken upon standing.

* The chili pepper adds a really nice flavor without being too powerful. If your worried about the spiciness, especially for the little ones, I would suggest using the smaller amount, taste and add more if desired.

Notes: If you use a smaller baking dish or use ramekins, lessen the cooking time to 10 - 20 minutes depending on the size of dish you use.

• 1 large or 2 small spaghetti squash, seeds removed
• 1 jar (25oz.) organic pasta sauce of choice

• 1 heaping cup of mushrooms (about 4 oz), sliced (I used cremini)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil, to saute
• 1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds, optional
• 1 can (15oz) cannellini, kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini)
• 1 cup of quick oats
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, basil, thyme or Italian seasonings (or a mixture of these)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash or two of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste
• sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste