Raw | Edibly Educated

How to Make an Incredible Salad Without Using Dressing

July 19, 2016 by Sarah

There are so many moments when I’m preparing food and thinking, ‘I wish I could blog about this’. Something that gets me so geeked is teaching about ways to eat healthy without just dishing out another recipe. Education; it’s what I want the heartbeat of this blog to be. Educating you on how to find practical ways, that are easy to replicate and implement, to add more gorgeous, colorful, nutritious foods to your diet.

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a very long time. I started a new real estate photography job a few months back and have been getting busy with my own lifestyle photography that it has kind of taken over my life. It’s a huge passion of mine, and I’m blessed to be doing photography full-time now, but oh, how I miss having those few extra hours a week to blog. Although it isn’t much, these occasional blog posts represent my tight grasp on this creative outlet that’s also driven by, you guessed it, so much passion. I’ve had these pictures sitting on my computer for a few weeks now, and I’m choosing to make the time to give them their deserved debut 😉

So today we cover salads. And dressing. Or lack thereof.

Salads are phenomenal. I believe salads have the power to cure food regrets. They’re a reset food; one that sustains you while helping you clean internally, getting you back on track (maybe after you have temporarily departed from the clean eats station..ya know ya know). Smoothies and juicing are other very suitable examples of what I consider reset foods, but there is something about salads that is just so satisfying – maybe it’s the crunch, the vibrant colors, the nourishing greens or all the different flavors cohesively mixed together in one single dish. It’s most likely all of the above.

I guess I should specify this though; I’m talking about clean salads. Not ones that are cancelled out by filthy dressings that devoid your salad of its potential greatness – dressings that contain GMO oils and other ingredients, flavor enhancers like MSG and artificial flavors, and preservatives. There are some good organic brands out there, which is nice to have on hand, but one thing I have recently started realizing is this: you don’t need dressing. And this is where this blog post becomes useful. It’s not just any salad where you can omit dressing and still enjoy every single bite – it’s a salad containing certain elements that, when combined, completely eliminate the need for dressing.

First, let’s quickly break down the main components of a dressing:

Fat
Acid
At times, a hint of sweetness
Herbs or seasonings

Now, I really want to focus on the first two. Fat and Acid. Oil and vinegar. These are pretty paramount for what comprises a typical dressing. If you have these two present, you’re already so far on your way to a dressing-less salad. Yes, you can drizzle any oil as your fat (like olive oil), but you can also use sliced or diced avocado, which adds an unbeatable creaminess to the salad as well. Avocado has many nutritional benefits and is most definitely my go-to for the fat component. I hope I can continue dispelling the myth that avocados contain a lot of fat so therefore, should be avoided as far as weight control is concerned. This is not true. These are healthy, vital, delicious fats you need in your diet. There is no need to fear healthy fats when you are eating a balanced, nutritious diet. Embrace good fats!

As for the acid or the astringent flavor, think pickled or fermented. I’ve been obsessed with both lately. You can easily pickle some veggies yourself, like I this one I made below:

This is pickled red onion and radish in a brine of apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. Let it sit for as long as you’d like (whether that’s a couple hours or days) and that’s it. I love adding this to so many dishes because it gives the food a unique tart factor that I just crave! You can also use sauerkraut. And I’m not talking polish sausage sauerkraut here, I’m talking traditionally fermented sauerkraut that’s raw and oh, so delicious. Another perk is that it comes in many different flavors! Wildbrine and The Brinery are two of my favorite suppliers. Here is what a few from wildbrine look like:

Now for the optional: something sweet and something herby

Think dried or fresh fruit. Berries are perfect now that they’re in season! Sometimes I’m totally in the mood for this and sometimes I am not. Either way, it tastes so yummy combined with the fat and acid from above as pictured in the example below. This salad has blueberries, raspberries, and nectarine slices.

As far as herbs and spices go, I think it’s safe to say that your salad won’t really need help in the flavoring department, and they’re kind of unnecessary at this point. I love to add some fresh green onion, but that’s about it.

Here is also a simple, quick, easy salad I made with just some strawberries, the red cabbage and beet sauerkraut with some fresh green onions over greens. I didn’t use a fat component, yet it was still very tasty and clean.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below if you have any other ideas or thoughts!

With love,

Make This Salad and Forget You Ever Disliked Kale

December 11, 2015 by Sarah

Miso is a long time friend of mine. I mean, c’mon check out this video from over three years ago of me living on a boat in San Diego making the good ‘ol massaged kale miso salad. It was one of the first kinds of salads I really fell in love with because of how delicious you could make the kale taste with something that’s just as beneficial for you!

Miso: so what is it and why would you want to use it?

Miso is a fermented (typically) soybean paste that is used heavily in Japanese and Asian cuisine. You can also find other types of miso like azuki bean, brown rice, barley, golden millet, and chickpea. Because it’s fermented, it’s full of antioxidants and probiotics, which are crucial for keeping you healthy. If you watched the video I shared above, I briefly discuss how miso’s strong flavor is able to stand up to Kale’s bitterness. By massaging the kale with it, not only do you break down the kale and make the texture more desirable, you’re coating it with something that is quite savory and tasty in the right proportions. You might forget you’re even eating kale!

Here is a recipe for you to try so you don’t have to take my word for it. This salad recipe is a switch up to my original Massaged Kale Miso salad in the video. I added a bit of maple syrup to bring a sweet component into the dish and different vegetables for a new take. Hemp seeds would still taste really great on this salad as well as any other protein of your choice.

As far as buying miso, a brand I really like is Miso Master Organic, but there are many other good organic brands out there as well. Check the refrigerated section of your health food store for more options. If you’re buying a soybean miso, I would for sure get organic to avoid GMOs. I used Miso Master Organic’s chickpea miso for this recipe.

Kale Miso Radish Salad

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

This salad combines many different flavors - sweet, savory, bitter, crisp, creamy - to deliver a delicious, nutrient-dense dish that's perfect as a meal or before one.

Author: Sarah

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

2 green onions
6 stalks kale
1 cucumber, thinly sliced and halved
4 small radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, cubed
1 tbsp. miso paste
2 tsp. maple syrup

Instructions

Take kale off each stalk and cut it up into strips. Place in a bowl with the miso paste and maple syrup and massage the kale until the miso and maple syrup coat all the pieces of kale and until the kale starts to break down and become softer.
Prepare all the vegetables, mix with the kale and serve. You can either mix in the avocado with the other vegetables or just place it on top.

Enjoy!

With Love,

Rejuvenate Your Skin With a Drink Like This

November 4, 2015 by Sarah

The other day, my boyfriend and I were at the grocery store, and we came across a big aloe leaf in the produce section. We’ve bought aloe vera juice before but never just an aloe leaf so we thought we’d try it. When we got home, Paul went right to filleting that baby like it was a fish. He cut off all the skin and sliced the pulp in 1-inch wide pieces. I didn’t get the best pictures of the leaf and this process (my regrets) but here are a couple for visual aid.

Why would we want to consume the aloe pulp?

Aloe vera has medicinal properties and is full of vitamins and minerals, including 7 of the 8 essential amino acids. It has anti-inflammatory effects, is an adaptogen, natural detoxifier because of its gelatinous properties, may benefit the digestive and immune system, and is anti-septic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Interestingly enough, these properties are also giving aloe vera a boost in popularity in dentistry because of its safe and effective nature.

*Because it’s a medicinal plant, it shouldn’t be consumed in excess and for long periods of time. A little bit of aloe can be good but that doesn’t mean a lot is better. The sap contains abundant anthraquinones, which are powerful laxatives. Take precaution if you are pregnant, menstruating, or have hemorrhoids or degeneration of the liver and gall bladder. Also, after doing some research, I would not have cut the whole leaf at once like we did. Because the plant oxidizes when cut, I would have waited and cut it as needed.

That day at the grocery store, we also picked up some pomegranates and guava. Pomegranates are good for your skin because they contain antioxidants that protect against sun damage, can hydrate the skin and combat inflammation just like aloe vera. The vitamins C and K as well as lycopene in guava help generate collagen, work against discoloration of the skin, and promote healthy skin cells.

The best part was that this drink was filled with all sorts of health benefits while being as tasty as could be!

This recipe is not precise because I don’t exactly know how much of everything we put in there. Plus, I just like the idea of you adding more of what you like depending on your taste preferences whether that be more sweet, tart, minty or fruity.

One tip for the mint: I know I never liked buying mint because it just seems so expensive in those packages and goes bad a lot of times because you don’t get a chance to use all of it. My advice: buy a mint plant (and other herbs!). It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving. They are PERFECT for adding to smoothies and great for you too! Here’s my little herb box that sits in the window.

And lastly, you can add aloe vera to any smoothie. Here is one I made the next day with aloe vera pulp, frozen aronia berries, frozen pineapple and banana, and E3 Renew Me Powder.

Aloe Guava Pomegranate Drink

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Sarah

Serves: 1-2 servings

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp. raw honey
1½ cup water
6 mint leaves
arils from 1 pomegranate
1 guava, peeled
juice from ½ lime
a couple segments of fresh aloe vera (can use aloe vera juice or pulp if you don't have access to fresh aloe vera)

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients together. You can blend with ice if you'd like it to be frozen or you can add ice cubes later for more of a chilled drink.
Strain juice through a mesh strainer to get all of the seeds out.
Enjoy!

With love,

This is How you Can Take your Chia Pudding to the Next Level

August 7, 2015 by Sarah

Today something great happened. Banana Ice cream and chia pudding met, fell in love, and smooshed.

I’m certainly a banana ice cream and chia pudding fanatic as you may already know, but I haven’t put them together until now. And I am so glad I did. When I set out to make a batch of chia pudding layered with some fruit, I thought about making a fruit smoothie too and layering it with that. But I wanted something that was cold and more firm, and that’s when it dawned on me to add banana ice cream to it.

Chia banana ice cream pudding is what I’d like to call it.

So what kind of banana ice cream specifically?

Think more of a sorbet with this.. more fruit than banana. I went with tart fruit one, which consisted of a little bit of frozen banana, frozen cranberries and strawberries, and frozen apricots. I loved the tartness from the apricots and cranberries. I didn’t use any liquid, which made for an awesome sorbet texture. Depending on what kitchen equipment you have, you may or may not be able to do this. My Cuisinart 9-cup processor works like a charm, but it was pretty loud chopping through that frozen fruit in the beginning.

I also thought about making more of a chocolate-y banana ice cream and adding that to a chia pudding too! I don’t see that going awry so you could try that as well! I’ll report back when I get around to doing that 🙂

This treat was a success on so many levels. Here are some of the other things I did that I felt made it so enjoyable in addition to just adding the banana ice cream:

add some superfoods and spices to the chia pudding like shredded coconut, goji berries, cacao nibs or powder, carob powder, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, allspice, powders like ashwagandha, maca, spirulina or chlorella, wheat grass, ginseng, lucuma, matcha, mesquite, camu camu, mangosteen, maqui berry
give it some crunch; add things like cacao nibs, chopped nuts or grapes
add some fresh fruit too; make your chia banana ice cream pudding a little fruit explosion by layering or just mixing in some fresh fruit – I did blueberries and halved grapes and LOVED IT!

The chia pudding was a very simple mix of chia seeds, almond milk, mashed banana, currants and cinnamon. Look below for an estimated recipe for the whole thing.

My favorite way to consume this was by mixing it all together in a bowl so that the coldness and flavor from the banana ice cream and the bits of fresh fruit could be tasted in every bite!

Berry Apricot Chia Banana Ice Cream Pudding

Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

This treat will satisfy your fruit cravings in so many ways!

Author: Sarah

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients

-Chia Pudding
2 tbsp. chia seeds
⅓ cup almond milk
1 mashed banana
dash of cinnamon
small handful of dried currants
-Berry Apricot Banana Ice Cream
small handful of frozen cranberries and strawberries
½ frozen banana
large handful of frozen apricot
-Toppings and Mix-Ins
cacao nibs
goji berries
halved grapes
fresh blueberries

Instructions

Mix the ingredients for the chia pudding and place in the fridge for at least a half hour.
Place the frozen fruit in the food processor and process until it forms a sorbet. You may need to stop it and scrape down the sides multiple times.
Add or layer the toppings and mix-ins with the banana ice cream and chia pudding.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try this and what you think of it!

Beginner’s Guide to Stuffed Energy Dates

August 1, 2015 by Sarah

So I made these quite awhile ago and never got around to posting them. I feel that they’re a little too pretty not to, so here they are!

But the only problem is that I never made a recipe for this. I actually made them and took pictures for a demonstration I was doing so I never wrote anything down because I just wanted the pictures. I know what’s in them, just not the amounts.

Buuut, I’m just going to go about this like I do with most of my beginner’s guides. I give you the ideas, you run with them.

I came across this raw stuffed dates idea and thought it was pretty rad. I really just experimented without following any sort of recipe and used inspiration from other recipes I’d seen. I also just used things I had in my cupboard, which I recommend. No need to go out and buy all sorts of stuff if you’ve got a well-stocked pantry.

Where to begin?

Start with the date. The food kind of date. As far as amounts go, it all depends on how much you stuff them, how big the dates are, how much mixture you have, and so on. My advice is to make a cup or two of the mixture and then stuff dates until you run out. Dates usually come in a container with quite a few or you can buy them in bulk. I would get at least 10-12 dates.Which variety? Doesn’t really matter. A really common and popular one to use is the medjool date because they are quite large and nice and chewy. I have also used some smaller Deglet Noor ones, and those worked fine too – they were just less sweet and can’t hold as much. The kind of date you use is dependent on your preference (sweeter, chewier, nuttier, etc.) and availability. Here is a website that talks a little bit more about different types of dates if you’d like to read about them.

Next, you’re going to want to use a food processor for best results. You could get by hand chopping and mixing all of your desired ingredients, but it takes a lot more time and the mixture may not stick to itself as well as it does when you use a food processor.

Place your choice of the following ingredients together and process until combined. It should be a chewy granola bar texture so keep in mind your wet/dry ratio. If it’s too dry, add some more ingredients from the wet category and vice versa.

Dry

Nuts and Seeds

Walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pistachios, ground flax seeds (bring on the omega-3’s!)

Powders, Spices and Other Superfoods

Shredded coconut, cacao nibs or powder, carob powder, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, allspice, sea salt, ashwagandha, maca, spirulina or chlorella powder, wheat grass powder, ginseng, lucuma, mesquite, camu camu, mangosteen, maqui berry, reishi, turmeric

Wet

Dried Fruits – these can be soaked to help the mixture come together more

Cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, raisins, dried mango, currants, apricots, figs, and dried cherries

Other

Small amount of lemon or orange juice, drop of essential oil (like a citrus one), vanilla extract, coconut oil or manna, cacao butter, any nut/seed butter, any liquid sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup**

**As far as the liquid sweetener, I would first determine if you’re going for more of a snack or a dessert. If it’s a snack stick with a more savory/nutty/less sweet filling, but if you’d like to make more of a dessert or a treat, I’d play around with adding a little sweetener for taste if you’d like. Be careful not to add too much though, the date itself is pretty sweet on it’s own!

Like I always say, add small handfuls/spoons/dashes at a time and taste test your mixture as you go along to make sure it’s something that you’re taking a liking too.

Next is ready, set, stuff!

Slice the date on one side, remove the pit and then take a spoon or small handful of the mixture and press it into the date. I had quite a bit of the mixture so I stuffed my dates to the brim and beyond. I also think it helped balance out the sweetness of the date by adding more of the mixture.

Keep these babies stored in the refrigerator and consume within a few days for the freshest tasting stuffed dates!

This is what I put in the ones shown in the pictures:

Soaked raisins, soaked goji berries, sunflower seeds, soaked almonds, walnuts, shredded coconut, chia seeds, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a couple cranks of sea salt

Now over to you — do you have any other ideas I’m missing? I’m sure there are more. I’d love to hear from you!

With love,

The Best Breakfast When You’re Pinched for Time

July 15, 2015 by Sarah

We all have the mornings where we get up late or spend too much time getting ready. Breakfast is sometimes the last of our priorities when this happens, but it doesn’t have to be replaced by a Starbucks stop or a run to the drive-through. This idea is perfect for those days that you didn’t save enough time for breakfast but know that a good wholesome first meal is really going to give you the energy and nutrients you need to efficiently carry out your day.

What are they?

Trail mix bowls.

This is simply a mixture of chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other superfoods that you combine ahead of time and keep in the cupboard in a sealed container. It’s best to make a pretty large bowl so it lasts awhile. This is what the dry mixture looks like:

When you’re in a rush, you can simply transfer some to a smaller bowl (with a lid) and pour your choice of milk over it. Grab a spoon and take it right with you! The longer you let the mixture soak, the juicier the dried fruits will become. If you’re in not as much of a rush, you can do what I did in the picture below. I soaked goji berries in warm water so they became nice and plump and then put those on top!

You can also slice a banana or add different powders like I did here:

The best part about these fruit/nut bowls is that they keep indefinitely in the cupboard just as any other dried fruit, nut or seed would. Keep the large bowl on hand and you’ll be happy you have it for those crunched mornings 🙂 My favorite bowls are the Pyrex glass storage set, which come with lids. If you get a set of them, you will have different sizes that are perfect for things like this breakfast. I use my pyrex bowls and lids so much!

What kinds of things to put in the trail mix??

Here are some ideas:

Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews

Seeds – buckwheat groats (nice and crunchy!), hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds

Dried Fruits – currants, blueberries, apricots, pineapple rings, dates, figs, cherries, cranberries, raisins, mango, apple, papaya, goji berries

Other – coconut, cacao powder or nibs, cinnamon, mesquite powder, lucuma powder, maca poweder, ashwagandha powder, spirulina or chlorella powder, you can also add oats if you want to make it more filling!

I would do 2-4 kinds of nuts and seeds, 4 kinds of dried fruits and small amounts of anything extra. Pour just enough milk to cover the mixture when you’re ready to eat it and then enjoy!

Alright now go make up a batch so you have it on hand when you need it! 🙂

What’s your favorite breakfast when you’re in a time crunch??

I’d love to hear from you!

Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

June 15, 2015 by Sarah

Okay, so I advise you to steer clear of the traditional ‘fruit’ roll-up from Betty Crocker.

Berry Berry Cool Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1).

That is NOT a berry berry cool ingredient list, Betty.

Now I know these may be a thing of the past and you don’t necessarily eat them anymore, but many, many foods like Betty Crocker’s Fruit Roll-Ups are being sold all over and tons of kids are consuming them. The corn syrup, the trans fats, the ‘flavors’, the dies – they’re so prominent in candy and children’s foods these days. Not only can we ourselves avoid eating these kinds of foods, but we can also avoid giving them to our children and future children. There are infinitely better options! Including these ~~dehydrated smoothies~~ homemade superfood real fruit roll-ups. I guess you can call these ‘the adult fruit roll-up’ or ‘the improved kid fruit roll-up’.

They are made primarily from fruit, but you can also sneak in some super foods, seeds, powders and what have you to make them more nutritious!

Need a little inspiration?

I gotchu.

Start with the fruit.. bananas, pineapple, apples, melon, all kinds of berries, apricots, peaches, mango, pears, kiwi, durian, lychee, etc. You want your mixture to be primarily fruit.

If you’d like..

Add some greens or a sneaky veggie.. kale, spinach, mixed greens, chard, cucumber
Add some super foods.. spirulina, chlorella, maca, cacao, açaí, goji berries, lucuma, mesquite powder, camu camu
Add some ingredients to change up the flavor.. shredded coconut, lemon/lime juice, cinnamon, vanilla, other flavor extracts and spices
Add some seeds.. chia, ground flax and hemp are great
Add a hint of sweetness.. raw honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.

Then place it all in a blender and blend away.

You literally just make a smoothie! Don’t be scared to mess up. Just taste test as you add ingredients and start by adding a very small amount because you can always add more! Some great combinations I’ve liked are:

Piña Colada – pineapple, spirulina or chlorella, banana and coconut

Banana Power – banana, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, maca, mesquite

Superberry – Mixed berries, açaí, goji berries, greens, banana, pear

Tango – Mango, lemon juice, chia, strawberry, lucuma

Grab Bag (shown in the pictures) – Banana, apple, blueberry, cranberry, strawberry, vanilla bean powder, ashwagandha powder, superfood smoothie mix from Bright Earth Foods

Pour the mixture onto a Teflex sheet or wax paper and spread using a spatula so it’s about 1/8 inch thick. On a Teflex sheet, I like to pour a circle in the middle and then just move it in the air side to side, front to back so that the smoothie spreads over the sheet – it makes it a lot more even than trying to use a spatula to do it. Dehydrate at 115 for 8-12 hours (overnight works great) until dry. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can bake them on your oven’s lowest setting on a parchment or Silpat-lined pan for 4-5 hours until dry as well. You don’t want this to bake so if your oven’s lowest setting is over 170, you may want to prop it open slightly or let it heat up to it’s lowest temperature and then turn it off and repeat every hour. Do so until it is not gooey at all when you touch it.

If you are going to use a dehydrator and you have a lot of trays you can fill, it’s nice to make up different kinds or multiple batches so you can make a mess once and have more on hand for snacking. I’ll make around a 40 oz. smoothe and fill about 5 trays. When dried, I then cut each big leather into thirds or fourths.

Do you have any other questions or ideas?! Send them my way using the comments section below 🙂 Also, let me know what you try and how you like it!

Until next time 😉

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing + Sushi Salad

June 4, 2015 by Sarah

So now that you know how to make your own tahini, it’s time to get some ideas about dressings to make with it! No better way to start than combining it with some good ‘ol miso. I recently bought some new miso, and it’s chickpea this time! For those of you who don’t know, miso is a fermented (typically) soybean paste that is used heavily in Japanese and Asian cuisine. You can also find other types of miso like azuki bean, brown rice, barley, golden millet, and chickpea like I mentioned. Two brands that carry these different varieties and that I really love are South River Miso and Miso Master Organic. By the way, don’t get tripped up about the price tag.. you don’t use very much at all so they last quite a long time!

What is so awesome about miso?

Miso is rich in antioxidants and probiotics and because it’s fermented, it contains beneficial bacteria that is good for your gut flora, which in turn may help support both your digestive and immune system. I used to work at an Asian fusion restaurant where we served miso soup. My mom would always tell me, ‘If you’re ever not feeling well at work, make sure you have some miso soup!’ It truly is a nice little addition to your diet.

Although it’s most notable for being used in soup, it can also be an incredible addition to dressings and sauces because of it’s bold saltiness. Check out this Massaged Kale Miso salad and my rockin’ how-to video while you’re at it 😉

The first day I made this Tahini Miso Dressing I just had it on some greens just like the ones shown in the picture above. However, the next day, I went ahead and made a SUSHI SALAD and doused it with this dressing.

And guess what? The sushi salad blew my mind! I loved pretty much every bite of it.. I just made if for dinner and didn’t know it would taste this yummy so I only have some phone pics to share. There was something about all of the veggies together – the textures AND flavors – that made this a salad I will FOR SURE make again!

Start with a bed of kale and other greens (mixed greens, romaine, leaf lettuce, etc.) and top with steamed asparagus, quartered and sliced cucumber, diced red pepper, one or two diced green onions, and some brown rice. Each vegetable I used really added to the WOW factor of the salad so if you try making this, I highly recommend not skipping out on one or two of them!

Next top with avocado, nori strips or cut up nori sheets (I used A LOT more than were in this picture) and the tahini miso dressing below!

This dressing can not only be used as a dressing but also as a sauce for really anything lunch/dinner-related! You can change the thickness of this dressing by adding more or less water. I used 1/4 cup, and it was pretty thin so if you want a thicker paste, I would start with 1 tbsp. and work your way up depending on the consistency you’re going for.

P.S. Black sesame seeds rock! Not only are they really affordable (we got a 1/2 lb. bag for only $1.80), but they’re also high in antioxidants, vitamin E and may offer anti-aging benefits — yeeeeeah!

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

This simple vegan dressing adorns salads with a creamy, savory and zesty kick!

Author: Sarah

Recipe type: Dressing

Serves: ¾ cup

Ingredients

¼ cup tahini
2 tbsp. miso
juice half lemon (about 1 tbsp.)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. coconut aminos (or tamari, nama shoyu, etc.)
¼ cup filtered water
dash of maple syrup, to taste
dash of cayenne pepper, optional

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix well. Store in an airtight container (like a Mason jar) in the fridge for 3-5 days.

If you love it, try making a double batch the next time so you can use it for multiple meals throughout the week!

With love,

Raw Honey Flax Banana Crepes

May 24, 2015 by Sarah

Okay, so they’re more like banana fruit roll-ups.

Buuuut, crepes sounds more fun and you can utilize them like you would crepes too (the sweet kind, not necessarily the savory kind) 😉

So what can you do with these bad boys?!

Layer with fruit and eat for breakfast
Layer with homemade chocolate sauce or this chocolate hazelnut cream sauce, coconut whipped cream or banana ice cream and fruit (especially berries) for dessert
Eat alone as a perfect little snack

Raw Honey Flax Banana Crepes

Author: Sarah

Recipe type: Snack, Breakfast

Ingredients

4 bananas
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. mesquite powder (optional)
2 tsp. raw honey
¼ cup water
1½ tbsp. ground flax seeds

Instructions

Puree ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Spread out evenly on Teflex sheets or unbleached parchment paper and place in the dehydrator at 115 degrees for 8-12 hours (overnight).
Peel away crepe when completely dry and roll up or fold over.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can try lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and baking it on your oven’s lowest setting for 4-5 hours. If that’s over 170 degrees, you can either prop the door open or let it preheat, turn it off and repeat every hour.

With love,