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You are here: Home / Archives for raw

Beginner’s Guide to Stuffed Energy Dates

August 1, 2015 by Sarah

Raw Goji Energy Stuffed Dates

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.

Energy Stuffed Dates

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.

Energy Stuffed Dates Energy Stuffed Dates

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!

Energy Stuffed Dates

Energy 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,

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, Raw, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: beginner's guide, desserts, easy, raw, snacks

Why You Should Consider Investing in a Food Processor

July 3, 2015 by Sarah

Stuffed Dates

I try to show love to all my handy helpers in the kitchen, but let’s just say my food processor gets a little extra attention. In my own personal humble opinion, I think investing in a food processor is a smart thing to do if you would like to eat healthier by cooking more from scratch or making homemade versions of store-bought favorites. You might be thinking:

I already have a blender, why would I want a food processor too?

Great question. Let’s talk about the different blades that can come with food processors to demonstrate this:

The ‘S’ Blade – this is used to chop, dice, crumble, and puree the contents you place in the prep bowl. Great for chopping nuts and dicing veggies.

The Dough Blade – kind of self-explanatory; used to make dough (homemade bread, pie, pasta or pizza what! what!) I love this because you can make these delicious foods using all whole ingredients!

The Shredder – easily shreds things like cheese, beets, cabbage, zucchini, carrots and other tough vegetables

The Slicer – Want to make homemade chips in a jiffy? You’re going to want to use this guy! This is used to make slices of foods like potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, beets, peppers, etc.

Depending on what blender you have, you may or may not see the perks of a food processor being all that special. If you have a very expensive blender like a Vitamix, you can do many of the things a food processor can do as far as blending foods into a smooth mixture and other things done using the ‘S’ blade. However, you can’t really do much besides a consistently smooth mixture with most blenders. I’ll say that blenders are better for smoothies and you should leave liquid stuff for the blenders, but because of the other blades, food processors can be used for so many more things. Additionally, the cheaper your blender is, the wider the gap gets between things you can do with your blender and the things you can do with a food processor.

Because of the way food processors are designed as opposed to blenders, they can take on many different kinds of jobs because of a bigger blade and wider container, which also happens to make it easier to scrape stuff down the bowl if you need to help it along. You also don’t need to add as much liquid like you do with blenders so foods you make in a blender can have a thicker consistency when made in a food processor.

Which one I recommend:

The only one I’ve really had experience using a lot and appreciate more than ever is my Cuisinart Prep 9-cup processor. My mom has an 11-cup one, which is really nice for a family. It’s not only affordable, but the quality for the price is not something to be overlooked. I have three words for this processor: durable, reliable, and efficient! Durable in the sense that it isn’t prone to breaking, reliable because it takes on every job without hesitating and efficient because you don’t have to spend time monkeying with something that does half the job. Think of a junky blender. You sit there starting and stopping the thing about 12 times to get it to blend something. NOT efficient, am I right?

You skip any sort of hassle like that with this processor because of its design; sharp blades and a great powerful motor. You will not be frustrated with the performance of this blender for all your food needs! If you don’t have a lot of extra money, I highly recommend waiting until you can save up and get a food processor like this or better because cheaper ones can sometimes be a hit or miss. My boyfriend got a Cuisinart Blender and Food processor all-in-one, and the food processor is pretty awful and so loud! You can also get little ones for only like $50, but in my opinion, I would just wait and get the larger one so it can be used for so much more.

What are some of the delicious things I can make with a food processor?

Homemade Banana Ice Cream – This is one of my favorite things to make! In a nutshell, straight frozen bananas are processed into an ice cream, and this takes a hefty processor to take on that job! Mine hasn’t failed me yet, and that’s why I love it so much!

Rhubarb Ice Cream-4

Avocado Pudding

Raw Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Applesauce – You can make this raw. The nice thing about using a processor over a blender for this is that you don’t have to add as much water or lemon juice to get it to blend

Raw Applesauce

Flour – You can process oats or almonds into a finer meal/flour

Homemade Nut/Seed Butters – tahini, peanut butter, almond butter (just process almonds!), cashew butter, sunflower seed butter

Homemade Tahini

Shredding and Slicing – add veggies to any meal quickly by shredding or slicing them in the food processor! Great for salads, homemade pizza, pasta with veggies, sautéed vegetables, veggies to scramble with eggs, homemade chips, homemade coleslaw, sliced vegetables for snacking and dipping

Nut/Date Crusts and Crumbles – these are perfect for making raw treats and crumbles to put on things like cobblers and pies

Whipped Cream – You can either use organic heavy whipping cream or full fat coconut milk – I’ve used both and they’re so easy and tasty with a little vanilla extract and maple syrup added

Fruit, Nut and Seed Bites/Bars – like these sesame bars, PB & J bars, apricot cashew, chocolate berry superfood, goji energy, blueberry nut & seed and salted almond chocolate are a few good ones! You can also make a nut/fruit/seed mixture and stuff it in some pitted dates (as shown in the picture at the beginning of this post!)

Sesame Coconut Bars

Sauces, Dips, Spreads, Dressings – like pesto, miso tahini, avocado green sauce (something like avocado, mixed greens, herbs and spices, lemon juice, olive oil)

Tahini Miso Dressing

Salsa – There are so many recipes out there; anything from black bean and corn to original to mango – you name it

Hummus – Check out an entire beginner’s guide here

Homemade Hummus

‘It seems great to have, but I still can’t afford it right now’

I get it. I get it. Trust me. I wanted one of these babies for quite a while before I actually got it. And guess how I got it? For Christmas! It was perfect. I was so thrilled that the present fit me so well and that I fell in love with it so much.

Soooo ask for it as a gift! Holidays, birthdays, showers, whenever it’s your time to be blessed, don’t be afraid to ask for something that would help you immensely on your journey to healthier living. Using a food processor helps facilitate the use of fresh, whole foods into your diet – and what a great little gift that is! 🙂

Now over to you – have you ever thought about getting a food processor? What would be your favorite thing to make?

Happy Fourth to you all!

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Filed Under: Education, Lifestyle Tagged With: equipment, food processor, homemade, raw

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing + Sushi Salad

June 4, 2015 by Sarah

Tahini Miso Dressing

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!

Miso

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 😉

Tahini Miso Dressing

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!Sushi Salad

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! Sushi Salad

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.

Tahini Miso Dressing Tahini Miso Dressing Tahini Miso Dressing

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 DressingDSC_2377 Tahini Miso DressingTahini Miso Dressing

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing
 
Print
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
  1. 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.
3.3.2998

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,

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Filed Under: Dressing, Greens, Raw, Salads, Sauces, Vegan Tagged With: dressings, miso, raw, salads, sauce, sesame seeds, sushi, tahini, vegetables

What to do When you Feel ‘Hungry-Not-Hungry’

May 19, 2015 by Sarah

Juice

Have you ever felt like you weren’t hungry yet you find yourself looking in the pantry for something to eat? Maybe you kind of ate junky during the day and know you need some sort of nutritional boost or some ‘real food’ even though you aren’t necessarily all that hungry? Or you feel your metabolism is being kind of sluggish yet you feel the need to eat because you think you should be eating?

This is what I like to call ‘hungry-not-hungry’. And I felt it today. Maybe I’m the only one who gets this feeling every once in awhile, but I have a feeling I’m not. I can’t be certain, but I can take a stab and suggest that maybe your body (at least I feel my body anyway) is basking for some nutrients.. you know, some vitamins and minerals from real, whole, nutrient-dense food. And can you guess where’s a great place to start? Yup, you got it – raw vegetables.

Next time you find yourself in that ‘hungry-not-hungry’ state, don’t reach for more snack food. I know those chipotle black bean chips look oh so crunchy and appealing, but give your body something it will feel satisfied with without shoveling down more calories, which your body probably doesn’t want anyway since you don’t feel hungry. Raw vegetables will not carry the caloric load, but will give you nutrients your body is most likely yearning for.

Next time you get this feeling, try one of these two things:

1. Snack on some raw veggies or make a small salad with a variety of vegetables.

There are plenty of times I used to get home from work late and even though I wasn’t all that hungry, I would make a nice little salad with greens and veggies we had on hand. I felt like my body really wanted it, and it was something I didn’t mind eating even before bed. Start with a variety of greens on the bottom, cut up some veggies and put a small amount of dressing, preferably homemade, on top to jazz it up a little. A little lemon or lime juice with avocado is always nice!

2. Juice, juice, juice away!

That was the answer for today. What was even more perfect is that there were some veggies in the fridge that I needed to eat up – I’ll admit, I just didn’t feel like having a nappa cabbage-broccoli-asparagus salad. Wasn’t in the mood for it. But the minute I thought about juicing I started getting thirsty 🙂 It was perfect; I ended up juicing nappa cabbage, a big broccoli stalk, asparagus ends (I keep the tops to steam), a thumb of ginger, a whole organic lemon and some cantaloupe! Juicing vegetables when feeling ‘hungry-not-hungry’ is such a fantastic way to satisfy your confusing craving – you hydrate yourself while giving your body readily available nutrients to utilize for carrying out its many intricate processes.

Now over to you!! What is your favorite way to satisfy that ‘hungry-not-hungry’ feeling?

With lots ‘o love,

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Filed Under: Education, Inspiration, Juice, Salads Tagged With: healthy tips, juicing, raw, salads, vegetables

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My name is Sarah. This is a wellness blog where I hope to encourage and inspire you on your mission to healthier living. Read More…

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