Raw Vegan Watermelon Cups

Here is a fabulous idea for a summer fruit salad. It is the perfect party appetizer. Yes, it has several steps and looks like a lot of work, but it really wasn't that bad. The most time consuming part was dicing the fruit for the fruit salad. If you wanted to enjoy this recipe with a little less work, you could simply rough chop all of the ingredients for the fruit salad and serve in bowls. I highly recommend making the cilantro-lime creme dressing to top your fruit salad- it is quite good!

This recipe was inspired by this post. I raw-veganized it for the version below. This recipe does not contain any dairy, eggs, gluten, grains, soy, corn, or refined sugar.

Raw Vegan Watermelon Cups

Ingredients


For the Fruit Salad: 
1 mini seedless watermelon, 3-5 lbs
2/3 cup jicama, small dice
4 ripe yellow peaches, small dice
1/3 cup sweet or red onion, finely chopped
1/2 granny smith apple, small dice
1 clove garlic, pressed
1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice (depending on how tangy you want it)
1/2 fresh jalapeno, small dice (seeds and membrane removed if you don't like spicy stuff)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped plus several small whole leaves to garnish
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the Cream Sauce:
3/4 cup soaked cashews (soak raw cashews in filtered water for 4-8 hours, drain)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 cup filtered water
Pinch of himalayan salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno

Method

To make the watermelon cups:
Cut the ends off of the watermelon. Stand the watermelon up on one of the flat ends and cut off the sides, forming a rectangle. Discard the rind, but keep the watermelon "scraps" to add to the fruit salad.
Cut the rectangle into cubes. I pretty much just sliced mine evenly into squares- think Rubix Cube :)
Use a knife or a melon baller to hollow out the inside of each cube. I made mine square because I was in the mood to put in some extra effort, but you could just use a melon baller or spoon and make little wells in the cube. Once the cube is filled with fruit salad, you don't really see the shape of the hole anyway.
Put the watermelon cubes in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill them.

To make the fruit salad:
Finely dice the remaining watermelon, jicama, peaches, onion, green apple, and jalapeno.
Add to bowl, add lime juice and garlic.
Add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to fill cups.

To make the creme sauce:
Blend cashews, lemon juice, agave, water and salt until smooth.
In a bowl, add cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and 1/2 cup of the cashew creme and stir to combine.

To assemble: 
Fill watermelon cubes with fruit salad, top with cilantro lime sauce, and enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Made-from-scratch Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy Free Wednesday- click on the links for more great ideas for sugar free, gluten free, allergy friendly recipes.

Raw Vegan Valentine Cookies

This recipe was inspired by a great recipe on Veggie Wedgie- check it out here. I love Veggie Wedgie! This recipe is also linked to Wellness Weekends and Allergy Friendly Friday, be sure to check each of those pages for more gluten free, allergy-friendly recipes. If you are gluten free and vegan, and you do not know of Cybele Pascal, get thee to her page now. If you are gluten free and sugar free, be sure to visit Diet, Dessert and Dogs for amazing sweet and savory recipes... and dogs. Food and dogs...what more could you possibly want in a blog? (Woof, woof, nothing, says Bailey from the Healing Kitchen. Wag, wag)

But first, read the yummy recipe below. Trust me, you want to make these cookies!

I think these are the best cookies I've ever made. Ever. Even way back when I could eat butter, eggs, flour, and Crisco (shudder). Seriously, these are as good or better than any raw,vegan, cooked, or traditional cookie I've ever tasted. Bonus: these are much easier to make than baked cookies! Bonus bonus: they are super healthy! (links to health info at bottom of recipe) 

This recipe has no gluten, wheat, sugar, corn, dairy, egg, soy, or nightshades/potato.

These cookies are mostly raw. To make them truly raw, you could use raw oat groats, and make a raw jam for the filling. I was lazy and used gluten free rolled oats and lingonberry jam I had in the fridge. 

Raw Vegan Valentine's Day Cookies

Makes approximately 30 sandwich cookies

Special equipment: Vitamix or food processor, Dehydrator (optional)

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup raw hazelnuts

1 cup gluten free oats

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 Tbsp coconut oil

pinch vanilla powder(ground vanilla bean)

pinch himalayan salt

few teaspoons of water, if needed

Method

One at a time, grind the almonds, hazelnuts, and oats into flour. I did this in the "dry" container for the Vitamix. You can probably do this in a food processor, or perhaps a coffee or nut grinder. You want a fine flour, not just finely chopped nuts. You could also use nut pulp left over from making nut milk (keep it in the freezer until you need it), or purchase nut flour (but nut flour is really expensive).

Whisk nut and oat flours, vanilla powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the agave nectar and coconut oil, and knead with your hands until well combined and you have a dough that sticks together when you press it between your fingers. If dough is too dry and crumbly, add some water, one teaspoon at a time. Knead, and add more water if necessary. I did not need any water this time, but sometimes I do. Be careful not to add too much water, or you'll wind up with a sticky mess.

Roll out the dough on parchment paper or silpat. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes. Carefully transfer to dehydrator tray lined with teflexx sheet or parchment paper. Dehydrate at 145 degrees F for one hour, then 115 degrees F for as long as you like to get the consistency you desire. I dehydrated for about 6 hours... but a few cookies may have disappeared from the trays in that time... had to taste, you know... 

Add jam to cookies, and assemble.

You can eat these as soon as you cut them, or dehydrate first. It is up to you! 

They are very good for breakfast. They are also very good frozen. Mmmm.

Click on the following links for more information on the health benefits of almonds, hazelnuts, another page on hazelnuts, nuts in general, oats, lingonberry, another page on lingonberry, and coconut oil. Click here for more information about the health benefits of raw & living food.

Boo! Gluten Free Halloween Crackers

I've decided crackers are even more fun to make than cookies :)

I used black quinoa in these crackers, hoping the crackers would be dark or black for a spooky Halloween look. That didn't happen, but you can see the black flecks in there:

Lesson learned: if you decide to make crackers that spell something (Happy Birthday? Merry Christmas? Happy New Year? Congratulations?) I recommend large cookie cutters. These were tiny and somewhat tedious to break out. Large cookie cutters are MUCH easier. These were fun, and cute, but I wouldn't do it again. Large letters. Trust me.

Here is what they look like before baking. I dug through my cookie cutters and also found cats and owls:

You bake the cookies just like that- slide the whole piece of parchment paper on the cookie tray and bake. Break out the crackers after they cool:

And the best part, you get to eat the scrap pieces from in between: 

Then surprise your little goblins:

Hope this gives you some fun gluten free ideas for future holidays/birthdays/parties. Simply use your favorite gluten free cracker recipe. There are a couple of gluten free cracker recipes on this blog, and you can Google for others. Crackers are SUPER easy to make!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Gluten Free Savory Caraway Quinoa Crackers

These savory crackers get a protein boost from the nutty-flavored quinoa.
Gluten free, vegan, egg and dairy free, corn free, sugar free, nut free, soy free.

Gluten Free Caraway Quinoa Crackers
Makes 2 baking sheets of crackers (actual number of crackers depends on how you cut them)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of your favorite gluten free flour mix
1 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
5-6 Tbsp olive oil
1/3-1/2 cup water
Topping: Caraway seeds and coarse ground sea salt

Method
Preheat oven to 375F
Place the GF flour mix, guar gum, baking soda, and salt in the food processor. Process to combine.
Add quinoa, process to combine.
With processor running (I use the "dough" setting) add the olive oil, and then the water. Only add enough water for the dough to form a ball. Stop when you have a ball.
Divide the ball in half (it is easier to work in small batches).
Place one half of the dough ball on a piece of parchment paper. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top and roll flat, as thin as you can.
Remove top piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle dough with caraway seeds and sea salt, and put the parchment back on top. Gently roll, just enough to press the seeds into the dough.
Remove top piece of parchment, and use cookie cutters or knife to cut into desired shapes.
Slide entire sheet of parchment and dough onto baking sheet and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool.
Repeat with second ball of dough.

Health benefits of quinoa, caraway, olive oil

I have an illustrated tutorial on the method in this post. I just wanted to post the ingredients for this recipe for my own reference because I keep forgetting to write down which one works. OK, now I am going to throw away my recipe page with notes scribbled all over it, and go with this one on the blog!

Watermelon Fresca

Watermelon Fresca

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 cups seltzer water (optional)

Method

• Blend watermelon, water, agave, and lime juice.
• Strain through cheesecloth or strainer. Chill juice in refrigerator.
• When ready to serve, combine with seltzer water for a fizzy drink. For no fizz, use filtered water.
• Best served very cold.

We found this orange watermelon at a fruit stand down the street. Curious about orange watermelon? Click here and here for more information. 

Click here to learn more about the health benefits of watermelon.

Sugar free?

I've realized that sugar has been creeping into my life more and more these days. I don't think there is anything wrong with a little sugar here and there, but, like anything, there needs to be balance. I have overstepped that balance. Since learning about and negotiating a very restricted diet, my attitude has been if I can eat it (without symptoms) than I will eat it. With all of my other restrictions, I've given no consideration to portion control, calories, fat, etc. To my surprise, that has actually worked out quite well. I've actually lost weight (without trying), my skin glows, my hair and nails are strong, and (most importantly) I feel better.... much better.

But, we all know that sugar is neither healthy nor necessary. I've decided that I'm going to try eliminating sugar for a while and see how I feel. I'm not going to go crazy at first- just eliminate the delicious gluten-free cookies and sweets that I've finally learned to bake (which has been really fun!), and cut out the soft drinks with cane sugar (as a former diet Coke addict, I cannot believe I have actually started drinking soft drinks with sugar). I'm not going to eliminate fruits, or carbs in general. Just the extra, refined stuff. The unnecessary stuff.

The GURU energy drinks I drink do contain cane sugar. I would like to get off of those completely, but for now, they are still in, because I need to function. But I will eliminate all the other sources of sugar in my diet, re-evaluate, and go from there. I'm thinking... 30 days, to start.