Raw Chard Wraps

I remember a time in my life when I thought that "raw food" meant eating a bagful of baby carrots smothered in ranch dressing, or choking down a skinned, sliced pear that my mom forced me to eat after lunch or dinner, as a feeble attempt to get me to eat one nutrient dense food.

To me, at that time, vegetables were only palatable if they were cooked to near exhaustion - losing their luster, their vibrancy - and left clinging to whatever nutrient they could find in a bath of boiling water. Fruits were reserved for bowlfuls of summer fruit salads, scarfed down between handfuls of chips and cookies at my grandmother's backyard.

The word "sunflower seed pate" meant nothing to me. The only sunflowers I knew were in their salty shells, poking me in the gums every time I tried to eat them.



And then I went to Florida. I went on a little date to Cafe 118 in Winter Park and fell absolutely, head over heels, will-you-elope-with-me-tomorrow in love with raw food. And raw s'mores. Especially those s'mores.

I dream of those s'mores night.

Ahem. Anyway. I've made multiple attempts at making raw food meals, but never tried my hand at a raw wrap. The reason? I can't wrap things.

Don't ever think about asking me to making a burrito. Unless you want a tortilla flung across the room.



But I put on my big girl panties and decided to make these anyway. And you know what? They are marvelous. They're full of nutrients, varying textures, and give you a boost of energy that only raw foods can; these wraps are everything I hoped they would be.


Raw chard wraps
Ingredients
- 2 large swiss, red, or rainbow chard leaves
- Sunflower seed pate
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1 small red pepper, sliced
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 2T cilantro

Instructions
- Spread 1/4 cup pate on two chard leaves, in an even layer in the center. Divide remaining ingredients on top of each leaf. Fold bottom of leaf up, then fold the sides in, and roll tightly. Slice in half and serve.

Serves 2

Sunflower seeds pate
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked 1 hour
- 1 garlic clove
- 1T lemon juice
- 2t nama shoyu
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2t cayenne

Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except water in a food processor and pulse until a paste forms. Add water until pate reaches desired consistency.

Serves 4

Raw-cos

I may be doing poorly on my sweets resolution, but I'm making progress on eating more raw foods! I find it's much easier in Florida; it was a lovely 78 degrees yesterday, which left me craving a fresh, energizing meal. As much as I love a hearty soup or pasta dish, there's something about raw foods that make me feel so incredible; I feel lighter, refreshed and just plain good. That feeling I'm left with is why I know that eating more raw meals will be a welcome addition to my life.

I knew exactly what I wanted: raw tacos. After hitting a local Latin food store and scoring avocados for 2/$1.00, I got to work creating the healthiest tacos I've ever eaten.


Raw tacos
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp nama shoyu
- 1/2 jalapeno, de-seeded
- 1T cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne

- Pico de gallo
- 1/2 avocado, cubed
- Romaine heart leaves

Instructions
- Add ingredients (walnuts through cayenne) in a food processor and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. It should hold together well and look similar to ground beef.
- Make a taco by adding a scoop of walnut meat to the inside of a romaine leaf, then topping with pico de gallo, avocado, and whatever else you desire.

Serves 2



This recipe is great because it's so quick and easy to put together. It's also pretty inexpensive, if you can find cheap avocados and disregard the insane price of raw walnuts. I served it along with some raw Mexican rice, which was mighty tasty, but not exactly where I want it yet. I'll share the recipe once I perfect it.





Oh, and the pico de gallo was made by tossing together 1 chopped tomato, 1/4 of a chopped large onion, 1 minced garlic clove, the zest & juice of 1/2 lime, some cilantro, salt and pepper and letting it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Simple and fresh.

Now, I think it may be time for some macaroon making.

Simply Raw: Rice Bowl

I apologize for not being around much lately, but I'm busy! Since switching my major to nutrition, I've had to plunge head first into a sea of chemistry and it's taking up a huge part of my life at the moment. Between the course load, going to the gym and trying to have a social life, I'm pooped and lack motivation to cook. When I told my friend that she said, "You? Not want to cook?" I know, shocking. But yes, lately I've honestly been making SIABs or salads for dinner and calling it a night. However, tonight I wanted to whip something together to share with you guys. Luckily for me, what I decided to make required little prep work and zero cooking.


Raw "rice" bowl
Ingredients

Rice
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into medium florets
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- Pinch o' red pepper flake


Marinated vegetables
- 1/3 cup crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large zucchini, cut into thin planks or rounds
- 2 tbsp shoyu or braggs
- 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
- 2 tsp olive oil

Additional
- 1/4 bell pepper, julienned
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- 1 tsp raw sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions
- For rice, place ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a rice-like consistency. Set aside.
- Combine marinade ingredients and divide into 2 bowls. Place the mushrooms and zucchini in each bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring every once in a while.
- When ready to eat, assemble the bowl. Toss the "rice" with a few tablespoons of leftover marinade. Top with marinated veggies, pepper and carrots and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Serves 1




Raw food does it again! This was beyond amazing. I love the process of marinading vegetables because they get so soft and flavorful; if only I could plunge into a sea of marinated mushrooms instead of chemistry. The dish tasted completely similar to cooked rice bowls but was so much fresher and lighter. Like all raw food, I was left feeling satisfied but not stuffed and had a burst of energy! This dish proves that raw food doesn't have to be intimidating or complex - it uses common ingredients, is simple and easy to prepare, and is lower in fat than most raw recipes.

A new focus of my blog is to be posting recipes that are relatively easy and quick to prepare. Like I said, I'm going to be very busy for a while, so I don't have time to think of complicated recipes that take multiple hours to prepare and cook. Over the summer I had that luxury because I had plenty of time, but now there's just no way that can happen. So, expect to see a lot of quick and easy meals on Organically Me, but rest assured they will all be healthy, delicious whole foods.

Bolognese in the Raw

One of my favorite sauces is bolognese. Admittedly, I've only ever had the vegan version, so I'm not sure how it is with meat, but I'm sure those who eat meat are quite fond of it. I dabbled with the idea of making a tempeh or vegetable bolognese, but I wanted something raw. It's weird how there are some days when I crave raw foods, and days where all that will fulfill me is a huge bowl of hot soup. Regardless of which day it is, I always give my body what it wants. Today it wanted bolognese and something raw, so that's just what it was given.



Raw bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 large tomato, or 2 medium, chopped
- 5 sundried tomatoes, unsoaked
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 5 mushrooms
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Oregano and basil, to taste (~1/2 tsp)
- S&P, to taste

- 2 zucchini, cut into 'noodles' using a vegetable peeler or spiralizer

Instructions
- Add tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, garlic, carrot and olive oil to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and pulse just a few times, so that the mushrooms and walnuts start to break down but there are still chunks in the sauce. The mushrooms and walnuts are the "meat" of the bolognese, so there needs to be some texture.

Serves 2, or 1 hungry Krystina




This was love at first bite. The walnuts and mushrooms added the perfect texture and taste. Sometimes a plain raw marinara can get boring, so this is a great way to change it up. I think this is my favorite raw sauce thus far; it's hearty, filling, and the walnuts add the all important omega 3's (they have more than any other nut!). If you're just starting to get into raw food, I highly recommend making this sauce because the meatiness is familiar and the ingredients are simple pantry staples.


It doesn't look appealing by any means, but I promise it's good.

Mangia! :D

Loony for 'Roonies

I interrupt the "desserts for moi" segment of this blog to bring you two new raw macaroon flavors. Though, if you're like me, the entire batch could be consumed in one sitting so I guess this fits the bill as well. Anyway, I'm pretty excited over these; the flavors came out perfectly.


The white ones are pumpkin spice and the cocoa ones are Mexican chocolate.

I changed my original recipe a bit. For my first batch I used a mix of cashews and almonds because I didn't have enough almonds, but I only used almonds this time. Here's the new (basic) recipe:


Macaroons part deux
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup agave
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- Pinch of pink salt

Instructions
- For almond meal, pulse whole raw almonds in a food processor until finely ground.
- Add almond meal to a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir (using a bowl or your hands for extra love) until combined.
- Using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, shape macaroons and place on a cookie sheet.
- Follow "cooking" instructions on the original recipe.

For the pumpkin spice, I added 1/2 teaspoon of the following mix:
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cloves

Combine all spices and store in an airtight container. Alternatively, you could just use 1/2 tsp of any pumpkin pie spice.

For the Mexican chocolate, I added 1 tbsp cacao powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cayenne.




These came out chewier than my first batch. I like both but the flavor of these are much better, mostly due to the spices I used. However, the last batch came together better than this one and these ended up a bit cracked. Ultimately both recipes are successful, it just depends on personal preference. Next: fruity 'roonies!

Living Finger Sandwiches

First and foremost: I received a great opportunity from CSN Stores to do a review of a product from one of their many great websites. Look out for the review in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, check out some of the beautiful dinnerware over at Corelle. Thank you CSN Stores!

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I love to cook, I really do. I get excited when I make a hot soup or a pot of my perfect marinara and when I manage not to mess them up, I love a well made batch of pancakes. However, nothing makes me as excited as preparing raw foods. Even though I lack a dehydrator, I think I work well with what I do have and I'm always left amazed at how fresh and good raw food tastes. My dinner tonight is no exception; it was super fun to make and even better to eat.


Living Finger Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 pieces raw carrot bread (recipe to follow)
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato almond pate (recipe to follow)
- Assorted vegetables
- Pink sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Instructions
- It's really a no brainer! Just make a sandwich like you would any sandwich. The magic here lies in the bread and pate.


Raw carrot bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrot juice pulp
- 3/4 cup ground flax
- 1/4 cup whole flaxseed
- 1 tsp coconut or flax oil
- 1/3 cup water, reserved
- Pink sea salt, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to the lowest possible setting (ideally around 120-130).
- Combine ingredients other than water. Mix with your hands and add water as necessary to create a dough. Mixture should be fairly wet but still be able to form a ball.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump dough onto it. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll out until it the dough reaches your desired thickness. Cut into uniform pieces.
- Place onto a baking sheet and leave in an open oven for an hour. After an hour, flip bread slices and leave in the oven for another hour, or until bread reaches your desired texture. I like mine chewy and pliable, so 2 hours was perfect.

Mine made 6 pieces, but serving size varies depending on desired size and thickness.


Sundried tomato almond pate
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almonds, soaked
- 6 sundried tomatoes, soaked
- Reserved soaking liquid
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 6-8 basil leaves
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Soak almonds and sundried tomatoes together for 6 hours to overnight. Reserve soaking liquid.
- Gently rub the almonds between your fingers to remove skin. You could leave them on, but I didn't want the pate to have a brownish hue.
- Place peeled almonds in a food processor with tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, basil and seasoning. Process until smooth, adding reserved soaking liquid as needed.
- You could just put it into a bowl and serve, or roll it in a piece of plastic wrap to create a log.

This pate was an excellent condiment for the sandwiches and would also make a good dip for crudite. I ended up dipping the remaining cucumber slices into it when I finished dinner and it was bueno! The star, though, was the bread. It was chewy and dense and very filling. I also liked that it was pretty neutrally seasoned; it could be used as either a sweet or savory bread. I see a raw PB&J in my future.


On the side I had asparagus and summer squash marinated in 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp coconut vinegar and pink sea salt. Let it do its thing for at least an hour.


Perfection.

Desserts for Moi: Raw Chocolate Covered Cherries

I apologize for the lack of actual meal recipes, but I've been enjoying soaking up more Orlando cuisine (including delicious Indian food tonight) so I haven't been cooking much. I have, however, been creating new dessert ideas to curb my insatiable sweet tooth. I've found that making single serve raw desserts is easier and more energy efficient than cooked; I feel silly turning on the oven for a small item. This may change the next time a cookie or muffin craving pops up, so beware. For now, you'll just have to enjoy some raw goodies.

Similar to my raw gingerbread ice cream sandwiches, these could technically feed two people. Two people with small appetites. Me, I find no shame in polishing off the whole batch because they're delicious, healthy, and small.


Raw chocolate covered cherries
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 heaping tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp agave
- 2 cherries, halved
- Tiny pinch of sea salt
- Opt add ins: pinch of maca and/or spirulina

Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients aside from cherries until smooth and glossy.
- Using a teaspoon, pour a layer of chocolate on the bottom of a mold or cupcake liner (I used a heart shape ice cube tray from Ikea that worked perfectly). Place in the fridge to set.
- Once set, place a cherry half in the center of each mold and cover with another layer of chocolate until everything is enrobed with a thick, rich layer of cacao syrup. Set in the fridge or freezer until serving.




I used to love chocolate covered cherries, but didn't like the overly sweet, processed syrup inside. These are so gloriously decadent that you'll forget they're actually good for you. They're rich, not overly sweet, and have a fresh burst in the center from the cherry. They would also make a great little gift for a significant other, or for yourself at the end of a long day. I choose the latter.

Desserts for Moi: Raw Key Lime Bar

I had a lot of down time today, which usually means that I go into grandma mode (i.e. baking and reading all day). However, every time I decided on something to bake, the craving for it blew out the window. I had scones in mind for hours, but when I went into the kitchen to take out the flour, my taste for them was gone. I'm not sure why, but it more or less drove me nuts. So, when the next craving for something including lime showed up, I quickly "cooked" something up before the cycle continued. Luckily, for sanity's sake, it ended well.


Raw key lime bar
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 1 hour
- 1 1/2 tsp agave
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- Zest and juice of 1 key lime
- 1/4 cup water, reserved
- 1 tsp unsweetened dried coconut
- Tiny pinch of sea salt

Instructions
- Add all ingredients aside from unsweetened coconut in a food processor and process until completely smooth. Add water as needed to create a smooth, thick consistency.
- Pour mixture into a bowl and fold in coconut until combined.
- Pour into a mini tart pan or cupcake mold and freeze at least 3 hours. Only take it out prior to serving so it doesn't begin to melt. Pucker up and enjoy!


I'm glad I didn't let this craving pass by because this little treat was divine. It was just tart enough and super creamy. It has a consistency similar to a frozen custard more so than a pie, but I actually really enjoyed that. Not only is it tasty, but it's also incredibly healthy, filling, and chock full of healthy fats and detoxifiers.


It helps that it's adorable, too. Then again, I tend to gravitate towards small foods in general. I have been known to buy produce based on cuteness on many occasions.

Desserts for Moi: Raw Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

I'm super excited to share this recipe with you for two reasons: 1) It's delicious, and 2) It tastes perfectly warm and spicy even though it's both frozen and raw. I was a little apprehensive about making these because I worried it wouldn't taste the way a gingersnap should - spicy, warm and earthy. However, these raw gingersnaps were all of those and super healthy and energizing to boot! Sandwich them between some cinnamon 'ice cream' and you have yet another treat that treads the line between summer and autumn and is sized perfectly for just you. Well, you could share if you really wanted to, but I didn't.



Gingersnap ice cream sandwiches
For cookies
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 5 dates, chopped
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp clove
- Tiny pinch of sea salt

For 'ice cream'
- 1/2 banana, frozen
- Cinnamon, to taste
- Tiny pinch of sea salt

Instructions
- Soak dates for at least 30 minutes in pure water.
- Grind 1/4 cup almonds until they form a fine powder. Set aside.
- Add almond flour, dates and remaining ingredients to a food processor. Process until smoothly combined, adding reserved date soaking liquid if needed.
- Scoop mixture on top of saran wrap or parchment paper. Top with another sheet of wrap and roll into a thin, even layer.
- Using a cookie cutter or tool of your choosing (I used the rim of a wine glass), cut out 4 cookies. You may need to re-roll the dough if you run out of room to cut out complete circles, so do so until you get 4.
- Place in a container and freeze for at least one hour.
- While they freeze, make the soft serve. Just combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Freeze this mixture, covered, for at least an hour.
- Once an hour has passed, spread a thick layer of the hardened 'ice cream' between the cookies evenly. Wrap in saran wrap and freeze until ready to eat.
- Note: Be mindful that these melt rather quickly, so only remove from the freezer when you're about to nosh.


The cookies were smooth, chewy and packed a nice ginger punch.




Like I said, since this recipe makes enough for two sandwiches, you could share. But since these were pretty small and I was pretty hungry, I ate both. I loved that these were so healthy and completely raw but still tasted decadent. They're an adult, kicked up childhood treat that anyone (or just you) would enjoy.

Sesame Milk

What was I doing at 12:30AM? Sleeping? No. Snuggled on the couch watching a good movie? No. I was making sesame milk. Why, you ask? Well, because I'm kind of insane. In a good way. I came up with the idea to try my hand on nut/seed milk making but didn't have the patience to wait until morning because I wanted chilled milk with breakfast. Due to the time the seeds spend in the blender, the milk wouldn't have been nicely chilled had I waited until morning. So, there I was, after midnight, seed pulp in hand.


Sesame milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 3 cups pure water
- 3 pitted dates, chopped
- Optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla


Instructions
- Soak sesame seeds and dates for at least an hour.
- Drain seeds/dates and place in a blender with 3 cups fresh water. Blend until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
- If desired, strain milk through cheesecloth to leave a smoother consistency. If you like pulp, drink as is. Use right away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days.


I advise you to only try this if you like the taste of sesame products; this milk tastes like slightly sweet tahini. It isn't a mellow tasting milk, such as almond or rice, it's an in your face kung pao nuttiness. I happen to adore it, but keep that in mind if you want to expand your nut milk horizons.

Come to think of it, this might make a great egg nog in the cooler months if less water is used and spices are added. Hm.

Continue to Thrive

First I want to dedicate this post to my sunglasses. I pulled them out of my purse and discovered that the frames cracked.


RIP sunnies (2009-2010)

I loved these things in all their obnoxious glory. My friend Kelli will be happy that they finally kicked the bucket because she always affectionately told me I looked like a bug when I wore them, but I'll miss them so.

Moving on, I debated on two things for dinner tonight: stuffed cabbage or raw burgers. I know, my cravings vary. I have two heads of cabbage to use and a scant amount of almonds, but I still went with the burgers anyway. Why would I make something with more perishable ingredients when I can use up most of my nut stash? Besides, I've been curious about Brendan Brazier's burgers for quite some time, so tonight was the night. I decided to make the almond flax burgers, which were as simple in ingredients and preparation as the name implies.



This makes one, but the original recipe was meant for two. Just combine 1/2 cup almonds (soaked for at least 2 hours) with 1/4 cup ground flax, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp coconut oil, S&P in a food processor until combined and decently smooth. If you'd like, add in your favorite herb while shaping the patty (I used a few basil leaves) and form into your desired shape. I heated mine slightly using the Krystina-can't-afford-a-dehydrator-so-she-uses-an-open-oven method, and heated it in the lowest setting of my oven until I was ready to serve.



With the burger I made a raw mustard using 2 tbsp freshly ground mustard seed (either brown or yellow) with 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp agave and 2 tbsp water. I must warn you, this mustard is not for the faint of heart - it's HOT. Almost too hot. But it provided a nice contrast to the mellow, nutty 'burger'.

I also marinated some red onions that ended up taking on a beautiful hue. I marinated 1/2 a large red onion, very finely sliced (used a mandolin) in 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, sea salt and dried oregano. Marinating them cut the raw onion bite, softened them slightly and infused them with some nice flavor. They made a nice topping for my side salad.





What I've learned from making Thrive Diet recipes is that I can't make something expecting it to taste like the thing he describes it as (e.g. pizza, burgers). This tastes nothing like a conventional burger, even a vegan one, but instead is a filling, dense, nutty and slightly sweet patty shaped...thing. However, it's quite nice tasting and held together well. Plus, it's chock full of nutrients, healthy fats and raw energy. I was thoroughly satisfied (and full!)

So thanks yet again for another interesting dish, Mr. Vega. Now, if only your products were cheaper, then I'd be even happier.