KALE CHIPS FOR DAYS

POST #895
NOUVEAU RAW’S KALE CHIPS
I’m a sucker for kale chips. I mostly just make the same ones over and over again, but here and there, I try new ideas to see if there might be another “same one” to add to my repertoire.

Enter Nouveau Raw’s Kale Chips bank of recipes. I say bank because there at least a dozen different recipes, for whatever kind of taste you fancy.  You’ll find Mexican, Thai, Jamaican, chocolate (yes!), and more traditional-sounding vinegar-dill, sour cream and onion, and barbecue flavor ideas.  The ones I’ve tried have all been good.

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GARLIC KALE CHIPS & GARDEN OF LIFE RAW MEAL

POST #849
Sometimes you have to try something new, and today has been that day for me.
Today’s new experiences:
Garlic kale chips
Garden of Life Raw Meal powder

GOOD NEW EXPERIENCE
I found garlic kale chips on the RawNouveau site, and decided to try them out last night. What was interesting to me was that, in contrast to the cashews which from the base of most kale chip “coating”, this recipe uses sunflower seeds, and I just happened to have a surplus of sunflower seed sprouts from making my sunflower seed crackers on Monday. I changed the recipe a little, because I’m me, and, also, because I only had one bunch of kale.  I ended up making one-fourth of the recipe, with changes here and there.

RAW GARLIC KALE CHIPS
1 bun kale, washed, stemmed, blotted dry
1 C sunflower seed sprouts
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T nutritional yeast
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 med. jalapeno, finely minced
1/2 t sea salt
1-1/2 T raw agave syrup

• Tear the kale into bite-sized (2-3 in.) pieces and place in a large bowl.
• In a food processor or high-speed blender, blend the liquid ingredients, then add the remaining ingredients, and process to a smooth, creamy consistency (with a food processor, the consistency will be a little grainier)
• Pour the cashew mixture over the kale in the bowl.
• With you hands, toss and gently massage he kale with the cashew mixture until each piece of kale is evenly-coated top and bottom.
• Spread the kale pieces evenly in one layer onto dehydrator trays covered with a teflex sheets.
• Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8 hrs. or until dry and crispy.
• Store in a glass container with an airtight lid.

(notes on my changes to amounts/ingredients: I like garlic so I stayed with the original 10 cloves even though I was using 1/4 the amount of kale and other ingredients. I don’t like sweet normally, but this was my first time with this chef and this recipe, so I dug out the bottle of agave syrup I had, only to find out I only had 1 T left — I added a heaping t of the palm sugar I just got. The original recipe did not call for jalapeno, but I like spicy, so, there you have it.)

I took the garlic chips out of the dehydrator this morning and have eaten a couple of handfuls of them. They are good. I’ll do this recipe again.

NOT SO GOOD NEW EXPERIENCE
Now, about the Garden of Life Raw Meal,:
I bought this at Willner’s, on Park Ave., because they have better prices, and because it had such an impressive list of ingredients.
I had tried it once before, following the instructions to use 2 scoops of powder to 16 oz of water, but it turned out so thick and nasty-tasting that I decided to try it with half the powder and a huge handful of blueberries I had in the freezer, and I put 3 heaping teaspoonfuls of palm sugar in it..
Yuck. This stuff tastes like dirt. Despite all the palm sugar in it (and I normally do not use sweeteners of any kind), it just tasted like sweet dirt with a dirt aftertaste. This stuff was not cheap, so I will use it up, but I will never buy it again.

Note: I read a review on Amazon, in which the reviewer said his Raw Meal was moldy. I wouldn’t know how to tell it was moldy. It didn’t taste moldy, it just tasted like dirt, which some other reviewers mentioned. (I’m not unused to protein powder tasting like dirt—I used to use Nature’s Life Pro 96 Super Soy Green Protein, which tasted like dirt, until they changed the formula and added sweetener. With the original formula, a banana could disguise the taste.)

CABIN FEVER DINING: What I made today post-Sandy

POST #848
With no public transportation on the day after Sandy, this week is definitely a stay-cation.  Worse, everything within walking distance is closed.  Cabin fever city!  Back to the kitchen!

This morning I got up and made some kale/cashew cheeze in my much beloved Cuisinart food processor (it has already outlasted each of the two economy food processors I had before) to go with the sunflower seed crackers I meant to eat later.

Later, I made a “surf and turf salad.”
I had some leftover torn-up kale from huge bunch I’d bought on Sunday, so I chopped it up a little more, added some soaked wakame seaweed, also chopped up, about 1/4 C chopped red bell pepper, 1/2  jalapeno, chopped, some freshly-ground black pepper, 1/2 galangal (don’t ask why, I have no idea), 2 chopped garlic cloves, about 1/2 C lentil sprouts, and about 1/4 C sunflower seed sprouts, then some apple cider vinegar and olive oil.  It didn’t seem like enough, so I took a heaping soup spoon of the kale/cashew cheeze and mixed it with water to make a creamy dressing which I poured over the top.  Yumm!

TRAIN FODDER: What I am taking on the train

POST #843
This is going to be a big adventure. I will be on the train for 10 hours with no personal refrigerator.  Since the first few of the hours will be night-time (I get on at 2am), I will probably sleep.  Still, knowing me, I will want food since my refrigerator is not handy (Have you ever experienced that? If your refrigerator is just in the other room, you don’t get hungry, but if there is no food that you can control, you are starving?  I used to feel that way on transpacific flights, so I always traveled with a big food bag. Now you can’t do that on planes, but you can still do it on trains!)

I have made kale chips and sunflower/flax seed crackers, along with some cheddar cheeze to dip the crackers into.  I am also going to bag about 4 days worth of Garden of Life Raw Meal powder (This is not the world’s best tasting stuff — sort of a cross between dirt and grass, but it is filling …. I’m assuming that water will be available, but I’m still going to carry a couple of bottles with me).  In addition, I am carrying some of my latest vegetable ferments (pickles) for my parents to try — if I get really desperate, I can dig into those.  If I were at home, all of this would be enough for at least 4 days. … I guess I will make it to my destination without starving to death.

REALLY GOOD DEAL ON RUSSELL JAMES’ RAW RECIPE BOOKS

POST #752

I have just found this amazing offer.

Russell James  http://therawchef.com is offering all of his ebooks at a very good discount, with an amazing offer on top of that.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. When Russell was starting out, he offered deals, and they didn’t come through.  I felt ripped off (although they did return my money, ultimately), and I stayed away from anything he wasn’t offering for free for a very long time.

Today, since he was offering a very fair deal,  I decided that it was time to take the chance again.  Lucky for me, I have gotten the books I tried to buy from him some time ago, but couldn’t receive!

I’ve applied for an affiliate-ship, but it hasn’t come through yet.  I don’t care. I want you to know about this offer he has.  Russell is offering all of his books for either $14.95 US each,  or  $50 for all 6.  Such a deal.  Since I am pretty much broke, but still (after all our issues) want his books, I went for it, and am very happy to have the recipes I longed for a couple of years ago, in addition to other recipes I am interested in.

Go to http://www.therawchef.com/rawfood-ebook.html to see all six books he is offering for this very good price. 

DAIKON CHEEZE BITES

DAIKON CHEEZ BITES

Leftover cashew cheddar cheeze
Daikon slices about 2 inches wide and 3 – 4 inches long.

• Arrange the daikon slices close to one another on a teflex sheet-covered dehydrator tray.
• Spread a spoonful or so of the cheez on each daikon slice.
• Dehydrate for 6 hours or so at 100 degrees.
  Check the slices for dryness. If not completely dry, put them back into the dehydrator and continue to dehydrate until they are completely dry.
• When the cheez bites are completely dry, remove from the dehydrator, peel the daikon bites from the teflex, eat some, and store the rest in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

10/28/10 CSA SHARE: What they say we will get and what I think I will make

Here’s what they say we will get:

Arugula…1/4 lb.
Golden Beets…..1 bun.
Daikon Radish….2 pcs
Sweet Potatoes….3.5 – 4 lbs
Green Cabbage…1 hd
Toscano Kale…..1 bun.
Guy Lon (Chinese Broccoli)… 1 bun.
Leeks….2 – 3 pcs
Mixed Red and Golden Delicious Apples

I love golden beets – mainly because they don’t stain your hands.  One of my students has reported that she added lemon juice and ginger to her grated beets – that sounds like a good thing to try out.

Toscano kale is also called lacinato kale and dinosaur kale.  I wonder why it has that many names.  I find it funny.  Regardless, I think I will make some more kale chips .  The chili/cheddar-cheezy ones I made a few weeks ago were really yummy, and the “smoked jalapeno” cheezy ones I made were very nice and spicy.

It’s time to make Amazing Sweet Potatoes again.  Yumm!

I’ll be making sauerkraut this week, of course.  What else to do with cabbage?  Perhaps I’ll make a little coleslaw, as well. We’ll see.

Daikon Cheeze Bites!  I’ll use my usual cheddar cheeze instead of the fancy one I originally posted – the usual one has fewer ingredients, so is cheaper and easier, and I like it better.

DAIKON CHEEZ BITES

DAIKON CHEEZ BITES

Ingredients:

Leftover cashew chedda cheez

Daikon slices about 2 inches wide and 3 – 4 inches long.

 

Arrange the daikon slices close to one another on a teflex sheet-covered dehydrator tray.

Spread a spoonful or so of the cheez on each daikon slice.

Dehydrate for 6 hours or so at 100 degrees.

Check the slices for dryness. If not completely dry, put them back into the dehydrator and continue to dehydrate until they are completely dry.

When the cheez bites are completely dry, remove from the dehydrator, eat some, and store the rest in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Remove the tray from the dehydrator, peel the cheez-covered daikon slices from the teflex and place them

 

I used a variation on my cashew chedda cheez recipe that has butternut squash and olive oil in it.

 

CHEDDA CHEEZ, TOO

1 C cashews, soaked 2 hours, rinsed and drained

1 med. red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1-1/2 C butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T nutritional yeast (optional, not raw)

1 t sea salt, or nama shoyu (or to taste)

6 T water

1 T garlic powder

1 T chili powder, or to taste (optional)

 

Place all ingredients in the VitaMix and process until smooth.

Use right away, or refrigerate for a firmer texture.

The taste of this chedda cheez is pretty much like the simpler one I usually make (1 C cashews, 1/3 lg. red or orange bell pepper, 1 T chili powder, 1 t onion powder, 1/2 t sea salt, juice of 1 lemon, water to cover cashews, all blended smooth).  I wanted to try it because it is a good way to use up butternut squash.

Both cheezes can be used as a spread, as a sauce, as a salad dressing, or as a dip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAW SOUL’S CHEF TRAINING

Aw, man! Another thing to add to my wish list! Raw Soul is doing a Raw Chef training,in New York City, and I just know it is going to be fabulous! The raw food training I attended at Raw Soul was so fabulous that I KNOW I want to do their Raw Chef training.

Since I won’t be able to attend the March training, which I believe is the first (because I will be attending another training at that time, as well as paying for my CSA membership for 2009), I am going to have to hope and pray that all goes well and that the training is a big success, so that there will be more, and I will, hopefully soon, be able to plunk down the $1800 investment. I hope that the word will get around — they don’t seem to be publicizing much — about this program, which I am sure will be fabulous.

Sadly, on my visit to check on this training, I see that, apparently, Lillian Butler has discontinued her fabulous Raw Food training. This was the only raw food lifestyle training available in New York City, and it will be missed. I imagine that their failure to publicize this program may have contributed to demise of the program. Hopefully, Raw Soul will find a way to publicize their programs more actively and widely, and soon.

I would also recommend Raw Soul’s new book, Raw Soul Health Journey, by Lillian Butler and Eddie Robinson, the powers behind Raw Soul.  I  have only had one opportunity to look through the book, but it looks like just about everything that Lillian presented in her raw food trainings is detailed in this book, in addition to a healthy selection of the recipes Raw Soul serves daily.  This book would be a good addition to anyone’s library of nutrition, lifestyle, and food prep books. (This is not available on amazon.com — you will have to go directly to the publisher, Raw Soul — although I do think I may have seen it at the Integral Yoga bookstore in Greenwich Village, in New York….)

CSA POTLUCK TOMORROW, and I still don’t know what dish I will take

There is a CSA Potluck Dinner tomorrow, coupled with a silent auction. I have donated a malachite and silver necklace and a package of 20 corn crackers with a container of cashew cheez.

Now I need to think about what I will make for my contribution to the potluck. I am really really thinking of bringing a plate worth of the corn crackers and a pot of the cheez, to generate interest in buying the auction item.

Maybe I should make something else as well.

I have several sweet potatoes lying around, and some oranges, some dates, and some raw unsweetened dried coconut. That is the beginning of two possible recipes (I don’t think I want to make my two usual stand-by’s – raw marinated massaged collards, or raw beets/turnips in vinegar– although I do have some beets, some radishes, and some turnips in the refrigerator)

I’m thinking of one of two sweet potato recipes. I like them both because people are surprised when they realize that what they are eating is raw. I don’t know if I would make the whole pie, but I would offer the filling — with all those dates, it is very sweet. I am also thinking about a “stuffing” recipe made with sunflower seeds.

AMAZING SWEET POTATOES
2 – 3 sweet potatoes (or yams)
1 C coconut, dried
2 apples
1/4 C ginger root
4 lemons juiced
2 oranges, juiced
1 C walnuts, chopped fine

• Chop sweet potatoes, apples, and ginger, and run through Champion juicer with ….blank plate. (Alternatively, grate sweet potatoes, apples, and ginger).
• Remove mixtureto a large bowl. Add shredded dried coconut, lemon and orange …juices, and chopped walnuts.
• Mix thoroughly

JUDY’S “JUST LIKE PUMPKIN” PIE
this is most amazing

2 C almonds, soaked
1 C walnuts or pecans, soaked
1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
20 dates, soaked overnight
2 C cashews, soaked overnight, and drained
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced.
3 t pumpkin pie spice
drizzle agave nectar

CRUST
• Combine almonds, walnuts (or pecans, and coconut in food processor or Vitamix, …..and process until ground fine and dough-like
• Pat the dough into two pie plates

FILLING
• Drain dates; reserve soak water.
• In food processor, puree dates, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie spice
• Remove mixture from food processor and set aside in a bowl.
• Set mixture aside in a bowl.
• Process cashews, agave nectar, vanilla, and date soak water as needed, until …..smooth and creamy.
• Combine cashew mixture and sweet potato mix puree
• Spread filling in pie shells
• Dehydrate for 6 hours, then refrigerate.

SUNFLOWER SEED DRESSING
1 C sunflower seeds, soaked and drained
1 T flax seeds
1-1/2 C celery
1-1/2 C onion
1-1/4 C red bell pepper
1 T sage to taste (or use Bell’s Poultry Seasoning)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic to taste (optional)
1/2 C kalamata olives, chopped fine

• In a food processor, grind soaked sunflower seeds fine.
• Grind flax seeds fine in a coffee grinder.
• Remove ground seeds to a bowl.
• Place all remaining ingredients, save olives, in the food processor, and mince.
• Add olives and combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Place in a pie tin, or rectangular tin of suitable size and dehydrate for six hours, or until dressing has reached your desired consistency.

No matter what, I need to go to the supermarket.

If I make ‘Amazing Sweet Potatoes” I need lemons.

If I make the sunflower seed dressing, I need the olives.

Oh!! If I make the pie filling, I don’t need anything, and it tastes really good…

What will I choose??? I need to decide in the next half hour. Oops! I’ve just gone for the easy one. Excuse me, I need to go soak the nuts.