Cranberry Sauce

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 orange
1 apple
1/2 cup pitted honey dates - soaked 1 hour

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. Add water if needed.

by Elizabeth - December potluck
Taken from "The Raw Transformation" pg 192

Brazil Nut Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Brazil nuts
1 t. chopped garlic
1/3 t. salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor until fluffy. Note: Brazil nuts do NOT need to be soaked as they contain no enzyme inhibitors (hazel nut too)

by Elizabeth - December 2011 potluck
Taken from "I Am Grateful" the Cafe Gratitude pg 56

Teriyaki Almonds

( made by Deanne at June 2011 potluck)

2.5 cups soaked almonds (I soaked for 24 hours, changing the water, but you can do 8 or 12 hours)
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup tamari (you can use Nama Shoyu too, but it has wheat in it)
1.5 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger.

Rinse and drain almonds.
I put the dates, garlic and ginger through my juicer on puree, rather than juice to form a paste.
Add tamari to the paste and toss it over the almonds.

Dehydrate almonds (145 degrees for 1 hour and then turn down to 115 degrees) till crispy. It may take 2 days.

Add to salads or eat straight up.

Heart Healthy Granola

This was from the January Potluck

Submitted by Ashley Eyre

Heart Healthy Granola

3 cups rolled oats 1/3 cup wehat germ

1/3 cup large seeds (sunflower or pumpkin or a little of both)

1/3 cup small seeds (sesame or flax or mix)

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup brown sugar (I used coconut crystals and a tad of molasses)

1 tsp of cinnamon (i used a little more)

pinch of salt

1/3 cup canola oil (I used coconut oil)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats through salt). Combine honey, oil and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread evenly on a cooking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Hummus

Made by Deanne
(This recipe is similar to what I did, but I didn't use this recipe. I go by feel and taste).

Makes 4 cups

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup sesame seed paste (tahini)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, and more to taste
Cayenne or hot Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Rinse the soaked chickpeas well and drain them before putting them in a saucepan and covering them with plenty of fresh water. Bring to a boil; skim, add one-half teaspoon salt, cover and cook over medium heat, about 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft (you might need to add more water).

2. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a mortar until pureed. Transfer the puree to the work bowl of a food processor, add the sesame seed paste and lemon juice and process until white and contracted. Add one-half cup water and process until completely smooth.

3. Drain the chickpeas, reserving their cooking liquid. Add the chickpeas to the sesame paste mixture and process until well-blended. For a smoother texture, press the mixture through the fine blade of a food mill. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. The hummus can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.) Serve, sprinkled with paprika and parsley and drizzled with oil.

Baba Ghanoush

Made by Deanne

Ingredients

* 1 eggplant
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 1/4 cup tahini
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* Parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off.

3. Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini in an electric blender, and puree.

4.Grind garlic, salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar, and add it with the sesame seeds to the mixture.


Transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl.

Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving with olive oil drizzled on top and add chopped parsley, if you like.

Every Morning Granola

This recipe comes from the Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn! I've included several additions that aren't in her original recipe.

By - Janine

Full of fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and live sprouts--whole-foods nutrition perfect for children! You won’t get hungry before lunch, and kids won’t be nagging for snacks. I double this recipe and make it in a big broiler pan with a lid, where I keep it until it’s gone—a double batch lasts my four kids (big eaters!) about 10 days.

8 cups rolled oats

2 cups puffed millet

2 cups puffed quinoa

1 cup raw wheat germ

1 cup shredded organic coconut

½ cup freshly ground flax seed (I use my blender to grind the seed)

2 cups nuts (walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, pumpkin, sunflower seeds)

2 cups dried fruit (dates, golden raisins, cranberries, blueberries, banana chips, etc.)

¼ cup sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. cinnamon (I also use pumpkin pie spice)

Mix well.

Heat on stove until just melted, stir together, and pour over dry mixture:

½ cup honey

½ cup molasses or Grade B maple syrup

½ cup water

optional: ½ cup coconut oil

optional: 1 tsp. maple flavoring or vanilla

Mix liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until distributed evenly. Bake at 250 degrees,

stirring well halfway through the baking process, for 45 minutes. Keep in pantry for up to

2 weeks, or frig for up to 6 weeks.

Serve with: almond or rice milk, plus 2 Tbsp. sprouted raw sunflower seeds mixed in. To

sprout sunflower seeds: cover ½ pint of sunflower seeds with filtered water overnight, drain

in the morning—they are now living food with vastly more enzymes and nutrients. You

may also sprout raw almonds or pumpkin seeds to add to your granola in the morning.

Raw Flax Crackers

1.5 cup Golden Flax Seeds
1 cup carrot pulp
1 cup of carrot juice
sea salt

Put golden flax seeds in about 2 cups of water and let sit for a few hours or even overnight.
Juice carrots to make 1 cup of pulp and one cup of juice (or add straight to the vitamix).
Golden flax seeds will be jelly like when they are ready.
Add the carrot pulp/juice and flax seeds together and add some sea salt to taste.

Pour the gelatinous mixture onto teflex sheets and using a knife, gently score the mixture into cracker shapes (I do triangles). This will help you to snap them neatly when they are done.
Place in a dehydrator.
Set the dehydrator to 145 degrees F for the first 2 hours and then reduce heat to 115 degrees.
When the mixture is dry enough to hold together, remove the teflex sheet and let the crackers continue dehydrating on the mesh. This will speed up the drying process.
When crisp, remove from the dehydrator and break gently along the scores you initially made.

By - Idy & Mark

Raw Energy Balls

Energy Balls: By Deanne

Take a mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruit.

Puree in a food processor or juicer.

Add sesame seeds, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and mesquite powder.

Roll into balls and coat with Coconut Flakes.

Here is the list of ingredients I used, but it can vary depending on what you have in your pantry:

Dates
Prunes
Himalayan Mulberries

Almonds
Sunflower Seeds
Macadamia Nuts
Hazlenuts

Cocoa Powder
Mesquite Powder*
Vanilla Extract

Sesame Seeds

Pureed Fresh Ginger

*More on Mesquite Powder:

Mesquite is a nutritious powder with a sweet, nutty flavor, suitable for use in baking or as a seasoning on food and in drinks. The powder is ground from the seed pods of the mesquite plant, also known as algorroba (Prosopis juliflora), a leguminous plant found in arid areas around the world, including parts of South America and the southwestern U.S.

In desert areas of the Americas, mesquite seed pods have long been used as a food source by the indigenous peoples, who traditionally ground them into a powder to be used as a flour or processed into a sweetener, a sweet beverage, or a fermented alcoholic drink. Today, mesquite powder is proving to be a versatile food with a high nutritional and flavor value.

Mesquite is also highly effective in balancing blood sugar. Because its sugar is in the form of fructose, which does not require insulin for metabolism, mesquite helps maintain a constant blood sugar level for a sustained period of time. It supports the diet of diabetics, and helps maintain a healthy insulin system in others.

Because mesquite powder is ground from the entire pod, including the seed, it is high in protein (11–17%). It is also rich in:

• Lysine
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Iron
• Zinc
• Dietary fiber

Mesquite is highly effective in balancing blood sugar. For thousands of years, Native Americans in the Southwest and Mexico relied on mesquite as a food staple, and there was no diabetes in those communities. Today, as the people have moved away from their native foods and become less active, diabetes and obesity have skyrocketed. Fifty percent of the Pima and Tohono O'odham people over the age of 35 reportedly suffer from diabetes, and it is believed that the removal of mesquite from their diets is one of the main causes.

Because its sugar is in the form of fructose, which does not require insulin for metabolism, mesquite helps maintain a constant blood sugar level for a sustained period of time. With a glycemic index of 25 and a high percentage (25%) of dietary fiber, it digests more slowly than many grains, preventing sharp rises and falls in blood sugar. Mesquite thus supports the diet of diabetics, and helps maintain a healthy insulin system in others.

Mesquite powder has social and ecological as well as nutritional value. The marketing of mesquite products harvested in arid rural areas fights desertification and provides a sustainable economic alternative to cutting down trees for rangeland, charcoal production, or other purposes.

Mesquite powder can be used in breads, biscuits, pie crusts, and other raw or baked goods, where it is usually used in combination with other flours (25-30% mesquite). Because of its high lysine content, it is an excellent addition to crackers and dehydrated foods, which may be low in lysine.

The powder's molasses-like flavor, with a slight hint of caramel, also goes well in teas, coffees, and smoothies. It's delicious in dairy or seed/nut yogurts and energy bars, and fruit/nut butter spreads. As a seasoning, it can be added to soups, sauces, casseroles, and virtually any vegetable or meat dishes, or even sprinkled on desserts.

Idy’s VEGAN Mung Bean Chana Dal Pancakes

~Also Gluten Free, Dairy Free

3 cups Soaked Split Chana Dal Beans

3 cups Sprouted Mung Beans

knob fresh ginger

3 cloves of Garlic

2 Onions

½ tbsp. Red pepper powder

Bunch of Cilantro

2 tbsp Garam Masala ( y0u can get it at any indian grocery store or ethnic section of regular one)

2 tsp Coriander

2 tbsp Cumin

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

½ tbsp Paprika

Pink Sea Salt to taste

Coconut Oil

Combine till just coarse in a food processor. Do not puree. Form into little patties using a small jar lid. Freeze half of the patties for future use on a baking sheet. Bag them in freezer bags when they’re frozen. Then you can whip out these little babies in no time later on. Big time saver.

Fry frozen or unfrozen patties in coconut oil till golden brown. You can also bake it in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 15 minutes till golden brown. Just brush it with coconut oil before baking. The taste difference is negligible. If it gets too crispy, steam them.


Raw Peanut Dip:


2 Cups Organic Soaked Peanuts

1/2 Cup Organic Sesame Seeds

1 tbsp Fresh grated Ginger

Juice of Two Limes

Pink Sea salt to taste

1/2 cup Filtered Water

1/4 cup Maple syrup or raw honey

Bunch of Cilantro

2 cloves Garlic

1 thai chili (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth

Date Bites

Push one almond or one pecan into center of pitted whole date.
Roll in shredded coconut (optional)

I soaked my nuts first to sprout them.

My almonds were small so I cut the dates in half first.

Store leftovers in fridge.

Strawberry Milk Shake

2 Pints of Kefir Yogurt
2 cartons of fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp Agave
1/2 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp of Vanilla Bean paste

Put everything into the Food Processor and your done! Depending on thickness or how runny you would like your Milk Shake, you can add Rice milk.

You can also blend it in the VitaMix or BlendTec.