Monday, July 7, 2014

BOOK REVIEW: "RAW FOOD MADE FUN, EASY & BEAUTIFUL" BY JONNY FREESH

Today I am sharing with you my review of the freeshest raw cookbook of this summer - "Raw Food Made Fun, Easy & Beautiful" by Jonny Freesh. Jonny is the chef and rapper behind the blog Jonny Freesh, the raw food courses "Raw Food Bali" and some insane raw food rap videos . Not enough that he is sitting in the pool rapping about raw chocolate, Jonny has now created a new raw food cookbook with 63 amazing sweet and savory recipes (click here to go directly to the book).


The book covers everything from breakfast granola over exotic salads, raw sauces and spreads, raw breads, hearty dishes and especially new out-of-this-world desserts. If you can't believe me, scroll down to check out some of his beautiful creations.

Coconut Banana Cream Pie, Red Veg Seaweed Salad, Strawberry Granola and Durian Cheesecake; all by Jonny Freesh

However, what I love most about this book, besides the obviously stunning recipes, are all the little tips and tricks that Jonny gives his readers to make raw food preparation easy, affordable and delicious. You can even learn how to make your own photobox! This book is a Must-Have for all raw food beginners and long-term rawtarians!

Today I share with you already Jonny's recipe for "Piquante Lettuce Burrito Wraps With Walnut ReFreeshed Beans". These wraps are filled with crunchy, hearty walnut refreeshed beans, creamy guacamole and a spicy red pepper apple salsa and they are SO GOOD. The instructions say "Serves 3-4" .. well I ate that in two days :)
Here are some pictures what the wraps looked like when I made them and below you find the recipe.




Piquante Lettuce Burrito Wraps with Walnut ReFreeshed Beans 


Tools
(Optional) Food Processor

Ingredients
Walnut ReFreeshed Beans
1 cup Walnuts (soaked & dehydrated)
½ cup Sunflower Seeds (soaked & dehydrated)                    
2 tbsp Diced Onion
1 tsp Balsamic
½ tsp Dried Rosemary                                                      
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
¼ tsp Black Pepper                                                           
5 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Tamari / Bragg's / Coconut Aminos                      
A Pinch of Salt
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)

Guacamole
2 cups Chopped Avocado (approximately 2 medium avocados)
2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 tsp Lime Juice
A Pinch of Salt

Red Pepper Apple Salsa
¼ cup Cilantro (remove big stems) (lightly packed to measure) (chopped)
¼ cup Parsley (remove big stems) (lightly packed to measure)
2 tbsp Arugula (remove big stems) (lightly packed to measure)
¾ cup Minced Apple
2 cup Minced Red Pepper
1/3 cup Cucumber Seeds
¼ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Liquid Sweetener of Choice
¾ tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

Wraps
Lettuce / Chinese Cabbage / Collard Greens

Serves 3-4 as main or 6-8 as appetizer.

Process
1.  Either blitz all Walnut Refreeshed Beans in the food processor just until you have small rice sized chunks of Walnuts or chop everything to that size and mix in a bowl. When I was making this recipe the electricity cut out so I made it entirely without appliances. What a refreeshing experience it was!
2.  Mash Avocado and mix in remaining Guacamole ingredients.
3.  Chop all Salsa ingredients and mix in a bowl.
4.  Combine Walnut ReFreeshed Beans, Salsa and Guacamole in your Leafy Green of choice.
5.  Plate and Serve!
  

Enjoy!

*In addition to this review, I am giving away two copies of Jonny Freesh's new book "Raw Food Made Fun, Easy & Beautiful". Comment on this blog post or on my facebook page why you would love to win one copy and I will choose the winners this Friday. Good luck!* 

CHOCOLATE PINEAPPLE CASHEW PETIT FOURS


How are you all? Are you having a wonderful summer time so far? I am doing pretty well here in Copenhagen and am especially pleased to tell you that today's recipe is for Chocolate Pineapple Cashew Petit Fours. Oh yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. There is something magic about the combination of pineapple and chocolate and since it is so warm I figured that small cakes would be just perfect. These cuties are raw, vegan, gluten free and contain only fresh, natural fruit, nuts and seeds.



You can easily whip up a batch, enjoy some and give some to your friends and family without even having a bad conscience. This is a healthy, good-for-you alternative to store-bought candy and cake and is an affordable, easy recipe. If you don't like pineapple as much as I do, you can substitute this layer with another fruit of your choice (berries should be amaaaazing).


CHOCOLATE PINEAPPLE CASHEW PETIT FOURS
Yields 12

Crust
3/4 cup of pitted dates
1/2 cup raw dried shredded coconut

Chocolate layer
1/2 cup of soaked cashews
1 T raw carob (or cacao)
1 t organic raw maca
2 pitted dates
water as needed

Pineapple layer
1 cup sliced pineapple

Cashew layer
1/2 cup of soaked cashews
1 t organic raw hemp seed powder
2 pitted dates
water as needed 

1/4 cup raw dried shredded coconut

For the crust, pulse dates and coconut until sticking together. Press onto the bottom of a waxpaper layered 6 inch square pan. For the chocolate layer, blend cashews (without soaking water), carob, maca, dates and add water until creamy. Spread onto crust. Freeze for 15 min.
Afterwards, add pineapple slices on top.
For the cashew layer, blend cashews, hemp powder, dates and add water until creamy. Spread 1/2 of the cream over the pineapple layer. Freeze petit fours for 1 hours. Now, use remaining cream to cover the sides and dip into shredded coconut. Freeze again for 1 hour to set.

Enjoy!

Friday, June 13, 2014

INSPIRE.ME! - Lauren Glucina (Ascension Kitchen) + Smoothie recipe "Aura - for Beauty"







I am excited to present you the first interview of my new series: Inspire. Me! My very first guest is Lauren Glucina, the mastermind behind the outstanding website Ascension Kitchen. I feel very honored to have her here today since she is one of the people who inspired me to start my raw vegan journey. I am deeply impressed of how she juggles her blog, a full time study and her holistic health coaching program while living a healthy, raw life and being such a beautiful and shining soul! Thank you Lauren for doing this interview with me!


Lauren Glucina, the mastermind behind the website Ascension Kitchen

First, Lauren please tell us a bit about yourself and your personal experience regarding the impact of food and emotions on your wellbeing and behaviour.

Thank you for having me Fee. I am a Holistic Health Coach and trained Raw Chef, and run a website called Ascension Kitchen, where I share a lot of my plant based, raw and herbal recipes and remedies with my readers and clients. I worked for many years in the corporate world and was under a lot of stress and pressure. I eventually got pretty burnt out and had some nasty autoimmune things going on. No matter what alternative therapy I tired (and I tried everything – including a 17 day water fast!), I found no relief. 

"My biggest learning is that food directly influences your body"

Things changed when I left my job and simply had a much needed rest. I started re-training and healing, which has bought me where I am today. I’m currently working my way through studies in Western Herbal Medicine and Nutrition to further expand my knowledge. My biggest learning is that food directly influences your body, and that even beyond that, emotions contribute greatly to your wellbeing. Health to me, is a simple, organic, whole foods, plant based diet, combined with a stress free and positive outlook on life. They go hand in hand. I have found stress and anxiety to be incredibly damaging, for example, can you remember a time when you were perhaps so upset, heart broken, over tired or anxious that your tummy had butterflies and you didn’t feel like eating? These kind of feelings are not healthy in the slightest! They lead to acidic conditions in the body and prevent you from digesting and absorbing your food optimally. 

Orange Vanilla White Nectarine Cake (Ascension Kitchen)

My favorite quote from your website is: "food is information". Can you briefly explain what this concept means to you and how you work with it on your blog and holistic coaching program?

Yes – food is indeed information. I like this analogy as it seems far more accurate than ‘food is fuel’. Everything we eat, and drink, has an influence in our body. The body interprets this information in a myriad of ways – if we ingest chemicals, additives, carcinogens, the body gets busy sorting, clearing, storing or eliminating. If we ingest quality fats, our body knows to pull them apart and dispatch them for use in our cell membranes and hormones, if we ingest lots of lovely antioxidant rich fruits, we can run off and fight some bad ass free radicals. 

"Food is information"

Food signals us to start rallying up white blood cells, create inflammation, clear out waste, release hormones, make energy, build muscle…food can even change the expression of your genes! With this in mind, it is easy to see how the choices you make directly influence your health and wellbeing. My coaching programme is all about educating people on how to make smarter choices. What we eat, and how we think, has such a profound effect on our health.

Green bean cucumber and mint salad (recipe here)

You're also the author of the two books "Green Smoothies by Ascension Kitchen" and "Raw and Sexy Sweets" and the creator of the "Green Smoothies App". Would you recommend these resources to someone new to raw foods?

Yes absolutely – especially the Green Smoothies App. I’ve made a point of making all the ingredients in there accessible and affordable to all, so it is a great place to start. I’ve purposefully left out all superfoods, and stripped it down to basics, because quite often, they can be very expensive and hard to source. It would not be very economical for a family to be having these foods on a daily basis. 

"Good health doesn't depend on superfoods"

The good thing is, good health doesn’t depend on them, so I hope that the app can inspire people with some interesting and healthy new flavour combinations. It is also a learning experience, I have written a short paragraph on the nutritional ‘superpowers’ of each and every ingredient used in the app, so you can understand better why these foods are good for you. 

What do you think are 3 easy tricks to start a healthier living?

Three tips to start out on a healthy path:

1. Start your day with a simple green smoothie, if you start your day on a good note like this, it often sets the theme for the day.
2. Take care of your digestive system, if you have a healthy gut, you will have a healthy body! This means including some lovely probiotic rich foods in your diet in the form of fermented vegetables, coconut kefir and kombucha.
3. Slowly crowd out the stuff that doesn’t serve you with simple, organic whole foods, there’ll be no looking back.

Raw chocolate log (recipe here)

If you were new to raw foods again, what would you do differently?

If I were new to raw foods again, I would incorporate more probiotic rich and mineral rich foods into my diet. Minerals are particularly important for healthy adrenals. Wild weeds and sea vegetables can provide this for you. 

"Quality healthy fats [...] are really important for us girls"

I like to make an infusion of nettle or oatstraw, let it steep overnight then drink it in the mornings. I would also not be afraid to have more quality healthy fats, which are really important for us girls – especially for healthy hormones!

I am a big fan of simple, affordable but novel and fancy raw dishes like your fig, vanilla and date grawnola (find the recipe here). What do you always have at home to prepare a quick and easy raw dish?

Yes me too! I’m lucky to have a big beautiful organic vege garden so my go-to meal is always freshly picked. I make a big salad of parsley, watercress, coriander, mint, radicchio, rosemary, chickweed and a little cos. I dress it with homemade hummus, a wild herb pesto, and homemade sauerkraut. I sprinkle some karengo fronds over the top (a type of seaweed from New Zealand), a little gomashio, apple cider vinegar, avocado and some activated pumpkin seeds. It is seriously divine.

It sounds divine! 
Finally.... 

Fav raw dish? My raw peppermint slice.
Green or sweet smothie? Green – my favourite is basil, strawberry, mint, beet greens and coconut water.
Running or yoga? Both depending on my mood and the weather.
Raw product you couldn't live without? If we’re talking gadget, my dehydrator, if we’re talking food, coconut butter.

Thank you so much Lauren for taking your time! It was wonderful to have you here at Raw, Fit and Happy!
If your mouth is watering as mine and you're interested in Lauren's coaching program, books or app, you can find her at:


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aura – for Beauty

8 large basil leaves
4 large beet leaves
1 ½ cups strawberries
5 ice cubes
¾ cup water or coconut water
 


Blend and enjoy.


If you like this post and want to receive more free raw sweet and savory recipes and follow my interview series Inspire.Me! like Raw, Fit & Happy on facebook or follow my blog by submitting your email here

Love and hugs,
Fee.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

RAW 'NUTELLA' MOUSSE CAKE


You thought there would be no more nutella for you since you're on a raw vegan diet? Think twice! Nutella is basically made of hazelnuts and cacao and, omitting the additional list of sugar, emulsifier and flavoring, you can easily make your own raw 'nutella' spread. It is super yummy and even healthy for you! For this cake recipe I decided to spread my raw 'nutella' on a coconut and date cake base and to fill the cake with banana, because who doesn't love the combination of banana and nutella?! (okay I heard there are people who don't like bananas...in that case leave the bananas out or substitute them with whatever fruit your like. Berries should be awesome :) !)

.


This whole awesome cake has only 5 ingredients: dates, coconut, bananas, hazelnuts and carob. I chose carob for this recipe since I want to cut down my caffeine intake but of course, raw cacao would be fine too.


What I love most about this cake is that it is prepared in a few minutes but satisfy every chocolate craving without making you feel bad. It is rich, creamy, intense and melts in your mouth. It's just.... 'NUTELLA'. Go grab your cake pan.


RAW NUTELLA MOUSSE CAKE
Makes one 9 inch cake

Crust
1 cup medjool dates, chopped
3/4 cup raw, dried, shredded coconut

Raw 'nutella' filling
1/2 cup hazelnuts, soaked for 2 hours
2 medium frozen bananas
2 medium bananas
2 medjool dates
2 T raw carob powder
1/4 cup water

2 medium bananas, sliced

For the crust, pulse dates and coconut until they form a sticky mass. Press onto the bottom of your cake pan. Plaze in the freezer.
For the raw 'nutella' filling, blend soaked hazelnuts (without soaking water), bananas, dates, carob powder with water into a cream.
Now, layer sliced bananas on top of the crust of your cake. Cover with raw 'nutella' filling and freeze the cake for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

SPAGHETTI MARINARA BOWL


Some days I just can't get enough of the good foods. This here is certainly a dish that makes my mouth water every time I think of it - my spaghetti marinara bowl.
This delicious main dinner dish is made of only fresh veggies, herbs and fruits. No chemicals, preserving agents or stuff you can't spell. But full of gorgeous colors and textures.
I also kept it nut free and you can make this dish totally low fat by leaving out the quarter of avocado. 


This is by the way my first blog post from my new home. I moved to Copenhagen (Denmark) for my studies and I am very excited about it. Copenhagen has an awesome raw community and the fresh fruit festival is coming up. I am certainly trying to still get a place in it - Doug Graham is coming! (Do I have to say more? ;)). Unfortunately, some of my stuff is still to be delivered and I can't wait to get it! One week without my mason jars, wooden utensils, spiralizer and vitamix and I feel lost. I guess this is why I am craving this dish so badly that I made some weeks ago and forgot to directly share with you. But YOU are lucky. Grab your spiralizer or julienne peeler and get going. Green food=Love.


SPAGHETTI MARINARA BOWL
Serves 1 

Raw spaghetti
1 medium zucchini
1/2 english cucumber
3 medium carrots 

Marinara sauce
1 cup halved cocktail tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup water

fresh chives, spring onion, cocktail tomatoes, avocado and sesame seeds

Spiralize your zucchini, english cucumber and carrots into noodles. If you dont have a spiralizer you can use a regular or julienne peeler. For the marinara sauce, blend all ingredients into a sauce. In a large bowl, massage sauce into noodles and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives, chopped spring onion and sesame seeds. Top with cocktail tomatoes and 1/4 of avocado if you like.

Indulge. 

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...