Cobbler Madness!

The raw food journey has been going great. I've not been 100% raw, but no matter - when I want something cooked I've been eating baked fish (salmon and tuna) and steamed veggies. I also had some vegan, gluten-free Amy's soups; I love her soups!

What I've realized is that in my attempt to eat as much raw as possible, I have inadvertently cut all dairy and wheat out of my diet, without even thinking about it. My diet has consisted of veggies, fruits, nuts, soups, fish and the occasional slice of toasted gluten-free, local bread with flax oil.

My absolute favorite new creation is the raw fruit cobbler. I've made them with peaches, cherries, blueberries - and I'm starting to wonder about a banana/coconut/raisin version...

The raw fruit cobbler is SUPER easy - as long as you have a food processor. It's an absolute GREAT way to get your daily recommended (2-4 servings) allowance of fruit per day - and a good amount of protein from nuts, too. Plus, they last for days, and provide a great sweet snack that is uber healthy.

My Latest: Peach, Blueberry, Cherry Cobbler

This is what it looks like a few minutes later. ;)

It doesn't even 'appear' raw. YUM.

Also, I've found that friends love them, no matter what kind of diet they keep. The cobblers are getting rave reviews! They are perfect for anyone - except those funny people who think that they shouldn't eat fruit because of its sugar content. (these are usually the same people that eat lots of cakes and candy, but trick themselves into thinking they don't!)

The truth is, fruit is full of vitamin C, water, fiber, and phytochemicals. We need fruit in our diet, and natural sugars do not make us want to overeat - how many people do you know that gorge on too much fruit??

Here is a 'general' fruit cobbler recipe - you can choose which fruits and nuts you'd like to use. The only other things you may need are dates, flax seeds or flax oil, powdered cinnamon, and raw agave nectar.

All you need is a baking pan or glass dish. No oil required.

The Filling:

Gather a few cups of your favorite fruits - peaches w/ cherries, or blueberries and peaches, or cherries with blueberries - or apples, strawberries or whatever fruit you like. The amount you'll want really depends upon the size of your dish. Experiment!

Cut up all the fruit, unless it's berries or something that doesn't need cutting. Take 1/2 of the fruit and puree it with your food processor with a few (2-5) cut up dates. You may add a bit of flax seed for crunch or flax oil for omega-3's if you like. I also add cinnamon and a teaspoon or so of agave nectar.

Take the rest of the cut up fruit and just mix it in with the puree so you have a good amount of chunky fruit goodness. Pour into the dish.

The Topping:

Take a cup or two of raw nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts), add cinnamon, a bit of agave, a few pitted and cut up dates (2-5) and a bit of flax oil, and process. The mixture will eventually become chunky and crumbly. Once this mixture is done, toss in a few whole nuts and process for a quick moment, so you have some big pieces to give it a great crunch.

Crumble the nut mixture on top.

Chill in the fridge for an hour or so - or eat immediately.

I have yet to find a better way to eat raw fruits every day. I love it!

Questions? Just let me know.

Recipes of the Day

I've been super productive in the last day or so, whipping up delicious raw food creations - and eating them. :) I've created a raw peachy cherry cobbler, spicy mock pimento cheese spread, and an avacado, mango, and red onion salad. I just went with what I have already on hand, so the 'recipes' are pretty loose. Today was another 100% raw day.

Raw Peachy Cherry Cobbler

This is all that is left. There was a small baking dish of it, but 2 girls and 2 spoons later, viola!

Cobbler Filling:

7 fresh peaches

large handful of fresh cherries

4 dates

tsp. agave nectar

tsp. flax oil

several dashes of cinnamon

Dice all 7 peaches and put 5 of them in a food processor, keeping two peaches separate. A good choice might be to keep the the ripest and the least ripe diced peaches out of the processor.

Pit the dates and pinch them apart, dropping little chunks of dates all over the peaches.

Add agave, cinnamon, and flax oil and process until smooth.

Pour into a dish or pan.

Mix in the other two peaches for chunky bites.

Pit cherries, and top entire mixture with halved cherries.

Cobbler Crust:

1 cup raw walnuts

1 handful raw almonds

4 dates

tsp. agave nectar

tsp. flax oil

several dashes of cinnamon

Pour nuts into processor.

Pit dates and drop chunks onto the nuts.

Add agave, flax oil, and cinnamon.

Process until crumbly and soft, with a few nutty chunks still left.

Top peach and cherry mixture with crumbly mixture.

Invite over a friend and eat!

Avocado, Mango and Red Onion Salad

Super easy and yum.

Ingredients:

2 mangos

1/2 red onion

1 avocado

(optional: next time I will add cilantro leaves, juice of half a lime and black sesame seeds)

Peel and slice mangos. Cut up red onion in small slivers. Scoop out avocado. Mix well.

Eat and Enjoy!

Spicy Mock Pimento Cheese Spread

Pimento cheese (in case you have no idea) is a Southern food, usually made with cheddar cheese, mayo, pimentos, salt and pepper - and usually a bunch of other preservatives and such. I ate it as a kid. Now, I can eat something comparable, but MUCH healthier!

Ingredients:

Several teaspoons of raw tahini

Squiggle of Bragg's

1 1/2 red bell pepper (de-cored and deseeded, cut and diced)

2 large teaspoons of nutritional yeast

sea salt/pepper (dash)

Cayenne Pepper (optional, if you want it spicy)

Put raw tahini, bragg's, nutritional yeast, almost all of the diced red bell pepper (keep a small handful of diced red bell peppers out) in processor and process. Add handful of red bell peppers, process for just a quick second, leaving small pieces and chunks. Add sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and stir.

I ate this spread on romaine leaves, which kind of act as a boat. You can add sliced red bell pepper, sprouts, avocado, or any topping on it you like. Delicious!

Back to the Drawing Board

It's been almost a year since my last entry. My parents came to visit last October, I ate poorly, and I continued to eat poorly, drink, smoke cigarettes and gain weight.

Everything in me has wanted to start a 'new' blog - to wipe that past failure clean and begin anew. Yet, this time I would like to begin where I am. I always want to start over (hence the moving around so much), forget the past, and pretend I'm a new person. The thing is, I'm not a new person. I'm here, where I am now, having eaten raw for a short time, abandoned the decision to do so, and am revisiting - again.

Today was the first day and it was entirely successful and easy. I began with a green smoothie consisting of chard, kale, bananas and blueberries. My lunch was simple: red cabbage shredded and tossed in olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Later I went to EarthFare to pick up some items and I grabbed some raw food nuggets of some sort, they were yummy, dehydrated, and came with a tahini dipping sauce. Later in the evening I made my first raw peach cobbler and it was delicious! I used peaches, cherries, dates, cinnamon, agave nectar and flax oil for the filling - and almonds, walnuts, dates, cinnamon, agave nectar and flax oil for the crumbly top. It was truly amazing.

Today was easy.

I've had a lot of shifts in my life recently. I quit drinking sometime in June - or the first couple days in July - I can't remember. I have recently stopped smoking tobacco too. I moved into a new, nicer, 2-bedroom home with a deck. I feel as though things are going very well for me, but I can't stop feeling like I would be much healthier and happier if I was eating more raw foods.

So, today was a 100% raw food day for me. Yeah!

Parents & Food

I'm taking the easy way out, I know.

My parents are in town (at this very moment!) and I'm still at work, but I've decided to eat regular food and forgo the raw while they are here. They arrived an hour or so ago and will leave on Saturday - Halloween.

I haven't seen them in a year and this is the first time they've visited me since I was 23 - thirteen years ago! I really don't want their visit to be about my eating habits, especially when I'm still transitioning. So this time I'm not saying anything and I'll resume my rawdom when they leave. In the meantime, I'll choose as many whole foods as possible, but not make a big deal of it.

I'm excited. Should be fun. We're going to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Chimney Rock, Black Mountain, The Biltmore Estate, etc. They've never been to Asheville. I'm really impressed that they're here!

Hugs & Hearts,

Tena