Raw Till 4

How are things? 
My raw (not) cooking adventures continue.. I have been craving Lemon Bliss Balls (recipe below) for a few days now and finally took some time off to stand around in the kitchen and not cook them.

Warning: My food is not pretty. It's tasty, but not cute to look at. This is not a food blog after all, so I make no other apologies.

There are quite a few variations of this recipe on line. I made two batches, one more or less following the recipe below and another round with my tweaks.

Basic Recipe:
Lemon Bliss Balls
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup desiccated coconut
zest of one large lemon*
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
2 tablespoon maple syrup
extra desiccated coconut for rolling in

Place the ingredients into your processor in the order listed above and pulse at high speed until the mixture is smooth and the nuts and coconut have broken down. Using your hands shape the mixture into balls. Roll in coconut and place in the fridge to firm up a little. Eat and enjoy. (Credit to its creator)

I ran out of coconut because I use it in everything and always forget buy more. I also substituted the maple syrup for California dates. This made the base less moist, so I added extra lemon juice which I think was better. (It was at least more flavorful.) So maybe I didn't follow the basic recipe at all now that I look at it! I used a lemon, I swear. I didn't roll in coconut, because I mentioned I ate it all earlier.

Also note: My $10USD travel food processor is not the BEST, but it does do the job. So no excuses that you cannot afford the equipment, right?

See sorta dry?

They held their shape until you ate them.

2nd batch I increased the amount of dates and lemon juice. This made them more moist and easier to shape. There ween't any left so I deem them a success. Anytime my family eats healthy I call it a win.
I still count myself as a "baby Vegan" I am still learning the ropes. Vegetarian  I get - no sweat..but I continue to discover all the products that contain secret amounts of meat and meat by products. (Yuck!) I am attempting at least a few days a week of the raw till 4 eating and am learning so much.

Next (almost) Raw Recipe Vegan Taco Meat

Finished product.

Yes, I know that is not a raw tortilla. I let my lettuce for the raw rap go all wilt-y. #Fail and had to use tortillas. But they are locally made and I did have spinach and kale for the taco. This is about as far as you can go from Tex-Mex and still eat it on a tortilla. Besides the corn I also added fresh mushrooms and onions.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon chilli powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 4 SERVINGS


Recipe Directions
1. Place all ingredients in food processor.
2. Process until a texture similar to the photograph is reached. (1-2 minutes)
3. Enjoy immediately or store in fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe fromThe Rawtarian

One of my friends commented while eating my Raw Carrot Cake, "This looks like something the cat thew up. But it tastes like it was touched by Jesus!"  So you really can't judge it by appearance.

I ate two tacos (because they were so good) and thought I was gonna die! I was so full! So this makes for one SUPER filling dinner.

So many people turn to the Vegan/Raw recipes thinking they are for weight loss. You will loose weight but, you will eat more and BETTER food.

I have also been enjoying Smoothies and Nice Cream bowls, every morning for breakfast. I find that these are more than sweet enough and I have no problem saying "No Thanks" to cookies and candy when offered through out the day. (Damn co-workers) Sweet tooth satisfied!

Where all my coconut went..

See you at the airport ~