Raw Cake Pop Challenge - Strawberry Shortcake - GF

I recently saw a post at Vegan Culinary Crusade about a Raw Cake Pop Challenge. Raw and vegan cake pops...raw, as in none of the ingredients are heated above 105 degrees. Not raw as in taking uncooked cake batter and trying to form balls out of it. True raw foodies do not eat anything that is heated above 105 degrees, preserving the nutrients and enzymes that support proper digestion and a healthy immune system.

I was intrigued by this challenge! I use raw recipes a lot. I try to eat a good amount of my fruits and vegetables raw. I follow a lot of raw food bloggers because the recipes are healthy and nutritious. And the desserts...oh my, raw desserts are stupendous! Have you seen my recipe for Raw Pineapple "Custard" Pie? Pure heaven. How about the Raw Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake. Lovely.

So, on to the Raw Cake Pop Challenge. I wanted to do something original. Raw chocolate recipes are everywhere, I decided not to do chocolate. My first attempt was key lime pie...it was okay, but not top-notch quality. My second attempt was carrot cake...still not amazing. Then I got frustrated and tried a chocolate recipe. I could have made it work, but as I mentioned I really didn't want to do chocolate. So those became Raw Cacao Snack Balls. :)

I then decided to do one of my favorite desserts: Strawberry Shortcake. My first two creations were disastrous. They tasted good, but were too mushy. I almost gave up, but I had the "candy" coating perfected. I wanted it to have that snap of a real candy coating. I just had to try one more time. I started wishing that I had it already done...then it hit me! I had some left-over crust from the Raw Pineapple "Custard" Pie in the freezer. It is divine! I can just eat it plain. In fact, I think I will start making them into little dessert balls. :)

This was a challenge, no doubt about it, but I am so happy with the results. It tastes just like strawberry shortcake!

Update 4/30/11: These should be eaten the same day. They get too mushy the next day.

Raw Strawberry Shortcake Pops

Makes 16 Pops

"Cake"

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (any nut will do, but macadamia is my favorite)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 tablespoons raw agave

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw almond meal

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, cut into small chunks

16 lollipop sticks

1. Place all ingredients, minus the strawberries, in a food processor until it resembles a crumbly, but moist dough. Transfer dough to a bowl and with a spatula mix in the strawberries, being careful to not mash them. Form the dough into 2" balls. Push a lollipop stick into each ball, about half way in (If the dough is too soft, freeze for 15 minutes). Place the lollipops standing upright in a block of foam and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the Candy Coating.

Candy Coating

4 oz raw cocoa butter, grated

2 1/2 tablespoons coconut cream (1 can of coconut milk will be needed)

1 1/2 tablespoons raw agave

1 vanilla pod

2 tablespoons finely grated raw red beet (optional, for color)

1. Place the grated cocoa butter in a small bowl. Place this bowl in a larger bowl with hot tap water in it, about half way up the small bowl. Occasionally stir the cocoa butter until melted, changing the cooling water, if necessary. Transfer the melted cocoa butter to a medium bowl.

2. Open a can of coconut milk, do not shake it. You will find a thick layer of cream on top. Skim off the desired amount. You can mix the remaining cream into the milk and save for a future use.

3. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using the blade of the knife scrape out the vanilla seeds. Add the coconut cream, agave and vanilla seeds to the cocoa butter. Beat at medium speed until well combined. Add the grated beets, stirring with a spatula until the mixture becomes slightly pink. If the mixture starts to solidify, place it over hot tap water to melt again. Using a fine wire mesh strainer, strain the beets from the liquid. If the oil from the cocoa butter has separated, whisk to combine.

4. Remove the lollipops from the freezer and spoon the coating over the pop. Place the pop back in the freezer for 5 minutes. If desired, add another layer of coating. Melt the coating again, if needed. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Voila! Raw Strawberry Shortcake Pops. Enjoy!

Raw Pineapple "Custard" Pie - GF

I have been following the blog carnival April in the Raw hosted by Brittany at Real Sustenance. I wanted to create something new, and bright and fresh for spring. It's tangy and tropical, combining pineapple and coconut. I am also sharing this recipe as part of Allergy Friendly Friday and Real Bites Friday.

Raw Pineapple "Custard" Pie

Makes 4 - 4 1/2" mini pies

Crust

1/2 C raw macadamia nuts (any nut would work, but macadamias are delicious)

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 TB raw agave nectar

1 TB almond meal flour (I make my own, so I know it is raw)

1/8 tsp salt

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and process until it resembles a crumbly, but moist dough.

2. Press into mini tart/pie pans. Set aside.

Filling

2 C fresh pineapple (mine was frozen, so I thawed it out before use)

1/2 C cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours

2 TB coconut oil

2 TB cocoa butter (or use all coconut oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 C raw agave nectar

pinch of salt

1. Place the cashews and pineapple in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

2. Grate the cocoa butter and place it and the coconut oil in a small bowl. Place that bowl inside a larger bowl with hot water from the tap. Stir until both are melted, changing the water if it cools before they are melted.

3. Place the melted cocoa butter and coconut oil along with the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour the "custard" into the pans. Freeze until set, 2-3 hours. Remove from freezer and set in a shallow pan with enough hot water to come half way up the pans. This will melt the coconut oil in the crust enough to easily tip it upside down and remove the pie. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Tip: Remove the pie immediately after freezing. Otherwise, as you can see from my pictures, the crust will be too soft and it will be difficult to remove without messing up the crust.

DIY Almond Milk (and Almond Meal Flour)

I have had a horrible rash on my arms for about 2 months. I went to a doctor for a female check-up and when I mentioned it to her, she suggested to eliminating gluten and dairy completely from my diet to see if that might help. So for the last 2 weeks I have been doing gluten and dairy free...and my rash is nearly gone!

To replace cow's milk I have been using almond milk, which can be expensive, but after trying all the other dairy alternative I decided that almond milk is the best tasting. I decided to make my own to see if it would be more economical. The conclusion? Yes. IF you use almond meal/flour as well, which I do in a lot of my recipes. A natural by-product of making almond milk is almond flour. It is also worth it to be able to control exactly what goes into your almond milk and if you get the almonds wholesale you'll save even more. For every one quart of almond milk you also get one cup of almond flour, which can be pricey, so you save there as well.

Here is the break down on the cost comparisons:

Retail Pricing (32 ounces of almond milk)

	Store-bought	Homemade	Minus the Cost of Buying Almond Flour
Conventional Almonds	$2.29	($6.99/lb) $3.96	- $.80/1 cup = $3.16
Organic Almonds	$3.00	($9.99/lb) $5.58	- $1.13/1 cup = $4.45

Wholesale Pricing (32 ounces of almond milk)

(For more information on how to buy wholesale, click HERE)

	Store-bought	Homemade	Minus the Cost of Buying Almond Flour
Conventional Almonds	$1.95	($5.20/lb) $2.97	- $.71/1 cup = $2.26
Organic Almonds	$2.15	($5.83/lb) $3.24	- $1.00/1 cup = $2.24

The end price shows the cost of homemade almond milk if you deduct the amount 1 cup of almond flour would cost you to buy. In other words, buying store bought organic almond milk would cost me $2.15. To make my own costs $1.09 more, but then I also get $1.00 worth of almond flour, so in the end it only costs me $.09 more for the same amount of milk and a cup of almond flour.

If you don't use almond flour and aren't too picky about what is in your almond milk (all store-bought almond milks have additives), it is not worth it to make your own almond milk. For me, it is for cost effective to make the milk myself, to control exactly what goes into it and have the added benefit of the left over almond flour.

Anywho, for those of you still interested in making your own almond milk and almond flour, here is the recipe:

Almond Milk

Yields 32 oz.

1.5 C raw almonds (to minimize the cost, you can cut it down to 1 cup)

4 C filtered water

pinch of sea salt

1. Soak the almond in the filtered water for 8-12 hours. Rinse and replace the water once in the process, if possible.

2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Place in a blender with 4 cups of fresh water and the salt. Blend on high for 2 minutes. If using a regular blender (not heavy duty, like a VitaMix) you may need to do two batches, blending 1/2 at a time.

3. Strain the milk from the pulp using a nut milk bag (I did not have one so I just used a tightly woven cotton kitchen hand towel) or several layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze as much of the milk out as possible. Reserve the pulp to make almond flour, recipe to follow.

4. Place the milk in a clean air-tight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Variations:

Chocolate Milk

32 oz of Almond Milk

1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 C raw, dark agave

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chai Milk

32 oz of Almond Milk

1/4 C raw, dark agave

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Almond Flour

Yields 1 cup

Pulp left over from almond milk

1. Spread the pulp on a baking sheet. Let dry for 8-12 hours. Store in an airtight container.

*Note: I have also started running it in my VitaMix one more time after it dries. It seems to make it a finer texture.

Thanks to Kim at Nourishing Gourmet for hosting Penny Wise Platter Thursdays. I linked this post there for others to see. Check out her blog. She has beautiful recipes and amazing photographs.

"Green" Power Smoothie

I drink this smoothie for breakfast almost every day. It keeps me full for hours, is nourishing and yummy! It isn't really green because I add blueberries, so it is a strange purple/green color. :) It is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, good fats, complex carbs and protein.

"Green" Power Smoothie

Serves 1 (or 2-3 small servings)

About 24 ounces

1 C milk (I use almond milk)

3-4 frozen strawberries

1/4 C frozen blueberries

1/2 ripe banana (mine is usually frozen)

1/2 fresh orange, with peel removed, but leave on the white pith

4-5 kale leaves, remove the leaves from the center rib

2 TB fresh parsley leaves

1/4 avocado

1 TB flax or chia seeds

1/4-1/2 C water

stevia or another sweetener, to taste

*I also add 2 raw eggs for protein. You can use a protein powder if you prefer. I recommend THIS one sweetened with stevia, without artificial colors, flavors and fillers. It is the most natural and the best tasting protein I have found.

Place all ingredients in a heavy duty blender (I have a VitaMix) and blend until smooth. Add more water if needed. I don't like mine really thick, so I add more water. Enjoy the healthiness!

Raw Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake - GF

This recipe is raw, gluten free, dairy free....basically is sounds like a recipe that can't be good, but you would be wrong. It is amazing! My cousin that is lactose intolerant and doesn't eat healthy at all, absolutely LOVED it.

Gluten Free Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 c Almond meal
• 1/2 c Dates
• 1 tbls Agave Nectar
• 1 tbls Filtered Water
• Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

1. To make the crust, process the dates in a food processor until they form one ball.

2. In a large bowl add the almond meal and dates and blend using your hands. Add the agave, water and salt and continue blending.

3. Press in the bottom of an 8″ spring form pan (I happened to have access to this lovely heart shaped pan), being sure to create a hill at the edges as show in the pictures above.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling:

• 1 1/2 c Cashews
• 1/2 c Lemon juice
• 1/4 c Coconut Oil, melted
• 1/4 c Agave Nectar
• 2 tbls Filtered Water
• 1 tbls Lemon zest
• Seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp Vanilla powder

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth.

2. Pour the filling over the crust and smooth out with a spatula.

Strawberry Topping

• 1 c Strawberries, chopped
• 1 tsp Agave Nectar

1. Blend the strawberries and agave in a blender, very briefly. You want to have a chunky consistency with small pieces of strawberries.

2. Spoon over the top of the Lemon Cream Cheese Filling. Let set in the fridge overnight (or freeze for about and hour and a half).
2. To serve, remove the spring form sides and garnish with lemon zest and a small strawberry on each slice.

Makes 1-8″ Cheesecake

Thanks to Cybele Pascal for creating her Allergy Free Friday and Brittany at Real Sustenance for April in the Raw; events for sharing awesome recipes! I have recently discovered these sharing events and I love seeing the recipes and discovering new blogs.