Pear-Ginger Cheesecake

When you need a break from heavier desserts, this little beauty is the way to go. I may say that a lot when it comes to raw desserts but it is just so true. This raw 'cheesecake' recipe is satiny smooth, delicate yet spicy and has a subtle addition of chocolate with a light crunch from the crust.

Pear and ginger make the perfect relationship in this recipe. Pears have such a unique and light flavor that on its own, some people aren't in love with it. Some. However, add the spice and aromatics that ginger offers and this is quite the relationship duo striking the right balance! Actually I think these flavors would make a good martini.

When needing to live in my raw food moments, it's so nice to be able to go to a dessert that mimics the looks of a traditional cheesecake. A little trickery for the mind to make me think I am getting something from the bad side of town. The fun part is that the taste is usually so good that it is weird to stop and think, "Wow! There is no butter, no flour, no refined sugar, and no bad fats in this. Crazy!"... & no, it does not taste anything like a real cheesecake but gets its name based on look and preparation for setting up in the traditional cheesecake springform pan. Sometimes after eating these desserts both Andy and I will reflect on the ingredients and list them out and it's cool to think of raw food in this way; fruits, nuts, spices, healthy fats = dessert (what!).

Even though this is a completely natural and raw dessert, it is (as a lot are), made with generous amounts of nuts which can carry a high calorie count and some healthy fats. Even these desserts must be eaten in small portions. This is not a license to pig out because it's essentially a healthy dessert...and that is your warning. It will be tempting with this recipe and others like it because the filling is so smooth and delicate it's almost like eating a beautiful mousse that you want to experience over and over.

RECIPE

Chocolate-Almond Crust
1 3/4 cups dry almonds
5 tablespoons cacao powder
3 1/2 ounces date paste (weight)
1 teaspoon liquid vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt


Pear-Ginger Filling
3 cups soaked cashews
3 cups chopped pears ( about 16 ounces weight)
3/4 cup agave syrup
3/4 cup ginger juice
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon liquid vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon lecithin
1 cup coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Chocolate-Almond Crust

1. Add to food processor the nuts, salt, vanilla, and half the amount of date paste, and any other ingredients the recipe may call for.
2. Process all ingredients until the crust starts to rise on the sides of the food processor bowl. Stop the machine and mix with a spatula or spoon.
3. Repeat a few times until the nuts are well broken down. Add remaining date paste and continue processing until mixture is consistent. The final result of the crust should be a mixture that can hold together with a gentle pressure and can be broken apart with a clean break.
4. Assemble a 10-inch cheesecake pan with the bottom up (opposite the way it would normally be used with lip facing down). This makes it much easier to serve. Lightly grease the entire inside of the pan with coconut oil.
5. Distribute crust evenly on the bottom of the cheesecake pan and lightly compact by hand. Set aside until ready to be filled.

If the nuts are too chunky, try sharpening your blade. You can also lightly process the nuts and salt by themselves before adding the other ingredients. Adding all of the date paste at once will not allow the nuts to break down properly. Some chunky nuts are okay if this is a preference but must be broken down enough to make the crust to come together.

When pressing the crust into pan, be careful not to use too much pressure, as this will result in the crust sticking to the pan and making the serving process challenging. On the other hand, if you are not pressing firmly enough the crust will be crumbly and messy. If crust is not sticking together and breaking apart cleanly, you need to add a small splash (1/2 - 1 teaspoon) of liquid vanilla and process a bit longer.

Making the cheesecake filling

1. Add to the blender all ingredients except the coconut oil and lecithin.
2. Blend well until smooth and creamy ( 3 - 5 minutes).
3. Stop blending and add the lecithin and melted coconut oil.
4. Resume blending until oil and lecithin are well incorporated
5. Pour filling into springform pan with prepared crust. Recipe may call for a swirling decoration (instructions below). If you want to, or are asked to, make a swirl reserve 1 cup of filling and add:
1. 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2. 3-4 vanilla beans (scraped insides only)
6. Place in freezer to set for 1 - 2 hours or until middle of cheesecake is firm to the touch.
7. Remove springform ring by inserting a non-serrated paring knife along the inside edge of the pan. Open springform, remove cheesecake and decorate to your liking.

Swirling (optional)

Swirling is a decorating technique that is a quick and easy way to make a dessert look elegant and delicious. Swirling always requires two or more contrasting colors. The stronger the contrast, the more beautiful the swirl will be.

The basic rule to creating a beautiful swirl is to have each of the fillings as close to same consistency as possible. This causes them to smoothly and easily flow and glide into each other. The process is simple, although requires practice over time to perfect, and these general rules apply to the 10 inch cheesecake recipes.

1. Pour all but 1 - 2 cups of the finished filling into the pan (onto prepared crust).
2. Blend the reserved cups with the ingredients the recipe calls for. This should be a brief blend phase as you just need to combine the added ingredients. Often the recipe will call for some additional liquid (like vanilla) to compensate for any added dry ingredients.
3. Now, confidently begin to pour into the pan (only pour 3/4 of the reserve mixture). Do not pour lightly. You want some of the colored mixture to pierce the surface of the filling, moving around to evenly distribute throughout the cheesecake, which will be visible on the individual slices.
4. After you have poured 3/4 of the reserve mixture, start to pour lightly the remaining mixture, letting a ribbon of the filling to fall onto the surface. Once you pour lightly, the filling should sit directly on top the surface of the rest of the filling. Make sure to get near the edges, but not touching.
5. Now, grab a chopstick or something similar, and insert it just below the surface and begin to move it around, swirling the fillings into each other. Try to make it as balanced as possible, meaning both colors will be equally visible. It is important to know when to stop as too much swirling will blend everything together and there will no longer be a contrast of colors. Actual swirling time is minimal and the effect is achieved quickly.

Storage

Cheesecakes will keep for at least four days. Store covered in the fridge.

 CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• Date Paste - you can make this by pitting and chopping dates, then boiling them in a heavy bottomed pan with 1 3/4 cups water. After bringing to a boil, let simmer for 1 minute.  Drain and cool. Then puree in a blender. I added a splash of whiskey to my dates while they were cooling just prior to blending.
• Ginger Juice - Using ginger root from the store ( required 2 very large pieces) shave off the skin with a knife and juice in an electric juicer. You can also use a garlic press to squeeze juice out of the ginger root, although I think that would take forever. You can online search other options but it can be a do-it-yourself process.
• Coconut-Oil - has a low melting point. You do not need a high flame to melt this and I recommend a low and slow melt. Coconut oil can be sensitive and if you heat it too high, too long it can go rancid. It's a delicate and beautiful oil.
• Lecithin- what the hell is that? I didn't know, have never used it, and had to look it up.  Our Vons, who rarely has what we need, didn't have this either. You can sub vegetable oil or canola oil.
• I botched my swirling because, well, I didn't read #5 :) . But it still looks nice and gave it some unique aesthetic appeal.
• My garnish for the cheesecake is pear slices that have been dusted with cinnamon and dehydrated.

Enjoy!

Source:Sweet Gratitude

Strawberry Galette

I have wanted to do a galette for probably at least two years...just never got around to it. I specifically wanted to do a peach galette which is what I have mostly seen in food portraits of galette's. Although various types of fruit can be substituted, it never occurred to me to use strawberries! And it's never been in the suggested list of fruits for galette's. Strawberries don't strike me as the kind of fruit I would put into a recipe and pop in the oven unless it was a strawberry rhubarb pie.

However, we had strawberries, that as most people know, head very quickly to their unusable state and I decided that I have had enough of throwing strawberries out, and would make something of them. It was a mission! I searched online recipes, found some great frozen desserts but guess what? There is literally no room to squeeze one more thing in the freezer. I did see someone had made a galette...it looked good, however, how would the strawberries really fair (taste) baked in a galette? I had some concerns.

Getting a good dough recipe was no problem as there was a galette recipe in a CIA book that I have been looking at for some time. Galette recipes that I have seen just have the fruit rolled around in spices and then piled in the middle, roll up the dough for the crust and done. Aside from dusting with sugar, strawberries don't really need spicing up (in my opinion)...but it just wasn't enough or quite right. I thought, what would taste good to me? Hmmm...thinking. Got it! Cream Cheese! Oh yea... a bit of strawberries with a crunchy sweet crust, with dollops of sweet and tangy warm cream cheese. Okay...so now I had my preferred ingredients, now to focus (or not so much) on execution.

I will be honest and say I pretty much just whipped this out without really taking time to focus on perfecting things or thinking them through. I had the concept and then the rest is history and I made it up as I went along...and... it totally worked out!

I will break down my experimentation in the recipe and instruction.  The end result was awesome ( I can't think of a better word, it really was awesome). I was waiting to get some pictures taken so I could finally taste it. Looking at those golden mounds of  baked cream cheese sitting like pillow-y goodness on top of the strawberries through the camera lens was so tempting it made me borderline miserable to have to wait. It was worth it though. The flavors and textures together were so scrumptious, it was a perfect breakfast treat and I was in heaven.
In usual fashion, the rest of it went to work with my roommate Andy, who safely deposited it in the office kitchen and it was gone within the hour, saving us from the reckless task of eating with wild abandon and consuming unmitigated calories. To reflect on the bumper sticker my Mom and I saw traveling to Palm Springs; "Love people. Cook them tasty food"...damn right! Although, I learned later that evening that Andy had gone back to the office kitchen for a # 2  piece (insert pouty face). It's okay, I was a little bummed, but I am little person and can't afford the extra calories, but good for him. And think of how many people had a wonderful surprise when they went for coffee or tea. The smiles are worth sharing any day of the week.

RECIPE

Galette Pie Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, lard, or vegetable shortening, diced ( or a combination of butter and shortening equal to 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup ice water, or as needed

Cream Cheese

1, 8-oz package of cream cheese, at room temp or close to

1 cup of confectioner's sugar

Filling

2-3 cups strawberries, rinsed, tops cut off, and sliced

1 cup ground lady fingers, or vanilla wafers

1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling on strawberries

2 tablespoons powdered sugar for final dusting

Egg Wash

Whole egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

2-3 tablespoons coarse sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Galette Pie Dough

Sift together the flour and salt with a fork to blend. Cut the fat into the flour using a food processor, pastry blender, or 2 knives. (For pies to be filled with fruit or another non-liquid filling, leave some

bits of fat in larger pieces, about the size of a small pea, for a crisp and flaky texture in the baked crust.)

Drizzle a few tablespoons of the ice water over the surface of the flour mixture and quickly rub the water into the flour. Continue to add the water, a tablespoon or so at a time, just until it holds together when you press a handful of it into a ball. The dough should be evenly moist, not wet, and shaggy or rough in appearance.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather and press the dough into a ball. Pat into an even disk, wrap well, and let chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling

While the dough is chilling, take the cream cheese ( at room temp) and put into a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Add one cup of confectioner's sugar and beat until creamy and well blended. Set aside.

Filling

Take vanilla wafers or lady fingers and in a food processor pulse until the cookies are a fine ground powder. It's okay if the mixture is a little coarse, but you don't want chunks of cookie in it. Put ground powder into a bowl (or a measuring cup with pour spout) and set aside.

Take rinse and topped strawberries and slice long ways into medium-thick slices. If the are too thin, they will burn easily (if on top) during the baking process. Set aside.

Egg wash

Take egg and milk and lightly beat. set aside.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Roll the pie dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10-inch round.

Transfer the dough round to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with the cookie crumbs leaving a 2-inch border free of crumbs. Sprinkle to your liking (you can add extra as the crumbs will absorb the strawberry juice during baking), leaving a couple tablespoons reserve for sprinkling on top later.

Add a few tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture in dollops around the circumference of the crumbs, making sure to keep them on the crumbs and not in the 2 inch border.  You should have a circle of crumbs, with a circle of cream cheese dollops ontop of the crumbs.

Now, start to pile on your strawberries in the middle. You can choose to just lay them on in handfulls or neatly organize them, it doesn't matter. As you are layering the strawberries, however, add a few more dollops of cream cheese in between the layers. Once all the strawberries are layered on, place 3-4 more dollops of cream cheese on top, leaving the 2-inch border unfilled and clear of any ingredients. You will have leftover cream cheese, set aside/refrigerate for use as a spread later.

Brush a 1 inch perimeter of the dough round lightly with egg wash. Fold the dough edges in toward the center, over the fruit, pinching and folding it to seal the edge and create a pleated border.

Brush the pleated edge of the pastry lightly but thoroughly with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.

Take some of the excess ground cookie mixture and sprinkle generously on top of the strawberries and cream cheese (granulated sugar optional).

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the strawberries hot and juicy. The book recommends 25 minutes but it took me 40+ minutes of cooking time. I suggest you start at 25 and assess it from there. After 25 minutes, I checked back in 15 minute increments until finished. You can use your crust as an indicator of doneness. When your crust is beautifully golden with touches of brown all the way around, it is done. It would be a great idea to rotate your sheet halfway through for an even cooking.

Remove the tart from the oven and cool on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.. Use left over cream cheese as a wonderful spread for those wanting to add more to each bite :)

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• Not everything is exact here because as I said, I made it up as I went along and results may vary. However, this is a recipe that has flexibility so feel free to experiment. The dough is exact and my experimentation was with the berries and cream cheese.
• The crust was great! It was crusty and crunchy on the outside and along the bottom. The interior bottom had some moisture from the strawberries but was NOT soggy.
• You can substitute apples, sour cherries, apricots, peaches, or pears.
• If you are sugar sensitive you can add more or less. I am not sensitive, so additionally, I sprinkled the strawberries with granulated sugar and the cookie crumbs before popping in the oven...and finished once baked and cooled, with powdered sugar. This was not too sweet, the baking process can change the flavor of the berries to have a little tartness, combine the tangy and sweet cream cheese, with the granulated sugar and crust and it is well balanced.
• I use the middle rack for cooking, moving up to the top for the last 15 minutes.
• I used vanilla wafers in my recipe since I had it on hand.
• Reminder that fruit really cooks down so don't fear the large pile of fruit, it will get smaller.

Enjoy!


Source: Baking at Home, Culinary Institute of America (dough)

Lemon Zuccherini

I first saw these little delights on food blog La Bella Vita , hosted by a charming Italian lady named Roz. During a trip back to Italy she took the time to blog and post all the beautiful foods she was coming across in her journey visiting restaurants, cafe's, and shops, and with pictures of beautiful scenery that made me wish I was there with her. It was around this same time that I had just received my DNA results from ancestry.com that revealed 20% of my bloodline is from the region of Spain and/or Italy. Both cuisines suit me, so that was good news, although for every time someone has asked me if I was Italian, my money is on Italy! So, it was a lot of fun to see what Roz was going to post next; where she was at, what she was looking at, and most importantly, what she was eating! I couldn't help wondering where my own distant ancestors had been, perhaps on the very same ground she was walking (or maybe somewhere in Spain)!

Lemon Zuccherini are considered an Italian biscotti and are commonly available in Italian shops. They are in the shape of a wedding ring and as she states on her site, are given out at weddings. What a lovely tradition!  Visit her site and you will see the pictures she took of them during her trip. Now, while mine do not look like what the Italians make, I can say that it was my first time doing the recipe, and regardless of how they look, they taste delicious.

I really like the simple flour pastry with the sweet but zingy coating of the lemon glaze. Due to an emergency we had at the house while I was just taking these out of the oven, they did not get glazed until the were already cooled. After the glaze had dried, I added a dusting of powdered sugar. Needless to say, I kept going back to the container for 'just one more'. And they are a great accompaniment to a cup of hot tea (and a book). What I find nice about these simple ingredients is that if I find myself in the middle of an unexpected cold blustery day, I can just whip up a batch from what we generally already have in the house. No special trips to the store!

RECIPE

Cookie

4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (sea salt is recommended)

*5 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp anise seeds or extract

2 tsp grated lemon zest

 Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

*2- 3 Tbsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

- Prepare a large bowl coated with oil

- Prepare greased and floured cookie sheets, or alternatively use cookie sheets with parchment paper

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt onto a large cutting board. Shape it into the form of a large well (or use a very large bowl).Into the middle of the well, add the eggs, olive oil, anise seeds/extract, and lemon zest.Incorporate all of the ingredients together to form a dough, being careful not to overwork the dough.

Place the dough into the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the dough into egg-sized balls and roll out each one into a long rope of medium thickness.

OPTIONAL: For a more layered cookie, flatten the rope and fold it in half along the entire length of the rope.

Shape each rope into a ring, and pinch the ends together. Place cookies onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until slightly golden.

While the cookies are baking, prepare your glaze. Mix together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. You can add more or less lemon juice if you want. I personally added extra juice along with some zest to my glaze.

While the cookies are still warm, brush on the glaze. Feel free to add a second glazing after the first brushing has dried and set. I did 2 light coatings and a gentle dusting. If it sounds like a lot, it really wasn't. The nice thing is you can make these to your personal preference and are in control of your modifications.

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• I had a little hiccup with my recipe. Roz's original recipe calls for 3 eggs, however, with 4 cups of flour I ended up needing more eggs to bring the dough together. I would take out 5 and start with 3 and see if you need more or not. I am famous for adding or omitting things, so could have been something I did.

As with any biscotti,these are perfect for dunking in pretty much anything you are drinking.



Enjoy!

 
 Source: La Bella Vita food blog

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

If you think this looks like comfort food, you would be right. Do you ever have those times where you are craving something but you don't know quite what it is? Then you thumb through recipe books, looking at photos, and then it happens...you see a food photo and your stomach growls and churns. It's clearly a message from below that you just hit gold. I trust my food instincts when my body tells me, "this is the one".

Some people give good gifts, and some people don't. My BFF of over 20 years, Gloria, a.k.a The Ginger Snap Girl, is the kind that gives good gifts. For my birthday this year she got me something I have been wanting...a cook book from Ina Garten. She blessed me with her latest publication, 'Foolproof', which is where this divine recipe hails from.

I don't post food/recipes I don't like. When I say, however, that something is truly outstanding, I mean it! This Easy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Croutons is fabulous and this will become a repeated meal in this house.

The soup was flavorful and the addition of tomatoes and orzo gave it texture and thickness. We couldn't eat it fast enough but it was so hot we were forced to slow down. The grilled cheese hit just the right notes of crunch with the distinct flavor of the Gruyere.  We added a few of the cheesy croutons to our soup and did some dunking with the other ones. Fantastic meal!

 

RECIPE

Tomato Soup
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Large pinch of saffron threads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 heavy cream

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 (1/2 inch thick slices country wide bread)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Tomato Soup

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. ( It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the two remaining slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.

Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Serve croutons hot and scattered on top of tomato soup.

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• To save on time, we used ready-made chicken broth from the store
• We use a grill pan in place of a panini grill, along with a grill press to place pressure on the bread
• We used a round loaf of Sheepherders bread

Enjoy!

Source:Barefoot Contessa, Foolproof

Granny's Old Fashioned Pudding Cake Vigilante

I couldn't resist doing this cake as soon as I saw it on Rachel vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off! I had no idea how amazingly crafty some celebs are in the kitchen...especially when that celebrity is Coolio!! (double exclamation). I guess I just think of them as being busy with other things and having personal chefs do a majority of their cooking. I definitely would not have pegged Coolio as the cooking type, but as he has dubbed himself, he truly is the 'Ghetto Gourmet', and was a final competitor against Lou Diamond Phillips , a.k.a LDP, in the Season 1 finale.

Coolio got a lot of flack during the program from esteemed chefs Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, Alex Guarnaschelli (newest Iron Chef - Congrats), Scott Conant, and Marcus Samuelson. However, they all had to admit that no matter what Coolio's crazy approach and technique to the food was, it always tasted great and they were left surprised and had to admit," it worked".

This delicious looking cake recipe is passed down from Coolio's grandmother who used to make this while he was growing up and taught it to him. In honoring her, he brought it to the show to share with others. It was so sweet you had to love him for doing it. Sentiment aside, the cake held its own...one look at it and I knew, I was making that! Luckily Food Network posted it online and here it is for your enjoyment! 

I don't normally (if ever) make box cakes but I wanted to do it his way and I have to admit, I really have missed the smell a boxed cake mix can put out when the cake is in the oven. I read the instructions for the whole recipe and said " That's it"? Easiest cake recipe I have had to do in a long time. There are additions of other ingredients that truly elevate the box cake to have a more complex flavor...add in the glaze on top and you are ready for a dessert that has some bright notes with creamy textures and plenty of sweet to satisfy. Well balanced. Coolio's grandmother had good taste and seems to have passed it on. Although it was LDP, FTW, Coolio rocked it out, literally, and it was an enormous amount of fun and laughs to watch him in action. All of the celebrities were amazing and it was fun to see them in a more personal way and how they interact with each other. Very entertaining and at times, very funny. If you haven't ever watched the show, I recommend it.

Recipe

Cake

1 box vanilla cake mix

1 box vanilla pudding mix

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lime

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1/2 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cake

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon and lime juices. Whisk well, or beat with a hand mixer, until the batter is combined and smooth.

Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch nonstick baking pan, or use a regular pan coated with cooking spray. Bake until the cake is baked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven.

Glaze

Combine the powdered sugar, butter, buttermilk, lemon and lime zests and lemon juice in a saucepan and whisk well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat.

Slice the cake into even pieces and drizzle the glaze on top.

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• I used ramekins for the cake since one large cake is too much for us in this household of 2. With the smaller portions we can freeze the rest or give it to neighbors or work associates.
• I garnished with some zest as it appears they did on the show...although this is not reflected in Food Network's instructions. As always...modify to your liking and creative ideas.
• In addition to glazing the top, I have pooled the glaze around the bottom of the cake, as was done on the show. The amount of glaze just on top may not be enough to compliment each bite of cake but like other things, this is a personal preference.
• If there is no thick frosting on a cake, then I need whip cream! So I whipped up a batch to further garnish and compliment this cake.
• For more of Coolio's recipes, such as the famous Soul Rolls or Heavenly Ghetallian bread, go to: Recipes

Enjoy!

Source: Food Network

Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Blackberry Glaze

These muffins are moist, delicious, full of nutrients, and the blackberry glaze is just gorgeous. It's a perfect bite for breakfast or even an afternoon snack.

Since making raw foods is still new to me, I sometimes anticipate doing a new recipe and this one is no exception. I wonder how each will turn out and I am always curious about the creation process as I head into it. Once again it was fast and easy. The only real work is waiting for the dehydrator to do its business which in this case was 7 hours of drying time. However, while you are waiting, the dehydrator is busily warming the muffins and blowing out the gentle warm scent of blueberries into your home, which was both welcoming and delightful to the senses.

If you like traditional muffins made with flours and sugar of some description, you may pause at the thought of a raw muffin. I challenge that this muffin is as good, if not better than, a traditional healthy muffin, and that you will not be disappointed! Especially if you have a healthy streak in you, then there is no denying that you can benefit from this as an addition or replacement to other muffins. Even the oat bran muffins at grocery stores or bakeries have flour or refined sugar added. This is an all natural way to get equally good taste without the heavier added ingredients that our bodies have to work through. And as usual, because it's not baked, all the nutrients are still viable and ready to do their good work for you.

RECIPE

Muffins

1 2/3 cups almond meal

1 cup golden flax meal ( about 3/4 cup whole seeds ground into powder)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean

1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil

1/3 cup cup filtered water, as needed

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze

1/2 cup cashews, ground into a fine powder

2 tablespoons blackberry juice ( from 1/3 cup blackberries pushed through a wire sieve)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon filtered water, as needed)

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the muffins, mix together the almond meal, flax meal, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the agave syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil and mix well. Add the water and mix to a batter like consistency. Gently fold in the blueberries ( I did this by hand).

Place your choice of small or large cupcake liners into a muffin pan and spoon dough into each. I suggest gently pressing the dough into the shape of the liner. This is not traditional baking where the dough cooks up and out. It will not take shape unless you make it. Fill cups to your personal liking. Place the pan into the dehydrator and dehydrate for 4 - 7 hours, until the batter is dry to your desired consistency.

To make the glaze, combine the cashew powder, blackberry juice, lemon juice, agave syrup, and water, in a personal blender and blend until smooth.

To serve, frost each muffin with the glaze.

These will keep for several days refrigerated. Can be frozen for several weeks and thawed. Warm muffins in the dehydrator at 104 (optional) for an hour or two before serving.

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

•  I added chopped walnuts to this recipe for a textural element. I like my breakfast muffins to have soft and crunchy elements in them, and I personally love nuts anyway. You can modify this recipe in all kinds of different ways and still keep it raw.
•  I did not puree my glaze enough, you really want a smooth silky glaze. The cashews take a little extra time to blend through. Don't hesitate to add more blackberry juice than what is recommended. I did so after the fact and it was more delicious and the color amazing.
• Author Ani Phyo recommended a yield of 6 muffins/cupcakes for this recipe which would have been too big in my opinion (large liners). For the amount of flax in these muffins, I don't think you would want more unless your digestive system is really used to it. I used the standard size cupcake liners and filled them to the top and they were perfect. One of these satisfied my sugar craving and I felt full for hours.
• This muffin is rich is Omega 3 and 6, antioxidants, and vitamins.

 Recipe: Ani's Raw Food Desserts, by Ani Phyo


Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Dream Smoothie

Happy New Year 2013! 

So - how many of you are back on a regimented eating plan? I know we are in this house. I generally plan to overindulge at the holidays and know full well that I will pack on a few extra pounds and I don't get on myself about it. It's not great but I also don't regret it. This is why my blog has been silent all the month of December... I was so busy baking and eating that I didn't even get time to post my delicious recipes of cookies and cakes! I love food and all of life will constantly be a plan of moderation and swinging scales, so a couple months out of the year is not going to be detrimental to me personally.  Having said that, January 1st we launched with full dedication back into our low glycemic food plan.

This smoothie recipe has been our daily morning breakfast for almost a year. Yes, we like it that much that we still look forward to it. Coming from the book " The Metabolism Boosting Diet" by Dr. Joey Shulman, the plan is based on foods that do not spike blood glucose, take time for the body to absorb, which in turn provides longer satiety, reducing the feelings of hunger which can lead to mindless snacking to satisfy immediate cravings. She offers four different smoothies, but we have managed to stay stuck on this one.

Recipe

1/2 frozen banana

1 scoop chocolate whey protein isolate powder

1 tbsp (15 ml) natural peanut butter

1 tsp (5 ml) cocoa powder (optional)

1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Handful of crushed ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together, pour into a glass and enjoy

Per Serving

296 calories, 12.5g total fat, 27g carbohydrates, 22g protein, 4.5g fivre, 13g sugar

Crystal's Notes

• We use EAS Whey. After tasting several different powders, this was our personal preference for taste.
• We accidentally ordered the Vanilla powder last time but with the added cocoa powder, it's hardly noticeable.
• I also recommend Healthy Planet whey protein powders. This is a line from Fabio (you know, long flowing blonde hair). A lot of care and commitment goes into using high quality products that are beneficial to the body.
• Remember that with these powders, sometimes you get what you pay for. You can gain a great source of vitamins and supplements from these as a bonus and with high quality ingredients can come a higher price tag, but remember that your health is worth it.

•  We buy bunches of bananas in advance and peel, split them in half, baggie them, and stick them in freezer. Since this is a daily plan for us it makes the AM process go faster when we can grab and go.
• We have used "all natural PB" from Whole Foods where you can churn it up yourself. I don't find it as tasteful as the other all natural peanut butters that are pre-made in a jar that you have to mix up with the oil. This will be a personal preference, just watch the sugar count.
• Calories will not be exact. Not all powders will be the same, banana size will vary, and PB may have slight difference. However, it should be pretty close.
• We add a tablespoon per serving of ground flaxseed.

~ Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous  2013 ~

Enjoy!