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Fat-Free and Low Fat Vegan Plant Based Recipes

Raw Vegan Recipes

3 More Recipes from What Do Raw Fooders Eat Volume 2 by Nomi Shannon

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Hello again!

My friend and colleague Nomi Shannon just sent me three more yummy recipes from her latest collection. I’m forwarding them to you so you can try them out and enjoy them as much as I have.

From Nomi:

“Would you like to know the fascinating recipe ideas I got from reading “What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2 ?”

Then keep reading. Because right here in this email, I’ll share a few of them with you.

You might think that I have “tasted it all”. But to my delight, I was tantalized by many of the recipes I discovered.

Try these yourself and dazzle your taste buds.



Elaina Love’s Hot Chocolate Elixir

I sometimes miss coffee, and occasionally I have some. But when I made this luscious ‘brew’ I knew I’d found a nutritious, filling coffee replacement. In fact, I’ve made it with a bit of instant coffee I keep in the house for company. This yummy hot drink is the perfect replacement for those $6- plus tip -drinks you buy at coffee houses. What a concept:  a pick me up that’s actually good for you! Elaina Love is a SUPERSTAR international raw chef and teacher.

Ingredients:

2 cups hot water

2 Tablespoons Desiccated coconut, ground in a coffee grinder

2 Tablespoons xylitol (super low glycemic sweetener made with Birch Bark)

1 Tablespoon raw cacao or carob powder

1 Tablespoon coconut oil (I skip this)

1 teaspoon maca powder

1 Tablespoon soaked chia seeds (to make soaked chia seeds, mix  ¼ cup of dry seeds with 1 cup of water and soak overnight if possible)

2 teaspoons instant coffee substitute (Dandy Blend) OR 7 drops of coffee essence (Medicine Flower)

10 drops vanilla liquid stevia or to taste

¼ teaspoon high mineral salt

Directions: Blend on high until creamy and frothy. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg

 

Penni Shelton’s Blueberry Hemp-Nut Shake

This smoothie is a real winner. It takes under 5 minutes to make and will keep you fueled until lunch time with healthy fats and protein. Penni, you are a genius, such  a simple but delicious recipe.

2 cups water

½ cup hemp seeds

1 Tablespoon coconut nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 x 10 ounce package frozen blueberries

1 banana

Blend all ingredients into a smooth, creamy, yummy shake.

From Penni: With the high protein and essential fatty acids of hemp nuts and the powerful antioxidant superfood status of blueberries, I knew this shake wouldn’t let me down.

 

Deb Durrant’s  Chocolate and Raspberry Parfait

An innovative recipe creator and fabulous teacher, caterer and Raw Food Guru in the UK, Deb creates amazing raw desserts as well as anything else you can think of, in her signature Super Gourmet way.

Mousse Ingredients (serves 4): 

2 medium size, very ripe avocados

1 heaping cup raw cacao powder

1 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup coconut butter, melted (I skip this part since there’s already enough fat in the recipe from the avocados)

1 Tablespoon vanilla paste

Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

For the fruit layer:

1 punnet (approximately 1 pint US) raspberries

1 Tablespoon agave syrup (I’m not a fan of agave, so I skip this)

For the chocolate mousse: Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. Then make the raspberry jam: Mash half the raspberries with the back of a fork and mix in the agave syrup. Spoon a bit of jam in the bottom of each of the glasses. Then add the chocolate mousse layer and top with a teaspoon of raspberry jam. Top with the remaining fresh raspberries. Put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two to set.”

Wow!  These three recipes are from Nomi’s latest collection: What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2– but I haven’t even mentioned yet the $212.72 worth of Super Bonuses you get with purchase of What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2!



That’s right, you’ll get instant access to Nomi’s carefully curated BONUS BUNDLE of products including: Amazing Recipes, How To Make Salves & Creams at home, Detox Protocols and Recipes, Health & Beauty Tips, How To Create 5 Minute Breakfasts, Healthy Party Food, Transition Recipes, Power Breakfasts, Meals Made From Greens and so much more…Plus 3 full length books from well known authors Nathan Crane, Frederic Patenaude and Dr.Ritamarie Loscalzo.

Nomi is offering a 3 MONTH MONEY BACK GUARANTEE AND OVER $212 IN BONUSES THAT YOU GET TO KEEP, NO MATTER WHAT…So, What are you waiting for?

What Do Raw Fooders Eat Volume 2 Recipes!

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How would you like to visit the homes of 24 busy people who thrive on raw foods, peek inside their  private kitchens, and “spy” on them as they prepare their meals for an entire week?

I’m talking about well-known raw fooders like:

•    Rhonda Malkmus

•    Russell James

•    Elaina Love

•    Philip McCluskey

•    Penni Shelton

•    Tonya Zavasta, and

•    Nathan Crane

Plus, a variety of people who eat 50-90% raw such as:

  • Kemi Nekvapil, a leading speaker in Australia and author of ” Raw Beauty”
  • Myself! (Veronica Grace), author of “Vegan Comfort Foods From Around the World”
  • Lisa Books-Williams, Raw Chef and Vegan Cooking Instructor

Well you might not be able to sneak into their kitchens.

But now, thanks to my friend Nomi Shannon’s groundbreaking latest project you’ll get the next best thing ……It’s her all new collection called:

What Do Raw Fooders Eat? Volume 2

Discover Exactly What the Successful Ones Do

http://whatdorawfooderseat.com/?ref=113

Here’s the scoop. 24 raw fooders kept meticulous food journals for an entire week. (Raw fooders = 50% or more raw.)

This collection will give you hundreds of brand new ideas to thrill your taste buds and shake up your menu plan. You’ll never again settle for the same boring meals, or wonder what to eat. And it’s yours risk free for three full months.

The difference between What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2 and a recipe book-despite the fact that there are hundreds of recipes in the book-is that you are seeing actual meal plans, not just a pile of unrelated recipes.



Is this the key to your success as a raw fooder? Nomi thinks that it very well might be, and so do I!. Finally, you get to see the full picture. 7 full days of eating from 24 successful raw fooders. 504 Meals! Plus snacks!

Here is one out of the many hundreds of recipes from What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2:

http://whatdorawfooderseat.com/?ref=113

Strawberry Carob Fig Crunch Parfait

This pretty layered dessert is perfect for entertaining. The best part? It’s nut free*

Layer each part of the parfait with chopped fresh strawberries between the layers and topped with Brazil Nut Fig Crunch.

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.

*technically Brazil nuts are seeds

 

Layer 1: Carob Hemp Pudding Ingredients:

¾-1 cup young coconut water

¹/³ cup hemp seeds

¹/³ cup pitted, packed dates

¼ cup carob powder

1 teaspoon each: maca and mesquite powders

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¹/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

 

Layer 2: Strawberry Pudding Ingredients:

1½ cups chopped strawberries

¾ cup packed young coconut pulp

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons each: maple syrup and melted coconut oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions: Blend all but the coconut oil until smooth and creamy. Add the oil and blend again to incorporate.

Layer 3: Brazil Nut Fig Crunch Ingredients:

½ cup each: chopped black mission figs and chopped Brazil nuts

¼ cup goji berries

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons each: maple syrup and melted coconut oil (i skip this and don’t use oil)

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Directions: Toss all ingredients together

 

This parfait recipe comes from Phillip McCluskey’s chapter in

What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2.

PS. Don’t forget  Nomi is offering over $200 in bonuses to the first 500 people who buy this amazing collection! And, she is so confident that you’ll love What do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2, she’s offering a risk free 90 day warranty. This email is going out to a lot of people, so check it out now

Raw Vegan Blender Applesauce

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This is a really easy recipe 80/10/10 style recipe that you can use as a quick breakfast, a snack, replacement for cooked applesauce in baking or a raw dessert. If you have a few bruised apples laying around, it also takes care of those too!

Raw vegan apple sauce is also very kid friendly for a quick meal or snack for your little one. I use ceylon cinnamon in this applesauce recipe. It is OUT OF THIS WORLD! You can check it out here  at our store. It doesn’t have a dry bitter flavour like the regular hard cinnamon sticks you find at the grocery store. Ceylon cinnamon is made from a different cinnamon tree and actually tastes like sweet cinnamon, almost a mix between powdered sugar and cinnamon. It’s sugar free of course and tastes great for many different dessert toppings.



Fat Free Raw Vegan Blender Applesauce

Serves 1 or 2

Ingredients:

3 medium apples, peeled and cored
1 banana fresh or frozen
1 date, pitted
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (this is the true sweet cinnamon you can get it here at our store)
dash of allspice

Directions:

1. Place apples, water, banana, cinnamon and allspice in a Vitamix (or food processor) and push down using the tamper, and blend until creamy. Using a frozen banana will give you a nice cool applesauce.

2. Garnish with sliced or chopped apple, raisins, shredded coconut or additional cinnamon.

3. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later.

Makes 3 cups

Additional Tips:

I use this when I also need some applesauce for baking, and just omit the date and cinnamon if it would affect the recipe. It’s a great way to use up some extra apples and banana when you don’t want them to go to waste!

Raw Vegan Plant-Based Mexican Cilantro Corn Chowder

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Raw Vegan Mexican Cilantro Corn Chowder

This recipe is featured in my 2 part Savory Raw Dinner Recipes DVD set.  It is super easy and very delicious!

When I was thinking up raw soups to make, that would look great and I would enjoy eating, I got the idea of packing in more and more veg into it instead of having it be all heavy from nuts or lots of avocado. The solution was to add some fresh yellow bell pepper, for flavour, bulk, and colour. It really adds to this simple combination of corn and avocado and took it to a whole new level.



Whenever I show people pictures of this soup, they can’t believe it’s raw and think it looks so great. Well it tastes even better too. You can also get very creative with the garnishing.  I went for a very simple look to display the solid soup ingredients and garnishes. Of course if you make the recipe you can add as much as you like. You can also make this a little spicier by adding more chili powder.

The beauty of raw soups, is that they are quite fast to make (aside from cutting fresh corn off a cobb, you can use frozen if you must) and you can blend them until they are the temperature you want in the Vitamix. So they can be room temperature, warm or quite warm. Just blend for 30-60 seconds for room temperature 1-2 minutes for warm, and then once you get past 2 minutes you are essentially really heating the soup and can cook it a little.  So keep this in mind, depending whether you want a room temperature raw soup, or a transitional warm “raw” soup.

This plant-based corn chowder will please even the most skeptical people of raw vegan soups. Just blend it a little longer so it’s warm and not cold if you’re using corn and bell peppers straight from the fridge.

Please let me know what you think! I love your feedback. For more delicious recipes check out my Savory Raw Dinner Recipes 

Creamy Raw Mexican Cilantro Corn Soup

Ingredients:

3 cobs of corn
2 yellow peppers, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut into chunks
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 small avocado or 1/2 large
1/2 cup cilantro diced
2 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp herbamere/salt
1 1/2 large limes juiced
1/2 red pepper, diced
diced chili peppers or chili pepper powder to garnish
green onions to garnish
Directions:

1. Cut the corn off the cob. (Make sure you have a sharp knife, a bowl or plate to catch the corn, and a towel. It’s messy!)

2. Put half of the corn, both yellow peppers, avocado, onion, garlic, half of the cilantro, cumin, lime and salt into the Vitamix or food processor.

3. Use the Vitamix tamper to push ingredients down into blade and blend until creamy. (If you don’t have a Vitamix and need to add a little water to make it blend, do so)

4. Pour into 2 bowls. Add remaining corn, and red peppers. If you like it spicy add diced chilli peppers.

5. Garnish with cilantro, red pepper, green onions and a sprinkle of chili pepper powder.

Serve!

How did you like this soup? Did you know you can use the base of this as a raw salad dressing too?

How To Make Your Own Raw Almond Milk in a Vitamix

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Almond milk is something that many people use nowadays, whether they are vegan or have dairy allergies. Sure you can buy some (non raw) almond milk at the store for your smoothies or cooking, but there’s likely going to be sugar, preservatives and other additives and synthetic stuff in it as well. While it is convenient to use pre made almond milk, it’s not a good idea to base your whole diet on processed packaged foods.

It’s very easy to make at home, and most cost effective if you enjoy using almond pulp in recipes like raw bars, cookies, crackers, or drying it out to use for almond flour. This raw almond milk is great for using in raw smoothies, raw banana ice-cream and raw dressings.

This low fat almond milk is also a nice pretty white colour and not browny tinged from additives like processed almond milk! Beautiful.



How To Make Raw Vegan Almond Milk in A Blender

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole shelled almonds
soaking water to cover almonds
4 cups filtered water (for making milk)

Required tools:

Container to soak almonds
Medium metal mesh strainer/nut milk bag
Vitamix or blender

Directions:

1. Soak almonds in a bowl or container with enough water to cover and let sit overnight, around 8 hours.

2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Place into Vitamix or blender with 4 cups of filtered water. Blend for about 45 seconds to a minute on high. Just until all the almonds are in tiny pieces and it’s frothy.

3. Get out 3 medium bowls or containers if you’re using a mesh strainer, or 2 for a nut milk bag. Hold your mesh strainer or nut milk bagover one of the bowls and pour the almond mixture slowly into it. Fill up the strainer and then use a spoon to push the liquid down from the pulp, for a nut milk bag pour the almond milk through it and squeeze the liquid out of the pulp with one hand while you hold it up. Place the extra pulp in one of the bowls if you want to save it for later. If you have a nut milk bag can also hang it up above the bowl and let it drain if you’re tired of squeezing. This will take a while. If using a metal strainer, keep filling it up with almond mixture and filtering the pulp from the milk with your spoon and set the pulp aside. Rinsing your strainer in between each filter will make it easier to strain and get rid of the little pieces stuck to it.

4. After you have filtered your almond milk once, you may want to filter the whole thing once more with a nut milk bag or a few more times with a metal strainer for the smoothest almond milk. Place your filter over the last clean bowl and pour your filtered almond milk over it. You should see some froth and a little pulp being filtered out the second time. Rinse your other bowl and strainer and filter back and forth until your almond milk is smooth to your liking. I do this a few times for the smoothest milk.

5. Once you’re done you can store the almond milk in the fridge. Depending what you want to do with it you can leave it plain, or blend in a date and some vanilla for sweet almond milk.

I leave mine plain so I can use it for things like banana ice-cream, chia “tapioca” pudding, smoothie base, dressing base etc. I just add pitted dates or vanilla to the recipe if I need a sweet milk.

Best used within 3 days as this is a “raw” and unpasteurized product it will separate and can start growing bacteria. Stir or shake gently before using. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Raw Kale, Mandarin, Goji Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

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Low Fat Vegan Chef's Kale Mandarin Orange Goji Berry Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

Have you ever had a craving for a deeply satisfying and hearty kale salad? But you don’t want just a big pile of kale…. no you want all sorts of yummy textures and flavors in your kale salad to keep things interesting.

This is that salad.

It’s perfect for a dinner entree, a potluck, or a weekday take along for lunch. I like to make up big salads and then keep the dressing on the side that way I can have as much or as little dressing as I like and save any remaining salad in a sealed container in the fridge.



Low Fat Vegan Chef's Kale Mandarin Orange Goji Berry Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

Most kale salad recipes are heavily dressed with oil and salt and I find it hard to stomach. I want to taste my greens and not the oil so I paired this with a delicious homemade citrus ginger cashew dressing. It has some natural sweetness and creaminess from the cashews and is super easy to whip up in the blender with some fresh ginger and orange juice. Fresh squeezed orange juice is a great choice for liquid in salad dressings because it has some natural sweetness, and acidity and you can toss almost any fruits or veggies and/or nuts and seeds into it and blend it up.



So make up a big bowl of this hearty kale salad and you’ll have a light yet satisfying entree salad for 3-4 or a delicious side salad to serve along with baked potatoes, rice pilaff, pasta marinara and more. Enjoy!

Low Fat Vegan Chef's Kale Mandarin Orange Goji Berry Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

Raw(ish) Vegan Kale, Mandarin Orange and Goji Berry Salad

Serves 6-8 side servings

Ingredients:

1 head of kale, stems removed and chopped
1 head of romaine, chopped
3 cups loose packed spinach
1 english cucumber, sliced
4-5 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 tbsp goji berries soaked and patted dry
2 cups cooked quinoa (I seasoned mine with vegetable broth) *can omit if you desire a 100% raw dish

Directions: 

1. Arrange salad greens in a large bowl and mix together.
2. Garnish with remaining ingredients.
3. Serve with dressing on the side, or toss dressing with salad for a marinated salad.

Raw Vegan Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

 Ingredients:

1 cup fresh squeezed clementine or sweet mandarin juice
2 medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp Spicy Pecan Vinegar (or other fruit vinegar)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup raw cashews (unsalted)
Dash of salt and pepper *optional

 Directions:

1. Blend dressing ingredients together. Best used within 3 days (due to fresh orange juice which is perishable).

Additional Tips:

If you prefer to make this your weekday lunch salad for 5 days a week, arrange the salad in 5 sealable containers and store the dressing in small airtight containers.

What are your favorite ingredients to toss into your kale salad?

Shaved Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Salad With Basil, Mandarins and Pine nuts

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I have to tell you… I am totally loving my new (but used) camera I just got! As you can see, I have some more delicious photos  to share with you. This is a shaved asparagus salad I’ve been wanting to try for a while and I just happened to have asparagus in the fridge this week so I was very excited! I’ve had many many raw dishes using shaved or spiralized zucchini (summer squash) and the asparagus can be shaved with a vegetable peeler in the same way.

This shaved spring vegetable salad is absolutely delicious and will definitely shake up your boring entree or side salad routine. You can even make this salad go even farther by incorporating baby spinach or mixed greens to make it lighter and less “noodley”.

You’ll be surprised how delicious shaved raw asparagus is, it’s quite mild and has a nice flavor to it. There’s no cooking required when you shave vegetables this thin, just like shaved or shredded beets or carrots it’s quite easy to eat.

I also added some fresh basil and red onion to kick up the flavors and am definitely going to add basil to more of my salads. It’s just wonderful! Even better if you pick it fresh from the garden. 🙂

I know you’re going to love this shaved asparagus salad as much as I did, so let’s check out the recipe!

Shaved Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Salad with Basil, Mandarins and Pine nuts

Serves 2 entrees or 4 side salads

Ingredients:

1 lb asparagus
3 small/medium zucchini
1/2 red onion
2 handfuls of fresh basil (60g)
2 mandarins, peeled or sliced and sectioned
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 cups baby spinach/spring mix *optional

Dressing:
1 cup fresh mandarin orange juice (about 5 mandarins)
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/4 cup pine nuts
1-2 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
5 medium fresh basil leaves
pinch of salt
dash fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Optional: toast pine nuts dry in a non stick pan over medium low heat until golden brown and set aside.

1. Hold the stem of each asparagus and lay it down on a cutting board. Shave thin ribbons of asparagus by using a vegetable peeler. (Use a sharp one! Dull ones will make this difficult.) Add tops and ribbons of asparagus to a bowl.

2. Do the same to the zucchini, lay flat on a cutting board and shave into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Rotate zucchini to a new side once you reach the inner seeded section. Peel until all 4 sides are done. Add to bowl.

3. Slice red onion into thin slivers. Add to bowl.

4. De-stem the basil and slice into thin strips. Add to bowl.

5. Peel or slice off skin of mandarins and add mandarin sections and pine nuts to bowl.

6. Prepare dressing: combine orange juice, vinegar, pine nuts and dates in a blender and blend until smooth.

7. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss to combine. Refrigerate before serving if desired.

8. Serve as is, or atop baby spinach or mixed greens in bowls or plates.

Enjoy!

Variations:

If you can’t find champagne vinegar use another fruit vinegar of choice.

If asparagus is out of season, too expensive, or too time consuming to shave you can substitute more zucchini (about 3-4 more). You can use yellow and green zucchini/squash for variety.

If you can’t find pine nuts you can try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds and toast them if desired.

 Have you ever eaten raw asparagus or added fresh basil to a salad? What did you think? 

Whole Food Rainbow Watermelon Fruitsicles (Popsicles)

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I’m really excited to share this watermelon popsicle recipe with you today. It’s been a long time since I made popsicles (I think the last time I did, I was a kid) and they turned out so pretty! I also just got a new (used) camera to play with and am really impressed with the quality of photos it produces (and the much faster shutter speed).

I had a heck of a time finding some popsicle molds here in Canada. I happened to see a small basic set for at Canadian Tire, but just as I was checking out I found 4 sets of these cute larger style popsicles and quickly snapped them up. I haven’t been able to find the exact popsicle molds I have online, but there are similar types with drip catches and straws available here.

I also got to try out a new natural product. I received some samples of Habitall – All Natural Sugar Replacement, which is aspartame-free, sugar-free, and calorie-free. It’s made with monk fruit, erythritol and polydextrose. Normally I never use sugar replacements such as Splenda or aspartame as they give me headaches and I don’t feel so well after. But for those looking for a calorie free sweetener (that doesn’t have the awful aftertaste of stevia) I think Habitall can be quite useful and best of all there’s no negative side effects. I added a little bit to my all fruit popsicles just to enhance the watermelon flavor, as when they’re frozen it can taste really icy and less fruity.

My watermelon popsicles actually turned out really yummy! Habitall can be used cup for cup as a sugar replacement so I can also see other uses for it such as lemonade, muffins, cupcakes or cookies for those who are looking to reduce calories, are diabetic or are trying to get off sugar in general.

Want A Free Bag of Habitall To Try?

The company also gave me some samples to give away to 2 lucky people. So if you’re interested in receiving a bag to try, just comment below and let me know what you’d like to use it for and 2 comments will be randomly selected to win.

Right now they are doing an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to help get Habitall into stores at an affordable price for everyone. You can only get it through the campaign for now, but if enough funds are raised in the next few weeks you might see Habitall available soon near you.

Whole food watermelon popsicles are really easy to make and you can use pretty much any fruit juice or puree as the base and diced fruit for added color and texture. Next I think I might try mango puree popsicles with sliced strawberries!

Whole Food Rainbow Watermelon Fruitsicles (Popsicles)

Makes 16-20 popsicles (depending on size) I made 16 90 ml popsicles.

Ingredients:

4 cups blended watermelon puree (about 1/4 medium watermelon) You can also use cantaloupe if desired
1 tbsp Habitall natural sweetener or cane sugar *optional
1 medium ripe ataulfo mango, diced or 2 ripe peaches peeled and diced
1 cup pitted cherries, sliced in half (I used frozen) or raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries (I used wild blueberries)

Directions:

1. Prepare the watermelon puree for the popsicles. Seedless watermelon works best. Blend watermelon and optional Habitall natural sweetener or sugar in a Vitamix or food processor on high until smooth. Set aside. (You can leave out the sweetener if desired.)
2. Dice the mango or peaches (make sure they are ripe or they will be too sour)
3. Portion out the cherries and the blueberries.
4. Assemble watermelon popsicles. Place mango or peach in bottom of popsicle molds, next layer in the cherries halves (or raspberries) and then blueberries.
5. Pour the watermelon puree into the popsicle molds until they are full. Place popsicle sticks on top.
6. Freeze for 6-7 hours.
7. Before serving run the popsicle try under warm to hot water to loosen popsicles from mold.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I was not paid or given any compensation to promote Habitall. I received free samples to review and to give away to blog readers. I paid for shipping myself. 

What is your favorite flavor of popsicle or what combination would you like to try?

Contest is closed! Winners were Lavisha and Brooke. Congratulations!

The Fruitarian Restaurant: A Decadent Fantasy on Rarotonga, The Cook Islands

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A friend of mine just came back from a trip to an exotic island in the Pacific called Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and was raving about this “amazing” restaurant he had discovered there.

It’s called “The Frutarian”, and truly, it’s the most amazing place I have ever heard of. Apparently the owners have been raw for over 20 years, and have decided to open this place in this remote island, and in spite of all expectations, it’s doing great!

Beach on Rarotonga - by Veronica Grace

I was a little curious because I have yet to find a restaurant that truly blew me away with the type of cuisine I enjoy on a regular basis: low fat raw vegan. Every vegetarian restaurant, let alone raw food restaurant I’ve been to featured the same staples of fatty salads and or nuts as the base of every dish.

So my friend went on describing this place as the new “it” restaurant in the Pacific, it was drawing in lots of tourists among vegetarians, raw foodists and other various health seekers.

It had a breathtaking view of the ocean and an open air sitting room for about 25 people, they were open from 8-5pm and always had a steady flow of satiated patrons. “What did you order there that was so amazing?” I asked my friend. “Fruit and salad!” He exclaimed. I raised my eyebrow in curiosity and he went to elaborate.

Sunset on Rarotonga - by Veronica Grace

Apparently this place had combined all the great things about a juice bar, a smoothie bar, a salad bar and a sit down restaurant and rolled it all into one. He pulled out a To Go menu from his pocket to satisfy my skepticism. I transcribed it for you below:

Breakfast:

All-You-Can-Eat Mono Fruit Plate (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple or watermelon) $10.99
Sunrise Pudding (blend of sweet papaya and bananas garnished with chopped fruit) $7.99
Green Goddess Smoothie (bananas, fresh lettuce) Regular $5.99 Large $7.99
Wake Me Up Mango Smoothie (fresh orange juice, mangos) $5.99 Large $7.99
Going Bananas Smoothie (3 kinds of bananas) $5.99 Large $7.99
Vitality Vegetable Juice (tomato, cucumber, celery, lettuce, carrot, beet) $6.99 Large $8.99

Lunch/Dinner:

All-You-Can-Eat Mono Meal Fruit Plate (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple or watermelon) $10.99
Banana Sandwiches (bunch of bananas served with fresh lettuce) $6.99
Guacamole Wrap (avocado, cherry tomatoes, and lime served with fresh lettuce) $8.99
Veggie Wraps (shredded carrot, cucumber, beet, zuchinni served with avocado and lettuce) $7.99
Island Tacos (guacamole and salsa served with lettuce and cabbage leaves) $9.99
Going Greek Salad (cucumber, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and Greek dressing) $7.99
Mango Love Salad (mangos and sweet oranges on spinach leaves) 8.99
Super Size Me Salad Style (build your own: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, green onions, red onions, sprouts, snap peas, celery, heart of palm, fresh herbs, apple, raisins, mango) Reg. $10.99 Sumo Size $15.99
Fresh dressings: light guac, sundried tomato, Greek, summer dill, mangolicious, Reg. $1.99 Large $2.99

Appetizers:

Gigantic Fruit Plate *serves 3-4 (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, apple, kiwi) $15.99
Skewer Me Fruity (pineapple, mango, papaya fruit skewers) $9.99
Mini Pizzas (zuchinini rounds topped with sundried tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes) $8.99
Little Dippers (celery, cucumber and zucchini dippers served with guacamole and salsa) $9.99

Juices:

Fresh Green Coconut $3.99
Pressed Cane Juice $4.99
Orange Juice $4.99 Lg. $6.99
Apple Juice $4.99 Lg. $6.99
Watermelon Juice $3.99 Lg. $5.99
Vitality Vegetable Juice $6.99 Lg. $8.99
Build Your Own Juice $6.99 Lg. $8.99

Smoothies:
Reg. $5.99 Lg. $7.99

Going Bananas Smoothie (3 kinds of bananas)
Wake Me Up Mango Smoothie (mango, orange juice)
Green Goddess Smoothie (banana, lettuce)
Banana Loves Papaya (banana, papaya)
Island Love (coconut water, pineapple, passionfruit)
Workout Buster (coconut water, banana, celery, lettuce)
Green and Lovin’ It (Coconut water, kiwi, dates)
Build Your Own Smoothie

Desserts:

Coconut Cream (Coconut water, jelly and dates) $5.99
Banana Icecream (frozen bananas and vanilla made into softserve) $4.99
Glazed Fruit (fruit plate glazed with date sauce) $6.99
Fresh Dates (seasonal) $6.99

Rocks on Rarotonga by Veronica Grace

This menu looks amazing, I thought. It has everything that a raw food restaurant is missing, fruit and healthy low fat recipes. I couldn’t wait to check out this place and try it for myself. I asked my friend, do you know who owns this place? He flipped over the back of the menu and showed it to me. It read, “Owned and Operated by Veronica Grace”.

Sadly, I woke up at just that moment and realized that this amazing place was purely a figment of my imagination. Yet it had seemed so real. I could actually picture this place existing from the description I was given and this menu flowed out of me with some items I’ve never even made before! It got me thinking though, wouldn’t it be nice if someone somewhere had the same dream as me and was looking for a fresh new edge on the raw restaurant scene?

Muri Lagoon, Rarotonga by Veronica Grace

Maybe one day… but hey until then feel free to reference this imaginary menu to get creative in your kitchen and try some amazingly tasty low fat raw vegan cuisine! You’d be surprised how great your food can taste with only a few ingredients and some simple tools like a mandolin and blender.

This is the menu I dream of and have yet to see anywhere in the Raw Food World!

I actually have visited Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and unfortunately it was not the fruit paradise I dreamed of, but it was still gorgeous nonetheless so I’ve included some beautiful photos I took on my travels there in 2011. Hope you enjoy my menu suggestions and my island shots!

Muri Lagoon, Rarotonga by Veronica Grace

Soy-Free Vegan Tropical Acai Berry Bowl Recipe

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Whipping up acai bowl recipes are pretty easy. I like to use whatever fresh and frozen fruits I had on hand. This one is similar to my Acai Banana Berry Bowl Recipe , but it’s perfect for summer with fresh mango and berries. Acai bowls can be topped with your favorite fruits, but I know some of you have never had one before and are unsure how to make them at home.

Acai is usually sold in a frozen puree for use in smoothies, acai bowls and frozen desserts. You can also buy acai juice, powder and supplements, but I stick with the puree because it’s delicious and a little less processed.

Acai bowls are made up of frozen acai puree, apple juice or soy milk, frozen fruit, granola, fresh fruit and sometimes honey. If you do not have acai frozen puree in your country (I found it at the health food store in Canada and the USA) you can substitute about 1 cup of frozen blueberries.

This is a soy-free version which uses apple juice instead of soy milk to blend it together. You can also use fresh pressed apple juice if desired as well.

Soy-Free Vegan Tropical Acai Berry Bowl Recipe

 
Serves 1

Bowl Ingredients:

4 oz/ 1/2 cup apple juice (unsweetened if desired)
2 100g packets of frozen Acai (I used Sambazon Original Smoothie Packs)
3/4 cup frozen mango (sub a fresh mango if you do not have a high powered blender such as a VitaMix or Blendtec)

Garnish Ingredients:

1/3-1/2 cup low fat granola of choice (I like Galaxy Granola as it’s oil free)
1/2 -1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup fresh ripe ataulfo mango, diced
1/2 cup diced strawberries
Small handful of blueberries
Drizzle of honey or agave *optional (I don’t find I need this in mine)

 Directions:

1. Remove packets of acai and frozen bananas from freezer.

2. Slice the mango, slice the banana and wash the blueberries and set aside.

3. Add apple juice to your blender. Break up the frozen acai into smaller pieces and cut the plastic open and pour into blender. Add the mango. Blend on low or pulse to break up the frozen fruit. If you have a VitaMix use the tamper to puree into a soft serve. If you have another type of blender you may have to stop and stir and keep pulsing to combine. Stop blending when smooth.

4. Scrape acai mixture into a bowl.

5. Top acai with granola.

6. Top with diced mango, bananas, strawberries and blueberries.

7. Serve.

Have you ever had an Acai bowl? What’s your favorite topping?