Coconut Cream Pie and Pumpkin Muffins

RAW BANANA COCONUT CREAM PIE
This cake is a dream! No, it's NOT chocolate but it's still very dreamy. It tastes like coconut ice-cream with bananas. This was the second time I've made it. I included a small handful of cashews to the crust and the filling this time. I think it tasted even better with the cashews. I found the recipe at gliving.

Keep it in the freezer as it will lose its shape as it comes to room temperature. I decorated it quite simply with whipped coconut cream, shredded coconut, bananas and a drizzle of rice syrup.

I was just about to throw out the left over coconut pulp from juicing the mature coconut (for whipped cream) and decided to make something out of it instead. Here's what I made:

SWEET COCONUT BREAD

3 cups coconut pulp
1 cup almond pulp
4 tbs maple syrup
2 tbs powdered ginger
1/2 cup flax meal (or more)
2 tbs vanilla essence
2 tbs lemon juice
pinch salt

Blend together in a food processor as much as possible, then mix by hand in a bowl until doughy. Spread on teflex sheet (I cover the dough with baking paper and then roll over the top with rolling pin) and dehydrate 8 hours at 110 degrees F.

Not sure yet what I'll use it for but I'll be sure to let you know when I do!

RAW PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

To finish my day of un-cooking I tried a recipe I've been gazing at for a few weeks (that's alot of gazing!!). It's yet another fabulous recipe from Sunny Raw Kitchen and it's scrumptious (if ya like pumpkin pie). Click here for the recipe. I have altered the recipe slightly by using grated pumpkin, not pulp and 1 cup pecans and 1 cup of cashews (maybe just a little less) as I don't like walnuts.

Raw Cookies!!

It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth! I was so excited when I discovered I could keep having sweet treats yet do away with the weight gain, bloated and congested feelings in and around my abdomen (which places pressure on my lower back).

I have a new favourite! Raw Cookies. I was instantly inspired when I saw a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on The Sunny Raw Kitchen blogspot. It was posted as their Recipe of the Week and let me simply say, these are srum-diddle-i-umptious! I varied the recipe slightly and have been having a few everyday. I store them in the freezer so they get a "baked" texture about them.

I made three versions from the same base recipe - chocolate chip, chocolate and vanilla.

RAW VANILLA COOKIES















Cookie Batter
1 3/4 cups raw cashews
1 cup ground oat groats or oat meal
1/8 cup - 1/4 cup agave nectar (to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Method
Place all ingredients into a processor and blend til dough-like. Place cookie dough in the fridge to firm up for an hour. Roll into balls and gently press with a fork. Store in freezer.


RAW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES













Cookie Batter
1 3/4 cups raw cashews
1 cup ground oat groats or oat meal
1/8 cup - 1/4 cup agave nectar (to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup melted coconut butter
1/4 cup cacao
1 tbs agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
(chopped pecans mixed through to make it really nice!)

Blend until smooth and spread mixture on a pan lined with baking paper. Add pecans if you so desire. Set in freezer. Once set break into pieces. You can make make a double portion and leave in freezer. They'll keep forever. NB You can leave out the agave and vanilla for a less sweet cookie.

Method
Place all cookie batter ingredients into a processor and blend til dough-like. Place cookie dough in the fridge to firm up for an hour. Quickly mix in the chocolate chip pieces by hand. Roll into balls and gently press with a fork. Store in freezer.

RAW CHOCOLATE COOKIES













Cookie Batter
1 3/4 cups raw cashews
1 cup ground oat groats or oat meal
1/8 cup - 1/4 cup agave nectar(to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 T cacoa powder

Method
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend til dough-like. Place cookie dough in the fridge to firm up for an hour. Roll into balls and gently press with a fork. Store in freezer.

Zucchini Pasta

CREAMY ALFREDO WITH MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS
Yet another fabulous recipe from The Sunny Raw Kitchen. I cooked a very tempting red wine lamb stew with herbed dumplings last night for the family so I knew I had to make myself something equally as delicious, to ease the temptation. This turned out great. I had 2 full servings! You can find the recipe by clicking here.

I have to be honest and confess that I haven't been diligent with eating raw lately. Yes, I fell off the wagon!

During the last two weeks I returned to the SAD diet (Standard Australian Diet) out of convenience and boy, do I feel it. Cooking delicious looking nightly meals for my family of five (and enjoying baked meals and desserts with weekly visitors) got the better of me....and down down down the slippery slope I went. Chronic back pain, general down-in-the-dumps, bloating, heaviness and tired, tired, tired feelings returned!

Today, I was determined to claw my way back into the saddle. I got busy housecleaning (so I could feel good about "my world") and in my nice clean kitchen got to work making raw chocolate cookies, a fresh batch of dehydrated grape cereal and almond milk. For dinner I made something easy enough to get back on track:

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH SPINACH AND AVOCADO SAUCE
Pasta:
1 zucchini
Make spaghetti style noodles with the vegetable spiralizer.

Sauce:
1 clove garlic
1 green onion
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper
small handful basil leaves
bunch of baby spinach leaves
1/2 avocado
splash of agave syrup
sprinkle of oregano

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over noodles in a dish. Serve.

ZUCCHINI FETTUCCINE WITH SPINACH SAUCE
I used a mandolin slicer to get thin zucchini strips then slices into fettuccine strips by hand. Leaving the skin on makes it look more vegetable-ish whereas peeling the skin off gives a pure white pasta finish. It's always good to let it soften and rest in a bowl with a splash of olive oil, for at least half an hour before eating.

I used the spinach sauce recipe from Sunny Raw Kitchen, which you can see by clicking here. All I can say is, yum-yum-bubblegum!