FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH VANILLA CREME SAUCE – RAW, VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cup walnuts
• 1 pinch salt
• 10-12 medjool dates
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup cacao powder (unsweetened)
• 2 TB. coconut oil
• 2 TB. maple syrup
• 2 TB. water

Directions: Place walnuts and salt in food processor and process until finely ground. Add dates, vanilla, cacao, coconut oil and maple syrup and process until mixture sticks together. Add 2 tbs. water and pulse for a moment. Form into a circular cake, about 6″ diameter on a serving plate. A small slice of this rich cake goes a long way!

Options: Garnish with mint leaves or raspberries. Fantastic served with Vanille Crème Sauce (below for your convenience) or Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème. Drizzle with vanilla crème or put a spoonful next to each slice.

Vanilla Creme Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soaked cashews
• 1TB. Vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 2-3 TB. Extra virgin coconut oil
• ½ – 3/4 cup water
• 4 TB. pure maple syrup

Prep: 2 hours ahead. Soak cashews in water. Drain and rinse.

Directions: Place drained cashews in blender with ½ cup of fresh water, maple syrup and coconut oil and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and rest of water, if needed, and blend until very silky. Refrigerate 20 minutes before serving. Can be sealed and stored for several days in fridge.

HERE IS ANOTHER OPTION FOR THIS RECIPE -

Make a Raspberry Coulis using fresh or frozen berries and chia seeds!

Raspberry Coulis:
Ingredients:
1 package of frozen raspberries, defrosted (or can use a pint or two of fresh raspberries)
2 TB. agave, honey or coconut nectar
4 TB. chia seeds
Extra berries for garnish along with mint leaves

Directions:

Place raspberries in blender and blend until fairly smooth.  Place in bowl and stir in sweetener (add more if you prefer it sweeter)  Add chia seeds and stir well.  You should stir every 5-10 minutes for about 30 minutes – It should thicken into a jam consistency.  (add more chia seeds if needed)

Pistachio Pesto Ravioli with Saffron Creme Sauce

RAW FUSION PISTACHIO PESTO RAVIOLI W/ SAFFRON CRÈME SAUCE

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

Ravioli

1 large white turnip

1 TB. Olive oil

1 tsp. celtic sea salt

1 leek, washed and chopped

1 TB. Olive oil

Dash of salt

Stuffing

½ jar Living Tree Community Pistachio Pesto

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 TB. Olive oil or to reduce fat, use lemon juice

1-2 TB. Raw sesame tahini

2 TB. Nutritional yeast

¼ cup water

Salt to taste

Saffron Crème Sauce

1 cup raw cashews

½ cup water

3-5 strands dried saffron

Juice from ½ lemon

Garlic powder and salt to taste

GARNISH:  Chopped parsley

 Prep:

Boil water for tempering the broccoli and drawing the saffron

Soak cashews 1-2 hours, drain and rinse

Peel  fibrous outer layer of both turnip and broccoli

Slice peeled turnip thinly or use mandolin @ 1/32 – if those are too large, slice each in half for “mezza luna”

Brush turnip slices with olive oil and drizzle with salt – let stand 15-20 minutes

 Directions:

Chop leek and put in a bowl, drizzling with olive oil and salt.

Make the stuffing by adding the broccoli, tahini, olive oil, yeast and water to food processor.  Blend until fluffy.

Place one tablespoon of the stuffing in the center of a turnip slice.  Add one teaspoon of the pistachio pesto in the center.  Cover with matching slice of turnip and press down, forming the “ravioli.”  Place on dish, over the leeks.  Continue making raviolis.

Place dish in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 2-4 hours until “cooked” , pliable and comfortably warm.   You can try making these in a slow oven for 1 hour.

Blend cashews, water, saffron draw, lemon juice, garlic and salt for several minutes until you get a very creamy consistency and slightly warm from the blades.  Spoon over the ravioli and sprinkle chopped parsley on top.  Serve immediately.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Sweet & Spicy Cashew Wraps

 This recipe, adapted from a recipe by Rebecca Carlson at 123raw.com, walks you through all the steps to create a completely raw and totally tasty spring roll, with two delicious dipping sauces!

Filling

Prep: Soak dried pineapple rings and sundried tomatoes in water for an hour.

Ingredients: 2 cups raw cashews, 1-2 dried pineapple rings, 2 tbs. red onion, 1 lg. clove garlic, 2 sprigs cilantro, juice from ½ lime, 2 tbs. raw honey, 4 sundried tomatoes, 1 jalapeno (seeds removed), 2 tbs. raw cashew butter (can be replaced with peanut butter)

Directions: Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse a few times to combine ingredients but mixture should be chunky and crumbly. Place in bowl while you make the dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce #1 — Ginger Honey

Prep: Grate ginger on smallest section of grater and add to a small bowl (minus fibers), juice a lime and add to small bowl.

Ingredients: 1-2 in. chunks of fresh ginger, 1/3 cup raw honey, 1 lime, 3 tbs. Nama Shoyu or Tamari, 1 lg. clove garlic, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tbs. raw white sesame seeds, 1 green onion chopped

Directions: Press garlic clove into bowl with ginger and lime juice, add other ingredients, stirring well to blend the honey.

Dipping Sauce #2 — Honey Butter

Ingredients: ½ cup Wild Jungle Peanut Butter or Cashew Butter, 1 lg. clove garlic, 2 tbs. raw honey or raw agave nectar, ½ lime, 2 tbs. spring water, cayenne pepper.

Directions: Press garlic, add to other ingredients in food processor. Add cayenne to taste.

Veggies

Add 1 large bunch of collard leaves. Optionally use grated carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, spinach leaves, cucumber matchsticks, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, jicama, fresh pineapples, raisins or onions.

Assembly

Wash collard leaves. Slice down the center of each side of the spine, leaving 2 halves. Place leaf on a plate lengthwise. Put about 2 tbs. of the filling across the lower half of the leaf. Spoon on the veggies (don’t overfill or it will be hard to roll up) Starting from bottom, roll up into egg roll shape. Serve with dipping sauce.

For Rice Wraps

Moisten in hot water. Use greens, like spinach leaves in center first and then add filling and other veggies. Fold sides inwards and roll from bottom, making a long spring roll Slice into smaller pieces. Serve with dipping sauces.

Carob-Coconut-Almond Surprise Spheres

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup almonds – ground
• 1 ½ cup shredded coconut
• 3-4 TB. cup carob powder
• 1/3 cup water
• 6-7 dates
• 1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 3 TB raw agave or coconut nectar
• 1/3 cup raw almond butter

Directions:

Grind almonds in the food processor with “S” blade – add coconut, dates and vanilla and blend until sticky.  Add sweetener, water and carob and pulse for a few moments more.

Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and place in palm of one hand and create an indentation.  Put a teaspoon of almond butter in the center and work the sides up to cover the almond butter – then add more of the batter on top and fold over the almond butter.  Roll in your hands to make them spherical.  Place on a dish or waxed paper, cover and refrigerate.

This recipe makes about 10 generously-sized spheres or 15 smaller ones