Vegan

Raw Walnut Fudge

December 2, 2013

Happy Holiday Baking & Un-Baking Everyone!!

This Recipe can be make with whole raw walnut pieces, or with left over walnut “pulp” from making 1 quart of fresh walnut milk. I love this raw super fudge both ways, but if I had to choose my favorite, I would say the light texture in the version made with the left over walnut pulp is my favorite! You will find the version made with the whole raw walnuts to be denser and a bit chewier, but still fabulous! I promise!

**Check out my Updated Fudge Recipe that can also be made nut free!!

Recipe:

Choose either or:

1/2 to 1 cup (approx.) Walnut Pulp (left over from making 1 batch walnut milk)*
OR 1 cup raw Walnut pieces

The following ingredients stay the same:

1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup softened/melted Expeller Pressed coconut oil**
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 pinches sea salt
Optional: 1 Tablespoon cold pressed walnut oil, pumpkin seed oil, or virgin oil of your choosing (depending on what extra flavor you want to impart while adding a little extra richness)

GARNISH: 3/4 cup rough chopped raw walnuts

If you use left over walnut pulp, you can follow the full directions here for making a fresh quart of walnut milk. (Basically soak the walnuts for 2 hours, rinse well, blend with 4 cups water, strain through a nut milk bag, and save left over walnut “pulp” fiber for making this fudge!)
Blend walnut pulp OR 1 cup raw walnut halves, cacao powder, softened coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and walnut oil together in a food processor (basically everything except 3/4 cup walnuts used for the garnish).
Line a small square dish. I used a tupperwear container that was 4”x5” LINED with a parchment paper or saran wrap.
Pour & scoop fudge batter into square dish.
Top with chopped walnuts, pushing some in as you go, and add a finishing layer.
Freeze for an hour or more.
Chop into squares, ENJOY! Tastes amazing when chilled or right out of the freezer! (best stored in the freezer)

*NOTE: Depending on how long you soak your walnuts before making a batch of milk, will determine how much left over “pulp” you have left. If you don’t soak them first, you will have more pulp leftover than if you soak them for a few hours. As soaking them helps to break down the nut, as well as remove any bitterness from the tannins. It’s totally up to you!!

**NOTE: You can use raw virgin coconut oil, OR if you are sharing this raw super fudge with someone who does not care for coconut flavors, you can use expeller pressed coconut oil which is virtually tasteless. Just make sure to use a brand like this one that does not use solvents in the extraction process.

Pictured below is the version I made using the left over walnut pulp in the base recipe. Pictured above is the version I made using 1 cup walnuts in the base recipe. Both are divine!! But my favorite texture is the one below made with the walnut pulp.

RAW - VEGAN - PALEO - FUDGE - Recipe @ www.bettyrawker.com

Divine Raw Super Fudge made with leftover walnut “pulp” from making fresh walnut milk!

Also Featured on Raw Food Thursdays!

Fresh Walnut Milk

November 26, 2013

Have you Milked a Walnut Today?

Walnut Milk is quickly becoming one of my favorite raw vegan milks! It is so smooth and provides such a great buttery base for other smoothies, like the raw chocolate milkshake and holiday smoothie I have posted below. With almond flour and almond butter in so many recipes these days, I am really enjoying a break from almond milk, and instead drinking this simply satisfying walnut milk. And cheers to Walnuts being in season right now! At our local farms here in NW Oregon, you can get walnuts in the shell for $2.20 per pound, and then once cracked, you average around $4 per pound, which works out to about $1.25 per quart of this fabulous milk, or 25 cents a glass! So worth it!

Raw Vegan Walnut Milk Recipe:

1 cup raw walnuts (soaked 2 to 8 hours)
4 cups pure water

Soak.
Rinse.
Blend.
Strain through a nut milk bag.
Enjoy & store in a glass jar in the fridge. This walnut milk makes an excellent base for smooth & buttery raw chocolate milk shakes!! Be sure to save the leftover walnut pulp to make this rich and heavenly raw fudge recipe here!

Raw Walnut Chocolate Milkshake:

1 cup fresh walnut milk
1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder
1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup ice

Blend all ingredients together (except ice).
Add in ice, blend.
ENJOY! It is so good!!

Raw Blissful Holiday Smoothie:

1 large ripe pear
1/2 cup fresh walnut milk
2 fresh or dried figs
1/2 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup ice

1. Blend all ingredients (except ice) together until creamy. 2. Add in ice, blend. 3. This smoothie takes all the flavors of the holidays and whips them up into one sweet and savory smoothie! LOVE this treat!!

Goo Goo Clusters

September 27, 2013

Trick or Treat!!

Just say “NO!” to corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, soy, artificial flavoring, refined sugar, and candida!!! And say “YES!” to a relatively easy to make gooey satisfying treat made with real food ingredients!! These “candies” freeze really well, so if you make a big batch you won’t regret it!

Don’t get scared away by this list of ingredients. This is a pretty simple treat to make! 4 layers of goodness with ingredients you most likely already have on hand!!

Tools Needed:

1 cupcake muffin pan
12 paper baking cup liners
food processor
spatula
small kitchen bowls
pot, double boiler for melting chocolate

Chocolate Coating:

1/2 cup raw cacao butter* (or coconut oil)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or coconut nectar, etc)

Step 1: Line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups. Gently melt cacao butter over a double boiler or in a food dehydrator. Stir in cacao powder and maple syrup. Once melted use a Tablespoon to pour 3/4 to 1 Tablespoon melted chocolate into the bottom of each paper muffin cup. Put in the freezer to firm up while you make the other layers. Save the remaining chocolate for coating the candies at the end!

*I like my chocolates best when made with cacao butter, but this can be an expensive and hard to find ingredient, so you can just sub in coconut oil instead! The cacao butter gives these a more authentic flavor, but the coconut oil will totally work in a pinch and still be divine!

Coconut “Marshmallow” Layer:

1 cup dried coconut
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch pink Himalayan sea salt

Note: This will easily make twice the amount of the coconut layer than you need, but I find it hard to blend only 1/2 a cup coconut properly. Just form coconut macaroon cookies with the remaining batter. OR, you can attempt to make a half batch of this with your food processor.

Step 2: Blend 1 cup dried coconut in your food processor for a one to two minutes until it is finely broken down. Add in maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and sea salt, and blend for another minute or two. Form little balls of the coconut mixture with your hands and mash down onto the chocolate layer in the muffin cups.

Caramel Gooey Layer

6 medjool dates (pits removed)
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch pink Himalayan sea salt

Step 3: Blend all ingredients for up to 2 minutes until you have a sticky caramel. Spoon on a little bit of the caramel over the coconut layer, then add the nuts below.

Nut Layer:

1/2 cup rough chopped raw walnuts (or use pecans, almonds, or raw jungle peanuts)

Note: This layer is totally optional. If you would like to make a nut free treat, just omit the nuts. Or you can experiment with using sunflower or pepitas instead!

Push your chopped nuts or seeds into the caramel layer, then spoon over the remaining melted chocolate from above! If you don’t want the candy “cup” look, with the ridges on the sides, then you can remove the candies from the muffin cups just before covering with chocolate and set on a flat piece of parchment paper to firm up. Put into the freezer for 20 minutes or so. Enjoy!!

These candies should be stored chilled in the freezer or fridge. I personally keep a stash of homemade raw chocolates in our freezer at all times, you know just in case of an emergency. ♥

Featured on: Gluten Free Wednesdays – Allergy Free Wednesdays

Cinnamon Rolls

July 24, 2013

These cinnamon rolls take me back to childhood, seriously, in my Grandma’s kitchen when we would make cinnamon snails. One of those totally “homemade” in Grandma’s kitchen recipes, you know, Grandma would pop open a tube of Pillsbury dough, we would roll it out and drop in cinnamon, sugar & raisins. Wait a few minutes for it to bake, then top it with a simple icing made with powdered sugar.

Whew. Now that is a cinnamon roll that would send my body and gut over to the dark side these days, no thanks!! Not gonna happen! But I still love and cherish you so, so much Grandma!!I really do have the most amazing women for Grandmas.

And I can honestly say that while these cinnamon rolls have none of the same ingredients as the ones Grandma used to make, (well except for cinnamon & raisins) they are truly so much better! Just don’t tell my Grandma, as she won’t believe you.

And while I am loving these grain free cinnamon rolls fresh outta the oven, they actually taste fabulous raw or cooked. This is a raw food website after all, but every once in a while I get that cooked food craving you know, and I totally go with it. The dough is super yummy either way. If you want another fully raw cinnamon roll recipe that doubles as a great way to use up left over almond pulp, check out this recipe here. And I also have this other raw cinnamon roll recipe using apples & flax seed here. But I am gonna say, I still favor this recipe raw over the other two, but don’t get me wrong, those are good recipes too!

And I have to give credit where credit it due, I got the base of this recipe from Taylor Made it Paleo. I just tweeked the recipe to make it vegan as well as paleo, and I found myself sharing my adjustments with so many friends, I figured it was time to publish this recipe on my website. Thank you again Taylor, as I love this recipe!

Dough Recipe:

1 + 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 flax “eggs” (2 TBS ground flax stirred into 6 TBS water)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup, coconut nectar, or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped figs
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Melt coconut oil.

Mix dough ingredients together. then roll out over a piece of parchment or saran wrap. Mash down into a rectangle shape.

Mix filling ingredients together and spread out over flattened dough.

Roll up carefully, using the saran or parchment paper to help keep the roll smooth. Roll into a log shape, and cut into about 8 cinnamon rolls.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes. Or keep them raw and don’t bake – they are pretty damn tasty unbaked too!

Enjoy as is with a cup of caffeine free Dandy Blend! Or add a simple icing made of a few tablespoons melted coconut butter mixed with a couple tablespoons sweetener.

If going for a fully raw approach (pictured below) I would suggest making your own almond flour by soaking and sprouting your almonds overnight, popping the skins off, then dehydrating the almonds for 12 hours and then grinding into a flour. Or you can do what I did and just buy a bag of Honeyville [not raw] almond flour to keep in your freezer for special occasions when you really want a yummy easy baked cinnamon roll (pictured above).

Cherry BBQ Sauce

July 18, 2013

Pictured: Totally Raw Fruits & Veggies “Grilled” in my Food Dehydrator with my Cherry BBQ Sauce Coating, Phto by Mercedes Geyer Photography

~ This Skewer will be part of the appetizer for my upcoming Sold Out Taste of Summer Raw Food & Wine Dinner at J Wrigley Vineyards on July 27th!

The first time I made a batch of this goodness a few years ago, my hubby & I agreed I could easily bottle it up and sell it! But there is so much going on right now in my life & with Betty Rawker (some of my favorite raw goodies are now being sold in some stores in Oregon!) that I just don’t have enough time to bottle and sell a tomato-free, corn syrup-free BBQ sauce, but I am more than happy to share this wonderful recipe with you!

For anyone out there like myself who is highly intolerant of tomatoes, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!! This Cherry BBQ Sauce is seriously better than any tomato based product I have ever tried, I promise!

Also, please feel free to adjust the ingredients like the sugar & spice to your liking. This is only a guideline, setting the stage for you to perfect it in your own way!

The folks who make Hoskins Raw Living Blackberry Vinegar are friends of mine here in Oregon, and while I love using their living blackberry vinegar in this recipe, you are free to use any vinegar you please!!

Cherry BBQ Sauce Recipe:

2 cups dark sweet cherries (fresh or frozen & defrosted, pits removed)
2 Tablespoons Hoskins Raw Blackberry Vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar)
1 Tablespoon coconut aminos (or tamari)
1 Tablespoon minced dried onion (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1 to 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
1 Tablespoon black strap molasses (not raw, but adds great BBQ flavor)
½ teaspoon raw mustard
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon ginger extract)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

optional: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (if you add chipotle this sauce is no longer nightshade free)

Blend ingredients together in a high speed blender. Serve with fresh or dehydrated veggies, or use in place of regular BBQ sauce when grilling. This stuff is absolutely amazing when served cooked or raw!

Marinated “Grilled” Veggies

1/2 cup cantaloupe
1/2 cup red pepper
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup peach
1/2 cup zucchini
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (for your friends who can enjoy tomatoes)

Marinade:

1 lemon, juiced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches sea salt

8 wood skewers

Cut each fruit and veggie into LARGE chunks. Hand toss in a bowl with marinade, then carefully stick the chunks of fruit and veggies onto the skewers. Lay on a dehydrator tray, and dehydrate at 115*F for 2 hours. Apply Cherry BBQ Sauce and dehydrate another 1 to 2 hours. The fruit and veggies will take on a “grilled” look yet still be full of rawsome flavor. Serve with a side or drizzle of fresh Cherry BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

Also featured on Raw Food Thursdays:

Walnut Choc. Ice Cream

June 20, 2013

We are loving this raw vegan walnut chocolate chunk ice cream at my house right now! It’s 100% raw, inexpensive, and easy!

Here are the best tip I can offer you to make this recipe as soft & creamy as possible are:

#1 Soak your walnuts for at least 8 hours, and rinse very very well. This will wash away the bitterness and help soften them.

#2 After soaking & rinsing, blend the walnuts with the other ingredients really really well. When you think you have blended long enough, blend it just a little bit longer! And if you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec you will really “rawk” this recipe.

#3 Having an ice cream maker really helps in making great ice cream. Now, you can make this recipe without one, which I have done in the past, and it will still be good, but to get it to be like the store bought stuff, an ice cream maker really does make a huge difference. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just pour the recipe into a bowl, and stir every few hours.

*Note, if you follow the tips above, you will end up with a pretty smooth & creamy ice cream. You might notice a tiny bit of a grainy texture due to the nature of the ingredients, but I found soaking & blending like above really helped to make a smooth ice cream that we are truly enjoying!!

Walnut Chunk Chocolate Ice Cream:

2 cups walnuts, soaked 8 hours
2 cups water
3/4 cup liquid sweetener, coconut nectar, maple syrup (or honey)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder*
1 teaspoon vanilla and/or almond extract
Pinch sea salt

Chocolate Chunks:

2 Tablespoons raw virgin coconut oil
2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder*
1 Tablespoon sweetener, coconut nectar, maple syrup (or honey)
Tiny pinch sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts, frozen

*you can also sub in regular cocoa powder if you don’t have raw cacao, but ultimately it takes best with the raw cacao powder!

Soak 2 cups raw walnuts (in 4 cups water) for 8 hours. Drain and rinse very well. This will remove the bitterness and tannins. Put walnuts, 2 cups fresh pure water, sweetener, cacao, vanilla, salt into a high speed blender. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into an ice cream maker, and follow the directions for your ice cream maker. While ice cream is churning, let’s make the chocolate chunks.

Gently melt 2 tablespoons raw virgin coconut oil over a double boiler. You just barely want to melt the coconut oil, keeping it as cool as possible yet still in liquid form. Stir in raw cacao and sweetener. Mix in ½ cup frozen walnuts, rolling the nuts so they are fully coated in chocolate.

When your ice cream is just about ready, and starting to thicken in your ice cream maker, drop in your chocolate covered walnuts, one by one, so they are churned in. Or you can set your chocolate covered walnuts on a piece of wax paper and firm up in the freezer to serve on top of your ice cream. After about 30 minutes, when the ice cream is done churning in the ice cream maker, I recommend putting the ice cream into the freezer to sit for a few more hours to really firm up nicely. And the good news, even after sitting in the freezer for a couple of days, this ice cream was still soft enough to spoon out, and not icy like a lot of homemade vegan ice creams can be!

If you do not have an ice cream maker you can pour the blended walnut ice cream mixture into a glass or metal bowl, set in the freezer, and stir every hour or so. Your you can make milkshakes by blending some of the mixture with ice and serving in big mason jars. Or you can pour into a popsicle mold to create chocolate walnut fudgesicles. (I made sure the mixture with the chocolate covered walnut chunks was already pretty firm & frozen before pushing into popsicle molds, but if you aren’t adding chunks, you should be able to just pour the mixture into the popsicle molds & freeze!)

Let’s Make Fresh Nut Milk!

May 31, 2013

They are finally here! Betty’s Nut Sacks, or also called Nut Milk Bags! They are my 2nd favorite kitchen tool/gadget ever, 2nd only to the Vitamix which will always be in 1st place. And these bags are like a BFF to the Vitamix, or any blender really. Click here to purchase your own Nut Milk Bag!

I honestly can’t believe how much use I get out of this little nut sack! I use it a few times per week to make fresh almond & hazelnut milks. I also use it when on a juice fast, as I much prefer juicing with my Vitamix and this nut sack more than using my actual fancy juicer. True story! Read more here. I also use this bag for making fast & easy fresh cauliflower “rice”, and for straining my homemade soup stocks, especially my Raw Tom Kha.

I am now selling these handy dandy nut milk sacks direct! Just click here to get your own bag! Also included with each bag is a useful little guide with some of my favorite recipes! I have tried and tested many a nut sack, and I honestly truly believe these are the best sacks on the market! They are cut on the bias, so there is a natural give & gentle stretch to the fine nylon mesh when straining. They are industrial strength, machine washable (I have even run them through the dishwasher). For the most part I just rinse with water after use and hang dry, as they dry so quickly, and won’t harbor bacteria like a lot of other sacks on the market.

A Few Reasons why I ♥ DIY Almond Milk:

1. It is so decadent and delicious

2. It is the cheaper than anything store bought

3. There are no nasty stabilizers, preservatives, or gut irritants like carrageenan or guar gum added

4. The by product of making nut milk, is the beautiful like and fluffy nut pulp (wet flour) that is left over. It can be used in countless recipes (see below)

5. It only take a few minutes at most to make a fresh quart of milk

6. Raw chocolate hazelnut milk smoothies are the bomb!

7. It is truly a “raw” and vibrant milk unlike the processed stuff in the carton.

8. Cuts down on waste & packaging associated with the stuff made in a factory

9. Drinking freshly made milks make me feel good

10. I love sharing fresh nutrient dense smoothies with friends

11. There are no added sweeteners or refined sugars, you get to sweeten how ever you like!

12. You KNOW its Non-Gmo

13. Making things from scratch makes you appreciate them more

14. And most important, no creatures were hurt or suffering in the making of this milk!

Basic Almond Milk Recipe:

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups water

Ideally you want to soak your almonds for 8 to 12 hours in water at room temperature to activate the sprouting process. But if you don’t have time to soak you nuts, don’t sweat it, you can still make fabulous nut milk.

Blend almonds with 4 cups water on high in a blender. Hold the nut milk bag open with one hand over a bowl, and pour the almond milk into the bag. Twist the top of the bag shut, and gently squeeze out the fresh almond milk. Use the left over nut milk pulp in a variety of different raw recipes. Pour the fresh decadent almond milk into a quart jar and store in the fridge. Sweeten to your liking.

Blog post also featured on:

Rawk Candy Cups

May 21, 2013

I was inspired to make these rawk candy candy cups when I was given a free and fabulous jar of Raw Organic Gold Label Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions to review in a blog post. Um, yes, I had no trouble signing up for that! And you know what else, I honestly, truly love the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. Like really love it. It is the softest and richest coconut oil I have used, and I promise I am not just saying that because I got a free jar! Now it’s your turn to get a chance to wine a free quart of virgin coconut oil! Contest Ended May 31st, 2013.

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Rawk Candy Cup Recipe!

Makes 1 dozen layered chocolates

Dark Chocolate Recipe:

1/2 cup raw virgin coconut oil, melted*
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt coconut oil using a double boiler or food dehydrator. Stir together coconut oil, cacao powder, maple syrup & vanilla into a smooth chocolate sauce.

White Chocolate Recipe:

1/2 cup raw virgin coconut oil, melted*
1/2 cup ground raw macadamias or cashews (or 1/4 cup nut butter)
2 to 3 Tablespoons coconut nectar or raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

I blended whole macadamia nuts, coconut oil, and honey in my Vitamix to create a super smooth white chocolate. You can also use a store bought cashew or macadamia butter and stir it into the coconut oil and honey if you don’t have a high speed blender.

Super Fun, Superfood Toppings:

blueberries, fresh or frozen
raspberries fresh or frozen
dried coconut chips or shredded coconut
dried cherries
raw cacao nibs
pink salt crystals

Use an assortment of whatever you have available to you!

*You can easily sub in raw cacao butter for the coconut oil, if you want to make a more shelf stable chocolate. Since coconut oil has a low melting point, you will want to store these fancy candy cups in the fridge or freezer. I personally like to store them in the freezer.

Directions:

Take a standard muffin tin, one used for making cupcakes or muffins. Line it with 12 paper cupcake liners. Pour a small about, about 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate into each cup. Then place into freezer to firm up. Once firm, add a spoonful of white chocolate to each candy cup, for the 2nd layer. You can spread it out all the way across, or you can put a dollop in the center to create a secret filling. Also have fun adding in some of your favorite super foods into the white chocolate layer, like frozen berries, cacao nibs, etc. Put back into the freezer to firm up. Once firm, pour over the final layer of dark chocolate and decorate with your favorite superfood goodies!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

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This recipe is also featured on Raw Food Thursdays & Frugally Sustainable:

Raw Paleo Snickers Bar

May 15, 2013

If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I used to blog as “Betty Rawker” you know, like a “Raw Betty Crocker”. My diet has always gravitated towards fresh fruits, veggies, and plant based foods, and for a substantial portion of my life I ate a vegan diet, starting at age 13. To make a long story short, in my late 20’s I was hit with a very aggressive and nasty autoimmune disease and I could no longer eat and properly digest the rice, beans, grains, and starches that were always a staple in my diet. For the first few years on my healing journey, I focused on a raw food diet, as I felt amazing going fully raw! But then a couple years into it, I didn’t feel as amazing, and I started craving fish and meats like nobody’s business. So I put the bettyrawker.com website on hold and started blogging at pureandsimplerecipes.com which evolved to forestandfauna.com this year. I chose Forest and Fauna because I am a little obsessed with foraging wild foods and I dream of writing a wild foods inspired cookbook someday. If you dig back into the archives, you will see I brought over a lot of the reader favorite raw food recipes from bettyrawker.com and now have them on this website. The most popular Betty Rawker recipe has been my take on the Snickers Bar. Below you will find my updated recipe. ♥
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Cherry Garcia Ice Cream!

April 9, 2013

WARNING: This Cherry Garcia Ice Cream recipe is so good. Like really really good. It is so refreshing, anti-inflammatory, and it tastes absolutely divine.

I was inspired to make this by Girl Cooks World and Vedged Out. This recipe is absolutely RAWKING good, you will likely want to double it!

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Servings: 4
Print

*This ice cream recipe works awesome with fresh coconut meat or with canned coconut milk. I honestly like it both ways equally!

1 -1/2 cups fresh Coconut Meat* (from 2 or 3 Young Thai Coconuts)
1/2 cup coconut water*
*OR Use one – 12oz. can full fat coconut milk* (this replaces coconut meat + coconut water)
1 cup frozen dark cherries, chopped (divided)
1/3 cup sweetener: coconut nectar, maple syrup, or (non vegan) honey
1/2 tsp almond extract (can be omitted)
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit for AIP)
optional: 1 Tablespoon vodka, this makes a softer ice cream for scooping, if you plan to keep this frozen for a little while. The vodka doesn’t freeze, so when added to vegan ice creams it makes them softer, especially after being kept in the freezer for a while.
optional: 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice (brilliant idea from Vedged Out and Ben & Jerry’s Ingredient list)

Chocolate Pieces:

2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder (use carob for AIP)
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Blend coconut meat and coconut water (or canned coconut milk) + 3 cherries (for pink color), sweetener, almond extract, vanilla & lemon juice in a high speed blender. Pour into ice cream maker. While mixing in the ice cream maker, make the chocolate pieces.
Gently melt coconut oil over low heat, stir in cacao and maple syrup. Pour onto a piece of wax/parchment paper on a flat plate or baking dish. Freeze sheet of chocolate for 15 minutes, then break into small pieces.
When ice cream is starting to firm up, add in frozen chopped cherries. When ice cream is ready, stir in broken up pieces of the raw chocolate. (You can also just pour the chocolate recipe over the ice cream, and it will act like a “magic shell” covering that hardens up when it hits the cold ice cream!)

Enjoy!

*Also check out Vedged Out’s Raw Version using cashews!

Also featured on Paleo AIP Recipe Roundup – Gluten Free Wednesdays – Naturally Sweet Recipe Roundup + Allergy Free Wednesday + Simply Natural Saturday

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Raw Cookie Dough (vegan/paleo)

March 27, 2013

Eating “raw coookie dough” totally takes me back to being a kid again. And this recipe is so much better for you than that refined junk we ate as kids!

This rawking recipe is egg free, gluten/grain free, and refined sugar free! It is also nut free! Oh, and super easy to make!

I got the basis for this simple & satisfying recipe from Good Girl Gone Green! I suggest checking out her blog & recipes, as I have even told her before, we have very similar sweet tooth’s, or should I say sweet teeth?!

Raw Vegan Cookie Dough Recipe:

1/2 cup raw coconut butter
1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

3 Tablespoons raw cacao nibs (you can also sub in raisins in you are on SCD)

Blend coconut butter with dried coconut, sea salt & vanilla in a food processor until well blended. Add in dates, blend until well combined, will likely take at least 60 seconds. Drop in cacao nibs, pulse until well integrated. Roll into cookie dough balls with your hands.

Will make 9 truffle sized cookie dough balls, or you can make lots of mini cookie dough balls to add to a cup of vanilla chia pudding or vegan coconut ice cream! See below for ice cream & chia pudding recipes.

Vegan Coconut Ice Cream:

2 cans coconut milk, full fat
2/3 cup maple syrup
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend ice cream ingredients together in a blender. Pour into ice cream maker. When ice cream is starting to thicken up, stir in little balls of cookie dough. Once ice cream is ready, serve or put in the freezer for another hour or 2 to firm up even more.

Vanilla Chia Pudding Recipe:

1 cup homemade almond or hazelnut milk
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon coconut nectar, maple syrup, or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chia seeds

Blend almond milk, sweetener & vanilla together. Pour into a bowl, add in 1/4 cup chia seeds. STIR well. Let sit about 15 minutes, stirring on occasion. (If pudding doesn’t feel quite firm enough after 15 minutes, just add in another spoonful of chia seeds). Plop in a few raw cookie dough balls. Enjoy.

Samoa Girl Scout Cookie – gluten-free

March 1, 2013

I used to wear my little Brownie uniform and sash full of badges with so much pride (pictured below)! I remember slinging those not so good for you cookies with my troop in front of supermarkets too. I also remember learning how to make raw style “no-bake” cookies, but oh, looking back, they had the worst ingredients! I recall crunchy peanut butter, non fat milk powder, refined sugar…ick!

So with Girl Scout Cookie Season in full swing right now, and a suggestion from a friend, today I made a simple “no bake” grain free Samoa Cookie, to honor Gluten Free, Dairy Free Girl Scouts Everywhere!!

Samoa Girl Scout Cookie - gluten-free

Course Gluten Free Girl Scout Cookies - Samoas

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 to 12 cookies

Author Andrea Wyckoff

Ingredients

Base Cookie:
1 cup dried coconut
1 cup raw walnuts
2 pinches sea salt
2.5 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
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Coconut + Caramel Layer:
8 medjool dates
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoon coconut oil melted
pinch sea salt
1/2 cup dried coconut
Tablespoon optional: 1 carob powder carob boosts the sweet caramel flavor!
-
Chocolate Icing:
4 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
4 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

Base Cookies: Blend dried coconut in food processor alone for 60 seconds. Add in walnuts, sea salt, blend into a fine meal. Then blend in melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Roll dough out in-between 2 layers of way paper so that it is about 1/4” thick. Put in freezer to firm up. Once firm, remove from freezer and use a round cookie cutter to cut your cookies. Should make 8 large cookies or 12 average sized ones. (Or a simple idea as suggested by Chris is to make one large square cookie, and later cup it up into smaller bars ♥)
Coconut + Caramel Layer: Blend medjool dates with water in a food processor, add in coconut oil. Add in sea salt, and carob powder. Add in a little more water if needed to get caramel to mix better. Then blend in 1/2 cup dried coconut. Pat down a layer of coconut caramel onto each cookie then sprinkle a garnish of dried coconut.
Chocolate Icing: Stir together coconut oil, cacao powder, and maple syrup. Pour into a little bag, and carefully snip off a little corner of the bag, so you can pipe the chocolate in strips across your cookies. If chocolate is too warm it will be really runny, just find the balance between melty and firm to get a nice even strip.
**Optional: For an extra chocolaty taste, spoon a little of the chocolate icing on the base cookie layer before adding the coconut caramel layer! Just let the chocolate cool and firm up before adding the coconut/caramel layer. Pictured below is an example of a cookie with the extra chocolate layer!!
Be sure to store these in the fridge or freezer!! These are so great served right out of the freezer too! Such chewy goodness!!

Also, if I were trying to go nut free on these, I would likely sub in 1 cup sunflower seeds for the walnuts, but I haven’t tried that yet!! Or maybe try some 1/4cup ground flax, and 3/4 cup sunflower seeds if you have to omit the walnuts? Also, feel free to use any nuts in the base, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia….. ♥

Shared at: Savoring Saturdays + Happy Healthy Green Natural Party Blog Hop + Allergy Free Wednesday

+ Simply Natural Saturdays

recipe updated February 23, 2016

Vegan Mint Ice Cream

February 20, 2013

“Seriously Awesome Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.”

When my hubby told me he could see this vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream being sold out of Whole Foods by the truckload, I knew I was onto something. My husband is always super supportive of my endevours, and willing to try anything green, but he is also always very honest. So when he is impressed by something I have created in the raw food kitchen, I always know I am onto something.

I got an ice cream maker for by latest b-day, and I believe that really helped make this ice cream super soft and creamy like the store bought stuff. Not hard and icy like the homemade ice creams that I made before the Cuisinart ice cream maker came to live with us. I went with the 2 Quart Size. Recipe below easily serves 4 hearty portions, but you still might want to double it!

Below is a beautiful photo Christy Richards took of the ice cream she made using this recipe. (see added in chocolate chips instead of the nibs).

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe:

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 huge handful fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I use one based in sunflower oil)*
1/3 cup sweetener, coconut nectar, honey, or maple syrup
optional: 1 Tablespoon of vodka, this will make a much creamier ice cream as the alcohol doesn’t freeze!

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (add at the very end)

Blend coconut milk, spinach, sweetener and peppermint flavor (and vodka) on high in a high speed blender. Taste test for sweetness and peppermint, adjust to your liking. Pour into your ice cream maker.

If you have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, (also available in 2 Quart Size) let it run for 20 minutes, and add in raw cacao nibs slowly for the final 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls, serve, or freeze for later. I am happy to say that the next day, after sitting in the freezer overnight, this ice cream was still super soft and creamy, just like outta the carton, but way better!!

*Make sure to adjust peppermint flavor to preference based on the strength of the extract you are using. I personally really like using alcohol free extracts like this one: Organic Peppermint Oil in Sunflower Oil.

Note: For the “Old Original Version” of this recipe I use to add 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil for extra creaminess, but I have sense found in my test kitchen that adding a little booze makes creamy ice cream! I have omitted the coconut oil from the original recipe and replaced it with 1 Tablespoon of vodka. If I intend to freeze homemade ice cream for longer than a few hours, I always add a splash of booze to it. It is not necessary, but it will make for easier to scoop ice cream the next day, or even weeks later! ♥

Raw Raspberry Bliss Bar

January 24, 2013

This bar freaking tastes just like a jelly filled donut, in a grain free, raw vegan sorta way!

I used a base similar to the raw donut hole recipe, spread on a layer of raw raspberry jam, and topped with crumbled walnuts, dried coconut & cacao nibs. There is also an optional icing you can drizzle over the top, but totally not necessary ♥

Base Layer:

1 cup dried coconut
1 vanilla bean scraped, or 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
1 cup raw walnuts
9 medjool dates, pitted (about 1 cup)

Blend coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, & sea salt together in food processor for 30 to 60 seconds. Add in walnuts, blend. Then add in 9 pitted medjool dates. Press mixture into a wax/parchment lined pan. Set in fridge to firm up.

Raspberry Layer:

1.5 cups frozen raspberries, thawed, drained
4 medjool dates, pitted
2 TBS chia seeds

Blend only raspberries and dates until dates are well combined. Pour into a bowl, and stir in chia seeds. Let set for 15 minutes, stirring on occasion. It will thicken into a nice raspberry “jam”. If not thick enough after 15 minutes, stir in a little more chia until you have the right consistency. Spread over base layer.

Topping:

1/3 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup raw walnuts
pinch cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Pulse topping ingredients together until a nice crumble is formed. Sprinkle over raspberry layer. Garnish with cacao nibs, set in fridge to firm up.

Garnish:

2 TBS raw cacao nibs

You have just created the perfect blissful breakfast bar. Makes 8 medium sized bars! Or 6 large ones.

Totally Optional:

Coconut Icing:

2 TBS coconut oil,melted
2 TBS coconut butter, softened
1 TBS maple syrup

Mix together, drizzle over breakfast bars

Raw Chocolate Icing:

2 TBS coconut oil, melted
1.5 TBS raw cacao
1 TBS maple syrup