Rawkin' Zucchini Chips

These Zucchini Chips are light, crispy and DELICIOUS! 

They are so easy to make and your family will LOVE you for making them! Be sure to make a TON, because they won't last long.

Slice 4 or 5 zucchini thinly on a mandolin slicer.

Toss them in olive oil and place them on dehydrator sheets.

Salt them evenly and dehydrate for 8-10 hours.

ENJOY!

OMG! Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I just made these tonight for the first time and they are better than the real thing and they are GOOD for you! They are also very easy to make. I ate half of the dough before getting them in the dehydrator. I need to double this recipe next time around. 

I am thinking that this would be so delish in a raw vanilla ice kream! 

Ingredients:

2 cup raw rolled oats

1 cup raw cashews

2 tbsps coconut oil

6 tbsps raw honey 

1 tsp organic vanilla

1/2 tsp pink Himylayan salt 

1 cup raw cacao nibs

Directions:

Using your food processor, grind up the raw oats and cashews into a fine powder. Move to a bowl and add in the coconut oil, raw honey, vanilla, salt and raw cacao nibs. Form into balls and flatten on dehydrator sheets and heat until warm. 

So yummy with cold almond milk! Enjoy!

Devin just exclaimed from the kitchen, "These are SO good!!"

Banana Love!

This week my sweet tooth was in overdrive! 

I created these Banana "Cupcakes" after being inspired by something similar in Family Fun Magazine. I kicked these up a health notch by using raw peanut butter, raw cacao nibs, organic, raw coconut and organic strawberries. They are as easy to make as they look, and so delicious! These are a new favorite of my kids.

This Raw Black & White Banana Pudding is SO sweet and gooey! I created a warm, raw cacao pudding and layered it with a raw vanilla cream. Add bananas, pecans and raw, shredded coconut and you have Heaven!

Rawkin' Raw Nutella!

My kids LOVE Nutella. They discovered it in Australia when we were there in 2010. Since then, the Nutella craze has hit the US. The commercials for it claim that it is a healthy snack to give your family. After my own research, I have learned that their claim isn't true at all. 

So much work still needs to be done to educate people about health. Not only is Nutella "cooked," but it is highly processed and also the advertisers are great at leading the consumer to believe that it is good for you! Here is a clip from Wiki about part of the processing:

"Nutella is made from sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, lecithin, and vanillin. Initially the process of making chocolate spread begins with the abstraction of cocoa powder from the cocoa bean. These cocoa beans are harvested from cocoa trees and are left to dry for about ten days.[7] This natural ingredient is then shipped off to the processing plant. In the case of Nutella, the processing plant is situated in Italy by the Ferrero Company.

Typically cocoa beans contain approximately 50% of cocoa butter therefore they must be roasted to reduce the cocoa bean into a liquid form.[7] This step is not sufficient enough to be turned into a paste because it solidifies at room temperature, and would not be spreadable on food items such as toast. After this initial process, the liquid paste is sent to presses, which are used to squeeze the butter out of the cocoa bean. The final products are round discs of chocolate: pure compressed cocoa. 

The cocoa butter extracted from the cocoa bean is then transferred elsewhere so it can be used in other products. The second process involves the hazelnuts. Once the hazelnuts have arrived at the processing plant, a quality control is issued to inspect the nuts so they are suitable for processing. A guillotine is used to chop the nuts to inspect the interior.[8] After this process the hazelnuts are cleaned and roasted. A second quality control is issued by a computer-controlled blast of air, which removes the bad nuts from the batch.[8]

This process is undergone to ensure that each jar of Nutella is uniform in its look and taste. Approximately 50 hazelnuts can be found in each jar of Nutella, as claimed by the company.[9] The cocoa powder is then joined with the hazelnuts along with sugar, vanilla, skim milk and it is mixed in a large tank until it becomes a paste-like spread.[10] The modified palm oil is then added to help retain the solid phase of the Nutella at room temperature, which substitutes for the butter found in the cocoa bean.[11] 

In addition, whey powder is added to the mix because it acts as a binder for the paste. Whey powder is an additive commonly used in spreads to prevent the coagulation of the product because it stabilizes the fat emulsions.[12] Similarly to the whey powder, lecithin, which is a form of fatty substance found in animal and plant tissues is used to emulsify as it promotes homogenized mixing of the different ingredients allowing the paste to be spreadable. It also aids the lipophilic properties of the cocoa powder which, again, keeping the product from separating.[9] For the flavor aspect, vanillin is added to enhance the sweetness of the chocolate. Now that the paste is what is societally identified as Nutella, the product is then sent off to be packaged."

I decided to make my own healthy version of Nutella. The RAW version and it is DELICIOUS!! My kids love it! I think it would make a great frosting for a raw cheesecake too!

My version is raw hazelnuts that have been soaked overnight and drained. Raw blue agave for sweetener, raw cacao powder, organic vanilla, coconut oil and almond milk - all blended together with the Vitamix. Easy, delicious and so good for you!

Think of your favorite foods and do a search for the Raw versions of them! You can give your diet a raw, healthy makeover and not feel like you are missing out on anything.

Get Real, Go Raw!

Fresh Garden Flatbread

It is zucchini and carrot season and our garden is busting with them! I have pickled, frozen and preserved and now I am creating new and exciting recipes that are raw, high vibe and delish! This flatbread holds up great to lots of fresh veggies piled up high! I hope you enjoy it!

3 C sprouted wheat berries

1/2 C ground flax seeds

1/2 C hemp seeds

2 cups chopped zucchini or summer squash

2 large carrots, chopped

1/2 large onion chopped

1 Tbl pink Himalayan salt

Add ingredients to a food processor, (mine is a beloved Kitchen-Aid - thanks, Mom!!) You may need to do the wheat berries first then remove them to a bowl to do the rest, depending upon the size of your food processor. Once it is all incorporated, spread on two dehydrator sheets to your desired thickness and dehydrate for 4 hours. Flip and remove Teflex sheets and dehydrate for another 2 or 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Meeting Markus!

While in Texas running a conference, I had dinner with Markus Rothkranz. I have wanted to meet him for years and it was fabulous to finally connect. We enjoyed a raw Thai Cabbage Wrap, courtesy of the hotel. They provided us with a private dining room and and the chef came out to explain how the dish was prepared. We talked for a while and got to know one another. He let me try one of his cashew creations that I had learned about in one of his videos and then he offered me some dried durian fruit. He laughed at my initial reaction to tasting it, but it was suprisingly delicious! 

The talk that he gave at my event was powerful. It shifted so much within me, Joe and others who attended.

After the conference Markus sent me a note sharing that after meeting me, he decided to add information about Unschooling in his upcoming book. We inspired one another and coming together helped our individual communities and connections. I love the expansion and connections in my life right now. I am grateful for attracting the perfect individuals into my experience at the perfect time to to learn and grow from.

"Listen to that voice inside, it is the voice of truth. Whatever it says, do it. Maybe it's telling you to do something that's never been done before. The greatest achievements were made by those willing to step outside their comfort zone and risk everything. Face your fears. They are your steps to the next level. Conquer your fears and you will be more powerful than your could ever imagine. Wish your enemies well and get on with your own life. 
Do it. Do it now. And never ever give up. Ever." Markus

Buckwheat Cacao Krispies

This is a delicious, crunchy cereal that holds up great in almond milk! I love it and so do the kids.

Buckwheat Cacao Krispies

1 cup organic buckwheat groats (soaked overnight, drained, rinsed, and sprouted)

3 Tablespoons raw cacao powder

1/2 real maple syrup or raw honey

Combine maple syrup or honey with cacao powder. Toss freshly rinsed oat groats in the mixture. Transfer to an Excaliber dehydrator sheet with a Teflex liner. Dehydrate four hours. Remove Teflex liner and dehydrate a few more hours or until crispy. Store in an airtight container.
I eat them as cereal with almond milk, or as a snack on the go!

An Inspired Week!

We had friends visit who we hadn't seen in over 20 years! What better way to reminisce about raising hell together than by sharing some gorgeous food. This raw cake was a huge hit!

Raw Carrot Cake

For the cake

3 cups carrots, finely grated

2 cups pecans, ground in food processor

1/4 cup raisin, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon all spice

Date paste**

1/2 teaspoon pink salt

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 cup raw coconut

**Make the date paste by grinding 1 cup soft dates and 1/2 cup orange juice in a food processor until smooth.

Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Shape into individual cakes or press into one large cake, ready to be cut at the end. Place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 8-12 hours. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can simply place the cake into the fridge to set.

For the frosting

1 1/2 cups cashews

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons raw honey

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Place in fridge to achieve a thicker consistency and spread on cake when you're ready to serve.

Garnish cake with orange rind and fresh fruit.

Another yummy delight I had this week was this easy to make 

Chocolate-Walnut Fruit Salad:

I made this from freshly picked strawberries, green apple, raw walnuts, raw cacao nibs, pink salt, and raw honey. Curbed the craving for something sweet and salty!

Shortly after I posted the Raw Carrot Cake recipe, I received a message from my friend from Australia made the Raw Carrot Cake that I posted last night! He and his partner are the couple that my best friend, Christina Cretella is carrying a baby for as a surrogate!! So special...

"Yay, my first raw vegan carrot cake! Perhaps it would be better if I had a dehydrator but still delicious and my family actually ate it! The topping is delicious! 

Thanks for posting the recipe Dayna."

Christina and I also have had a few new bookings for our Rawk Starz food show! We love it and enjoy being together doing what we love!

Food Show and More

Rawk Starz had a food show in Vermont this past weekend and we rocked the house. It was amazing and ridiculously delicious.

Prep!

Our rawkin' "tour bus" experienced a little bit of roadside trouble. We kept smiling.

This little girl was so quiet during our show...until we brought out dessert. I suggested she choose the first piece and this was her reaction.

And a lot of other fun experimenting has been happening during the week.

Raw Stuffed Apples with Salted Caramel Sauce

Mint-Watermelon Lemonade

Spinach Salad with Raw Avocado Fries and Raw Ketchup. Also Endive Leaves Stuffed with Curried Cashew Kream.

BBQ Kale Chips


Recipe:
Bunch of fresh, young kale

Raw BBQ Sauce:
2 whole fresh tomatoes
1 cup organic sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 1-2 hours
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp pink salt
1 large clove organic garlic
2 Tbsp organic white onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Nama Shoyu or liquid aminos
2 Tbsp fresh, organic lemon juice
1/4 cup raw agave or maple syrup
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Vitamix all ingredients. Coat sauce on kale and dehydrate for 24 hours, or until crispy.

My kids loved these!! I hope your family does to!

As an interesting piece of advice, I have learned that it takes MUCH longer to dehydrate food when it is hot and humid out! I learned as I was preparing for a Rawk Starz food show, that I needed to dehydrate food twice as long as the recipe called for during a heat wave where it was in the 90's and very humid. It took 3 days to fully dehydrate corn chips!

I hope your week Rawked! Thanks for stopping by!

Rawk Starz Preview

It's been awhile since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been in the kitchen! I've been rawkin' out in there and plan to be sharing a lot more with you. This fall, Rawk Starz plans to release a cookbook full of amazing dishes. And just to tease, here are a couple you'll find:

Raw Ice Kream Sandwhich (made with pineapple, raw strawberry ice kream, and cacao nibs)

Ginger Cheesecake

I loved this ginger cheesecake! I haven't perfected it yet, so I don't want to share the recipe. Once I tweek it just a bit, I will post how to make it.

Rawk Your Life!