Hope your weekend was RAWsome! Here we are – another Meatless Monday.

Just for the record, I didn’t start participating in Meatless Monday because I eat meat six days a week. I eat a high-raw (mostly) vegan/vegetarian diet – except for occasional honey, Greek yogurt, eggs, or a teeny bit of fish.

I thought it would be nice to show those of you who DO eat quite a bit of meat – especially if you eat it daily – that you can absolutely dedicate one day each week to being meatless. And that it doesn’t have to be tasteless or boring or all about just lettuce.

And I hope those of you who eat like me already enjoy the posts and maybe even pick up some new ideas along the way.

Anyway…

It really blesses my soul that you’re loving my recipe creations!

Here’s some of the most recent ones, in case you’ve missed ‘em:

• Rainbow Grass
• Black Smoothie
• Raw Rainbow Wraps

Here’s a sneak peek of what today’s post is about….

But before I get in to that, let’s talk about my last post.

Wow. Y’all really loved my Spiralized Apple Pasta with Nutty Sauce. Thanks for all your lovely comments, and for letting me know whether or not you have a spiralizer, if you want one, and what you’ve spiralized. I enjoyed the conversation!

I made Ani Phyo’s Sun Burgers a while back. This was before I got her book. I found the recipe on her blog (here <—was going to link to it but now I can’t find it???) but if you decide to buy the book, it’s on pages 194 –195. And it’s become one of my favorite raw recipe books: Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes.

And since I found it on the web, I printed it out and clipped it up on the chain that goes to the light above the kitchen table, with clothes pins (hehe). Guess that’s the country in me.

Sunflower Seeds

Chopped Celery

Bell Pepper

Flax (I sell high-quality flax in my Raw Shop!)

Scored to make 4 patties (like Rachael Ray does it!)

I actually tasted the mixture before putting it in to the dehydrator and thought it needed to be kicked up a notch. So, I added some organic Mexican Seasoning I had on hand and that did the trick for me!

In the Dehydrator (Also in my Raw Shop!) 

After this, I decided to pop ‘em back in the dehydrator for a bit to get it a little more browned, ‘cause that’s how I like my veggie burgers. And I ate it without bread, with sliced tomato, ‘cause I’m like that.

And what’s the eco-friendly twist?

You can whip up some raw veggie burgers for yourself and use the super-cool Easy Lunch Box System for fun, easy – and green! – transporting. Take it to work, school, a picnic, or on a trip. I really love mine!

You can read my (in-depth) review HERE.

Have you ever made homemade veggie burgers? Did you dehydrate ‘em, fry ‘em, or bake ‘em? Do you have a dehydrator? What’s your favorite veggie(s) to add to veggie burgers? Do you stick with store-bought ones? Which do you prefer: store-bought  or homemade veggie burgers? Me: homemade all the way!

And…

Have you entered my Aurorae Yoga-sponsored giveaway?

How are you? Fantabulous, I hope!

I’m so excited that you’re lovin’ my most recent recipes:

• Rainbow Grass
• Black Smoothie
• Raw Rainbow Wraps

And if you’re a regular reader, you might remember a while back when I posted my Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe.

In that post, I mentioned I had spiralized my dessert as well: an apple, which I topped with a yummy sauce I threw together at the last minute.

You may have never thought of spiralizing your dessert but there’s a first time for everything, right?!

On to the juicy details…

Spiralized Apple Pasta with Nutty Sauce

This was a very fun dessert. It’s delicious, nutritious, fun to eat – and very easy to whip up!

Recipe follows, but as for the process….

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves…

And now for the (apple) sauce…

Hungry yet?

Spiralized Apple Pasta with Nutty Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, washed
• peanut butter (or your nut butter of choice) – I’m a crunchy kind of gal.
• drizzle of honey (or other sweetener)
• splash of almond milk (or your milk of choice)
• cinnamon (and/or any other spice of your choice)

Directions:

1. Spiralize your apple.
2. Combine nut butter, sweetener, milk, and cinnamon (you choose the amounts, depending on your taste preferences).
3. Stir until mixed well.
4. You can heat your mixture or serve as-is.
5. Plop it on top of your spiralized apple – and enjoy!

Note:

I tend to like things on the thicker side (oatmeal, smoothies, etc.) so I made my “apple sauce” thick. But I can totally see a runny version of this nutty sauce being yumilious, too!

Your Turn

1. Do you love nut butter smeared on apples or other fruit?

2. Have you ever spiralized an apple? Or anything at all?

3. Would you like to own a spiral vegetable slicer? If so, be watching for my review – plus a giveaway!

Did you catch my Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe?

Have you entered my Aurorae Yoga-sponsored giveaway?

Hope you had a fantabulous and blessed weekend!

I’m thrilled you’re so excited about my Black Grass Smoothie Concoction. Can’t wait to find out how you like it!

And now for the Meatless Monday theme…

Why Meatless Monday?

I’ve been mostly meatless for the past several years (everything from 100% raw and not eating meat at all, to high-raw and having a little salmon, tuna, or small amount of local bison), but I’ve never joined in on the “Meatless Monday” movement. No time like the present, eh?!

Besides, I’ve been really enjoying Recycle Your Day’s Meatless Monday posts for a while now. I’m going to do my best to participate each Monday!

At first, I thought I’d have to skip my first Monday because everything I thought of was either a) boring or b) something I’ve already posted about – such as:

• Tuna Fish-Less Salad
• Chicken-Less Salad
• Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti

I know a lot of you have heard read me singing the praises of my latest favorite drink (Rainbow Grass) a LOT lately, right? If not, you can check out my post about it (and nab the free recipe here).

Check out the benefits of chard!

“If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be one of the vegetable valedictorians. The vitamin and mineral profile of this leafy green vegetable contains enough "excellents" to ensure its place at the head of the vegetable Dean’s List. Our rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.” – WH Foods

So, I’ve been drinking the Rainbow Chard – but I haven’t been eating it. Of course, I’ve eaten it before (a lot) but I’ve been consuming it via jar – and my fave, eco-friendly, glass straws – so far this year. Best thing? It’s growing in my garden! Fresh, raw, heirloom, organic rainbow chard. YUM!

And as I pondered how I’d wow y’all with a fantabulous Meatless Monday recipe, it happened: I was struck with the inspiration for…

Raw Rainbow Wraps

Tuna Fish-Less Salad plopped in to a chard leaf

Rolled Up & Ready to Eat!

Wanna bite?

Raw Rainbow Wraps Recipe

Ingredients:

• Rainbow Chard leaves (freshly washed)
• Tuna Fish-Less Salad

Directions:

1. Fill rainbow chard leaves with Tuna Fish-Less Salad.
2. Wrap and roll like a tortilla.
3. Enjoy!

Note:

I added a tad bit more water to this batch of Tuna Fish-Less Salad than I did when I posted about it before. It would have been easy to fix that (just add a little more ground flax and/or sunflower seeds) but I decided I liked this consistency a lot and it was great for oozing in to the crevices of the chard leaves. Yum!

You could also fill these beauties with any of the following yumilicious creations…

Jalapeno Hummus

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Chicken-Less Salad

(Click HERE for free recipe.)

Meatless Monday Questions:

1. For those of you who aren’t vegan or vegetarian: Do you like to sometimes have meatless meals – or even entire days?

2. And for those of you who ARE vegan or vegetarian: What’s your favorite meat(less) inspired meal?

3. Do you participate in Meatless Monday? Do you allow yourself to eat a little meat (if it’s clean/local/organic, etc.) or do you just eat meat like you always have and don’t really think about it?

4. Would you try any of these recipes? And what do you think about the Rainbow Chard Wraps? These are yummy, quick and easy to make, and fun to eat! Are you inspired to try them? Have you ever tasted rainbow chard? What do you think about the benefits of chard, listed above?

5. Have you ever eaten raw rainbow chard? Did you like it or hate it?

Chime in… I just love your juicy comments!

References:

WH Foods: Swiss Chard

Sorry to make ya wait so long today for this recipe. I tweeted about drinking a black smoothie this morning and a lot of you were really intrigued. Thanks for the interest! I hope it lives up to your expectations.

I’m a HUGE fan of blackstrap molasses (did you guess that as one of the “black” ingredients??)! Not everyone likes blackstrap molasses – or has even tried it – but if you love black licorice, I just know you’ll love blackstrap molasses! It reminds me of black licorice for some reason. I especially notice a distinct black licorice flavor when I add two tablespoons to water – or to my smoothies.

Believe it or not, I’m actually NOT a fan of blackberries (the other black ingredient). I always choose a different berry (blueberries are my all-time favorite!) but this recipe (title and all) popped in to my head – and I just had to try it!

The main reason I don’t care for blackberries (not even cobbler!) is because of the little seeds that get in my teeth. It’s annoying, I think.

I should’ve blended a few more minutes because I did have some seed action happening in my smoothie – that’ was my fault, though.

Lovin’ my Simple Elegance GlassDharma straw!

And I’m really sad that my photos don’t do my black smoothie justice. For one, it was a dark, rainy day and two, I don’t have a fancy shmancy camera – or photography skills! LOL So please forgive me and I hope you can tell just how dark the smoothie is….

Remember my Blueberry Blackstrap Bomb? I thought some of y’all might guess blackstrap molasses as one of the ingredients for this one – but you didn’t!

It. Was. Delish!

But it wasn’t today’s Black Smoothie!

I still plan on writing an in-depth post on blackstrap molasses, it’s health benefits, and why I drink it all the time. But here’s a snippet of information for you:

“Blackstrap molasses is an excellent source of manganese and copper. It is a very good source of iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. In addition, blackstrap molasses is a good source of vitamin B6 and selenium.” – WH Foods

And this tidbit of information might give you the boost you need to gobble up some blackberries….

“Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid – a B vitamin, and the essential mineral, manganese.

Blackberries rank highly among fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of polyphenolic compounds, such as ellagic acid, tannins, ellagitannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins and cyanidins.

Blackberries have an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of 5347 per 100 grams, including them among the top-ranked ORAC fruits. Another report using a different assay for assessing antioxidant strength placed blackberry at the top of more than 1000 antioxidant foods consumed in the United States.” – Wikipedia

Black Grass Smoothie Recipe

(Serves one)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 scoop Amazing Grass wheat grass
• 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 cup frozen blackberries

Directions:

Toss above ingredients in to your blender and blend ‘em up until you have a rich, smooth consistency. Enjoy!

 

Note:

If you love black licorice, this is the smoothie for you!

Hated it!

I LOVE the Simple Elegance (aka Shorty) glass straw for my smoothies in these short glass jars – perfect combo! And they’re available in package deals in my Raw Shop!

Oh. My. Gosh. My black smoothie was SO good and I’m SO glad I followed my crazy brainstorm and made it! It was rich and creamy and smooth and delicious – AND it was also energizing and very fun to drink!

What about you: Do you love blackstrap molasses? Hate it? Ever tried it? Does it remind you of black licorice? What about blackberries? Do you love ‘em or hate ‘em? And do you try new smoothie (or other) recipes? Or do you stick to your old, tried-and-true concoctions? Do you like black licorice? Did you eat it as a kid? I did – and have always loved it!

Did you miss my review of Aurorae’s Yoga Sport Sweat Towel? You can read it HERE.

References:

Wikipedia: Blackberry

WH Foods: Blackstrap Molasses

If you’re new to Healing With (Raw) Juices, or are behind on your blog reading, be sure to catch up on my latest posts:

• Chocolate-Covered (Tart) Cherry Smoothie Recipe
• Amish Country, Sunny Skies + Critters
• Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe 
• Aurorae Yoga Mat Review
• Oats in a (Nuttzo!) Jar
• Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe
• NuttzOats: An Overnight Oats Recipe
• Agave: Why I Was Hesitant to Use it and Won’t Be Using it Anymore
• Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis + Fibromyalgia 

Caught up yet? Good!

You all loved my Jalapeño Hummus Recipe so much, I just had to share my sun-dried tomato hummus recipe with you. It was nice to know I’m not the only one who hasn’t always been madly in love with hummus. But I’m so glad I made this yesterday! Each bite has such a burst of flavor: I taste the sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, and garlic in every. single. bite. It tastes so fresh and delicious. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m just proud of myself for making such yummy hummus!!

And I promise review and contest posts are coming next….

Into the food processor

Results after processing

Into containers

Up close

With veggies: red bell pepper, carrots, avocado

Wanna bite?

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• juice from 1 lemon
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 (and a half) tablespoons olive oil (from the sun-dried tomato jar)
• 1 tablespoon parsley (I added an extra teaspoon after a taste test.)

Directions:

1. Toss all ingredients into the food processor and let ‘er rip ‘till it’s the consistency you like.
2. Do a taste test to make sure you don’t want to add anything else.
3. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
4. Enjoy!

Note:

You can absolutely leave the garlic out of this recipe. I heart garlic, but many of you do not.

Let’s Talk Revolution

How do you feel about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution? Are you following his show? Do you know who he even is? I’ve known about him for a few years, and always enjoyed his food shows that I’ve seen. Since I first saw him on TV, I loved that he promotes fresh produce and real food. (You can read his food philosophy here.) He isn’t promoting anything outrageous – just sensible meals and snacks created from real food.

Here’s a quote from him (from his site) to better help you understand his Food Revolution Mission – in case you haven’t heard about it yet:

“I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future.”—Jamie Oliver

Changing my habits to eating real food is how I lost over 100 pounds. So I absolutely believe in Jamie’s mission. I personally admire his courage, passion, and believe he has a genuine, soft heart. And I can’t believe how much resistance he’s been up against for this whole thing. Isn’t it amazing how so many people fight healthy eating/living?

And as I write this, there are almost 80,000 signatures on the petition Jamie plans on presenting to the White House. Would you consider signing? I’m going to I did!

Let me know your thoughts on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution – and the sun-dried tomato hummus….

Coming Soon

In no particular order…

• Review of the Paderno World Cuisine Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
• Review of Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel
• Review of Aurorae Slip Free Rosin Bag
• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More recipes
• More reviews and giveaways – lots of surprises!

Contest Alert

My Tropical Traditions giveaway is still open. Win a jar of creamy, delicious, healthy organic, raw, wild honey!!

But first I’d like to thank you for chiming in on my Chocolate-Covered (Tart) Cherry Smoothie Recipe. It’s nice to know your thoughts. And if any of y’all make it, just let me know and I’ll link to your post!

If you’re new to Healing With (Raw) Juices, or are behind on your blog reading, be sure to catch up on my latest posts:

• Amish Country, Sunny Skies + Critters
• Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe 
• Aurorae Yoga Mat Review
• Oats in a (Nuttzo!) Jar
• Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe
• NuttzOats: An Overnight Oats Recipe
• Agave: Why I Was Hesitant to Use it and Won’t Be Using it Anymore
• Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis + Fibromyalgia 

Caught up yet? Good!

Why Jalapeño Hummus? Because as I was reading Tyler’s blog (Healthy and Fun) yesterday, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read he put Jalapeño Hummus on his sandwich. I thought that sounded SO good!

Now, I’ve never been a “hummus person” like a lot of health foodies. I mean, I’ve had it before – even made homemade versions, but it has never been something I’ve just had to have, ya know?

But Jalapeño Hummus? Oh, my! This girl LOVES her some spice! So I got busy today and whipped up my own…. 

Jalapeño Hummus

Eating hummus is a fantabulous way to get in some protein if you don’t eat much meat, or if you’re a vegan/vegetarian.

Want to know the health benefits of garbanzo beans? You do? Good, that post is in the works!

In to the food processor…

(recipe follows)

‘till it’s combined and creamy!

Up close

In to 1 cup containers = 2 cups Jalapeño Hummus!

Close-up again

with chopped celery + red bell pepper

So DELISH!!!!

Jalapeño Hummus Recipe

(Yields 2 cups)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• juice from 1 small lemon
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• curry powder to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon.)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• freshly ground sea salt to taste
• 2 (big) cloves garlic
• 3 jalapeño slices
• splash of jalapeno juice (from the jar)

 

Directions:

1. Put garbanzo beans in the food processor (drained and rinsed).
2. Add lemon juice, tahini, curry powder, salt, pepper, jalapenos, and garlic.
3. Process until blended well.
4. Store in a container with a lid – or serve right away!

 

Note:

If you like a lot of spice, add even more jalapenos and/or jalapeno juice, cayenne pepper powder, etc. This was really delicious, but next time I’m going to add even more spice – I like things really hot!

For raw purists:

You could totally raw-i-fy this recipe.

Are you a huge hummus fan? What’s your favorite way to eat it? With veggies? On a wrap? A sandwich? Straight off the spoon? Do you make your own hummus, or buy it? Do you like your hummus spicy – or any food spicy? Let’s talk hummus!!!

Oh, and be sure to check out Tyler’s blog – he’s lost over 100 pounds, too!!!! Congrats, Tyler!!!

Coming Soon

In no particular order…

• Review of the Paderno World Cuisine Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
• Review of Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel
• Review of Aurorae Slip Free Rosin Bag
• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More recipes
• More reviews and giveaways – lots of surprises!

Contest Alert

My Tropical Traditions giveaway is still open. Win a jar of creamy, delicious, healthy organic, raw, wild honey!!

And I’m tickled pink that y’all loved my Amish farm/critter post: Amish Country, Sunny Skies + Critters!

If you’re new to Healing With (Raw) Juices, or are behind on your blog reading, be sure to catch up on my latest posts:

• Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe 
• Aurorae Yoga Mat Review
• Oats in a (Nuttzo!) Jar
• Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe
• NuttzOats: An Overnight Oats Recipe
• Agave: Why I Was Hesitant to Use it and Won’t Be Using it Anymore
• Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis + Fibromyalgia 

Caught up yet? Good!

I snatched this Lucuma powder right up when I went on my $50 iHerb shopping spree. I have other plans for it, too, but I thought I’d throw it in the latest craving: Chocolate-Covered (Tart) Cherry Smoothie. It really did enhance the flavor and texture – I love it!

Evan (from Food Makes Fun Fuel) dumps Lucuma on his yogurt! Haven’t tried that yet, have you?

And if you’re a first-time www.iHerb.com shopper, you can save $5 on your first order by using this code: TUN499 <— Take advantage of that RAWsome deal!

Navitas Naturals Lucuma

Frozen Nanner, Almond Milk, Tart Cherry Concentrate

Added the Lucuma

Added the Cocoa Powder

Ice for good measure.

Beautiful transformation!

Yum!

Chocolate-Covered BUBBLES!

Chocolate-Covered (Tart) Cherry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used the NOW brand, certified organic.)
• 1 tablespoon Lucuma powder (I used Navitas Naturals, certified organic.)
• 2 tablespoons tart cherry concentrate (I’ll be sharing an in-depth post on this soon – this stuff changed. my. life!)
• 1 frozen banana
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/2 to 1 cup of almond milk (I started with a 1/3 cup and added a little more – but with 1/3 cup, it was more like raw ice cream!)

Directions:

1. Toss ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy this rich, decadent drink!

Note: I’m used to the tart cherry concentrate but it might be a bit strong for you if you aren’t. This smoothie is really, really chocolatey and the tart cherry shines through nicely. It’s not bitter, it’s delish! But if you aren’t a fan of even a slight bit of tartness, you may want to balance out the smoothie with either more sweetener, less tart cherry concentrate – or just use sweet cherries.  

Have you ever made a chocolate-covered smoothie? (I’m sure Katie has!) What is your all-time favorite smoothie? I love green smoothies most – especially when hemp protein and spinach are involved! But some days, Raw Juice Girl just needs a little chocolate in her life.

Coming Soon

In no particular order…

• Review of the Paderno World Cuisine Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
• Review of Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel
• Review of Aurorae Slip Free Rosin Bag
• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More recipes
• More reviews and giveaways – lots of surprises!

Contest Alerts

June, from An Apple a Day, is hosting an awesome contest for Bragg!!

Averie, from Love Veggies & Yoga, is giving away an eco-friendly, BPA-free lunchbox and cooler set from EasyLunchBoxes.com!!!

Bitt, from A Bitt of Raw, is giving away a Vivapura raw foods package!

Ashlei, The Vegster, is hosting a $50 shopping spree for Swanson!

And don’t forget about my Tropical Traditions giveaway for organic, raw, wild honey!!

Do you have bright, sunny skies? I do. Finally! Gosh, there’s been so many dark, gloomy, blech days in a row. Sunshine warms my heart and soul, so I am tickled pink to get a good dose. Phew!

If you’re new to Healing With (Raw) Juices, or are behind on your blog reading, be sure to catch up on my latest posts:

• Aurorae Yoga Mat Review
• Oats in a (Nuttzo!) Jar
• Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe
• NuttzOats: An Overnight Oats Recipe
• Agave: Why I Was Hesitant to Use it and Won’t Be Using it Anymore
• Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis + Fibromyalgia 

Caught up yet? Good!

As I recently mentioned, deliveries have been arriving and exciting things are in the works for you fantabulous people!

One of the awesome deliveries included a Spiral Vegetable Slicer from the generous folks at CSN Stores. Eeeek! It was like Christmas morning!!!

I. Am. In. Love. Seriously!

This thing is so much fun. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, and cranks out fancy and beautiful food – love it!! I’ll shut up about it now because I have enough to say in my in-depth review (coming soon!) but right now, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at what spiralizing madness I’ve been up to with this super cool spiralizer.

Um, yes, what you see is spaghetti – made from peeled zucchini and it was an oh-so-delicious meal. I can’t wait to have it again!

Zucchini Spaghetti!

Delivery!!!!

My new love!

Okay, okay. On to the recipe business.

Peeled Zucchini

Put one end of the zucchini here.

And the other end of the zucchini here.

Out comes noodles!!!!

Long and noodley!!!

And this, the core.

What to do? Eat it, of course! I don’t waste around here!! So, I chopped the core and added it to the noodles. A little chunky is good, eh?!

Then I diced an onion.

Read the AMAZING health benefits (Onions: A Pungent Surprise of Natural Healing)

And (gasp!) sautéed it. Yep, cooked; not raw.

While the onions were sautéing, I was heating up water in my tea kettle. Why? I thought it’d be awesome to pour hot water over the zucchini noodles to soften ‘em up a bit. Now, zucchini isn’t that hard of a veggie, in my opinion, but I wanted to really impress a few family members and win them over on the idea of raw veggie pasta. So, I thought I’d meet ‘em half way.

In hot water!!

Up close

While the veggie noodles were enjoying their hot soak, I added spaghetti sauce to the sautéed onion. I don’t have fresh maters from the garden yet (but I will!!) so I just used canned sauce this time. Since the dish wasn’t going to be raw, it really didn’t matter at this point.

S’ghetti Sauce = Yum!

Look at those noodles!!!

When I felt my zucchini noodles had “steeped” long enough (lol!) I strained ‘em and put ‘em back in my bowl. Then I drizzled some olive oil and added a few cranks of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.

Taste test = DELISH!

Finished product = close to the real thing + DIVINE!!!

Spiralized Veggie S’ghetti Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• zucchini (half a zucchini will do for one person – unless you’re super hungry)
• spaghetti sauce (I used canned, but I’m going to make raw when my garden is flourishing.)
• onion (I sautéed a small onion to add to the canned sauce because I love onion.)

 

Directions:

1. Spiralize the zucchini.
2. Sautée the onion.
3. Prepare your sauce – or open a can.
4. Add sauce to the onion and heat through.
5. Plate up and enjoy!

 

Note: To warm up the zucchini noodles and soften ‘em up a bit, I put ‘em in a glass bowl and filled the bowl with hot water. I’d say you could boil ‘em for a short time, too. Of course, this defeats the purpose of raw noodles – BUT it’s way better than highly processed noodles made from white flour!

Verdict?

I’ve been asked to make this dish again ASAP!!!

And guess what?! I also spiralized an apple and made a yummy sauce off the top of my head – including a healthy dose of cinnamon, which La loves. I’ll be posting that soon, so stay tuned!

Have you ever had spiralized veggie spaghetti? Did you eat it raw? Cook it? Have you had it both ways? Which do you prefer? And low-carbers are going to love these veggie noodles – no more sitting out pasta night!! What’s your favorite way to eat spiralized veggies? Do you use tomato sauce? Whip up your own fancy sauce? Are you a pesto person? I’ve never really been “in to” pesto. I think I’m going to give it another try, though. Chime in with all your spiralizing veggie – or fruit! – adventures! Can’t wait to hear about ‘em!!!

Coming Soon

In no particular order…

• Review of the Paderno World Cuisine Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
• Review of Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel
• Review of Aurorae Slip Free Rosin Bag
• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More recipes
• More reviews and giveaways – lots of surprises!

Contest Alerts

Averie, from Love Veggies & Yoga, is giving away an eco-friendly, BPA-free lunchbox and cooler set from EasyLunchBoxes.com!!!

Bitt, from A Bitt of Raw, is giving away a Vivapura raw foods package!

Ashlei, The Vegster, is hosting a $50 shopping spree for Swanson!

And don’t forget about my Tropical Traditions giveaway for organic, raw, wild honey!!

And if you caught it, you’ll remember I mentioned that I’d be sharing a fun (green!) recipe later today. Well, I didn’t forget… just got myself into a pickle and actually thought I might have to waste food. I’m NOT one to waste food so it took me a while to regroup and try to figure out how to save these ingredients, but I did it!

Originally, I planned on making a Saint Patrick’s Day version of the raw cheese I’ve seen around the web for a while now. I’ve noticed raw foodies using soaked cashews or macadamia nuts and mixing the nuts with either an orange or a red bell pepper and seasonings (and sometimes even more ingredients) to make a raw cheese sauce.

Well, I thought I’d had a “brainstorm” and would replace the red/orange bell pepper with a green one – for green cheese, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day!

Yeah, that didn’t work out so well.

I know it isn’t because of the green bell pepper. I tried to make this recipe in the food processor because I didn’t think the blender would do such a great job with the nuts. Maybe I should’ve tried because all I ended up with was a mixture of chunky bell pepper and cashews. I had added sea salt and a pinch of cayenne like a lot of recipes recommended. But it just wasn’t getting creamy like I’d seen across the blogosphere.

What to do?

I let the mixture sit in the food processor while I sorted it out in my head.

Hmmm… To waste, or not to waste. I almost tossed this in to that new “Raw Flops” category I created a while back. But at this point, I figured I’d just try to add a few things and see what happened.

Rewind.

Before I discovered my mixture wasn’t getting smooth (or maybe I didn’t wait long enough?) I started documenting my recipe.

Green Bell Pepper + Soaked Cashews

Chopped

In the Food Processor

After this, I started processing the ingredients and when I realized I wasn’t coming out with the smooth, green cheese I’d envisioned, I forgot to take a photo of the chunky mixture!

Okay, back to where I was with adding ingredients to try to save my concoction…

The full recipe is at the end of this post but basically, I threw in a splash of almond milk, added a little more salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and some minced garlic.

And with a little determination – and perhaps a little luck

this was born:

Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad!

I gave it this name because when I dared take a tiny taste (I was getting scared, y’all!) it tasted similar to chicken salad! Eeek! My raw flop isn’t a flop after all – it’s a happy accident; a blessing in disguise!

And the photo doesn’t show just how green it was. I love its color.

I had planned on serving the raw (green) cheese with broccoli, celery and cucumber sticks, but after all the hassle – and cleaning up my mess! – I just ate a small bowl of this and called it a night.

Raw, Green (Vegan) Chicken(less) Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 cup (soaked) cashews
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• minced garlic to taste
• splash almond milk (just for smooth sailing in the food processor)

Directions:

1. Chop bell pepper (or celery).
2. Add (drained) soaked cashews.
3. Toss in cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic, and almond milk.
4. Blend until you get the consistency you enjoy.

Uses:

• Serve with veggies, as a dip.
• Spread on crackers.
• Smear on bread like a real chicken salad sandwich.
• Smear on a tortilla and make a yummy wrap.
• You might even sneak a spoonful straight from the bowl!

Note: Next time I make this, I’ll use celery instead of bell pepper and add onion.

Of course, if I would have intentionally set out to make raw chicken(less) salad, I’d have used celery – not bell pepper – and I’d have added onion (similar to my Raw Tuna Fish-Less Salad). Yum! You know what I’ll be making for quick meals from now on.

AND…

Just so I knew I wasn’t just tired and crazy (LOL!) I had a couple of family members taste my creation. I didn’t tell ‘em what it was. Wanna know their reaction? Of course you do!

I saw big eyes and shocked faces, and heard: “It tastes like chicken salad!”

Bingo! I had saved my ingredients. Phew!

Updated on 3/18/10 to add: I’m getting requests for more!

Have you ever started out making one recipe and ended up with something totally different? Was it edible? Have you had happy accidents in the kitchen? If so, don’t you love ‘em? And what about the raw cheese? Did I just not wait long enough? Does it only work in a Vita-Mix? Chime in, wise ones, chime in!

And I hope you had a fantabulous Saint Patrick’s Day!

Coming Next

• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More reviews and giveaways!

Contest Alerts

• Averie, over at Love Veggies & Yoga, is having a raw food book giveaway.
• I’m giving away a jar of Tropical Traditions raw honey.

I have a fun (green!) recipe that you’ll see later today, but first I just had to share my overnight oats with you.

If you’re a regular reader, you may remember a while back when I made Coconut Peanut Butter Honey Overnight Oats. And if you aren’t a regular reader, go check that recipe out!

Overnight oats make a fantabulous breakfast, lunch, or snack. Why?

Because they are:

• easy to prepare ahead of time
• great for busy people who work outside the home
• fun for freelancers, too!
• or even students
• loaded with nutrition – and flavor
• filling
• perfect for rushed mornings
• and more!

I can’t wait to try these cold, creamy, chewy, decadent overnight oats on a hot summer’s morning. I have a feeling this dish will be the perfect breakfast – or snack! – during the scorching summer months.

Check out how beautiful my overnight oats turned out!

So, whether you’re a student and/or are someone who is busy with your job – in or out of the home – overnight oats provide an amazingly yummy meal that not only tastes absolutely fantabulous, but is good for you, too!

And overnight oats can be whipped up any way you like. The ingredient possibilities are endless.

• fruit
• nuts
• seeds
• wheatberries
• nut butters
• chia seeds
• coconut oil
• avocado
• freshly ground flax seeds
• cocoa powder
• stevia
• raw honey
• and more!

Whatever your favorite flavor combos are, try ‘em in overnight oats. And be sure to experiment and try new things, too – it’s so fun!

Preparing Overnight Oats

Mashed Nanner

Raw Honey

7 Grain Flakes

Nuttzo!

Melted Honey

Almond Milk

The Night Before

and like magic….

The Next Morning

Overnight NuttzOATS Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup 7 grain oat flakes (or regular old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon Nuttzo
• 1 tablespoon Tropical Traditions Raw Honey (I’m giving away a jar!!!)
• 1 banana, smashed with a fork

Directions:

1. Put all the above ingredients in your bowl (I used the CaliBowl) and stir.
2. Cover with wrap – or a saucer or lid – and refrigerate overnight.
3. Take out of the fridge the next morning and stir.
4. At this point, you can add any additional toppings or ingredients you wish or just enjoy as-is. Delish!

Have you ever tried overnight oats? If not, why not?! They’re fantabulous! And if you are a fan of overnight oats, what’s your favorite combo? Have you ever tried 7 grain flakes? They did really well in overnight oats. And have you tried Nuttzo? It’s sooooooooooo amazing – delicious and nutritious! And if you’re in to online shopping, you can find organic, old-fashioned oats AND Nuttzo in my OpenSky Shop!

Coming Next

• Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
• Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
• More reviews and giveaways!

Contest Alerts

• Averie, over at Love Veggies & Yoga, is having a raw food book giveaway.
• I’m giving away a jar of Tropical Traditions raw honey.