Raw Chili

I borrowed the core of this recipe from Carol Alt's book, but changed the ratio in the tomato sauce and marinade to make a less dense and salty version. This chili is very refreshing and crunchy.













Vegetables to chop:
1 small eggplant - peeled and cut into cubes
5 or more fresh shiitake or crimini mushrooms, or 1 portabello mushroom - stemmed and diced into cubes
1 medium zucchini - cut into cubes
1 medium plum tomato - cut into cubes
1/2 medium red or yellow onion - finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic - crushed

Marinade:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon of Celtic (or Himalayan) sea salt

Combine all the chopped vegetables and crushed garlic in a glass container with a lid.
For the marinade, whisk all of the ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the vegetables. Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Sauce:
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes - soaked in purified water for 20 minutes, then drained
2-3 medium tomatoes - cut in chunks
1-2 dates - pits removed
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, or Italian parsley, or both
1-1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Make the sauce right before serving. Put both the fresh and sun-dried tomatoes into the food processor, whirl until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients, then puree. Discard the garlic cloves from the marinated vegetables. To serve, mix the sauce into the chopped and marinated vegetables.
My Cooked Chili
Post by: A

Vegetarian Chili

Before I had Paloma and cooked with meat, I would often make two different pots of chili - a meat based one as well as the one below, for Paloma's vegetarian sister. We always ate up the vegetable chili first, as it actually possesses a flavour much more complex and interesting than the carnivores' version. (Raw chili alternative is coming soon).










about 2 cups of dry beans of any kind you prefer - I like to have a variety
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion - chopped
2 carrots and 2 stalks of celery - thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves - sliced, 3 - chopped finely
kernels from 3 or more ears of corn
2 or more portobello mushrooms - sliced in cubes
3-4 medium tomatoes - shredded or pulsed in the food processor
chili powder and/or flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground oregano - all to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
vegetable broth
Celtic sea salt
lime or lemon
cilantro for garnishing

Rinse the beans, cover with water, cook them until soft. Drain, put aside.

In a medium sized pot warm the oil, add the onions, carrots, celery, jalapeno pepper, and sliced garlic and saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in the corn, saute for another 2-3 minutes. Mix in the mushrooms and spices (you can make the chili as spicy as you like), cook for another minute.

Add the tomatoes, beans, and broth (to achieve the desired consistency). Add salt if needed. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove from heat, add chopped garlic and squeeze some lime or lemon juice over the soup. Adjust the salt and spices. Serve with more lime/lemon and chopped cilantro.

I puree and freeze some chili for Paloma in the same manner that I do with the mushroom barley soup. She loves spices and garlic - any child will if you introduce this type of food to them early enough in life.
Post by: A

Green Musli

We can never get enough of this raw green musli. I tend to modify recipes to my liking, but this one is flawless just the way it is. The avocado base makes it perfectly creamy, while the rest of the ingredients blend into a delectable concoction.













1 avocado
4 apples - peeled and shredded
juice of a half of lemon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup raw nuts (any softer kind, pistachios work the best)
1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/4 cup raw honey
*garnished with berries and hemp hearts
Sometimes, when I don't forget, I throw in some maca powder.

Blend all the ingredients, except nuts, in a food processor until smooth and sweet. Add nuts towards the end for texture.
Post by:A

Mushroom Barley Soup

Although we eat raw food throughout the day (recipes will follow), I give Paloma one of my hot soups at lunchtime together with a green soup and fruits. This winter has been so cold and long even in Florida, that sometimes we just can't resist to join Paloma for a heartier meal. I made this one up myself, throwing together good ingredients that work well together.



















Chickpeas - about 1.5 cup
Barley - about 1 cup
1 onion - peeled and cut in half
1-2 carrots and 1-2 celery sticks - shredded
Mushrooms - sliced, I like the combination of crimini and shiitake the best (the more mushrooms you have, the more flavorful your soup will be)
Chopped garlic, black pepper, coriander and/or cumin, dill, parsley and lemon - all to taste

Soak chickpeas and barley over night. Rinse chickpeas, cover with water (makes a full 10 cup pot) and bring to boil. Add the onion and simmer at low to medium heat until the beans are soft (about 20-30 minutes). Add salt during the last 10 minutes. You can add other root vegetables along with the onion, such as celeriac and turnips to make a more flavorful broth. Discard the vegetables, but reserve the chickpeas for later. Rinse the barley and bring to boil in the chickpea broth, lower the heat and simmer until cooked completely. When almost done, add carrots and celery, and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook them barely. Add spices. Put the chickpeas back into the pot for a couple of minutes while tasting for salt & spices and adding more as needed. Remove soup from the heat. Add chopped garlic, lots of dill and/or parsley, and some fresh lemon juice. Serve with more herbs and garlic, if you prefer. I blend some soup in the Babycook for Paloma and freeze it in BPA-free containers to have on hand when needed.
Post by: A

Raw Chocolate Candy

1 cup cacao butter, shaved (that's what you see in the first picture)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup mesquite powder
2 tablespoons maca powder
2 tablespoons raw agave syrup
Melt the cacao butter, add the powders and syrup (I recommend adding the powders through a strainer, so as to not end up with a chunky mass), stir well. Pour the mass into molds, place in the freezer and let harden. You do not have to refrigerate these candies, but we like to eat them chilled. The filling can be anything you like, we add goji berries, nuts, almond butter, and my favourite - raisins.

Raw Strawberry Preserve

Floridian berry season is upon us. We got some strawberries from a patch that ended up being all bruised up, so I decided to turn them into raw strawberry preserve. It's quite simple, just blend the berries with some agave syrup or honey to taste and dehydrate until leathery. You can eat it as fruit leather (which Paloma loves), or blend again with a little water to achieve a jam-like consistency.

Raw Strawberry Preserve

In a food processor, puree the berries until smooth. If needed, sweeten with agave, honey, or any other sweetener of choice, to taste. Spread the mass onto Teflex-lined dehydrator sheets thickly and dehydrate at 115F until leathery. Soak the fruit leather in filtered water for two hours. Carefully strain out the water. Blend the mass in a processor again, adding as much water as needed to achieve a jam like consistency.