In light of yesterday’s fabulous giveaway to win caramels, brownies, cookies, and more from Allison’s Gourmet, I figured today would be the perfect day for some holiday treats. Pumpkin spice and mocha chip macaroons, to be exact!

Macaroons rank high in my list of beloved sweets. This is partly because they’re my Mom’s favorite, and they make me think of her, but also because they’re delicious and oh-so easy to prepare. They lend themselves to raw preparation better than most cookies, and they demand very few ingredients. The end result is delicious—reminiscent of the inside of a Mounds bar—and for all that pleasure, you also get some of the health benefits of lauric acid, which is a fatty acid chain found in coconut that may have anti-inflammatory properties.

I have a standard raw, vegan macaroon recipe, which you can all check out here.

For today’s variations, I simply modified this recipe in small ways. I could have rebuilt the recipe from the ground up for each of these variations, rather than modifying what I’ve already done, but I personally love recipes that take up residence in my memory and stay there, which my macaroons have. And why tamper with near perfection, anyway?

Pumpkin Spice Macaroons (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)

Makes about 25-30

2 heaping cups shredded, raw, unsweetened coconut (find this at any health food store, or your local whole foods)
1/2 cup ground raw almonds (or almond flour)
1/2 cup agave syrup (date paste is a great substitute)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt

1) Place coconut and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the agave, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil.

2) Pour wet ingredients over dry, and mix them all together with hands, till dough is uniformly sticky and clumps together easily. If you need to, add a little more agave.

3) Scoop in tablespoons onto a dehydrator tray lined with Teflex. 3) Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours (6 is probably all you need).

Could you use an oven? Sure! Try one set at 325 degrees for twenty minutes—but do experiment with the time, since I haven’t tried it myself yet. And I’d suggest you let them cool completely in a fridge after heating, as they’ll be pretty soft and need to set.

Your kitchen will smell heavenly as these dehydrate. And when you pop one of these delectable little treats into your mouth, you’ll have the most wonderful confusion: tropical decadence meets pumpkin pie.

Next up? Get your coffee AND chocolate fix at the same time. With coconut. It’s almost too much to handle.

Mocha Chip Macaroons (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)

Makes about 25-30

2 cups shredded, raw, unsweetened coconut (find this at any health food store, or your local whole foods)
1/4 cup ground raw almonds (or almond flour)
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I like raw cacao powder from Navitas Naturals, though it is a little pricey)
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 tbsp instant espresso
2/3 cup agave syrup (or date paste)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt

1) Place coconut, almond meal, cocoa powder, espresso, and nibs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together agave, oil, vanilla, and salt.

2) Pour wet ingredients over dry, and mix thoroughly, till dough is uniformly sticky and clumps together easily. If you need to, add a little more agave.

3) Scoop in tablespoons onto a dehydrator tray lined with Teflex. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours (6 is probably all you need). Alternately, try these in the oven at 325 degrees for twenty minutes or so, then allow to cool in a fridge thoroughly.

These are so chocolately and delicious—especially if you use raw cacao powder! It’s very potent. And the espresso gives it all a sophisticated hue.

These are ideal gifts for holiday giving, in part because they ought to stay good for at least a week (I’d guess quite a bit longer than that! I’ve kept macaroons around for 2-3 weeks, no problem). Wrap them up in cute cellophane bags, and share the gift of raw, vegan goodness with everyone you love.

Speaking of gifts? I have a winner to my Alo Clothing giveaway!! The randomly generated winner is #105: Cadry of Cadry’s Kitchen! Cadry, please email me for details on how to accept your prize!

So: the Orgo final came, and the Orgo final went. Thanks for the good luck wishes! It was difficult, as usual, and as usual, I’m not really sure what to expect. So for now, with one more final ahead of me, I’ll just keep on keepin’ on.

Till tmw,

xo

Creamy coconut parsnip rice with caramelized butternut squash: it’s the kind of recipe that sounds so exotic, so rich, and so layered. In some ways, this recipe is all of those things. What it is NOT is difficult, time consuming, or unapproachable, which exotic and layered recipes often are. In fact, the roasted squash (which could be swapped out for different ad-ons) is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. In these busy November days, with my semester heading into its closing stages, I’ve never needed recipes like this one—quick, easy, filling, and complex—more urgently.

If you’re curious about what, exactly, makes caramelized squash caramelized, it’s a good question: essentially, it is simply butternut squash that has been roasted at high temperatures with a touch of sugar and salt. The end product is covered with a sweet and salty glaze—hence the comparison to caramel. It’s one of my favorite means of preparing any winter squash, and it’s also a killer method for beets, carrots, and parsnips, the latter of which is the other star of this dish!

This meal, like many of my combo raw/cooked meals, is room temperature or just lukewarm: the parsnip rice is room temperature, and the cooked squash heats it up a bit when you mix. You can absolutely heat the whole dish gently in a sauté pan, if you’re in the mood for a warmer meal, or even steam the parsnips. You can also do as I did, and dehydrate the parsnip rice for about 10-15 minutes before you mix it with the coconut milk, salt, and other ingredients. None of these steps are necessary if you’re in a rush: they are simply means of creating a warmer plate, which I know is a priority for many of my readers as we head into winter months.

Creamy Coconut Parsnip Rice with Caramelized Butternut Squash (high raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)

Serves 2

For the caramelized squash:

2 lbs (about one small) butternut squash, peeled and diced into inch cubes
2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp dermerara or palm sugar (date paste, maple syrup, and agave are all acceptable substitutes, but I like the traditional use of sugar here)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toss the squash in the oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until squash is tender and getting brown. You can (and should) leave it in the over for a few minutes longer if you want a more caramelized effect. Set aside till you’re ready to make dinner.

For the creamy parsnip rice:

4-5 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Juice of half a lime
2/3-3/4 cup coconut milk (full fat or low fat, but full fat is nice here)
2 tsps agave
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)

1) Place parsnip and salt in a food processor and process till the mixture resembles rice. At this point, you can dehydrate it for about 10-15 minutes to warm it up, if you so desire.

2) Transfer rice to a bowl and mix with your coconut milk, lime, agave, and cinnamon. Mix in your butternut squash, check seasoning, and dig into a fresh bowl of sweet, creamy comfort.

Note that while the squash works really well in this recipe, you can substitute a raw veggie to make it all raw, or any combination of roast or steamed veggies in place of squash. The rice here is a wonderful template for further culinary experiments!! And there’s a lot you can do with the rice, too: currants, raisins, and lime zest would be a fun place to start.

Dishes like this embody the versatility that I so embrace in cooking. Raw or cooked, complex or simple, salty or sweet: there are so many ways to customize this meal!

Anyway, before I go, apologies for having disappeared for a day. It’s hard for me to a) write my blog and b) cook things to write about on my blog when I’m gearing up for two exams. Even so, I’m always dying to get back to the keyboard when I take a hiatus, however quick: I miss you all, and our conversations.

Hope you’re having fantastic weekends.

xo

A few days ago, I shared the last meal that I threw together before my final exam descended and kept me out of the kitchen for a week. It rightfully earned the title of a “hurry up vegan” meal: though filling and heart (a soup, a salad, and a bean burger) it was also stunningly fast, and that was mostly thanks to the following soup.

This soup is almost too good to be true. It really is. It’s ready in just under fifteen minutes, but it tastes as though it’s been simmering and collecting flavor for hours. Everyone you make it for will tell you it’s one of your best recipes, and none of them will suspect that it’s as simple as throwing together some pantry and freezer staples.

The inspiration for this recipe came from my friend Nava Atlas, who’s book Vegan Express is among my top five vegan cookbook resources of all time. It is an essential book for any vegan home cook: no one masters the art of food that’s fast AND healthy quite the way Nava does. (For more of her recipes and work, check out her awesome website.) When I first read the recipe for Nava’s thai corn chowder, I marveled at the idea that any recipe could be so easy, and also taste good. It did, and I’ve been using it as a template for this, my own version, ever since.

Summer Corn and Coconut Soup (inspired by Nava Atlas; vegan, gluten and soy free)

Serves 4

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup coconut milk (full fat or light)
2 cups almond milk, plain
Corn from 3 large ears of corn, fresh (or 1 bag, frozen)
2 tsps curry powder

1) Sautee the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil till nice and golden (8 min or so).

2) Add the coconut milk, almond milk, all but one cup of the corn, and curry. Bring to a boil.

3) Simmer for 10 minutes, until the corn is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4) Optional: Using an immersion blender, purree the soup till creamy, then add last cup of corn and heat through to serve. If you don’t have time, simply add all the corn when you add the almond and coconut milk, and cook through. The soup is tasty when half-purreed, but it’s definitely not necessary.

5) Garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro is great) and serve!

This, along with some sort of plant-based protein and a big leafy salad, makes for a speedy and scrumptious summertime supper. And lots of bad alliteration. If you’re not sure what to pair with it, try my black bean and corn burgers!

Hope you try this miraculous soup soon, and check out the cookbook that inspired it.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for a giveaway tomorrow! And hope you’re having a sunny Monday.

xo

This morning, when my Mom checked her email, she was probably surprised to find a message from me saying “Happy Birthday! Check out the blog sometime after 1 p.m..” Since I have exams today, and can’t spend the afternoon taking Mom out to lunch (which is what I wish I could do), I hope that this little thank you note can suffice—at least until our dinner at Josie’s tomorrow!

Mom, if you’re reading, know that I’m sending you birthday wishes all day long. We may not be sharing a long NYC walk or a movie rental or a museum visit, or frothy cappuccinos at an UES cafe, but I’m sending you the following thank you note from campus:

Thank you for teaching me to march to the beat of my own drummer:

In ways big and small, I stay true to myself, and it’s all thanks to you.

Thank you for teaching me to be self-sufficient, strong, and content with myself:

…and for showing me that a woman can be independent without ever being incomplete.

Thank you for teaching me the value of strong friendships. I can’t imagine my life without them:

Thank you for assuring me that what’s popular is not always what’s right:

…and for giving me the courage to stand up for the things I believe in:

Thank you for teaching me how to keep the spirit of our home alive, even if I’m all grown up and in a place of my own:

Thank you for teaching me to love food…

And for setting such a great example of healthy body image. I haven’t always been able to follow in your footsteps there, but I’ll always try.

Thanks for teaching me to laugh and be goofy every now and then:

Thank you for sharing vegan and raw meals with me, even when the food was a little weird:

…and for letting me have a vegan Christmas every. single. year.

Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself, for seeing the best in me, even when I invite you not to, and for teaching me to expect a lot of myself and others. I know you like to joke about how I never listen to you, but the truth is that I listen (and learn) more than you could ever imagine.

In honor of my Mom’s birthday, I’m sharing a recipe for a raw, vegan spin on her favorite cookies: coconut macaroons. It’s one of the few recipes I make for her that doesn’t involve a sales pitch for raw kale. (It’s OK, Mom. One day you’ll like raw kale. I swear.)

Raw, Vegan Macaroons (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)

Makes 24 cookies

2 cups shredded, raw, unsweetened coconut (find this at any health food store)
1/2 cup ground raw almonds (or almond flour)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract OR the contents of 1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/8 tsp sea salt

1) Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with hands, till dough is uniformly sticky and clumps together easily. If you need to, add a touch more agave.

2) Scoop in tablespoons onto a dehydrator tray lined with teflex.

3) Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours (6 is probably all you need). Could you use an oven? Sure! Try one set at 325 degrees for twenty minutes—but do experiment with the time, since I haven’t tried it myself yet.

Serve to a very happy Mom.

I love you, Mom. Happy Birthday.

xo

Hey guys!

Happy Monday. It’s a beautiful, balmy evening here in NYC; looks like spring is finally here!

Tonight is the first night in a long time that I’ve been able to prepare a photogenic dinner, and it may be the last for some time. So I’m glad to report that the dinner I chose was a great one — thanks to my friend Philip.

Have all you rawcurious readers checked out Philip’s blog? For those of you who haven’t, I’ll give you the 411: Philip McCluskey is a chef, author, and motivational speaker who transformed his own life with a raw food diet. After trying every diet plan known to man, Philip decided to explore raw foods. The results? Well, see for yourself. Before:

…and after:

What a transformation!

I’ve known Philip for some time through various friends in the raw community. He is, simply put, a wonderful guy: kind, generous, wise, funny. He also happens to be an incredible chef, who, like me, values simple, unfussy food. I am always thrilled when I prepare Philip’s dishes (or have a chance to taste them!), and now I’ve got ample material: Philip’s magnificent new cookbook, Raw Food, Fast Food.

In case the title didn’t give it away, the idea is this: an un-cookbook that makes raw cuisine every bit as easy and accessible as running downstairs for some Chinese. You can read plenty about the book here, but let me assure you from firsthand experience that Philip makes good on his promise: all of the dishes in RFFF take about 10-20 minutes to prepare. In about the same amount of time you’d need to pick up some mediocre takeout, or to spend $13.00 at the Whole Foods salad bar, Philip will teach you how to prepare a sumptuous, nourishing, and energizing raw meal from scratch!

If you order a copy of RFFF, which you should, you’ll notice my name on the copyright page: that’s because I was fortunate enough to work as Philip’s freelance editor! So I know for a fact that Philip’s food is stellar, his passion for healthy living genuine, and his language truthful. My only complaint during the editing process was that I was too busy editing the book to serve as a recipe tester! Now that the book’s on the shelves, as it were, I can correct that.

Tonight, I made the RFFF entree I’ve most been wanting to try: Philip’s street corner falafel. You all know I love falafel (raw and baked), and I’m always excited to try a new variety. Unlike my carrot falafel, which is absolutely scrumptious but a bit time consuming (it necessitates juice pulp and dehydration), this falafel recipe is ready in a second. Philip ingeniously calls for a base of dried, shredded coconut and almond butter. The upshot is that this falafel can be mixed by hand and is “dry” enough to cohere without dehydration. Score! Philip has graciously allowed me to share my modified version of the recipe.

Loving Raw Falafel (serves 2-4, depending on the course and the appetite)

Ingredients

4 tbsp almond butter
1 cup dried, shredded, and unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped very finely
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maca powder (optional — I usually hate the taste of maca but couldn’t detect it too much here!)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Dash cayenne pepper

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients and form into falafel balls.

That’s it!

Chef’s note: If you’d like to add garlic and onion, please go ahead: Philip’s original recipe calls for 1 small minced onion and 4 cloves garlic. I’d say that unless your tolerance for raw garlic, which is very strong, is immense, you should stick to half of a finely minced clove!

Also: I needed a few more drops of olive oil to get my mix to stick together perfectly. So don’t shy away from it (or some extra almond butter) if you need it.

And what’s that topping in the photo, you ask? Well, I thought I would give Philip’s recipe a little Choosing Raw twist. I’m a huge fan of cilantro — a taste I acquired later in life — and recently saw a recipe for creamy cilantro lime dressing that used buttermilk. It sounded awesome, aside from the buttermilk. Tonight, I figured I’d give it a little raw spin, and pair it with my delicious falafel. Here’s how:

Creamy Cilantro Dressing (yields about 1 cup)

1/2 cup sesame seeds
3 tbsps lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cilantro, packed
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tbsp agave, or 1 large medjool date

Blend all ingredients on high in a blender or Vitamix. If the mix is too thick, add water to thin.

These falafel would be delicious on top of salads or simply on their own, but tonight I decided to recreate that perennially popular street sammie, falafel on pita, with a collard leaf. I layered it with cucumber, carrot, and peppers, cut out the tough inner spine, and filled it with three of my falafel balls and their cilantro dressing. Next to my dinnertime staple, kale salad, it was very pretty:

Major kudos to Philip! These falafel are packed with flavor — the heavy spice mix is key — but not at all heavy. Philip’s very conscious of not packing each of his recipes with too many tree nuts, and the result is that his raw cuisine is always refreshingly light.

I urge you all to check out Philip’s recipes for yourself, and to sweeten the deal, Philip’s offering all Choosing Raw readers 10% off at checkout on his website. All you have to do is enter CHOOSINGRAW in the coupon code field at checkout. So what are you waiting for? Dive into speedy raw cuisine with Philip’s expert help.

Me, I’m happily digesting my falafel dinner and looking forward to leftovers. Have a sweet night.

xo

Morning everyone! This post will have to be a bit rushed (it’s that kind of day).

After tasting the incredible avo-coco soup at Caravan on Monday night, I decided I had to re-create it for myself at home this week. Last night was my first attempt, and it was a huge success! This soup is unbelievably thick, creamy, and delicious. Best of all, it’s also really fast. Here’s the recipe:

Avo-Coco Soup

1 avocado, quartered
Meat of 2 young coconuts
1 – 1 ¼ cup coconut water
Sea salt to taste
Sprinkle stevia

Mix all ingredients, minus water, together in a high power blender. Add ¾ cup coconut water and start blending. Keep adding water until soup reaches the consistency you like: I like it really thick and creamy!

This soup is extremely rich: all the healthy fats and fresh enzymes will fill you up quickly. So I recommend a smaller portion alongside a big salad, which is just what I had. Here’s the meal from above:

And a close up of my salad, which was spinach and mesclun greens, avocado, tomatoes, and my favorite: sunflower sprouts:

In other news, I got a nice surprise at the office yesterday. The people at NuNaturals were kind enough to send me not only samples of their latest stevia products, but two fresh vanilla beans! I’m excited to try these samples of both liquid and solid stevia powder, especially since the liquid varieties include two that are alcohol free and 100% pure stevia (I don’t generally love using stevia brands that include alcohol derivatives or maltodextrin). Thanks so much, NuNaturals!

And finally: today is my one month blogiversary!! I can’t believe it’s already been a month. In honor of the day, I invite you all to give me feedback! How am I doing? And what would you like to see more of? I plan to share the following in the next few months and weeks:

● Grocery lists and tips shopping
● More tips on meal planning and busy days
● Dehydrator recipes (soon! I promise!)

Anything else on your mind? Recipes? Advice? Health issues you’d like me to talk about? Let me know.

Have a great Friday.

xo