Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Avocado, Chocolate, and Sweet Potato Pudding

Last September, when I posted my much adored recipe for chocomole, I got a ton of enthusiastic responses. Since then, I’ve seen many stellar renditions of the recipe around the blogosphere, as well as a few variations. My favorite of these is Ashley’s choco-banana-mole, which you check out here!

This week, I made what I think is my favorite variation so far: choco-sweet-potato-mole. Or, to abandon these disgustingly cutesy nicknames, avocado, sweet potato, and chocolate pudding.

The seed of this recipe was planted when a client asked me whether or not chocomole would make for an appropriate breakfast. My thought was, “not exactly.” It’s loaded with simple sugars and healthy fat–both of which are crucial for energy–but I’d say that it would have a lot more staying power as a breakfast option if it also had some complex carbs. I, and many others, have a hard time making it to lunch without them! An obvious option is to spread chocomole on sprouted grain toast, which I love to do. But how about a breakfast pudding that’s got some polysaccharides in it already?

Enter the mighty sweet potato. Full of energy yielding starch–not to mention a ton of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6–sweet ‘taters are a nutritious and hearty breakfast food. Couple them with the healthy fats in the avocado and the sugars in the dates, and you have a veritable energy powerhouse in a bowl! See for yourself:

Avocado, Chocolate, and Sweet Potato Pudding (serves 3-4)

1/2 medium sweet potato or yam, cooked
1 medium avocado
4-6 dates, pitted and soaked
2 tbsp carob or chocolate powder
1/4 cup water + more for blending

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse till they’re getting mixed. Turn the machine on, and with the motor running, drizzle in more water until the pudding is 100% smooth and creamy.

Serve with toast, with fruit, or alone. Any way you serve it, the stuff is heavenly. I might go so far as to say I like it more than my original!

This will be the autumn of potato puddings!

On another note, do you remember a week or two ago, when I wrote up my review of The Pump? I noted in that post that one of my culinary dreams is for omnivorous restaurants to start offering at least two or three vegan entrees on their menus. Dearly though I love to eat at vegan restaurants, I find restaurant segretation a bit counterproductive, because it can contribute to the idea that veganism is “other.” What would set a new example would be for all restaurants–including gourmet spots–to show their patrons that meals composed entirely of plant foods are every bit as satisfying and demonstrative of culinary creativity as other foods. I don’t think that the public will get comfortable with the idea that a “real meal” doesn’t have to revolve around an animal protein until that message is drummed home in restaurant culture. And at the moment, too many chefs and “foodies” do their best to share the opposite message, mocking vegans whenever they can.

Well, one restaurant experience I had this week gave me a lot of hope. It was a steamy night in the West Village, and a friend of mine and I were ready to settle on a dinner spot. We happened upon Smorgas, a Scandinavian restaurant; a quick glance at the menu suggested that it had plenty of salads. Great, I though, this’ll work.

What I didn’t realize till I sat down was that the vegan options went well beyond salad! There was a vegan burger, a portobello mushroom dish, and–the kicker–a vegan spin on the restaurant’s in house Swedish meatballs, made with kasha (for those of you who are on the website, I know it says “vegetarian,” but I was careful to confirm that these were, indeed, vegan). Not only that, but the soup of the night was a cold beet soup, and with the simply removal of sour cream garnish, that was vegan, too.

Where do I begin saying how cool this was? For once, I had the luxury of choice at a restaurant; typically, my meal is decided for me by what’s available. And I loved that the restaurant’s signature dish–meatballs–were offered in an omnivorous AND vegan form. “Look,” the menu seemed to declare, “all beloved dishes can be made with animal or plant foods. Which do you choose?”

I really hope that more restaurants start to follow this kind of example. It’s no fun when I go out to eat and feel as though the only thing I can have is a grilled veggie plate or salad; it’s equally un-fun when my omni friends feel forced to eat dishes they don’t enjoy at vegan restaurants with me. Can’t we all just get along?

My friend played cameraman for me with his phone. As you can see, the dish was hearty and generous:

As I was eating, my friend asked a good question. “Would you know if it tasted like meat?” he said. Well, yeah, I think I would. I may have stopped eating red meat ages ago, but I haven’t entirely forgotten what meatballs are like! Honestly, though, my memories of the texture and taste of meal are really hazy.

Curious, my friend asked to try one of my meatballs. After a short of pause, he burst into laughter.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a smile. “That definitely isn’t meat.”

Well. No one said that alike and equal were the same, now did they?

If you’re a veg-heavy eater and you’re wandering around the West Village in Manhattan, I highly recommend stopping in Smorgas. It’s sweet, tasty, and neither you nor your dining companions will feel deprived!

xo

Operation Organization: Snack Chips

Hey guys!

Happy Memorial Day. It’s warm and sunny here in NYC, so I hope anyone who’s local is taking some time to enjoy the weather and soak up a little vitamin D!

Starting tomorrow, my schedule will be shifting–not, I’m afraid, for the better. Between this coming week and the end of July, I’ll be working later than usual–probably till 9:30 or 10:00 pm each night. This has some unpleasant side effects–less time with my friends, later bedtimes (because I’ll have counseling work to do when I get home), and less time to enjoy the long daylight hours. But it’s professionally important, so I’m making the best of it!

The real downside of working later will be having less time to cook. Sad face! Creating nourishing and tasty food is my favorite hobby and one of my only creative outlets; it is also, obviously, a huge part of my work as a blogger. I hope you’ll all bear with me patiently for the next two months as I work my derriere off, forgiving me when creative recipes don’t go up as often as usual. August will afford me more time for fresh and innovative food: that’s a promise!

Working past 8:00 pm means dinner at the desk (or on the go). This, in turn, means that, for the next 6-8 weeks, I’ll be packing all three meals and snacks every single weekday. Ooof! This will require

• Superhuman organization
• Weekend planning
• Efficient leftover usage
• Remembering to freeze excess food
• Keeping a checklist in my head each morning of what I’ll need for the day, so that I pack it all accordingly.

I’ve certainly gone through periods of late working hours like this before, so I know what I need to do: the trick is staying energetic and organized, so that I don’t fall into the habit of squandering money on takeout or the Whole Foods salad bar.

Packing three meals a day also means relying on more prepared foods than I usually do, which is sort of a bummer in that it quashes my love for all things spontaneous and fresh, but absolutely necessary for my schedule (and sanity). In this busy period of time–and whenever I’m away from my apartment more than usual–foods that will keep me going include:

• Nutrient dense salads, packed up the night before work
• Sprouted bread sandwiches, filled with marinated veggies, avocado and greens, hummus, or other veggie-based fillings
• PB and banana on manna bread. A comfort food fave.
• Grain salads–favorite bases for these include quinoa, millet, wheatberries (sprouted or boiled), and brown rice
• Raw collard wraps, with various nut pates and nut cheezes as fillings
• Snack plates of hummus or nut butter and raw veggies
• Kale chips
• Larabars, Wild Bars, and Flying Vegan bars (for more on my top energy bar picks, check out this recent post)
• Homemade raw trail mix
• Lydia’s raw crackers
• Soups and curries — easy to prepare on weekends and easy to freeze for future consumption
• Brown rice sushi rolls from Whole Foods when I’m feeling lazy

Naturally, other foods will make appearances in what I’m eating, but these will be the fundamentals. Stable, quick to prepare, and transportable.

Another food trend I expect in the next two months is increased use of my dehydrator. You all know how I feel about the dehydrator: it’s not an appliance I use often, and if I hadn’t been gifted with one, I wouldn’t have invested in it: since I’m not strict on the 115 degree law (or enzyme theory in general), I’d be content to bake food at a very low temperature in my oven. However, I do have a dehydrator, and it will come in handy in the coming weeks, as I work to prepare foods on the weekend that will remain shelf-stable and snackable.

This weekend, I decided to fire up the dehydrator with my first batch of portable snacks: veggie chips. In spite of the fact that I have almost no memory of eating regular potato chips (I know I did when I was little, but I don’t remember, and didn’t have much sentimental attachment to them), I do love a bit of crunch in my life, and I love it even more when it comes with some vitamins and nutrients. What could be better for this than veggie chips, which are painless to make and lack the sodium and low-quality fat content of conventional chips?

Making veggie chips is truly a cinch. Slice whatever veggies you’re using (eggplant, zucchini, yam, white potato, turnip, carrot, parsnip, etc.) very thinly–I’d say 1/8 inch is ideal–on a mandolin, in a food processor, or by hand. Toss them in a bit of olive oil or coconut oil, salt, pepper, and any spices you like (Italian spices are great; so is cumin or chili powder, especially on sweet potatoes or yams). Next, arrange all veggies on mesh dehydrator sheets (covered with Teflex if you like) and dehydrate for about 5-8 hours, or however long it takes for the chips to dry out and get crunchy. I used zucchini and sweet potato, like so:

After a night in my dehydrator, they were crispy, salty, and ready for munching! I served them as appetizers in a special lunch for my Mom yesterday:

From left to right, that’s leftover tomato tahini kale chips, sweet potato chips, and zucchini chips (which my friend Bitt has also made!).  They were a hit, and I’ve got a ton leftover to pack up for snackage this week. It’s one small item to check off my planning ahead list, and it couldn’t possibly have been easier to accomplish.

Before I sign off for the day, I wanted to share this week’s nutrient dense salad:

That’s chopped sweet potato, massaged kale, white beans, marinated and dehydrated broccoli and fennel, and zucchini dressing.

With that, I’m off to get some editing, reading, and more logistical planning done before the week begins. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, wish me luck!!

xo

Guest Post: S+C’s Diana on Making Raw Desserts

Hey friends!

I hope you enjoyed my recap of the bloggie meetup: I had an incredible time, and now I’m sad to leave Chicago. Tomorrow, you’ll all get the deets of lunch with Jenn and dinner at Karyn’s on Green!

Today, prepare to drool: we’re being joined by Diana, the mastermind behind one of the most hilarious blogs in blogdom. Diana is, I am happy to say, a friend both in the blogosphere and out. In the last year, we’ve managed to keep up a nice rotation of dinners: she cooks for me, I for her, and so forth, though I’ll confess that I’m usually happiest when she’s cooking for me. Diana is a kitchen wizard: she’s got such talent for constructing recipes that are delicious, healthy, and simple. So it’s no surprise that she’s now a kitchen apprentice at Sun in Bloom; specifically, she’s now at the helm of raw dessert development at that most lovely of eco-eateries.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time at all, you’ve probably noticed that, in comparison to other raw or semi-raw blogs, there’s a big hole in my kitchen knowledge: dessert. Why? Because I’m not much of a sweet person, and my kitchen time is limited. So when I do have a few hours to play in the kitch, I’m loathe to waste them on dessert, which (to me) feels more like an accessory than an outfit. But this doesn’t mean I’m not psyched when other people do the honors for me

This is why I asked Diana to visit today. I wanted her to show us all how one comes up with a raw dessert. What sparks an idea? How do you execute it? How do you ensure proper taste, texture, proportions? Inquiring minds want to know. With that, I’m proud to introduce my friend and raw dessert goddess Diana. Thanks, D, for being here!

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When Gena asked me to write a guest post on “how to conceive of and execute a raw dessert,” she really opened my mental floodgates. Where to begin? More importantly, where do I begin?? Seriously, as in, I don’t always remember how I came up with the danged idea in the first place. It’s rarely a linear process, and as often as not, my recipes are ultimately born of practicalities such as cost and what I happen to have on hand as (literally) raw materials.

To that end, I can share some of the only-slightly-harebrained principles by which I operate both in my culinary imagination and in my kitchen.

1) Fantasize

There are plenty of raw foods in their whole and unaltered state that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Not to go all Captain Obvious on you, but fruit is certainly the most obvious answer. For something less “healthy tasting,” dried fruit tends to seem more candy-like. Who among us hasn’t loved on a nut butter-stuffed date? Turkish figs are a favorite dried fruit of mine–if you’ve never tried them, I encourage you to ditch the Newton and go straight for the Fig part of that dessert equation.

But if you’re anything like me, dessert implies something richer and more decadent than anything that could be classified as fruit alone. Having had plenty of access to the cakes, cookies and ice creams of the world growing up, I am well acquainted with the many shapes, tastes and textures a treat can take on. Luckily, raw foods work really well in cake, cookie and ice cream form. And if you ask me, the best part is the lack of baking–never in your experimentation with raw desserts will you end up with a failed science experiment!

I don’t consider myself a prodigy of raw cheffery by any means, but even so, I have never made anything that wasn’t edible. The margin of error is so great that you can literally toss your favorite ingredients into a blender or food processor (or not!) and end up with something treat-worthy. So let your imagination run wild. Consider your favorite flavors and textures and experiment. It won’t take long for you to learn how various ingredients behave when combined with others.

For example:

* soaked cashews blended with liquid = cream
* almonds + dried fruit combined in a food processor = a pliable cake/pie crust
* nut/seed butters = binding agent
* soaked chia seeds/lecithin/xanthan gum = thickeners
* coconut oil = solid at room temperature and therefore a good shape-holder

Also consider your favorite type of dessert. Would it be a layer cake? A cream pie? An ice cream or pudding you’d eat with a spoon? Or bite size finger food? This question is often where I start, actually. If it’s cake I want, then I choose a flavor and make it work in that format. Same goes for ice cream or cookies, etc.

It can also be fun to recreate popular candies or “junk foods” using raw ingredients. That’s what I did when coming up with the recipe included in this post. I always loved Andes mints growing up, and I knew the flavor and look would lend itself well to a raw version. Wait, don’t scroll down yet! I’m still lecturing, ahem.

2) Assess the goods

What are you working with? What do you have on hand right now, before you make a trip to the grocery store? Unless you’re un-cooking for an event/party or as a gift, you might want to economize and come up with a dessert that utilizes at least some of what you’ve got, rather than drop major coin on a bunch of expensive and exotic raw ingredients ::coughMacaYaconGojicough:: that you’ll dip into once for a tablespoonful and then wonder how to use up.

Confession: for the crust of my recipe below, I’d intended for the dried fruit component to be dates only. Turns out I only had five dates, but the crust mixture really needed more stickiness. So I threw prunes in until I had the texture I wanted. No, prunes don’t taste quite as neutrally sweet as dates, but they still taste good (to me, at least)! No harm done. I was in my chef zone and was not about to haul arse to the store to buy more dates. I just worked with what I had.

3) Do some homework

If you really feel clueless as to where to start, look up recipes online or flip through your favorite un-cookbook. This is not to say you should follow a recipe–in that case, this post would’ve been over before it started! I only mean that it can be helpful to simply read a variety of recipes that are similar to what you want to make so you get an idea of ingredient ratios (i.e. proportion of nuts to dried fruit for a pie crust). Then insert your own flavor ideas.

I have enjoyed flipping through Cafe Gratitude’s Sweet Gratitude raw dessert cookbook. It teaches the fundamentals of constructing a raw cheesecake, for example, which is a springboard for infinite creations thereafter. For that matter, however, you can start right here at choosingraw.com. You already love Gena’s Chocomole, right? Well, why not add a touch of coconut oil to the recipe and pour it into a raw pie crust (such as is conveniently included in the 1st part of my recipe below)? Behold: raw chocolate cream pie! I’m just sayin’…

4) Keep an open mind

Prunes in the pie crust? Sure. Like I said, substitute pinch-hitters when you find yourself out of a certain ingredient. Nuts and seeds can be interchangeable, too, given that their textures are similar. I have been known to substitute sunflower seeds for pine nuts. I know, GASP!

Vegetables in the dessert recipe? Well, if you can think of a better way to turn something green than blending in some salad, I’m all ears. And no, food coloring does not qualify. Likewise, carrots = orange and beets = red/pink. This is not rocket science; it’s arugula science. (ZINGER!)

5) And if all else fails, keep it simple.

There’s really nothing wrong with a hunk of good chocolate. In fact, one might argue that there is everything right about it. Gena-sensei will agree with this one.

[End of lecture]

That said, there’s also nothing wrong with a bit of a fancy-pants dessert for a special treat, and that’s where the following recipe comes in. Its presentation belies the amount of actual work involved, so things like “skill” and “technique” are not really necessary here, unless you struggle with your blender’s On/Off switch. Let the freezer do the work! Inspired by Andes mint chocolates, I give you:

Raw Mint-Chocolate Cream Bars

Ingredients:

CRUST

* 3/4 cup almonds
* 5 dates, pitted
* 10 prunes (or more dates, if preferred–replace 2 prunes with 1 date)
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (raw cacao powder if you have it)
* pinch sea salt

FILLING

* 1 1/2 cups soaked cashews
* 1 cup non-dairy milk
* 1/2 cup agave nectar
* 1 tsp mint extract
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* 1 tsp xanthan gum
* pinch sea salt
* 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
* 1/2 cup coconut oil
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (raw cacao powder if you have it)

Directions:

1. Lightly oil a square baking dish (8″x8″ or so). Set aside.
2. Combine all CRUST ingredients in a food processor and pulse/blend until crumbly, but sticky enough to stay put when pressed against the side of the work bowl.
3. Empty crust mixture into the baking dish and press evenly onto the bottom. Set aside.

4. Combine all FILLING ingredients EXCEPT coconut oil and cocoa powder in a blender and blend smooth. Add coconut oil and blend again. This should yield about 4 cups of cream filling.

5. Pour half of the filling mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly across the crust layer. Place baking dish in the freezer and allow to freeze until firm to the touch (probably at least an hour or so).

6. Meanwhile, re-blend the remaining filling with the cocoa powder. Add a drizzle of water to thin, if necessary. I probably added nearly 1/4 cup water to get the texture similar to the pre-cocoa consistency.
7. Once the green layer has hardened in the baking dish, pour the remaining, chocolate-ized filling overtop, creating a new brown layer.
8. Freeze again until firm to the touch. Cut into small rectangles and serve. Store in the refrigerator (or keep in freezer for more of an ice cream cake effect).

Enjoy! Feel free to contact me at diana @ soapandchocolate.com to talk treats some more. I’d love to see what you come up with!

[Gena's comment: Told ya! DROOL!]

Basic Chia Seed Pudding

Hey all!

So pleased with the huge reaction to Brendan’s interview. Keep the entries coming — I can’t wait to award a lucky reader with a copy of Thrive Fitness!

A few days ago I posted some of my favorite raw or semi-raw breakfast options. I mentioned that chia seed pudding is a quick and easy breakfast choice, and a few of you wrote in to ask whether or not I have a recipe for it. Well, I do, and I’m happy to say it’s a simple one! The truth is that there’s not much to chia pudding: you simply want to mix one part chia seeds with two parts liquid (almond milk is the easiest choice), stir, and wait. Over the course of thirty minutes to an hour, the chia seeds will gelatinize and the pudding will thicken up nicely. You can add whatever sweetener or spices you like to the mix: cinnamon is a lovely addition, and so is cocoa (or cacao) powder. I always add a bit of stevia and a hint of vanilla to my basic mix, which is as follows:

Gena’s Basic Chia Pudding (yields 3-4 servings)

3/4 cup chia seeds
2 cups almond milk
Tiny dash salt
Stevia and vanilla extract to taste

Simply mix the ingredients together, and let them rest for a few moments. Stir the mix well with a fork every five minutes or so. At first, it’ll seem far too liquidy, but over the course of thirty minutes the chia seeds will plump up, till the pudding resembles tapioca pudding, like so:

It will taste mild and delicious. Here, along with a cup of coconut water (those are glass bottles from Organic Avenue, which I reuse at home all the time!), it made for a perfect pre-workout snack:

Chia seeds, in case you were wondering, are an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, & copper.  In fact, they contain 6 times more calcium, 11 times more phosphorus, and 4.6 times more potassium per 100g of edible portion than milk, and have 6 times more iron per 100g of edible portion than spinach, 1.8 times more iron than lentils, and 2.4 times more iron than beef liver. To this, add a high protein composition (19-23%) and the fact that they can aid in hydration for physical fitness, and you have a very nourishing snack indeed!

A little bored by this recipe? Check out my buddy Kristen’s holiday chia pudding, or my own chocolate peppermint chia seed pudding.

Chia pudding, like so many raw concoctions, may sound daunting, but in reality it’s as painless and simple as can be. Hope you all get a chance to try it, and love it!

xo

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