Carob marzipan truffles

I finally found some raw organic apricot kernels in Finland! To celebrate this awesome discovery, I just had to whip up some raw marzipan. Personally I think there is something magical about the combination of really dark, slightly bitter chocolate and sweet rich marzipan. So, as soon as we got home I started soaking some almonds and later that evening we enjoyed these little treats (WHY does blogger tilt my pics nowadays??):

Marzipan:
1 handful of almonds, soaked 8 hours
1-4 apricot  kernels
Agave syrup, to taste

Peel almonds after soaking. Place almonds and apricot kernels in a powerful blender and process into a nut butter. Add some agave to sweeten. Roll into tiny balls by hand.

Carob-coating:
Carob powder
Coconut oil
Agave syrup
Pinch salt

The idea is you make a little mountain of carob powder, and then slowly add liquid (=oil, agave) to it until the right consistency and taste is achieved.You want it pretty thick, so that it stays on the marzipan balls. My carob chocolate was pretty grainy (as you can see from the pic), not nearly as smooth as it would've been using raw cacao powder. We chose carob, because of the caffeine in raw cacao. If however you prefer using cacao, go right ahead.  To assemble the truffles, roll the marzipan balls in chocolate until they are coated all around and chill in the fridge to set.

Raw Pasha

Pasha is a traditional, originally Russian Easter dessert. It is typically made with curd, cream, raw yolks, sugar and dried fruit. Growing up, my mother made this faithfully every Easter. I didn't love it that much as a child, but began enjoying it more each year. This year I was slightly sad I can't have it anymore (diagnosed with casein allergy + lactose intolerance, it has gotten a lot worse and I can't tolerate ANY milk anymore). I thought I'd try to make a raw version, but wasn't expecting any success. But whoa, this tasted authentic! Just have to share the recipe, even if it sounds strange to some of my  foreign readers.

RAW PASHA:
 Prep time: 12h soaking + 2 days

The curd:
1 C cashews + 0,5C almonds, soaked
1 C water (or more/less)
2-3 tbsp raw honey or agave
insides of 1 vanilla bean (use less for milder vanilla flavor)
3 tsp acidophilus powder (I used this one)

Add-ins:
Dried dates, figs, apricots etc
Raisins
Ground almonds
lemon zest

Soak nuts for 12 hours, peel almonds if they have the peel on them. Boil water and allow cool (to eliminate unwanted micro-organisms). Blend nuts until perfectly smooth with enough water to make a rather thick cream. Blend in honey, vanilla seeds and acidophilus. Set in a clean, sealed glass container in a warm place. A pleasant sour aroma should develop within a couple hours. Finns may notice the scent of "vanilja rahka". It should also thicken significantly (almost stiff!). Once this is accomplished, place in the fridge overnight.

Next day mix with dried fruit, ground nuts of choice and lemon zest. You may add honey/agave if you feel it needs more sweetness. Then fetch a cheese cloth or another similar device for draining the mixture. I used a cloth over a colander and an empty bowl. Place in the fridge to firm up, mine was ready a day after. Although mine didn't leak out any liquid, it firmed up enough so I could turn it over and it held its shape when we cut into it. It will probably continue to sour, so make only what you can eat within 1-2 days.

Tiramisu

It was my husbands birthday two weeks ago, so of course I wanted to surprise him with something scrumptious. My mind went back and forth with what kind of a cake I would make (nice rhyme!), but at the end it came down to what my husband loves most - coffee, nuts and chocolate. He no longer drinks coffee daily, only on special occasions. These days he has also switched to organic coffee infused with medicinal mushrooms (etc Reishi, Cordyceps). Iherb sells and ships these even to Finland with an affordable price, and their flavor is as good as any other regular coffee brand.

Of course, since coffee is used in this recipe it is not entirely raw. What it is, is my own take on a healthier tiramisu. It is my best attempt to recreate this delicious Italian dessert without cream, sugar and amaretto liquor. I do think that once these key flavor ingredients are omitted, the coffee is necessary to keep it resembling the original. If you don't care for it, just omit it. In this case I would add some almond extract to bring out some amaretto flavor in the cream.

Base:
Raw, organic almonds
Raw cacao powder
Honey, coconut oil
dash salt and organic vanilla/almond extract

Process almonds into a powder, mix with rest of the ingredients in a bowl. The mixture should be firm enough to shaped on a serving dish with your hands. Taste it to make sure the flavors are balanced, you don't want the base too sweet. Set in the fridge to chill.

Tiramisu cream layer:
3/4 C Reishi Coffee (I use Longreen, better tasting and cheaper than MadreLabs)
2 handfuls of cashews + 1 handful of peeled almonds
Honey/agave, to taste
Lucuma powder (for nutritional value and sweetness)
Almond extract

Soak almonds overnight and cashews for a couple hours. Make the coffee, allow it to cool down to room temperature. Blend everything until smooth, thick creamy consistency. Spread on the base with a spatula/knife. Set in the fridge. This is best when served the day after making, because the flavors continue to intensify and develop. Sprinkle with grated raw chocolate or cacao powder. Enjoy!

This recipe does not specify amounts, because it all depends on how thick a base you want or whether you like your tiramisu in several layers. The precise amounts of the ingredients are best determined by tasting. With this nut-coffee ratio the cream takes on a rich but not overpowering coffee taste. It is however a good idea to add the coffee slowly to make sure you get the right taste and texture. 

A tiramisu like this makes for a nice introduction to raw desserts. It is easy to prepare and it resembles a well-known "regular" dessert in both texture and flavor. I am already planning to serve this for my coffee-loving in-laws next time they come to visit.

Amazing raw sour cream!

Just a brief note to let you guys now I am alive and thinking of what to make for my husbands birthday tomorrow. Hopefully it will turn out successful and make its way into this blog! 

Last night we enjoyed blinis. Well, I have yet to figure out a decent way to recreate the actual blinis in a raw way. The toppings however, have been raw for a long time now. Every time we make them, I try to think of a way to improve the raw sour cream we love to dab on the blinis. Usually I have added acidophilus, and allowed it to sour up in the fridge for a couple days. This time I felt the urge to make blinis ex tempore, so I had to come up with something faster. Here it is (sorry, no pic!):

Quick raw sour cream:
2 handfuls of soaked cashews
1 small handful of your favorite raw sauerkraut, or to taste
dash lemon juice, Himalayan salt, pepper, fresh or dried dill

Blend all until smooth. You can add the dill after blending, so that it won't turn out completely green :)
Check seasoning.

The Blinis:
handful of cashews + water (should equal 5dl or 2 C after blending into cashew milk)
organic buckwheat groats ground into flour or whole-grain buckwheat flour (didn't measure this, you want somewhat of a thick pancake batter consistency)
1 organic egg
Himalayan salt

Beat until there are no lumps, let sit for a while for the flour to "swell up". Add more, if it seems too thin.

Heat the skillet. Makes about 35 small blinis.

Traditionally blini recipes use carbonated beverages and yeast or baking powder, but for health reasons I settle for this recipe. 

Serving suggestion: tuna or salmon ceviche, dehydrator-marinated shiitake mushrooms, marinated veggies and of course heapings of raw sour cream!

Orange fudge brownies with date frosting

My in-laws came for a visit today. It is always a bit scary to cook for your mom-in-law, especially when you don't bake the traditional coffee table "treats" she is used to. I can bake, quite well even, but I just don't care for it anymore. Raw desserts are so much better than dairy and gluten free baking. Like many of you, I would also like to see my family and friends eat better and I try to teach them about healthy eating (subtle hints) when they visit. I gave up the preaching a long time ago, now I just attempt to wow them with how good real food can be.

To my suprise, my mother-in-law RAVED about these brownies, had seconds and thirds and also requested the recipe. Big hit! When we told her, that they are no-bake, she was even more amazed. Mission accomplished.

Orange fudge layer:
1,5 C almonds
200g or little less than 0,5lb dried figs, soaked
1/3-1/2C carob powder
4 tbsp coconut oil + some fig soak water
1-2 tbsp honey, or to taste (feel free to omit)
Dehydrated organic orange peel, to taste (I put 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp lucuma and 2 tbsp maca powder, optional
Pinch salt

Blend until a smooth "ball" of dough. Chop a handful or two of walnuts, and fold in. Shape into a large square on a pretty serving dish, place in the fridge. This should be a rather stiff dough, so only a brief chill in the fridge is sufficient.

Date frosting
10 dates + handful of raisins, soaked
Soak water
2 tbsp lucuma powder, optional but adds great flavor
1/4C carob powder
(pinch salt)
(vanilla)

Blend until smooth, spread on top of brownie layer. Chill & Enjoy.

If I were making these for just us two, I would add some ginger to the brownie mix. For this occasion, I thought ginger with "mock chocolate" may have been just little too exotic.. :)

Creamed sesame tahini dessert

Contrary to my recent posting pattern, here I am already back with recipes. My life, as I probably have mentioned more than once, is a hectic one. Just recently, I was working two positions. Last week I made the decision to give the corporate one up, so that I can concentrate on the interesting research I am doing at the University. This will be my Master's thesis. On top of this I have a load of interesting courses, but also a wonderful family. As much as I enjoy blogging, it comes after my family and work on my list of priorities. It looks like at the moment I finally have some spare time to create and post, so your patience will hopefully be rewarded =)

Raw tahini:
Sprouted sesame seeds
Raw and unfiltered honey, to taste
Cold-pressed coconut oil and sesame oil
Himalayan salt
(water)

Soak sesame seeds for 8 hours. Drain water, rinse thoroughly and sprout for another 8 hours. The seeds won't actually grow, the idea is to get rid of the enzyme inhibitors, so that the calcium and other nutrients are better absorbed. Once this is done, place the seeds in a food processor or blender, add honey. Then blend in 50:50 coconut and sesame oil. Add salt. Taste and adjust. I like my tahini with a nice balance of savory and sweet. If you find that cold-pressed sesame oil is too strong in flavor, substitute for more coconut oil.

Tahini cream:
3 tbsp raw tahini
4 oz/120g raw brazil nuts, soaked for 4-6 hours
Raw honey, to taste
water

Blend tahini, nuts and honey. Add water until desired consistency. With little water this makes for a flavorful raw cream, while more water will yield a more yoghurt like texture and slightly milder flavor.

Serving suggestion:
Banana, blueberries, chopped pecans, fresh lemon balm leaves

You could also blend some lemon balm in with the tahini cream.This is a versatile, quick and easy raw treat. Enjoy as breakfast, snack, dessert or dress it up for a fancier occasion.

Still alive and back with a vengence

Hey guys, and thank you for your patience. I've been laying low for several reasons. First of all, I suffered a severe kidney infection with high fever lasting over a week. Since that, I've done a lot of thinking. Why despite my healthy lifestyle did I come down with such an illness? Why despite the all organic, pure diet does my daughter get sick? Many other health food/raw foodie bloggers seem to be the epitomes of health, insisting that as long as you eat pure food, you can't get sick. What is it that I do wrong then? I eat mostly raw, mostly vegetables and fruit, I exercise but don't overdo it. Nearly all my food is organic. Although I work and study, I don't ever feel overwhelmed or stressed. All in all, I am happy and love my life. What gives?

Is this all due to a tick bite that went unnoticed years ago? Doctor's think I suffer from chronic Lyme disease. I thought so too, initially I was in a lot of chronic pain because of it. So much so, I was on horrible medications. I was sick constantly, and it was never the flu or anything mild. Now, thanks to completely changing my diet and way of life over a year ago, I am pain-free and medication free. But could this be something that is affecting my immune system? I have been rigorously tested for every condition that may cause compromised immunity, but they all have come back negative. If this is the case, is there anything I can do about it? Echinacea, medicinal mushrooms, camu camu for vitamin C boost? If anyone one of you has tips, I would greatly appreciate any advice.

This all being confessed, I am starting a project of my own that I will continue to write about here. For months now, I have been taking a dose of 2000IU vitamin D and some supplemental zinc.  I have also been eating raw shiitake mushrooms weekly. This month I started B12 supplements, since this could help improve my immune system. Just this morning my husband and I decided that we will try some wild game birds in our diets, so that we wouldn't need the supplements. Before I was disgusted by the thought of eating anything else than chicken or fish, and even chicken I haven't had in a long time. Now, although I am not going full on paleo, I think it is wise to try to eat what is natural and what our bodies were designed to eat. I am blood type O, which is a hunter blood type. This could be the reason for my gluten-intolerance and milk allergy. I find I need a high protein diet, maybe also because my work is so intellectually demanding. So, I am going back to my roots in search for better health. From now on, this family is on a "wild diet", consisting of  mostly vegetables, with an emphasis on seasonal foods including weekly self-caught or sustainably caught wild fish and game.

I will be back with recipes and thoughts on my new journey. Let's hope this does the trick!