Pizza Kale Chips

Honestly, if you love a salty snack and are trying to eat healthy, and you haven't yet tried a kale chip??? You are missing out, my friend. From the minute I discovered kale chips, I knew I was on to something and that my dreams of a tasty, yet healthy salty snack had come true.

When I realized I could make them in my dehydrator and they would keep for days (if they lasted that long), I was even more amazed and shocked. I've tried a few variations, but trust me when I saw that Amber's Pizza Kale Chips from her new cookbook, Practically Raw, are incredibly and insanely tasty. It's the sort of recipe that I wish I had created - it's just that good. The tomato sauce coating, which includes fennel seeds, is delicious. I've even had friends who are slightly picky try these and they love them! The best part about Amber's recipe is that she includes directions for those who don't have a dehydrator, as do all of her recipes in her new cookbook. So give these chips (and her book!) a try - I promise you won't be disappointed!



Pizza Kale Chips
(From Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make by Amber Shea Crawley, (c) 2012. Used by permission.)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 to 4 hours and drained
1/4 cup hempseeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons filtered water
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped (6 to 8 cups)

Combine all ingredients except kale in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding a splash of water if needed to blend.

In a large bowl, combine the kale and the pizza sauce. Use your hands to massage the sauce all over the kale, making sure it’s coated completely.

Make it Raw: Arrange the kale in a single layer on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 8 hours or overnight, until crisp.

Make it Baked: Preheat the oven to 300°F and grease a baking sheet with coconut oil. Arrange the kale in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a fork or spatula to carefully flip the kale chips over (it’s ok if you miss a few). Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, watching carefully to make sure the kale doesn’t burn, then remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Spiced Pecans and Cashews

I never thought I would use my dehydrator as much as I have since I purchased it. But I honestly use it weekly, if not daily. It's perfect for kale chips, crackers, and all sorts of other fun things, and it's much more useful than I ever dreamed.

These are by far some of my most favorite spiced nuts. I made them the other night when I had my best friend Lina over, and she raved about them. They have a perfect combination of spicy and sweet - both of which add up to a very tasty combination.

Although this recipe is written for the dehydrator, this can easily be made and thrown in a low heat oven until dry. This recipe comes from Raw for the Holidays, a great resource for special raw vegan recipes.



Spiced Pecans and Cashews
1 cup raw pecans (or roasted/unsalted)
1 cup raw cashews (or roasted/unsalted)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
freshly cracked pepper to taste
2 tsp coconut aminos (or tamari or soy cause)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup)

Combine nuts in a bowl. Combine cinnamon through pepper in a small bowl. Add aminos, rosemary, olive oil, and agave to nuts and toss well. Add spice mixture and toss well to combine. Spread out on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 24 hours, or until dry and crisp.

In the need of more spiced nuts recipes?? Check these out!
Indian Spiced Nuts
Green Tea Wasabi Almonds
Lemon Pepper Cashews

5 Alarm Hot Sauce

I have been craving hot sauce something fierce lately. The hotter, the better actually. And since I found some wonderful dried ghost chilies at the West Side Market in Cleveland when I was there for a wonderful weekend with my girls, I thought, "let's try a hot sauce."

This is a wonderfully flavorful sauce that is sure to deliver some serious heat. There's a combination of fresh peppers, dried peppers, horseradish, and ground pepper so you're sure to get hit from the heat on all sides! It's not the hottest sauce I've ever had, but it's definitely no slouch in the heat department. But the full flavors of the rest of the ingredients add such a wonderful flavor that it tempts even those who can't handle heat to try and eat as much as they can.

This is a perfect recipe to bookmark for that end-of-summer pepper bounty. And if you don't have the ghost or piquin chilies, just kick up the amount of fresh peppers!



5 Alarm Hot Sauce

1 dried ghost chili
5 dried piquin chili peppers
7 habanero chilies
7 jalapeno chilies
4 serrano peppers
2 cups chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked brown mustard seeds (or mustard powder)
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup mango nectar or juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground horseradish
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Place dried piquin chilies and ghost chili in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes until rehydrated. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring a few cups of water to boil. Add chopped carrots and onion and simmer for several minutes until soft. Add ghost chili, piquin chilies, and cooked carrots and onion to blender container. Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT for cilantro, and puree until well combined. Pulse in cilantro. Allow to cool off in the fridge for several house and then ENJOY!

Roasted Asparagus & Potato Soup

I don't think there is anything easier than a roasted vegetable soup. Seriously. Most of the cooking time is just waiting for the oven to do its thing, and then it's just a matter of going from there. And it definitely hits the spot on those cold winter days when you need something warm and delicious.

This recipe is one of the easiest and tastiest I've made in a very long time. It has a very minimal ingredient list, and literally takes minutes of active cooking time to put together. Plus, it delivers a serious punch of flavor that is not soon forgotten.

Looking for more? Check out this roasted tomato soup or this roasted eggplant tomato soup with pesto.



Roasted Asparagus & Potato Soup
Serves 4-6

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and chopped
1 small head garlic, cloves peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
Freshly cracked pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large roasting pan, combine asparagus, potatoes, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and liberally sprinkle with pepper. Place into oven and roast for 45 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove from oven. In a large stockpot, add broth and roasted vegetables. Puree with an immersion blender until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve and enjoy!

Cracklin' Cauliflower

So it's not secret that I could easily make a meal out of some roasted vegetables. Not only are they easy, but they are so hearty and satisfying that I have no problem sitting down with a large serving and calling it "dinner."

I was monkeying around on the internet and stumbled across a recipe called "Cracklin' Cauliflower." Apparently it's a recipe from a Whole Foods cookbook. I've never seen the original, but I was instantly intrigued by the variations that I came across. I decided to give it a try and boy, I was not disappointed. I didn't put in most of the ingredients that were in the original recipe, but I have to say I don't think this recipe misses them or lacks in some serious flavor punch.

Whether you eat this as a main dish or as a side dish, I think you'll be very satisfied by the amazing flavors!




Cracklin' Cauliflower
Serves 1, 2 or 4

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 red onion, cut into large pieces
4-5 garlic cloves, halved
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds, mostly crushed
1 tsp salt (to taste)
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large roasting pan, combine cauliflower, onion, garlic, and ginger. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well. Add spices and mix well until evenly coated. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and serve.

Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce

So when I like to eat healthier, I love to get as much raw food into my diet as possible. Go ahead and Google "raw diet", but let me tell you first hand it is amazing and makes a huge difference. After just a few days of all raw fruits and vegetables, you notice a significant difference in energy levels. You also lose that heavy bloated feeling that can come from eating heavy, rich meals. Even my fiance has tried it and admits that he feels much better after a few days of eating clean and raw. (So very lucky to have a fiance that willingly eats vegan or raw whenever!) But living on the East Coast, it can be somewhat hard to stick to eating all raw, especially in the cold winter months, but recipes like this make it so much easier!

I don't know why I haven't made my own spring rolls well before this. I mean, I love Vietnamese food and almost every time I go, I order their vegetarian spring rolls. I finally decided to make my own and was shocked by how easy it was. Seriously - just get yourself some spring roll wrappers and try. They can stay in your pantry forever, and you just simply soak them in warm water for a few minutes to soften them. And the best part - you can fill them with whatever strikes your fancy. Sprouts, shredded carrots, avocado slices, scallions, cilantro, marinated mushrooms, lettuce or spinach leaves - seriously, whatever you want!

But no spring roll is complete without a dipping sauce, and that's where this recipe comes in handy. Quick, delicious, and seriously tasty. The first time I made this, I was shocked by how tasty it was. It's got all the flavor points you're looking for, and is a wonderful companion to whatever spring rolls you're making. Oh, and it's not just good for spring rolls. I've used it as a dip for fresh veggies and even as a salad dressing - it's good no matter how you use it!



Spicy Thai Sauce
Serves 4

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c raw almond butter (or roasted, if that's the kind you have)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp nama shoyu (or soy sauce or tamari)
2 tsp sesame oil
drizzle of agave nectar
drizzle of sriracha (optional)

In a small food processor, pulse ginger and garlic until well minced. Add remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Chill for a few minutes in the fridge until flavors get all friendly like. Serve and enjoy!

New Year, New Resolutions, New Recipes!

Well, hello there! Welcome to 2012! As with any New Year, there are always new resolutions of things we'll try to do better at or change within the coming year. Along with eating healthier, another resolution of mine is to bring this poor neglected blog out of retirement.

And what better way than with a new recipe? This is by far one of my most favorite granola recipes of all times. It is my variation of an old favorite from Cafe Gratitude's cookbook, "I Am Grateful." It's hearty, it's fulfilling, and it's perfect for breakfast or a snack. I use my dehydrator to make this, but those without could easily make it in a low heating oven or even baked at a low temperature. Regardless of how you make it, this will be the perfect recipe to jump start your day and help you stick to that "eat healthier" resolution.

And stay tuned later in the week for some more healthy recipes!



New Year's Granola

1 cup raw almonds, soaked 12 hours
1/2 c raw sunflower seeds, soaked 6 hours
1/2 c whole buckwheat, soaked 6 hours
3 apples, grated
7 medjool dates
1 banana
1/2 c dried cranberries (or blueberries or cherries)
1/2 c chia seeds
1/2 c dried coconut
2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c shelled hemp seeds

Soak nuts and buckwheat, then drain and rinse. Add to large bowl. In small food processor, process dates and bananas until creamy. Add to bowl, along with remaining ingredients. Spread out onto dehydrator trays (use a paraflexx sheet if mixture is too wet). Dehydrate at 105 degrees for at least 12 hours. I prefer my granola a little softer, but dehydrate to desired texture. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Looking for more recipes to use with your dehydrator?
*Flax Crackers with Everything
*Lemon Macaroons
*Mexican Crackers