I’m a Raw chocolate fan. Period. I was thinking of new smoothie recipes and figured…why not add chocolate to my green smoothie? It is delicious. But, it’s not pretty. I’m trying to come up with a romantic name for it (I think making it French with “au chocolat” should do the trick). It does look like mud (although this is the kind of thing that would be fun to drink around other people). I’m sure I’ll get questions and stares (something with which I can definitely have fun).
Here is the recipe for those looking to add more chocolate to their lives.
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups spinach, packed
3 medium bananas
2 tablespoons raw chocolate powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Blend and enjoy as you take in all of those antioxidants.
I’m sure you know what I’ll be adding to my chocolate smoothie tomorrow…habanero pepper. I love spicy chocolate recipes (there’s a great recipe in my dessert ebook called, Sexed Up Spicy Chocolate Mousse). If you’re interested in my favorite brand of organic raw chocolate powder, check out my website here.
raw recipes
Dazzling Daylight Flower Smoothie
Organic edible flowers are not just for salads and garnish. I love using them in smoothies, too! Did you know that organic edible flowers are rich in nectar and pollen (studies have shown pollen to be nutritious with minerals and vitamins). Roses, especially rose hips, are very high in vitamin C. Dandelion blossoms (and yellow flowers, in general) have plenty of vitamin A, while the leaves are loaded with iron, calcium, phosophorous and vitamins A and C. Marigolds and Nasturtium have vitamin C.
I made a magnificent smoothie from fresh organic peaches and edible flowers. You definitely want to try this.
Dazzling Daylight Flower Smoothie
Yield 3 cups
2 large white peaches, pitted
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup organic edible flowers
Blend the peaches and lemon juice until smooth. Add the flowers and pulse briefly. You want to have gorgeous flecks of colors showing. Enjoy served in a sassy wine glass or goblet.
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Fragrant Peach Green Smoothie
I just blended up a delicious and refreshingly aromatic green smoothie. It’s almost decadent, if you can imagine a green smoothie being decadent.
Fragrant Peach Green Smoothie
Yield approximately 5 cups
2 cups water
2 large white peaches, pitted
1 banana, peeled
1 large handful spinach
1 small handful fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy (making sure the rosemary and basil get blended in nicely).
I’m posting more easy Raw recipes this week, so check back soon. In the meantime, enjoy this one. Cheers!
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Orange Blossom Chocolate Mousse
Think: Delicious, Floral, Chocolatey, Creamy. One of my creations, this recipe is simple (less than 10 minutes to make!) with only a handful of ingredients. Enjoy!
Orange Blossom Chocolate Mousse
Yield 1 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons orange blossom water*
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1/4 cup raw chocolate powder
2 tablespoons raw carob powder**
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 avocado pitted, peeled
Blend all of the ingredients in your blender until creamy. It’s wonderful to eat right away or chilled in the refrigerator or you can freeze it in an ice cube tray for Frozen Orange Blossom Chocolate Bites!
*You can easily find this at most Middle Eastern Markets and some Whole Foods Markets, or purchase it online here: Dayna’s Market (while you’re there, pick up a bottle of rose water, which I use in some of my Easy Raw Food Recipe ebooks). The orange blossom water provides the unique floral and orange essence to this recipe. You can, of course, replace it with plain water, but it will be plain chocolate mousse (delicious still, but certainly not the same).
**The only place I have found “true” raw carob is at NaturalZing.com.
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Kristen Suzanne’s Harvest Soup
I just created a most delicious soup! I named it Kristen Suzanne’s Harvest Soup because the colors and flavors subtly remind me of a fall harvest. It’s an easy and delicious raw vegan food recipe that the whole family will love (just like all the recipes in my raw food recipe ebooks). With raw being this easy and delicious, who needs cooked food?
Kristen Suzanne’s Harvest Soup
Yield 6 cups
- 1 cup water
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups carrot, chopped
- 2 dates, pitted
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons Himalayan crystal salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup raw flax oil or raw olive oil (or mix them both)
Blend all of the ingredients, except for the flax oil, on high speed in your blender until really creamy (approximately one minute – I prefer this soup a tad warm and very creamy). Then, while the blender is running on low speed, add the flax oil. Continue blending, at a higher speed, for another minute or less. This will make it slightly warm.
Variations:
~Substitute avocado or nut butter… for the flax/olive oil
~Add 1/2 teaspoon coriander
~Add 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
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Wine – Raw? Organic? How about Vegan?
While I understand that alcohol destroys pretty much every cell it comes in contact with, I also understand that not everyone is going to swear off alcohol for life. Wine would be the best choice for your alcoholic beverage since it’s considered Raw. In fact, I created some amazing and fun beverages with wine in my book (boy those were fun to make and test!): Kristen Suzanne’s EASY Raw Smoothies, Juices, Elixirs & Drinks. Once you go Raw though, expect to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly and strongly, as your body will have become very efficient at absorption. Until you discover your new, lower tolerance for alcohol, be very careful when you drink. And…don’t drink and drive.
Organic:
Look for organic wine that is low in sulfites or without added sulfites. This is sometimes a point of confusion because sulfites occur naturally even in 100% organically produced wine. According to Professor Roger Boulton, Ph.D., of UC Davis’ Department of Viticulture and Enology, even if no sulfur dioxide is added to wine, fermenting yeasts will produce SO2 from the naturally occurring inorganic sulfates in all grape juices. Thus, says Boulton, it is impossible for any wine to be completely free of sulfur dioxide.
Vegan:
But, just because the wine is Raw and even Organic, doesn’t mean it’s Vegan. If it says “vegan” on the bottle, then you’re good to go. Does yours? If not, you might want to contact the company and ask, although I suspect it won’t be vegan unless it says so on the bottle. Here is one that I have tried and enjoyed. It’s organic and vegan: Organic Vintners Mendocino Pinot Noir (pictured here). This is what they had to say about vegan and biodynamic wines:
Biodynamic principles take the organic approach a step further by making sure that the growth of the grapes is in tune with the larger environment. Using homeopathic sprays, herbal preparations and lunar cycles, soil fertility is increased and vines are protected from pests and diseases.
Vegan wines. Winemakers, both organic and conventional, are not obliged to declare on the label when they use animal by-products as fining agents to clarify wine. These include egg white (to brighten red wines), casein (a milk protein to make wine taste softer), gelatin (removes bitterness) and isinglass (derived from fish). A vegan wine, on the other hand, uses no animal products whatsoever. The vegan versions typically use clay to make the wines clear.
I’m excited to see the organic vegan wine selection growing at Whole Foods, as well as to see such a great collection online at places like The Organic Wine Company. Sometimes for holiday, anniversary, or birthday gifts, I buy a bottle of organic vegan wine for people and have it shipped. I like The Organic Wine Company’s selection.
AND! Since I’m all about voting with my dollar….here is my plan when visiting restaurants. I’ll ask if they offer an organic (and vegan!) wine selection. If they say, “no” then I’ll tell them that I’ll just drink water. That’ll teach them, eh?