Pancakes, flat jacks, hotcakes, griddlebacks, and panky doos

Pancakes, flat jacks, hotcakes…no matter what you call them they’re delicious.  If you disagree, message me and we can have a pank doo (pancake) debate.  If I do find a non-pancake lover, I’d have the right mind to slap them across the face with one (like on the movie Grown-ups).  For those of you that are in agreement with my love of pancakes, here’s a dip your toe in the raw water recipe of deliciousness.

I got this recipe from Brendan Brazier’s book Thrive.  It’s a great book for athletes and non-athletes alike.  Vegans, health-nuts, and just people trying to be healthier can get some great ideas from it.  While Brendan’s recipe calls for buckwheat flour, I use whatever is on hand.  I would suggest keeping to a gluten-free flour, in order to keep these light on the stomach and easy to digest.

If you’re a brave raw foodist you can, like me, first sprout the buckwheat, or other grain.  Then dehydrate until crunchy.  Next grind in your food processor to desired consistency.  Now you have raw, sprouted, living flour!  Because this is such a process that takes several days, I do a big batch at a time and store it in the freezer.  The steps are REALLY easy, it just takes a bit of planning.  Probably a total of ten minutes actual work time.  If you don’t have a dehydrator, the time, or simply the gumption, start out with buckwheat, quinoa, or even almond flour.

Now, on to the recipe:

Stuff you need:

1 cup buckwheat flour (or other gluten-free flour, preferably sprouted)

1/4 cup flaxseed, ground (I use sprouted flax seed)

1/4 cup hemp protein powder (I use Garden of Life’s raw protein powder or Vega Protein Powder which is mostly raw)

2 teaspoons baking powder (this is optional and make sure to use aluminum-free powder : ) )

1 teaspoon cinnamon and whatever other spices your tongue desireth

1 banana

2 cups water

1/4 cup raw oat flakes or some other flakes like barley flakes, or you could add sprouted buckwheat, walnuts or anything else for some crunch and texture interest

Other fruit, like berries.  Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, or dingle-berries (I don’t know what those actually are).  If it’s berriesque it belongs in the pancakes!

Directions:

1. Stir together the flour, flaxseed, hemp protein, baking powder, and cinnamon until they seem like one.

2. In a food processor blend the banana a some of the water until smooth.

3. Add the banana mixture and rest of the water to the  flour concoction and stir until smooth

4. Mix in the berries and oat flakes, and whatever else you want.

5. Now here’s where there’s a fork in the road.  You can a) dehydrate the pancakes on low or b) heat them on VERY low over the stove in a pan.  Of course dehydration will take a…while.  If you prefer to heat over the stove, but still want most of your food living, just be sure to keep the heat very low.  The pancakes should get firm on each side after sitting about five minutes.  The center will be moist and undercooked, but delicious none-the-less.

Now every good pancake has to have a delicious topping.  You can do the ever so over done maple syrup or agave nectar, honey if you desire.  In my opinion though, this raspberry topping I made for Todd really completes it.

Stuff you need:

1 cup raspberries

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon stevia or maple syrup or agave nectar (may need more according to taste)

Directions:

Blend everything together in a coffee grinder or food processor.

Throw it on top of your pancakes.

Now, I’m no expert, but the sweetness and fun color of this topping seems like a great way to introduce kids to raw pancakes.

And there you have it: A gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, nut free, low sugar, healthy carb, healthy fat, nutrient dense pancake of scrumptiousness.  They’re high-fiber, high vitamin c from the berries, provide plenty of essential fatty acids omega 3-6-9 from the flaxseed and hemp protein, high-enzyme, and just over-all good for you.  : )  Compare that to the average pancake which is made with white flour (no fiber), egg (no omega 3s unless you buy free range), milk (no enzymes,  no probiotics (important good bacteria stuff that your tummy and immune system like), not to mention the puss that’s included from over-milking the cow’s (yuuuum!)), and oil (unless it’s an extra virgin oil sourced from GOOD fats (like flaxseed, coconut oil, olive oil, walnut oil, etc) it offers virtually no benefit other than making your fat cells engorged (delightful).  I think we know who wins this one.  : )

Renee

Todd eats mostly raw and healthy stuff a lot for at least 30 days

I’m back!  Well, I was never away.  Of course the usual excuses follow: school, work, husband returning from Iraq, moving, etc.  Although I’ve been away I haven’t stopped living or loving life!  I was excited to get my report that I had over 1,500 views on my blog in December!  In January my husband, Todd, decided he wanted to do a detox/liver/colon cleanse with me.  He made the decision to eat as healthy as possible along with the cleanse.  Really???  Yes.  This came from an all-american he-man-woman-hating cheese-burger beer guzzling(sometimes) normal young army guy.  At this announcement I was both nervous and excited.  Pictures of food spewing out of his mouth, faces or comments about the food, or him losing so much weight he looked like he came from a concentration camp ran through my head.  At the same time of course I want the love of my life to experience his optimal healthy body.  After everything settled down in January we began our “Todd eats mostly raw and healthy stuff a lot for at least 30 days”.  Too long of a title?  The first few days were shaky.  I was working and Todd ran in and asked if a vanilla milkshake was raw.  He used his big blue puppy dog eyes and explained he was REALLY craving one.  But alas, as a health food enthusiast, I could not succumb to such trickery.  I did however make him a shake at home as soon as I got the chance.  Not your McDonalds hydrogenated-oil, high fructose corn syrup, fractioned milk goo, but delicious nonetheless.

I Need a Vanilla Milkshake! recipe:

1 frozen banana

1/2 scoop raw protein powder or Vega Shake and Go smoothie

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon raw agave nectar or honey or 1 teaspoon stevia powder

1 cup almond milk (creamier) or water

Ice as needed

Directions:

Throw everything in the blender as fast as possible.  Add ice as needed and according to textural desire(nice phrase!) Then quickly put it in a cup and savor to kick that milkshake craving in the a**!

We live a very busy lifestyle with friends, family, school, and work.  We run into a variety of scenarios, many of which involve food.  Wait, that’s every American.  Hmm.  So because we happen to be normal people we also happen to be imperfect.  Neither of us aspire to be perfect, we just try to do our best at that moment, on that day, in that year.  We don’t live by rules or dogmatic thinking, and we certainly don’t push our goals onto other people.  So, we do enjoy the occasional drink, steak (especially Todd), and sushi.  Because of Todd’s high protein needs we found it easiest for him to still incorporate meat into his diet.  There are many recipes however that require no cow’s that he likes quite a bit.

Todd’s Tacos.He calls them tacos…there not…there burritos more or less….and he scares people when he says “Oh you should come over and try our raw tacos!” Response”Whaaaat?  Raw taco meat???”  Pictures of Todd biting into bloody, ground up, hamburger meat are running through there head, I’m sure.  (Sorry to be so graphic?)  Anyways, heres the recipe:

Taco Meat:

1 cup raw soaked walnuts (no other nut will do…okay maybe…but it won’t be as good.)

1 carrot1 tablespoon organic chili powder (at least….it’s a “to taste” thing)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon water

Raw Cheese:

1 cup cashews soaked

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (not raw, but great source of B12 and that ever saught after cheesy flavor)

1 teaspoon sea salt2-4 tablespoons water

Raw Sour Cream:

1/4 cup cashews soaked

1 tablespoon vinegar (raw apple cider)

1-2 tablespoon water

Tomatillo Salsa:

4 Tomatillo (They are green “tomato like” vegetables covered in a light green leaf)

5 Tomatoes (which every variety you prefer)

1 onion

1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh cilantro

Taco Meat Directions:

With the texture of taco meat in mind process all ingredients in food processor.  You don’t want it too crunchy or too mushy.  Carefully add the water, as you don’t want too much.  Taste as you go along to get the desired flavor.  Feel free to add a variety of spices.

Raw Cheddar Cheese Directions:

Blend everything together.  The amount of water will depend on the thickness or thinness of cheese desired.

Raw Sour Cream:Process everything.  It gives that bite.  It might not taste like sour cream by itself, but when combined with other flavors it provides that sour your looking for.  You might want to add more or less vinegar.

Tomatillo Salsa Directions:

Sometimes I chop it all up by hand, sometimes I use a food processor.  It depends on how lazy I am or am not feeling, or if I just want a variety of “chop” sizes.  I’ve been none to add red bell pepper to the mix as well.

Todd likes it this way:Take one Food for Life Ezekiel Tortilla (made with sprouted grains and cooked at a low temperature)Spread a good amount of cheese.  Follow with taco meat.  Add spinach or lettuce and salsa.  Top with sour cream.  Fold it up into a burrito, but refuse to call it a BURRITO and always persistently and determinately refer to it as a TACO.I enjoy it this way, or if I’m wanting something light (and grain-less) it’s delicious as a “taco salad”. Just sprinkle everything atop of bed of spinach or lettuce of choice.  Yum.

Raw Taco Salad

I have so many more recipes too share!  Let me know if you have any special requests or questions!  I might answer. ; ) Renee

Peachy Day

Happy Summer!!  Ok so I’m a little late to the game.  Lol.  I absolutely love summer.  Warmth, a reason to get in water, a reason to go outside, letting your skin soak up the rays, and if that doesn’t make you happy, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches are in season!!!!  And kids are out of school running rampant like the little savages they are.  How could you not love it!  For breakfast I had this deliciousiness and because I’m nice I’m going to share:

Blueberry-Peach Oat Groat Breakfast:

Blueberry-Peach Jam:

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 a peach, chopped

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tsp stevia, or a squirt of agave nectar or honey

Directions:  Blend together the blueberries, peaches, and sweetener- just a little bit, you don’t want them to be pure liquid.  Stir in the chia seeds and let them soak up the delicious blueberry and peach juice for about 5 minutes.

Throw it on top of 1/4 cup soaked/sprouted oat groats, 1/4 cup blueberries, and the rest of the peach-chopped.  : )

You could enjoy the jam with some raw crackers, mixing it with almond butter.  Yum.  I’m going to play captain obvious and say you can make it with any berry!  Even cherries.  Oooo.

You know what else is delicious and refreshing during summer?  A cool and crunchy lettuce wrap:

Just take your favorite nut pate recipe, some sprouts, and roll it up in some Romain lettuce or collards.  Crunch…crunch…cruuuunch.

My trip to Jacksonville was wonderful.  I got to go to a raw food potluck.  My sister and I made Avocado-Chocolate pudding which was a BIG hit and Zucchini pasta with Cashew “cheese”.

Avocado-Chocolate pudding:

1 avocado

4 tablespoons raw cacao powder

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Blend everything together until it’s delicious.  We played with the recipe a lot so the measures aren’t exact.  It all depends on if you like a dark chocolate, a coconutty taste, sweeter…etc.  To spice it up you could add organic extracts like vanille, hazelnut, or amaretto.  Yum.

The people at the potluck were wonderful.  You can join their group here http://www.meetup.com/JaxRaw/

I also enjoyed a birthday lunch at the best raw food resturant IM(ever so humble but absolutely right)O. http://www.thepresentmomentcafe.com/

I’ve been keeping things pretty simple.  Not using the dehydrator very often.  I did make some raw samoas for my sister and cousin when they came to visit.

The recipes here: https://reneegoesraw.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/raw-food-potluck/

I also made cabbage chips, like kale chips…but with cabbage.  They turned out pretty good actually.  I just threw a little sea salt and kelp powder on them and dehydrated until slightly crispy.

Let’s talk about GMO’s next time.  What are GMOs??  Exactly why we need to talk about them.  : )

Omega 3’s

I’m so excited today, I got flyers printed out for the first raw food potluck I’m holding! It’s going to be great to get to share my passion with other people in the area. I was reminded of the passion people have for raw food while working at the health food store the other day. A woman came in from out of state. She had already been in town for several days. She explained to me she didn’t know our store existed and so she had been living on lifeless food for the last week. When I pointed out her favorite raw snack her eyes lit up and she thanked me. Then, when she spotted the Raw Kombucha in our fridge she began to jump up and down and dance about with more enthusiasm than a kid at their birthday party. It was great to experience someone else’s joy over healthful foods.
So about one of my favorite subjects: Chia Seeds! Yes, the same seeds from chia pets (Chi-Chi-Chiaaaa!). These little seeds contain an important essential fatty acid- omega-3. EFA’s are important for heart health, skin health, immune health…basically they’re a big deal for your body. It seems the most popular form of getting omega-3 is from fish oils. However, chia seeds provide a raw source of the important omega-3 ALA. They are also high in fiber, protein, and low in fat. They provide iron and magnesium. They are virtually tasteless and are great to add to smoothies, raw cookies, or over salad. Unlike flax seeds chia seed’s good fat is on the outside, so they become gelly if soaked in liquid. Doing this forms a sort of chia pudding. Try this Chocolate Chia Shake:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 tablespoon raw cacao powder (or 1 tablespoon depending on the chocolate power you want to unleash)
1 cup ice
Raw sweetener to taste (agave, date syrup, honey, etc. I used a 1/2 tsp stevia.)

Preparation:
Let the chia seeds and water get to know each other by letting them sit in your blender for a few minutes while you get everything else together. This will make a gelly consistency. Throw everything in the blender and blend for a minute or so. You might want to add more water to get everything going. If you want it really chocolaty add more cacao powder. Enjoy!
*You could always use raw nut milk in place of the water, that would be double yum!!!

You can make a tapioca like pudding by covering two tablespoons of chia seeds in raw nut milk. Allow them to sit for a while. Add in a raw sweetener such as agave syrup. You can top with fruits such as berries, nuts, or whatever you like!
Enjoy today!
Renee