Some new yummy things

I have been BUSY lately.  I've been reading some great books, as well as great RAW cookbooks and am amazed by the abundance of food options there are out there.  I'm currently salivating over the possibilities and varieties of foods I can try if I was to get a dehydrator.  A dehydrator heats foods at a low enough heat that the live enzymes are not destroyed, thus protecting the integrity of the whole food!!!  I've got my eye on an Excalibur..we'll see.

The other night I got a hankering for a "dessert".  We had some left over medjool dates from the Raw Donut Holes I made the other day so I decided to slice on in half, pit it, and put a dallop of raw almond butter and a 1/2 piece of dark chocolate in the middle.  It was heavenly. How have I lived my entire life until now without dates???  Seriously, these are so awesome.  They looked too close to a prune so I've always quickly passed right by them in the past.  Not any longer....

Another new recipe that I tried recently is one that is circulating the internet quite a bit...

The Raw Kale "Massaged" Salad

It's basically a bunch of Kale, washed and cut off the stem, then chopped.  In a bowl you pour 2 T of olive oil and massage it thoroughly until all the leaves are coated.  The Kale will begin to soften quite a bit.  Then scoop one fresh avocado into the bowl (de-pitted and skinned) and massage that into the leaves as well.  Add diced cucumbers and tomatoes and the juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon.  ENJOY!

Although this salad is HIGHLY PRAISED on many chat boards and blogs across the internet, it was just "okay" for me.  Perhaps because I am a big salad eater and I like to really unload the produce bin into my salads...this just seemed to be lacking something.  Hubby wasn't all that impressed with it either.  I did like the Kale though and was pleasently surprised how soft it became from all that massaging! :)

As I mentioned in a previous post...I love these Raw Organic Bars that several companies distribute.  They are GREAT for midday snacks, or on the go.  They are packed with awesome nutrients without all the junk that comes in so many of them.  Amazing Grass was the very first one I tried, and loved, but I think I've found a replica of it, but cheaper, packed with MORE protein and actually a bit better tasting (if that was even possible!)  Whole Foods has a generic brand with almost identical ingredients, but it tastes so much more "peanut-ty" and has 11g of protein!!!  And at 1.99 it makes it that much more appealing!
Today I came across a yummy new salad dressing recipe which I'm all over since I eat salads quite a bit.  I'm typically just a olive oil and splash of lemon kinda gal, but I'm always up for something to make my salad even that much more enticing!!!  While I was juicing my oranges for the base of the recipe the boys asked for some freshly made lemonade with their lunch...ABSOLUTELY.  I peeled one lemon, juiced it and added it to a shaker, poured 1 T of agave nectar, ice and bottled water...shake, shake, shake and VOILA - two incredible good, and healthy glasses on lemonade coming up!

Okay...back to the salad!  Here is the recipe:  Creamy Citrus Dressing

1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice

1 small avocado, peeled and pitted

1/4 cup + 2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

1 handful of cilantro

1 green onion, white and 1 inch of green, coarsely chopped

1 T chopped shallot

1/2 small jalapeno

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

In a blender, add the avocado, orange and lime juices, cilantro, green onion, shallot, jalapeno, and salt and blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil, allowing it to emulsify for a thick, creamy consistency.  Season to taste with pepper.  Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Here is the dressing a top my salad consisting of lots of baby greens, 2 strawberries, 1 Pixie seedless tangerine, handful of chopped raw cashews.  Delish!
By the way...Pixie Tangerines...oh my word!  The produce manager opened one up for me on my last trip to Whole Foods and it's been love at first sight since then.  They peel right off the rind with practically no effort whatsoever.  There are no seeds and they are oh so juicy!  My new favorite fruit to go!!!