COCONUT-BANANA & BLACKBERRY PARFAIT

Coconut-Banana & Blackberry Parfait

1 banana

1 young Thai coconut (meat only)

½ cup walnuts (soaked)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 Tbsp raw honey

¼ tsp vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

Soak walnuts 6 - 8 hrs, rinse and drain.  Crack open a coconut and scoop out the meat (reserve the water for drinking).  Blend walnuts and coconut meat along with all remaining ingredients until smooth.  Set aside.

½ cup blackberries

1 tsp raw honey

Blend blackberries with honey in a mini-blender!  Layer a dessert glass and serve.  Enjoy!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS APPLE SLAW

1 cup brussels sprouts

1 apple

1 celery stalk

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup black currents (or raisins)

Shred brussels sprouts, apple and celery in a food processor.  Combine with minced onion and currents in a separate bowl and mix together.

Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp raw honey

Pinch Himalayan salt / black pepper

Whisk vinaigrette ingredients and toss with the salad. Enjoy!

SEAWEED SALT

Looking for an extra dose of minerals to season your favorite foods?  This quick and easy recipe takes only a few minutes to make. 

Simply grind up some dry kelp and dulse (equal parts) using a small coffee grinder, and double the volume with added Himalayan crystal salt.  Grind everything down to a fine powder and use as an alternative to table salt. 

Caution:  Start with a pinch! Seaweed has a distinct flavor that can easily overpower any dish.

PAPAYA FACE MASK

The other day I found myself craving a juicy papaya, so naturally, I made a trip to a local heath food store and picked out a nice soft organic papaya.  But when I got home and cut it in half, it turns out it wasn't ripe at all... the flesh was pale yellow and tough!  Sigh.  

I have to say, I was pretty saddened but I wasn't discouraged!  Instead, I got creative and made myself a beautifying papaya face mask using a few organic ingredients I had on hand.  My skin felt so amazing, I thought I'd share the recipe.  Looks like my skin was the one craving the fruit ; )  

Papaya Face Mask

1/2 small unripe papaya (peeled, seeds removed)

1 Tbsp raw honey

1 tsp coconut oil

Using a mini blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Apply a thick layer avoiding the eyes, leave on for 20 minutes.  Rinse with warm water.  

Enjoy this beautiful and nourishing treatment before bed! 

FOR THE LOVE OF RAW CACAO

A Box of Chocolates?

Why not make your own, with love!  Treat your lover to a RAW cacao Valentine's delight. Learn the art of handcrafting your own raw chocolates and infused cacao treats!  Find out how at www.raw-radiance.com


Valentine's Chocolate Truffle Mousse

(from the Raw Chocolate & Wine ebook)


1/2 cup cashews (soak 2 hrs)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup water
2 medjool dates, pitted (soak 20 min)
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch Himalayan salt


Soak cashews, rinse and drain.  Next, soak pitted dates in 1/4 cup water (do not discard water).  Blend all ingredients thoroughly, including water from dates, until smooth and creamy!  Add more water if needed for desired consistency.  Serve with fresh strawberries.

RAW CRANBERRY SAUCE (2-ways)

Cranberry Sauce (Chunky Variation)

3 cups fresh cranberries
1 heaping Tbsp raw honey 

1/4 orange, peeled and seeded
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Process thoroughly using a standard food-processor.   

*Note:  Orange adds a floral depth, but can slightly overpower the cranberries.  Juice of orange carries a milder flavor profile but would result in a runny sauce. 

Cranberry Sauce (Pureed Variation)

3 cups fresh cranberries
4 medjool dates, pitted 

1/4 cup juice of orange
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Soak dates in orange juice for 10 min to soften.  Transfer dates (with juice) into a high-speed blender.  Add cranberries and blend until smooth and creamy.

BLUEBERRY-BANANA GRANOLA

So I've got a fresh batch of my absolute favorite granola EVER in the dehydrator at this very moment, and I'm trying my very best to keep my hands out of it!

As long as I've got some time to spare, I figure I might as well share this super tasty recipe... hoping it'll keep me busy and my hands out of the kitchen long enough for the granola to finish dehydrating!

So here it is.  And just a heads up, you may want to make yourself a second batch!  Start with 2 cups of your favorite nut and seed combo.  Here's what I typically use...

1 cup almonds 

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Soak the nut/seed mix overnight (8 hours) using fresh, clean water.  Rinse thoroughly and drain.  Transfer into a large glass bowl.  Next, make a sweet banana coating...

3 pitted dates (soaked 10 min to soften)

1 ripe banana
1 Tbsp raw honey
Pinch Himalayan salt

Soak dates and discard the water (or drink it).  In a blender, combine dates, banana, honey, salt and blend until smooth and creamy.  Transfer the mixture into your nut/seed bowl and give it a stir.  

Mix in the following ingredients and dehydrate 18-24 hours on 118 degrees F (depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your granola).

1 cup blueberries

1 ripe banana, diced

Final step. Try not to eat it all before it's done dehydrating! ♥

LEMON-THYME ICE CREAM

What do you do when you're blessed with an abundance of fresh herbs and you're looking to get creative?  You make raw ice cream!  

That's right, incorporating fresh herbs into raw desserts has become one of my latest intrigues.  It's so much fun discovering new flavor infusions.  The possibilities are endless!  This one is a citrus-thyme combo – fragrantly sweet, slightly zesty, and oh so divine! 

Start by making your own homemade thyme infused raw honey... 

Lemon-Thyme Ice Cream

1/3 cup raw honey
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced

Stir in fresh, minced thyme into raw honey and allow to infuse overnight.  

1/2 cup cashews (soaked 2 hr)
1 cup water

Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
Pinch Himalayan salt

Soak cashews to soften, rinse and drain.  Blend all ingredients (expect the thyme infused honey) until smooth and creamy.  Add honey in at the very end and blend on low to incorporate.  Pour into an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions.  That's it!

*If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the mixture in a glass container overnight... comes out just as good!

CACAO-BANANA "PEANUT" BUTTER TARTLET

Looking for a low-glycemic treat to satisfy your sweet tooth?  Look no further, this one's a must try!  It's very reminiscent of a chocolate-peanut butter combo... yum!

If you can believe it, I'm ONLY using ripe bananas to sweeten this entire rich and creamy tart.  Yep, you heard me right – no agave, no honey, not even dates!  And yet it's delicately sweet and super satisfying!  

With this one of a kind dessert, you've got my thumbs up to indulge your sweet cravings!

Crust

3/4 cup raw almonds (soaked and dehydrated)

1 ripe banana (diced and dehydrated)

1/2 Tbsp melted cacao butter

Pinch Himalayan salt

Soak almonds overnight, rinse and drain.  Next, dice a banana and dehydrate (along with the almonds) for about 4 hours at 115 degrees.  

Using a mini-food processor, process all ingredients for a sticky crumble-like consistency.  Form a crust inside a 4-inch tart pan and place in the fridge to solidify.  

Filling

1 ripe banana

2 Tbsp almond butter

1 Tbsp raw cacao powder

Process all ingredients using a mini-food processor until smooth and creamy.  Transfer into the tart and refrigerate for another 30 min before serving.

Keep in mind, organic raw almond butter is hard to come by!  I've even struggled to find some at a health food store before.  So I typically order my almond butter online, along with my cacao products.  Here's my source for almond butter... RawFoodNaturals.com 

RAW RADIANCE CUISINE ON FLICKR

SUN-DRIED TOMATO KALE SALAD

3 large kale leaves, minced (stem removed)

2 whole sun-dried tomatoes (soaked to soften)
1 small tomato

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar 

Himalayan salt to taste

Small handful pine nuts (for garnish)

Finely mince the kale and massage to soften.  Using a mini-food processor, pulse all remaining ingredients (except for the pine nuts) and mix in with the kale.  Garnish with pine nuts and serve!

HOW I KEEP MY SKIN SOFT

Over the years I've found that eating high-water content fruits and veggies makes a huge difference in helping my skin stay soft in our dry Colorado climate.  But beyond the fruits and veggies, pure clean water is by far the best thing we can do for our skin (regardless of what climate you're in).  It's always the simple things that are the most effective!

Staying well hydrated does wonders for my skin.  In fact, if I start to feel my face getting dry, I know it's time for a tall glass of water.  But I don't always enjoy forcing it down.  So my solution?  I like to add slices of fruit to a pitcher of water for a subtle hint of flavor and fragrant aroma.  Always does the trick!

Here's a simple recipe from my SpaFusion Cleanse ebook that makes getting that 8 glasses of water down oh so irresistible!  This lovely infusion has a light, delicate strawberry flavor and makes a delightful summer beverage.

Lemon Balm Strawberry Water

1 small pitcher of water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 strawberries, thinly sliced into rounds
 
Refrigerate 20 minutes before serving.  Try adding edible flowers for a nice, refreshing touch!
 

RAW CHEF STEPH INTERVIEWS ME

Have you guys met the beautiful raw chef Steph?  Watch out for this girl, she's one awesome lady on a mission to spread raw vegan love!  

Steph recently contacted me for an interview (you can read the interview on her blog at RawChefSteph.com).  I love connecting with like-minded women doing amazing things!  It's always such a gift when we can support and uplift one another. 

What I love about Steph is her kind and genuine presence, not to mention she's an awesome raw chef!  Just check out her vid below and you'll see what I mean.  Those kickin' kale chips look amazing Steph!

FREE CHEEZCAKE RECIPE EBOOK

I've been secretly working on a FREE Valentine's surprise gift for the past few weeks!  I thought it might be fun to share my love of raw cuisine with all of you on Valentine's, not to mention it's super fun just to share recipes!

The ebook shows you how to prepare this delicious recipe in one of two ways, as an elegant cheezcake or two romantic martini parfaits.  So if you're looking for a healthy dessert this Valentine's, this is one recipe you can't go wrong with!

Regardless of how you choose to prepare it, you’ll absolutely love this luscious, rich dessert.  It's that good!  And unlike most raw desserts, there's only one nut ingredient in the entire recipe - so it's much easier on the tummy!

To get your FREE copy, all you have to do is subscribe to the Raw Radiance eZine. It is my newsletter with articles, updates, my favorite recipes and so much more!

Just subscribe below, and I'll personally email you this delicious ebook!  Already a subscriber?  Not to worry, you should already have your copy waiting for you in your email inbox!

RAW CHOCOLATE FUDGE TART

Need recipe ideas for all your leftover almond pulp?  Here's one you'll love...

Chocolate Fudge Tart

1/2 cup almond pulp (from almond mylk)

1/4 cup cacao powder

1 Tbsp lucuma powder

1 Tbsp mesquite powder

1 tsp maca powder

1/4 tsp Ormus Supergreens (optional)

Pinch Himalayan salt

Using a mini-food processor, pulse all ingredients to incorporate.  In the meantime, warm and melt the following ingredients in a small glass jar immersed in hot water...

2 Tbsp raw honey

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Once melted, pour the mixture over the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until a dough-like consistency is formed.  Transfer the dough into a 4" spring-form pan and press down evenly.  Sprinkle with ground coconut flakes and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

*NOTE:  For best results, use fresh or refrigerated almond pulp, not dehydrated. 

GOJI-APPLE SUNRISE GRANOLA

Goji-Apple Sunrise Granola

1 small apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cup almonds, dry

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup goji berries

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Pinch Himalayan salt

Handful blueberries, to garnish

Soak almonds overnight (8 hours), rinse and drain.  Spread out the almonds on a paper towel for about 1 hour to dry out.  Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse to incorporate.  Garnish with blueberries and serve with almond mylk ♥

White Chocolate Raspberry Martini Parfait

Check this out!  Living Light Culinary Arts Institute wants YOU to RAWK the vote in the upcoming Hot Raw Chef Sweet Valentine Video Recipe Contest!

If you enjoyed my recipe video, please cast your vote for me, Mila Ilina, at HotRawChef.com  

As a special thanks, you’ll receive a FREE ebook with ALL submitted recipes from each chef.  That's right, you'll get a FREE Sweet Valentine recipe ebook!   But you must cast your vote at HotRawChef.com to receive a FREE copy! 

Voting ENDS February 9th, 2011

With love ♥

PIZZA ITALIANO

It's pretty rare that I make dehydrated foods.  But as the winter months approach, I definitely have a tendency to crave more comfort foods.  Anyone relate?  We just had our first snowfall in Boulder, and surprise, surprise pizza is on my mind! 

If you can believe it, this is my very first time making raw pizza!  Crazy, I know!  I suppose I never really cared for trying to recreate American fast-food (pizza, burgers, etc).  But I must admit, this recipe turned out amazing!  It makes two mouth-watering personal pan size pizzas.

Pizza Crust 
2 ripe tomatoes
Meat from 1 young Thai coconut
1 cup almond pulp (from almond mylk)
1/3 cup golden flax seed meal
2-4 fresh basil leaves
1/2 medium shallot
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

In a blender, blend coconut meat with tomatoes and transfer into a food processor.  Add all remaining ingredients and process until a soft dough-like consistency is formed.  Divide in half and form two 6-inch personal pan size pizza crusts.  Dehydrate on 115 degrees for 4 hours, flip over and dehydrate for another 6-8 hours.

Tomato Sauce

2 ripe tomatoes

1/2 red bell pepper

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I like Mediterranean Organic)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp minced herbs (basil, parsley, oregano) 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 tsp onion powder

1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Pinch black pepper

Using a food processor, process all ingredients for an even, thick consistency.  If the sauce is still too runny, add a little more nutritional yeast and onion powder to absorb remaining moisture.

"Mozzarella" Cheese

3/4 cup cashews (soak 2hrs)

1 yellow bell pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 medium shallot

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp raw honey

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Rinse and drain soaked cashews.  In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy!  Add more water if needed to help blend.

Toppings

Bell pepper slices (I used green)

Onion slices (I used yellow)

Mushroom slices (I used white button mushrooms)

Fresh basil leaves

Thinly slice your favorite topping ingredients (about 3/4 cup), and marinade in 1 Tbsp of tomato sauce for 30 min in the dehydrator at 115 degrees.

Assembly:  Spread tomato sauce on both pizza crusts.  Add a layer of cheese sauce, and finally add your toppings.  Dehydrate for another 20 min on 115 degrees (optional).  Enjoy! 

RAW BLACKBERRY COBBLER

For some reason I've been craving blackberries the last couple of days.  I finally got my hands on some... how could I possibly resist playing in the kitchen? 

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can modify it a number of ways.  I've made a similar recipe before using peaches for the filling instead of blackberries.  You can also use mangoes, or any combination of berries.  And for the crumble, you can substitute pecans for walnuts.   

Blackberry Cobbler (Serves 2)

Crumble

1 cup walnuts (soaked overnight & dehydrated back to dry)

1/4 cup coconut flakes

2 dates, pitted

1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or powder)

Pinch Himalayan salt

Filling

1 cup fresh blackberries

2 dates, pitted

1 Tbsp raw honey

▪ In a food processor, start with the dry crumble ingredients first (walnuts, coconut, salt).  Process down to a fine crumble, do not overprocess.  Add dates and vanilla and continue to process until the dough starts to fold in on itself.  Transfer 1/2 of the mixture into a bowl and set aside.  The remaining half, press into a 6-inch round cake pan to form a crust.  

▪ For the filling, add 1/2 cup blackberries back into the food processor, along with dates and honey.  Process until well incorporated.  Add the remaining blackberries and pulse two or three times leaving many of the chunks intact.

▪ Pour the blackberry filling over the crust in the cake pan, and top with the remaining crumble that was set aside.  Gently press through the crumble to expose some of the filling underneath.    

RAW CHOCOLATE & WINE E-BOOK

For the longest time I wanted to throw my very own raw chocolate party.  So for my 30th Birthday, I brainstormed some recipes, called up a few friends... and the result, a fabulous Raw Chocolate & Wine party!  I even had my dear friend Solnce perform live for us.  

I was in the kitchen for two straight days handcrafting the most amazing raw chocolates and infused cacao treats.  I got such great feedback from all my guests, I thought hey, everyone should throw themselves a fabulous raw chocolate party!  It's such a fun way to introduce your friends and family to raw foods.  Plus, you'll get show off your raw culinary skills!  Who wouldn't want to impress their guests as a chocolatier for a night?  

The Raw Chocolate & Wine recipe ebook provides a complete menu ready to go for the ultimate raw chocolate cocktail party!  I've perfected those recipes that everyone liked best, to make sure they're definite crowd pleasers!  Best part, they're all super easy and delicious!  So no, you don't have to be a professional chocolatier to throw an amazing raw chocolate party of your own!  

Plus, the lovely Carmen Marie-Denise Shelton, a French wine connoisseur, shares her expertise and recommendations on raw chocolate wine pairing.

Born and raised in France, Carmen grew up exploring wineries in the beautiful countryside of France.  Her love and appreciation for quality wine lead her to explore the long tradition of biodynamic practices. Carmen shares her secrets for selecting organic and biodynamic wines to complement the rich flavor and luscious feel of raw chocolate.

Raw Chocolate & Wine ebook ($14.95)

(IMPORTANT: You will receive your ebook

within 24 hrs of purchase, in most cases sooner)