Raw January Day 15-24: Greek Broccoli and Raw Blondies

OK, OK, so I haven't been eating only broccoli and blondies for the past nine days. I had misplaced my camera, and I have an aversion to posting recipes without accompanying photos. As it turns out, my camera was simply hiding out in the box of foodstuffs I had taken over to Amber's for our night of raw fooding. I made gazpacho with tomatoes, squash, yellow bells, red onion, and some other ingredients while she tackled some absolutely delicious chocolate pudding made from banana, Irish moss, and--I'm assuming--cocoa powder. Add a couple of glasses of wine and there really was no way to not have a good time!

This past weekend, I made sure the "mostly" status of "mostly raw" was intact, as I made bison burgers for dinner. Hey, they were on-sale. Plus, I was craving some free-range protein. Don't even try to tell me that almonds are free-range!

Anyway, even though I had (cooked) bison for dinner, I made sure the accoutrement were raw. I'm going to start by bragging on Amber's raw, vegan, 5-minute blondie. Super-simple, super-tasty, and super-quick are just a few of the superlatives I can lavish on this dessert. Her recipe makes a single, normal-sized muffin cup full of goodness. I doubled it and got nine mini-muffins (probably would've been ten had the offspring and I not taste-tested it so much). Go check out Amber's site for the blondie recipe. I made a couple of easy garnishes for the blondie. On top is a simple vanilla/banana/basil ice cream, below is a blackberry coulis (recipes below).

The other side dish that I'm quite proud of is a raw Greek-inspired broccoli with macademia cheese crumbles. The broccoli is marinated in a vinaigrette with Greek spices. Bitterness from the sun-dried olives (which I've spent three weeks reconstituting in white vinegar) add a nice contrast with the acid and salt in the marinade, and the "cheese" has a flavor somewhere between Parmesan and feta that helps reinforce the vinegar. This makes for great finger-food!

Before I get to the recipes, I have to share my new purchase (photo courtesy of Amazon.com):

It's a TSM Harvest Food Dehydrator! Eeee! Ten trays, adjustable thermostat from 84º - 155ºF, and square. Yay! I can't wait to make some raw bread or crackers with nice right angles. Can you tell I'm excited?

Enough squealing for now....recipe time!

Raw Banana Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, frozen (peel on to preserve color)

4 tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh basil, minced (optional--about 1 small leaf)

Directions:

Remove peel from banana. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor. Blend until smooth. Freeze half an hour before serving. Makes two half-cup servings. To highlight the blondies, I just added a mini scoop.

Raw Blackberry Coulis

Ingredients:

1/2 c blackberries

1/2 tbs chia seeds

2 tsp agave nectar, or to taste

1/4 c water

Directions:

Purée all ingredients. Allow to rest 30 minutes to thicken. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Raw Greek-Infused Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 c olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground

1/2 tsp mustard seeds, ground

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

4 raw olives, pitted* and diced

dash sesame oil

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the broccoli. Add broccoli and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature (if marinating longer than overnight, refrigerate). If desired, add additional salt and pepper and top with macadamia feta (recipe below); serve. Makes 8 half-cup servings.

Macadamia Cheese Crumbles

Ingredients:

1 c raw macadamia nuts, soaked

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tbs nutritional yeast

1 tbs shallot, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. Place in single layer on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for about 4 hours. Makes 1.5 cups of macadamia cheese crumbles. Use as you would Parmesan cheese.

*Note: To easily pit olives (or cherries!), place on a cutting board and smash with the flat side of a knive (similar to how you'd loosen garlic peel). The pits are a cinch to remove post-smash.

Roasted Broccoli Cheese Soup

Winter is fast approaching, and soup is on the brain. Some might suggest that there are those of us that have soup for brains, but that's an entirely different conversation.

Actually....maybe that's what zombies are really after....

Anyway, here's a soup I made last weekend. It's warm, creamy, and delicious. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 head garlic, cut in half

2 lb head of fresh broccoli

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, plus additional to taste

3 tbs butter

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 tbs fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tbs flour

2 c vegetable stock

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 c whole milk

1 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Brush cut surfaces of garlic lightly with oil. Cut broccoli stems into 1/2-inch slices; cut florets into slightly larger pieces. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with remaining oil. Spread broccoli and garlic in a single layer on a large baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring about ten minutes through.

When the broccoli is halfway through roasting, melt butter over medium heat in a medium stock pot. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add thyme and sauté an additional minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to create a paste. Whisk in half the stock and bring to a simmer.

When broccoli is tender and lightly browned, remove from oven and place about 1 cup of the florets into the stock pot. Place remaining broccoli into a food processor. Squeeze the garlic from peels into the food processor with the broccoli and purée with the remaining stock. Pour puréed broccoli into the pot. Stir in the cayenne and milk and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Allow to simmer for five minutes.

Stir in the cheese until completely incorporated and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Makes 4 servings. If desired, garnish with paprika and/or croutons.