Raw mini cheesecakes with spiced raspberry & cherry sauce

These mini cheesecakes are delightful! So cute, fun to make, and perfectly delicious. They are raw, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. Notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom infuse them with a holiday spirit and they're a great dessert to add to your friendsgiving and thanksgiving spread. The recipe was inspired by Elenore Bendel Zahn of the Earthsprout blog.

Raw Mini Cheesecakes

makes seven minis

Fig Crust:

• scant cup of dried figs
• 1/2 C. pepitas, preferably soaked and dried
• 1/4 C. sunflower seeds, preferably soaked and dried
• 1 Tb. ground flax seed
• pinch good quality salt
• 1-3 ts. water, as needed

Remove the tough stems from the dried figs and give them a rough chop. Place in a food processor and grind into a paste. Add the pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax, and salt and pulse until a dough forms, adding water only as necessary. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out in to a square of 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into seven long strips. Roll them up, pressing the ends together to form cylinders. Refrigerate while making the filling and sauce.

Lemon Cardamom filling:

• 2 small ripe bananas
• juice + zest of half a lemon
• 1/8 C. coconut oil, melted
• 1/8 C. coconut butter, softened
• 1 ts. ground cardamom

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. Put the filling in the freezer to firm up while making the sauce.

Spiced Raspberry & Cherry Sauce :

• 1/8 C. dried tart cherries, soaked in water for 10 minutes 
• 3/4 C. raspberries (thawed if using frozen)
• 3 medjool dates
• juice of 1 orange + 1 Tb zest
• 1/2 ts. ground cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 Tb. ground flax
• 2 ts. psyllium husk

 Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until well combined. Let sit for a few minutes to allow the flax and psyllium to thicken the sauce, adding more if it is still too runny.  

Assembly:

Spoon some of the lemon cardamom cream into each of the little cheesecake crusts. Top with a dollop of the raspberry sauce and drizzle a bit on the side. Garnish with more dried cherries and a few goji berries for color. Enjoy!

Goodbye Cele

One of my kitty friends died yesterday. Her name was Cele, and this is what she looked like on her last day of life. The picture is deceptively pretty. You can't tell that one of her eyes was glued shut by this oozy goo, or that she was so weak from not eating that her back legs couldn't pick her up anymore. You can't hear her strange yowls or see the way her head would suddenly droop. In many ways her passing was a relief. I'm adding her to my Dia de los Muertos altar now.

In her younger days Cele was pretty. Little, lithe, and independent. We used to play a game where she would climb a tree, and scurry out to the branch right above wherever I was standing. And she is the mama of Buckley and Graham, the two brother cats that still grace the house where I live.

A friend of mine brought over this sweet lil bouquet with teensy mice in it. Kitty condolences. So nice.

This breakfast parfait to go of almond milk soaked chia + raw cacao mousse (recipe in a preceding post) was about the best thing that happened all day (other than the bouquet). Besides that I got myself in a bit of a gloom. Just off, you know? Uncomfortable in my own skin. It's cold outside and work was slow. I've got a crick in my neck. I feel simultaneously exhausted and lazy, like I'm not doing enough. Not reaching my goals fast enough. The voices in my head say a million mean things: you're weak, you're ugly, unremarkable, alone...all this and more. The best I can do for now is just be present with the gloom. It will pass I'm sure.

Dia de los muertos

For some reason I felt hesitant about putting this post up. I guess because it's not about food or cooking and it seemed a little silly and self centered. I've been questioning my reasons for having this blog...who is it for? What is it's purpose? What makes a post good? Or not so good? What do people like to read best? I'd like to post a lot more often than I do, but seem to get bogged down in deciding what is actually worthy of putting up here.

So I decided today to give myself permission to anything that I want with this blog. It's all about me! Anyone who wants to look on is more than welcome but from now on I am choosing to stop caring so much about what people will think and just write for myself, share whatever I feel like sharing. Make posts that are long, short, boring, fascinating, wordy, wordless, beautiful, ugly... and everything in between. I mean c'mon Julia! It doesn't really matter! Have fun! So here goes...

My Dia de los Muertos altar

They say the veil is thin this time of year, that we can feel with intensity the presence of the other sides and of those who came before us. It is the perfect time to think about death. To embrace it. Not to fear but to love this right of passage that each of us shall take. To honor those we love who have gone from this life.

I have so much fun with costuming that I am inspired to do more! On Halloween weekend I was in an exquisite Dia de los Muertos parade with everyone dressed in their finest calavera face paint and wicked garb. The creativity was inspiring! We danced through the streets of east Austin behind an incredible brass band before ending at Tillery park where there were altars of candles, pictures, pan de muerto, flowers, persimmons, skulls, and lace. I loved embodying the dead through this celebration, interacting with the darkness out in the open with love, colors, happiness, and sadness together.

 

Thank you to all my relations. Thank you for the gifts of life and the transformation of death. Feliz Dia de los Muertos!

Raw Walnut Almond Brownies

These raw brownies, inspired by the My New Roots blog are rich, fudgy and incredibly decadent, and they take just minutes to make. They'd make a great addition to a holiday party spread and are good enough that even your non-vegan and wary-of-raw-food friends will want seconds. I always love to bring healthy desserts to parties because then I know I've got a treat that I want to eat. Plus it's fun to introduce people to the delicious possibilities of raw foods!

Raw Walnut Almond Brownies

• 2 cups raw organic walnuts, soaked and dried*
• 2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup raw cacao
• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds, soaked and dried* 
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• food processor

Place walnuts in food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Be careful not to over blend or you will end up with nut butter!

Add the cacao, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to combine.

Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running until the mixture becomes cohesive. The dough will look crumbly but should hold together well when pressed. If the mixture doesn't stick together, add more dates.

Roughly chop the almonds. Combine the brownie dough and the almonds in a large bowl and mix together (the best way is to knead them in by hand). Press into a cake pan or mold lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer or fridge for 30 minutes to firm up before cutting.  Garnish with a few pinches of cacao powder sifted over the top. 

*It's always best to soak your nuts. Place them in a bowl with filtered water for 8 hours or overnight, then dry them in a dehydrator or in the oven at the lowest temperature possible. Read more about it here.


Some fun variations to try:

• substitute the almonds for some chopped pistachios and add a handful of dried cherries
• add a tablespoon of orange or lemon zest, a few drops of orange oil, plus 1/4 cup of cacao nibs
• stir in some toasted coconut flakes, a pinch of cardamom powder and the seeds from a vanilla bean
• get really sneaky and add a few tablespoons of vitamineral green or other green powder

Feels like fall

It's starting to really feel like fall here in Austin. Cooler nights and crisp clear days. We've even had some good thunder storms roll through! I'm mourning the end of the long days summer, the end of the hot nights perfect for eating watermelon on the porch, the end of fresh berries, and the last of the afternoons spent swimming and lounging at Barton Springs.

Saying goodbye to watermelon is harder for me than I can say. I find some consolation in the abundance of gorgeous winter squash, another of my very favorite foods!

As the weather changes the seasonal produce transitions from the water filled fruiting plants of summer (think cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, etc.) to the roots and hardier veggies of autumn (like carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, cabbage, kale, etc.) Eating with the seasons is somewhat intuitive, but it can also take practice. In this globalized food system we've gotten used to having anything at any time. It is not uncommon in our grocery stores to see apples all summer, and tomatoes, asparagus, and even berries through the winter. So it takes conscious attention to eat seasonally.

In Chinese medicine autumn is the time of the metal element. Paul Pitchford writes that "Fall is the season of harvest, a time to pull inward and gather together on all levels...Everything in nature contracts and moves its essence inward and downward" (Healing with Whole Foods, p. 346) In this abundant yet contracting season Pitchford recommends that we eat heartier foods, cook with less water, and at lower heat for longer periods of time like baking.

Here in Texas where its still quite warm and sunny I still tend to eat lots of raw foods, salads, and smoothies through the fall. I do find myself baking more often and relishing the delicious caramel flavors of roasted squash, warming soups and cooked grains. Here's a bit of what I've been cooking up lately...

This dinner tasted like Thanksgiving had come early! And it's plated on my grandma's fancy china. 

Massaged kale + halved and roasted sweet dumpling squash + herbed millet pilaf with peas and cauliflower + carrot avocado glaze + pomegranate

The best batch of saurkraut I think I've ever made. Yes, I write love notes on my kraut.

Made with red and green cabbage, red onion, daikon, salt, cumin and caraway seeds

Napa cabbage boats + chickpea and parsley mash + shredded lettuce and carrot + a delicious red pepper tahini sauce + kraut on the side

simple breakfast of cinnamon apple slices + almond pulp cookies

Sprouted mung dal with sweet potato & cauliflower + carrot avocado cream sauce + flash steamed kale tossed in cilantro lime dressing

My post-yoga/pre-work breakfast to go: overnight white chia & oats in almond milk + dried super berries & cashews + cinnamon apples

When your smoothie matches your outfit you know its a good day! Banana raspberry chai smoothie + white chia soaked in almond milk with maca and mesquite + coconut flakes +goji berries

Another chia parfait! This time the smoothie was young coconut + pear + spinach + spirulina +date. Topped with toasted coconut

Butter lettuce, spinach & homegrown arugula + cucumber + carrot + chickpeas + pomegranate + parsley and olives. With a delicious orange carrot tahini dressing inspired by Earthyfeast

Purple cabbage & baby bok choi slaw + golden beet + caramelized onion + sauteed tempeh + green olives + ginger orange tahini dressing

Another post-yoga/pre-work breakfast to go: sprouted whole wheat sourdough + avocado + dual color kraut + vegan ceasar dressing + cilantro

Collard wraps with roasted kabocha squash, lettuce ribbons & cilantro + vegan ceasar style dressing + rainbow kraut

roasted turban squash, cauliflower & kabocha squash in coconut oil

roasted kabocha squash, cauliflower & white bean soup + massaged kale salad with lemon tahini turmeric dressing + sprouted whole wheat sourdough bread

 

oatmeal + carrot + dried fig & date + ground flax + vitamineral earth + a sprinkling of bee pollen & hemp seeds + homemade pepita milk

Chocolate mousse + chia parfait

I was inspired by Chiachild's blog to make a decadent yet simple raw cacao mousse. Using only 3 ingredients it is healthy, incredibly delicious, and SO easy to make. For breakfast on Saturday I layered it with almond milk soaked chia pudding, plus pomegranate seeds and cacao nibs. Let me tell you, eating this was like taking in the nectar of the gods. A fabulous way to start the weekend and I can't wait to serve it as a dessert too! This recipe is a keeper.

Raw cacao mousse

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 avocado
• 1/3 cup good quality raw cacao powder 

• food processor

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor till well mixed and silky smooth. You might wanna double this recipe because you'll definitely want to eat more!

Spiced chia pudding with maca

Single serving

• 3 Tb chia seeds
• 1 cup almond milk (homemade is best!)
• Sprinkling of cinnamon + cardamom
• 1 Tb maca (optional)
• 1 ts. vitamineral earth (optional)

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl and let sit half an hour or overnight while the chia soaks up all the liquid. Its that simple!

For the parfait choose a pretty glass and carefully (well not that carefully) spoon in alternating layers of mousse and chia pudding. Sprinkle in some cacao nibs and pomegranate seeds between the layers and save some for the top. Eat it with your favorite spoon!

 

blueberries + basil

Yep! We've still got lotsa basil. While my friends in the Northwest are harvesting a beautiful bounty of heirloom apples and pears I'm still plucking the emerald leaves of this magical sun-loving herb.

I wrote about the amazing attributes of basil here just a short while back. Now I want to share a recipe featuring a flavor combination that is a recent favorite amongst food bloggers. Maybe you already know that blueberries + basil are a perfect pair. In this smoothie I added a bit of fresh rosemary for some added flair. Home made almond milk and a sprinkling of hemp seeds round out this treat into a delectably creamy and protein rich breakfast, afternoon snack, or even a dessert.

Blueberry + Basil & Rosemary Smoothie

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup almond milk (see previous post to make your own!)
• 2 Tb. hemp seeds
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• sprig of rosemary, stem removed
• 1ts. to 1 Tb. green powder (I used vitamineral green)

Toss all ingredients in a food processor or blender reserving 1 tablespoon hemp seed and a few herbs for garnish. Pulse until smooth and creamy. I like to make it in the cuisinart using as little liquid as possible for thick spoonable smoothie bowl. Add more almond milk or water for a drinkable smoothie.

 

Basil Babes! I just started these little ones from seed as part of my fall garden. I'm hopin they'll have a chance to get nice and big before it gets too cold around here. Their tiny little leaves are too cute!