Thai-Inspired Creamy Bowl of Deliciousness

A soup, that is.  One that you will never forget! Promise. 

I had my wisdom teeth removed (ouch) and I'm still recovering.  Needless to say, I'm on blended foods and since it's day 10, I'm really tired of eating the same stuff over and over.  So, today, I said "This is it, I'm making something different!"  Savory and buttery is what I wanted....And I could have had a gallon of this... It's simply orgasmic!

Thai-Inspired Creamy Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

(Makes about a quart to serve 1, maybe 2)

1 small red bell pepper

1/2 stalk of celery

1 slender (stalk) lemongrass

1/4 of small red onion (or use 1-2 green onions)

1/2 carrot (or a tiny one)

3 cloves of garlic

ginger to taste (I only used a piece the size of a raisin)

1 tiny hot pepper/jalapeno

2 heaping tbsp coconut butter

pinch of ground cayenne pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp (to taste) salt 

cilantro (no more than what you can tear off a bunch with three fingers)

~ 3 cups water

Optional: pinch of turmeric, honey (not vegan) or other sweetener, soy or shoyu sauce

To Prepare:
1. Warm the water on the stove top carefully, to desired temperature. (You definitely don't want to bring it to a boil if you chose to stick with eating raw)
2. In the meantime, chop all vegetables into chunks and place them in a blender with the lemongrass (pealed back and the core chopped fine; a bit of a tough task) and the spices you are using along with the coconut butter.
3. Add the water and whirl it all up, adding the cilantro only for the last few seconds of blending.
4. Taste test. Some people like it saltier, some prefer it sweeter.
5. Garnish and serve immediately.

It's savory, warming, and incredibly flavorful and satisfying. Enjoy! : )

♥♥♥

Dita

Cinnamon-y Rolls

This recipe might as well be dedicated to my dearest sister, not only because today is her birthday but also because she will surely appreciate it. The traditional pastry version of these were one of our childhood favorites. I remember how excited we were whenever we stopped by a bakery and got to pick out whatever we felt like, which, quite often, was a cinnamon roll made of phyllo-dough. But that's a different story...

I had my dearest friends over for an afternoon to share some vegan and some raw foods with them under the red woods in the yard.  Since they're neither into a vegan nor a raw lifestyle, it was nerve-racking enough to come up with something that, hopefully, they'd like.  And lo and behold, she couldn't have coconut butter or honey!  You know what that means when it comes to making raw desserts (which I was in charge of creating, of course)....constraints, to say the least! :)  I had already planned on making certain sweets when I found out and had to figure out something completely new since my original recipes contained both the ingredients she avoids.  So, I ended up making a much healthier version of an all time favorite.

Cinnamon-y Rolls
1 cup almond flour
1 cup ground yellow flax seeds
a dozen dates
2 handfuls of (crimson) raisins
bit of coconut oil (just have some ready)
pinches of salt
cinnamon
handful of pecans or walnuts

Preparation:
1.  Make a "sauce" by blending all of the dates (pits removed, of course), a handful of raisins, dashes of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt with a little bit of water.  Make sure you end up with a thick and smooth date paste by starting with very little water and adding more as needed.  You will probably have to give it a whirl several times and scrape down what ends up on the walls of your blender.
2.  In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, the flax seeds, salt, and a dash of cinnamon. Add some of the date paste and a tad bit of (start with a half a teaspoon) coconut oil and work your mix into a somewhat sticky dough.
3.  Roll the dough into a ball and then spread it out, using a bottle or a rolling pin with oil on it, on a teflex sheet.  Roll it into about a half-inch thick sheet, as close to a square shape as you can manage.
4.  Here comes the first test: try rolling it up to see if it breaks. You need a pliable dough that will not break and/or stick to the surface it is on. If you have trouble with it you might need to add a bit more oil and work the dough a little longer before you roll it out again. This takes practice so be patience.
5.  Once you're confident your dough will work, spread the rest of your date paste on top of it, sprinkle it with nuts that you have chopped up into tiny pieces, and sprinkle it with more cinnamon, to taste.
6.  And now, the really tricky part: roll up your dough carefully and as tightly as you can.
7.  Cut the rolled up "pastry" into about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick slices and lay the slices flat on a teflex sheet.
8.  Dehydrate them for a few hours, depending on how much time you have or how crisp you prefer them.
9.  Serve them warm by themselves or with ice cream (that's what I did this time)


Have a sweet and lovely day!

Love and Blessings!