Raw Yogurt! Dairy Free, of course

This may sound ridiculous, coming from a vegan, but I'm losing my interest in grains. It's not that I don't like the taste or the texture, it's that I don't like how they make me feel. Even gluten free grains, although not as harsh on my stomach, give me this uncomfortable airy feeling if I eat too much of them.

I've had digestive issues for the past couple years and I've never had the time to really let my system relax and figure out what foods I'm sensitive to (if any). So now that I have a free summer, where I don't have to run for school or stress myself out with tons of work, I'm experimenting. It's been less than a week, but I've been avoiding soy, gluten, peanuts, and most grains, with the exception of nama shoyu(soy and wheat) and miso(soy). Both are fermented and much more easily digestible than they would be normally. So guess what? No bloating. Minimal discomfort. I hope i'm not jinxing myself, because for the past couple days I've felt pretty damn good.

So, what have I been eating? I have Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials to thank. I've been eating pancakes, crepes, sandwiches on awesome flatbreads. And, the reason for the post, my own raw cashew yogurt.

I started making this yogurt several weeks ago, by soaking almonds and cashews and blending them with water, adding probiotic pills and apple cider vinegar and hoping they would culture. I was sceptical. My history with cultured treats had been sub par in the past. But this turned out great! Some batches are thinner so I use it more like a sauce/cream, while other batches are nice and thick so I use it like a yogurt. The best part? You don't need a vitamix for this, just a decent blender.

To Start:

I cup of cashews, or a mix of cashews and almonds.
1 tbs raw apple cider vinegar
1-3 probiotic capsules (if you don't have any, don't sweat it, just let the vinegar do its thing.)

Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours, then drain and rinse.
Blend the cashews with enough water to form a creamy consistency. If it's a bit more watery than you want your yogurt to be, don't worry. It will thicken up when it cultures.
Blend in the vinegar and probiotic capsules and blend until your yogurt is as creamy as your blender can make it.
Find a warm place! Preferably around 95 degrees. Don't let it get about 110 degrees or the bacteria may get damaged. A dehydrator works great, I put my yogurt in over night. If you don't have a dehydrator, just put it in a warm corner of your kitchen and cover it.

Take it out the next morning and taste it. It should be very tangy. If it isn't, it needs to sit for longer. If it is, now you can sweeten it with maple syrup, stevia, or anything you would like. Usually I use maple syrup and stevia but this last batch I used raw honey.

Stick it in the fridge! When your batch starts to get low, just soak another cup or so of cashews, and put them along with the remains of your yogurt and some water in your blender, and let it sit out again over night. It's an easy way to have some dairy free, soy free, raw yogurt.

After a Long Hiatus...

I haven't posted in a while! I thought I would post more when school ended (thank god) because I would have more free time, but while I was in the kitchen a lot more, I didn't feel I was creating anything that was my own. I was using a lot of other people's recipes- check out the recipe I used to make zucchini muffins. Soo good.

However how I'm looking back and realizing there have been some things that I've created and evolved enough to call my own that I'd like to share.

1.) Is the most simple way to have a nutrient packed breakfast. Or snack. Or dessert.

Chia Pudding 


You will need

3 tbs chia seeds
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (any flavor)
1 tbs cinnamon
3-6 drops of liquid vanilla stevia

Mix all of the ingredients together either the night before or at least half an hour before you were planning to eat it. Don't use sweetened almond milk, because sugar sucks. Although if you do, at least the cinnamon will help your blood sugar levels : )

You might want to mix the pudding a couple of times because sometimes the chia seeds will sort of clump together and won't absorb all of the milk.

Mix in raisins, cacao nibs, banana, peaches, berries, nuts, or whatever else you can think of to add. Enjoy!

Raw Post-Run Pudding

Spring is here! The weather is warm, hot tea has turned to iced tea, and I no longer feel the need to wrap myself in a scarf and long coat before venturing outside. I absolutely love warm weather, and everything associated with it.

I've been trying to get back into running. The cold weather mixed with quitting track and getting a part time job on top of my grades had just about soaked up every ounce of desire I had to hit the trails. I've also been trying to eat more healthy. More fruits and veggies, less heavy cooked and processed foods. So far so good, I've been enjoying lots of fresh juices and smoothies every day, as well as doing more yoga and getting more runs in.

So, where is the damn recipe? A long run generally leaves me willing to eat anything in sight. I usually try to get some protein, because my diet is probably not very high in it, as well as some good fats and carbs. You know, a good balance. On the way home I usually brain storm in my head exactly what I want to eat, so that I don't eat the entire kitchen when I get home. A vamped up version of the classic banana-avocado-cacao pudding, this is loaded with the good stuff.

Raw Post-Run Pudding

makes a pretty big portion

1/2 avocado

1 frozen banana

1 ripe banana

1 tbls cacao powder

1/3 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tbls hemp protein powder

1 tsp almond butter

a teeny dash of sea salt

1.) Blend the avocado and frozen banana in a food processor.

2.) When the mixture is smooth, add the ripe banana.

3.) Add everything else and blend well.

4.) Feel free to top with bee pollen, granola, coconut, or just eat as is!

Digestive Tea

If you have your own slew of digestive issues, you're probably always looking for natural digestive aids. Or you could just want something after a heavy meal. Either way, herbal teas can really help. This one is an easy blend of herbs and spices that you could probably find in your spice drawer.

Digestive Tea

1/2 inch piece of ginger root
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 cardamom pod (or about 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 dash of tumeric

1.) Peel the ginger root and slice it very thinly.
2.) Take a wide blade and smack the pieces of ginger on a cutting board, as if you're trying to flatten them. Do this until they break or squish a little bit.
3.) Break open the cardamom pod and get the seeds out, then "squish" the seeds with the flat edge of your knife. Do this again with the fennel and coriander. If you have a mortar and pestel, you could probably use that.
4.) Boil water. Put all of the ingredients in a loose tea bag, or in a tea strainer.
5.) Seep the blend in a mug full of boiling water, and let it seep for at least 5-10 minutes.
6.) If you prefer sweet tea, feel free to add a sweetener.
7.) Sip and heal.

Odds and Ends

I haven't posted in forever! Mainly because I've been swamped in school work. On the upside, this week is spring break, which means I have a whole week to cook whatever I want! When I'm not working or studying for AP tests, that is. Also, I've completed a ten piece art portfolio for one of my classes, focused around the theme of the balance and harmony of veganism.

I haven't been doing a lot of cooking, because my schedule hasn't allowed it, there are a few things I've made here and there.

One thing I've been craving a LOT of lately is seaweed. I don't know if my body is in need of some minerals, but I'm wanting it all the time. I've had seaweed salad at restaurants a couple times, and I'm assuming they use kelp noodles. Since I don't feel like ordering kelp noodles off of the internet, I just used arame.

Seaweed Salad
makes one serving

1/3 cup dry arame, soaked for at least ten mintues or until it's tender
1 tbls toasted sesame oil
1/2-1 tsp nama shoyu, or soy sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
sesame seeds
avocado

While the arame is soaking, mix the sesame oil, shoyu, and rice vinegar.
Toss the arame with the dressing.
Top with sesame seeds and a quarter of an avocado.
Enjoy! It's very easy and very yummy.

Dandy-Blend Drink

If you haven't heard of Dandy-Blend, it's a nice caffiene-free alternative to coffee. It doesn't taste exactly like coffee, but the roasted roots they use gives it a similar feel. I need to jazz it up a bit if I'm making it to replace my usual coffee buzz, but it's good stuff. And dandelion is great for you!

For a mug full:

1 slightly heaping tbls of Dandy-Blend
1/4 tsp cinnamon
hot water
chocolate hemp milk
plain rice milk

Pour as much hot water as you normally would for a mug of coffee into the mug.
Put in the Dandy-Blend and the cinnamon and mix.
Fill the mug about 1/4 inch higher with chocolate hemp milk, then fill the rest of the mug up with rice milk as you normally would.

What you get is a slightly chocolately, spiced herbal drink that's pretty tasty.