Raw Corn and Avocado Chowder

I've been waiting for over a year to make a raw corn chowder. I only eat corn in the summer, and it has to be locally and organically grown. My CSA (community supported agriculture) has had corn in our boxes the last few weeks and it is good. My son loves to eat it lightly cooked right off the cob with butter and salt (it is his favorite food of all, he says), but I love to eat it raw. The idea of a raw corn soup came from my raw, vegan days when raw food was all I ate for 6 months.

This soup is so great to eat in the summer, when produce is at its peak of freshness and the warm weather calls for some cooling foods. It's creamy and satisfying. I can eat a bowl of this all by myself in one sitting (and often times do), but if I leave a bit leftover I think it tastes even better the next day.

Raw Corn and Avocado Chowder

2 ears organic corn, husked, washed, and kernels removed
1/2 avocado
1 cup water, almond milk, or raw grass-fed milk
1/2 lemon, peeled
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt, pepper

Place corn kernels and remaining ingredients into a Vitamix or other high powered blender in the order listed. Turn on lowest setting (Vitamix- 1), then gradually increase speed to low-medium (Vitamix 3-4) and run at this speed for about 30 or so seconds until all but the corn kernels are fairly blended (the corn kernels should still be somewhat in tact). Either pour and serve in this chunky consistency or continue blending until desired consistency is achieved.

Serves 1-2.

Chocolate (Raw Milk) Milkshake

It's been hot, hot, hot here. So we've needed lots of foods that cool our bodies. My Vitamix has been getting a ton of use these days, as I've been whipping up milkshakes in the afternoon for our snacks. This is one of my favorites. It's creamy, smooth, filling, and super refreshing on a hot day. And, as with all of my snacks, contains a hefty dose of protein to keep those little bodies (and Mama's too) satisfied until dinnertime.


Chocolate (Raw Milk) Milkshake

2 cups ice
4 cups raw milk
1/4 cup almond or peanut butter
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons xylitol (or sweetener of choice)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 banana

Place all ingredients in the order listed in a Vitamix or other high powered blender. Turn on high for 10-15 seconds, until completely blended. Serve immediately or store in the fridge and add more ice as desired.

Coconut Brownie Power Bites

The quest for yet more great snacks has led me to create a new power bite recipe (see my other power bite recipe here). You can't help but just love these. They're raw, refined sugar free, full of protein and fiber and omega-3's... and they will get you pumped up with energy too. These make a great pre- and post- workout treat.

Did I mention they're also super kid-friendly? My kids would eat and eat and eat these babies, all in one sitting, if I let them. Instead, I allow them the indulgence of one or two of these healthy treats for a bedtime snack, and feel no pangs of guilt whatsoever. It truly brings a smile to my face when I know my kids are eating healthy and loving it.


Coconut Brownie Power Bites

3 cups walnuts
3 cups Medjool dates
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil, liquified
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch cinnamon and salt

Grind walnuts to a coarse grind in a food processor. Add dates and pulse for 30 seconds to a minute, until a dough-like consistency is achieved. Add shredded coconut, coconut oil, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt and pulse again until all ingredients are incorporated evenly.

With a small spoon, scoop out the dough and, with your hands, form into balls of desired size. Store in the refrigerator.

Did I mention my kids love these?!

Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dip

New addiction alert!!! Raw caramel apple dip for all of those wonderfully tart and sweet apples in season right now. Funny thing is, the ingredients in this recipe resemble nothing of the typical caramel dip you find in stores, which are full of sugar and nothing else (and often times it's not even real sugar). This recipe, however, is actually good for you. Who knew that you could eat your caramel apple dip and get your protein too? Well, this is proof that you can (thanks to my friend the cashew).

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogger's site, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. Ali posted it about a year ago, and I've been waiting in anticipation for apple season this year to make it. It is divine, to say the least. Creamy, smooth, sweet... the apple's perfect dipping companion. I changed Ali's recipe up slightly: adding cinnamon, decreasing the amount of maple syrup and adding in a few drops of liquid stevia instead. I also found that I need to use the date soaking water to get this dip to the perfect creamy consistency.

My favorite way to inhale (I mean... enjoy this) is with sliced, raw apples, but it is also delicious as a dip for crackers, pears, or carrots, or as a spread for bread or icing for cinnamon roles. Or maybe you'll just want to eat it plain, right from the spoon!

Just to let you know how good it is, I've already made five batches of this in two weeks. :)


Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dip

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup dates
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 drops liquid stevia
pinch salt

Soak cashews in water for 2-3 hours. Soak dates separately in about 1 cup of water for 2- 3 hours (save date soaking water).

Drain cashews and put in a Vitamix or high powered blender. Remove dates from soaking water and add to cashews, along with remaining ingredients. Turn blender on low speed and slowly increase speed as ingredients come together to form a smooth consistency, adding a few tablespoons of date soaking water at a time to keep mixture flowing smoothly. Once it is flowing, run the Vitamix on high for 10 or so seconds.

Fresh Garden Salsa

Tomatoes are here! My dad has been bringing home tomatoes from my grandma's backyard tomato plants, which have been growing spectacularly. Mine, on the other hand, were complete duds this year.

(Whoa, back up. Did that sound weird to anyone but me? My dad has been bringing home tomatoes... Yes, it's true, I am now living with my parents. I am a grown woman, so let me explain. My husband and I sold our house this week and aren't able to move into the house we are trying to buy for another month, so it's purely transitionary living. Now that's not so bad, huh? Actually, it's kind of fun living with my parents again!)

And I'm super lucky that my parents get the whole "healthy eating" thing. In fact, they are bonafide aficionados of a local co-op and shop there weekly. Their counter and refrigerator are always full of fresh produce. They wake up to fresh fruit and veggie smoothies, lunch on simple salads, and enjoy cooking whole foods at every meal. Their kitchen is truly like my own kitchen. Isn't that grand?

So back to the tomatoes. When I saw them laying on the counter this evening, the salsa craving struck. My husband used to be the salsa maker in our house, but he's been just a tad busy lately with work and the move (!!!) of course, so I thought I'd pick up the ball and run with it. I'm glad I documented my salsa making experience tonight because it turned out perfect.

This is such a simple, delicious salsa, you'll wonder why you ever buy store-bought salsa again.


Fresh Garden Salsa

3 medium size tomatoes, quartered (about 3 cups)
1 zucchini flower, quartered
1 small serrano pepper, seeded
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped cilantro and/or parsley
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 drops liquid stevia
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in the order listed in a Vitamix or blender. Pulse on low speed until salsa reaches desired consistency.

Pear Cranberry Coleslaw (gluten free, sugar free, vegan)

I have really been on a coleslaw kick these days. I know it's the weather. Coleslaw screams summer to me, and we've been having warm, sunny days for a few weeks now, which means summer is here (at least we hope). Last weekend I made two separate batches of coleslaw, one with a creamy mayonnaise dressing and one with a vinaigrette dressing, such as with this recipe. I much preferred the vinaigrette version and decided to play with it a little more until I got it just right. I love the addition of the fruit here too. If you're not a pear/cranberry fan, you can definitely sub apple for pear and raisins for cranberries and it would be just as delicious.

I love to serve this raw, colorful, super healthy salad with some grilled, grass fed burgers and homemade lemonade (sweetened only with stevia- that recipe to come...). It's the perfect addition to your backyard BBQ.

Pear Cranberry Coleslaw

Salad:
1 medium head green cabbage
2 medium carrots
1 pear
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gluten free brown rice syrup, agave, or honey
10 drops liquid stevia
pinch of each: salt, ground ginger, and nutmeg
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Shred cabbage and carrots in food processor fitted with shredding blade. Add to a large bowl. Dice pear and add bowl, along with cranberries.

In a separate, smaller bowl, add apple cider vinegar through spices and whisk to combine. Continue whisking and add olive oil in a slow stream.

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to combine.

Serves a lot. :)

Chocolate Cherry Power Bites (gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, raw)

I have been in love with Larabars every since my raw food days. Simple ingredients, sweet- yes (thanks to the dates), but packed with protein and fiber. I keep a Larabar in my purse at all times in case of a hunger emergency. The only problem with Larabars is the cost. At most grocery stores, they retail for about $1.29 per bar, although I can frequently find them on sale for around $1.00 (at which times I purchase about 20 to stock up!). Nonetheless, I've been on a mission to create my own, homemade version of the Larabar. I knew it must be an easy recipe to re-create, with the list of ingredients so few and no baking required. Then all of a sudden, bloggers started posting recipes for their own versions, and came up with names ranging from energy bars, power bars, power balls, superfood bars, etc... Elana has posted quite a few in the last month or so (she's often a source of gluten free inspiration for me), an I've taken queues from this version in creating mine. And when she says they taste like cookie dough, she's right!

I've made so many batches of these, changing up the ingredients slightly each time, and this version is one of my favorites. I love the sunflower seeds in here. It almost gives these little guys a peanut-y taste (without the peanuts). I don't know how long they last in the fridge (I assume it would be a week or two) because we eat them all within two days... :)

So simple to make- it literally takes about five minutes- you have no excuse for not having an energy food on hand when you need it most (at about three o'clock for me!). Also makes a great pre-workout snack!


Chocolate Cherry Power Bites

1 cup Medjool dates (about 8), pitted
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons dried cherries

Place dates, walnuts, sunflower seeds, salt, and vanilla in a food processor and process for about a minute, until a course meal consistency is reached. Stop processor and add chocolate chips and cherries. Pulse for about 30 more seconds, until chocolate and cherries are coarsely chopped and integrated into the batter. Using a spoon, scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture into your hands and form into balls. Repeat with remaining batter. Freeze for about 30 minutes, then store power bites in the fridge.

Makes about 18 power bites.

Chocolate Pudding (with Avocado)

Here I go again with Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. This recipe was inspired by her Chocolate Pudding recipe, which is cooked over a stove and calls for 1 cup of powdered sugar (that's a lot of sugar, yikes!). I simplified the recipe by eliminating the need for cooking and instead opting for a one minute wiz in my Vitamix. And I cut out the sugar and replaced it with a significantly less amount of powdered Xylosweet (I use either my Vitamix dry blade or my coffee grinder to turn my Xylosweet granuals into powder) and a tad of stevia. (Not sure about sugar alcohols? Check out this post on Mark's Daily Apple. Not sure about stevia? Check out this post while you're there.)

This is my go-to recipe of choice when my avocados are on the brink of going bad (or are already there). You don't need the avocado to look perfect or pretty. The beauty of this recipe is that you don't even know there's an avocado in here. With the presence of cocoa powder, it naturally makes the pudding a deep brown-chocolately color. Bad avocados no more!

This pudding is so good. I mean, it is so good. I mean, it is so good I literally lick my Vitamix to make sure I get as much out of it as possible before washing. Hard to believe the main ingredient is an avocado, which is just brimming with nutrients. Oh heavens me, I eat this stuff for breakfast!


Chocolate Pudding (with Avocado)

1 large avocado
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup powdered Xylosweet
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup water or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon stevia powder + 5 drops liquid stevia

Place ingredients in the order listed in Vitamix or other high powered blender. Process on high for a minute or mixture is completely smooth (adding more water or almond milk if necessary to facilitate blending).

Makes 4 servings (or 2 servings for a hungry mommy and her four year old).

Buckwheat Granola

I am a snacker at heart. I eat snacks pretty much all day long (my grandpa calls them, "snackies"). I've always been this way, and come to find out, it's good for helping with my hypoglycemia. My nutritionalist advises that I eat protein with every meal or snack. So I am always looking for a good, high protein, delicious snack to keep on hand at home, in car or purse or diaper bag, etc. This recipe is great for all of the above. It keeps well stored in a sealed container and travels well too.

While we were in Oklahoma a few weeks ago, my husband and I stopped at one of their health food stores so I could pick up some snackies to keep on hand. I discovered this amazing buckwheat granola made by Kaia Foods and it was to die for. (But it was mucho dinero!) When I got home, I remembered I had some buckwheat groats just hanging out in my pantry, ready and waiting to me to use them in a granola of my own.

One of the great elements about this recipe is that it is dehydrated so it doesn't lose any nutrients in the process (let's just hope our bodies can absorb as many of those nutrients as possible). Now I wouldn't have a dehydrator if not for my brief episode of being a raw vegan, so if you didn't go through one of those crazy phases yourself where you bought a dehydrator, and rather just stick to your good ole', trusty oven for means of cooking, then by all means, still make this (I offer an alternative for the dehydrator below). Your mouth will be super happy you did.

Buckwheat Granola


1 cup buckwheat groats
1 cup each almonds, walnuts, and pecans
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried cherries or raisins (or a combo of both)
1/2 cup agave or brown rice syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cinnamon
pinch salt

Soak buckwheat groats in a bowl covered with water overnight or for 8-12 hours. Drain buckwheat and add to a medium size bowl. Chop almonds, walnuts, and pecan into bite size pieces. Add to bowl along with remaining ingredients. Stir a few times to make sure all pieces are evenly coated with liquids and seasonings.

Pour onto Teflex lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 8-10 hours. Break apart and store in a sealed container.

If using an oven, heat to lowest heat setting. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pour granola onto sheets and bake in the oven until granola is dry and set (could be up to 8 hours).

If you want to use the express method, bake in an oven heated to 250 degrees for 1-2 hours.

Grapefruit Cilantro Smoothie

I'm sharing this addictive smoothie recipe for our Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Carnival with my real food blogging gals. It is one of my favorite smoothie recipes of all time and the flavors are so unexpected (I think that's what I love about it). The contrasting brightness of grapefruit and cilantro just seem to "pop" in your mouth, like a firecracker. My inspiration was gleaned from one of Sarma Melngalis' blog posts a year or so back. I was really into her cookbook Raw Food Real World when I was going through my raw vegan episode, and although I am not a raw vegan anymore (thank the Lord, I don't know who's happier, me or my husband), I do appreciate the creativity of this foodie genre.

This recipe just makes me happy as I am a cilantro lover at heart; it is often my splurge at my local co-op (I've tried for five years to grow cilantro in my garden and have yet to be successful at getting it to grow past two weeks, so I've decided to leave the growing of it to my neighbors who farm for a living).

And cilantro is one of the most powerfully healing of all herbs... check out its astounding stats (as quoted from The Global Healing Center):

• Powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that may help symptoms of arthritis
• Protective agents against bacterial infection from Salmonella in food products
• Acts to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
• Relief for stomach gas, prevention of flatulence and an overall digestive aid
• Wards off urinary tract infections
• Helps reduce feelings of nausea
• Eases hormonal mood swings associated with menstruation
• Has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping.
• Adds fiber to the digestive tract
• A source of iron, magnesium, and is helpful in fighting anemia
• Gives relief for diarrhea, especially if caused by microbial or fungal infections
• Helps promote healthy liver function.
• Reduces minor swelling
• Strong general anti-oxidant properties
• Disinfects and helps detoxify the body (emphasis mine)
• Stimulates the endocrine glands
• Helps with insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar
• Acts as a natural anti-septic and anti-fungal agent for skin disorders like fungal infections and eczema
• Contains immune-boosting properties
• Acts as an expectorant
• Helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes

WOW!!! 

This recipe is also great for these last few sizzling summer days, when you want something satisfying, yet light, to get you through a lazy afternoon of soaking up the sun. I admit, I am a tad excited for the cool, crispness of fall to arrive (and those crunchy, sweet, just picked apples from the orchard), but I am trying my darndess not to rush... because, as my fellow Minnesotans out there know, once summer ends, winter is not far behind! So let's not think about winter just yet (even though my son told me this morning that "tomorrow" it is going to snow and he is going to go sledding down the big hill!), but rather let's enjoy every moment of this heat... and the juicy flavors that it brings to our palates.

Grapefruit Cilantro Smoothie

3/4 cup cilantro (I use the stems and all)

1 grapefruit, peeled

1/2 banana

1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon stevia powder (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

Add all ingredients into a Vitamix or blender in the order listed. Blend until completely smooth. Enjoy immediately (trust me, it won't last more than three minutes in your glass). 

!Viva el verano!

Grain Free Granola

This granola recipe caters not only to the gluten free crowd but also to anyone who loves granola but does not want all the added sugar. It is sweetened mostly by fruit, so you can really indulge without guilt. It is a fantastic on-the-go snack or as a quick breakfast with some almond milk. And the recipe is so versatile: you can substitute any of the nuts and seeds for others you might have on hand (think macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, etc...) and swap out the pear for an apple or peach. You can't go wrong, so enjoy the experimentation. If you try a variation of this, leave me a comment!

Grain Free Granola

1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 pear
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons agave or xylosweet
2 tablespoons cinnamon
pinch salt

Soak nuts and seeds in large bowl of water for 8 hours or overnight. Place pear through remaining ingredients in food processor and pulse until chunky consistency. Add soaked and drained nuts and seeds and continue pulsing until all ingredients are combined.

Spread mixture onto two Teflex lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 12 hours until crispy. Alternatively, you can spread the mixture onto two parchment paper lined cookie sheets and bake in the oven at 300 for 45-50 minutes.

Berry Breakfast Pudding

We're back from the barn dance at my aunt and uncle's house in the country. They always throw a great party, and the barn dance was no exception. It was a celebration of life: my uncle is battling cancer and we believe he is winning the fight, it was my aunt's 60th birthday, and also their granddaughter's (my cousin's daughter's) first birthday. Talk about reasons to celebrate! We spent the weekend lounging around in the great outdoors with our extended family members, and spent Saturday night jamming and dancing to the bands' music in the barn. My cousins play in several bands in the Twin Cities, and various band members showed up to jam, including my cousin Jamie's band Sick of Sarah and my cousin Chris' bands The Fattening Frogs and Four on the Floor. My uncle and his brothers also did a few numbers on the banjo. My son danced with grandma's cowboy hat on for over two hours; he was definitely entertainment for the rest of us!

Well, you know when you're out of town, it seems no matter how you try, you always end up eating foods you don't normally eat. And a lot of sugar. So when we got back in town, I knew I was going to want something super nutritious for breakfast. We happened to have one avocado left, and this breakfast pudding was calling my name. It's really creamy, filling, and nutritious. The idea of it came from one of my cookbook obsessions from last summer... Mariel's Kitchen.

When I discovered the cookbook, Mariel's Kitchen, I instantly fell in love with it-- and her-- all over again (I first fell in love with her in the movie Delirious when she starred opposite the comedic legend John Candy- classic!). Her health philosophy so closely resembles my own, I know that if we met someday, we'd be friends. Her recipes are very simple, and clean.. I almost feel detoxed from just looking at the gorgeous pictures.

I think I've made most recipes in that cookbook at least once, and have come up with my own variations of my favs. I make this pudding all the time.

Berry Breakfast Pudding

1 avocado
3/4 cup frozen blueberries or other berries
1/2 cup hot or boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons agave

Mix all ingredients in Vitamix or other high powered blender until smooth, adding more hot water if necessary to facilitate blending. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.

Makes 2 servings (although I often eat all of it in one setting!).

Fudgesicles

I was never a huge fan of popsicles as a kid, but one summertime treat I did love was fudgesicles. These were my preferred treat of choice from the ice cream man. A few years ago when I was pregnant, I had this random craving for fudgesicles, however this was after my food conversion to whole foods, so I attempted a few "all natural" fudgesicle products that I found at my local co-op, and they definitely hit the spot. This random fudgesicle phase did indeed pass with time and the birth of my first son and I haven't really thought about it much since. But the other day as I was blog rolling, Ali from The Whole Life Kitchen posted a recipe for avocado fudgesicles, and I was thus inspired to create my own version (I'm now in a huge popsicle phase since my son and I picked up some popsicle molds at Target the other day).

I love that Ali used avocado as her base; this wonderful fruit (or vegetable depending on who you talk to) is full of almost 20 essential nutrients and it's been said that humans can live on them exclusively for periods of time. Ali's recipe is intended to "hide" the avocado, so you're eating it without knowing it, and turning a not-so-healthy treat from your grocer's freezer aisle to an absolutely healthy treat! Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook also has some fun uses for "hiding" the avocado in recipes you wouldn't normally think they would be in.

Before my food conversion, I was never a big avocado fan. In fact, I don't know that I had ever eaten one until I was in my early twenties, as we never ate them at home growing up (it was a lot of boxed meals thanks to mom and Betty Crocker... mac n' cheese, Rice a Roni, and Hamburger Helper, etc.). When I did discover them (and learned that they are not, in fact, as exotic as one midwestern girl might think), I was so elated I started buying them at the grocery store every week and making guacamole like crazy. (The first time I made guacamole for my mom, she exclaimed, "Oh, you made that green stuff!")

I also consumed a lot of avocados in my raw food days a year or so back, as this is considered a staple of that eating lifestyle due to it's high fat and nutrient content. Raw foodies use them in dressings and salads, on top of "main" courses, and always in lots of dessert recipes. This is where I first learned that it pairs so well with carob or cocoa for a delicious vegan chocolate pudding. 

So... needless to say... we nearly always have them on hand. And when my son asked me about making popsicles the other morning, a fudgesicle recipe started brewing in my brain. This is what I came up with; the best part is that you (or your kids or your spouse) will never know you're eating your fruit (again, or vegetables) with this recipe.

Fudgesicles

1 avocado

2 bananas

3/4 cup almond milk

2 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

pinch salt

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or other high powered blender. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 or more hours.

Makes 6-8 fudgesicles.

(Hubby never even knew avocados were in theses!)

Chocolate Mint Shake

The mint from my garden has take over and since it was so hot today, I wanted to create something that utilizes this refreshing herb and quench my need for something cold. This shake did the trick. It's super simple: just add to a blender, blend, and drink! The coconut meat and/or milk gives it its amazing satisfying creaminess while keeping it dairy free (for those who, like me, need to avoid dairy in an ice cream obsessed world).

I've always been a huge fan of the combined flavors of mint and chocolate. In fact, my favorite ice cream growing up was always peppermint bon bon. (Little did I know then that the ice cream was not naturally that bright green color... but rather the result of some not-so-good-for-you artificial colors! I was very disappointed when I found this out!) But with this recipe, my suggestion is to go a tad light on the mint at first, as it can be quite overpowering if you accidentally use too much, but if it's not minty enough for you, you can always add more, blend, and taste.

So with that, go pick that mint from your garden that you've been puzzled at what to do with and blend yourself bliss!


Chocolate Mint Shake

Meat from one coconut (or 3/4 cup coconut milk)
2 cups ice
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
6 mint leaves
3 tablespoons Xylosweet, agave, or raw honey
1/2 cup water

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender.

Enjoy on a hot, sunny afternoon!

Vanilla Almond Milk

We don't buy conventional cow's milk at our house. And when we do buy cow's milk, we buy it raw straight from our local organic dairy farmer. (Why raw? Learn more here...) So what to do when the mood for milk strikes? I make nut milk. During my raw food days, I made nut milks all the time. They are great as a post-workout replenishment. Easy to make, delicious to drink, and nutritious to boot, this vanilla almond milk recipe is a fabulous substitute for anyone looking to reduce or eliminate their dairy intake, or for those just wanting to try something new. Works great for breakfast or snack time with a granola bar.

Vanilla Almond Milk 

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups water
2 dates, pitted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Soak almonds in a bowl covered with water for eight hours or overnight. In the morning, drain the water and combine almonds and 4 cups of water in a blender or Vitamix. Add dates, vanilla, and salt. Turn on blender and run at highest speed for 1-2 minutes. Pour mixture into a nut milk bag set over a large bowl. Squeeze the "milk" out of the nut milk bag (try to remove as much liquid as possible, all that will be left in the nut milk bag is the pulp). Drink warm out of the bowl or transfer to a glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.