Whoa, long time no post! Apologies for the sporadic and sparse behaviour – I have a new job which has taken over my blogging time. I promise the situation will change, but sadly not in the immediate future.
To all Tokyoites: Near Nakano Station just off the arcade I found a little stall selling gorgeous cold-pressed kale juice (300cc for about 400yen) as well as organic kale itself! Oh joy! I’m off to a rare potluck tomorrow and decided to make the gorgeous recipe below, as I happen to now have a lot of kale, red radishes, and apples. I hope you like it, too. The recipe is adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 8 ounces kale
- 4 to 5 medium radishes
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stems and discard the stems. Use a chef’s knife to chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant. Thinly slice the radishes (this is easier to do if you first chop off the root end so you can place the base of the radish flat against your cutting board). Add them to the bowl. Coarsely chop the pecans and cherries and add them to the bowl. Chop the apple into small, bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl as well. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately, or for even better flavor, let the salad marinate in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand.
This one’s really authentic and REALLY sweet. A kid pleasure for sure, but in small amounts!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cashews, soaked
- 1 cup cacao butter, liquefied
- 1/2 cup coconut butter
- 1 cup agave
- 2 tblp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp water
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Prepare 9” square cheesecake pan by greasing the sides with coconut oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Pour blended ingredients into prepared pan. Freeze for at least 1 hour to set. Can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator for several weeks. cut into bite size pieces when set. Makes approximately 3 dozen 1” pieces.
Mmmm chocolate…. These are a favourite of mine I learned from Matthew Kenny. Start by making this basic truffle batter. Once chilled, you roll the truffles and coat with ingredients of your choice. The cashew butter in this recipe replaces the traditional cream that would be used in making a chocolate ganache.
To melt cacao butter: Chop or grate into small pieces for easier melting. Place bowl of shaved cacao butter on top of another bowl of warm water (double boiler method). Stir until cacao butter has completely melted. Another method for melting, that takes a bit more time, is to place bowl of shaved cacao butter in the dehydrator at 105-115 degrees. Careful: Overheating your truffle batter can cause the mixture to separate.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup smooth cashew butter
- ½ cup agave
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup cacao grated butter, melted
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- Pinch salt
Directions:
Blend all ingredients except for cacao powder in a high-speed blender on low-medium speed until smooth. Add cacao powder and blend just until incorporated. Place in a pan in the freezer or refrigerator until firm. Be aware of the blender heating up, if it becomes too warm, stop and wait for it to cool down. Temperature can change the way the ingredients blend. Roll into individual balls and chill until they are ready to add toppings to. After rolling into balls, roll in cacao powder, crushed pistachio nuts, cacao nibs or topping of your choice. Chill until serving.
recipe by Veronica Grace
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (or raw sunflower seeds)
- 1/8 cup raw sesame seeds (or raw pine nuts) or 2 tbsp tahini
- 1/8-1/4 cup sunflower seeds (depending how thick you want it)
- 3-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp mild miso
- 1/4 tsp kelp granules or other seaweed seasoning *optional
- 1/2 tsp of dried dill
- 2 dates or 1-2 tsp agave or other liquid sweetener
- 1/2-2/3 cup filtered water (to thin as desired)
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Using a hand blender or in a regular blender, combine all ingredients(starting with 1 date or 1/2 tsp agave nectar) and purée until very smooth. Taste test. Add additional dates or agave nectar, garlic or lemon if desired to achieve the taste you are looking for. Add additional water to thin dressing if desired.
This dressing will thicken after refrigeration; you can thin it by stirring in 2-3 tsp water if desired. When thick, this dressing can be used as a veggie dip. Cashews are higher in fat than sunflower seeds, so it’s up to you which you would prefer to use. Cashews will yield a creamier dressing, but be higher in calories.
Makes about 1 cup, which covers more than 2 heads of romaine hearts chopped.
recipe by Matthew Kenney
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup almonds, soaked & dehydrated
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp tamari
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and then spread onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate overnight at 115 degrees.
