Raw Jackfruit cheese cake and tartlets.

This week we were blessed to have a very special visit from a delightful lady who actually owned our new found paradise for 22 years. It was such a beneficial visit on both parts as this property has been a huge part of this lady's life and she has such fond memories of her life here with her family. We also enjoyed listening to her stories and all the interesting details about specific parts of the land we are still unfamiliar with. We discovered our true boundaries and learnt we have coffee trees growing and to my delight, a massive lychee tree also. It was such a joyous encounter that I wanted to make it extra special by making something special...raw and homegrown....

Since the jackfruit has been the centre of our research lately and we have quite a lot of fresh pulp stored in the freezer for use, I decided Id experiment and make a raw jackfruit cheesecake for our special visitor.

I started by making a base of crushed nuts (mixed macadamia, almonds and cashews) about 2 cups and added blended dates. I used little Australian honey dates I found at the local health store, but medjool dates will be perfect too. I added a little melted coconut oil and mixed by hand to get the correct texture so when it is pressed in a cake tin, the base will hold its shape.

Nut, coconut oil and date base pressed into spring sided cake tin.

I then made the cheesecake filling by blending in my vitamix blender about 2 cups mixed macadamias and cashews which had been soaked and drained for about half an hour. I added the juice of a few lemons from the garden which had fallen off our trees (I even used an unripe sour orange) I then added about 2 tablespoons of agave syrup, 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil and about 1 1/2 cups of defrosted ripe jackfruit pulp. This blended into a really whipped texture which I spread over the base and added passionfruit pulp.

Cashew, macadamia, lemon juice and jackfruit whip to make cheesecake filling

I then left to freeze overnight until our special guest arrived. I left to thaw for about half an hour before serving. It was very well received and our guest was surprised it was made from the 'jackfruit of that old tree' as she had never liked the fruit on it.

 

 

 

I ended up having lots of extra ingredients left over to make tartlets too.

 

 

Delectable Raw Desserts workshop

On Saturday I held my final raw food workshop for the year and it was so much fun. I had my biggest class of 15 people attend and delighted everyone with some delectable raw cakes and treats. Most of which were full of chocolate - my favourite!

Here is some of the photos from the day which I remembered to actually take some. 

Raw Carrot cake Raw Caramel slice cake and Raw Chocolate and coconut Layered cake, 
all ready to share with everyone at the workshop.

Everyone helping themselves to a slice

It was such a wonderful day, fully enjoyed by all. I love to be able to share with interested participants the amazing benefits of raw and just how delicious a living lifestyle really can be.

If you would like a copy of the handout from today's workshop of raw cakes and treats, I will be making it available in the comming days through a payment of $5 via paypal. It will then be emailed to you asap.

The list of recipes are:

Carrot cake with a cashew cream frosting

Caramel Slice cake

Caramel slice

Coconut and Choc Fudge Layered Cake

Coconut Roughs.

Raw bliss balls

Chocolate mousse topped with bananas

Surprise ingredient Chocolate mousse and berry cake

 

And many more ideas that can be evolved from these basic recipes.

Raw  desserts are the best!

Fresh picked mullberry harvest and delicious fresh raw cheesecake

While on our regular afternoon bike ride through the streets of Kalgoorlie this week, we stumbled into this amazing old mulberry tree absolutely loaded with fresh, plump, juicy mulberries hanging over the fence! What a find. We instantly found ourselves in mulberry heaven...stuffing our faces until purple with mulberry stains. I have the fondest childhood memories of being perched high in our mulberry tree, stained from head to toe in purple juice. 



After eating what we could from the overhanging branches, we politely knocked on the owners door and asked if they minded if we return with a bucket to collect some more. Thankfully, they were more than happy for us to 'help ourselves' and even suggested we bring a ladder back to reach the higher ones. 

So with our plastic tubs and ladder, we returned and collected a lot, ate some more and had a lot of fun!







So now that we were all juicy and full of mulberry goodness, I thought about transforming a few into a delicious raw cheesecake. This was the result which was pretty darn delicious!



Raw cheesecake with freshly picked local neighbourhood mulberries



Recipes: Raw Mulberry Cheesecake

Base:

Process until combined about 2 cups of mixed activated pecans, macadamia nuts and almonds with about 3 dates. Press into a spring sided cake tin.

Filling:

blend until smooth:

3 cups of macadamia nuts

juice of 2 lemons

3/4 cup of melted coconut oil

half a cup of raw honey

pinch of salt and a sprinkle of vanilla powder

I then poured out 1/4 of the mixture into a bowl to keep it 'white' and then added a cup of fresh mulberries to the remaining mix still in the blender. I blended again until mixture was pink and whipped 

Assemble:

I poured the white cream mix first over the base, then poured the pink mix on top and swirled with a knife to create a pretty pattern.

I then topped with more fresh mulberries and left to set in the freezer.

It was a winner with the hubby who couldn't stop at one slice!

Delicious Raw mulberry cheesecake



Best ever Raw 'Caramel slice' cake

Well, this raw dessert has been labeled by my husband as the 'Best ever' and I would have to probably agree as it didn't last more than 24 hours in our house - and when it was gone, there was a lot of finger pointing at who had the most and who had the last piece!

To make this delicious raw dessert, as usual, I just made it up, as I created and the end result was amazing!

Raw 'Caramel slice' cake
Recipe:
I started by making the base by blending in the food processor:
about 2 cups of activated pecans 
with 5 or so dates,
a couple of tablespoons of my homemade raw carob powder
and about the same amount of cacao powder
with a dribble of raw honey. 
I then pressed this chocolaty fudge into the base of a spring sided cake tin. 

Carob mousse layer:
Next I blended in the high speed blender until smooth
about a cup of flesh from a couple of young coconuts
with about 1/2 cup of my homemade raw carob powder
and a sprinkle of vanilla powder.
I also added about a tablespoon of raw honey.
I then poured this carob mousse over the base of the cake.

Caramel sauce layer:
Next was the caramel layer.
I blended a handful of activated almonds
with 1/4 cup of mesquite powder
and 1/4 cup lucuma powder
with 1/2 cup of honey
and 1 tablespoon of maca powder.
Some of the almonds didn't blend completely, leaving crunchy chunks amongst the caramel. 
I spread this caramel sauce evenly over the carob mousse layer.

Chocolate topping:
The final layer was made by whisking equal parts
melted coconut oil,
honey
and cacao powder.
I then drizzled this chocolate sauce over the top of the cake and let set in the fridge before serving. 

'best ever' raw 'caramel slice' cake!

Absolute Raw Bliss at its finest!


  

   

Easy raw chocolate fudge cake and raw pesto 'toss up'

My most favourite liquid to drink is that of the pure sweet water of a young coconut. The kids will fight me for a sip once I crack open the shell of one and pour out this glorious nectar. We will indulge in this beneficial drink regularly so I will often have a surplus of young coconut flesh stored. Today I noticed the supply was getting quite high so decided to make a delicious dessert for the family. 

I have made many variations of this cake, but as always, each time I do, the results are usually different

Easy Raw Chocolate fudge cake
Recipe: 
Make a base using about a 1 cup of a combination of nuts (I like to use almonds and macadamias) blend with a couple of dates, dash of coconut oil and cacao powder.
Press into the base of a spring sided cake tin. 
Filling:
Blend until creamy the flesh of as many young coconuts as you have on hand,
with about 1/4 cup of cacao powder
and 1/4 cup of honey
Adjust quantites until desired sweetness is obtained
Spread over base
Top layer:
whisk until combined equal parts melted coconut oil, honey and cacao powder and pour over top of cake.
Let cake cool in freezer until top layer has hardened.

Easy Raw Chocolate fudge cake

And as for tonight's quick meal,
Raw Pesto 'Toss up'
Recipe:
I started by cutting up a mixture of veggies into thin strips and making veggie spirals and added them to a bowl. I used carrot spirals, strips of silverbeet, asparagus, mushroom, sundried tomato and olives.
To this I added kelp noodles.
I then tossed through some left over raw pesto I had made for a previous meal and topped with raw cream cheese from yesterdays celery sticks.
It was made in minutes and tasted fabulous.



Raw pesto 'toss up'

 I made my raw pesto simply by blending a combination of:
1 cup of Activated Pepitas - (I have also used activated almonds or soaked walnuts)
with a big bunch or more of fresh parsley from the garden (basil can also be used)
a good pour of olive oil
1 or more garlic cloves
juice of a lemon
pinch of salt
Nutritional yeast can also be included for a cheesy flavour

This raw pesto will stay fresh in my fridge for a week or more. My kids will eat it by the spoonful making it a fabulous way to get them to enjoy a good dose of green herbs and get a substantial intake of zinc and magnesium if using pepitas.

Happy Birthday to my little boy!

Today was a celebration of my sons 3rd birthday.

We woke with the traditional letter reading, which is a tradition I have kept yearly with both my children. On the eve of their birthdays, I will sit and write a letter to them reminiscing, celebrating and expressing my love, thoughts and experiences about them over the past year that we have shared. I then read this letter to the family on the morning of their birthday's. This letter becomes a keepsake in their individual yearly photo albums and will be a forever recollection of memories to forever share. Both my kids love to hear their birthday letters and I hope they become a special part of their journeys through life as we cherish and remember these special early years. 

After our personal letter reading, I whipped up some of my favourite, super fast, flax meal raw breakfast pancakes with an added touch of chocolate for a special day. 

Raw 'instant' flaxmeal pancakes with a hint of chocolate
for a special birthday breakfast

Recipe: Raw flaxmeal pancakes with a touch of chocolate
To 1 cup of freshly ground golden linseed
add 1 large dollop of honey
a tablespoon of cacao powder
and a tablespoon of melted coconut oil.
Stir and add more water until mixture holds, but not too much water as it becomes too sticky.
Mould into pancakes and serve with a drizzle of agave and sliced banana

After breakfast we opened a couple of gifts from the families which always delights everybody. Its so precious to see their amazed and excited little faces light up when they open their gift.

After all the gifts were opened and played with, it was time for the final present, a horse trek through the bush.

A birthday horse ride

And what is a birthday with out a cake? Not a birthday at all, so I whipped up quickly this carrot and coconut cake. I had to make it with my juicer with the flat plate as my magimix food processor spindle got worn flat after I last tried to make a date and cacao fudge!. It still worked out, just a bit slower and messier.  I use to make these cakes all the time at the beginning of the year. It quickly became my husbands favourite cake, but somehow, it got lost amongst the latest sweet rich chocolate cakes of recent, but has made a comeback today.

Recipe: Raw carrot and coconut cake with walnuts
If your food processor is working, simple blend together
about 2 chopped carrots,
a cup of shredded dried coconut,
2 tablespoons of coconut oil,
5 or so dates
a handful of sultanas
and a dash of cinnamon, followed by tiny pinches of nutmeg and powdered ginger.
Add more dates, coconut oil or honey (depending on desired sweetness) if the mixture will not combine and hold its form when pressed together. Add a handful of optional chopped 'activated' walnuts and press mixture into a spring sided cake pan.
Refrigerate to set while preparing icing.

Recipe for frosting for carrot cake
As we have been recently indulging in quite a few young coconuts to drink, I had a good supply of young coconut flesh, so I used about 4 to make the base of the icing.
To the flesh of these four young coconuts, I added a couple of handfuls of macadamias and blended until smooth and whipped. I then added a dash of vanilla, a squeeze of lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of agave. Change the quantities of these ingredients to suit desired taste. I prefer a mild flavoured topping as the cake can be quite sweet.

Spread this whipped raw cream over the cake and decorate with coconut shreds, lemon rind and almonds.

Happy 3rd Birthday Rhody!

Cake was followed by a simple dinner of a 'rawfry' using the warmth of the sun to 'cook' the vegetables rather than the heat of a frypan.
This is a simple method which works with any vegetable.

Recipe: Vegetable 'rawfry'  

Fill a bowl with thin strips of any vegetable you have on hand. We were delighted to be given access to beautiful organic asparagus and bok choy this week in our local organic coop, so I used them in my rawfry with carrot strips, mushrooms and small pieces of broccoli.

In the blender make the marinate with what ever spices and ingredients you like. You can keep it simple and just marinate the vegetables in oil and salt, or make up something spicy as I did today. I simply blended 1/2 cup of olive oil with a clove of garlic, a dash a nama shoyu, juice of half a lemon, 2 dried chili's, dash of apple cider vinegar, and a drizzle of agave. Adjust ingredients quantities to your desired flavour. Pour your marinade over the vegetables and toss. I also added my favourite raw noodle - kelp noodles, and then simply placed in my sun oven to 'cook' for half an hour.

My raw sun oven - a bowl with a glass lid
placed under the warmth of the natural suns radiance.

 The results are delicious and amazing.

And finally for a quick last minute birthday desert, I made chocolate mousse from the left over cake icing and served it on banana boats.

Raw chocolate mousse banana boats - a birthday favourite

Recipe: Chocolate mousse
Using left over coconut and macadamia cream icing from the carrot cake, simply add a couple of tablespoons of cacao powder and some agave until desired sweetness and chocolaty balance is achieved. Yum!

I managed to save just enough left overs for Dad's lunch
before the kids got to it  all!

Happy Birthday beautiful boy...we love you.