Raw | The Wannabe Chef

Tag Archive: Raw

Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Written on March 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

I can’t believe the marathon is only 4 days away. I’ve had this recipe from Ashley and Steven bookmarked since I signed up way back in October and just got around to making it. Dried apricots lend this a slightly different flavor from the typical dates. Really, any nuts would be good in this but I like the combination of cashews and almond butter for that Amaretto flavor.

Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup cashews
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until a paste begins to form. If your dried fruit was stale to begin with, you might have to add a few teaspoons of water to get it malleable.

Press the dough into a square pan and cut into 10 equal portions.

These couldn’t be easier and pack a flavor punch. I think I liked them even more after a few days of sitting on the counter when they were a little firmer, but you can freeze or refrigerate them to keep them softer. And the ingredients sure beat the hell out of store-bought energy bars.

22 Comments - Leave a comment!

Garlicky Cashew Cream Sauce

Written on March 9, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

If you haven’t picked up this March’s Rachael Ray magazine yet, ~~don’t bother because I’m not in it~~ you might not know that there’s a 4-page spread on “meatless mains.” Better yet, these aren’t Sandra Lee pop-a-tofurky-in-the-oven-and-call-it-dinner recipes; no, these are actually good recipes made with real food.

The first one that caught my eye was their “cashew cream sauce” which they put over tofu. I followed the recipe for the most part but changed it a bit and upped the garlic(I clearly wasn’t going anywhere that night).

Garlicky Cashew Cream Sauce(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews, soaked and drained
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Soak the cashews for 3-4 hours until they’re soft. Drain the cashews reserving some of the water for the sauce.

Add all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

I liked the flavor of the sauce, which was deep, rich, and strong. I served mine with baked tofu and caramelized onions; next time I would try this with something like pasta to soak up the sauce better. Oh, and I would probably make sure there are a few tins of Altoids lying around to cover up the garlic breath.

20 Comments - Leave a comment!

Mama Pea’s Cookie Dough Dip

Written on February 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Highlights

What’s better than cookie dough? Cookie dough you can eat as a dip. When Jessica first posted her recipe, I think we all swooned. I didn’t dare ever make it with soy-based dairy substitutes, since I’m sure they wouldn’t have done her original recipe justice. Luckily, Mama Pea was inspired by my peanut butter dessert hummus to make a raw version of Jessica’s recipe(are you following?). I knew I had to bring things full circle and try Mama Pea’s creation; she’s never steered me wrong in the past.

I put all of the ingredients in a food processor(using water instead of almond milk) and let ‘er rip.

Once it was smooth, I stirred in chocolate chips and cinnamon(not in the original recipe but I thought it would add a nice touch).

Ya’ll, go and make this right now. It came out so smooth and richly satisfying. I might like the dough part to be a bit sweeter but even so that didn’t stop me from eating half of it.

And then this happened:

And all was right with the world.

29 Comments - Leave a comment!

Copycat: Blueberry Muffin Larabar Recipe

Written on February 3, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

When I first heard of Larabar’s new flavor I was excited. Slap the word “muffin” onto anything and you’ll grab my attention. You might even get me to watch C-Span if they named a show “Nancy Pelosi Discusses The Debt With Muffins”. The reviews I’ve read of the flavor have been mixed; I haven’t tried them because I don’t think they’re in stores yet. Rather than waiting, I decided to make my own and I have to admit that these are amazing. They taste better than any Larabar I’ve had; maybe because they’re fresher or maybe they just rock. If you need a muffin and don’t want a muffin top, these are a great, healthy, raw alternative.

Blueberry Muffin “Larabars®”

Ingredients(Makes 6 bars):

1 cup(about 20) pitted dates
1 cup almonds
2 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice(or cinnamon)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processer. Blend for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts clumping. If your ingredients are dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it starts sticking to itself.

Line a pan with parchment paper and press the mixture in firmly towards one side of the pan. Cut out the bars with a knife and gently tear them apart. Alternatively, you could roll these into balls and eat them that way. Keep in the refrigerator for the best freshness.

Like I said, these tasted amazing. They reminded me of blueberry munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts if anybody knows what I’m talking about. At a time when companies are getting condemned(and rightly so) for using artificial blueberry flavoring without any actual blueberries, this has a refreshingly pure flavor to it. These have created high expectations for the real blueberry muffin Larabars in my mind.

38 Comments - Leave a comment!

Wildflour Bakery In Providence

Written on January 27, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Restaurant Review

When I first arrived back in Providence, one of the very first things I did was stop by the newly opened Wildflour bakery which specializes in vegan and gluten-free pastries. Clearly, I have my priorities.

The bakery had a really friendly atmosphere. The staff were more than helpful with any and all questions we had on their baked goods. And there were a lot. Everything in the showcase(pictured above) was vegan, and on the shelf above that sat out the vegan/gluten-free baked good. The choices was almost mind blowing considering I feel lucky to be able to order 1 or 2 things off of a menu usually.

We finally settled on a gluten-free brownie and raw cheesecake to split between 3 people. One of the workers told me that the gluten-free brownie was better than their “regular” brownie, so it certainly seemed promising. The cheesecake was on the pricier side but considering the size of it and the work that goes into raw cheesecake I knew we had to try it.

Ultimately, the brownie paled comparison to the cheesecake. It tasted a little starchy and overly sweet without that deep richness that a good brownie has. I thought that some of my brownies tasted better than that and my parents agreed(and not just because they’re my parents I hope).

I really enjoyed the cheesecake. My guess at the recipe would be a thin almond/date crust with a filling made of soaked cashews, coconut cream, lemon juice, and agave, covered with coconut flakes and raw chocolate syrup, kind of similar to my recipe. But aren’t things always so much better when someone else makes them for you?

In short, I will definitely be back; there are too many desserts I haven’t tried yet, and I could always use a break from baking. Oh, they also serve raw juices, but who wants that when you have cheesecake staring you in the face? That’s what I thought.

27 Comments - Leave a comment!