Easy Raw Pad Thai Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchinis, sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
• 2 large handfuls of bean sprouts, approx 2 cups
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (use almonds, peanuts or cashews)
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 4 green onions, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• juice from one lime
• 1 tablespoon raw, cold-pressed olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation:

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until well coated. Add a dash more salt if desired and enjoy!

Recipe found at: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/rawfoodsrecipes/r/padthaisalad.htm

Raw Avocado Cacao Mousse

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 1/3 cup raw coconut nectar
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• fresh fruit and nuts for garnish

Directions
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, blend avocado until smooth. Add all other ingredients, blending until mixture is uniform. Chill for about 2 hours in the fridge or half an hour in the freezer. Garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts.

Recipe found at: http://www.thekitchn.com/sweet-easy-raw-recipe-avocado-146032

Moroccan Eden Salad with Apples, Fennel and Arugula

Raz el Hanout and Preserved Lemon Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons high quality white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup or unrefined sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon raz el hanout
• 2 tablespoons tablespoons preserved lemons, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup apple (crisp and sweet variety such as fuji, honeycrisp, or pink lady), peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Fennel, Arugula and Apple Salad

• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup or unrefined sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cup apples (crisp and sweet variety such as fuji, honeycrisp, or pink lady), chopped in 1/4 inch sticks
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped
• 1/4 cup Moroccan oil-cured olives, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3/4 cups chick peas, preferably unsalted, canned or soaked and cooked until soft
• 1/2 cup aged goat cheese or mild goat milk feta, crumbled
• fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Directions

1. Thinly slice the red onion, from stem to root. Blanch the onion crescents in boiling water for a quick minute, drain, and place into a bowl with vinegar, sugar, and cracked black pepper. Allow to sit and become a quick pickle for half an hour or more while the rest of the salad is assembled.
2. Cut preserved lemon into quarters and rinse off excess salt and brine, and remove any seeds. Assemble dressing by blending together vinegar, sugar, spice, preserved lemon, and apple until smooth. Slowly blend in oil. Pulse in mint at the very end. Add pepper to taste. The dressing should not need any salt because of the salt in the lemon.
3. Slice the fennel bulb paper thin (using a mandoline if available). Mix with arugula, roughly chopped mint, chick peas, chopped pistachios, and olives. NOTE: Because the preserved lemons and oil-cured olives are both salty, it is best to use unsalted pistachios and chickpeas, and mild feta if possible. You can always add salt at the end if needed.
4. Remove seeds from pomegranate by scoring the skin and breaking fruit open. Gently pull out seeds and add 1/2 cup to salad mix.
5. Halve and core the apples, leaving the peel on. Slice the apple from top to bottom into 1/4 inch slices. Turn slices on their side and cut into 1/4 inch sticks. Place cut apple into a bowl and toss with the juice of half a lemon to keep from browning. Add apples to salad.
6. Drain vinegar from pickled onions and add to salad. Mix together, toss with enough dressing to lightly graze everything. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Top with crumbled cheese. Serve with warm pita.
   Recipe found at:  http://food52.com/recipes/8721-moroccan-eden-salad-with-apples-fennel-and-arugula

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut in half
• 1 pound peeled and diced fresh pineapple
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Cooking Directions

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toss diced fruit together in an 8-inch square baking dish. In a small dish, whisk together 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 cup of flour and pinch of salt. Toss the mixture with the diced fruit. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the cold butter cubes. Use your fingers to break up the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture. Add the oats and toss together until the butter bits are about the size of the oat flakes.
• Pour the oat mixture over the prepared fruit. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until juices from the fruit bubble up around the sides of the pan.
• Remove the crumble from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Crumble is delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream.
• Crumble can we wrapped and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or wrapped in foil in a low oven.

Recipes found at: http://joythebaker.com/2011/04/strawberry-pineapple-crumble/

Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

• Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and 8×8-inch square baking pan.  Line with parchment paper and grease and flour the baking pan.  Set aside.
• In a light-colored small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Melt and cook butter down completely.  It will sizzle and crackle.  That’s the butter cooking out of the butter.  Keep an eye on the butter and you’ll see brown bits begin to form at the bottom of the pan.  Swirl pan and cook until browned bits are a chestnut color and the butter smells nutty.  Remove from the pan and immediately transfer butter (browned bits and all) to a small bowl to cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, orange juice, and browned butter.  Set aside.
• In a large bowl, blend together sugar, orange zest, and chopped rosemary.  Blend with the back of a spoon working the orange and rosemary flavors into the sugar.
• Add flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda to the large bowl with the flavored sugar.  Whisk to combine.
• Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened and incorporated into the batter.  Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.  Bread is best served warm and will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days.

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/02/brown-butter-rosemary-orange-cornbread/

Braised Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch rapini, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large sauce pan of water to boil, add the rapini and cook until the stalks are tender, about 2-4 minutes.
2. Drain, chill in ice water, pat dry and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
4. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauteed until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the rapini and toss to coat in the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Recipe found at: http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/03/braised-rapini.html

Spinach Soup with Garlic Thyme Croutons

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium union, coarsely hopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled and diced red potatoes

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)

6 heaping cups fresh spinach leaves (chard or kale is good too!)

juice of half a lemon

salt to taste

freshly grated nutmeg for garnish and olive oil for topping

For the Croutons:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

salt to taste

4-6 heaping cups stale bread cubes

Directions

To prepare the soup, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt and saute for 2 minutes.  Add potatoes and saute for 3 minutes more.

Pour in chicken stock and bring to a low simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potato chunks are cooked through.  Reduce heat to low and add spinach leaves.  Stir and cook spinach down in the hot broth for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and puree soup with an immersion blender.  You can also blend the soup in a regular blender in batches.  Just be careful not to overfill the blender when pureeing.

Once pureed, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.  Stir.

To prepare the croutons, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place bread crumbs on the parchment and set aside.  Heat oil and butter in a medium saute pan until butter is melted.  Add sliced garlic and cook for 3 minutes.  Remove garlic from the pan and discard.  Remove fat from the heat.  Add thyme and red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine.  Drizzle melted butter mixture over the bread cubes.  Sprinkle generously with salt and toss with your hands.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cubes are golden brown and crisp.

To serve, ladle generous bowls of soup.  Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg, olive oil, and too many croutons.  

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2013/02/spinach-soup-with-garlic-thyme-croutons/