And The Fun Continues...

Raw Vanilla Cashew Creme Parfaits

I have to tell you, I feel like I've discovered something brand new! I've been making cashew creme for a while now and while I thought it was a good substitute for regular creme, I wasn't too excited about it to tell the truth.

Then I stumbled on a blog, TheRawtarian.com and saw her raving about this "fruit dip." I had to try it! I wrote down the recipe and made it while I was playing with the raw Nutella (last post.) 

It seemed all too familiar but...

I was surprised! and R, who was always a little mediocre about the creme, really liked it too! 

So I was all excited to share a new recipe with you, only to find as I compared it to the previous one I've posted about here, that it's pretty much the same with just a subtle difference- vanilla! and a little less sweetener.

It's like a whole different thing and I'm amazed! 

Just a little tweak and it made all the difference!

So in the interest of being complete here is the new version and I'm calling it:

Vanilla Cashew Creme

aka "Fruit Dip"

1 1/2 cups Cashews, soaked 1- 2 hours

1/2 cup Water

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, in liquid form

2 Tbsp Agave or Honey

1 Vanilla Bean or 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

splash of lemon (optional)

Blend until creamy

Chill in Fridge

This really is amazing with fruit!

Vanilla Cashew Creme Paired with RAWtella, Bananas and Raspberries

For the Crepes, I tried a couple different ways to go. I came across a video of Ani Phyo making crepes and she uses flax seeds with either apples or bananas. Some reviewers said that the apple was a little less sweet so since I was pairing mine with raw Nutella and fruit, I thought that might be better.

I found the recipe and was a little bummed that it was vague about how thin to spread it or really what the desired doneness would look or be like. She also said it should make 4 crepes and I spread it really really thin and only got 3 crepes. Plus I let it dry almost twice the time she suggested and it still wasn't completely dry. But my thinking was, if it's completely dry, won't it be more of a chip? How will I fold it without it breaking? So I had to guess when to remove it from the dehydrator and let it go as long as it was dry-ish and still pliable. It wasn't tacky to the touch. She said her recipe with the flax would be less leathery but it still was. Maybe I did something wrong? Not sure but...

Apple Crepes with Bananas and RAWtella and Chocolate drizzle

It looked good! It tasted good!  Very mild in flavor and a little hard to cut through but I get that it won't really be like a crepe and I'm okay with that.

Ani's Apple Crepes

1 cored and diced apple

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp Agave

1/2 cup water or as needed.

Blend apples, flax,agave and water until smooth.

spread evenly on a lined dehydrator tray.

Dehydrate 4-6 hrs at 104 degrees F or until completely dry. 

You can flip off the liner and dry a couple more hours.

After I tried that, I had to know what the banana crepe from The Rawtarian would be like so I whipped up a batch of that as well. So simple!

Banana Crepes with Vanilla Cashew Creme and Berries with Strawberry Drizzle

Banana Crepes 

4 bananas

 1/4 cup of water 

Blend up in the blender 

Pour onto a lined Dehydrator tray
Tilt tray to spread mix around 

 Dry overnight

 Peel from Teflex and flip
Dry about another hour
But still pliable

and I got me (4) 8"crepes!

Banana Crepe or Fruit Leather

This was very banana-y, very sweet and delicious! It's more like a fruit leather and that's is not bad at all. It is a little stickier and harder to cut than the flax version though. 

(You need a very sharp knife to cut through and your crepes get kind of smooshed so expect that.)

I would almost recommend making large full dehydrator tray square crepes, cut into quarters and then cutting into bite sized strips before rolling creme and/or fruit inside. Or maybe even a burrito style roll up would be good! Just a thought. But very tasty!

Strawberry Sauce

1 cup Strawberries

1/4 cup Agave

Blend until well mixed.

Add more agave to taste

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup cacao powder

3/4 cup agave (or maple syrup)

4 tsp melted olive oil

Blend in a small blender.

Will keep fro a week or so.

I hope you enjoy these simple delicious basics!

Fun with Raw Nutella

Raw Nutella (RAWtella) with Apple Crepes, Strawberries, Chocolate Sauce and Cashew Creme

Have you noticed lately that Nutella (the hazelnut and chocolate spread) seems to be all the rage here in the states? There are all sorts of recipes using it. The first and last time I had it, I think I was sixteen and it was brought to me with my breakfast bread basket while in London. The idea excited me- chocolate for breakfast! But I have to say I was disappointed and never tried it again.
(what can I say? I was sixteen.)

So after seeing this sudden trend, I thought I'd give it a try again but with a raw twist this time. I looked up Nutella and the main ingredients are sugar, then milk, then hazelnuts with very little chocolate. When it was originally invented in Italy back in the 40's it was created to extend the shortage of chocolate created during war time with blending it with the over abundant local hazelnuts. It was half hazelnuts and half chocolate.

This sounded better to me than a sugar and milk based recipe.

So I got down to business and I can tell you I have a whole new love!

Without further adieu I give you....

Raw Nutella (RAWtella) with Strawberries

RAWtella

1 cup hazelnuts, soaked about 1 hr, strained

1/3 cup cacao (or cocoa in a pinch)

1/3 cup agave syrup

2 Tbsp coconut oil, in liquid form

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup almond milk (or water)

Grind up the hazelnuts in your food processor until finely ground

Add all but the almond milk and continue pulsing until mixed. 

It will probably ball up.

Start adding almond milk and pulse until you reach the consistency you desire.

Keep in a cover container in the fridge.

Can't tell you how long it will last because ours was gone in a flash!

What to do with RAWtella?

 Here is the fun part!

Use it for dipping any kind of fruit. 

What doesn't go well with chocolate? 

Raw Nutella with Bananas

Mix it with fruit in a parfait

RAWtella, Cashew Creme, Bananas and Raspberries

( Ps: I discovered a new version of Cashew Creme that will knock your socks off! Next post- promise!)

Because Nutella is famous for pairing with crepes....

Raw Crepes and Bananas with Raw Nutella (RAWtella)

And we had to make several crepes...

Raw Apple Crepes with Raspberries and Raw Nutella (RAWtella)

and there were still more crepes...

Raw Apple Crepes with Strawberries, Chocolate Sauce, Cashew Creme
and of course RAWtella!

(PPS : Crepes will be in the next post too along with the To Die For Cashew Creme!!)

Valentine's Day is coming you know!

It's hard to pick a favorite way to eat RAWtella. 

It was ALL SO GOOD!

We had it for breakfast, snacks, lunch even dinner one night! 

and why not, it is just nuts and fruit really.

I was feeling a little chocolate saturated but then I caught myself thinking today...

I do have more hazelnuts....maybe I'll whip up another batch!

Hmmm....Can you ever have too much chocolate?

I don't think so!

 ;-)