The Delicious Revolution » Sweets

Acai Berry Jam Recipe

Joy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:57:29 +0000

My recent experiment with the Orange Cream Cacao Bark brought so much positive feedback, THANK YOU! Here is another new recipe for you that came out of my experimentation with Chia Seeds. This sweet, fruity topping is fantastic on anything from morning toast to “Raw I Scream” to “Cacao Brownies” . Top diced fruit, chopped nuts and/or granola with this jam for a Superfood breakfast.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup organic apple juice
1 cup organic blueberries
3 tablespoons acai powder
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1-3 tablespoons maple syrup (to taste)

Soak chia seeds in apple juice until the juice is absorbed and the mixture becomes gelatinous. Blend blueberries in the blender until almost smooth. Add blended blueberries to the chia seed mixture along with remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. You can enjoy this jam right away or refrigerate to use later. It will keep for a week or so

Why Eat Chia Seeds? Click HERE if you want to learn about the dietary benefits of chia seeds.

Raw I Scream

Joy — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:09:22 +0000

When it comes to a few of my favorite raw food recipes, I have a don’t ask don’t tell policy. By that I mean unless someone asks me, and by someone I don’t mean prying, finicky eaters who want to know what’s in a recipe just so they can tell you all the ingredients they hate and use each one as an excuse not to try things, I don’t talk about how things are made. For example, when I make this raw food recipe for ice cream, I serve it up without mentioning the word raw, vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten free or for God’s sake, healthy! Homemade raw ice cream is a favorite. Everyone dishes up and enjoys the goods long before I could explain all the nutritional benefits of having a cream base from young coconuts instead of cow’s milk. Here is a recipe for “Vanilla I Scream” as I call it. Mix it up with flavors as you see fit. A few of my faves are “Choc-Cow-Not I Scream”, “Chai Scream”, and “Horchata I Scream” with raw dulce de leche caramel (comment below if you want that recipe-YUM).

I Scream (raw, DAiry-Free Ice Cream)

Ingredients:
seeds from one vanilla bean
juice from one young coconut (need 1 cup)
meat from one young coconut (need at least ¾ cup)
1 cup almond milk (see video here)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
? cup chopped dates (be sure NO PITS)
¼ to ½ cup maple syrup (taste to adjust sweetness)

Put all ingredients in the Vita-Mix and blend on high until creamy smooth. Pour half the mixture into an ice cube tray, refrigerate the remaining half. Once the cubes are frozen, add then back to the unfrozen mixture in the blender. Blend to a soft-serve consistency and enjoy!

Pro-Probiotics

Joy — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:21:08 +0000

I am officially PRO-probiotics. I recently shared that I started New Chapter Organic’s Probiotic Immunity (to see that post click here) with great results. My update on the product is this, it has changed my feeling towards sweets altogether. Case and point. My family and I are road tripping to see my parents, so we stopped in a Trader Joe’s to pick up pre-packaged salads as an alternative to road food. While we were there my husband picked up a box of peanut butter cups. Now, I used to think these things were THE BOMB, and they are good – make no mistake. BUT, I used to eat one and pop another and another. But as we cruised along I ate one and thought to myself, “It’s good, but this carrot juice I am enjoying is much better.” It was almost as if I could here my brain say, “Who said that? Did you hear that?” I was cognoscente to the change in thinking, in craving, and in really tasting things. The candies are a good tasting treat, but almost more sweet that I could enjoy except in extreme moderation. I like this change and I attribute it to the probiotic. That’s the update so far. I will keep you posted as I notice any changes or differences.

Again, the brand I am trying is New Chapter Organic’s Probiotic Immunity and I picked it up on Amazon for under $20. A great price for a fully organic probiotic on a whole food medium.

Strawberries: Worth The Wait

Joy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:29:20 +0000

I know it’s way too early to expect delicious strawberries. When they are ripe and ready the farmer’s market will smell of these summer jewels. But I passed the strawberries at Trader Joe’s yesterday and they were a beautiful shade of red with a scent sweet enough to entice me to take a chance on a small box. . Not surprisingly, they were less than impressive. Great texture, but no delivery when it came to yummy sweet “strawberry-ness”. I got nature’s message loud and clear: “BE PATIENT. My wares are worth waiting for!” How right she is.

That said, I had a box of organic berries that I didn’t want to waste despite my impatience for ripe strawberries. So here is my fix-it recipe. I share it with you her in case any of you are lured in by bright berries with lackluster flavor.

STRAWBERRY ALMOND MILK (or MILKSHAKES)

one batch fresh almond milk (click here to see recipe w/video)
16 ounces fresh strawberries (tops removed)
1-2 teaspoons of raw honey (to taste)

Blend all ingredients in the Vita-Mix until creamy smooth. Serve over ice to enjoy as strawberry milk. Or, to make a shake, fill an ice cube tray with the strawberry milk and freeze. And frozen cubes back to the blender with the remaining strawberry milk and blend to form a shake. NOTE: you can also make strawberry ice cream by replacing the honey with 3/4 cup chopped dates. Blend well and put in an ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturers directions.

Orange Cream Cacao Bark

Joy — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:57:39 +0000

I have fallen in LUST with my new raw dessert creations. They satisfy and delight with each small, decadent serving. They are dairy free, gluten free, and have no refined sugars, flours or preservatives. Ripe, juicy, organic oranges sweeten the creamy topping while raw cacao provides a rich base. These little babies got rave reviews from my testers. Not only has everyone who tried them loved this Orange Cream Cacao Bark, but they are in total disbelief that they are a guilt-free raw dessert. I did not have the patience to wait for the soaked and dehydrated spiced pecans I was scheming when this recipe came to me. Instead, I topped the bars with additional orange zest and a very light sprinkling of organic dried coconut. Which completed the symphony of flavors amazingly well. I’d post the recipe, but this one only goes out to my subscribers!

Thanks for tuning in guys!

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Raw Dessert Experiment

Joy — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:24:30 +0000

The mint almond bark I created for my raw dessert class has me brewing ideas for more of these “lighter” desserts. I say lighter because they don’t have nuts as their base, so they are less filling. I like that they pack all the flavor without sitting heavy on the tummy like a raw brownie might. So here goes my idea. Start with the same chocolate base I use for the mint almond bark. Top it with an orange cashew cream. I could go totally pro and dehydrate soaked pecans tossed in orange rind, maple and a dash of cayenne and clove. This would give the bars a very upscale feel, a light crunch and a subtle kick (or a swift kick if I really do up the cayenne). If the cream comes out as I anticipate, it would also be great to swirl with my Vanilla I Scream recipe to make 50/50 bars that would blow away any packaged popsicle. The kitchen is calling me. I’m off to experiment! Report back soon.

Holiday Favorites Made Healthy

Joy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:59:06 +0000

Need a healthy spin on your favorite holiday dishes??

The Godizilla that tramples my healthy eating during the holiday season is my mother-in-law’s Lemon Bars. They are tangy and sweet with just enough tartness that they border on, but do not cause the sour pucker or that tinge of jaw pain that accompanies a bite into a lemon. (Yes I do that, it’s a hurts-so-good kind thang.) Did I mention the bars have a flaky, pie-crust-like bottom? This angel of a woman hides dietary Satan horns that pop out when the oven starts pre-heating. Her lemon bars ooze citrus-sweet goodness. The smell of them baking calls to me like crack to the corner junkie.

These tantalizing bars are full of processed, bleached flour, refined sugars, eggs and butter. The only nutritionally beneficial thing about lemon bars is the fresh lemon juice and even that has its enzymes baked to death at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. YIKES! What’s a girl to do?? I’ve suffered through a few tummy aches by caving in and enjoying one or ten of the delicious bars before it came to me: I could spin it! I’ve a knack for putting a healthy spin on everything from mac & cheese to pizza to peanut butter pie (another heavenly dish she makes that would melt the strongest dietary resolve). Why not reinvent the lemon bar in a healthy style that allows me to indulge without stomach pain or mood swings that make Cruela DeVille look like a PETA advocate. As luck would have it, this thought popped into my head while I was on a two week living foods cleanse. I love the way the universe drops challenges into my lap.
I did it! I’ve never been more proud of a dish than when I served a dainty little Living Lemon Bar to the Goddess of Lemon Bars and she said “Wow, I think I like these better!”. Even factoring in the fact that my husband and I gave her the cutest grand-son of all time, which undoubtedly skewed her response in my favor, I was thrilled. Not only did they satisfy the lemon bar void for the duration of the Living Foods Cleanse , they are also a much healthier alternative to the “real things” that I can enjoy guilt-free while keeping holiday ass-expansion to a minimum. I loved the challenge that kept my internal-chef-self mentally spinning recipe ideas until a healthy, great tasting alternative was found. Now I’m jonesing for a new challenge.

Do you have a holiday favorite that you LOVE to indulge in but you value your current pant size to such a degree that you know you should pass??

I’ll do my best to make sure you can have your cake and eat it too. Send me the recipe that most challenges your dietary resolve and I’ll do my best to spin you a healthier version. Email me directly joyhouston@gmail.com or comment here on the blog.

Here’s to healthy holiday eating!

Raw Chocolate Mint Brownies

Joy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:05:20 +0000

Easy to make raw, vegan brownies

I am brewing up a 14 day tour of raw cuisine for friends and family (sign up for the newsletter if you’d like to get it too). The goal is to keep it simple, well scheduled, and totally laid out with menus and shopping lists. The recipes will be delicious enough to inspire people to stick with it. These raw chocolate brownies are a sneak peak at Rocking Body Raw Food.

RAW CACAO MINT BROWNIES

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup chopped dates
20-25 mint leaves
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup

Combine nuts, mint, dates, cacao and salt in a food processor until the mixture is well combined. Slowly add up to 1/4 cup maple through the top of the processor while it is running. Stop adding maple when the consistency resembles brownie dough. Press the mixture into an 8×8 glass pan. Frost and refrigerate until you are ready to serve them.

Raw Creamy Fudge Frosting

1/4 cup raw cocao powder
2 ripe avocados
3/4 cup  agave nectar
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
dash sea salt

Combine all ingredients in the Vita-Mix until creamy, fluffy and smooth. Spread on the brownies. If you have any left over try eating it as a pudding with some sliced bananas with slivered almonds. It is especially good this way when it is warm out of the Vita-Mix. Delicious. Hard to believe it is RAW!

MORE RECIPES

Creamsicle Cravings

Joy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:57:25 +0000

One of the sweets I wanted to emulate with healthier sweets was the good old fashioned orange creamsicle. Now when I was a kid this was actually made with regular sugar, fruit juice and ice cream, but take a look at the ingredients list on a box of those things nowadays and you’ll need a chemist to translate for you!

Select an organic frozen OJ and vanilla ice cream with the simplest ingredient list you can get. If you are avoiding milk products for health or conscious eating reasons, try this with tofutti or soy ice cream.

Orange Creamsicle Shake
1 1/2 cup ice cube
1/3 cup organic frozen orange juice concentrate
3 scoops vanilla ice cream (or milk-free alternative)
1/2 (or 3/4 if you like thinner shakes) cup organic vanilla almond milk

Blend well and serve immediately. I also enjoy this one with a cashew cream raw ice cream instead of real ice cream. Great for those who don’t do lactose or prefer to eat raw.

Pear Slushy beats a Slurpee Any Day

Joy — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:55:04 +0000

Avoid the high fructose corn syrup and excessive food coloring in Slurpees or Icees by giving your kids this healthy alternative. Save the juice from canned pears or peaches and toss the liquid and any small bits of fruit left in the blender with ice. Provided you are using organic fruits canned in white grape juice or their own juices, you will be lowering their intake of nasty sugars and dyes and offering a new treat that they’ll love. I’d like to say I whipped this up for kids, but the truth is I’m 5 months pregnant, it’s August and I simply wanted a cool treat to cool off. Grown ups love this and it makes a great summer “mocktail” if you serve it in chilled martini glasses with a sprig of mint.

Ingredients (per person)
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
1 1/2 cups juice from canned pears

Blend well. If you use the , start blending on medium then move up to high for an airy, whipped, frosty treat.