Saucy Apple Lemon Drink

Ingredients:
3 cups or 3-4 apples, peeled and chopped
3 Tbsp dates, pitted and packed
3 Tbsp lemon juice (about half a large lemon)
1-2 bananas
optional, cold water or crushed ice

In a blender, add the dates, lemon juice and banana. Place the chopped apples on top, and blend until smooth. Add cold water or crushed ice last, if desired; or place in the fridge to chill.

Try adding a slice of fresh ginger, if you like it.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This was the first smoothie I ever tried - and loved.

Shortly after becoming a raw vegan, I went to a smoothie place and ordered a strawberry banana; with no dairy -  they sure made it difficult (didn't know how to make it, had to get the store owner etc.), but in the end it was worth it because it motivated me to start making my own smoothies.

Ingredients:

2 medium bananas

1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries (or to taste)
1/4 cup filtered water, as needed
1 - 3 handfuls of spinach - optional; for a green smoothie.

2 Tbsp dates - optional; adds nutrition and sweetness

In a blender, add water and bananas and puree. Then add dates and strawberries (and spinach if using), and blend until smooth. Add ice if using fresh strawberries. Try replacing the water with orange juice (or blended whole orange). 

Add 1-3 teaspoons of raw almond butter, coconut butter or any ground nut or seed (try hemp, sesame, chia or sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, or cashews) - for a creamier smoothie.

Herb and Garlic Sprouted Almond Pate

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds - before soaking
1/2 - 1 cup carrots (less is richer)
1/4 cup filtered water - as needed
1 Tbsp cold pressed olive oil

1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp onion, dried (powder)
1 - 2 Tbsp oregano, dried or more fresh
1/2 Tbsp garlic, dried (powder)
1/2 Tbsp parsley, dried or more fresh

1 tsp sea salt - to taste

Soak almonds 8 hours or overnight. Rinse well and drain. Let sit out until little tails start to sprout. Optionally, you can peel them, for a lighter pate.

In a food processor add almonds and carrots (start with 1/2) and pulse together. Then add oil, vinegar, and water as needed to thin out, process then add seasonings, adjusting if necessary and process again. You can use your own herb, or Italian seasoning mix here. Also try adding red bell pepper (2 1/2 -4 Tbsp or more), and fresh basil to the pate.

Basic Veggie Flax Chips & Cashew "Cheese/Sour Cream" Dip

The key to making these break like a chip, is to spread the batter very thin.

This is just a basic recipe, and a good way to use up some of the vegetables that may be just sitting in your fridge. I don't use sea salt in this recipe, but you could sprinkle some on top if you wish to have salted chips. I ate a few of these on their own, and the rest with a salty dip. On their own they are slightly sweet, and taste faintly of onion. You can leave the onion out, and use more carrot if you like. 

Ingredients:

1 cup tomato or 1 tomato

1 cup celery  or 2 stalks celery

1 cup carrots or 2 carrots

1 cup sweet onion or half a large onion

1/2 cup flax seeds

Easy Strawberry Juice (No Juicer Required)

 Great for those who don't have a juicer, or don't have time to clean all the parts to their juicer. You can basically make this with whatever fruit you like. All you need is a blender.

 

Ingredients 

2 cups strawberries, tops removed, or fruit of choice
2 Tbsp dates, pitted & packed - or 2 medjool dates

In a blender, liquify strawberries, to do this you may need to keep stopping the blender and pushing the fruit into blades with a spatula. Then add dates, to taste. 

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups depending on type of fruit used.

If you want it cold you can either use half the fruit frozen, or add ice. Also, if you want pure juice, you could run it through a strainer - but I don't. :)

Variation - add juice of half a lemon &/or a celery stalk(or 1 Tbsp cilantro)

Enjoy!

Pineapple Raspberry Shocker

 When I’m craving something sweet and sour, this is what I drink. It reminds me of those blue-raspberry flavoured slush puppies with added "shockers".

Ingredients:
1-2 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped

 

In a blender, add pineapple, then raspberries, and blend. Start with 1 cup raspberries, and add more to taste. You can also freeze pineapple first to make it thicker. If it's too tart for your taste, add a few dates or try half a banana.