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Time for Berries!

17 Apr

We love berries at our house.  Most of the time, we love them plain, although my son really loves them with a little raw honey (kids and their sweet tooth!).  Sometimes, we enjoy them on top of our fruit pudding* or raw oatmeal.  Occasionally, I’ll serve them with some greens and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. (*Note: we haven’t had dairy in our home for over a year.)

Mixed Berries with Greens

The easiest way for us to get some berry goodness is through smoothies, like “More Greens Please!” Strawberry Smoothie and Berry Spirulina Smoothie.

"More Greens Please!" Strawberry Smoothie

When I want a quick treat, I love my Quick and Easy Raw Ice Cream Base which takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.  I eat it as is or wait till it is frozen.  A wonderful alternative is simply mixing frozen bananas and berries together in a food processor for a raw ‘ice cream’.

Quick and Easy Raw Ice Cream Base

When I have some extra time, I love to make some Berry Treats. Raw Strawberry Cream Pie is easy to serve a la minute!  And it looks beautiful.  My son is allergic to cashews, so I substitute with macadamia nuts when I make this at home – but I much prefer the taste with cashews.

Raw Strawberry Cream Pie

These Raw Blueberry Bars are wonderful if you miss Fig Newton’s or Pop Tarts or crave cereal bars!

Raw Blueberry Bars

Or maybe you crave an Easy Blueberry Peach Crumble for breakfast, snack or dessert!

Easy Blueberry Peach Crumble

Can you tell we love berries?

Just an FYI, Driscoll’s is having a Twitter Chat tomorrow: Wednesday, April 18th at 7pm EST with Sommer of GreenandCleanMom.org! They will be discussing how to eat green for Earth Day with Driscoll’s organic berries. And, 5 lucky chat participants who answer their green living questions correctly will be chosen to receive $20 in Driscoll’s coupons!  You can find Driscoll’s Organic Berries in most local supermarkets (even my health food shop will sometimes carry this brand too)!

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Easy Blueberry Peach Crisp or Crumble

10 Jul
Blueberry Peach Crisp

For breakfast, snack or dessert, this is delicious, fresh and easy!

The Crust

Pulse together in a food processor:

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbspn extra virgin coconut oil, liquified by placing bottle in warm water
3 tbspns raw local honey or your choice of sweetener, or 6 tbspns pitted dates
2 cups raw almonds, unsoaked, grind to crumb-like consistency (not into a fine powder)

Filling

blueberries and sliced peaches

To Serve

Quick and Not That Involved: Like an easy granola and fruit dish, simply place fruit in a bowl and top with crust. Enjoy!

Prettier and More Involved: More like a Crumb Cake, pat down crust on a pie plate, top with peach slices and place some blueberries around the edge, top with more crust and pat down firmly, add one more layer of peaches and blueberries around the edge and top with the last layer of crust. Pat down firmly. The peaches and crust compliment each other very well – so you want more peaches than blueberries. Freeze slightly before serving to make slicing easier (use a sharp knife). Enjoy! Top with orange cream or banana ice cream, if desired.

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Raw Blueberry Bars

26 Jun

A Raw Blueberry Bar

Thinking about really nutritious, fresh, un-processed, Raw Pop Tarts or Raw Cereal Bars or Raw Fig Newtons?  Either for breakfast, a snack or a dessert, this is it! This truly healthy recipe is very easy, simple and the family will love it.  Blueberries are now in season and tastes fantastic with vanilla, coconut, lemon and maple syrup!

Raw Pastry

Grind into a fine flour with a Vitamix or Coffee grinder:

1 cup sprouted and dehyrated soft wheat berries*

* Alternatives: sprouted and dehydrated oat groats (or simply grind rolled oats if this is easier), soaked, rinsed and drained nuts (make sure they are dry thoroughly – I usually store them in the fridge for a few hours in a sieve after rinsing them)

Place in a bowl and add:

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (without alcohol)
1 tbspn extra virgin coconut oil
2 – 3 tbspns maple syrup, according to taste

Mix together.  Flatten with the palm of your hands or a roller on a flat surface. Refrigerate or freeze until hard.  Carefully separate pastry from surface.  Cut into long strips and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Blueberry Jam

Mix together in a food processor:

1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional but brings out the taste of sweet blueberries)
1/4 cup dates, soak if required
1 cup fresh blueberries*

*Alternatives: You can use your choice  of seasonal fruits here, like strawberries, figs, etc.

To Serve A La Minute

Place pastry strips on a flat surface.  Top half of each strip with blueberry jam and fold the other half on top to form a type of sandwich.  Serve immediately.

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