Brad's Raw Chips: A Review

I was so excited when my friend Kathy gave Brad's Raw Chips my info so I could try their product. They contacted me and offered me two bags of their fabulous Raw Chips. Well, I got them in the mail Friday and one whole bag was gone by Saturday! What a  great product!

I often make Raw chips and crackers at home but the type I make usually have a higher fat contact. My favorite thing about Brad's Raw Chips is that they are lower in fat and higher in fiber than a lot of the chips or crackers I've tried. They also have a decent amount of protein which is an added bonus!

The first bag I popped open was the Red Bell Pepper flavor. These were great on their own and with Raw hummus. They were not spicy at all so for those of you that are looking for a low fat, high fiber,  nutritious snack, this is it!

(Note the empty bag. I didn't even get a picture of the bag before I ate them all : )

 Love it!

The second bag was the Hot Kale flavor. These puppies are spicy! I easily rectified this by eating them with a little fresh guacamole. Who needs conventional tortilla chips and guacamole when you have these nutritionally dense little gems?! Not me! These are great for when you need a crunchy, spicy snack.

 Spicy, yum!

Thanks to Brad for letting me try these fantastic chips! I love trying new products, especially when they taste as good as these do : )

Go check out Brad's site. You can tell he really loves what he's doing and it shows in the quality of the product he has created. Now go get some!

Nicole

Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Pistachios

Okay, so here's the deal, I was going to take a picture of these little beauties but I forgot and then I ate them all. What a putz! Anyway, I did write the recipe down so I could share it with you. I will take a picture of the next batch because trust me, there will be one : )

Ingredients

2 cups pistachios, soaked for 8 hrs. then drained and dehydrated @ 105 degrees for 2 hrs.

1 tsp. salt
1tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Bragg's Amino Acids or Nama Shoyu

Preperation

Prepare pistachios as directed.

Stir together remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add pistachios to bowl and stir to coat evenly. Put mixture on a teflex sheet and place in the dehydrator for 12 hrs. Remove teflex sheet and place nuts on the mesh sheet. Dehydrate for another 12-24 hrs. until crisp. Enjoy! Oh, don't eat them all before you take a picture ; )

Nicole

Raw Ice Cream Maker

Last year when I became Raw I really wanted to dabble in ice cream. I heard great reviews about the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker so I bought mine from Amazon. Well, I LOVE it! If you want to be ready for ice cream season I suggest you go grab one for yourself at Amazon. They have them on special for $45.91 shipped. Go grab one!

I'd love to hear some of your favorite Raw ice cream recipes! Please share them : )

Nicole

Guess What I Got Today? Laughing Giraffe, or is it?

My order from Tropical Traditions! I read a tweet at the beginning of the week that they were having a sale on all of their coconut and also giving a free jar of coconut oil with each order. Of course, I feel awful because it didn't occur to me to let all of you know about it. What a putz I am! Well, I made two types of macaroons and I have to tell you, this coconut and coconut oil is the best I've ever had! The taste is amazing! It doesn't taste like stinky feet. Sorry but that's what the dried coconut I used to buy smelled like.

Anyway, I now have 4 lbs. of coconut and a jar of coconut oil and would love to hear some of your recipes. Bring it on!

****If you want to win a jar of this lovely oil go over to Averie's blog and ENTER!******

Here are the two macaroons I threw together. One I measured with utensils and the other I used the scale only so I hope you have one to interpret the measurements : )

Raw Almond Walnut Macaroons

146 grams walnuts
50 grams almonds
5 oz. shredded coconut
2 Tbsp. coconut oil (28 grams)
5 Tbsp. agave (120 grams)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Grind nuts in food processor until medium texture. Pulse in remaining ingredients.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto paraflex sheets. Place in dehydrator at 105 degrees and dehydrate for 12 hrs., place on mesh screen and dehydrate for another 12 hrs. I store these in the freezer. (It's safer that way : ) Enjoy! Makes 20 macaroons.

*UPDATE* Oh my gosh, I just tasted a fully dehydrated one and it tastes just like Laughing Giraffes Smackaroons!!! I'm so excited! Just so you know, I was not leading you astray posting the recipe before tasting. I had tasted the un-dehydrated product and it was fab! The dehydrated, even more fab, if that's possible : )

Calories    135
Fat              12
Protein         2

Chocolate Macaroons

1 cup nuts of your choice (120 grams)
1 cup cacao powder
2 cups dried coconut
1/2- 3/4 cup agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao nibs
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Grind the nuts in the food processor. Mix the nuts with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer until firm. Move them to a storage container and store them in the freezer. Yum! Makes 24 macaroons.

Calories          175
Fat                    11
Protein               4

These are staples around my house. If I have a hankering for a special treat, I pull one out of the freezer and devour it : ) No, I eat it mindfully, right?

Nicole

Sunflower Seed Dip

I feel like I digest sunflower seeds a bit easier than nuts so I made this dip for that reason. It is a very modified recipe from "Vegan World Fusion Cuisine".

Ingredients

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 8 hrs. and drained
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water ( I used the tomato soak water)
1 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 tsp. sea salt
black pepper to taste


3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, chopped
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, minced
1 Tbsp. olives, thinly sliced, optional
1 Tbsp, green onion, diced, optional

Preparation

1. Place sunflower seeds, lemon juice, soak water, Shoyu, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor and process until smooth.

2. Place mixture in a large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. Allow to sit for a few hours before serving so flavors can combine.

I like to eat this as a dip with my Raw Flax Crackers or in a salad. It is so flavorful! Enjoy!

Nicole

Caramel Apple Breakfast Bowl

This recipe came from Lisa's "Raw on $10 a Day" e-book that I just purchased. I was looking for something with some crunch and sweetness and BAM!, here it was : ) I eat this for breakfast or an afternoon snack. I meant to take a picture but ate the entire bowl before I did. Next time ; )


Ingredients:

1 apple ($.75)                                1 Tbs. almond butter ($.40)
1/2 oz. walnuts ($.32)                   1 Tbsp. agave ($.10)

Chop a nice, juicy apple into bite-sized chunks. I used a Pink Lady because I love crisp apples. Blend together the almond butter and agave. Dollop mixture onto apples then sprinkle with nuts. Lisa uses a mixture of almonds, walnuts and pecans. Ooooh, I bet pecans would be yummy! I'll have to try that next time.. Enjoy!

Lisa has done a fantastic job with this e-book. The recipes are easy and cheap. Now that's my kind of "cooking"! She lists the nutrition info and the cost of each recipe. Fantastic!

Calories      340
Fat                17
Carbs           42
Protein          4

Great E-Book and Site!

If you haven't checked out Lisa's blog, "Raw on $10 a Day", go check it out! She has the best, low-budget Raw meals I've come across. I just purchased her e-book and am thrilled with it! In this day and age, saving money is a BIG deal. Thanks for helping me do that Lisa!

Now go get a copy!

Lisa has a great perspective on Raw eating. She makes it seem very doable which is what I want to help others with as well. I may feature one of her recipes later this week. Lisa also includes nutritional information which is great for keeping track of calories, if that's important to you.

Nicole