Loquat Jam and Loquat Crumble Pie

Spending some one-on-one time with Petra last Tuesday was a priority for me. The plan: a nature walk through our yard and some journaling. The result: nothing in our yard is blooming! However, we had quite the discovery. Our loquat tree in our backyard is loaded with a bounty of ripe and juicy loquats. And this presented the perfect opportunity. Here I was with a free afternoon, just two children by my side (rather than the normal four), and a tree full of ripe fruit. It was time to tackle something I’ve been wanting to do more of; and that is cooking some Floridian dishes.

After taking a few moments to attempt to study and draw the loquats – which Petra had zero interest in…and also having her write a few words to describe the picture… we moved on to the picking.

So the three of us picked some loquats, cleaned them, and diced them up to make both jam and a loquat cobbler. And of course also ate them raw! I ended up using two different jam recipes over the course of the last week. They are both very good.
First, I used this loquat jam recipe.

Loquat Jam

• Wash, remove seeds, and blossom ends from whole ripe fruit. Run through food chopper and measure pulp. Barely cover with cold water. Cook until tender and deep red.
• Add 3/4 cup sugar to 1 cup of loquat pulp. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal with sterilized lids. It is best to cook small batches of no more than 5 cups of fruit pulp in one kettle.

Very simple, very easy.

Then a few days later we did some more picking, and even grabbed some off our neighbors tree. Her variety was much, much larger.

Second I tackled this very easy recipe from the Kagonof Kitchen.  I loved the look of this one. The jam stayed a beautiful yellow and orange color. However, after tasting them both I will tell you can definitely taste the lemon juice in this one. But they are both very good and easy to enjoy.

I also loved this loquat crumble pie recipe.  Adding cinnamon and clove to loquats really adds to the flavor (and would have also been really good in the jam). This recipe was very good and very sweet. The children helped me make it and all of us enjoyed.  Some vanilla ice cream would have made it perfect.

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Raw Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes are all the rage these days! And trust me these mini raw chocolate cupcakes are the bomb. I made these my first day going back raw thinking chocolate would make it easier, and it did. These little treats are delicious and I wish I would have found them earlier. It is all I could do to just eat one.

The recipe can be found online at Learn Raw Food.

These cupcakes remind us of a rich, flour-less chocolate cake. They are sweet and decadent, with a  strong dark chocolate flavor.

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Raw Chocolate Cake

We celebrated Thomas’ birthday yesterday after lunch with a homemade raw chocolate cake. Yes, I said raw. That means no processed sugars, no flour, no eggs, no dairy of any sort and no heat. Instead it was all natural, delicious and incredibly good.

I found the recipe on You Tube by Raw Explicit Daniella – you can go here to watch the video. This is a three part video series which includes mixing the cake, putting it in a pan, and decorating the cake. Hers definitley looks better than mine. But the one I made still tasted incredible. And even better it was easier and faster than making a regular cake.

You pretty much throw everything in a food processor and mix. It is super easy. The recipe calls for:

• 2 cups soaked pecans
• 1 1/4 c dried coconut flakes
• 1 c raw cocoa
• 10 dates
• 3 T vanilla extract
• 3 bananas
• 5 T coconut oil
• 1/2 T maca
• 2 T water
• 2 T gogi berries – optional

Our local co-op is out of gogi berries so I wasn’t able to include those. And for some reason they don’t carry raw cocao – so instead I used the cocoa powder in a can. But all in all it was very good. And I shared some of the leftovers with friends and I think it was well received. Everyone said it was good. To us it tasted like a german chocolate gooey cake that was sort of fudge-like.

(Jasper fell asleep and missed the celebration.)

Soggy Pound Cake (Raw)

Here’s a festive parfait that is perfect for the upcoming holiday – if you are ready to try a raw dessert. This parfait includes three distinct layers – Ani Phyo’s Fuzzy Navel Smoothie, a raw cashew whipped cream, and fruit. After making each item, layer in a bowl or parfait dish with fruit. I stored ingredients separate in the refrigerator and then made the desserts when it was time to eat. A friend gave me the fuzzy navel smoothie in this recipe and I came up with this dish. It seemed like a perfect way to use it.

 Ani Phyo’s Fuzzy Navel Smoothie

A video for Ani Phyo’s Fuzzy Navel Smoothie can be found online HERE.  Be sure to only use 1 cup of water otherwise it becomes too watery to use in the parfait.

• 2 oranges – peeled and seeded
• 1 cup soaked pecans (soak in water for several hours and then rinse)
• ½ cup pitted dates
• 1 vanilla bean  (or you can use extract to keep the cost down)
• 1 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a blender. And you are done!

 

Raw Cashew Whipped Cream

• 1 cup soaked cashews (soak in water for several hours and then rinse)
• ¾ cup water
• Agave nectar to taste – optional
• Vanilla extract to taste – optional

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. And you are done!

For more information on soaking nuts and seeds, the health benefits of soaking nuts, and also recommended soaking times go to Raw Food Living.

And if you are wondering, the name Soggy Pound Cake came from my dear husband, who loves poundcake and thought this had a similar taste.

I Scream, You Scream

We all scream for ice cream at our house.  The only reason our new food changes have been successful in our home is because we were able to find a subsitutes for foods we love best. If there is something you really love, you need to work on finding a healthier version of it that will help satisfy your cravings.

What I love about eating raw is that you don’t have to give up sweets. You can still have desserts. I love our raw cobbler, but this ice cream is also incredible. It is also dairy free, lactose free, and sugar free.

 

Strawberry & Blueberry Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk – be sure to read the ingredients it should only have coconut and guar gum (Thai Kitchen brand recommended)
  1.5 cups frozen strawberries
• Frozen blueberries
• Agave nectar – sweeten to taste, you should need very little, less than 1/8 cup
• 1 t. vanilla

Directions:

Blend coconut milk, strawberries, vanilla, and agave nectar in blender until well mixed. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and add whole blueberries. Our ice cream maker takes about 20 minutes and then its ready. We use a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

Serve and eat up! It is creamier fresh. Once stored in the freezer it gets a little icy, but is still good.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

I’ve been excited about adding this recipe for a Raw Chocolate Pudding to the blog. I was very keen on trying it after hearing good things from other blogs and people.

It’s a little unusual. One of the things about making raw dishes is you have to learn to think about things differently. There is no cooking involved so often it takes less time. But the ingredients you use change up a little bit and it takes some time to become accustomed to it. For instance, sweetener in our home for any recipe is usually one of the following ingredients: dates, bananas, agave nectar or honey. We always keep a stash of frozen bananas and Petra enjoys peeling them and breaking them into pieces so we can store in the freezer.

Now back to the recipe. This is very simple. To make Raw Chocolate Pudding, combine the following ingredients in a food processor or blender until mixed throughly.

• 2 avocados
• 2 bananas
• 4 T cocoa
• 1/8 cup agave or honey (or either to your liking and desired sweetness)

Usually it is a little warm from mixing it, so I would recommend putting it in the fridge to chill before consuming. It makes about 4 servings.

I can honestly say this does not taste like chocolate pudding. After looking at the list of ingredients I’m sure you aren’t surprised. However, it does have the texture and look of chocolate pudding. And it is tasty.  Our children have no idea what regular chocolate pudding tastes like so they were not the least bit disappointed, and in all honesty, they absolutely LOVED it. And we agreed to have it on a regular basis. Thomas and I gave it 2.5 stars out of 4. I’m sure the children would have given it 4 stars. It was a huge hit with them.

Oh, and one other thing. I don’t recommend giving this to any children close to bedtime. We did and will not be doing that again.

And so, I’m curious, how many of you think you would be willing to try this? Or is this too unusual for you to even consider trying?

Raw Fruit Cobbler

When people learn we are following a paleo, highly raw diet as a family, they immediately assume that our diets are either 1) boring, or 2) that their children would not eat such a healthy diet. But in actuality, we have some incredibly healthy recipes, including dessert recipes, that we truly love – including our two toddlers. I’ll be sharing more and more of our meals, especially those that are kid friendly in hope to encourage others to offer healthier choices at home. We have seen drastic improvements in our health, as well as our childrens’ health from the shift in our diet.

Thomas recently delighted us with a raw dessert that we loved – a raw blueberry, pineapple cobbler. The family, including guests, gave it 4 out of 4 stars! It was absolutely scrumptious! The recipe – a Spiced Blueberry Cobbler – was changed up slightly due to a low volume of blueberries in the house, and a large quantity of pineapple. So it became half of each. The recipe can be found in Ani’s Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats – along with several other scrumptious desserts that won’t have you cringing as your children scarf them down.

The crust on this dessert is made from almonds, dates and spices. I love that I can feel good about giving this to my children. There is nothing processed, and no white sugar!