Autumn Harvest Raw Apple Pie with Almond-Date Crust

It's time once again for the two-hour-long drive away from the beach, to Oak Glen, Calif.'s fertile, rolling hills and valleys where apple orchards line the roadside like sentries, keeping watch over citified pickers of ideal candidates for the perfect apple pie---Fujis, Jonagolds, Macintosh, and Granny Smiths. If we're lucky, mysterious low-lying fog will swirl and obscure our view, offering a spine-tingling welcome to the Halloween season.

I'll post two absolutely wonderful apple pie recipes which have absolutely nothing in common--other than apples, of course! This first rendition is raw--yes, unbaked--and it rivals the most luscious and delectable of cooked varieties. It is dense, rich, sweet and aromatic with cinnamon, and suitable for low-carb, gluten-free, low-glycemic and vegan diets. I usually use 2 or 3 types of apples for this pie; your choice of apple variety is your signature. There is also room to play with the crust. While almonds and dates combine beautifully, you are invited to try walnuts or pecans, or substitute dates for raisins. (If you aren't a raw foodie, and you are no stranger to butter and sugar, check back soon for my baked version!)

Basic Almond Date Crust
1 3/4 cup almonds, soaked 8-12 hours
1 1/2 cup date pieces or chopped dates or raisins
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon

In a medium-size bowl, soak almonds 8-12 hours in enough water to cover the nuts. After soaking, dry nuts briefly (30 minutes) in the sun or or a dehydrator (30-60 minutes). In a food processor, process nuts until evenly ground. Then, add dates and process until finely ground, adding water, vanilla, and cinnamon while processing. The crust will appear slightly damp and will hold together. Immediately press into pie plate.

Filling
10-12 apples (peeled and cored), cut in chunks
2 cups dates, pitted (medjool are recommended)
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons flax meal (or substitute psyllium husk powder)

Pulse apples, dates and raisins in a food processor or put through a juicer. (Depending on the size of apples used, this should yield at least 6 cups of mixture. If it doesn't, add more apples.) Add cinnamon, then gradually sprinkle in flax meal or psyllium and process until thoroughly mixed. Immediately pour into pie shell. Cover and refrigerate.

Food fact! Raw food (like many things that are worth waiting for) takes time. Certainly, this dish is somewhat time-consuming, so I suggest you make a weekend of it! Spend Saturday scouring the orchards for apples; It's fun, great exercise and often there are seasonal festivals with music, period costumes and demonstrations. Soak the nuts over night, then on Sunday morning, rinse and dry the nuts. Prepare the pie, and chill for the afternoon, finally serving your masterpiece at dinner! Still seems like a lot of work? Get the kids to help, and use the time together for a short history lesson about how food was gathered and prepared when Grandmother (or Great-Grandmother) was young.

Greek Portobello Pizza in the Raw

This interesting twist on an old favorite is from Raw Test Kitchen. First, I must make note of my current obsession with all things Mediterranean...I just made Arugula, Feta and Olive Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Bruschetta Style Brown Rice Fusilli, these little portobello lovelies, and you will soon see my latest recipe for Arugula Salad with Ginger-Thyme Vinaigrette in an upcoming post!
This recipe is a must-do; Kid-friendly, vegan, low-glycemic and gluten-free, I like "pizza" because it is truly a food without borders. While pizza's origin is Italy (buon giorno Italia!), around the world pizza-esque concoctions can be found with results as far-stretching as the Alsatian tarte flambée (Flammkuchen in German), a thin disc of dough covered increme fraiche, onions, and bacon. Or, the Turkish pizza, a very thin dough round topped with meat and chopped veggies, or the pissaladiere, found in Provence, with a slightly thicker crust and a topping of cooked onions, anchovies and olives.

12 mini portobello mushrooms caps, stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
6 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, soaked until soft (or substitute cashews)
1/4 cup fresh spinach
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons water
2 teasoons sea salt

Lightly pat inside and outside of mushrooms with olive oil and sea salt. Let sit for an hour or so.
Combine nuts, spinach, lemon juice, water and sea salt in a blender, mix until chunky. Add more water a tablespoon at a time if necessary. Spread spinach feta cheese on mushroom caps. Place toppings (sliced cherry tomatoes, red onion, yellow pepper and olives) on cheese. Put in dehydrator at 100 degrees for 1-2 hours, until warm, or simply bake gently in the oven or toaster oven until thoroughly warm.

Food Fact! The raw foodism (or rawism) lifestyle promotes a diet of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods. Throughout the 1900s, raw proponents Ann Wigmore and Herbert Shelton stated that raw fruits and vegetables are the ideal food for humans.
According to Wikipedia, Artturi Virtanen (1895-1973), showed that enzymes in uncooked foods are released in the mouth when vegetables are chewed. Raw foodists deduct from this research the supposition that these enzymes interact with other substances, notably the enzymes produced by the body itself, to aid in the digestion process. Leslie Kenton's book, The New Raw Energy, in 1984 popularized food such as sprouts, seeds, and fresh vegetable juices, which have become staples in many different food cultures. The book brought together research into raw foodism and its support of health, citing examples such as the sprouted seed enriched diets of the long lived Hunza people, as well as Dr. Max Gerson's claim of a raw juice-based cancer cure.
Raw foods "rules":
1. Heating food above 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit degrades or destroys enzymes in food.
2. Eating food without enzymes makes digestion more difficult, leading to toxicity in the body, excess consumption of food, obesity and/or chronic disease.
3. Raw foods contain bacteria and other micro-organisms that affect the immune system and digestion by populating the digestive tract with gut flora.
4. Raw foods have higher nutrient values than foods which have been cooked.
5. Wild foods are the most nutritious raw foods.

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Not many North Americans can claim that sushi sustained them while on a meager student budget (Japanese top ramen is more iconic student fare.) When I was studying graphic design in the mid-90s in Vancouver, Canada, the city was blessed with an abundance of affordable sushi; Unlike other Canadian cities dotted with donut shops, Vancouver is so flush with fish that you can count on at least one sushi bar at every corner. Needless to say, I also adopted a great affection for "sunomono" style salads made with rice vinegar. This dish is an excellent version, certain to please a crowd at summer picnics and potlucks. And, unlike ubiquitous mayonnaise-based potato or macaroni salad, this one only gets better over time. I like to make it in the morning after breakfast--By the time we arrive for an afternoon gathering, the salad's flavor is at its peak.

¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large cucumber
½ small red onion thinly sliced
sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ sweet bell pepper diced
1 carrot, julienned (Learn about making julienne cuts in my How-To Guide!)

Combine rice vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl, mix well. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, scrape out and discard seeds. Cut into thin slices and place in bowl with vinegar mixture. Dice pepper, slice onion and add to vinegar mixture and cucumbers. Salt to taste. Toss salad lightly, and cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Julienne carrots for garnish just before serving.
Serves 4.

Food Fact! Japanese rice vinegar is made from fermented rice and is very mild and mellow, ranging in color from pale yellow to colorless. Awasezu or seasoned rice vinegar is made by adding sake, salt and sugar and is typically used for making sushi or sunomono.

Two-Bean Salad with Tarragon Dressing

This recipe was created by Ann Gentry in honor of Earth Day. Gentry owns Real Food Daily restaurants in Los Angeles. My family has a bittersweet love of Real Food Daily; Its all-vegan menu is broad and interesting enough to please even the most stalwart non-vegan dragged there by some plant-eating friend. The first time I went with my husband, I was pregnant with my son Joseph, and I startled our waiter with how many menu items I (happily) consumed, finishing with one of their superb desserts. At later visits, I began to note that Real Food Daily is not a place to bring children (it's loud and tight and the staff don't seem to welcome them) and there is always, always a long wait for a table (not good with a toddler!) So, I love Real Food Daily from a distance.

This recipe's lovely dressing has just enough sweetness and tang.

Salad
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
1 15 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 6 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Steam the green beans until tender-crisp, then cool. Toss with all other ingredients.

For the Tarragon Dressing, in a blender or food processor, mix:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

With the machine running, gradually add:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon

Pour over salad, toss to coat and serve.

Food Fact! The English word "tarragon" originates from the French word estragon or "little dragon," which is derived from the Arabic tarkhun. Tarragon is the slender dark-green leaves of the herb Artemisia dracunculus. With a pleasant anise-like flavor and aroma, tarragon is one of the four fines herbes of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, fish and egg dishes, and one of the main components of Bearnaise sauce.

Who's Afraid of Fearless Chocolate?

Want to put a smile on my face? Hand me a dark-chocolate bar I've never tried before. Better yet, a quirky raw, organic bar like this 72% Midnight from Fearless Chocolate. That's just what my husband did when he returned from a business trip to Vegas, where he enjoyed lunch at GoRaw Cafe, purveyor of Fearless Chocolate.

Company owner Jordan Schuster founded Fearless Chocolate only a few years ago, in San Francisco--a neighbor to our beloved Scharffen Berger and the popular Ghirardelli. What makes Fearless Chocolate different is that it is made with raw cacao---aka unroasted. The package states that the cacao is prepared at a low heat (under 118 degrees), "preserving the natural nutrients, enzymes, amino acids and antioxidants." It is also sweetened with rapadura, essentially pure dried sugarcane juice.

What's odder (and irresistibly charming) is that the packaging (

and website) appear as nothing fancier than chalkboard drawings, underscoring the bar's back-to-basics organic nature.

When I opened it, I noticed the bar is die-cut to suggest a bite has taken from it. The idea behind this is explained as follows: "this bite is given to folks who need to eat chocolate as much as you." When I checked the website, it would seem that no giving has been done to date, although the company requests recipient nominations. Hmm, maybe locate pre-menstrual tension sufferers who would/could never pay $5.98 for a single chocolate bar? Or maybe package up those little bites for wee trick-or-treaters on a raw diet, who are never able to enjoy even a fraction of their loot?

But what does it taste like? It tastes like raw cacao, folks, and that's a big compliment. My bar had no signs of bloom. It did not snap as sharply as a fine, roasted counterpart might, however. Its scent is earthy and nutty, and I could detect its included cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla. The texture is very grainy, from start to finish; This is to be expected, considering its production process.

Only a few squares in, and I am delighted by its wholesomeness and balanced composition. I am a person who keeps a bag of raw, organic cacao powder in the fridge, stirring it into plain yogurt with agave nectar at alarmingly frequent rates, so perhaps I am biased. My overall impression is that it is a wonderfully delicious and nutritious treat. Surprisingly low in calories and sugar content, I daresay it's pretty low-glycemic, although bars sweetened with agave are available by special order. Fearless Chocolate also offers the following varieties: Nice Rice Milk, Mynt, and Baanaanaa Waalnut, but for some mysterious reason, you can't order from the Fearless website!

Food Fact! Rapadura is a traditional sweetener common in Latin American countries such as Brazil and Venezuela (where it is known as papelón) and the Caribbean. In Panama it is also called raspadura, thought to derive from the words "raspar" (to scrape) and "duro" (hard), a reference to the way the hard sugar brick is shaven to produce usable shards for cooking. The local dialect often drops the letter "s", resulting in the word we hear as "ra'padura". Rapadura is very rich in dietary iron.

Ribboned Zucchini Salad

This attractive salad is delicious in its simplicity. For months, we have eaten courgettes (zucchini) 4-5 times a week, so I must get this recipe online before we tire ourselves of this versatile Italian squash! We use it in salads, of course, but we have also adapted the concept of "ribboning" as a low-glycemic (and low-calorie) pasta alternative. What makes this recipe even more alluring--particularly at the onset of warmer weather--is that steaming is unnecessary. Simply salting the zucchini tenderizes them for this dish.

Cut 2 lb. of trimmed zucchini length-wise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a slicer and transfer to a colander set over a bowl. (See a video of how to ribbon zucchini in my How-to Guide.) Sprinkle zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then rinse under cold running water. Transfer zucchini to a clean towel and gently roll it up to absorb excess water.

Toss together the following, then add the zucchini:
3 oz. frisée salad greens (4 cups loosely packed)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (or cilantro)
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn in to small pieces
12 kalamata olives, pitted and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, halved length-wise and thinly sliced cross-wise

Last, let's dress those veggies! Whisk together:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely-grated fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Food Fact! Zucchini is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, along with cantaloupe and watermelon. come in many different varieties. It is reported to be an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, and a very good source of magnesium, Vitamin A, potassium, folate, fiber,phosphorous and copper. The antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene also have anti-inflammatory properties that make them helpful for conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation plays a big role. The copper found in summer squash is also helpful for reducing the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Banana and Spinach Smoothies

No really, I'm serious. I don't remember where I found the recipe (and I like to give credit where credit is due) but there were literally thousands of comments attached to it regaling the simplicity and surprisingly delicious result of this combination, so I gave it a try.

Our little Joseph has always been a fairly adventurous eater. Tonight, he ate sole stuffed with crab and scallops right off my plate. However, there are days when he digs his heels in, hollering for "wogurt" (yogurt) at every meal. I love giving him these smoothies on those days when we've reached a stalemate over what he'll agree to eat. He thinks he's won the battle, but I know I've won the war: He's drinking fresh spinach--and asking for more. And they are sugar-free! (Yes, bananas are high-glycemic. I'm still happy. And you will be too, when you try this yummy smoothie.)

If you are trying to get more greens into your child's (or your, or your husband's) diet, blend together:
8 oz. of milk (or soy or almond milk),
1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh spinach
one whole banana into your blender
Puree until it is a fluffy, frothy green smoothie.

Special note: If you'd like to spoon-feed this to your infant, try the following: Blend together 4 ounces of formula or whole milk, 1/4 cup spinach, and half a banana, then thicken with organic rice or multi-grain cereal--let me know what your little cherub thinks!

Food Fact! Bananas contain Vitamin C, potassium and Vitamin B6. The Vitamin C helps the body to defend and heal against infections and aids the synthesis of the connective tissue, absorption of iron and the formation of blood. The mineral potassium helps the building of muscles and protein synthesis. A diet rich in potassium is said to reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke. Vitamin B6 helps in the synthesis of antibodies in the immune system apart from red blood formation, protein metabolism and functioning of the central nervous system. Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose along with fiber, providing an instant and substantial boost of energy.

Raw Brownies with Icing!

Sugar is a stranger at our house. A lover of all things dessert, you would guess otherwise, but I have found countless "alternatives" for ooey-gooey, sinfully delicious and satisfying treats. I put alternatives in quotations, because, in truth, what is available in the produce department is delightfully sweet, complex in texture and wildly versatile. The real deal.

When I was nineteen, overweight and eating junk, I came across this cookbook on macrobiotics. Lovingly written, this book changed my entire outlook on food, and in many ways, my body. It also retrained my palate to find a simple apple sweet to the taste, and soon after refined sugars became headache-producing. Anyway, that was, ahem, 18 years ago. While I'm not exactly macrobiotic now---I'd say I'm more, "if God provided it, it must be OK; If any ingredients were produced by industrial chemists, it must not be"---my very favorite type of cooking is raw food, rivalled only by my lust for (almost quizzically, now that I think of it,) French cuisine: the full-fat, rich-sauced, beautifully-prepared variety.

Anyway, above all, I adore raw desserts. I fantasize about existing on them alone. It was during one such fantasy that I came across this lovely little recipe that is so easy to make and so deceptively wonderful, that I just have to share. Not only is it made with only "good" fats, but it is also low-glycemic*, gluten-free, flourless and vegan.

Get out your food processor, and toss in:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Special note: Good food requires good ingredients. Treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black's makes a nice organic one. Navitas makes Raw Cacao Power, perfect for the purist. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)

Grind these ingredients until they resemble potting soil, then pat firmly into an 8x8 pan.

Next, use your blender or hand-mixer to blend the icing:
2 avocados
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (see Special Note above)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon

This icing is to die for!! Don't tell anyone that you're using avocados to make chocolate icing, they might just gag. But, one taste and you will never look at an avocado the same again. In fact, this icing recipe makes much more than you really need; consider it a bit 'o love from me to you.

Ice your brownies, lick the spoon, and place in the freezer to set (1 hour). Since this is, essentially, a bunch of healthy fruit and nuts, feel free to nibble on a brownie on your way into work in the morning---and let me know how they turned out! Makes 12.

Other ideas: I'm going to try substituting organic almond or peanut butter for the walnuts, to create a "chocolate-peanut butter cup" version.
*To make this ultra-low-glycemic, replace the dates with prunes.

Food Fact! What is cocoa powder? Cacao nibs are ground to extract about 75 percent of the cocoa butter, leaving a dark brown paste called chocolate liquor. After drying again, the hardened mass is ground into the powder known as unsweetened cocoa. The richer, darker Dutch cocoa has been treated with an alkali, which helps neutralize cocoa’s natural acidity.

Raw Strawberry Pie!

Summertime, and the livin's easy. OK, it's only Spring, but strawberries are everywhere now, begging to be taken home and savored. Growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, I had to wait until late June for strawberry season. Even though I've resided in Southern California for more than 10 years, when those juicy little beauties hit the stores each Spring, I think I've hit the jackpot.

The problem? Perhaps it's still a little too early, but over the past few weeks of visiting the little organic farmer's market near our home, I've notice the full sweetness of the fruit has yet to be revealed. But I can't resist. (Neither can Little Joseph who makes an immediate beeline to them!) My solution? Transform them into something as grand as the beautiful fruit deserves, something that will treat the tongue the berry's later-season potential---without adding any refined sugars, of course!

Below is a raw recipe that is not only yummy and kid-friendly, but high in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, antioxidents and is a decent source of protein and vitamin E. If you have an artful hand for arranging sliced strawberries, it makes a pretty dish for a brunch or dessert. Even though it calls for two (high-glycemic) bananas, I minimize the overall glycemic load by replacing the dates with pitted prunes.

Special note: Our little neighborhood organic farmer offers a one-two punch of good nutrition; while organic is most always a better choice (who wants to eat pesticide, after all?) much must be said for supporting your local farmer. See this wonderful article written by John Cloud for Time magazine about the organic-vs.-local debate. OK, now let's get eating!

Raw Strawberry Pie
First, make the Pie Shell:
3/4 cup raw almonds (or 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup cashews)
1.25 cup soft, pitted dates
1/2 tsp. vanilla

It is very important to first grind the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Then, add the dates and vanilla, and blend well. Press thinly into a pie plate (from center to the outside rim) to form the shell.

Then, blend the following ingredients in food processor or blender until well mixed:
7 or 8 large ripe strawberries
5 soft dates, pitted
2 bananas, fairly ripe
1 Tbs. agave nectar

Next, cut 1 pint of fresh strawberries into quarters, fold into binder and fill shell. Decorate with sliced strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly before serving.

Food Fact! Agave nectar is a low glycemic, liquid sweetener harvested from the agave plant. The agave plant grows in the semi-arid soils of Mexico. Historically, the juices (nectar) were fermented to make tequila. Agave nectar (syrup) is about 90% fructose. It is sweeter than table sugar and it is all natural.

Can't Get Enough Raw Chocolate Brownies

This raw brownie recipe is sticky and fudgey and oh-so-yummy---and kid-friendly, of course! To be honest, I haven't shared even a square of my latest batch with my boys. They get to eat all sorts of things that mommy can't have without losing her waistline in the process---namely gluten. This lovely little recipe is gloriously low-glycemic, made with only “good” fats, and is gluten-free, flourless and vegan. And so easy!

Get out your food processor, and toss in:
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Special note: Good food requires good ingredients. Navitas makes Raw Cacao Power, perfect for both the raw purist and chocolate connoisseur. Or, treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black’s makes a nice organic one. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)
1/2 avocado
1/3 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
cinnamon to taste

Grind all ingredients, then pat firmly into an 8×8 pan and place in the freezer to set (1 hour.) If you like a fruit and nut chocolate bar, this will certainly satisfy.

Food Fact! Almonds reduce your risk for heart attack and heart disease. A Loma Linda School of Public Health study showed those who consumed nuts five times a week had a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack. Further, some varieties contain rhizveritrol (the anti-inflammatory agent found in red wines and thought to be responsible decreasing instances of heart disease even among those with diets rich in animal fats---sometimes referred to as the French Paradox.) The fat in nuts is unsaturated, "good" fat and there is no cholesterol in these fats.
Diabetes and Hypertension suffers rejoice! Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are one class of polyphenols; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that eating dark chocolate (with 70% or greater cocoa offers 500mg polyphenols) is associated with improved insulin resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure, whereas white chocolate (offering 0mg polyphenols) has no effect.