Sunday, September 23, 2012

Alexis & Sofia promoting our NEW GLASS WATER BOTTLES!




My 4 year old Alexis cannot resist being on video, so I said she could talk about our new glass water bottles that we are selling in our store, Natural Selections, so this is what happened today.... a couple the outtakes.... and of course her 3 year old sister Sofia doesn't want to be left behind...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

RAW BROWNIES WE LOVE!

This has become an absolute STAPLE in our house. The kids love them! Rich and decadent, yet healthy and raw!  And actually they only take 10 minutes to make! (But you will want to leave them in the fridge for a couple of hours to get firm, as they slice better!)  I have made this for friends and parties and people always ask for seconds to take home with them! Special thanks to my dear friend Sara Bliss for finding this recipe and showing it to me! It is SUPER important to SOAK the dates that are going to be used in the "Icing". (And don't think of making this without the icing... as it is HALF the dessert, and the most amazing part!)



http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-brownie-recipe



Raw brownie recipe

1 cup pecans (you can use walnuts in a pinch, but pecans are much better!)
1 cup dates
5 tablespoons raw cacao (cocoa) powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Place pecans alone in your food processor and process until the pecans become small and crumbly.
2. Add dates to the raw brownie recipe and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to this raw brownie recipe and process again until the mixture turns a lovely dark chocolatey brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.)
4. Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or small cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands.
5. Refrigerate this raw brownie recipe for a couple of hours. You do not have to refrigerate it, but it is much easier to slice when chilled. By the way, this is actually a raw brownie recipe that keeps its shape! So it can be good for serving to non-raw fooders because the presentation of this raw brownie recipe is good when chilled.
6. Store this raw brownie recipe in the refrigerator if it lasts that long!

AND TO MAKE THIS COMPLETE - MAKE THIS RAW ICING AND SPREAD ON TOP!

http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-chocolate-icing/

Raw chocolate icing

1 cup dates
1/4 cup raw cacao (cocoa) powder
1/4 cup cold-pressed coconut oil (also known as coconut butter)
3/4 cup water (or a tiny bit more if needed - try to keep at 3/4 cup or so though)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. If possible, let them sit in there for a few minutes to soften the dates a little bit.
2. Blend all ingredients in your high-speed blender. The ingredients can be a little finicky to blend, so start at a slow speed and increase speed slowly.
3. Keep blending for a very long time to get a velvety consistency. This is one of those recipes that really makes use of the power of a high-speed blender. If you feel that the blades are just spinning but aren't actually moving all of the icing around, turn the blender off and make an air pocket down the side of the blender with a spatula to expose the blades. Remove the spatula, replace the lid, and start blending slowly again.
4. You'll know it's ready if there are no bits of dates and all you can taste is velvety chocolate goodness.
5. This raw chocolate icing is ready to use as soon as you pour it out of the blender.
It's a great raw vegan icing for cakes, brownies and the like! Iced cakes or brownies should be kept in the refrigerator.

Below is a picture of another version of a RAW BROWNIE  I made, with a layer of Cashew Whipped "Cream" in between! Divine! I will include this recipe in another post!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Alexis the Signmaker!


I found my 4 year old daughter Alexis painting a copy of the sign that hangs on the door of our retail store, Natural Selections! 

My sister Ananda painted the original sign about 17 years ago! It is two sided and has a beautiful nighttime scene on the other side with the word CLOSED.

I am so lucky to have so many artists in my family! I used this picture in an ad to announce that our store has new expanded hours!