Piña Colada inspired Tropical Smoothie

When Mister AtV and I honeymooned in Mexico (almost 6 years ago now -- holy cow, time flies!) ninety percent of my non-water consumption was Piña colada's in a hallowed out coconut shell. We haven't been back to Mexico since, but whenever the weather gets humid and sunny my mind quickly goes to; lounging on a sandy beach, sipping that tropical drink while vendors walked by trying to sell their random gimmicks. After running Saturday errands we came home to the sun beating down on our back porch and I knew what needed to happen next. I don't normally post recipes on the weekend but to be perfectly honest, this smoothie is so damn good it needed to be shared sooner than later! It's also superduper filling and full of healthy fats and proteins. Make a double batch and serve it as a special blended drink for your Summer get-togethers! 

Piña Colada inspired Tropical Smoothie

***Makes roughly 7 liquid cups

Ingredients:

• 3 large Bananas
• 2 c frozen Pineapple chunks
• 2 c frozen OJ Cubes //or// 2 c Orange Sections
• 1/2 c Coconut Butter //or// Coconut Cream
• 1/2 c AtV Sour Cream (Nut Free: Sub with Coconut Cream/Butter)
• 4 to 5 Medjool Dates 
• 1.5 cups Water

Directions:

1. Blend everything to a thick creamy yummy perfection! 
2. For maximum enjoyment serve with a lime wedge, a paper umbrella, and a generous side of sunshine. 

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Sweet n' Salty Banana Almond Dip

It's officially hay-fever season for me, so in between napping out my misery and drinking copious amounts of iced nettle tea I haven't been doing much else. Anyone else suffer from horrible seasonal allergies? This is my first year trying out loose leaf nettle tea, and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it'll do the trick! 

Today I had an unusual craving for something sweet and filling, and then this dip happened. Since I already have an affinity for anything "dippy" I was beyond satisfied with this plate -- not to mention all of the possibilities for variation. Oh, and if you have hungry little ones in your house this is a great way to trick them into eating a healthy and filling snack!

Banana Almond Dip

Yields roughly 1/2 cup of Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized ripe Banana
• 2 Tbsp Almond Butter
• 2 pinches Salt (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Mash up your Banana as much as you can
2. Add the Almond Butter and Salt - Mix together evenly
3. Store in an air tight container in your fridge for up to 3 days

Tasty Variations:

• Add 1 tsp Cacao //or// Carob Powder
• Add 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
• Substitute Melted Coconut Butter or Coconut Cream in place of Almond Butter
• Add 1 Tbsp Cacao Nibs and/or 1 Tbsp Shredded Coconut 

I could go on and on with variations of this dip, and I hope if you come up with your own variation you'll let me know!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Tahini Garlic Pesto Sauce

Today's lunch was a light but filling meal, consisting of my favorite way to eat carrots, lettuce wraps and a wonderful new and super-duper easy sauce. Even though I've been working on a list of new recipes I always find myself going back to simple food for most of my meals - but lucky for me simple doesn't mean boring. This lovely Tanihi Pesto Sauce is such a star, and would go wonderfully with a bevy of different foods -- you don't have to be a raw foodie to enjoy it! From potatoes to pasta, your protein of choice and much more. What's even more wonderful about this sauce - depending on how you make the pesto - it can be completely free of oils. Stick around for more on this later in the week. 

I definitely plan on working this into at least one more upcoming AtV recipe featuring Portabello mushrooms. But for starters you might want to give these yummy wraps a try...

Tahini Garlic Pesto Sauce

yields roughly 1/2 cup sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c AtV Sour Cream
• 1/4 c Pesto (your choice, but stay tuned for a new AtV Pesto recipe coming up this Friday)
• 2 Tbsp Tahini
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp minced Garlic (or garlic to taste)
• 2 pinches Cumin
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a bowl combine all of the ingredients. 

Whisk everything together evenly, until you have a nice thick sauce.

Make a bunch of Carrot Ribbon Pasta (click here for how-to)

The only thing left to do is assemble your wraps - mine were  pretty simple...

My (4)wraps were just: Carrot Ribbon Pasta, Sun-dried Tomato and fresh Dill. 

Wishing you all a lovely middle-of-the-week!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Sun-dried Tomato & Corn Chowder

This soup is a wonderful example of how rich and flavorful raw food can be without getting too complicated.

I've been in a bit of a funk over the last week, wrestling over how to regain my lost momentum...and then it hit me; I've totally fallen away from the little things that truly ignite my passion for making recipes. I grabbed a note book, went to the fridge and started my inventory. After that I took my list of fresh ingredients, along with three vintage cook books into my office -- oh yes, there may have been iced tea involved too.

It's pretty amazing how such a simple act got the wheels in my head turning, the excitement flowing, and helped in making one heck of a tasty chowder! Goodness knows I needed it.

One of my favorite things about today's recipe is how perfectly it can fit into warm or cold weather. I'll be enjoying it chilled with a big side salad for dinner tonight. It would also taste just as good warmed with a side of crackers and zucchini pasta tossed in your favorite pesto. 

Sun-dried Tomato & Corn Chowder

Yields roughly 3 cups 

Step 1.

Ingredients

Ingredients List #1

• 2 c Raw Corn Kernals (Tip: Buy locally grown organic corn when it's in season, remove the kernels and store it in your freezer so you can enjoy it throughout the year)
• 1/2 c chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes (Tip: if packed in oil wash the oil off, if dry re-hydrate the toms by soaking them in warm water for 10 minutes then pat dry)
• 1/4 c fresh Dill
• 1/4 c fresh Chive
• 1 tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Onion powder
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Granules
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• Salt to taste -- I used 1/2 tsp

Ingredient List #2

• 1 c AtV Sour Cream (click for recipe)
• 1.5 c Water

Step 2. 

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients from List #1 and puree in your food processor for 1 minute
2. Add the AtV Sour Cream from List #2 and puree
3. While your food processor is on, slowly stream in all of the water
4. Puree for an additional 1 minute
5. Transfer your soup to and air tight container and let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so all of the flavors can develop.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Loaded Creamy Kale Dip

If you're a lover of dark leafy greens and snacky-type foods then this dip is for you!
One batch is literally packed to the brim with nutrients, while taking every bite to an unbelievable level of  flavor. My inspiration for this recipe came from my Creamy Spinach Dip -- in short we're basically swapping out the spinach for kale, and choosing from two different types of sour creams (Almond or Cashew) to make the Ranch. This is definitely one of those foods that should be savored, because it's sure to disappear very quickly. 

Ready? Let's go...

 Loaded Creamy Kale Dip

Make's roughly 2 cups

Step 1.

Ingredients

• 1 batch of Better Than Kraft Ranch Dressing (you can use Almond or Cashew Sour Cream to make this)
• 2 c minced Kale leaves (roughly 1 bunch of kale)
• 1 c finely grated Carrot
• 1/2 c minced Green Onion
• 1/2 c minced Red or Orange Bell Pepper
• minced Garlic to taste
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper

Step 2.

Directions

1. In a bowl mix together all of your veggies, Salt and Pepper
2. Choose from one of the Raw Food Warming Methods noted here (click)
3. Evenly spread your veggie mixture out and proceed to dry it for 2 hours, or until the veggies have wilted down but are not completely dried 
4. After your veggies have finished wilting place them into a mixing bowl and mix in the entire batch of Better Than Kraft Ranch Dressing
5. Let your Dip sit/chill for at least 15 minutes so the full flavors of the veggies can develop.

Veggies before drying/wilting

Veggies After drying/wilting.
The veggies should  reduce to about half of the amount.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Green Zinger Veggie Smoothie

It's smoothies like this one that make me excited about drinking my veggies - especially given the amount of energy that kicks in after consuming such a nutrient rich (not to mention tasty) beverage. Even Mr AtV loved this blend - which is something I always have to note, since he's my biggest skeptic. 

I've been trying to get back into the habit of making two giant batches of smoothies daily, one fruit based and one veggie based, this way I have my in between meal snacks ready, and the occasional meal-on-the-go if need be. I'd forgotten how smoothies are a great and super healthy way to curb cravings -- especially those late-night potato chip ones...

Green Zinger Veggie Smoothie 

Yields roughly 7 liquid cups

• 1 c packed Spinach
• 1 c packed Kale
• 1.5 c chopped Cucumber
• 1 c chopped Apple
• 1 c chopped Carrot
• 5 Medjool Dates (pits removed)
• 1/4 c packed Mint Leaves
• 1/2 c Lime Juice
• 3 to 3.5 cups Water (depending on your preferred consistency)

Blend all of your ingredients together on high for about 30 seconds

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV

Green Apple Pie Smoothie

I pretty much fell asleep last night putting all of the ingredients for this smoothie together in my head, so when I woke up this morning it was just a matter of throwing everything into the blender.
The name seriously does not lie, folks. It's just like drinking an apple pie with the added bonus of being superduper healthy! I recommend making this "as is" before you switch up any of the ingredients, but keep in mind that it makes a lot, so in the very least you may have to cut the ingredients in half in order to fit everything into your blenders container. 

Green Apple Pie Smoothie

Yields 7 liquid cups

Ingredients:

• 2 c packed Spinach
• 2 c chopped Apples (I used Braeburn)
• 1.5 c chopped Banana
• 1 c Almond Sour Cream
• 6 Medjool Dates
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 pinches Salt (optional)
• 1 c Ice Cubes
• 2 C Water

Blend Everything together and enjoy 2 to 3 cups for a meal, or a smaller amount for an "in between meal snack". 

Happy Friday!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV