Eat Me Pie

Enough is enough.  It's time for chocolate, people.  I love to eat cacao in the form of springform creations and TH worships me when I feed him a sweet layered dessert, so it was time to give Vivian a workout.  Here's what happened the other night after a glass of sangria.

I greased a 6-inch springform with coconut oil and then patted in the crust recipe linked below.  (I really like this recipe because it is yummy and fairly light.

Pure 2 Raw's Chocolate Coconut Crust

On top of the crust I added a layer of sliced strawberries,

followed by a luscious:

Rich Chocolate Ganache

1 cup cacao

1 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup melted coconut oil
Blend above ingredients until smooth, then pour on top of the strawberries and freeze.

The next layer was a whipped topping posted on Sunny Raw Kitchen mixed with caramel sauce.  

For the linked whipped topping recipe I substituted:

• macadamia nuts for cashews
• coconut nectar for agave
• sunflower lecithin for soy lecithin

(I forgot to take a picture of this layer). I let this topping sit overnight in the fridge, and then spread a thick layer of it on top of the ganache. The next layer was:   

Yum Caramel Sauce

5 dates, soaked + soak water (place dates in a one cup measuring cup and add water to brim)

1 cup raw almond butter

1/4 cup coconut nectar (or sweetener of choice)

1 tablespoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/8 cup melted coconut oil (added after everything else has blended)

After that came Chocolate Buckwheat Crunchies from Sweetly Raw's Ulimate Ice Cream Cake e-book.  

To top everything off I added another layer of strawberries, and another layer of cream swirled with a bit of caramel.  I froze the pie overnight, and learned that you should let it thaw quite a while before serving so the whipped topping regains its creamy consistency.

We had friends from Switzerland (of Swiss chocolate fame) staying with us and they loved it! It actually didn't last very long. 

I hope you are having a lovely August!  I have been quite busy with school preparations, guests, hiking, etc, and expect more of the same in the future.  I think my blogging will be set aside until we slide into our normal winter routine.

Enjoy the end of summer!  

Best Party Snack Ever!

This might not be very healthy (especially for all of you folks who abstain from adult bevvies), but it sure was enjoyable.  Background info:  when I hit the grocery store I pack my trunk with kale so I can indulge in my addiction:  kale chips.  The other day I was googling new-to-me kale chip recipes.  I decided to try out a Dill Pickle recipe from the Rawtarian.  Y.U.M.  These were tasty.  Now I am excited to peruse this awesome website for more exciting recipes.

*One note: next time (and there will be a next time) I will decrease the salt by half.  

Naturally, because I am such a health fanatic,  I paired my kale chips with a glass of sangria.  TH and I had a fabulous night in Panama that started with a jug of fruity goodness and we were super excited to make a vat when we came home.  So, no, technically I don't know if this is the best party snack ever, but if I were to have a party, I'm sure the guests would enjoy dill pickle kale chips and sangria.  

I randomly threw this together, but the end result was delicious and packed a real punch.  This is kind-of-sort-of what I did:

Sangria

1 bottle of red wine

hearty splash of brandy

hearty splash of triple sec

hearty splash of orange-mango juice

juice of two limes

chopped apples, oranges, kiwis, strawberries (or whatever you want)

Mix everything together and let the flavors marinate overnight in the fridge. 

So, maybe I will have a party and share my snacks.  Or maybe TH and I will continue to fight over the crispy-pickly treats and the boozy fruit.  

Question:  Do you have a go-to party recipe (for real parties or pretend parties, either is fine)?  

Curry Guacamole, Jicama Fries, and an Oven Fire

I miss this:

My first mission after a tropical vacation is to spend a massive amount of money on produce.  I always feel like I'm going to get the shakes if I'm not surrounded by a plethora of fruits.  (TH knows this all too well and busies himself elsewhere when I'm forking over the Visa at the check stand.)  Amongst my overflowing cart this time were pineapples, avocados, and limes.  I decided to combine them all in a guacamole, and thinking back on my flavorful Ceviche-Seviche experience, I kicked it up a notch by adding curry.  I thought the result was interesting, and pretty tasty on cucumber slices.

Curry Guacamole

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

2 avocados, smooshed

2 cloves garlic, diced

juice of one lime

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

hot sauce to taste

I used hot sauce purchased in Bocas del Toro.  Don't you love the packaging?

Unfortunately the jicama I sliced up for the guacamole was not tasty at all.  That's the risk you take in buying jicama in Alaska.  I decided to be resourceful and use it in an alternate way.  I tossed the slices in 1/8 cup melted coconut oil, and liberal shakes of sea salt, garlic powder, and cayenne.  I baked the slices at 400 degrees for about an hour, flipping once.  They turned out pretty good!  I bet they would be absolutely delicious when made with a tasty jicama.  

One warning- I accidentally dropped some melted coconut oil in the base of the oven and started a fire!  It went out after a water dousing, but it was a little bit scary.  Ooops! 

Question:  Have you ever caught anything on fire in the kitchen?