I had a bad case of the chocolate crazies yesterday.  I almost dove headfirst into a plate of s'more bars supplied by our lovely neighbor.   Luckily, I had a savior in the form of a Raw Food World goodie:

Of course, I was only eating it for its health benefits.

When I was in Seattle, my girlfriend and I went into a coffee shop that was fixing up some mean looking crepes.  I knew then that a raw crepe would be appear in my future.  The Rawtella seemed like a great pairing with bananas and a banana/coconut wrap from Just Desserts.  The wraps were incredibly easy to make (if you have a Vivian and a D), and are super tasty.  

topped with coconut whipped cream

My intention was to save half of the crepe for TH, but I must admit that I devoured the whole thing (and hid the evidence) while he was out in the man-cave.  He can have my share of the s'more bars.  

Question:  How do you handle intense chocolate cravings?  (Or are you one of those lucky folks who doesn't get them?)

Produce Splurge

My local grocery store had pomelos in the produce section yesterday!   I had never tried one, so I  bucked up and spent $4 for this bowling ball:

After peeling the thick rind I had to dig through white membrane for eons before getting to the goods.   Once I located it, I found the flesh pink, juicy, and sweeter than a grapefruit.  I liked it, but probably won't buy another unless they are on sale. 

Alaska has experienced crazy wind this weekend.  Ela was taking pictures of the wind's effect on sand in Homer the other day, so I took some windy snow pics during my ski this afternoon. It was not a day for fast skiing, as snowdrifts kept getting in the way.  The wind actually blew me backwards when I stopped to take these pictures. 

I was so grateful to have a toasty warm fire to come home to.  I had also placed Kelp Noodles & Veggies in Peanut Sauce (from Delightfully Raw) in the D before leaving.   It was the perfect, hearty, post ski meal.  

Even more perfect when I added a few coco chocolate bites (same ingredients as yesterday), just to make sure they tasted good before I sent some over to the neighbors. 

While we are on the topic of treats, I put part of a Thai young coconut and pineapple to good use in the form of a pina colada from Raw Food Real World. TH and I toasted the return of warmth in the sun. 

(I swear, I eat things other than treats, but my salads and veggie bowls are often a big, jumbled mess.) 

Question:  How often do you eat treats?  What's your favorite treat? 

Filled to Capacity

My freezer is full of chocolate bliss! 

But I felt like something a little lighter this evening.  (Might have something to do with the pound of roasted Brussels sprouts I inhaled alongside a mountainous salad for dinner.)  I had a pile of softening mangos and a bitchin' ice cream maker at my disposal, so I opted for mango-banana sorbet.

Into Viv I tossed:

2 mangos

1 banana

a couple squirts of agave

That mixture went into the ice cream maker and fifteen minutes later I was sharing a bowl of the tropics with TH.  

Question:  How often do you have dessert?  Once in a while, once a day, once a meal?  

  

Sauekraut? Ya, bitte!

Maybe it's the German in me, but I've always loved a good sauerkraut.  I remember going to Costco in college and buying a hot dog (hold the hot dog) and filling the empty bun with kraut and ketchup.  Do you know about the benefits of eating fermented foods?  Fermenting helps break down nutrients in a food so it is more easily digested.  Helpful probiotics are present in fermented foods, and the fermentation process also results in the creation of new nutrients.  I often make my own sauerkraut (for this batch I used a recipe from Raw Food, Fast Food by Phillip McCluskey):

Spicy Sauerkraut

In tonight's salad I used a little Bubbies sauerkraut.

I also made quick and delicious Brussel sprouts.  (Brussels are one of the few veggies I don't eat raw.)  I started with the giant stalk Full Circle Farm sent to us.  I cut off the sprouts, tossed them in EVOO and sea salt and baked them at 400 until the outsides were light brown and crispy.  I know I say this about everything, but these are soooo good.  

healthy popcorn

Dessert tonight is chocolate.  

1.  Hand mix a blob of almond butter with a little sea salt, agave, vanilla and dried coconut.  

2.  Make a chocolate coating with equal parts raw cacao, melted coconut butter, and agave or maple syrup.  Add a dash of vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. 

3.  Stick a little of the almond butter mixture into a candy mold and cover with the chocolate.  Or roll the almond butter into a ball and dip into the chocolate. 

4.  Put in the fridge to harden.

5.  Think about how lucky you are to be enjoying chocolate for dessert!  

Question:  Has anyone tried making raw coconut yogurt?  I'm thinking about ordering some probiotics to try it out.  Any suggestions?