Fermented Kombucha Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce often gets overlooked at Thanksgiving. Overshadowed by both main and side dishes, cranberry sauce is like the ketchup of Thanksgiving. Many people opt for a gelatinous can-shaped glob instead of the real thing. What if I told you with a little time and consideration your cranberry sauce could be like a fine wine?

A lot of people are afraid of fermentation. It involves bacteria, and that sounds scary, but let me let you in on a little secret... fermenting is EASY! In two years of fermenting I have only had one case where something went off. Open your eyes and your nose. If something seems like it is really not right, toss it. But most of the time this stuff is actually hard to mess up!

You can also make this recipe with store-bought bottled kombucha, if you don't make your own. Just try to go for a less carbonated brand and one with flavors that would compliment the recipe, like ginger or orange. If you don't have two weeks to ferment you could also make this recipe immediately, but believe me, the two weeks are worth it!

2 cups fresh cranberries  
1 inch cube of ginger  
4 tablespoons liquid sweetener (honey, agave, or maple syrup)  
1/2 cup kombucha

1 additional tablespoon liquid sweetener (for blending)

In a glass container combine cranberries, ginger, sweetener, and kombucha. Put a lid on loosely to cover top, but not screwed tight. (Fully screwing on top will lead to carbonation.) Allow to sit on the counter for one to two weeks. Pour mixture in a blender and blend to desired texture (chunky or smooth). Add remaining sweetener, stir, and serve.

Personalized Raw Vegan Holiday Recipes

Last minute holiday food prep time and no idea how to keep it on your new path to wellness? Look no further! Just click on the donate button on the right side of this site, donate $5, and I will design you a personalized raw vegan recipe from your favorite holiday dish! Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing? I can raw veganize that! And I am up for the challenge! Just leave your desired dish and any specific dietary restraints and I will come up with a recipe just for you!

Happy holidays, save the turkeys!

Raw Vegan Sprouted Lentil Chipotle Chilli

Just like most of us in this country, I have times were financial struggles are real. Buying fresh, organic produce and superfoods can be expensive enough, but can become even more so in Hawaii. But even when preparing raw foods there are ways to keep costs down.

I made this chilli from a fridge that most people would have called empty. It can be tempting just to throw in the towel, say, "There is nothing to eat," and be done with it. A little forethought into keeping a good stock of dry goods and sprouting is an easy, affordable solution.

If you don't have the exact ingredients for this recipe, don't worry! Your fridge is likely full of half-eaten veggies. Throw them together to make your own delicious chilli!

2 cups of sprouted lentils (sprouted 2 to 4 days)
2 tomatoes
2 cups baby carrots
1/2 a red onion
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup corn
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
dash cayenne
1/2 lime, juiced
1 avocado
pink Himalayan salt to taste

In a food processor combine 1 tomato, carrots, raisins, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, olive oil, chipotle chili powder, paprika, cayenne, lime juice, and salt. Blend into a chunky stew-like texture. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in sprouted lentils and corn. Chop remaining tomato and onion and stir into bowl. Garnish with avocado and lime. Serve and enjoy.

Raw Vegan Papaya- Pumpkin Pie with Macadamia Crust

I admittedly love Thanksgiving because I admittedly love food. I love spending time with family and thinking about reasons to be grateful, but yes, I love food. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that, as long as you are going about it in a healthy way!

This Thanksgiving will be our first on the Big Island, which has a very different feel than our Maryland holidays. I wanted to make a recipe that combined my old nostalgia for Thanksgivings past with new, local ingredients from Hawaii.

Believe it or not there are some beautiful pumpkins to be found on the Big Island. We picked our heirloom variety straight from the patch on top of the Kohala Mountains. I wish I could tell you what kind of pumpkin it is, but all I can tell you is that it was a greenish-bluish gray, and it tasted delicious!

For the crust:

2 cups macadamia nuts
2 1/2 cups raisins
pinch of pumpkin pie spice
pinch of pink Himalayan salt

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a dough-like mixture. Place the mixture in a pan, preferably a spring-form pan, and press out carefully into a crust shape evenly with your fingers.

For the filling:

3 cups fresh pumpkin
2 papayas
seeds from 1 papaya
1 small banana (I used apple banana, 1/2 a banana if using conventional)
1 1/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or bean scrape if you can afford it)
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener of your choice (honey, coconut nectar, agave, or maple syrup)
dash of pink Himalayan salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust. Put into the freezer for 15 minutes to set, then transfer into the refrigerator for at least an additional 15 minutes. Slice with a careful hand and serve.

Raw Vegan Papaya Peppercorn Corn Chowder

I am hesitant to post this recipe, only because I posted a different corn chowder recipe back in January with my Red Pepper Corn Chowder. Reading the recipe from almost a year ago, I had a realization. It is important to post variations on the same recipes because it helps you learn about all the healthy possibilities that are out there!

If you dislike an ingredient or have an allergy, that is no reason to throw in the towel. Be creative and open to how different flavors and consistencies can work together. Maybe it is my art school background, but I have found the best way to think about raw food is in the same way you would approach a sculpture. No, I don't mean making mountains out of mashed potatoes (or even raw mashed potatoes). But texture makes all the difference when constructing a successful raw meal.

The thing I enjoy most about chowders is their creaminess, but of course I am not adding cream to my recipes. Previously I used hemp seeds to create this desired affect, but for this recipe I used avocado. To balance out the visual of color I added turmeric, yellow beet, and nutritional yeast.

I also introduced some new foods in this recipe, based on the practicality of what is readily available now that I live in Hawaii. Papaya seeds are a beneficial parasite killer and taste like cracked pepper. Tree tomatoes (which are actually not tomatoes) have an intensity similar to sun-dried tomatoes, but have a slight bitterness to them as well.

If you don't like an ingredient in this recipe, or with the recipe from January, combine them! Substitute as you like. As long as you are focusing on fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and ferments it is hard to go wrong! Remember with corn it is especially important to get organic, non-GMO.

1 avocado
1 cup corn
1 tree tomato (or 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes)
1/2 a medium-sized yellow beet
1/3 cup of papaya seeds
juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
2 cups water
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
dash of red pepper flakes
pink Himalayan salt to taste

1/2 cup of corn
1/4 cup red onion
small handful cilantro

Put all ingredients in a blender, excluding the additional corn, red onion, and cilantro. Blend to a thick, creamy consistency. If mixture appears too green still add some more turmeric or nutritional yeast. once desired color and texture are reached, chop onion and cilantro and stir in mixture. Add remaining corn to mixture. Serve at room temperature.