When I first started eating more raw foods I was using Agave Nectar in many of my raw desserts. That was all the rage at the time. Now of course many raw foodies have reconsidered this sweetener and decided that it is not the healthy sweetener we once were lead to believe. I went back to my old standby… honey. I missed agave though!

But a few weeks back I decided to try a newish sweetener I had never heard of before… Thai Coconut Sugar or crystallized coconut sap sugar. I ordered a 3 pound tub from Raw Food World and quickly dug in. This stuff is heaven on earth! It is so yummy that you can eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon… just as good as chocolate. It can take the place of sugar and any recipe where you may have been using honey or agave. I imagine you can use it in recipes that call for white sugar too, I am just not sure of the ratio. I look forward to playing with it!

This morning I just slathered some on fresh pink grapefruit and it was yummy. In my house growing up we had grapefruit all the time but my mom would sprinkle Equal packets on each half. When I got older and realized what I bad idea Equal was, I went without grapefruit. I didn’t like them with honey and obviously table sugar was out. My husband uses coconut sugar is his coffee with great success. It melts beautifully and acts much coconut oil/butter in that regard. We keep it in the fridge to extend its life.

This sugar is made from the sap of unopened Coconut blossoms. It is not palm sugar! It is thickened under controlled heat to avoid over cooking which would affect the nutrients and acidity. It contains only 12 % sugars, and has a nutritional content far beyond all other available sweeteners; it is high in Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron, it is a natural source of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C and amino acids (specially glutamic acid). Extremely low glycemic (35!). All I can say is YUM!

Doesn’t it look like ooey gooey caramel????

Better than cake… try a birthday watermelon! It was delicious and it would make a great first raw birthday cake.

Next year I might cut a thick slice and frost it with a macadamia nut/cashew frosting and top with blueberries.

Check out my other blog for a recipe for raw vegan Mojito Raspberry Paletas!

Perfect for summer and oh so yummy!

What You Need:

1 C fresh juiced orange juice

1 C frozen peaches

1 frozen banana, cut into small chunks

2 TBSP soaked and dehydrated almonds

How to Make It: 

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

For a little different taste, use pineapple juice in place of the orange juice.

Just made this delicious dessert tonight. It was really good, the kids and I gobbled it right up! I call it a sorbet since it was sweet with a hint of sour, like a sorbet but it has almond milk so many would call that an ice cream I guess. Anyway… it is a great way to get even more greens into the diet!

Raw Vegan Raspberry and Spinach Sorbet (or Ice Cream)

1 C baby spinach

2 C frozen, organic raspberries

1 cup almond milk

2-3 squirts sweetener , like raw agave or honey. I used agave.

Put the spinach on the bottom of the blender so it gets pulverized well. Mix all ingredients together until thick and creamy. Serve immediately as soft serve or stick in the freezer for a harder consistency.

Made this in my Vita-Mix in under 5 minutes from start to finish!

Ironically it did leave my tummy feeling a little funny like I was about to get a stomach ache and it got my bowls moving. It felt for a bit like I just drank conventional cow’s milk…which I am allergic to but the feeling went away after a few minutes. Not sure what that means.

I mixed a cup of hemp seeds with two cups water, about 2 tablespoons of cacao powder, 4 dates, and a squirt of agave nectar. Oh and a dash of vanilla. Got any ideas for me on how to make a tastier hemp shake?

Verdict: Delicious!

So I am delighted to share a product with parents that will no doubt help in this regard. The Recipes for Raw Kids Un-Cookbook! It has nearly 90 pages of information and and recipes for raw kids including no cook pizza, lemon cookies, Persimmon Pudding, Carrot-Jicama Nori Rolls, and Celery Soup!

It also has a list of tips to help your kids appreciate and EAT raw foods. Check it out:

Did you know you could eat a different apple every day for more than 19 years, and never eat the same kind twice?! There are more than 7,500 different varieties.

The scientific name for the apple is Malus domestica. The apple is a fall fruit. In spring, flowers begin to spring forth on the trees. They are white and pink with five petals. Eventually the petals fall off so the apples can begin to grow.

The fruit is picked in the fall as they ripen and you don’t need an orchard to enjoy a fresh picked apple. One tree will yield enough apples for a single family to eat and share. We hope to plant one soon.

The apple tree did not originate in Asia. It is believed that apple trees predate other fruit trees. Biblical people picture the forbidden fruit as an apple. Early wild apples were small and didn’t taste very good. The Romans learned to turn this “wild child” into a civilized type that people could eat. The results were varieties similar to what we eat today. They were sweet and had white flesh that was tasty.

Alexander the Great is credited with introducing the Grecian society to dwarf apples. On one of his campaigns into Asia Minor, he brought back these trees. Apples were viewed as special treats. No we are told to eat one a day to keep the doctor away.

Colonists brought the apple to America when they first settled here. They couldn’t bring trees on the long sea voyage from England so they carried seeds instead. The seeds were planted and flourished as apple seeds.

The most memorable story of apple cultivation is that of Johnny Appleseed. He is kind of an American folk hero. He made it his life’s work to bring the beauty and taste of the apple to people all across America. Wherever he went, he taught people how to grow apple trees and tend their own orchards. Thanks to him, the industry grew.

Apples and Pears are in season so why not make some apple-pear fruit leathers!

How to Make Apple-Pear Fruit Leathers:

Sort, wash, pare and core apples and pears. Cut the fruit into slices or chunks that can be puréed or ground easily and use a food processor or blender to puree. Spread out thinly on teflex non-stick dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Remove teflex sheets and flip fruit leather over and continue dehydrating until desired moisture is obtained.

These fruit leathers are an excellent snack for children and adults alike and are much better for you than a candy bar!

Here is a pic: