raw – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Peach + Pluot Tart with Lemon Coconut Cream

July 21, 2018by Rebecca2 Comments

Friday evening and William and I took each other to the county fair. He stood in line for a corndog, a really good one, he said, and then we headed away from all the noise to the barns, ambling through each aisle one by one, comparing the chickens to ours, wondering at whether the tagline saying aggressive! scrawled under the price for a $40 bunny was a comment about the price, the animal’s temperament, or some other reason I already forget. Then we went to the hog barn, the sheep, and then the cattle. I beelined us towards the champion animals, commenting about how when I was in high school a dozen or more years ago, the genetics were just leaning towards better in the sheep division, and now the champion lambs are packed, their muscles rippling with every move.

After it all we headed a couple blocks over to Friendly’s, a neighborhood natural foods store. We bought small pots of expensive delicious ice cream, brought it back home, and sat in the near-dark on the couch, eating little spoonfuls slowly. When I scraped the last bit from my dish and nearly got up for more, William stopped me, saying no just wait a moment and you’ll realize you’re done.

And I did.
And I did.

It was a fabulous and simple evening after a long week with more weekend work ahead. It was lovely to just set everything else down for a few hours and be present, enjoying summer, enjoying the magic, realizing the hunger we’re hungry for can be fed in small doses of treats and much larger heaps of time with a loved one and their caring hand and arm around the shoulders, their well-intended suggestions, and in taking the time to share snippets of a long-ago passion at the county fair.

The Recipe Redux asked for stone fruit this month. Even though I’ve been eating the various fruits daily, working apricots or plums into morning oatmeal, having a handful of cherries with afternoon snack, or gliding thin slices into whatever savory is up for dinner, this time of year calls for a treat, with stone fruits at their best.

This raw, barely sweet lemon and coconut cream tart is a real favorite, but one I often forget about. It’s one to make for a dinner party or a sunday feast. Or maybe, just because it’s summer and our weary selves need a little wholesome decadent goodness.

Peach + Pluot Tart with Lemon Coconut Cream, adapted from my blackberry version
There are a few options here. The fruit can of course be changed up depending on preference, but the choice of nuts and sweetener can too. I used a mix of hazel and walnuts, the almond meal, and then used lucuma powder to sweeten. Lucuma is a Peruvian fruit that has a slightly mapley caramel flavor and the powder can be used as a natural sweetener. I had a nearly expired packet in the back of the pantry and put it to good use here, but the alternative of using about half the amount of regular or powdered sugar works well too and honestly isn’t added in enough quantity to do much harm.

5 medjool dates / 45 g, pitted and briefly soaked
1/2 cup / 50 g nuts of choice, toasted
1/2 cup / 50 g almond meal
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 15 oz. / 400 mL can full-fat coconut milk, chilled
2-4 Tbs. lucuma or sugar
zest from 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 peaches and pluots
lemon juice

In a food processor, combine dates, nuts, cinnamon, and salt. Puree until finely chopped and the mixture sticks together when pinched with your fingers. Turn out into a 7-8 in tart pan.
Open the chilled coconut milk and without stirring, spoon out the cream layer into a medium bowl. Reserve the watery milk in the bottom of the can for another use.
Whip the coconut cream along with the lucuma, lemon zest, and vanilla. Spoon and smooth atop the nut layer.
Thinly slice the peaches and pluots and layer around the top of the coconut filling, in circles, as desired. To preserve the color, brush a little lemon juice across the fruit layer, and then lightly cover and set the tart in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

Nutrition + Health, Spring, Summertime

Raw Carrot Cake, for a birthday

June 22, 2017by Rebecca2 Comments

Dropping in super quick on this mid-summer day. The weather around here is finally reaching its appropriate (hot and summery) temperature and The Recipe Redux is celebrating a birthday. I think you all know I prefer to celebrate birthdays with carrots, in the form of cake, so we’re going to be enjoying this weather-appropriate tiny Raw Carrot Cake.

It is tiny because I decided to make a little one to serve four to six and as you may know, raw desserts can pack a lot of nutrition in dense little (tasty!) bites. Savor them slowly and they are so worth it.

Raw Carrot Cake, serves 4-6
I’ve been experimenting with this recipe for quite some time and nearly made it for my own birthday in lieu of a baked carrot cake. It’s super easy and can be made in any pan or container. If you’re going with a single layer, a 4×4 inch size would be best, or double the recipe for a crowd and it will fit easily into an 8×8. Otherwise, find your tiny flat-bottomed container of choice and layer it up, as I did. A couple more notes on ingredients: I tried a variety of flour ratios and really prefer a good base of oats as I don’t enjoy all nuts but this can be made with all almond flour to equal 1 cup in total. The addition of orange zest or essential oil in the cake and frosting is completely optional but brings a really nice flavor to finish so use only if you prefer or have on hand.

Cake:
1/2 cup medjool dates, soaked for a few minutes
splash of water from soaked dates
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup oats, finely ground
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
zest of 1/4 of an orange, optional

Frosting:
1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
2-3 Tbs. reserved date water, as needed
1/2 Tbs. brown rice syrup or honey
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1/2 Tbs. melted coconut oil
zest of 1/8 an orange or one drop orange essential oil

Line two circular pans of choice or a 4-inch square dish with parchment paper, leaving some of the paper to come up the sides, and set aside.
In a food processor, puree the oats until they come into a fine flour. Then transfer them to a small bowl and pulse the dates in the processor with a splash or two of their soaking liquid until they come into a chunky paste. Add the vanilla and puree a little longer until almost smooth. Add the grated carrots and pulse a few more times so they are broken down a bit more but not completely smooth. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the oats. Add the almond flour, spices, salt, and orange zest if using. Mix it with a spatula or spoon until evenly mixed. Then, press this cake mixture into the parchment lined pans. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to frost.
For the frosting, in your food processor again, combine the soaked and drained cashews, 1-2 Tbs. reserved date water, brown rice syrup or honey, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Blend on high until you have a smooth and creamy consistency. Then drizzle in the melted coconut oil and drop of orange oil or zest and puree again, adding a little more date water as needed if it’s really thick. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and chill for about an hour to firm it up.
To finish, lift the cake layers from their container, and frost using as much of the cashew frosting as you prefer. Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for about 5 days.

Autumn, Nutrition + Health, Running

Tahini, Date + Turmeric Bars

October 13, 2016January 13, 2017by Rebecca6 Comments

Over the summer, I learned about 30 herbs and/or spices that are commonly used in western herbal medicine in my second herbal medicine class, and I really relished the opportunity to both broaden and deepen my understanding of natural plant medicines. In addition to learning that skullcap, the plant I had chosen to focus on learning about for an entire term in my first class, is the most popular herb sold through my university’s herbal dispensary, I spent the summer delving into a lot of research about specific herbs for treating inflammation and allergies due to my project for a client with seasonal allergies. I was limited to working with only the herbs in our class list, however, and because of that I chose a fairly non-traditional approach to working with allergies. Turmeric was among the herbs we studied, and though I did not end up recommending turmeric for allergies, I realized I easily could have and was probably expected to.

Though I know a lot more about the benefits of turmeric than I did before, there is much research to suggest that the curcumin compound it contains has extremely strong anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant abilities and it is beneficial in all manner of disorders and imbalances. Among others, it has antibacterial, anticancer, anti-rheumatic, anti-tumor, antiviral, anti-phlegmatic, and anti-parasitic properties. I’ve recommended it to my mom who has arthritis, runner friends for pain, and have taken it myself for (nearly instantaneous) relief after slamming my knee into a door. Though my knee incident was an exception, I take a different approach to using herbs than we would for pharmaceutical drugs; I don’t take them for their quick effect. Instead, herbs work to slowly and gently bring the body back into balance, and they work better in conjunction with other lifestyle supports, like getting enough rest, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.

Turmeric is extremely trendy right now, and while there is good reason for it to be, I also like this article about practicing caution with it, as with all herbal medicines. Too much of anything, even a supposed health food, can push us into imbalance. While I came to this conclusion on my own and no longer pop a curcumin supplement for running recovery “insurance” on a regular basis, I do tend to use it in small amounts frequently–and mostly because I really enjoy its flavor.

What I really enjoyed about the class is that we delved into the research on a number of common herbs and spices–ones we are already using and that aren’t the new trendy superfoods–like the ginger and cinnamon these bars contain. After 14 weeks of reading a ton of research articles, I finished the class even more in support of the importance of eating healthfully as the norm and using herbs and spices in small amounts throughout the day in whatever foods we’re eating so perhaps there’s a little less need to use any medicines–herbal or otherwise–to “fix” imbalances.

Tahini, Date + Turmeric Bars, makes 8
I regularly rely on bars for after workouts and for busy afternoon snacks on the go. While I have a few versions of granola or energy bars on this blog that I do go back to, for the last few months I’ve been opting away from oats and grains as a main ingredient. Instead, I’ve been adapting a new favorite packaged bar. It has taken many renditions but now that I’ve finally gotten the base consistency to my liking (actually better than the packaged bar which I find a little too sweet,) I’m excited to begin delving into a few different flavor combinations, especially as William doesn’t favor my heavy affinity for the ginger/cinnamon/cardamom/turmeric spice combination and prefers the berry/fruity realm instead. For these bars, don’t forego the black pepper, as it helps the turmeric to be become more bioavailable. Additionally, for the options I’ve listed, the first is my favored ingredient but I also enjoyed the other options listed. Enjoy!

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup cashew or almond butter
3 medjool dates, pitted
6 Tbs. hemp protein powder or hemp seeds
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cardamom, optional
dash of black pepper
1 Tbs. brown rice syrup, apricot jam, maple syrup or honey
1-2 Tbs. water, as needed
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried figs or apricots, diced
2 cups crispy rice cereal or 2/3 cup oats, finely ground

Puree the tahini, nut butter, dates, hemp, salt, vanilla, spices, and syrup in a food processor until completely combined. Add 1-2 Tbs. water as needed to bring it together, if it’s a little dry. You can also a little more syrup or another date but I found that option a little too sweet.
Then add the raisins, diced figs or apricots and crispy rice or finely ground oats. Puree a couple more times until these last ingredients are just incorporated but not completely broken down.
Turn out and press into a 8×8-inch baking pan, or something of similar size. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, and then cut into individual bars, store, or eat as needed. They will last in the fridge for at least two weeks with no change in texture/consistency.