Raw Pumpkin Puree

PUMPKIN!!!!! PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How can you ever have fall without pumpkin? Carving, Pies, and pumpkin...well..everything!

So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the minute I got the opportunity, I bought myself a pumpkin and carved the heck out of it. Kudos to anyone who can guess what I carved. If you can, leave a comment below telling me what or who you think I carved!

Here's a hint:

Making raw food from pumpkin, however, is a bit harder if you don't do it right. Most pumpkin purees involve boiling the pumpkin to soften it enough to use. With this in mind, I set out to create a delicious pumpkin puree without having to cook it. So this is what i've come up with.

Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients:

1 Pie Pumpkin

1 Apple

-Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all of the seeds and insides. An ice cream scoop works excellently for this. Then core the apple.

-Cut up the pumpkin and apple into small pieces or cubes and put those pieces into a juicer.

-Put both the pulp and the juice into a food processor or blender and blend until the texture is smooth. Add water if needed until everything is smooth.

-Enjoy!

I also saved some of the juice just for the sake of Harry Potter references

Finally, a pumpkin puree that a raw foodist can partake of. Some people just settle for carrot puree and say you can't tell the difference, but if I want some pumpkin then i'm gonna have some pumpkin!

Pumpkin is also one of the nutritious fruits available (yes, its a fruit). Not only the mineral rich flesh, but the seeds are also incredibly good for your body and in many cases considered one of the healthiest foods on earth. But I didn't really use the seeds in this recipe in this post, so lets save that for another day.

I'm not big on counting my calories since I really dont need to worry about it with a raw diet but for those of you who are, there are only about 40 calories in every half cup of this puree! It contains a load of beta-carotene, which is basically just Vitamin A when its in the body. Vitamin A is awesome for your vision and helping to reverse skin damage. Also this vitamin is not too bad at boosting your immune system so when its combined with the vitamin C that's in here, its a perfect food for those winter colds.

It also has about 5 grams of fiber for ever 1/2 cup so your digestive system and cholesterol levels will both thank you for that. The Vitamin E in here will help your skin and the vitamin B5 will help to balance out your hormones.

So not only is this stuff going to taste incredibly good in a pie (a recipe for that is coming), but its also amazingly healthy for your body too! I added the apple in here to give it some sweetness for desserts, but you don't really need it if you plan on using this recipe for a soup. Expect me to be eating this stuff all month long!

Whats your favorite pumpkin recipe? And did anyone get what I carved?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Raw Chocolate Macadamia Nut Mounds

Almond joy and Mounds were almost the definition of my perfect candy as a kid. Chocolate, coconut, and nuts all combined together into a harmonious symphony of sweet bliss upon my tongue. As many know, those three are some of my absolute favorite foods and with the fact that they combine together, things just get better from there.

Well when I lived in Hawaii, almost every store had chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and of course some of them were coated or filled with coconut. I don't need either one of those! Who would even want a commercial peice of crap when you can create something that tastes a hundred times better?!

Raw Chocolate - Macadamia Mounds

Macadamia Dough Ingredients:

1 c. Macadamia Nuts

1/4 c. Almond Butter

1 c. Shredded Coconut

1/4 c. Honey/Agave

1 tbsp. Sea Salt (Himilayan Pink preferably)

-Combine all of your ingredients into a bowl and use a fork or your hands to combine everything.

-Put in the fridge while you prepare the chocolate.

Chocolate Ingredients:

1 c. Cacao Powder

1 c. Cacao/Coconut Oil(softened)

1/2 c. Honey/Agave

3/4 c. Shredded Coconut

-Mix the cacao powder, oil, and honey or agave together in a small bowl.

-Take your macadamia dough and dip them each into the chocolate, coating them.

-Put them back into the freezer for a few minutes, or just until the chocolate hardens.

-Take them out and dip them into the chocolate. Then, dip them into the coconut. Continue this step until all of your coconut and chocolate are used up.

-Freeze for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate hardens.

-Enjoy

I am actually really proud of myself for these. I even took them to school, and the people I see usually eating vending machine crap claimed it as the best candy they've ever had! They tasted rich, chocolatey, and absolutley delicious! I like using macadamia nuts over most others due to the fact that they taste really really good!

They are also one of the most beautifying nuts on the planet. They contain a large quantity of oleic acid in their fats cells which is the absolute best fat for skin. Cacao and coconut also contain these acids in their fat, making this sweet and delicious food incredibly rich in beautifying oils. Just look at any cosmetic products, and you will most likely see cacao or coco (coconut) oil in them for that exact reason.

If you havnt heard through my Twitter account yet, i will be working on a HUGE project for Halloween as a big finally for Vegan Mofo. This is the biggest project i've ever done, and may just be the biggest raw dessert i've ever seen!

Whats your favorite old school candy? Do you have a vegan or raw version of it?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Only a warrior could handle this mega shake...

Its green, slimy, and will revitalize you faster than the cure for the zombie apocalypse. I don't care what you say man, this stuff tastes GOOD! You can give me weird looks all day long, but I guarantee that now one of them will get me worked up in the slightest. You can say what you want, but I think I just found my after-workout snack.

It looks like a mint-green color but tastes nothing like it. Actually, it kind of tastes chocolaty. That's one of my favorite aspects of raw food. I can make something that tastes absolutley amazing, but people look at me as though i'm devouring the slimy brains of another helpless victim. Being a raw, vegan highschooler is awesome!

Choc.Cado Super Shake

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Avocado

1/8 c. Cacao Nibs

1/4 c. Chia Seeds

2 tbsp. Coconut oil

4 tbsp. PURE SYNERGY Powder

4 tbsp. Honey/Agave

-Mix the chia seed with 1/4 c. of water (or coconut water works well too!) and set it aside while you prep your other ingredients.

-Skin and pit your avocado and throw all of your ingredients into the blender. Blend until everything is well mixed. Add a bit of water if needed.

-Pour into a glass and enjoy!

I....FEEL.....THE POWARRRR!!!!!

Recovery smoothies and shakes are so incredibly easy to make. Its all about whats inside that makes it all worth while. So lets go over the yumminess inside, shall we?

Chia: What the crap is a chia?

Chia is like a dieter's dream come true. You soak it and it gets filled with water in about 3 minutes. Then those big, slimy beads of water fill your stomach so you feel full...off of WATER! Water has no calories! Not only that, but it contains a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber which balance out your blood sugar by slowing down the conversion of starches into sugars. They also are a complete source of protein to help build you up and are rich in antioxidants omega 3s.

My favorite part of it all is its cleansing aspects though. As it runs through your body, it picks up a lot of the build-up in your body and safely moves it all out. So this food builds you the good and cleans out the bad all at the same time!

Avocado: Guacamole in my drink?

This green fruit(yes, its a fruit) is one of the best foods to add to just about anything for the reason that it helps you to absorb nutrients. The fats in avocado are soluble, meaning they are absorbent. So when nutrients is eaten with and absorbed into the avocado, your body is able to take in sometimes five times as much of the benefits!

And the fats themselves prevent different cancers on so many levels and the Vitamin E is one of the best for radiant and clean skin. The oils and fats in it are especially excellent for tissue repair after your workout.

Coconut Oil: Need I say more?

I really need to do a coconut oil post. This is my absolute favorite food and is one of the most complete foods on the planet. Its contains the best oils for your hair and your skin, is incredibly rich in antioxidants, contains acids that fight of viruses, helps with high blood pressure, tissue repair, revitalizing blood......i really need a coconut post.

But for now, it is excellent for both repairing old tissue and rebuilding new tissue after your work out. It also strengthens your thyroid which increases your metabolism for more of a fat burn after your work out. A fat that burns fat is always loved! Not to mention the energy it will give you after eating it!

Green is Good: Pure Synergy is beast!!

As i've stated in previous posts, pure synergy is probably the only green superfood formula I will ever use. Its raw, completely organic, and is the most complete green superfood powder on the market. I could basically live off of this stuff and still maintain optimum health.

I am NOT advertising for them by any means, nor is this a medicine supplement. Its basically just some of the most potent foods on earth dried and ground up to size where your body can digest it the easiest. I just strongly believe that this powder is by far superior by all standards due to the complete combination of enzymes , fruits, and sea vegetables, and herbs.

In short, this stuff is amazing!

Cacao and Honey: Not just for taste..

Raw chocolate and unheated, organic honey are the two most antioxidant and enzyme rich foods ever recorded to this day! Chocolate contains the same oleic acid as the coconut oil and macadamia nuts do, which is the absolute best oil for your skin. Honey absorbs nutrients rather quickly and sends them straight to your blood stream.

The sugars in honey if it is unprocess and unheated are mostly fructose, which are the best foods to power your brain and metabolism. Its even been shown that eating a spoonful of honey before bed send energy to your brain without storing it, and then to your thyroid to produce more metabolic hormones. In short, eating a spoonful of it before bed can help you loose weight!

Its also sends energy directly through your body without need for digestion, so fuels and repairs your body almost instantly to help with that after-workout burn.

In short, this shake-smoothie thing tastes delicious and begins repairing your body almost instantly, building you up and strengthening you from the inside out!

Whats your favorite after-workout snack or meal?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Almond Butter and the Monster under my bed

Peanut Butter is just what my dreams are made of. Its thick, creamy, and maybe the greatest thing to ever be created on this little planet we call earth. But sadly, i've been able to find it raw and being a raw foodist I guess that's defeat....wait...defeat..? DEFEAT?! I know not the meaning of the word! Forget you too stingie peanuts! I got me some raw organic almond butter and will devour it without the likes of you! That's right. Be Jealous........

I've been in a chocolate-peanut butter mood for the past few days and finally decided to get rid of my craving with a dessert that I figured would satisfy my craving. But this wasn't just a little craving. It was a monster craving! A craving bigger than the ravenous beast that sleeps beneath my bed and plots my demise for how he will finish me off if I ever leave my bed before the sun rises..... Yeah, that kind of craving. So for a monster craving, I get a monster dessert! Oh, and he likes bananas...

Almond Butter-Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream

(serves 4 hungry monsters)

Ingredients:

2 large bananas

1 c. Almond Butter

1/2 c. Cacao Powder

2 tbsp. Honey/Agave

2 tbsp. Coconut Oil

-Blend everything together in your blender until smooth.

-Use your Ice Cream maker and follow the instructions. Or just pour it into a bowl and freeze for 2-4 hours or until it resembles the texture of ice cream.

-Enjoy!

Its peanut buttery and its THICK! Kind of like a chocolate-almond butter mcflurry almost, only tastier. I love it! This is the kind of thing I could easily down 5 batches of. Better make extra though, cause the monster under my bed is growling in hunger again..

What guilty pleasure brings out your inner monster?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Starting off my cleanse....with ice cream

Yes, I cleanse my body with dessert. Whats wrong with that? Ok, so its more of a sorbet but its still sweet and delicious! Fruit just made it that much better and easier to get away with.

So, when I woke up I had some lemon juice in water and a bit of Pure Synergy. Pure Synergy is my favorite green superfood powder and is the most complete one i've been able to find. All of the enzymes and food in it are so incredibly good for you and nutritious to the highest extent! So of course I needed to add some good stuff into my cleanse to help replace all of the bad stuff.

By the power of the green gods of cleansing and healthiness, I now grant you as a super vegan! MWAHAHAHAHA

Alright, so then later after some pure synergy for breakfast and a bland salad for lunch, now off to the good part. I made a sorbet out of some of the most cleansing fruits I had with me! Papaya, grapefruit, and lots of berries. Time to get this part started!

Cleanser Sorbet

ingredients:

1 papaya

1 grapefruit

1 avocado

2 c. mixed berries

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 c. shredded coconut (optional)

-De-seed, de-pit, and de-skin the papaya, grapefruit, and avocado and through them into the blender.

-Add in the rest of your ingredients (except the shredded coconut if using) and blend everything until its nice and smooth but not watery. Add another avocado or a banana if that helps.

- Pour everything into a bowl and mix in your coconut. Then freeze everything for 2-4 hours or until it resembles icey ice cream or a sorbet.

-Enjoy!

Not the prettiest sorbet in the world, but it was still delicious! Papaya contains a unique enzyme called papain which is renowned for its ability to cleanse your skin and prevent cancer. I threw in the grapefruit due to the acidity in it which burns away at mucus build up and helps cleanse your digestive system.

Coconut, i could go on all day about. Though sweet, it contains acids that are not absorbed by the stomach and help to move things along. Coconut oil is so clean that it is the only oil that doesn't need to be filtered through your pancreas. Its also one of the only oils that don't clog your pores when you sweat it out. My favorite part of it, though, is its strong effect on the thyroid which strengthens it increases your metabolism to clean everything out.

The avocado contains essential fats, but i don't know if its necessary cleansing. I added it to make everything more ice-creamy. But honey, on the other hand, wasn't only added for taste. It contains more enzymes and antioxidants than any other food tested! So of course, it was worth adding.

On a different note, wow. Second day of October, and the temperature drops! Its almost magical!

What do you think is the most magical thing about fall?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Cleanin It Out!

So as you can probably tell, I like me some desserts. I don't just like them, but I love them. If its sweet, fatty, chocolaty, or involves peanut butter in any way then it is most likely a staple of my diet. But I did become vegan for a reason and raw for an even greater reason. I wanted to keep my body healthy and help myself to feel better. Above all and the full extent of my selfishness included, I wanted to look better. So even in the midst of Vegan Mofo, I think I need to clean myself out before I get to the good stuff.

I know you guys probably don't want to read about fasting and eating salads and blah blah blah. You guys more or less would rather attack a delicious recipe like a zombie to a big and juicy brain. You want something to om nom nom that tastes like a melt-in-your-mouth piece of chocolaty goodness. Well I promise, those are to come. But what is the point of being raw if a flesh-eater (aka carnivore) can prove to me that they feel better and are healthier than i am on my plant based diet?

So this is not for you. This is for me. I've been raw for almost a year and vegan for almost 3! So its time to take a stand. I will get rid of my acne finally and quit feeling so exhausted all the time. I plan to juice a bit, eat a few salads, and get myself into shape before the moonlight madness race later this month in my town. I need to prove a point!

I will still be making and posting brownies and yumminess all through this month, but just expect for me not to eat the whole batch and for a salad to be ingested every once in a while. But i'm coming out of it not only alive, but feeling like I can kick a bowl of organic salad right in its green little...oh wait....kids could be reading this...

Any cleansing tips?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Torte (aka. Reeses!)

What better way to start off Vegan Mofo than with a dessert recipe? Something sweet and delicious to start off October and to give you something to snack on as you make your way through the month.

I dislike how all of the dessert recipes show up at the end of the month when you have little time to prepare yourself. All of the attention for Halloween and candy comes when its a bit too late and when things are almost over and done with. So with the taste of a Reeses peanut butter cup, but the creamy and chocolaty melt-in-your mouth feel of a chocolate torte, this halloween candy will satisfy Ladies and gentleman, boys and ghouls...... raw peanut butter torte!

Raw Chocolate - Peanut Butter Torte

Torte Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. Cacao Powder

3/4 c. Pecan Flour

6 tbsp. Coconut oil

6 tbsp. Honey

-Mix all of your dry ingredients together all of your dry ingredients in your food processor. If you don't have pecan flour, just process them in a coffee grinder a few times until they form a flour-like texture.

-Add in the liquid ingredients and mix until it dorms a very wet dough, almost the texture of peanut butter.

-Mold the dough into muffin tins, poking a hole into the top where the cream will go.

-Freeze the muffin pans while you make the cream.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cream Ingredients:

1/4 c. Cacao Powder

6 tbsp. Almond or Peanut Butter

1/4 c. Coconut Oil (melted)

1/4 c. honey

-Mix all of the ingredients in your food processor or a blender until it forms a liquidy cream. Add a few tablespoons of water or extra coconut oil if needed.

-Take your tortes out of the freezer and spoon the cream into the holes you made.

-Freeze for at least 30 minutes or until everything firms up.

-Eat and enjoy!

I had both of my little brothers try them, and they claim it to be excellently similar to Reeses peanut butter cups only chocolatier! My parents liked them as well, my dad saying they were good but not quite the same. Maybe a bit more peanut butter will do the trick but the texture was spot on!

They melt quickly though so be warned! They taste best straight from the freezer. I'll work on getting them a bit longer-lasting just so I can bring them to school and brag around Halloween time about my vegan epicness!

Whats your favorite Halloween candy or treat?

-Andrew D. Morrison-