Aside from adding them to Smoothies; making natural Dehydrated Banana Chips (which I will post a video on later); and eating them Whole…. I’m at a loss for recipes that use bananas in a healthy way. I’ve got a great no-sugar banana bread recipe, but you can only eat so many of those.

So please leave a comment on your ideas and suggestions on what I should do with them. I’ll try to post a video with my favorite idea you guys come up with so everyone else can enjoy it too!

I can’t wait to see what ideas you have. Thanks for the help!

~ Erika

P.S. Don’t worry, I am sharing the banana love and giving out tons to my neighbors and friends.

Are they really healthy?

Although I love cookbooks, I’m terrible at leaving recipes alone… I always want to modify and try out my own variations of recipes – especially desserts!    This recipe is no different:  I found a basic recipe for macaroons in a Raw Food books called “Raw Food – Real World”and tweaked it Hawaiian Style.

You don’t have to be a ‘Raw Foodie’ to enjoy this recipe – in fact, I have ‘Meat & Potato’ friends asking for more of these all the time.  The best part is that they are actually good for you!  The kind of ‘good’ that means they are actually doing good things to your body – like being full of antioxidants, energy and fuel.  To top it all off, they are chocolaty and delicious!!

In it’s ‘raw’ form, chocolate is called Cacao (pronounced Kuh-Cow) and can be expensive… so I usually buy it from one of three places when it’s on sale:

• Navitas Organic Raw Chocolate Nibs – Amazon
• Sunfood Organic Raw Chocolate- Sunfood Nutrition
• Navitas Organic Raw Cacao Powder – Vitamin Shoppe (Your local VS store may also have this).

Sometimes I use unusal ingredients so I’ll try to always list a few online buying options for you.  If you ever have a hard time finding something, feel free to ask.

Ok, here’s the recipe along with a ’how-to video’ for making ’Raw Chocolate, Macadamia Nut Macaroons’.

The special tools featured in this recipe are:

• Refurbished 12 Cup Food Processor – Brushed Nickel (I got mine refurbished directly through ShopKitchenAid.com and saved nearly 1/2 of the retail cost… plus it came in ‘brand new’ condition with a 6 month warranty)
• Excalibur Dehydrator – Model #3926T
• VitaMix – Model 5200 w/Dry Blade

Here is the ingredient list… or if you have the Living Cookbook software, you can download the free .fdx recipe file and import it:

Living Cookbook .fdx Recipe File:
Chocolate, Macadamia Macaroons (To Download: Right mouse click on the recipe and select ’save file as’ – Save to your computer and then you can import it into your Living Cookbook program.  Or you may save the text file here – Macaroon .txt file

Raw Chocolate, Macadamia Macaroons

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups Coconut (raw dehydrated and unsweetened- shredded or flakes)
1 Cup Raw Cacao Nibs (ground to powder)
1 Cup Raw Almonds (ground to flour/meal)
1/2 Cup Raw Macadamia Nuts (ground to flour/meal)
1 tsp Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Raw Agave Nectar
2 Tbs Raw Coconut Oil (cold pressed)
1 Tbs Pure Vanilla Extract

Procedure

1. In Food Processor – Combine Coconut, Cacao Powder*, Almond Meal/Flour*, Macadamia Nut Meal/Flour* and Salt.  Pulse until well blended.
2. Add Agave Nectar, Coconut Oil and Vanilla Extract to Food Processor and mix until dough forms (approx. 20-30 seconds).
3. Scoop into ‘Macaroon’ balls and place on your Dehydrating Trays (be sure to have the non-stick sheets placed on top of the dehydrating screens first).
4. Place macaroons into dehydrator.  Set drying tempature at 110° – 115° and let dehydrate for approximately 8-12 hours.  Then remove macaroons from the non-stick sheets and place directly on the dehydrating screens.  Return to the dehydrator for an additional 12-18 hours or until macaroons are no longer sticky.
5. Store Macaroons in Refrigerator in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 weeks.   You can also store the cookies in the freezer for up to a month.

* Note:  Use your VitaMix to grind the Cacao Nibs into Powder and your Almonds & Mac Nuts into a mealy flour before adding to the food processor.

Yield: 54 Cookies

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Dehydrating Time: 24-30 hours (depending on humidity)

Feel free to send me any questions or comments you may have! 

Best w/ Family & a Movie

Ok, I admit it… I’m a bit of a Pizza Snob.  I really dislike the cheap pizza that comes from ‘huts’, and from the little dude wearing a toga  – but I’m also too cheap to pay for a ‘gourmet’ pizza made by a ‘knight’ who claims that his ‘table is round’ (if you catch my drift). 

Pizza is a VERY special treat in our family for two reasons:  1. We regularly eat only ‘whole’ and ‘raw’ foods in our house; and 2. ’Pizza Night’ also means an extra ‘Family Night’ – complete with a movie, dessert, and snuggles on the couch. 

After searching the internet over for the Perfect Pizza Crust, I finally found one, and then I modified it slightly to reduce the amount of yeast needed.   I can’t take credit for the entire recipe – but it’s been so long, that I can’t remember where I found the original one. 

So every now and then, when we crave a good pizza, we make it ourselves.  It’s a simple recipe, and the cost for this ‘perfect pizza crust’ is only about $1.50 with maybe another $2 for the sauce and cheese topping.   And in my book, you can’t beat the taste or the cost!  I’m hoping you’ll give it a try – perhaps it will start a whole new tradition in your family.

As aways, here’s the recipe along with a ’how-to video’ for making ’The Perfect Pizza Crust’.   The ‘Perfect Pizza Sauce’ recipe and video are coming soon.

The special tools featured in this recipe are:

• Refurbished 12 Cup Food Processor – Brushed Nickel (I got mine refurbished directly through ShopKitchenAid.com and saved nearly 1/2 of the retail cost… plus it came in ‘brand new’ condition with a 6 month warranty)
• Excalibur Dehydrator – Model #3926T

Here is the ingredient list… or if you have the Living Cookbook software, you can download the free .fdx recipe file and import it:

Living Cookbook .fdx Recipe File:
Perfect Pizza Crust (To Download: Right mouse click on the recipe and select ’save file as’ – Save to your computer and then you can import it into your Living Cookbook program.

Perfect Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups very warm water
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (start with 3 cups and add more as needed and set aside some for your hands and rolling out dough)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs Olive Oil

Procedure

1. If you have a food processor, this pizza dough can be made in under 5 minutes with hardly any mess to your kitchen.  Of course, you could also mix the dough in a heavy duty stand mixer, in a bread machine, or by hand (although the latter would be a serious workout).
2. Place very warm water, yeast and sugar in food processor and pulse once to mix.  While most recipes will tell you to use lukewarm water when making yeast dough, I find that by the time you take hot water, put it into a measuring cup and then into a food processor, it has cooled significantly.  I always use water that is almost too hot to the touch, and have always had great success.  Let sit while you measure out the dry ingredients.
3. After 5 minutes or so, you will see small bubbles forming in the liquid in the food processor, which indicates that your yeast is working.  Dump in the dry ingredients and turn on the food processor.  The machine will go all the work, including the kneading.  After about a minute the dough should form into a ball going around in your food processor.  Open the machine and take a look.  If you think the dough is too wet, you can add a bit a flour, but know that too wet is better than too dry, and the dough will loose some of its stickiness as it rises.
4. Place about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl.  Take the dough out of the food processor (putting a little olive oil or flour on your hands will keep it from sticking) and form it into a ball.  Place in the bowl and turn to lightly coat with the olive oil.
5. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft free place for about an hour or until doubled in size.  To speed up the proofing process, you can also place the covered bowl in your dehydrator at 110° for approximately 30 minutes.
6. Once your dough has risen, split the mixture into two balls and form with hands or rolling pin into pizza circle.  Top with your favorite sauce and toppings.
7. For a crust with a better taste and texture, I recommend baking on a baking stone in a very hot oven (500 – 550°F) for about 10 -15 minutes.  Be sure to check the crust regularly after 10 minutes to ensure it is evenly cooked.
8. Once you remove the pizza from the oven, place on cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.

Servings: 8
Yield: 2 Medium Sized Crusts

Tips:
You can store any unused dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Store in a Ziploc bag in fridge until ready to use.  Let dough come to room temperature before proceeding.  You also let the dough rise and freeze it for future use.  Thaw in the fridge or for about 4-6 hours on the counter.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Feel free to send me any questions or comments you may have!