The Big Thanksgiving Episode

Thanks for checking out today's Big Thanksgiving Episode! I had such fun putting today's recipes together and filming the details for my weekly raw food segment on Raw Food Rehab. Unfortunately when I went to plug my Flip camera into the USB port of my computer, the plug in snapped off and my video camera is broken beyond repair. I hope you will at least enjoy the photographs and recipes I've put together. I'm wishing you and your family a beautiful, blissful and healthy holiday!

Cinnamon Apple & Rosemary Sweet Potato Chips w/ Maple Vanilla Cream

(inspired by Vegetarian Times - Oct 2010)

For the cinnamon apple chips:

2 medium apples, cored & sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

for rosemary sweet potato chips:

1 large sweet potato

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Cut sweet potato into paper thin slices with a mandoline or knife. Place slices in a bowl and gently rub in the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary & salt.

Lay slices on mesh dehydrator trays without overlapping. Dry for about 6 hours, shifting until chips are fully crisp.

Maple Vanilla Cream

If you don't have a high speed blender, you can grind the cashews in a coffee grinder then place the powder into your blender to combine with the other ingredients until smooth.

1/2 cup cashews, soaked & drained

1 - 2 teaspoons maple syrup or coconut nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients on high speed until smooth & creamy, adding a bit of water if necessary to combine.

Sweet Cinnamon Pecans
(courtesy of Kerry Matson/Raw For The Holidays pg 73)

2 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon agave (or other sweetener of choice)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
4 cups pecans
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes

Mix together warmed/liquefied coconut oil, agave, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over pecans and stir to cover nuts well. Pour 1/2 of pecans onto a dehydrator sheet (no Teflex sheet). To the remaining pecans, add a 1/2 cup of dried coconut flakes. Stir well & pour onto another dehydrator sheet.

Dehydrate at 105* for 15-20 hours, or until dry & crispy.

Cranberry Pomegranate Chutney
(from Raw For The Holidays pg 90)

2 cups dried cranberries, roughly chopped
½ cup red apple, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
¼ cup agave nectar (or raw honey)
1 orange, zested & supremed
1 cup pomegranate seeds

Add cranberries, apple, ginger and agave nectar to a food processor and pulse together until well combined. Add the orange segments, pulsing only until blended in coarsely. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the orange zest and pomegranate seeds, mixing thoroughly. This will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Savory Mushroom Nut Loaf
(Modified from Raw For The Holidays pg 94)

1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup mushrooms
½ cup celery
½ cup sweet yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage or poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup carrot pulp
1 stalk celery, finely diced

In a food processor, grind nuts to a coarse meal. Place in a mixing bowl. To the processor bowl, qdd mushrooms, celery, onion, sage, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic, and continue processing until everything is finely ground. Transfer this into the bowl with the nuts and stir in carrot pulp and diced celery. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix and combine everything together. Form into a loaf, cake or patties. Dehydrate 4-6 hours, (less time if you are making smaller cakes) until a crust has formed on top and it's nicely warmed.

Pumpkin Spice Bread or Muffins

2 cups fresh or moist carrot pulp

2/3 cup dried sweet almond pulp (left over pulp from making nut milk)

3/4 cup ground golden flax seeds

1/3 cup chopped raisins or cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

2 tablespoons coconut nectar or maple syrup

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons good quality olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until fully incorporated. Either form the mixture into a loaf shape or press into a plastic wrap lined mini-muffin pan to form shapes. Dehydrate at 105 degrees until dried to your personal liking. The outer crust should be nice and formed, but the interior should still be soft and moist. Note: If you are making a pumpkin loaf, drying time will be much longer.

There are over 100 celebratory recipes and 65 color photos in Raw Food Rehab's Raw For The Holidays ebook. Click here to learn the details.