Bagnola

There's nothing like a delicious bowl of raw granola to start your day off right. This Bagnola (inspired by a let's-pull-everything-out-of-the-cabinets-and-see-what-happens-when-we-mix-it-together moment - you know those moments) can be eaten like trail mix or enjoyed in a fresh foamy bath of raw nut milk. The buckwheat groats are supposed to be crazy good for you, and add a cereal feel. I always get grossed out when I soak and rinse them, because the soak water is full of gooey slime, but if you go to a safe place in your head and squint your eyes really hard while rinsing, it's not too terrible. I also envision all the residual goo magically evaporating during dehydration. Don't you dare tell me that's a unicorn idea.

Bagnola

1 cup buckwheat groats, soaked 30 m, rinsed and dehydrated until dry, crispy and goo-free (for you with your fancy dehydrator, maybe 4-6 hours, for us, a loooong time in a very slow oven)

1 cup goji berries

1/2 cup mulberries

1/2 cup almonds, crushed into bits

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1/4 cup cocoa nibs

some chopped dates, if you want to get fancy, or sweeter

The sweet chewiness of the mulberries balances out the crunchiness of the groats and muskiness of the goji berries, and the coconut and blueberries add a little more texture and flavor zing. (The cocoa nibs just add... well, cocoa. My theory is chocolate goes in/with everything.) Throw in a container and shake.

Carry on the go as a snack, or blend 1/4 cup raw almonds, cashews or pecans (soaked/rinsed/dehydrated, if you're into that) with 1 cup pure water, and douse a hearty bowl of Baghnola. I bet if you mixed in some sort of adhesive-y material, like banana, you could dehydrate and make trail mix bars... science project for the fall.

Like a Gentle Breeze in Your Mouth

Tonight we hosted our first ever entirely-raw dinner party. OK. It wasn't entirely raw, but that truly wasn't our fault. Due to convoy delays and various other co-factors, things were tight at the cafeteria - aka grocery shop - the last couple days. And some ingredients, namely mushrooms and cauliflower, we will never get raw. Let's say there was nothing not raw that wouldn't have been raw if it could have been raw.

Besides our delic "save the moo-eat" from last night's Mexican extravaganza, pineapple-cucumber skewers, bok choy salad, and our clever idea to wrap everything on the table in big pieces of lettuce (thank you, sandwich bar), the dinner was Ani Phyo East Meets West, Desserts or Raw Food Essentials. She's a genius. Here's what we served:

Appetizers

Pineapple Cucumber Skewers with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Crudite Platter (carrots, celery, radish, cucumber) with "Peanut" Thai Dipping Sauce

Tomato Coconut Bisque

Main Course
Mixed Vegetables and Mango with Yellow Curry

"Save the Moo-eat" Lettuce Wraps with Corn and Tomato Garnish and Cashew Garlic Aioli

Mushroom Namul Lettuce Wraps with Mango Sauce

Bok Choy-Onion-Orange salad

Dessert
Peach Cobbler (variation of Mango Cobbler - serious YUM)

Chai Ice Cream
Coconut Ice Cream
Assorted Chocolates

The chocolates were new to me, and they were very cool - easy to make and set in a few minutes. I used our egg holder (which we have for what eggs??) as a mold and followed the ratio of two parts coconut oil to one part cocoa powder, plus a dash of agave. Before pouring the chocolate into the molds, I sprinkled cocoa nibs into each, and added goji berries or coconut to some. I also flavored some of the chocolate mint or almond. The result was delicious bites of chocolately goodness. When I find a raw caramel recipe, I'll try caramel sea salt filled chocolates. Yum.

P.S. Credit to Te for these lovely photos, and for the post title: she declared the Cashew Aioli, "like a gentle breeze in your mouth." Agreed.