Raw Summer Soft Fruit Crisp

Topping:

1 cup organic walnuts
1 cup organic almonds
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut
4 medjool or other moist organic dates, pitted
1 Tablespoon agave nectar

Filling:

3 to 4 ripe organic nectarines
3 to 4 ripe organic peaches

Directions:

Cut fruit into quarters or smaller, and process in food processor until cut into approximately 1/4-to-1/2 inch size pieces.

Pour fruit into a pan that will fit in your dehydrator - anything 4 x 4 up to 8 x 8 will do! I’ve used both a 4×4 and an 8×8 plastic container (such as Rubbermaid or Tupperware) although you could use a cake pan. I prefer a smaller (such as 4×4) container, as it gives you a deeper filling base - I think that 8×8 makes the filling base too shallow.

Place all topping ingredients in bowl of food processor with the ’s’ blade (the curved cutting blade). Pulse until all ingredients are uniformly processed and crumbly, with crumbs no larger than pea-sized.

Spread the topping on top of the filling, spreading it evenly all over.

Put the pan in the dehydrator, near the middle, at 115 degrees, for 2 to 4 hours. You can eat it any time after about 2 hours, but 4 hours is best.

Yum!!!

Here are some pictures of my original raw berry fruit crisp - the summer fruit crisp looks the same, just different fruit:

In the dehydrator:

Just out of the dehydrator:

With a little corner cut out so you can see the filling:

Enjoy!

Well, let me tell you, I was not disappointed. My dining companions, including my husband, were equally impressed.

Again, I hasten to add that Organic Orbit is not a raw food restaurant - they are an “eco food cafe”, which means, as they explain it, that they are “entirely committed to organic food as a way of life to eliminate agribusiness chemicals and genetically engineered food from our world. Our food sources are always organic and we use local farmers as much as possible. All proteins are Free Range, Wild Caught or Organic. Cheeses are hormone free and made with veggie rennet.”

(As a side note, they’ve also added a “Live Shakes” juice bar. I personally can’t wait to try the “Coconut Avocado” shake with coconut water, avocado, lime, date, flax seeds, and brazil nut - doesn’t that sound delicious?! Also the Hazelnut Shake, with date, hazelnut, brazil nut, flax seeds, vanilla, cinnamon, raw cacao, Dagoba chocolate.)

Call it “eco food”, call it “culinary consciousness” - call it whatever you want. I call it “delicious” and just what I’ve been looking for - organic food with both raw and vegetarian options (and gluten free options for those of you who need that, as well!)

We started with several appetizers - including their Mexicali pizza (which is not raw, but is vegetarian and organic), and their new cheese board, which featured five of the most wonderful cheeses that I’ve had in a long time - all vegetarian. Served with some delicious organic oat crackers, the cheese board was a huge hit (as was the pizza, which had refried citrus infused black beans, pico, cilantro, avocado, and pepitas).

We also had their “New School Gluten Free Mac N Cheese”, which was surprisingly delicate, and very yummy. This dish is made with gluten free brown rice rotini, arugula, heirloom tomato, mouco camembert, some greens, and truffle oil.

Sadly, I didn’t have the presence of mind to grab pictures of our appetizers, but they were every bit as beautiful as were our entrees and desserts, pictures of which I did get, and which are below.

But this is a Raw Food site, so about the raw food: for dinner my husband had - enjoyed and raved about - the same raw ravioli that I’d had during my first visit to Organic Orbit. It is just amazing.

The raw ravioli is made from golden beets, sliced paper thin as the wrappers of the ravioli. In all, it is made from golden beets filled with a cashew herb creme and plated with a blueberry marinara and chive oil. It is absolutely fantastic.

I had the Deep Green Citrus Avo salad, which was just perfect. It consists of valencia orange, fresh lime, red leaf, massaged kale, avocado, and goji, and was very very good.

We also had the Pesto Sunshine pizza, made with vine tomato, torn basil, haystack goat, and sunflower pesto. Both this pizza and the Mexicali were big hits - with a wonderful whole-grain thin crust, and perfect ingredients. While they are not raw pizzas, Organic Orbit does have a raw pizza on the menu, and I look forward to trying that soon.

For dessert we had the Panna Cotta (delicious, served with a blueberry coulis) and the mango sorbet, which had a rich, fresh mango flavour. Yum!

Again, I can’t highly enough recommend Organic Orbit - we’ll be going back often.

And, the best little secret of all is - go for their Happy Hour, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, when you can get much their amazing food - including the Mexicali Pizza and the Gluten Free Mac and Cheese - for just $5.00 a portion!

Raw Ravioli

Deep Green Citrus Avo Salad

Sunshine Pizza

Mango Sorbet

Panna Cotta

Annie’s Chocolate Coconut Cream

Raw organic coconut butter
Raw cacao powder
Raw agave nectar

Take 2 parts raw coconut cream, to about 1 part raw cacao powder. Add a bit of agave nectar to make it easier to mix, and once mixed, add more agave nectar until cream mixes desired sweetness and consistency.

Really - you have to try this, it’s incredible.

This Recipe Uses These Products:

Jessica’s (Mostly) Raw Lasagna

1 zucchini
2 tomatoes
organic garlic powder
dried or fresh organic oregano
dried or fresh basil
organic tomato sauce

Parmesan Cheese:

One part sesame seeds
One part celtic sea salt

Lasagna:

Slice zucchini in very thin, flat, slices, lengthwise (like
lasagna noodles).

Slice tomatoes in the same manner.

In a baking pan, place a layer of zucchini on the bottom, and then layer with one layer of tomato slices, and sprinkle with a small amount of garlic powder, basil, and oregano. Continue this until the all of your zucchini and tomato slices are used up. Cover with organic tomato sauce.

Place in dehydrator to warm or, if you don’t have a dehydrator, warm in low oven until just slightly warmed to meld the flavours together.

Parmesan Cheese: Mix ingredients together and process in food processor until the consistency of parmesan cheese.

And you will too!

Jessica’s Raw Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Yeast-Free Vegan Chocolate Mousse

1 cup raw chocolate coconut butter
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
3 Tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 can raw coconut milk, separated (use only the creamy part - use the water for something else)
¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Place ingredients in bowl, whisk until smooth, and serve, or chill.

At last, a source for fantastic vegetarian marshmallows (which are, in fact, even vegan marshmallows)! This means that they are also kosher marshmallows (although not necessarily Kosher marshmallows, as in officially approved - but they are free of animal products).

A lot of people may not realize that marshmallows are not vegetarian or vegan. That’s because usually marshmallow ingredients include gelatin (or gelatine), which traditionally comes from the bones of animals.

Now, I don’t know the secret to Sweet and Sara’s vegan marshmallow recipe, but let me tell you that these are some amazing, gourmet marshmallows. And so we were very sad when our local connection for this confection, 3 Little Figs, closed down. But they were nice enough to put me in touch with the source - who in turn told me where we could get them online.

And so, I am telling you!

Order vegetarian marshmallows (vegan marshmallows!) from Vegan Essentials

Each of the ingredients is available, already prepared, at your local healthfood store or online (including in our raw foods online store)!

Raw Trail Mix

Equal parts:

Raw chocolate nibs
Sprouted and dehydrator-roasted raw pumpkin seeds
Sprouted and dehydrator-roasted raw sunflower seeds
Goji berries

Mix the equal parts of raw chocolate nibs, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, and goji berries in an airtight container. Close the container, and shake to mix.

Snack and enjoy!

Enough organic mixed greens for 2-3 servings (3-4 good handfuls)
1 avocado, diced
1 ripe peach, diced
Balsamic vinaigrette

Mix, and enjoy!

So as to not mislead you, Organic Orbit’s menu is not entirely raw, but that they have a section of their menu devoted to raw food is good enough for me, in a town that ought to boast several raw restaurants but, until the Organic Orbit Eco Food Cafe, had exactly zero.

I decided that the first thing that I would try would be their raw Golden Beet Ravioli.

Their menu describes it as: golden beets, cashew herb creme, blueberry marinara, and chive oil.

I describe it as absolutely divine.

This is due primarily - if not entirely - to Organic Orbit’s new Chef, Daniel Asher. Asher, who arrived in Boulder from Chicago just six weeks ago, is quickly ensuring that his new hometown of Boulder is going to love him. With 16 years in the culinary field, and an extensive background in raw, vegan, and vegetarian food, Asher is exactly what Boulder has needed.

But back to the raw ravioli.

Incredible. Fantastic.

This is my new favourite food, and Chef Daniel is my new best friend. If you are anywhere near Boulder, or passing through Boulder, you simply must check out the Organic Orbit Eco Food Cafe (they are at the corner of Broadway and Yarmouth, right next to Amante).

And please, tell them that we sent you.

Oh, here’s a picture of that ravioli - in my haste to try it, I didn’t remember to take the picture until I’d already eaten one - but I’m sure once you taste it, you’ll understand and forgive me.

P.S. For dessert I had their raw avocado chocolate mousse - Chef Daniel puts raw cocao nibs in it, and drizzles a bit of honey on top, and it is ohmygawd good.

But nope, not a one.

And that is why I was so very thrilled to discover the Organic Orbit Eco Food Cafe today!

They have an entire raw food section on their menu!

Their raw menu includes:

And, for dessert:

I’m about to try the raw ravioli, and I will report about that next.