And it’s deceptively simple to make!

Just follow the 4:2:1 formula.

4 parts Organic Cacao Butter
2 parts Raw Chocolate Powder (Organic Cacao Powder)
1 part Organic Agave

Chop the cocoa butter into pieces, and put the cocoa butter pieces (only) into a plastic measuring cup - the kind that looks like a little pitcher and that has the incremental measurements on the side - I use one like this one.

It doesn’t matter how much cocoa butter you use - you will always adjust the other ingredients based on the amount of cocoa butter.

Set the measuring cup with the cocoa butter pieces in it into your dehydrator, and warm it at 115 degrees until the cocoa butter has melted.

Take the measuring cup with the melted cocoa butter out of the dehydrator when the cocoa butter is all melted, and take note of how much melted cocoa butter you have, by looking at the measuring marks on the side of the cup. Determine what half of that amount is - this is how much raw cacao powder you will add. Now determine what one-quarter of the volume of the cocoa butter would be. This is how much agave you will add.

Example:

If you have 1/2 cup of cocoa butter, you will add 1/4 cup of raw cacao powder, and 1/8 cup of agave.

Whisk the raw cacao powder and the agave into the cocoa butter (do this right in the measuring cup!)

Pour the chocolate mixture into small silicon ice-cube molds (see below). I use the hearts and the shells, but now that I see they have penguins, I may get some of those, too!

After the chocolates harden, pop them out of the molds and share them with someone you love.

You can make all kinds of variations on this recipe. I recently mixed in a little bit of cinnamon and red (cayenne) pepper. Yum! You can also put a piece of raw walnut in the mold before you pour in the chocolate, or drop it in after. Or mix in a little chopped fresh (well-dried!) mint!

These are the molds I use. You can click on any one of them to get the ordering information for them from Amazon!

Raw Fudge Brownies

1 cup raw organic walnuts
1 cup raw organic shredded coconut
1/2 cup organic powdered raw cacao
4 tablespoons organic agave nectar

Frosting:

1/2 cup organic powdered raw cacao
organic agave nectar as needed

Brownies:

Combine walnuts, coconut, cacao powder, and agave nectar in food processor for several minutes until a smooth dough-like paste forms.

Pat evenly into lightweight glass or plastic 4×4 or similarly-sized container. Set aside.

Frosting:

Into the raw cacao powder for the frosting mix enough agave syrup to create the consistency of frosting. Spread evenly over brownie dough.

Cure in dehydrator set at 115 degrees for 6 hours.

Cool, cut, and enjoy!

First, I have to give props to my dear friend and ‘daughter’, Kelly, over at The Spunky Coconut. I originally got this recipe from her, and have changed it only a little bit (primarily by not blanching the almonds, making it both easier, and completely raw).

Ok, here you go - this recipe for raw fake tuna is truly amazing. I ended up eating most of it right out of the bowl! Have I mentioned that you’ll be astonished at just how much it really tastes like tuna?

Raw Fake Tuna Fish Salad

First, take:

1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

“Sprout” the almonds and sunflower seeds by soaking them overnight in filtered water (it’s called “sprouting” them, but they don’t actually sprout - what the soaking does is activates their sprouting mechanism, bringing out all the wonderful nutritious enzymes and other goodies)

The next day, when you are ready to make your raw fake tuna salad, drain the almonds and sunflower seeds, and throw them into the bowl of your food processor with the ‘S’ blade.

Pulse them until they are chopped fairly finely. Then add into the food processor bowl:

1 to 2 ribs of celery (depending on how much you like celery in your tuna), chopped
1 half onion, chopped
1/3 cup pickle relish (not sweet - get the dill variety)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dill (fresh or dried - fresh is nicer and most stores now have it in the produce section)

Pulse until blended and then until as finely chopped as you want.

Turn into bowl and blend in:

1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise, to taste
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Enjoy on a sandwich, on crackers, wrapped in lettuce leaves, in celery, or just straight out of the bowl!

Raw Poached Pears

You will need:

As many pears as you need - allow 1/2 pear per person. Pears should be soft to the touch, meaning that they should yield when pressed on.
As many teaspoons walnuts as you have pears, chopped finely
As many teaspoons raisins as you have pears, soaked in water for 10 or more minutes
A small amount of fresh lemon juice
Cinnamon
Honey

Cut pears in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to gentley carve away the core, leaving a hollowing where the core was. Trim both ends of each pear half, to remove the tough stem and bottom.

Place a Teflex sheet on a dehydrator tray, and on top of it lay a sheet of waxed paper that is long enough to wrap up and over the pears.

Lay the pears, cut side up, on the waxed paper.

Brush or wipe lemon juice on the cut side of each pear.

Sprinkle chopped walnuts into each hollow in each pear.

Top walnuts with raisins.

Drizzle honey on top of the walnuts and raisins in each pear, and along the top edges of each pear.

Sprinkle each pear lightly with cinnamon.

Wrap the excess waxed paper up and over the pears, and tuck it back under the pears, so that the pears are enclosed within the waxed paper.

Warm in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 8 to 12 hours - the pears are done when they are as soft as you’d like them.

Yummy!

I found the recipe on which I based this on the GoneRaw.com website. However, I didn’t have all of the ingredients for which it called, and my substitutions made a great recipe even easier!

For this raw Indian recipe you will need one small pumpkin. Whole Foods often has organic pie pumpkins, which are perfect. That said, the smallest pumpkin you can find should be adequate.

Raw Food Pumpkin Curry - Indian Style

2 cups pumpkin (deseeded, peeled, and cubed)
1/4 cup onion, chopped (doesn’t have to be finally chopped as it will be pureed)
1/2 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped (doesn’t have to be finally chopped as it will be pureed)
1 teaspoon ground ginger, or one slice fresh ginger about the size of a nickel
1/3 cup raisins
2 Tablespoons coconut butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup shredded or powdered coconut, or coconut flour
1 Tablespoon garam masala paste or one Tablespoon garam masala powder plus just enough vegetable oil to blend the powder into a paste
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
filtered water
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro
1/2 cup frozen peas

Soak the raisins in about 1/2 cup water while you are prepping the pumpkin, onion and pepper. Also let the frozen peas sit out at room temperature while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients.

In your Vitamix, blender, or food processor, blend all of the ingredients (including the water in which you soaked the raisins) except the cilantro and peas. Reserve the cilantro and peas for later.

Once everything is pureed and very smooth, add more water until it is the consistency you want it to be.

Transfer the puree to a bowl that will fit in your dehydrator, and mix in the cilantro and the peas.

Warm the curry in your dehydrator, set at 115 degrees, for a half hour or so until thoroughly warmed. (Can also be eaten straight from the blender, but warmed it is incredible.)

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.