Raw 'Cream' of Cucumber and Dill

In my family, a summertime favorite is my grandmother's cucumber dill salad. This healthy alternative is sure to be a cooling favorite for you too. Replacing the mayonnaise or sour cream with cashew turns it into a vegan dish that is better for you, but still has a bit of the fat that makes this dish so delish.

1 cucumber
1/4 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of cashews
2 tbs fresh dill
1 tbs fresh mint
1 tbs white wine vinegar
4 tbs water
4 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Method: Cut the cucumber in half and scrape the seeds into a blender. Dice the outer cucumber and toss with onions. Puree the garlic, cashews, dill, mint, vinegar,salt, water, and lemon juice until you get a sauce that is somewhat thin. If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out. Pour the sauce over the cucumber and red onion and toss. Serve chilled and garnish with dill or mint sprigs.

Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Artichoke

An artichoke is meant to be shared. This simple recipe celebrates the unique flavor of the artichoke and pairs it with sun-dried tomatoes. You'll want to invite your friends over to savor this dish.

Ingredients:
1 artichoke
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup of chopped basil
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup warm water
2 lemons sliced

Method: Rehydrate the sun dried tomatoes by soaking them in a 1/2 cup of warm water. Set aside while you prepare the artichoke.

Trim the lower leaves of the artichoke and cut off the stem so that it is flush with the base. With a sharp knife, cut the top inch of the choke off, so that the inner leaves are exposed. Remove and scoop out the purple leaves and 'hairs' that cover the artichoke heart.

Finely chop the sun dried tomatoes and mix them with the bread crumbs, basil, salt, pepper and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Place the mixture into the hollowed-out artichoke.

Place the vegetable broth and remaining lemon slices into a steamer pot. Insert the stuffed artichoke, cover the pot and turn heat on high for 15 minutes. When the artichoke is ready, the outer leaves should release very easily.

To finish, place in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are crispy.

Carrot Beet Salad

This is one of my favorite summer salads. The beet, lemon and ginger combination come together so gracefully. Try it as a side for any meal or a quick bite on the back porch.

Ingredients:
1 large beet, peeled and julienned
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 tbs raw ginger
1 tbs wheat free tamari
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Method: Grate or finely chop ginger and toss with the beets, carrots, lemon juice, tamari and salt. Serve immediately or store in the fridge (it will sweeten up the longer it sits).

Raw Olive Hummus

This is an easy snack food that you can make in 5 minutes.
I usually serve it with slices of cucumber, but carrot and zucchini would also make great dipping 'chips.'

Ingredients:
1 cup of tahini
1/3 cup of sunflower seeds
2 cups of chopped zucchini
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of raw olives, pitted and chopped
4 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs sea salt
paprika for color and garnish on top

Method: Blend all ingredients in a food processor until thick texture. If it is too thick, you can thin it out with water (just make sure to re-season if you add a lot of water).

Vegetable Stock - Simple Starters

Vegetable stock is used in a wide variety of cooking. Most soups use it as a base and it's quickly catching on as a saute substitute for oil. There are a host of different ways to make a simple stock, so I'm giving you the base recipe and you can add other ingredients, if you'd like.

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
6 carrots, rough chop
1 yellow onion, rough chop
6 stalks of celery, rough chop

Method: Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat down to a simmer and let sit for 35 minutes. The water should be a dark brownish color. Turn off the heat, strain the vegetables, and cool the stock to 40 degrees within 2 hours.

Options: By adding broccoli (even the stalks), or mushrooms, you can easily make this into a base stock that can be used in a variety of ways.

Banana Split Milkshake

This is a fun and healthy recipe that kids love, and often request.
It's simply bananas and almond milk with a bit of chocolate flavoring, but you can dress it up with cherries, strawberries or other fun fruit.

Ingredients:
2 cups of almond milk
3 dates
1 tbs cacao nibs
1 tsp agave nectar
2 frozen bananas (I usually peel them, then freeze them to make it easier)
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 cup of ice (for texture)

Method: Put the dates, cacao, almond milk, agave, vanilla and bananas into a high powered blender and liquefy. Add ice until you get the desired texture you are looking for.

Optional: You can add cherries to the mix and garnish with a couple on top for a fun treat.

Cucumber and Heirloom Tomato Tower with Dill and Mint Dressing

This is an easy raw recipe that impresses everyone with it's presence.
Easy to prepare in advance and such a cool summer treat!

Ingredients:
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1/2 organic cucumber, sliced
5 red onion rings
1/3 cup of champagne vinegar
6 leaves of mint, chopped
3 sprigs of dill, chopped
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of salt
2 tbs of water

Method: Mix the dill, mint, water and vinegar together and marinate the cucumbers for at least 4 hours. Slice the tomato and start the bottom stack with a piece, then place two marinated cucumber slices, 1 onion ring and repeat with the tomato, cucumber and onion three times. Garnish with sprigs of dill and half of an heirloom cherry tomato. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the top and serve cold.

How to Pit a Cherry with Whole Foods Market

Here is a video on pitting cherries that we filmed for Whole Foods Market...

Welcome to Hip and Healthy!

Well here's to a new venture in cooking.
I'd like to welcome you to a lifestyle choice that will make you feel better, lose weight and feel great everytime you finish eating!
Here are some random recipes to get us started. Soon, I'll be posting about knife skills and 'simple starters'.
Again, thanks for stopping by!
Good Eating,
Dan