Sundried Tomato & Almond Goodness

I'll keep it simple and sweet this time. I make Mediterranean Almond Bread on occasion and those that I share it with seem to love it as much as I do. Enjoy.

TIP: This recipe calls for Herbs De Provence. If you don't have these handy, Herbs De Provence consists of a dry blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and lavender. Any combination of the previously mentioned herbs would be just as delicious too.

Mediterranean Almond Bread
By Russell James
Makes 18 'slices'

1/2 c olive oil
1 c sun dried tomatoes, loosely packed
3 c almond flour*
1 c flax meal
3 medium courgettes (zucchinis), peeled & roughly chopped
2 apples, cored and roughly chopped
3 T lemon juice 1 t salt 3 T Herbs De Provence or herbs of your choice (or less!)
2 T marjoram or herbs of your choice (or less!)

*You can make almond flour a number of ways. My favorite is to save the pulp from any almond milk I make and dehydrate it so I can keep it in a glass jar until needed. You could also use the almond pulp wet. Another way would be just to grind some almonds into flour in a high powered blender or coffee mill.

-Process the olive oil, sun dried toms, courgettes, apples, lemon juice, salt and dried herbs until thoroughly mixed.

-Add the almond flour and process again until a batter is formed.

-In a bowl mix the batter with the flax meal by hand. The reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that you are likely to have too much mixture for the size if the processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine. -When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again in small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture.

-Divide the mixture in 2 and place on Paraflexx sheets, on dehydrator trays. -Use an offset spatula (aka offset palette knife or cranked palette knife) to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the whole thing into 9 squares.

-Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will allow you to peel the Paraflexx sheet off and continue to dehydrate the underside of the bread.

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake Remix - Café Gratitude Nostalgia

Last month, I was gifted with an experience that blew my mind in all sorts of fun and amazing ways. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to California with someone I now hold near and dear to my heart. This special someone also took me to see one of my favorite musicians, Trevor Hall <3, but before that he took me to what is now one of my favorite restaurants. We dined at a place where my taste buds and digestive system died and went to vegan heaven, Café Gratitude. It's a favorite hot spot for many vegans, with an extensive menu full of both raw and cooked nourishment.

Adam, JB, and I decided while browsing our menus that every item sounded just as equally and uniquely delicious as the last, so we ordered and proceeded to share nearly everything. I couldn't resist the abundance of chocolate on their menu and ended up ordering 2 deserts to-go.

I loved Cafè Gratitude so much that I even kept the receipt so that I could play show and tell.

A quick summary of our delicious goodness, taken from Cafè Gratitude Venice's menu:

- I AM GRACE – Coconut milk, almond butter, date and vanilla bean smoothie 16 oz.

-I AM VIVACIOUS - Live marinated kale chips with your choice of dipping sauce: Hempseed ranch, garlic-tahini, spicy nacho

-I AM COOL – Mint chocolate chip milkshake with Vitamineral green and raw cacao nibs 16 oz. 

-I AM ECSTATIC - maple-miso-glazed Brussels sprouts 
*Seriously amazing brussel sprouts... recipe found here)

- I AM CHARISMATIC - Chai Iced Tea with almond milk.

-I AM PURE - Ginger-Tahini kale salad with avocado, sea palm, nori, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, basil and green onions topped with sunflower sprouts teriyaki almonds   (Add kim chee)

-I AM HUMBLE - Indian curried lentils over brown rice or quinoa, with sautéed seasonal vegatables, sweet potatoes and spinach, drizzled with a spicy mint chutney and sweet tamarind sauce   

-I AM FORTIFIED - Sautéed seasonal vegetables & kale, brown rice or quinoa,  topped with your  choice of sauce:  sesame-ginger, garlic-tahini, red pepper harissa  

-I AM JOY “RAWMOND JOY’ - Sweet coconut filling, almonds, & vanilla in a chocolate shell

-I AM SUPER DARK CHOCOLATE NUGGET - An intense, bittersweet nugget of ground cacao nibs, almond butter & maca, minimally sweetened with low-glycemic yacon

YUM.

The one item that really stood out to me was JB's I AM COOL mint chocolate chip milkshake. It's made with more nutrient dense ingredients than a traditional milkshake, but it tastes just as delicious. Personally, I prefer this version and have spent the past few weeks recreating this decadent "milkshake" with Adam. I believe we got pretty close :)

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Shake Remix
(inspired by Café Gratitude's I AM COOL smoothie)
Makes 1 enormous serving or 2-3 servings to share

-1½ cups almond/soy/coconut milk or young coconut water
- 3 to 4 pitted dates (soak in warm water for 20 minutes if very hard and dry. Feel free to add the soak water to the blender). Use other sweetener, like maple syrup or stevia, if dates are not available.
- 15 mint leaves, fresh
- 2 to 3 cups of greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, romaine lettuce)
- 1½ TBSP cacao powder (preferably raw and/or unsweetened)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder.
- (optional) 1 TBSP chia seeds
- (optional) 1 tsp maca root powder
- (optional) 1 tsp spirulina powder
- (optional) 2 TBSP shredded coconut (preferably dehydrated)

-3 ice cubes
-1 cup frozen banana or 2 fruit's worth
-2 TBSP raw cacao nibs (to mimic chocolate chips or use REAL dark chocolate chips mmm)

1. Blend all ingredients together well, except for ice cubes, banana, and cacao nibs/chocolate chips.
2. Add in remaining ingredients and blend until desired consistency.
3. Share or keep all to yourself and enjoy!