Black Sapote

It's related to the persimmon ... and the slang term is "Chocolate Pudding Fruit". I just planted one in my yard down on the Mexican border. It is a glossy-leaved evergreen, so it's visually attractive. My friends at River's End sold it to me. They'll sell the fruit when they have it too. I try to keep chunks of it frozen, to add to raw sorbets.

My sorbet technique is beyond casual. I cut fruits into 1" chunks when freezing them, and make sure I have plenty of perfectly ripe banana among the choices. Then I alternate them through the Champion Juicer, using the solid plate rather than the juice sieve. If I want to add raw cacao, I toss the powder over the frozen fruit bits before putting them through the juicer. If everything is frozen as you put it into the juicer, it comes out at exactly the same consistency as soft-serve ice cream.

Last night I used even amounts of Banana and Black Sapote, tossed in a light dusting of Raw Cacao. The bananas were sweet enough ... no need for additional sweeteners. I topped it with chopped hazelnuts. Currently I'm trying not to let myself skip dinner and head straight for dessert.

Spinach Snaps

As a life-long dieter, I have some food beliefs that have become the core of how I keep myself at a healthy size ... This hasn't really been much of a concern since shifting to 90% raw food, but old habits die hard.
Habit #1 ... most of what I eat should be vegetable
Habit #2 ... as much green food as possible
Habit #3 ... restrict hidden fats

So in working to create some new cracker recipes, these habits came into play. Instead of letting a nut flour or paste make up the body of a cracker, I pureed cauliflower in the Champion Juicer (use the solid plate, just like when making raw sorbet). From there, elements changed to create different flavors.

So far my favorite is Spinach Snaps. The recipe goes like this:

In a measuring cup, combine 1 1/2 cups flax seeds, with enough water to bring it to 3 cups. Let sit for about an hour, or until it gels.

2 heads Cauliflower (chopped, then run through the Champion Juicer with a solid plate)

2 grocery store bunches (those wire-tied bundles) Spinach ... Stems discarded.
1 head celery, (chop before processing as strings will clog cutting teeth or blender blades)
1 large green onion (I may be spoiled here ... it's the size that they harvest mid-season, to let the other half in the field get huge)
These 3 ingredients get processed in a food processor (s-blade) ... add just enough water to get it moving. Don't tax your equipment, but know that any water you add will add to your dehydrating time.

1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 cup Bragg's Amino Acids

Blend everything, then spread on Teflex sheets, 1/4 inch thick. make sure it is thick at the edges, they dry first, and can end up brittle.

This makes 3 to 4 Excalibur trays worth. Dry at 105* for 8 hours, then flip and score for cracker size. If it's not too runny, you can sometimes score it at the beginning.

Flip at 8 or 10 hours, and if possible, do so without using a Teflex sheet for the next phase, as with a really wet cracker, you want to keep it drying as efficiently as possible. Dry another 8 to 10 hours, or until crispy.

I have a batch in now ... I'll try and get pictures before I eat them all.