Winter Recipes Ideas

This is dedicated to all of you that can't just put on a pair of flip flops, shorts and a T-shirt and head to the beach.
I am currently in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada visiting family and friends.  It has been pretty chilly considering that I have been soaking up the sun and tropical air in Costa Rica for the past  few months.
I know that raw food sounds peachy keen when you have coconuts, bananas and huge fresh papayas literally falling at your feet.  It also makes it alot easier to eat salads, smoothies and fresh fruit all day long when your you are trying to stay hydrated and cool.

These are just a few of my cold winter meal ideals that keep me on track to eating healthy vegan and raw foods.

Morning Munchies:
Soaked or cooked oat grouts, buckwheat grouts and quinoa are ideal to make delicious morning cereals. Mix in your favorite dried fruits, nuts and seeds and sweeten it up with agave nectar or my favorite pure maple syrup.

Lunch Break:
Cooked quinoa, brown rice, soba noodles, kamut or lentils cooked and mixed with loads of  lightly steamed veggies.  Add a handful of fresh chopped cilantro, and chopped nuts.  Make a dressing with wheat free tamari or namu shoyu, sesame oil and spice it up with fresh chili or grated ginger.  This will heat you up instantly!
(Big bowl meals are by far my favorite).

Dinner Time:
Raw vegan soups are a great starter.  If you have a high speed blender you can blend the soup until it reaches a warm temperature, if not blend your soup and warm in a pot on the stove.
Cooked quinoa,  mixed veggies and leafy greens dressed with garlic, lemon and apple cider vinegar. 
Cooked lentils, garlic, onions and coconut milk dressed with fresh chopped cilantro and served over a bed of brown rice or kamut. 

Sweet Treats:
We all grew up to the smell of an freshly baked apple pie with that scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top.
This apple crumble does the trick!

Begin by making the crumble.                                    2 cups walnuts
Process the walnuts into a rough crumb.                    1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix in a 1/4 cup of agave nectar and 1/4                   5 cored apples
teaspoon of salt by hand.  I like to                             3/4 cup agave nectar
dehydrate the crumble for a few hours at                   1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
110'-F to give it that baked texture.                           1 pinch of nutmeg
In a food processor, puree the apples
until they resemble a thick sauce. Add
the cinnamon, nutmeg, agave and mix.
Spoon the mixture into dessert dishes and
top with the crumble.  Serve with a scoop
of my I Scream.