I have released four recipe books so far:

The Best of the Sunny Raw Kitchen
The Best of Raw Freedom Community
Delightfully Raw and
Deliciously Raw

These feature some of the most delectable creations to have come out of my raw kitchen and will appeal to anyone interested in a healthier diet, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. From easy one-step everyday fare to more elaborate and involved gourmet dishes and layered cakes, they offer something for everyone and every occasion. Incredibly tasty smoothies, creamy and comforting warm soups, sexy salads, delicious nut cheezes, satisfying entrees and scrumptious guilt-free desserts...

Healthy food never tasted so good!

To learn more about my recipe books, click here!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Raw in a Flash Video: Strawberry Banana Shake

Today I'd like to share the first video of a new recipe series that I call 'Raw in a Flash'. For various reasons, many of us don't have the time and energy to play in the kitchen for long or as much as we'd like. That doesn't have to mean that we compromise our health with junkie fast food or that we need to be ever munching on celery sticks and green mush! ;-) In 'Raw in a Flash' I will be presenting simple yet very tasty recipes that can be prepared in a short time with a minimum of equipment.

Since a good blender is a 'raw foodie's best friend' and a great time saver, it will be the appliance that will be called for the most. In that light I've decided to feature the Omni V, a relatively new 3HP blender that I discovered a year and a half ago. While its performance is very comparable to other high quality power machines on the market, at $250 it costs significantly less than these, making it the 'best bang for your buck'. This series will give you an opportunity to see for yourself how well it fares. You might also want to check out this page dedicated to the Omni.

To launch this series I've chosen to share with you guys one of my favorite smoothies. In fact, once I'm done typing this I'll be whipping up a batch for today's breakfast. ;-) It's actually a recipe that I developed for the Deliciously Raw book that I wrote especially for the Omni blender. Originally it was made with strawberries but you can easily substitute these with any other type of berries that you have on hand. 




And now for the recipe...


Strawberry Banana Shake
From Carmella's Deliciously Raw

Prep Time: Less than 10 mins (a little more if you don't have almond milk already made)

Serves 2

2 cups almond milk*
2 medium frozen bananas
2 cups strawberries or other berries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup soft dates
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or liquid vanilla
2 tablespoons lucuma
1/2 cup ice cubes

*To make almond milk, blend 1 cup almonds that were soaked overnight with 3-5 cups of water - depending on how thick you like it - in a high power blender until nuts are completely dissolved. (About 1 min. or so) Then strain mixture through a nut milk bag, a paint straining bag or even a panty hose. Refrigerated, almond milk will keep for 3 to 5 days.

Process all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth and creamy.

If necessary, adjust sweetness by adding a raw liquid sweetener, such as coconut nectar, honey or agave, and blending again briefly.

Carmella's Note: If you don't have ice cubes, you may want to add some water until the desired consistency is reached. 

Enjoy!

8 comments:

  1. Looks like an amazing blender.
    Very excited about your videos.
    Lovely recipe...as I am sipping my green smoothie and watching your video :)
    Peace and Raw Health,
    Elizabeth

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  2. My omni blessing is due for delivery soon...gulp, smile...my very first power blender after burning out my workhorse coffee grinder. A whole world of dips, soups and sauces await my hearty arty kitchen. More inspiration would be welcome xxx

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  3. I like that the container is much larger than the VitaMix I have, I'll have to wait to invest in the Omni Blender though.

    What is lucuma? What does it add to a recipe?

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    Replies
    1. Considered a 'superfood', lucuma is the fruit of a South American tree and was revered as the 'Gold of the Incas'. It has wonderful caramel-like flavor and delicate sweetness.

      You could simply omit it and I'm sure the Shake would still be yummy. ;-)

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  4. LOVE LOVE LOVE the video's Carmella! Thankyou so much for making them and your DEEEELCIOUS recipe's!!!

    Hugs x

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  5. This is the first time I made almond milk and then a shake with banana, red currant, vanilla and honey. It was really yummy! :-)
    Thank you for the inspiration!
    P.S. From the remaining pulp I made my first raw "cottage cheese" too... :-) This was a nice day! Thanks Carmella! :-)

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  6. If i soak and shrug off the almond skins, is it always necessary to strain through a nutbag? I need more fibre, does the omni leave grainy texture if i did this?
    New to the blender world xxx

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    Replies
    1. Moonkitty,

      You don't really need to strain the milk. The omni won't make it grainy per se, just obviously not as smooth as if you had removed the fiber, which would happen regardless of the blender you use.

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