Gourmet Meal In a Pinch
As a bit of a continuation from my last post, here are some more ideas for quick meals. These are some simple recipes that I've thrown together in a short amount of time, using leftovers or base recipes that I already had on hand! Growing up my mom called this "chums and black looks" ! Anyone else heard this term? Strange, isn't it?
This kale salad is really easy too - I looove this stuff. You can flavour it with whatever herbs and spices you want...and as it sits a few days, the flavours develop even more. So in this case, leftovers are ideal!

Mediterranean Almond Bread
Makes 18 'slices'
1/2c olive oil
1c sun dried tomatoes, loosely packed
3c almond flour*
1c flax meal
3 medium courgettes (zucchini), peeled & roughly chopped
2 apples, cored and roughly chopped
3T lemon juice
1t salt
3T Herbs De Provence or herbs of your choice
2T marjoram or herbs of your choice
- 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.
- Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so you're not tempted to eat it before it's ready) or until bread feels light in your hand. If the pieces don't fully come apart where you scored, use a knife to cut them.
Dessert is always part of the dinner equation around here, whether simple, like berries with crumbled dates/nuts on top, or something more gourmet like cake or pie. Ice cream is definately a favourite of mine, and while it does take some time to prepare, you can make a big batch and keep it in the freezer for a good while. Just pull it out about 20 mins before serving to let it soften slightly. Top it with whatever you're in the mood for and you've got an ice cream sundae!
This vanilla ice cream is a combo of water, cashews, vanilla bean, and agave - I topped it with chocolate sauce (the one in my Just Desserts ebook), bananas, and brownie chunks (nuts, cacao, and dates) - simply decadent!
Another great sweet treat I've made lately is Ani Phyo's Halva Thumbprint Cookies, as seen on The Rennegade Health Show. Yumm, they're yummy, and simple to make. The only time consuming part is rolling balls and putting the thumprint into them, because they start breaking apart a little.
Ani Phyo’s Halva Chia Thumbprint Cookies
Raspberry Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup pitted semi-soft Medjool dates
1/4 cup agave syrup (I kept this out)
1/4 cup water
Combine well in blender. Will keep for 3 days in refrigerator or a few weeks in freezer.
Cookies:
3/4 cup sprouted chia seed powder
1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pitted semi-soft Medjool dates -chopped
2 tablespoons Raspberry Sauce
Combine dry ingredients with tahini and mix well. Add in agave, mix well. Add in dates and mix with your hands. I also added a little water to help them stay together. Roll dough into 9-12 balls place on sheet preferably lined with parchment paper. Use your thumb or end of wooden spoon to make an indentation into the center of each cookie. Fill each with generous amount of sauce.
To serve, chill in the refrigerator for 20 min. or more to firm up. Will keep for several days or many weeks stored separately from jam. Enjoy
19 Comments
how did you get the zucchini strips so perfect? please share!
Yum!!! Thanks for sharing Heathy.<br /><br />Casey
Great recipes! Thanks for sharing, I am now drooling! :) LOVE that sandwich! I haven't made raw bread yet...nor have a bought it ($10 for 4 pieces..no thanks!). :)
Cannelloni, sandwiches, salad, cookies, ice cream... love it all!! :-)
Wow....that stuff looks great! Definitely want to try out the 'bread' and 'cannelloni'
I definitely need quick and easy raw meals to inspire me to eat more raw, those cannelloni look like the perfect thing to make!
OMG my mouth is watering BIG TIME!
Looks yummy, I love your cullinary creative style(Thanks for sharing:)!
Thanks guys...didn't expect such a response so fast! LOL<br /><br />Nina - I did the zucchini strips on a mandoline. <br /><br />Lauren, you have GOT to try making raw breads! It really is easy...just need a food processor and a dehydrator.
So many yummy recipes! Yippee! Thanks:)
Great blog, and delicious looking food! I love those cannelloni, I will have to try that soon. I have yet to make a kale salad, as it is not my fave vegetable, but I will learn to like it, if not love it :)
I'm a hungry girl sitting in a hotel room in NY... those pics are making me DROOL!!!!!
amazing recipes, please check out my blog about organic gardening and eating good<br /><br />gullysidegarden.blogspot.com
Wonderful bundle of recipes here. Yum~
those recipes look great especially the cannelloni. I'll be adding that one to my list to try for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Hmmmmmh, that looks YUM!
Nice blog cheff<br />i´m from spain<br />http://www.sanchez-casal.com/
Do you have a recipe posted for the sunflower seed cheese? It looks fantastic!
I love it. The recipes are so awesome.