The little raw cafe

So, ever since I got back from Matthew Kenney Academy I have been working on a raw vegan cafe menu at work (I work in a small organic and vegan food store). And yesterday we opened up! Right now it’s mostly for take-away but in the near future we’ll have some tables and chairs squeezed in by the window (when I say the store is small I mean SMALL!). Close to the store there’s a very popular park though that’s usually VERY crowded in the summers so the idea is also that people could (and should!) bring their raw goodies with them and sit outside in the sun! Since I’m the head of the kitchen this has been my project alone. I’ve been given free hands by my boss to do whatever I want really. It’s been SO MUCH fun! The menu is quite simple yet delicious and appealing. It’s going to vary as well and expand as we’re getting closer to summer. Here’s what I put on the menu for now:

- Raw Smoothies (One green and one berry-based. Recipes vary)

- Raw chunky chocolate brownie

- Creamy cashew/orange chia-pudding

- Coconut bites (the ones I called macarons in the last post but I decided that ‘coconut bites’ was better)

- Raw spicy carrot cake

- Vegan sandwiches (not raw) :)) 

Yep. You all should come and visit me soon and I’ll treat you on something of the above! :)) For you who already lives in Stockholm - Come to Goodstore, Skånegatan 92! 

B-day Breakfast

Today it’s my 25th birthday! Hooray! A quarter of a century is quite an achievement so therefore I revarded myself with an awesome luxurious and all raw breakfast:

1. Homemade buckwheat granola with fresh made banana almond milk and frozen raspberries. Plus a fresh juice made of apples, celery, carrots, ginger and lemon. 

2. Two of my vanilla macarons. 

3. Raspberry Kombucha! Finally we have something similar to Synergy GT’s in Sweden!!

Mmm, breakfast is the best! Hope you all had a great day as well!! 

The Perfect Raw Chocolate Mousse

Yes, I call it the perfect chocolate mousse. Because IT IS! Also, a perfect dessert for me is anything I can eat with a spoon that is mess-free… :DD

For one small glass:

- 1 ripe banana

- 2 tbsp raw cacao

- 1 tbsp raw almond butter

- 1 tbsp Artisanas raw coconut butter (yes, I finally USED it for something!)

- 1 tbsp coconut oil

- Pinch of vanilla and sea salt

- 2 tsp sunflower lecithin (I guess you can exclude this but the lecithin really helps with making the mousse extra smooth since it’s a natural emulsifier. Also sunflower lecithin is a great source of the nutrient choline. Choline is vital for brain function and development among other things. So I mean…this dessert it BRAIN FOOD!) 

Blend everything smooth in a food processor. Pour into a glass and put it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes before serving! Yay!

Raw Coconut Butter DIY

Inspired by the lovely Maud who made her own almond butter last week and inspired by my own latest addiction I made COCONUT BUTTER YESTERDAY! 

I bought a jar of Artisana’s coconut butter at Whole Foods before I left OKC. It’s sooo good. I eat it with a spoon straight out of the jar. Haha! I haven’t seen the product in Sweden yet and that makes me fear the bottom of the jar even more. SO, what to do? Do it your self! DIY!

(for one small container)

- 1 cup dry shredded coconut flakes

- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil

In a vitamix (or similar) blend the coconut flakes to powder. Then add the coconut oil (melted) and mix as many times as it takes until you have a smooth butter with no lumps. It takes a while so be patient. This is a very small batch so if you’re making a larger I guess you have to be even more patient. But it’s ALL WORTH! What’s your favorite (raw) butter?

Raw Lasagna a la vegan parade

Can’t think of vegetable lasagna without thinking of —-> vegetabe lasagna. Haha! Well, yesterday I made VEGETABLE LASAGNA. All raw and another version of the one we made at Matthew Kenney Academy. Here’s the recipe for one:

- Half a Zucchini sliced thin but not to thin on a mandoline. Then marinated in 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and the zest of half a lemon to make them a little bit “softer”. 

- For tomato sauce: 5 medium sized tomatoes deseeded, 1 large red bell pepper cut into smaller bits, 1 small clove garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp paprika powder, 2 tbsp dried basil, pinch of dried chili, 1-2 tsp agave, salt and pepper to taste. Process in a food processor until nice and saucy! 

- For parsley pesto: 1 big bouquet of fresh parsley, 0,5 cup of sunflower seeds, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt (should be salty!). Process everything to pesto!

Other things: A handful of chopped kalamata olives, 2 tomatoes sliced, sugarsnap peas cut into strips, 1 carrot peeled into large strips and nutritional yeast. 

ARRANGE LASAGNA: Marinated zuccini at the bottom then a layer of tomato sauce, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, a layer of sliced tomatoes, carrot strips, another layer of zucchini, tomato sauce, nutritional yeast, dots of pesto, olives, sugarsnap peas and sunflower seeds. 

ENJOY! :D

You will get tomato sauce and pesto-left overs! (good for some raw pasta the next day??)

Awesome Rawsome

Pictures of some of the dishes that people presented on our final/graduation. Pretty awesome, huh?  And yep, I’ve tasted them all!! *Lucky*. Raw Food at its BEST! :)) 

(Photos by Cina Canada)

Matthew Kenney Level 1, Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine

Week 1:

Day 1 - Introduction

Day 2 - Beetroot Ravioli & Raw Lasagna

Day 3 - Kimchii & Smoothies

Day 4 - Handrolls, Kale Chips & More Smoothies

Day 5 - Zucchini Tartar, Sushi, Pad Thai & Caesar Salad

Week 2:

Day 1 - COCONUTS

Day 2 - Ice Cream & Dumplings

Day 3 - TACOS

Day 4 - PIZZA

Day 5 - Seaweed Salad, Mystery Basket Challange & Raw Tirmisu

Week 3:

Day 1 - Raw Chocolate Truffles & Zucchinipasta with Mint Corn Pesto

Day 2 - Chopped Salad & Swiss Cheese

Day 3 - Fruity Crepes

Day 4 - Portobello Sliders & Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Day 5 - Coconut Yoghurt & Granola Parfait, Arugula Salad, Gazpacho & Cheese Platter

Week 4:

Day 1 - Chia Pudding & Recipe Testing

Day 2-4 - Lemon Lavender Tart, Recipe Testing & Preparing for our finals

Day 5 - THE FINAL MENU! Graduation!  

(Photo by: Cina Canada)

Matthew Kenney Academy - THE FINAL! Graduation time!

After what must have been the FASTEST four weeks of my LIFE it was time for our FINAL and last day at the Academy. We all got to present a three course menu (and execute two of them) and this was my menu:

First - Watermelon Carpaccio With Balsamic Vinaigrette, Nuts and Crispy Zucchini.

Second - Rustic Heirloom Tomato Pie With Creamy Nut Cheese And Fennel/Arugula-Salad.

Third - Dropped Ice Cream Cone With Vanilla/Maca-Ice Cream, Caramelized Strawberries and Chocolate.

I have to admit. I’ve been kind of doubting my self and my menu a couple of times this week. Which I suppose is normal when you put a lot of YOU in something and want to perform at your very best. But on the final day I felt CALM. And while I was plating the radio played one of my favorite songs by The Elected called DON’T BLOW IT. Haha! I didn’t blow it! I was happy with what I presented (although my plating would have been a little bit better if I had more time). But it tasted good and one of my teachers even called me “crazy talented”. So, PHEW!

I wish I could show you what everyone else did for their final menu. I was SO blown away by all of the amazing and creative dishes that people presented. Everything was edible ART. AMAZING! Raw Food at its very best. 

I’m so sad that this little adventure is over but so HAPPY/GRATEFUL about the experience and everything I’ve learned, all of the new friends I’ve made, all of the good food I’ve done and tasted. It’s been an experience for life and I know I’m coming back here again. FOR SURE! 

If you’re interested in the course don’t hesitate to ask me questions. I’m happy to answer! And if you’re interested in the course - don’t hesitate to ENROLL! :DD

(The three bottom pictures is taken by my friend Celia, thanks love!)

Matthew Kenney Academy - W4 D2-3-4

Look at this cute little lemon lavender tart we made yesterday! It was the last recipe we did in class. So sad (but the tart was good!). Now we’re all busy prepping for friday - our graduation! Therefore no pictures for you. You’ll just have to wait! :)) Wish me luck!  

Matthew Kenney Academy - W4 D1

Last week at the academy. It’s SUPER-depressing! I’m not ready to go home AT ALL. But chin up, cheer up! Will enjoy these last days to the fullest! Today we started the day by making CHIA PUDDING! Have I mention how much I LOVE chia pudding? Oh, I think I have!! We made this delicious version with freshmade almond milk, banana and a chai spice-cream on top along with fresh berries and banana. It was soooo good.

Ps. If you’re a Swede don’t forget that you still have 20% off on chia seeds at Råvarubutiken.se. CHIAPARADE is the discount code! The offer is valid all through february! 

The rest of the day we dedicated to recipe testing for our final menus! 

Matthew Kenney Academy - W3 D5

1. Breakfast at school! Love when that happens. First we flavored our coconut yoghurt that we made earlier this week. I mixed mine with some vanilla and raspberries. Then we layered it with fresh fruit and berries and our buckwheat granola (which had lots of seeds, dried fruits and coconut flakes in it!). Voila! Parfait! This was such a luxurious breakfast! I loove buckwheat granola! 

2. For lunch we made a simple arugula salad in a light lemon dressing with shaved pear and caramelized onions (the one we used on yesterdays sliders!) on top. We also made this fresh and crunchy heirloom tomato gazpacho with a basil sorbet. Eating beautiful refreshing foods like these really makes life GOOOOD!

We also worked on our final projects a bit. I have my MENU ready!! But I wont reveal it until next friday :)) At the end of the day we had cheese tasting!

We started making our nut cheeses on monday and yesterday they were fermented and ready for some flavoring. I used a mix of macadamia and cashews for my cheese and it turned out excellent in both texture and flavor! So cheesy! 

I flavored my first cheese with nutmeg, chives and some onion powder and rolled it in a mix of crushed black and red pepper. My second cheese was a layered piece with hot paprika and chili mixed with sweet sweet honey. I think the second cheese was my favorite! It was perfect hot and perfect sweet. Although, I have to admit. I’m not a HUGE fan of cheeses. But these were really easy and fun to make!

Then we all got creative and composed our own cheese platters with our cheeses, our raw garlic bread and suiting fruits, nuts and whatever we thought got along with our cheese flavors. I really loved this exercise! Love getting CREATIVE! Everyone’s platters truly looked like art. We had a small individual presentation before everyone got to sample each other’s platters. Both my teachers and class mates really seemed to love my cheeses to I was really happy about that!   

(The photo of my platter is taken by my fantastic class mate Celia! Thanks!)  

Matthew Kenney Academy - W3 D4

1. Portobello Sliders (sound like a good/crappy band name!) with corn salsa, bbq sauce, the swiss cheese, and caramelized onions. I just loved building these. So fun! Kind of hard to eat. But isn’t that VERY secondary sometimes? “Hey I got both looks and taste. I don’t CARE that you look like an idiot when you’re eating me!”

2. RAW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! Oh for days I have been waiting for you. Had a little cookie party when I got home today. Now I’m already tired of them! Haha. Oh, the HYPE! But I promise you. These will replace chips ahoy ANY DAY! So chewy and sweet. If someone wants the recipe let me know!

- We also made this delicious coconut soup with carrot and cilantro but I didn’t get any good photos of it! Tomorrow it’s raw cheese tasting! 

Matthew Kenney Academy - W3 D3

This is what I had for breakfast today. Not bad, huh? We made these fruity mango crepes and filled them up with lots and lots of berries, pears and apples (marinated with some lemon, agave syrup and spices). Mmmm! 

We also made: Chocolate chips cookies (all I can say is ooooaah my!), garlic bread and hamburger buns. But they are all in the dehydrator so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow!! *cliffhanger* 

Otherwise my head is FULL of recipes and ideas as I’m trying to sort out a three course menu for next weeks final/graduation. It’s A LOT to think of and I (of course) want to perform at my very best. I’m a little bit scared! Getting lots of inspiration from this book!

Matthew Kenney Academy - W3 D2

1. Happy Valentine’s Day! Got these two roses from one of my sweet classmates. Naaw!

2. Avocado, Radish, Cucumber shopped salad in a dressing of lemon, olive oil, vinegar and mint. So light, so fresh, so crunchy, so creamy, so goood! I’ve been craving for a BIG salad (you know, like Elaine in Seinfeld) and today I got one. Happy!

3. Swiss Cheese, Ta-daa! Made by cashews, coconut meat, lemon juice, probiotics and some turmeric for color. The probiotics really gives this cheese that slightly sour “cheesy”-taste. I really liked it. 

4. One big radish! Kind of looks like a pig butt, don’t you think? With a really long tail…

We also made some cultured coconut yoghurt, kefir and chocolate chips. Tomorrow we’ll be making raw chocolate chip cookies!! Chips O’hoy!

Matthew Kenney Academy - W3 D1

Nooo! The weeks are flying by WAY too fast. Already week three! I just don’t want this to end. And I especially don’t want THIS week to end since it’s pastry week :DD

- Today we made sweet sweet raw chocolate truffles that we got to coat with our own toppings. I chose pistachio, mulberries, coconut, goji berries and cacao nibs/sea salt for mine. LOVED the mulberries (chewy mulberries with chocolate have you tried it?) and the nibs/sea salt version (salty sweet chocolate. Heaven!). 

- For lunch today we made a zucchinipasta with a sweet corn and mint pesto. Mint is a favorite herb of mine. It adds such a fresh taste to everything. Yum! 

We also prepared and cultured some raw cheeses that I will show you later this week. Now it’s tea and truffle time for me! :))