Matthew Kenney Academy - W2 D5

Every day is a good day at the Academy but fridays are always a little special! This friday was no exception. This is what did today;

1. Light seaweed salad with arame seaweed, cucumbers, radishes, pear, orange and mixed greens in a dressing of tahini, sesame oil, tamari and orange juice. I have to admit, normally I’m not a huge fan of seaweed. I think it has something to do with that I’ve been allergic to EVERYTHING in the sea (fish, shellfish) since I was a kid. The “taste of sea” is therefore something I’m not used to. I don’t know. BUT, I actually could eat this salad! I think that the orange really balance out the sea-flavor in a good way.

2. MYSTERY BASKET CHALLANGE. Yes, we had a little competition in class today! In groups of two we had to come up with an entree using a limited selection of ingredients. Me and my partner made a “green rawsotto” of cauliflower rice, a basil pesto and marinated and dehydrated mushrooms, shallot and cashews. I was kind of happy with the result although the texture got a little too mushy and we put too much on the plate. But it was a fun exercise!! 

3. Raw Tiramisu. This 3-layered piece of tiramisu with a coffee foam and chantilly cream was a little bit of heaven I tell ya! 

We also made banana bread and sprouted buckwheat for our granola-making next week. This week has been so much fun! Now - a relaxing weekend. Enjoy yours and see you on monday! 

Matthew Kenney Academy - W2 D4 

So, yesterday was taco day and today we had PIZZA DAY! On our overnight dehydrated pecan-crust we all got to play with our own toppings which was real fun! I made a tomato sauce with tomatoes (really?), sundried tomatoes, red bell pepper, shallot, olives, lemon, some balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and a mix of spices that included holy basil, cinnamon, chili, paprika…It was very hot and spicy and I liked it! The rest of the topping I wanted to keep light and fresh so; micro greens, fresh herbs, lemon zest, bell pepper, tomatoes and some drizzle of the old olive oil did the job. On the very top I sprinkled some shaved macademia nuts with salt and nutritional yeast. YUMMIE! 

Bottom picture; The whole class including instructors and Matthew Kenney himself who payed us a visit today. It was great to see and talk to him. I think he’s so inspiring and what he does for/in the raw food world is simply amazing. So, to sum up. GREAT DAY!

Matthew Kenney Academy - W2 D3 

Only one picture today because today was TACO DAY! 

This amazing raw taco was made with…

- Soft corn tortillas (dehydrated)

- Cabbage slaw (cabbage, carrot, green onion and cilantro tossed in a “sour cream”)

- Pico de gallo (roma tomatoes, more cilantro and red onion)

- Guacamole (EVEN MORE CILANTRO!)

- A tart sour cream

- Cacao mole (spicy spicy mole with sunflower seeds, cacao, chili, smoked paprika, cayenne, chipotle and garlic)

Since I love cilantro, CUMIN, avocado, chili…FOOD…and yeah, TACOS! I kind of loved every bite of this. Will definitely do them again when I have the opportunity. They actually have it here on the menu at Matthew Kenney Oklahoma <—LINK. So if you live close by you HAVE to come and try for yourself! Tomorrow is PIZZA DAY! 

Matthew Kenney Academy - W2 D2 

Oh man. I have eaten SO much raw ice cream today! Not only did I eat a mountain of my own batch but I also sampled EIGHT other flavors…It’s been a gooood day I tell you! *Rolled my way home*. As the picture reveals I did a chocolate-mint flavor to my ice cream. I just love that combo and it tasted GREAT! For those of you who wonder the ice cream is based on cashews, coconut meat, coconut cream, vanilla and agave syrup! 

Our dumpling wrappers (coconut meat colored with cilantro and spinach juice) we prepared yesterday where ready for us today. We made a cashew/tahini/kimchi-filling for them and fold them into cute little dumpling envelopes! On the plate there was also a ginger foam to go with the dumplings. Absolutely loved these. Raw dumplings rock! 

Matthew Kenney Academy - W2 D1 

Today was all about COCONUTS! First we got to open them using a CLEAVER…YAPP, pretty scary stuff! But all fingers are intact and once I got the hang of the technique it was kind of fun! We scraped out all of the meat and drank some of the water! OMG. It was the best coconut water I have EVER tasted. So much coconut flavor and with that perfect “saltiness” to it as well. You can never find bottled coconut water like that! 

We used the coconut meat and made dumpling wrappers for tomorrow and also some…wait for it…waaaait for it…RAW ICE CREAM!! We did a vanilla flavor as a base and then all had to come up with their own add-ins. You’ll see what I picked tomorrow!

Do you know booja-booja? They make the best raw ice cream! Hopefully mine will taste just as good! :))

(Just to clarify W2 = week two, D1 = day one. But you got that right?)

My best chia friends and a nice offer for the Swedes!

If you have been following this blog for a while you MIGHT have noticed my LOVE for chia seeds. I have them in form of pudding almost every morning with alternating toppings. Lately I’ve been trying white chia seeds and they’re my new love! Although they don’t differ from their darker twin in nutritional value I think they are a little bit smoother and creamier in their texture. Have you tried them?

The ingredients above are my favorite things to use when preparing chia pudding; I let 2-3 tbsp of chia seeds soak in 1,5 cup of almond milk over night (or at least 10 minutes). Then I gently mix in 2 tsp raw tahini (or nut butter), 2 tsp raw agave syrup and a pinch of real vanilla powder with a spoon. I might add some more almond milk if necessary. Then the topping MADNESS begins —-> berries, nuts, seeds, banana, raw cacao nibs and shredded coconut. Build a mountain here, don’t be shy!

Other ways to eat your chia seeds:

- Let 1 tbsp of chia seeds soak in 1 cup of kombucha plus 1 tbsp water and some finely shredded ginger for a NICE BELLY-drink. 

- Sprinkle them over your food (don’t forget to drink a lot of water though because of their swelling properties…)

- Use 1 tbsp in your morning smoothie or juice. 

- Use them when making your raw food treats such as cookies, cakes and balls.

- They’re also good when baking gluten free bread because of their -binding- properties. 

As I’ve said before: THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! :)) 

And NOW! Somethings for the Swedes…

Try White or Black chia seeds (or both!) and get 20% off at lovely RÅVARUBUTIKEN. The code CHIAPARADE will give you the discount. YAY!

(in Swedish)

Nu kan du pröva vita eller svarta chia frön (eller varför inte båda!) och få 20% rabatt på finfina RÅVARUBUTIKEN. Ange rabattkoden: CHIAPARADE i kassan. Gäller till och med sista februari! Hurra!

1. Chia is a SUPERFOOD that is loaded with nutrients. They are gluten free and suitable for all ages. Everyone can eat chia and everyone SHOULD!

2. They are packed with complete vegetable proteins. They contain all nine essential amino acids.

3. They also contain a great deal of fiber. From just two tablespoons you get 10.3 grams of soluble and insoluble fiber which is nearly 42% of the amount of fiber you need to consume daily. 

4. Chia contain six times more calcium, eleven times more phosphorous and four times more potassium than milk does (give up the milk once and for all will ya!) 

5. Chia gives you six times more iron than spinach…

6. …and double the antioxidants found in blueberries!

7. From a 25-gram serving of Chia you will get 64% of the omega-3 fatty acids you need in your daily diet. With 5.2 grams of them being ALA-type Omega 3. 

8. Chia improves digestion and gives you more energy!

9. Chia seeds absorb around nine times their weight in water. In other words they will keep you full for longer!

10. Chia has been used for hundreds of years by South American cultures. With over 27 minerals, vitamins, amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, it’s not hard to see why!

Also in this serie;

——->10 reasons to love and eat goji berries

——-> 10 reasons to love and eat coconuts

——->The benefits of raw cacao 

Fifth day at the Matthew Kenney Academy

Today we made A LOT of food! 

1. Zucchini and Avocado tartare. A fresh and light starter for any occasion. I loved it!

2. Dragon roll sushi (and ordinary sushi) with jicama rice as well as marinated shiitake mushroom and pickled ginger. Sushi is soo hard to get perfect. Got a small nervous breakdown rolling that dragon roll. Haha! Oh well practice, practice…

3. Pad Thai with candied tamari almonds on top. Do I NEED to say how good this was?! This dish has all that chili/ginger flavor that I looove. 

4. Kale Caesar Salad with rosemary croutons and sunflower parmesan. This will be my dinner for tonight! 

What a great finale of a fantastic week! I already feel like I’m making progress and learning so much. And still there’s three weeks left?! Where will this end…

If you have any question at all about the Matthew Kenney Academy I will be happy to answer them! Just drop a comment below. This weekend I will write a little bit about chia seeds (you know how much I love them) and bring you a few recipes as well. AND if you live in Sweden I will have an offer you can’t refuse if you’re also a big chia fan! So stay tuned and HAPPY WEEKEND! 

Fourth Day at the Matthew Kenney Academy

1. Spicy Tuber Handroll with daikon sheet, julienned veggies and avocado + an almond chili sauce and wasabi mayo. Awesome!

2. My own superfood smoothie = banana, raspberries, strawberries, lime, ginger, maca, mesquite, hemp seeds, almond milk and agave!

3. Kale chips! Did a paprika, chili and ginger flavor to it. So happy with the result!

4. Dehydrated almond pulp from the almond milk we made yesterday. Processed it into a flour and made rosemary croutons with it!!

Another day in the happy food factory. LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! 

Third day at the Matthew Kenney Academy

Another exciting day a the academy! Today we made the BEST vanilla almond milk I’ve ever tasted. Storing that recipe in my brain - yes! We used some of the milk as a base in a LOVELY bluberry bee-smoothie (including banana, blueberries, bee pollen, hemp seeds and honey). We also made KIMCHI which is a huge HUGE favorite of mine. At home I eat it to almost every meal. So fun to get to make it from scratch! We’re going to let it ferment now for a couple of days until it’s done and ready to eat. At the end of the day we made KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE CHIPS!! (I’m really getting all my addiction fed at this course). They’re in the dehydrator now and we’ll be waiting for us in the morning. I don’t think I’ve EVER been this eager to go to school??

Second day at the Matthew Kenney Academy

1. Beetroot ravioli with a herby cashew cheese filling and pistachio pesto on top. YES AND YUM! That pistachio pesto is kick ass! 

2. Heirloom tomato lasagna with macadamia ricotta, pistachio pesto and a tomato/pepper marinara. Absolutely FANTASTIC! It’s so balanced in all the flavors and oh so FILLING. Loved it! Need to work a little bit more on my presentation next time though! 

First day at the Matthew Kenney Academy

The school/restaurant is SUCH an inspiring environment to be in. You’re practically standing in a raw food pantry (I’m like a kid in a candy store) surrounded by all the tools and gadgets you need. The teachers are great and the other students are lovely. I’m feeling so LUCKY right now! Today was mostly theoretical with an exception of knife skills-practice and a pistachio pesto we prepared for tomorrow. Can’t wait to get started on the FOOD!

Breakfast & Lunch on the other side of the Atlantic

1. White Chia Pudding topped with mulberries, gojis, raw cacao nibs, raw walnuts and raw pumpkin seeds. 

2. Raw kale salad with kale of course, carrot, avocado, broccoli sprouts, raw walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds and crushed raw kale chips (NACHO FLAVOR!!). Tossed in a dressing made of lemon, olive oil, mustard (not really raw though), vinegar, salt and pepper. 

3. Superfruit (acai & goji) KOMBUCHA! From Celestial. FANTASTIC!!

Hey you! I’ve finally landed in Oklahama City where I will attend the Matthew Kenney Raw Food Chef Academy. School starts tomorrow. SO EXCITED (and a little bit nervous)! Will try to post something everyday on what we do for you who are interested! So stay tuned!

Raw silky chocolate mousse

A perfect guilt free raw food dessert! For one big or two small servings you’ll need…

- 1 ripe avocado (1 mogen avokado)

- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder (2 msk rå kakao)

- 2 tbsp raw honey/agave (2 msk rå honung/agave)

- 2 tbsp coconut oil (2 msk kokosolja)

- large pinch of real vanilla powder (stor nypa äkta vaniljpulver)

- small pinch of sea salt (liten nypa havssalt)

Blend everything in a food processor for about a minute until everything is completely soft and smooth. Pour in a glass and decorate with raw cacao nibs, zest of a lemon and raspberries. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving! 

Translation: Kör alla ingredienser i en matberedare tills allt har fått en len konsistens. Lägg upp moussen i glas och dekorera med råa kakao nibs, citronskal samt hallon. Ställ in glasen i kylskåpet minst 30 minuter före servering! 

Artichoke with roasted fennel

- Cook the artichoke until soft. I usually never trim the artichoke but you CAN! Like cutting of the thorned tips of all the leaves (if they have any) and so on. I do the “I’m lazy version” and just cut of the stem. 

- Roast fennel, red onion and sweet potato with some thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper in an oven until completely baked.

- Make an easy dressing with juice of half a lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper ( + one clove of garlic if you want to).

Place the cooked artichoke in the middle of a plate. Arrange the roasted vegetables around it. Drizzle the dressing over everything (but let the artichoke get the most of it). Eat! 

This is how my dinners have been looking like the last two weeks. Effortless and very simple! One pot-meals, roasted veggies, easy salads. My inspiration has been kinda low since all of this other stuff is occupying my life at the moment. BUT! Exciting chia seed-recipes is coming up in the week (chia seed-nerd) so heads up! Also I have been working on my portfolio so If you want to you can have a look at it here. Talk soon!