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Raw Vegan Chipotle Onion Rings with Garlic Aioli Dipping Sauce

 

Who doesn't love the delicious crunch of crispy, battered onion rings?!  Get ready for guilt free indulgence with these rings of fire made mega-delish with spicy smoked chipotle paired with THE most amazing Creamy Garlic Aioli Dipping Sauce you've ever had!  Seriously, Jim and I can't get enough.  They've become a weekly staple – actually I made two batches this week they're that incredible and easy too!

 

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You'd never guess these Raw Vegan Onion Rings are chock full of superfood power!

 

Fiery Onion Rings with Creamy Aioli Dipping Sauce win hands down for flavor, texture and satisfaction… plus they leave us feeling & looking our best too!  I purposely created a nut-free (gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free) batter as even a Living Foods Raw Vegan diet is not healthy if it relies too heavily upon a high calorie, fat-laden, nut based approach.  When it comes to fats, too much can be too much no matter the type – a pitfall new Raw Foodists often stumble into.  Heavy, nut-centric meals can be very difficult for the digestive system and make it challenging to achieve ideal weight/fitness goals.  We all want to look and feel our best while eating delicious, nutritious food, therefore, I aim to develop balanced recipes that deliver absolutely amazing flavor while simultaneously ensuring we don't have to worry about counting calories or offsetting meals with excessive exercise in order to enjoy them.

 

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This Raw Vegan enzyme and nutrient rich recipe is full of incredibly powerful health & beauty enhancing plant-based superfoods.  Check out some of the amazing ingredient fun facts & benefits you'll receive while enjoying this delicious combo…

  • OnionsMajor cancer fighting power. major collagen/hair/nails building power.
  • Buckwheat Groats(I sprouted mine however I include options for skipping sprouting below) – Not actually a grain at all, but a fruit seed.  High in protein, flavanoids, magnesium, insoluble fiber, powerful phytonutrients proven to be more powerful than that found in fruits & vegetables, heart protecting lignans and more.
  • Chickpeas(I sprouted mine however I include options for not sprouting below) – Excellent for supporting the digestive tract, contain uniquely powerful antioxidants, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease, regulate blood sugar, improve feelings of satiety, excellent molybdenum &, manganese, very good source of folate & copper, good source of fiber & protein.
  • Kale – More iron than beef, high in Vitamin K crucial for bone health, blood clotting and prevention of Alzheimer's, powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, reduces cholesterol levels, high in Vitamins A & C and Calcium, a great detox food filled with fiber & sulfur to keep the liver healthy.
  • Carrots – Excellent source of Beta-Carotene for beautiful skin & healthy vision. Carrots also contain falcarinol, a natural toxin that protects carrots against fungal disease and is found in scientific studies to stimulate cancer-fighting mechanisms in the body. Carrot extract has been found useful in combating cognitive dysfunctions and may offer memory improvement as well as cholesterol-lowering benefit.
  • Capsaicin in Chipotle (Chili) Peppers– Powerful anti-inflammatory, reduces cholesterol & triglyceride levels and increases body's blood clotting ability. Cultures who use hot pepper liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke & pulmonary embolism. Protects fats in blood from damage by free radicals, the first step in the development of atherosclerosis. Clears congestion from sinuses and congested lungs. Boosts immunity due to it's high content of beta-carotene and C. Kills the bacteria contributing to stomach ulcers while stimulating the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective juices.
  • Hemp Seed– A Super Food. A complete protein with a concentrated balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins & enzymes with a virtual absence of sugar, starch & saturated fat. Increases and sustains energy, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, reduces inflammation. Improves circulation, immune system and blood sugar control. More easily digested protein than meat, eggs, cheese or other high protein food. High in perfectly balanced essential fats: omega 3, 6 & Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). High in antioxidants, amino acids, fiber, iron, zinc, carotene, B vitamins, Vitamin E. Can be eaten by those unable to tolerate nuts, gluten, lactose or sugar as there are no known allergies to hemp foods.

 

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Mmm mmm divine!  We just had these Fiery Onion Rings w Creamy Aioli Dipping Sauce on the side of a super delish Raw Vegan Soft-serve Chocolate Shake for a to-live-for lunch!

 

And, people, let me just talk about the Creamy Aioli Dipping Sauce for a sec.  Yes, these onion rings are unbelievably fabulous enough to stand on their own, however, this Creamy Garlic Aioli is phenom!  You'll be wanting to dip everything in it – or thinning it out to use it as salad dressing – or slathering it all over your veggie wraps.

To. Live. For!!! 

So, a final brief comment before I get to the recipe… I made my onion rings using the absolute highest raw vegan method possible (and it was still super easy) meaning I soaked my chickpeas and buckwheat then sprouted them before turning them into the batter.  However, I've included an Express Option for anyone that feels like skipping that step.  But, let's be honest about soaking and sprouting – it's literally dumping something into a big bowl of water, letting it sit, draining, rinsing, and letting it sit in a colander and rinsing again.  Easy.  However, options are good.  And, either way you make it, they'll still be brimming with amazing flavor and stunning health and vitality power!

 

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Recipe for Raw Vegan Onion Rings & Creamy Aioli Dipping Sauce

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Raw Vegan Fiery Onion Ring Batter

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked & sprouted* (for Express Method sub 1 cup chickpea flour)
  • 3/4 buckwheat groats soaked & sprouted* (for Express Method sub 3/4 cup buckwheat flour)
  • 6 kale stems (left over from salads/smoothies or just use 3 whole leaves stem & all. For Express Method sub 1 1/2  Tbsp of your fav Greens Powder)
  • 2 medium carrots (for Express Method, sub 2 Tbsp Carrot Powder)
  • 1 1/2 inch piece of dried chipotle pepper (or equivalent in powder, starting with 1/2 tsp & taste testing from there )
  • 1 teeny tiny (they're like 1/2 inch long) dried habanero chili pepper (or chili powder to taste starting with 1/2 tsp & taste testing batter from there)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for Express Method omit or substitute 5 nuts like cashews/brazil nuts/macadamia – don't worry 5 nuts spread across the entire recipe is not a big deal)
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 Tbsp raw coconut sugar (or use raw maple syrup crystals, stevia, raw coconut sugar or your fav sweetener to taste adjusting to account for differences in the strengths)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (reserved for garnishing)

*Soaking & Sprouting Instructions: Place Buckwheat and Chickpeas into two separate bowls, top with filtered water to 3 inches above. Let soak 8-12 hours or overnight.  Rinse thoroughly. To Sprout: place Buckwheat and Chickpeas into two separate colanders inside 2 pots, add a 1/2 inch of water to each pot, cover with lids.  Let sit for 2 to 3 days rinsing once in the am and pm until sprouts grow to about 1/4". Rinse again thoroughly and they're ready!

Onion Ring Soak

  • 1 extra large sweet onion
  • 1 1/2 cups filtered water
  • 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (or sub fresh squeezed lemon juice)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp coconut nectar
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Creamy Raw Vegan Garlic Aioli

  • 1/2 cup hemp seed
  • 1/4 + cup filtered water
  • 2 cloves garlic (3 if you like it strong)
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or sub fresh squeezed lemon juice)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 raw cashews
  • a touch of raw coconut sugar, stevia or your fav sweetener (start with 1/2 tsp & adjust to taste)

Method 

Fiery Raw Vegan Onion Rings

Note: It's best to do steps 1-3 the day before. Then dehydrate your onion rings the day you'll be serving or even a day ahead if you choose as they "reheat" really nicely in 45 minutes in the dehydrator.

  1. Place all the Onion Ring Batter ingredients into your food processor and pulse until everything is uniformly broken down and well combined, scraping down the sides of your bowl several times.  You should have a nice dough when the proccess is complete. You don't want huge chunks of anything. (For Express Method process ingredients into a flour and skip steps 2 and 3)
  2. Spread the mixture onto a teflex sheet of your dehydrator (I like the Excalibur) and dehydrate at 115 F for 4 hours or until dry, checking periodically as climate/time of year/altitude etc. can vastly affect drying time.  Feel free to make the Garlic Aioli at this point.  
  3. Once dry, break the dough into chunks and place into your food processor or Vitamix to process into a fine flour.  Divide the flour between two medium bowls and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together the Onion Ring Soak ingredients.
  5. Separate your extra large onion into rings.
  6. Dip each onion ring first into the Soaking Liquid, then into the Batter Flour shaking to remove excess, back into the soaking liquid and again into the Batter Flour shaking to remove excess once more. Place each battered ring on a Teflex Sheet Lined dehydrator tray.
  7. Once all onions are battered, dehydrate on 135 F for 1st hour (Don't worry they'll still be raw as at this point they're throwing off water and the internal temp remains below 115) then turn down to 115F for 2 to 4 hours more, checking on them periodically, until reach desired crispness.* 
  8. Dust onion rings with smoked paprika to garnish. 

*There is leeway as to how long you choose to dehydrate the onion rings.  They're really delicious both a little moist and quite crunchy & everything in between.  I like to remove them when the interior is still a bit moist resembling deep-fried consisency as we put the leftovers in the fridge and "reheat" them in the dehydrator the next day on 135F for 45 minutes which makes them warm and crispier allowing us to enjoy them both ways.

Creamy Garlic Aioli

  1. Place all the aioli ingredients into your Vitamix and process until smooth and creamy.  
  2. Taste to adjust for seasonings and, if making in advance, add 1 or 2 Tbsp extra water for it to be a bit thinner than desired consistency as it will thicken considerably in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite "traditional" recipe you'd like upgraded into a beautiful Raw Vegan version?  Comment below & I'll recreate it for you!

 

All Love,

Juliane

 

 Thank you for visiting 🙂


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& a vintage letter from Mark Twain…

 

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Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick… + a side of my secret recipe Raw Vegan Onion Rings!

 

Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick is a celebration of summer in a bowl!

This simple and delicious recipe takes full advantage of local farmers' markets, currently overflowing with the plumpest, juiciest ears of succulent corn.  Golden jewels so honey-sweet and tender they're best fresh off the cob.  If you've ever eaten corn fresh, standing in the middle of (an organic) corn field you understand perfectly why subjecting these pale golden delicacies to steaming kettles of boiling water or smoking hot grills is a practical crime.  Besides, who seriously wants to deal with hot steam or smoking grills on a beautiful summer day?!

**Do you spot my napkin (below) on which a vintage letter from Mark Twain is printed?  More on this in my personal comments after the recipe 🙂

 

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Beautiful, fresh foods brimming with life force have taken me to physical, mental & spiritual levels I never imagined possible!

 

This cool, creamy bowl of goodness boasts a wonderfully thick chowder texture, the freshest, sublime corn flavor and a perfect kick of smoked paprika & tabasco.  I've paired it here with my Raw Vegan Onion Rings (the recipe for which I'm equally excited to share with you soon!).  As with all StyleNectar raw vegan dishes, Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder is incredibly nutritious.  Sweet corn is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that promote healthy vision.  Corn also contains significant amounts of vitamin B1, Folate, Vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Of course, this fantastic chowder needn't be relegated to summer months only.  Simply substitute organic, frozen corn, which has been frozen at the peak of ripe flavor, retaining all it's amazing enzymes and nutrients, and warm up to 105F (the temperature of a baby bottle) to keep it raw.

 

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Eating a Raw Vegan diet tastes and makes me feel so amazing, I could never go back.  This is my submission to the lovely Jacqueline at No Croutons Required and Lisa of FoodandSpice.

 

Recipe for Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

  • 6 ears organic, sweet corn on the cob (make sure it's fresh, no more than 24 hours out of the field)
  • 1/2 + cup almond milk (click here for nut milk instructions) or sub filtered water which is just as tasty (add additional liquid beyond 1/2 c, slowly, til reach desired consistency, I'll guide you thru this below)
  • a dash or two of your favorite hot red pepper (I used a tiny dried tabasco from last year's garden)
  • frehly snipped chives, chopped & reserved for garnish
  • smoked paprika, reserved for garnish (if you're a stickler for 100% raw use unsmoked)

Method

  1. Place a kitchen towel over your cutting board and slice the corn off the cob with a sharp knife. The towel is a great trick to prevent the kernels from bouncing all over the kitchen 🙂
  2. Reserve 2 ears worth of kernels and set aside.
  3. Place remaining 4 ears worth of kernels into high speed blender along with 1/2 cup almond milk (or filtered water depending on what you're using) and a dash or two of your favorite hot, red pepper. Buzz it up til thoroughly combined. Taste to check & adjust seasoning/consistency. You'll probably need to add a touch more liquid til you reach your exact consistency. I start with 1/2 cup so as to not add too much too soon. This is a cream of corn chowder after all :) 
  4. Mound the reserved kernels from 2 ears of corn into each of the two serving bowls.
  5. Ladle the blended chowder mixture carefully around the mounds.
  6. Garnish with freshly snipped chives and a dusting of smoked paprika.

   Enjoy!

 ~

An update on my summer adventures… living without air conditioning is still a dream come true.  I simply won't tire of feeling the fresh breeze on my skin, the scent of nectar and rich soil deep in the lungs, twittering baby robins caressing my ear…  The closer we are to nature the more abundance we experience.  magical life force.  that which scientists are still unable to discern.  the mystery of life.  and great unknown.

the challenge of uncertainty. in a perfectly, beautiful, big Adventure.

So what are my tricks to stay sane during these last few days of high humidity in the mid 90's?  A couple well placed (and pretty) fans are key.  Also, taking advantage of when it's cool… It's truly remarkable how much the temperature dips at night, so letting in all that fresh, clean goodness overnight creates a fantastic cooling affect in the home.  Of course this nocturnal cooling creates for gorgeous mornings, so I take full advantage of the shady 6:45 am calm on a long walk serenaded by birds.  After that, a refreshing cool shower.  During the day…  Fresh juices on the rocks, frosty smoothies, cool crisp salads, juicy fruits, chilled soups and creamy Nice-creams. So delicious and perfectly designed to keep body temperature balanced, hydrated and comfortable. (check out the StyleNectar Recipe Index for 50+ Juice, Smoothie, Chilled Soups & Salad Recipes!)  The body grows responsive and adapts to the fluctuations of nature if we let it.  We're part of nature after all – it's not as though there's the universe, earth and then MAN.  No, we're all life, part of a cycle that works in harmony.  By resisting the wisdom of life, in our futile attempts to control it, we cause ourselves much unecessary suffering.  Conversely, letting go of all our conditioned (no pun intended) beliefs and assumptions allows us the spaciousness to tune into a much higher vibration of wisdom, an intuitive knowing with which we're all equipped. A peace and all-encompassing love in which all is perfect just as it is.

We have so many friends around us.  The tiniest of spotted baby deer wobbles zig-zagging about after Mama.  Black and white woodpeckers wearing great red beaks slide up & down tree trunks in stacatto calling out tropical cackles.  A few days ago, Jim found a huge, slow turtle the size of a tire crossing the drive to reach the other side of the small brook that winds about our property.

love

this life.

 

PS. Did you happen to spot the napkin in my photos on which a letter from Mark Twain is printed?  It's one from a vintage set by great authors including D.H. Lawrence, Jack London & Emily Dickenson.  How fun to read correspondence with my lunch, trasported to London in the mid 1800's, via beautiful words from Mark Twain in New York. It's the sweetest of love notes.  Here it is in entirety (click image to enlarge text & read):

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A letter from Mark Twain with my lunch – what a treat! (click image to enlarge text & read)

 

Have you ever eaten corn fresh off the cob?

What's one of your favorite moments from summer so far?

 

All Love,
Juliane

 

Thank you for visiting 🙂

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