This week has been very busy food wise! I've taken many pictures but have yet to upload them.

Earlier in the week, I recieved some food from my boyfriend's grandma straight from her garden - several potatoes, some tomatoes, and two zuchinni that are about as big as me! I have quite the excess of zuchinni right now and I'm not sure what to do with it (or myself!) I think I'm going to try some zuchinni bread or a chocolate zuchinni cake.

Tonight, I'm trying my first taste of "jerk" with a blackened fruit jerk tempeh recipe I got out of my "Bold Vegetarian Chef" recipe. It's marinating in the fridge right now and smells delicious!

Ok, here is my first raw food recipe. I'm really not sure where I got it from, so if it looks familiar just hollar!

Raw Summer Peach Parfait with Almond Creme



1 c. raw almonds
Water for soaking
4 ripe peaches
2 tbsp. almond butter
1/4 c. raw local honey or maple syrup (we used honey from a friend who keeps bees)
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (we omitted this)
1 c. of blueberries, strawberries, or other berry of your choice (we used strawberries out of my garden)

Soak the almonds for 6 to 12 hours or overnight - this makes them both softer for your blender/food processor and also easier for your body to digest. When done soaking, drain the water and put the almonds in the fridge until you need them.

Peel and slice the peaches. In a blender or food processor, mix 1 c. of the peaches. Mix in all of the almonds, the almond butter, the honey or maple syrup, the orange juice, the vanilla extract, the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Puree the mixture until it is mostly smooth (it will probably be grainy from the almond butter) and thick. If necessary, add more OJ for a smoother mixture.

Divide the reserved peaches into four tall glasses and top with the almond mixture. Garnish with fresh strawberries and a mint leaf!



This was really very good and filling! We had leftover almond creme, so the next day we mixed it with some banana and cinnamon and made a quick raw crust by chopping almonds and dates in the food processor. I think I liked this even better than the parfait! I would definitely reccomend it, especially on days when it's just too darn hot to use the stove!