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Next, toss the spinach with the olive oil, and set aside for 5 minutes to soften.

Lay a sheet of nori on a dry surface, such as a cutting board. Along the entire bottom edge (the edge closest to you) spread about 1/3 cup of Sushi “Rice” evenly. Press down gently. Arrange one-quarter of the avocado slices along the bottom edge of the rice, which will hold the rice bits together once rolled.

Along the bottom edge, spread an even layer of one-quarter of the marinated spinach, then the mushrooms, then the carrot. Roll up tightly. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets and fillings. (See Rolling the Perfect Maki, page 254.) Enjoy whole or slice into four to six pieces with a dry, sharp knife. Serve immediately.

11

DESSERTS

DESSERT IS MY favorite part of every meal; in fact, one of these raw desserts can make a nutritious meal in and of itself for me. My desserts are a delicious, nutritious way to add healthy, whole foods into any diet—which is an easy way to get rid of unhealthy, foods without even trying. The more nutrient dense foods we eat, the more nutrified we become the healthier we feel, and the less room we have available to eat empty calories or less valuable foods. I find this approach to be less stressful than focusing on the elimination of certainfoods out of our diet. Eating raw foods isn’t about denial—it’s about all the array of possibilities of the delicious, fresh foods your body will love.

By enjoying more of the delicious sweets in this chapter, you’ll be displacing baked goods loaded with sugar, flour, eggs, butter, cream, and milk—ingredients that cause inflammation and swelling. Instead, you’ll be eating superfoods such as nuts, seeds, and fruit—and the leaner you’ll become. These desserts will help you achieve a tighter body full of valuable nutrients to build healthy bones, skin, fight age-accelerating free-radical damage, and create healthiness from the inside out. And, since our skin is our largest organ, health on the inside translates on the outside as a clear, radiant glow of health.

I start this chapter with an easy-to-make Basic Piecrust and Basic Fruit Pie Filling to which you can add ingredients to create new flavors and textures. Next are variations of a Basic Flourless Cake recipe that are simple yet sophisticated in presentation and flavor. I include two basic Ice Kream recipes, and several sweet sauces. Lastly are cookies that are really quick to assemble, using just a few ingredients, but require dehydration.

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too . . . and get a healthy glow on.

Vanilla

EARLIER IN this book, I offer a recipe for making your own vanilla extract in organic vodka (see page 99). If you want to avoid alcohol, use alcohol-free extract, but realize it usually contains glycerin.

The best bet is to always go directly to the whole food source, in this case, to use whole vanilla beans. They can be expensive, but the flavor is worth it.

Use one tablespoon extract to one vanilla bean pod, seeded, or use the whole pod if blending in a high-speed blender.

PIES

My pies are usually made in two parts, first a crust and then a filling.

Pie filling can be made with fruits or with nuts. I’ll show you a really simple Basic Fruit Pie Filling, to which you can add other ingredients you have on hand, to mix up the flavors and textures.

You can make a kream pie or tartlets by filling your crust with Whipped Cashew Kream, made by blending cashews with a bit of coconut oil and vanilla, and topping with your favorite fruits.

BASIC PIECRUST

MAKES 1 PIECRUST

This is the simplest way to make a fast piecrust. It’s made with chopped nuts that are bound together, using sticky dates. I recommend lightly chopping the nuts for texture, but you can also grind them into a powder for a smoother crust texture.

Try using different varieties of dates and nuts to change up the flavor and texture. You can swap out the dates for raisins, cranberries, and other sticky dried fruits, and the