Valentine's Banquet

DAY 48

Today was such a special day, with most all our family together (wearing pink or red, of course). We had the most wonderful time together (actually, they're all downstairs playing a game, but I got "out" of the game first, so I thought this would be a good time to quickly do a short post). Our supper was most romantic and beautifully decorated, as you can see above. Mom got my hint about the Lara Bar and on my plate (on top of my Valentine from Mom) it lays. I can't wait to try the cherry flavour, because I haven't tried it yet. I must confess, people, that I did have a bit of cooked food tonight, but healthy cooked food. But really I don't mind and I'll just continue on as I have been. I'm not going to beat myself over the head about it. I'm not that fanatical. (my family won't believe that!)

For supper I ate a few raw chocolates (yes, during the meal...aren't I bad?) and salad. But it was dessert I was most longing for. My family had a Hot Fudge Pudding Cake and I had prepared myself well for it. I made a raw duplicate and I am very happy with the results. (Even one of my brothers was dully impressed...for raw! lol! He was shocked it was warm, yes, my dear brother you can have warm raw food. It is possible. My sister's boyfriend tried one of my raw chocolates and he didn't not like it, in fact, to my memory... He did like it. My sister-in-love and her husband, my bro, love my raw chocolates!) On to the Pudding Cake...It really does has the texture of a cake, truly it does. Can you guess which one is raw?

Well, it happens to be the one without ice-cream (I didn't have the time or resources to make a raw ice-cream). I plopped a little raw chocolate on top.

Here's the recipe: (I think you'll like it!)

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake (serves 2)

Now I really have to brainstorm…I really don’t measure when I make up recipes so hopefully I get this all right and I don’t forget anything. If it doesn’t taste right, switch around things until they do. Ah, the fun of tasting.

Ok, for the ingredients:

½ cup or so of almonds

Grind this up as fine as possible in the processor. Then add:

2 big tablespoons of organic cocoa powder (or cacao/carob)
1 big tablespoon of oat bran
1 small teaspoon of vanilla
About a ½ cup of dates (previously soaked for an hour)
A pinch of fine salt
1-2 tablespoons of coconut milk

Mix until it’s like a thick batter, add more coconut milk if you need to, (or perhaps some maple syrup. It depends how sweet you like things) or add more cocoa powder, almond flour, or oat bran if it’s too thin.

Now pat it into two big square cake slices (or three smaller ones) and put it in your dehydrator for a few hours (my dehydrator is hotter than most, so you’ll probably need a longer time), flipping the sides of it for even distribution of dryness. An hour or two before supper add this chocolate sauce on top of the cakes. Coat in gooey-ness on the sides and even the bottom of the cake. Make a little depression on the top of the cake and put lots on top. Serve warm (it truly tastes like a pudding cake!)

Here’s the sauce:

About 2 tablespoons of cocoa
About ½ cup of dates (previously soaked)
A teaspoon of coconut milk
A little splash of vanilla

Now you can puree this up adding maple syrup to the thinness of a typical chocolate sauce or else you do what I did (which may be considered cheating, lol) for a coffee chocolate sauce, which I desperately wanted.

Grind up about a big teaspoon of good, pure coffee beans and add to your sauce. Yes, not raw. Coffee is given a bad rap, but if you get good coffee beans it is a source of anti-oxidants, believe it or not. Still, I stay away from coffee stuff usually, especially right now...excepting tonight! But hey! It’s a treat and a rare treat it shall remain, lol.




And to the left, is my Valentine's gift from my best friend (who happens to be my cousin). She knows me well and gave me a mango, all wrapped in ribbon, signed by her nickname...Brad. She's such a kick! My sister, Anne-Marie, most sweetly, lent her hands for the picture.

Because I'm still in the Valentine mood and because I wanted to...I'm posting a poem I wrote to the Lord, thanking Him for His incredible love to me (I usally do NOT post my poetry to the world, so feel priviledged!!!). I'm not a very good poetress (if that's what you call it), but dispite the fact I cannot make the words sound entirely right, it's just one expression of my love and gratefullness to the Lord.

You call

invite

arms open

You wait

just longing

to show

Your love

offering

grace to be

space to become



I turn

with grateful heart

walk towards

Your light again

though I fall

arms help me stand

grace illuminates

this path



I walk

being still

just to know

You are God

my heart aches

to know

You more

I need

I'm wanting

gasping

hoping

come in

unveil

Your beauty

enjoy me

this praise

I sing

heart of mine

take it

walk beside

hand in Yours

eyes say

my love

is Yours...