I recently had holistic aesthetician, aromatherapist, herbalist, raw foodie, and author Stephanie Tourles on "Whole Living," and she came bearing treats! She came on to talk about her new book Raw Energy, and this is one of the recipes from that book: Almond Coconut Cookies. I know it doesn't look super exciting, but let me tell you: Magic in your mouth.
Stephanie Tourles's raw candy/cook-free cookie confection
Actually, the raw food thing has quite honestly always been suspect to me. I mean, I can see the fight against pesticides, processed food, even animal killing...but fight against FIRE? What could she have against heat?
She talks about how when we process and cook (overcook, especially) food, we kill off the living enzymes and other nutrients that give raw food its power. I somewhat disagree with her on whether raw food is easier to digest (I have found that not to be the case), but there's of course no question that fresh, whole food is going to be the healthier option, compared to what else we eat these days.
I can get behind her on that one. But I'm not going to give up heat!
Foot note: Stephanie is NOT 100% raw, as she lives in Maine and you cannot survive the winters there without heat (not to mention soup!). But we can all get on board, I think, with eating more healthy, whole foods.
For those of you who think raw food means as lot of carrot-chomping, you have another thing coming. Check out this delectable recipe for a snack that will hold you (unlike that bag of chips). She calls it raw candy. I call it DEEELISSHHH.
Download recipe: Almond Coconut Cookies
NOTE!! The ones I tasted (above) actually had cinnamon and Siberian Ginseng in them, plus dried cranberries (yummy zingy tartness is key). That's the beauty of this recipe: You can change it up how you like. Totally kid friendly and fun to eat for sure. I had two for breakfast. They're about 75-100 calories each, says Stephanie.
Have fun with this, and take a few on the road! Not ONE person I gave them to didn't love them.
-Terri, Senior Editor, Whole Living + Host of "Whole Living"
Follow me @TerriT
From: carrot | 5/4/10 at 12:25 am
wow its about time you get on the raw wagon!! just switching out regular cooked desserts for raw delicacies makes an amazing diffrence in the way you feel after eating dessert!! p.s. desserts are often so healthy you can have them for breakfast without guilt!! high in nutrients and low in sugar and fat...