Blessed With Berries

What!?! No Recipe of the Week?

I was going to post this entry over the weekend, but Life had a different idea (I'll tell you all about it in a bit). It's also too long to fall under the usual 'R of the W' format, so I opted for a regular blogpost.

If I could sum up this past week with a single word, I would pick - you'll have guessed it! - "berries" (no pun intended! lol) It's like Berry Heaven around here... I was stuffing my face with these lovely wild gems for days after my return from Vipassana. For me, there's nothing quite like picking wild edibles. It makes me feel so very close to Nature and in awe of its abundance.

Along the logging road where Don and I walk daily, we've found thimbleberries, raspberries and black raspberries (they look just like the red ones except for the color). One afternoon, I also dropped by the retreat center where we spent close to 6 years, to visit with the good folks there. John was away but I got a chance to connect with Livina, their son Nathaniel, and of course little Angel - Kylo's sweetheart. As a bonus, I even got a chance to pick some huckleberries that grow around there; a real special treat.

I have just discovered saskatoon berries too. Oh My Goodness! These are sooooo yummy! They are delicious and sweet and have a super high pectin content. Saskatoons grow in trees in big bunches which makes for super easy picking. One day, I filled up just under a gallon and a half in no time at all.

Look at those dark beauties!

As I was biking home with my loot, I stopped to capture some of the magic of the Slocan Valley...

Not a bad spot to munch away, eh?

And how could I resist a dip in the lovely Slocan River to cool off a little?

"But what have you been doing with all these berries?", you ask. Well, I have frozen a whole bunch so we can enjoy them this winter. We've also been adding them to our daily smoothies, and on top of Raw Food Real World's delicious Cranberry Maple Granola with a touch of almond milk.


Some also went into Heathy's Triple Berry Cake which has been on my 'to make' list ever since she created it in honor of Raw Freedom Community's first anniversary back in May.

Isn't it just gorgeous?

Here you can have a closer look...

Oh, and just one more so you get a better sense of the sides.

Mmmmmm... I'm loving that blend of purple and cream! Too bad the swirls didn't turn out so well inside the cake itself - my fault! (See my notes)

OK, gotta have at least ONE recipe in this post, right? Here goes...

Triple Berry Cake
By Heathy Pace

This cake is a berry inspired version of Café Gratitude’s mudslide pie – same concept, but with different flavors. 

Crust:
Make a nut crust of your choice (I used 1 cup walnuts/1 cup pecans/ 1/2 cup dates).

Press into the bottom of a 6” springform pan, or into a pie plate.

Filling:
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted cacao butter
1 tbs lecithin powder
2 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), set aside

Blend the first four ingredients until completely smooth. Add the cacao butter and lecithin powder. Continue blending until incorporated. Transfer 1 cup of this mixture into a bowl.

Add the berries to the remaining cream in the blender and pulse the berries until they start to break down, keeping some texture. Transfer the berry mixture into a bowl.

Pour half of one cream onto the crust. Pour the other half on top.

Continue, pouring the first cream on top, followed by the second.

Now, with a knife, swirl the two creams together into a pretty pattern.

Chill the cake for a few hours, or until firm.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I used only half the amount of crust as I prefer a thinner crust.

~ I used a mixture of black raspberries, raspberries, thimbleberries and blueberries. Ooops, that's 4; don't tell anyone! ;-)

~ The blueberries were frozen and I didn't bother thawing them. As a result, the berry mixture was much thicker than the cream colored one. (Always something to learn, eh?) Afterwards, I remembered how in Café Gratitude's book, they mention that in order for the different mixtures to swirl properly, it is key that both have the same consistency.


How does it taste? I was told by Don and other willful testers that it's yet another outstanding creation of Heathy's. But what else is new!?! However, I, myself haven't had a single bite! Boohoo

See, this is where things took an unexpected turn...

Three nights ago, I woke up with my body in 'self-cleaning' mode. (Trust me, you don't want to know the details!) Too many berries perhaps? Who knows...

Hard to see that as a blessing, but for me it is. (Yeah, yeah, I know I'm weird!) As I've been progressing on my own health path, I've learned to trust the intelligence of my body. The way I approach it, something was seriously out of whack at a physical, emotional and/or energetic level, so my body has taken proper measures to rectify that balance.

At least, the fever and aches and pains are gone. Right now, I just feel like resting and can't stomach anything but water, juice and fruit (huh, besides berries! lol) A forced fast... Why not? Plus, it's giving me lots of time to meditate. Toxins galore, I tell ya! Consider yourself lucky you're not living in close quarters with me at the moment!

Anyhoo, all this to say that I had every intention of playing around with a berry pie idea which I was planning to share with you as my Recipe of the Week, but once again, I'm reminded of how to make God laugh. By making plans. (I know I've told this one before but I can't help it... It's soooooo true! lol)

So, til next week my friends! Hopefully I'll be back on my feet by then...

Sending lots of sunshine and succulent berries your way!