Butternut Squash Cake

Butternut Squash Cake from Do Eat Raw App.

Happy Friday! I thought we would end this week with a dessert recipe. I made it a couple of weeks ago and figured it was time to share! On another note, my mom is coming for a visit this weekend, and she likes raw food, so I'm hoping to enjoy some fun recipes with her this weekend. YAY!! We are starting off tonight with Raw Taco Boats! I no longer have to make a separate meal for my son (almost 2), because he ate 3 of these the last time I made them! Yes, I'm proud!!

Butternut Squash Cake

The Artisana raw coconut butter is to die for! I personally like it by the spoonful!

 Ingredients
3 cups pecans
1 cup dates
1/2 cup raisins
3 cups butternut squash, seeded
3 tablespoons coconut butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons lecithin
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

** Coconut butter and coconut oil are two different things. Coconut butter has the coconut meat added to it, while the oil is just oil.

For the crust:
Blend pecans, dates, and raisins in a food processor until you get a dough like consistency. Press into a spring form pan and chill.

For the filling:
Blend very well the other ingredients until creamy and smooth.

 Pour filing onto crust and place back in fridge for at least 3-4 hours.

So, let me just say first off that my husband actually ate this, and liked it. I also liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites. Next time, I'm going to use pumpkin for the filling instead. I'm pretty sure I'll eat the whole thing then! The crust was amazing, but raw butternut squash in a dessert will take some getting used to for me. I would tolerate it better in a meal. I can tell you that it's one of the quickest desserts to make though. Very easy.

Glutathione

I don't have a recipe for you today, but I'm hoping you have about 9 minutes for me! I was doing some research today on detox and found some information on Glutathione that is definitely worth knowing! Let me just give you a brief overview about Glutathione before you watch the video below.

Glutathione (GSH) is an endogenous antioxidant, which means it's only produced in our bodies. It does about 20-30 things in our cells, but here are the 3 major things for us to remember: 1. Antioxidant, so it helps reduce free radicals and oxidative stress. 2. Immune system booster. 3. Detoxifier, including heavy metals and environmental chemicals.  Since Glutathione (GSH) isn't found in foods, we need to consume foods that have precursors to Glutathione, meaning they can help raise Glutathione levels. One of the precursors to Glutathione is Cysteine. According to studies, these foods can slightly help to increase our bodies naturally occurring Glutathione: apples, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, grapefruit, spinach, and tomatoes. The best way to increase you Glutathione levels is take a powdered supplement. I will have to do further research on this, but in the meantime, I'm going to increase my intake of the above veggies!! I would guess it would be beneficial to consume foods high in Cysteine as well, which include broccoli, brussel sprouts, garlic, oats, onion, and red peppers.

It's always fun to learn new things, especially if it's something that our body does for us! Even though it seems we can't dramatically boost Glutathione levels without a supplement, it makes me want to feed my body the best food so it continues to do the best work that it can! After all, we only have one.

Happy learning!!