Bless my Bones!

"Becoming Raw" is a wonderful reference book, a text for learning a lot of raw details about nutrition and food facts. The info is scientifically based, with references, footnotes, the whole shebang. A lot of reading and pondering, but well worth the time.

The handful of recipes are balanced, tasty, practical. It's an education just reading the menus and recipes!

Here's one of my latest forays into summery salads using greens fresh (ultimate gourmet!) from our garden:

The recipe is titled: Build-Your-Bones Salad . (I modified the assembly.)

Toss in large bowl: 2-3 c. EACH thinly sliced kale and/or collard greens, chopped napa cabbage, chopped broccoli florets, thinly sliced red cabbage

Put greens mix into one of those green veggie keeper bags to store in frig.

When ready to have a yummy lunch or dinner, put torn romaine into your salad bowl, add big handfuls of the crucifer mix. Top with chopped red peppers, and optionally, some chopped peeled cucumber and tomato. This makes huge salads, filling and oh-so-lovely and nutritious!

By keeping the crucifers and romaine separate, the base mix will last longer, and the lettuce won't get ugly! This makes a pile of greens, you can eat out of the bag all week - a blessing for those who are working and come home famished!

I chose, from the 8 dressing recipes, Liquid Gold dressing.

Blend well: 1/2 c. EACH flaxseed (or hempseed oil), fresh lemon juice, water; 1/3 c. nutritional yeast flakes; 1/4 c. tamari; 1-2 T gound flaxseed; 2 tsp. Dijon mustard; 4 tsp. maple syrup or other sweetener; 1 tsp. cumin.

Store in glass jar in frig for up to 2 weeks.

I also sprinkled on a couple tablespoons of Nama Shoyu Crunchies:

Soak 4-6 hours 2 c. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or almonds, or a MIX of them. (NOTE: you don't HAVE to soak them, just improves amino acid balance and gives lovely texture.

Drain well. Put in bowl, sprinkle with 1 T. nama shoyu or tamari, stir to mix well. Spread evenly on mesh sheets on dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 12 hours, or until crisp. Stored airtight in frig or freezer, they'll keep for about 6 months.

Although why anyone would let 2 little cups of these yummies hang around that long is a mystery to me...

Mango Banana Tango

If you've any passion at all for a ripe MANGO, this is one to try. And so simple.

You don't even need an ice cream maker.

Pop 4 ripe (that means FRECKLED SKIN, folks, no greenies here) bananas into the freezer. I usually peel and cut them up first. Some folks freeze with skin on. Run them under some water to defrost the skin, they peel fairly easily then.


Likewise, with a couple of ripe mangos - peeled and cut into chunks, and into the freezer. You want about 2 cups of mango. Or fetch some from the frozen food department at your market.


Question of the day: how can you tell if a mango is ripe? IT WEEPS for you! Truly. Look at the stem end. If you don't see some shiny sticky nectar marks around the stem, sometimes even running down the side, it ain't ripe!

ANYWAY. Back to ice cream. Oh yes, we're making ice cream.

When the fruit is frozen, put it all in your food processor with the S-blade. Blitz until it turns into a frozen ice cream confection. You may have to push it down a few times.

Purty stuff, eh? I borrowed the photos, not to mention the recipe, from one of my fav blogs, http://rawon10.blogspot.com/ .

Those are marigold petals. Yep, you can eat marigolds. Some are tastier than others. Or just use them for garnish to prettify a dish. Won't poison you, and sooo easy!

OK. Thhhhhats all, folks. Go forth and gather you some RIPE bananas and mangos.

Sweetie Balls

Sometimes the tastebuds just want a good hit of SWEET! These yummy little balls are not only raw, made with nuts and dried fruits, they rank about a 12 on the 10 scale of satisfying that clamoring tastebud. Easy to make, the ingredients are all things that reside in my raw pantry.

In a food processor, pulverize:

1/2 c. organic raisins

3/4 c. walnuts

1/2 c. dried pitted dates (Medjool are perfect for this recipe)

1/2 c. dried apricots, unsulphered (OR, use dried FIGS - my preference!)

2 T. fresh squeezed orange juice

zest from one orange (microplane is the tool to reach for...)

Process a few minutes,until the mixture clumps together. If your fruits are especially dry, you may start the processing, let it set for 30 minutes to soak, then continue to process until it gobs up.

Place about 2/3 c. dry unsweetened shredded coconut on a saucer. Roll the fruit/nut mixure into small balls (about a tsp.), roll in the coconut,

Store the balls in one layer in a sealable container.

Just one of these little sweeties is so very satisfying. Chewy, lovely flavor with a zing from the orange zest.

It's not hard to pass up the chocolate bars with this in hand...honest!

Egg-zactly what a cracker needs!

Dear rawbie buddy Lily Hoodock taught an awesome "Raw 101" class in Hebo this week! I was so inspired by her wonderful recipes, demos and passion for eating healthy and raw. Thank you Lily for your sweet spirit and big heart! One of the recipes, which I shamelessly "pigged out" on, was an Eggless Egg salad that was first introduced to our group at a Raw-some Potluck last year. So from Lily and Karen, here's a WONDERFUL cracker spread! (or veg dip, or wrap filling, or just do what I do - eat it with a spoon!!)

EGGLESS EGG SALAD

In blender:

1/4-1/2 c. water as needed

2 cloves garlic

scant 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 c. raw cashews

1 tsp. dry mustard powder (or more, to taste)

1 tsp. turmeric powder

Blend, adjust seasonings as desired. In a bowl, put:

4 lime-sized buds of cauliflower which has been pulsed in food processor until rice sized

2 sticks celery, chopped fine

2 green onions, chopped fine

Mix with sauce. Refrigerate.

I had some fresh Sesame Flax crackers just begging for some schmear - and some tangy crunchy clover sprouts hanging out waiting for inspiration. Wah-lah! Lunch! WARNING: this stuff is addictive...

Pizza with Pazazz!

The more I eat "raw", the more I crave raw living foods - I'm finding I really do not miss some of my former favorites, like pizza. Here's one reason why:

Now does that not look like the "real thing"? That's because it IS the REAL THING! Real food, that is.


With a side of quacamole and some fruit with lime juice squeezed over it and sprinkled with a bit of chili powder, this was a dinner that satisfied in every way. High in flavor, texture, color...

a joy to savor!..

to the last bite!

And so easy!

I used a 4" Portobello mushroom cap, snapping off the stem and using a spoon to scrape out the dark gills. Then a little squeeze of lemon juice on the prepared underside, and spread some nut butter right over that. I had raw tahini on hand, so that's what I used. Then a few thin slices of ripe tomato, sprinkled with chopped onion, and diced marinated Portobello mushroom "steaks" I also had in the fridge. A few fresh basil leaves, tightly rolled length-wise then sliced thinly for a chiffonade, and finally a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Hallellujah, pizza is back on the menu!

World Peace, one vegetable at a time

A short time ago, I fell into a stew. I stewed about why I was slowly gaining weight, after a long struggle to discard the danged baggage. I stewed about the time I was NOT getting to research and read the plethora of raw food info wafting about the ethernet. I stewed about not getting out to walk as much as I needed to (5,000 steps USED to be an average, not a dream...sigh). I stewed about the chilly soil causing my little seeds to shiver and huddle. I stewed.


Then - I found STEW. Raw stew, no less. Really truely raw and rambunctious stew, stew that brought clarity, satisfied my longings, solved problems (I think even world peace is on the list of benefits), and SAVED TIME. Now how sweet is THAT!!

Savory Veggie Stew. SVS. Closely related to the previous Curry post. In fact, the precursor to the curry. I bow to Roger Haeske (get your very own copy of his ebook at http://savorystews.rogerhaeske.com/ ) Here's a fast version:

In blender: 3-4 large plum tomatoes, quartered

1-2 stalks celery, chunked

Blend on low, tamp down as needed (use a celery stalk if you don't have a Vitamix and tamper), increasing speed just to liquify.

Blend in: 2 scallions, quartered

fresh herbs of choice, i.e. parsley, basil, dill, etc.

tiny bit of fresh ginger or hot pepper if you like some zip

dulse or kelp - you need those micro nutrients, and you'll never taste the seaweed...

* about 2 tsp. agave or honey NOTE: sweet note is KEY INGREDIENT

big handful spinach (preferably adult, has more nutrients) or other leafy green (kale, etc.)

Blend well, at lowest speed that will do the job.

Pour into favorite happy bowl. (Makes about a quart, so invite someone special to share a luscious lunch or daring dinner!)

Then stir in toppings: chopped/diced tomatoes, cucumber, zuchinni, celery, sprouts, sweet peppers, avocado, okra, apple - whatever floats your boat.

Garnish with more colorful veggies, sprinkle of purple dulse, grated carrot, whatever makes it pretty. "Pretty" is pretty important when it comes to food presentation. The stew pictured above was topped with sweet crunchy sprouts of beans and seeds, and a handful of micro greens snipped from the windowsill garden. Below - well, I almost forgot to take a picture, I was enjoying it so...

My meals seem to be mostly green smoothies or savory stews or curries. I have regained clarity of mind. I have energy to walk more. And time to do it, since this whole process takes about 5 minutes, with some practice (I chop a couple day's worth of various toppings at a time, which is a wonderful time saver and speedy meal prep). I now have a few more minutes a day to research and gather. I'm sleeping better. My energy level is high. I think my vision might be improving? That would be the carrots...

I have looser clothes, and have shooed away some adipose.

Not too bad, armed with only a blender and some lowly vegetables.

I am now going to work on world peace...

Easter Curry

The ham was tender, the baked potatoes fluffy and buttery, the desserts sublime. It really wasn't hard to pass all that up, though, because I had a new favorite to indulge my tastebuds:
Savory Veggie Curry.
In blender, in this order (juiciest on bottom):
3 roma tomatoes, halved (or quartered if using standard blender)
1 5-7" zuchinni cut in 1" chunks
Blend, starting on low, go up to about 4 on Vitamix. Don't totally liquify, just get it juicy and well chopped, tamping as needed. If you don't have a tamper, use a celery stalk or carrot.

Blend in: 1 large celery, coarse chopped - blend on low 3-4 seconds just to mix in.

Blend in: 1 T. agave
1/2 " jalapeno (opt)
1 T. curry powder, or to your taste
3 scallions, coarse chopped
4-5 more celery stalks, cut in 2" chunks, added in about 3 batches, tamping as needed.

Pour into 2 large soup bowls.

Stir in toppings: chopped/diced sweet peppers, scallions, celery, cilantro, cucumber, zuchinni, whatever floats your boat in the line of fresh veggies.
I also used finely chopped cauliflower, sprouts (pea, sunflower, and a bean/seed mix that is tender but crunchy, and grated carrot.

I added some slices of avocado, but only because I didn't have some fresh coconut to shred and top it all off in true curry style!

The mushroom caps were filled with Zoe's Spring Cheese, then dipped into a dish of chopped red sweet peppers.

A tasty and satisfying Easter Dinner. I've been enjoying this Curry for several weeks, I LOVE curry!

I have to confess: I did have a mini tart filled with my nieces' homemade lemon curd.

Cauli Colorbox

A tasty way to use up those last beautiful cauliflower from the Farmer's Market.
Courtesty of KellyMyra on GoneRaw.

This is a really easy and versatile curry. You can have it on it’s own, with crackers or so many other ways and all the spices are really warming so it’s great if you’re feeling the cold.

CAULIFLOWER CURRY

Ingredients:
2 Cups Chopped Cauliflower
1 Medium Carrot, Chopped
6 Soaked Sundried Tomatoes
1/2 Avocado
1/2 Onion, Chopped
1 cm Piece of Ginger
1 Tsp Tumeric
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Cup Dried unsweetened Coconut
1 Tbsp Flaxseed
1 Cup Rejuvelac or Water
Serving options: Cucumber, alfalfa sprouts or rice paper (not raw)
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until it is finely chopped and well combined.
Serve in a bowl topped with alfalfa sprouts, on cucumber rounds. If you are not 100% raw try it wrapped in rice paper with alfalfa. It would also work well rolled in a large leafy green with other vegetables or on flax crackers. It’s up to you.
Would also do well as patties in the dehydrator.

I loved using the colored cauliflower - a happy, warming recipe to enjoy during our variable fall weather.

Onion Bread

Staying away from yeast breads is important for my health. Mostly because I love them SOOOO much that I totally lose focus at the first bite of buttered yeasty chewy yum, and will easily go through half a loaf of fresh-out-of-the oven bread. And to make it even more difficult, I LOVE to BAKE BREAD!!


While browsing through various raw recipe sites, I kept seeing references to an Onion Bread that most contributors seemed to think was the bee's knee's, the best thing in the raw bread world. So I finally threw the ingredients in the processor, waited patiently for it do it's thing in the dehydrator, and took a bite.


Whoa nelly. This is GOOD STUFF!





Here's my version of a super lunch - tomato, avocado, and alfalfa sprouts in an onion bread sandwich spread with a bit of almondaise, some curried cauliflower, a spoonful raw kraut salad, some marinated/dehydrated mushrooms - and apple walnut cookies to snack on a bit later.

I did a few tweaks, after taking notes on various versions. Here's my

ONION BREAD

In processor, finely dice 1 large sweet onion - about 1 1/4c.

Put in a bowl with: 1 c. flax seed, ground (measure BEFORE grinding)

1 c. raw sunflower seeds, ground ( " ")

1/4 c. fermented soy sauce, ie Kikomans

1/4 c. water

1/8 c. -1/4 c. olive oil (too much oil makes it crumbly)

1/2 large sweet onion, THINLY sliced

Mix thoroughly. Spread on teflex sheets (it made two sheets for my round dehydrator) about 1/4" thin. Helps to wet your hands as you spread and pat it out. Dry about 8 hours at 115 degrees (overnight works). Flip off the teflex sheets onto dehydrator racks, dry additional 3-4 hours, or until it suits the texture you like.

These are pliable but mostly dry; they can be dried totally crisp, if desired.

I cut them into wedges with kitchen scissors while still warm.

The only problem I ran into with them - I kept eating samples while testing for dryness. REALLY good flavor, and while still warm - devine!

I like this bread way too much, so I packaged wedges wrapped in pairs, for sandwiches, and tucked them into a ziplock bag in the fridge. I understand they freeze well, too. I'll try that if I still have some left at the end of the week....

Sunny Patties

I've been looking at "burger patty" recipes, planning on adding a little variety to the menu plus another "grab 'n go" food. This one, from "Dining in the Raw", was an inexpensive starter. Plus, I had everything on hand - that counts - a LOT!

SUNNY PATTIES
("Sunburgers" in the recipe book - I don't like the "burger" label when it isn't real meat - call me eccentric)

In food processor with"S" blade:
1 cup sunflower seeds (soak a couple hours and shake dry)
1/2 c. carrot chunks
1/2 c. celery chunks
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 c. fresh basil
1/4 c. fresh parsley
fermented soy sauce to taste

Process to very fine dice. Form patties, place gently on fine mesh screen on dehydrator trays. Don't squash onto mesh, they'll stick. I dried them for about 6 hours, at 118 degrees, to get the texture I like. They can be dried completely crisp, if desired. Store airtight in fridge.

Chewy, tasty, very satisfying!

I ate the first one warm from the dryer, with a dollop of fresh marinara.

These are going on the "make again" list!

Sweet 'n Zippy Lentil Soup

Warmer soups are on the calender now - it's freezing at night, and barely in the 4os during the day. Getting a nice warm soup together quickly can be a life-saver after getting chilled to the bone.

Prepping the veggies and other ingredients properly can make a big difference in time and nutrition. The food processor becomes my good friend, by quickly turning chunks of hard veggies into fine dice - and they don't have to be done singly, just pitch them all in together and blitz! They will cook through with little heat, a priority for my preferred way of eating.

By using a low-heat method, the vegetables, even though in small pieces, don't turn to mush, as can be seen in the photo below. Low-heat just means bringing the pot barely to a boil, then turning off the heat. The remaining heat finishes the cooking process, the veggies maintain their shape and color. Beautiful!

A soup doesn't have to be cooked for hours, to warm you up, as this one proves. One of my favorite pre-raw soups has always been Sweet and Sour, and this is a good stand-in until I re-work my S & S recipe...


About noon the day before you want the soup, start by soaking a cup of brown lentils for about 8 hours. Then, drain and rinse, and let them set until the next afternoon, about 4 PM. They will have started to sprout, which is what we want. Sprouted grains and seeds need less heat to become soft, thereby preserving nutrients and enzymes, plus putting the phytates out of commission.


Using your processor, blitz to small dice:
1 large carrot
1 parsnip
1 onion
Put into a 2 quart pot. Add:
1 diced, seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
the sprouted lentils
Cover about 2" with water. Bring just barely to a boil, then immediately turn off heat and put the lid on the pot. Let set until the veggies and lentils are tender, about 5 minutes or so.

Stir in:
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 - 2 T. pure maple syrup (or agave or honey)
1- 2 T. tamari or fermented soy sauce (ie Kikomans)
Adjust the seasonings to your taste - more or less sweet, more or less salty, more or less heat from the jalapeno and chili powder.

Soups are very forgiving.



And delectably beautiful! See those litte pieces of green jalapeno, the red peppers, the orange carrots...this method of low-heat cooking allows the veggies to keep not only their nutrients, but their inviting colors, too.



I LOVE SOUPS!!!

Killer Garlic

(NOTE: call me lazy, but I think this remedy is important enough to post it on all three of my blogsites today...)


At the first sign of a sneaking-up-on-me cold (sniffles, scratchy throat, sneezing, itchy or runny eyes...), I reach for my mug and the bulb of garlic that is usually in the countertop basket of fruits and veggies I use daily.
Garlic is one of the more popular home cures for colds. Many cultures have a home remedy for the cold using garlic, whether it’s chicken soup with lots of garlic, a drink made with raw crushed garlic, or it may just involve eating cloves raw garlic.

Here's a simple Garlic Tea, that does the job: crush anywhere from one to six fat cloves of garlic, put in the bottom of a mug. Set the timer for 10 minutes, the amount of time it seems auspicious for the "good stuff" to be activated. Then fill the mug with boiling water, add some honey and fresh lemon juice to taste, and sip away. When you get to the bottom, where the garlic resides, get a spoon and scoop those jewels of health up, and EAT THEM!! Yeah, you'll have some garlic breath for a bit, but no worse than with a garlic-laden spaghetti sauce. Brush your teeth and gargle, if it really bothers you.

I'm a believer - and I don't mind garlicky breath for a few days if it means not dealing with cold symptoms. Take your choice...

FYI: here's a fast and efficient way to peel and mash a clove of garlic in one fell swoop (or is that swell foop...): with the garlic on your cutting board, lay the flat side of your chef knife on the clove...

and give it a smack with your hand. It loosens the clove right out of the papery skin, and effectively crushes it too! Doncha just love kitchen tips...

And for your further edification:

"The cold-fighting compound in garlic is thought to be allicin, which has demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal properties. Allicin is what gives garlic its distinctive hot flavor. To maximize the amount of allicin, fresh garlic should be chopped or crushed and it should be raw.

In a study involving 146 people, participants received either a garlic supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks between November and February. People who took garlic reduced the risk of catching a cold by more than half. The study also found that garlic reduced the recovery time in people who caught a cold. More research is needed to corroborate these results.n is what gives garlic its distinctive hot flavor.

Garlic does have some possible side effects and safety concerns. Bad breath and body odor are perhaps the most common side effects, however, dizziness, sweating, headache, fever, chills and runny nose have also been reported. Large amounts may irritate the mouth or result in indigestion. Garlic supplements should avoided by people with bleeding disorders, two weeks before or after surgery, or by those taking "blood-thinning" medications such as warfarin (Coumadin) or supplements believed to affect blood clotting such as vitamin E, garlic or ginkgo. "

Personally, I've never had a reaction to garlic, other than some heat on the tongue from a big clove. But I don't eat the cloves all at once, I spread them out over a period of time, just grabbing one up in passing and munching it as I go about whatever I'm doing.

Go forth and find garlic. Better yet, get some planted in your garden - it's almost past time. You'll have garlic for next season!

Hippocrates Sauerkraut Nouveau

Remember the red cabbage that went into the pickling jar? Well, here it is, in a tasty salad! You could make this with green kraut, too, but the red is extra nutritious - and pretty! This will not taste as good, or be as good for you, if made with canned kraut; the whole point of doing the fermenting jar process is to keep the enzymes alive, to do their good work.

2 cups of raw sauerkraut
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne


Raw sauerkraut aids in the digestion of any meal. It is a good source of vitamin C and B-comples. It introduces friendly bacteria into the intestinal tract and helps satisfy cravings. Raw kraut is also an aid in the control of yeast overgrowth in your system (i.e. candida). A simple, historic vegetable dish that should be introduced to any household.


Raw kraut can be purchased in a few health food stores, but is very expensive.

So, learn to make your own - RAW SAUERKRAUT! There are lots of flavor variations, depending on what vegetables and herbs you might choose to include in the fermenting process.

Enjoy!

FALL-ing into flavor

A quick spin through the garden gate on a quest for greens that the last few nights of hard frost hadn't damaged yielded some jewels. I grabbed some parsley, and almost stepped on the last of the carrots (Danvers Half-longs) in one of the Square-foot Garden squares. I keep a hand trowel stuck in the dirt in one corner of the raised bed, ready for just such a chore. A few deft plunges into the dirt around the carrots, and they were loosened enough to pull easily.
This time of year, the carrots are crisp and juicy, sweeter than ever. Often an attempt to pull them results in the tops popping right off the carrot, and then it's a dirty-fingernail job to retrieve the carrot. Thus the trowel technique.
Right next to the carrot square were the last of the Chiogga beets, sporting nice bushy tops that the frost hadn't damaged. So out they came, joining the carrots and parsley headed for the kitchen.
Some of the carrots were smallish - I dread any peeling attempts on these little characters - too many "peeled" knuckles over the years. Then I remembered this recipe, from Carol Alt's "The Raw 50" - problem solved.

I just scrubbed the little ones, gave them a rough chop, and they were ready to be transmogrified into:

ZIPPY CARROT DRESSING
Blend smooth in the Vita-Mix:
2 large carrots, rough chopped (or equivalent small ones)
1 or 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
2 T. raw apple cider vinegar
1 T. minced fresh gingerroot, or more to taste
2 tsp. freshly grated horseradish, or more to taste
water enough to make a dressing consistency
After a taste test, I also added:
1 T. agave
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sunflower seed oil (avocado, or walnut, or olive oil would be good)


I ran this for several minutes to get the dressing really smooth, adding water a tablespoon at a time to get the consistency I wanted. Probably about 2/3 c. altogether - depends on the amount and juiciness of carrots.

Arrange baby spinach leaves on salad plate, top with slices of apple (I used Welties). Just for fun and because it was right there on the cutting board, I also added some very thin slices of Chiogga beet - so sweet! They added an extra earthy note and tender crunch to this colorful fall-garden salad. A sprinkle of protein laden hemp seeds, and lunch was fork ready!

Taste notes: crisp - sweet - colorful - crunchy- earthy - zippy; velvety dressing wrapping the toothsome raw veggies.


The garden may be on it's last hoorah, but it still feeds my body and soul.

Five-minute soup...

There is no "soup season" in my kitchen - I adore soups, crave them more than chocolate (yes, it's true!), and consume them year round with much appreciation for whomever first dropped a hot rock into a bark-cauldron of water and weeds.
A friend recently queried, with eating mostly raw now how was I going to enjoy hot soup this fall and winter? I had been asking myself the same question, and doing some recipe browsing. No worries, I figure between me and my trusty Vita-Mix we will manage just fine.
Today, when a hunger twinge niggled at the appropriate time, my first thought was, what do I have to make some soup?
There was a lonesome yam in the basket, I had some cashews already soaked and waiting in the frig for inspiration, and a few last fresh sage leaves were needing used. AHA! A fall soup I had made in my not-so-raw life popped into memory, and I proceeded to wing it from taste-bud memory.

A SAGE FALL SOUP
Into a Vita-Mix:
1/4 c. soaked raw cashews
1/2 c. warm water
Blitz almost smooth. Add:
about 1/2 - 3/4 c. grated raw yam or sweet potato or winter squash
sage - one 3"-fresh leaf, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. sea salt
cayenne - depending on your heat tolerance, anything from a dash up to a whole Thai red pepper!
1/2 tsp. onion powder or 2 T. fresh chopped onion
1 - 2 c. very warm water
Blend 2-3 minutes until very smooth and warmed. Serve with sprinkle of chopped hemp seed.

NOTE: this can probably be done in a regular blender, by soaking the grated squash/yam in the hot water for at least 10 minutes, to soften and make it easier to blend. Definately worth a try, if you don't yet have your Vita-Mix!

A velvety, creamy, luscious blend of lively taste and warmth.

A soup doesn't have to be steaming, to warm the cockles of your heart - or your taste buds!

Rhythm of Raw Food Prep

The following anecdote points out the need to educate one's self in order to enjoy and benefit from eating a raw lifestyle.

"Three years earlier, I had been aimlessly wandering around the kitchen, wondering, What is there to eat? The fridge was packed with perfectly good food, the counters displayed bowls of beautiful, ripening fruits. Nuts and seeds filled many a cupboard.

But we didn't yet understand the rhythms of raw food preparation—soaking, sprouting, dehydrating (on occasion), or warming the food. We were still accustomed to, and comforted by, sauteing, baking, steaming, stir-frying, and the smells and sounds of cooking.


It took time to understand the nuances of preparing raw food cuisine.


Soon the chopping, blending, juicing, grating, and dehydrating began to replace the way we'd worked in the kitchen, and after several months these practices became joyful and natural.


Perhaps you are wondering, like we did, What is there to eat on this strange new diet? As we moved more into conscious eating, there were questions we asked ourselves: Did a meal leave us tired, or energized? Did it bring a sense of well being, and digest well? Was there rationalization during the preparation—or a clear knowing that whatever we were choosing to eat, in our heart of hearts, was the very best? Our intuition acted like light beams that cut through the fog of uncertainty.



So listen, act, and evolve with ease into greater levels of health and harmony. The beauty of the intuitive approach is that the unfoldment process never stops, nor will it ever need to, because the law of life compels us toward steady growth that is in perfect accord with our true potential!"


An excellent "getting started without confusion" is Alissa Cohen's 3 hour, instructional DVD, Living on Live Food, in which she makes twenty recipes—it may save months of uncertainty in the kitchen.

"It was through Alissa's DVD that we first learned about making anglehair pasta from zucchini with the handiest little gadget—a Saladacco—and how to make raw marinara sauce. Suddenly, we felt liberated to be able to have pasta again, without any of the problems of wheat!"

The photo illustrates part of the rhythm I have come to enjoy. The recipe, from Carol Alt's "The Raw 50", titled Thyme Bread, makes a great flexible cracker type of bread. Loaded with nut pate or hummus and topped with avocado and veggies, they make for quick meals.

THYME BREAD
1 c. dark flax seeds, ground finely (coffee or spice grinder). Soak in:
1 c. purified water for 1 hour; water should be absorbed. Combine in food processor with:
1 c. soaked walnuts (at least one hour)
1/4 c. fresh chopped thyme
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Spread mixture thinly on teflex sheets on dryer trays, dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6 hours, until the tops are dry to touch. Peel off teflex sheets and continue drying on trays for another 3 hours or so. Cut into desired shapes (mine are triangular, due to circular dryer!). Dry longer if you want crisper "bread". Keeps well in ziplock bags in frig.


The point being, planning ahead for the soaking/sprouting/drying routine.
It is indeed a comforting rhythm, working with living foods that bring such joy and life to my body and soul.

(numbers report: at clinic today, BP was 116/68, blood oxygen 99%. I think it's time to talk with the doc about reducing/eliminating the BP meds I've been on...)

It's SOUP and CRACKERS!

OK, OK, I GOT IT!!
This is the soup I've been longing for - a creamy, subtly zesty, almost smooth, TOMATO-EY SOUP!

Here's how it goes (just remember I'm an "about" cook - the measurements are "about" that much...):

In the blender (Vita-Mix, of course):

*about 6 cups of really ripe tomatoes (squeeze the seeds out)

*about 2 c. very warm water

*2 stalks celery, chunked

*about 1/4 c. parsley loosely measured

*1 carrot, chunked or grated (I had some grated left overs, time saver!)

*about 1/4 c. onion, chunked

*a heaping Tablespoon tahini

*1 tsp. lemon juice

*about 1 T. Braggs Liquid Aminos

*about 1 T. agave nectar

Blend smooth as you like. The Vita-Mix actually heats the soup, with it's tremendous revolution rate. Adjust the taste to suit, with lemon, Braggs, agave. More creamy? Add a bit more tahini.

Now for the crackers. Actually, these begin two days previous, soaking the sunflower seeds overnight. Then soak 5 sundried tomotoes (3 oz. pkg works) for several hours previous to mixing.

SUNNY TOMATO CRACKERS

In food processor:

*1 c. soaked sunflower seeds, drained and rinsed, shake dry in strainer

*5 sundried tomatoes, soaked and drained

*1 med. zuchinni, chopped

*handful fresh basil

Process until smooth with a little bit of texture. Spread on teflex dehydrator sheets, about 1/4" thick. If you leave it thicker, it's more like a flat bread. For crackers, thinner works.

Dry at 115 degrees, about 8-12 hours. Check for crispness. Flip off teflex onto dehydrator tray, dry several more hours, checking for how crisp you want. Then break into cracker-size pieces, store airtight.

I left the basil out of the soup, knowing the crackers would pick it up. The combination of creamy rich tomato soup and crisp basil-laden, intensely tomato crackers rolled over the tastebuds like nirvana. {BIG SIGH}

This was a perfect lunch for an-almost fall day. The wind is picking up, anticipating thunder and hail by evening. That's OK. I have two quarts of luscious tomato soup to get me through the night!

Next up: that squash is headed for the soup "pot"...

Tasty Tomato Soup

It's the end of the season for the garden. Vines are withering, and the last of the harvest is in hand.

These Manyel tomatoes shine like spotlights amidst the shambles of the rest of the garden. I had planted them specifically to make a Golden Roasted Tomato soup, but now eating mostly raw, I wanted to use them without the oven roasting process. Roasting produces a deeply rich tomato-y flavor, which I have been tinkering to reproduce. So far, I'm still not there.

But this recipe is close, and very yummy all on it's own.

You can use red or yellow or orange or striped or purple...whatever color tomato caught your eye in the seed catalog for this season! Or, visit your local Farmer's Market, which should be overflowing with tomatoes right now.

TASTY TOMATO SOUP

In a high-speed blender (the Vita-Mix is my workhorse), blend smooth:

*8 fully ripe medium tomatoes - or equivalent (cored and halved; don't have to peel unless you want; squeeze out as many seeds as you can)

*4-8 pitted dates (depends on how sweet you like your tomato soup)

*1 tsp. lemon juice

*about 2 c. very warm water (whatever produces a thick, creamy soup)

Add:

*2 stalks celery, chopped

*1 carrot, chopped

*small handful fresh basil, rough chopped

Blend until incorporated or as fine as you want - completely smooth is OK, too!

*Season with a pinch of cayenne, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste.

Serve with a sprinkle of chopped scallions and raw sunflower seeds.

I'm going to try adding some tahini next batch, see if I can get closer to that intense roasted flavor...it's fun to experiment, and it tastes good no matter what!

If you want to thicken a thin soup, try adding some ground golden flax seeds (slightly milder flavor and less intrusive color than the brown flax). Also adds the outstanding benefits of flax, so don't be shy about your thin soup!

If you play with your soup (in a nice way, of course), I would be happy to hear the results...

Chocolate oo-la-la!

The cabin and farm are hosting the second round of Camp Purple (check it out at Wisconsin Snapshots http://staufferbirds.blogspot.com/ - four homeschooling families totaling 11 punks) for the next two days. The youngest munchkin celebrated her 2nd birthday among friends and family, complete with cupcakes and candles.

Not to be left out of the celebration, my thoughts went immediately to Raw LouLou's recipe for Chocolate Pie. I've just been waiting for a good excuse to make this rich treat - not something I'll be indulging in very frequently. Definately a celebration food.

One of the middle-size punks is a chocolate enthusiast, and helped with the taste-testing of both chocolate fillings. I halved the recipe and made four small pies. I cut one little pie into samples, which were quickly devoured by the gang, pronounced wonderful, complete with requests for recipes.

Without further ado, here is

LOULOU'S RAW CHOCOLATE PIE
PIE CRUST -
*2 cups of almonds
*2 cups of pitted dates
Blend these up together and press in a greased pie dish, or in individual rings/pans to create small portion pies. (note: I didn't grease the pans, turned out fine...the frozen pie came right out of the pan, to be placed on a saucer for slicing.)
CHOCOLATE FILLING
*2 cups of soaked cashews
*12 pitted dates
*1/2 cup filtered water
*2 T cacao powder
*2 T coconut oil
*1/8 tsp Chinese 5-spice (or cinnamon - but do try the 5-spice, it's unique)
Blend all of the above together in a high speed blender (VitaMix) until smooth and creamy in texture then pour on top of the crust.
Freeze to set, and take out of freezer 1 hour before serving. (I just froze them about 30 minutes then took them out to serve immediately.)

I garnished the pie (photo) with a sliced strawberry, tiny mint leaves, and a drizzle of cashew cream (Soak 1 c. raw cashews several hours. Drain, blend in VitaMix with 1/2 c. water. When smooth, blend in another 1 c. water, 1 tsp. agave - optional but really brings out the flavor. This is supposed to be "milk" but is nicely thick like cream - very delicious!)

Just for fun, I made one little pie with a chocolate mousse filling. You'll never guess the magic ingredient. The chocolate taste-tester watched me put the ingredients in the VitaMix and gave a little shrug. He never batted an eye, bless his heart. This mousse got raves from several of the moms...
(again, I halved the recipe)

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse
It makes a wonderful chocolate pie as well - just double the recipe. Makes about 2 cups.
* 2 small ripe avocados
*1/2 -3/4 c. agave nectar
*1/4 C raw cocao powder (or carob if you prefer)
*2 T coconut butter or oil
*1 T vanilla
*dash of sea salt
*dash of cinnamon (optional)
Preparation:Place everything in a VitaMix or high-powered blender or food processor and blend (on high) until very smooth. You may need your tamper to move the contents a little so the motor doesn't bog down on you. VitaMix blenders come with one.
Keep stored in an air-tight container in the fridge - that is, if it lasts long enough to make it to the fridge.
(note: I used one avocado, it amply filled one small pie crust. With just enough left in the blender for a couple of spoons of yum! to enjoy. I used the same Almond Date crust as the LouLou recipe...you could use any similar raw crust)

(Mousse recipe courtesy of Purely Delicious Magazine - www.PurelyDelicious.net Check out their Raw Recipes on my sidebar.)

Since the other pies were in the freezer setting up, I put this one in also. I figured since you can get frozen quacamole, this avocado mousse should freezer OK.

And it did. Yummo!

Good mornin', sunshine!

Here's how I start my day: about 10 oz. warm water, juice from 1/2 a lovely ripe lemon, a pinch of cayenne, a small drizzle of natural maple syrup.

When I don't have lemons in the fruit basket, I substitute with 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider (Braggs).

Why, you ask, would I want to pucker up so early in the day?

Here are some reasons (beyond that I like it and it "cleans house" very effectively to start my day):

"Lemon:
*Helps to alkaline the body and disease is less able to develop in an alkaline environment
*On an empty stomach it helps flush the liver and gallbladder (releasing bile- the body’s natural laxative)
*Stimulates the body to produce digestive juices that gets the system ready for food digestion
*Can assist with weight reduction by cleansing the liver as a toxic liver can not efficiently metabolize fat.
*Excellent source of Vitamin C to keep the immune system strong, the adrenal glands functioning, and increases the absorption of iron into the body
*High in potassium and vitamin B1 too.
*The calcium in lemon supplies bones, teeth and the nervous system
with basic nourishment.
*Lemon also phosphorus and helps to digest proteins.

Cayenne
*Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and increase the peristaltic action in the intestines- this means it helps you go.
*Aids in assimilation, meaning it helps us to absorb the nutrients from our food (or in this case the goodness from lemons)
*Helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, which is so necessary for good digestion and assimilation, especially of proteins.
*Said to be unequal for its ability to boost circulation and increase heart action
*Can increase peripheral circulation and stimulates organ secretion, helping to increase the rate of delivery and action of nutrients in the body.
*Can enhance cardiovascular performance while actually lowering blood pressure
*Cayenne is a counter-irritant; it brings blood to the surface and allows the toxins to be taken away.

Convinced yet? See… totally worth the wincing.

Lemon/Cayenne Wake-Up Call

1 quart/litre of warm water (I use regular water with just enough boiling water to make it warm)1/2 lemon juiced1/8 up to as much cayenne as you can handlepinch of stevia (optional- will help cut the spicyness without affecting blood sugar level)

Mix and chug that goodness back!"

Information compiled by Meghan Telpner (http://meghantelpnerblog.com/)