Colorbook Kale salad

My neice Emden introduced this stunning salad to me last week. I've made it several times since. This is another "about" recipe - don't whine, you can do it.

KALE and CABBAGE

Coarsely chop or shred several fresh (preferably organic) curly Kale leaves, enough to make about 2 cups. Shred about a cup of juicy red cabbage (preferably organic). Combine in a bowl.

Mix: about 2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 T. olive oil (the good stuff, that you keep in your refrigerator - right?), a dash of sea salt and a pinch of pepper, about a teaspoon of agave,

Pour this over the kale and cabbage, then massage it well (yes, with your squeaky-clean hands), and set aside, at least one hour, or more is better. This gives the kale time to soften - it can be quite chewy, otherwise.

DRESSING

Blend smooth: "about" 1/2 c. raw tahini, 1 T. fresh lemon juice, teensy dash of cayenne, about a T. of agave or honey, about 1/2 c. water. Should be about the consistency of pancake batter (remember pancakes??). You can season this as you like, adjust all "measurements" to your taste.

Add some fresh herb(s) to the kale/cabbage, like a bit of thyme, or snipped chives, or dill. Drizzle each serving with the tahini dressing.

I find these amounts make "about" two nice servings for me. All by itself, it's a dandy lunch!

I can't describe how good this is. It's almost too pretty to eat! But I do, savoring every bite.

A Rawsome adventure!

Returning with a RAWSOME celebration!! I've become an Oregonian again, returning to the small town where I was born and raised. As I've reintegrated into our coastal community, I was pleased and VERY excited to find some kindred souls.

This report covers the first monthly potluck of a group of raw foodies and raw-wannabies, in the Tillamook area. Our local Bay City "Art Space" Cafe hosted a gathering of 24, ranging from those who have been doing raw foods for some time to those who are interested in improving their health and wanted to see what this raw food stuff was all about!

Boy, did they get an eyeful! And a tummy full!

The Art Space is located right on Highway 101, with big windows facing the west overlooking Tillamook Bay. By 5:15 most of the gang was on hand, chatting and getting acquainted...it was amazing how many overlapping organizations and areas of interest were discovered. Some of us were previously associated or acquainted, others were total new faces. How fun!

The ambiance of the cafe is warm and inviting, surrounded by our beautiful natural world here along the bay. A great place to enjoy good company and awesomely rawsomely tasty foods!

As the sun began lowering itself toward the ocean across the way, golden light matched our spirits - we were SO HAPPY to be together! Many had waited a LONG time for this event to occur in Tillamook County. Portland has had a Raw Potluck group for some time, but it's two hours away, across some mountains that get rather nasty in the winter. Close to home is much, much better!

The menu was eclectic, including mid-Eastern Falafel with Tahini dressing, south of the border Tacos and Mexican Rice 'n Rye, Asian Thai Coleslaw, Kelp noodles (don't say "ewwwww" until you've tasted them - wow!), wonderful fresh crisp veggies with a variety of dips, spreads and dressings, lucious fruits with chocolate or vanilla Cashew Creme sauce, wild local greens in salad, crunchy succulent sprouts - you name it, we had it!

Part of the purpose of the occasion was to educate. Many books were shared, some equipment displayed that makes eating raw easier and fun, copies of recipes of the evening's dishes, and just a lot of gabbing about favorite foods and experiences. Doorprize was a pot of chives, donated by a local completely organic nursery - how cool is THAT?!

One of our terrific local resources in Rainy Day Books in Tillamook. Owner Karen brought part of her personal library as well as books from the store. She generously offered a 15% discount to all attending, for raw food book purchases from Rainy Day. Awesome!

I found it interesting that there were six "Y" chromosomes present - we tend to think of foodie gatherings being more of feminine interest, but the guys disproved that idea! And they were definately not shy about trying something new. High fives to the fellas! And don't they look happy? I saw several plates head back for 3rds and 4ths - no kidding!

The lovely and body-loving foods were crowned by desserts: Raw Cacao Chocolate Truffles, Banana Lemon Pie, and the hit of the night - Coconut Cream Pie! Lily's contribution, titled "I'm Devoted" from the Gratitude Cafe Cookbook, was gone so quickly I didn't even get a picture of it. Mostly because I was too busy EATING my share! Lily said she wanted to make something really decadent in honor of the occasion, and she outdid herself. I dreamed about that pie last night...

Art Space owner Trish and Craig reported that they had several phone calls from folks who couldn't make it last night, wanting to know when the next Raw Potluck was going to happen.

Next months, people - next month!

NOTE: if you might be interested in any of the recipes, email me at staufferbirds@yahoo.com.

Immune boost without the poke

One of the sites that has "fed" me a lot of good info is Nathalie Lussier's Rawfoods Witch - down to earth, with humor, short and sweet, and always pertinant. Here's a recent post:

4 Foods to Boost Your Immune System

I know you've had this topic drummed into your head enough lately, but hey flu season is upon us so it bears repeating. Except my suggestion is not to knock that innocent grand mother out of the way in your haste to get vaccinated.
I would rather see you boosting your immune system naturally, with a more holistic approach. That means giving your body what it needs to do its job when it comes to fighting infections.

Here are 4 foods that help boost your immune system, and why:

1. Citrus: Fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes are high in vitamin C. They also contain antioxidants that support the immune system.

2. Broccoli: This green vegetable is so good for you in general, but is especially great at promoting immune system health. High in Calcium and Selenium.

3. Tomato: Lycopene in tomatoes helps the immune system. One note: you may have heard that tomatoes release more lycopene when they are cooked, but I believe it's all about absorbable lycopene. Breaking down the cell walls of a vegetable with olive oils or blending is also effective.

4. Spinach: Okay, so spinach gets a special mention but honestly increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables (no matter what kind!) is going to have a huge impact on your health and immunity. Spinach is high in Lutein.

Your Cue this week is to eat at least some of these 5 foods once per day. That should go a long way to improving your immunity. It will also take the edge off and get you to stop worrying so much the next time someone sneezes in your vicinity.

In the spirit of keeping the greenies coming, our broccoli is STILL putting out nice crisp shoots - and I have the best helper for harvesting! Max is always ready to help gramma, even on a really nippy day.

Now if I could just get him to EAT it...

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.

Weight loss or Health gain?

My primary reason for moving towards a higher raw eating protocol has always been to improve my health and derail further medical issues. I was interested while browsing various "raw" sites to note that many people had discarded weight along the path to improved health. Most of the time I'm happy to maintain where I'm at, but my closet would appreciate having a few less pounds to deal with. So weight management via eating raw is definately in the background of my choices.

The following quote really rang my bell. The entire article is on the link, and a good read.

"I have noticed lately that there are a lot of websites popping up promising weight loss with the “new raw food diet.” Honestly, this saddens me. Raw food for me is not just about weight loss, it is about health gain. It is about learning how to make better choices about the food we eat. It is about how our choices nourish our bodies. If we make good choices, we can have better health, bad choices can lead us to chronic disease, low energy, weight gain and poor health.
I abhor the word diet. The minute you say, “I need to lose weight”, you diminish yourself. You say, I am not what I should be."

http://www.rawmazing.com/articles/raw-food-and-weight-loss/

Thank you Susan, this sort of article is one of the reasons Rawmazing is on my browse list.

Incidentally, ten pounds have dropped away while I've been enjoying eating whatever I want the past few months.

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!