About Us
We are spreading the word about the health benefits of eating unprocessed raw living foods. Lose weight and remedy countless health issues by simply changing your habits!
We Want Raw Shop
We Need Badges!
RSS Feeds
The Unprocessed Globe!
We want raw
Simple raw Spring Roll recipe
Simple recipes for raw meals come easier when you have fresh ingredients in your fridge and pantry. We have found our staples changing throughout the months as we transformed to raw food. They changed from flour tortillas and bread to rice wraps and Nori sheets. From vegetarian substitutions for sausages and meats to squashes and nuts. From soy milks to nut milks. Like anything else, habits are hard to break. And, transitioning is only difficult if you let it be.
This is a sample of a simple meal done with some basic ingredients that we keep on hand. Meal planning is getting easier, like everyone else, if we don't plan, we "scrounge" in the fridge to bring some tasty ingredients together for a meal.
No, rice wraps are not raw, once again we simply strive to keep our meals "high-raw". We do not stress 100% raw unless you are facing a particular challenge as it can seem a little daunting; yet we do encourage including as much raw living food as possible...and that is what we attempt to follow.
Rice wraps can be found in the Asian section of most grocery markets. If they aren't available at your local market try an Asian market or ask your market to carry them.
Raw Spring roll ingredients:
Kelp noodles or Mung bean sprouts
shredded carrots
shredded bell pepper
chopped red onion
sliced cucumber
dry veggie spice for garnish (we finished up a spicy Togarashi blend we'll post later!)
Use whatever fresh food you have! We have been known to use: seaweed, spinach, nuts/seeds, sprouts, zucchini, jicama, broccoli or any other veggie we find in the fridge. Make a quick dip using Nama Shoyu, agave, citrus, and rice wine vinegar. Try an oil or mayonnaise based dip with your favorite spices. It's up to you what flavor will match your rolls.
Spring rolls are easier than you think to prepare. They only need to be run under cold filtered water for 20 to 30 seconds until wet, but not floppy. Place wrap on a wooden cutting board and arrange your pre-prepared fresh ingredients in the center. The wrap will be ready to fold over ingredients by the time you have filled it. Fold the two sides over first, then roll the bottom toward the top.
Be creative, we have made square, triangular and rectangle wraps for fun. We have also cut them in quarters for small single bite servings like sushi.
Have fun! Enjoy preparing and eating your food. The kitchen should be enjoyable and not a chore. If we prepare meals with an attitude of love and gratitude, it will be received that way by those eating it.
This is a sample of a simple meal done with some basic ingredients that we keep on hand. Meal planning is getting easier, like everyone else, if we don't plan, we "scrounge" in the fridge to bring some tasty ingredients together for a meal.
No, rice wraps are not raw, once again we simply strive to keep our meals "high-raw". We do not stress 100% raw unless you are facing a particular challenge as it can seem a little daunting; yet we do encourage including as much raw living food as possible...and that is what we attempt to follow.
Rice wraps can be found in the Asian section of most grocery markets. If they aren't available at your local market try an Asian market or ask your market to carry them.
Raw Spring roll ingredients:
Kelp noodles or Mung bean sprouts
shredded carrots
shredded bell pepper
chopped red onion
sliced cucumber
dry veggie spice for garnish (we finished up a spicy Togarashi blend we'll post later!)
Use whatever fresh food you have! We have been known to use: seaweed, spinach, nuts/seeds, sprouts, zucchini, jicama, broccoli or any other veggie we find in the fridge. Make a quick dip using Nama Shoyu, agave, citrus, and rice wine vinegar. Try an oil or mayonnaise based dip with your favorite spices. It's up to you what flavor will match your rolls.
Spring rolls are easier than you think to prepare. They only need to be run under cold filtered water for 20 to 30 seconds until wet, but not floppy. Place wrap on a wooden cutting board and arrange your pre-prepared fresh ingredients in the center. The wrap will be ready to fold over ingredients by the time you have filled it. Fold the two sides over first, then roll the bottom toward the top.
Be creative, we have made square, triangular and rectangle wraps for fun. We have also cut them in quarters for small single bite servings like sushi.
Have fun! Enjoy preparing and eating your food. The kitchen should be enjoyable and not a chore. If we prepare meals with an attitude of love and gratitude, it will be received that way by those eating it.
Raw Enchilada recipe
I am thankful once again to Cafe Gratitude. After the Granola recipe I tried earlier, I knew I couldn't go wrong with any of the other recipes found in the recipe book from Cafe Gratitude. I won't divulge the recipes, but I will tell you that this is a book you need to own. The recipes are easy and very tasty. And, if your pantry is stocked for raw meal preparation, you'll have 99% of all the ingredients.
The recipes I prepared:
Spinach Tortillas, "I Am Bueno"
Sun-Dried tomato, chile and pumpkin seed pate, "I Am Elated"
Cashew sour cream, "I Am Ravishing"
Salsa Verde, "I Am Awesome"
and a quick Tomato salsa from scratch
Everything was prepared a day in advance and used for several meals throughout the week. Here are a couple of photos of the finished products.
That photo really doesn't do the meal justice, you won't believe the flavor. The enchiladas were approx 6" each, we were very satisfied after eating the small portions.
This was another dish we did with the leftovers. We used small sweet peppers, sliced in 1/2 and stuffed with the pate. Topped with cashew sour cream we used the salsa verde for dip. This dish would be a great appetizer for friends. They would never guess it wasn't taco meat!
I was so confident with this recipe that I took some small dishes to friends. One of my "meat eating" friends called and asked for more!
After making several recipes in this book, I realized each and every recipe is flawless. If not for inspiration alone, Cafe Gratitude comes through! If the cafe wasn't so far away (approx 3 hours) I would be there constantly!
Footnote: Thank you for your patience on my recent absence. Life has been a bit stressful, but we do continue to eat great raw food. I am transitioning to working at home to allow Damon and I more time to concentrate on spreading the word about raw living foods. Keep an eye out for local monthly raw potlucks and hopefully raw food to go at our local markets and restaurants
.
The recipes I prepared:
Spinach Tortillas, "I Am Bueno"
Sun-Dried tomato, chile and pumpkin seed pate, "I Am Elated"
Cashew sour cream, "I Am Ravishing"
Salsa Verde, "I Am Awesome"
and a quick Tomato salsa from scratch
Everything was prepared a day in advance and used for several meals throughout the week. Here are a couple of photos of the finished products.
That photo really doesn't do the meal justice, you won't believe the flavor. The enchiladas were approx 6" each, we were very satisfied after eating the small portions.
This was another dish we did with the leftovers. We used small sweet peppers, sliced in 1/2 and stuffed with the pate. Topped with cashew sour cream we used the salsa verde for dip. This dish would be a great appetizer for friends. They would never guess it wasn't taco meat!
I was so confident with this recipe that I took some small dishes to friends. One of my "meat eating" friends called and asked for more!
After making several recipes in this book, I realized each and every recipe is flawless. If not for inspiration alone, Cafe Gratitude comes through! If the cafe wasn't so far away (approx 3 hours) I would be there constantly!
Footnote: Thank you for your patience on my recent absence. Life has been a bit stressful, but we do continue to eat great raw food. I am transitioning to working at home to allow Damon and I more time to concentrate on spreading the word about raw living foods. Keep an eye out for local monthly raw potlucks and hopefully raw food to go at our local markets and restaurants
.
Raw spinach and smoked coconut soup
This recipe conversion was inspired by a French woman we found online at French cooking for dummies. She is creative and blogs about everyday French cooking with easy to find ingredients.
This particular recipe caught our eye because it had common ingredients that we keep on hand. It was easy to convert to raw and very tasty. We served it with a shredded carrot salad that was a great complement for color and flavor.
The secret was smoking the coconut. The original recipe called for grilled coconut (in oven for 2 minutes) Damon smoked the coconut in the wood stove after first spreading the coconut with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt and pepper.
It's winter and the fire is usually going in the office so we put it to use! We opened the flue and put some moist wood on a good bed of coals, put the coconut on a grill on top of the wood and closed the door and flue. This made a smoke filled stove that infused our coconut with a wonderful smoky flavor without overheating it. We had Oak.... Madrone is also readily available and has a wonderful flavor, use whatever hardwood you have on hand. If you don't have a wood stove, marinate with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt, pepper and a couple drops of liquid smoke for two or three hours, then dehydrate for 1/2 hour.
The soup ended up tasting much like a gourmet split pea soup with a smoky bacon or ham. It was incredible! We're not sure how the original soup taste, but we are sure it was just as good. Thanks again to French Cooking for Dummies!
Raw Spinach with Smoked Coconut Soup recipe by Damon Siska
Vegetable Stock
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 small zucchini
1/2 small carrot
1/2 avocado
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoon Bragg's Amino Acids
Salt to taste
Blend until very smooth and set aside.
Smoked Coconut Fillets (tasted like Smoked Ham!)
Meat of one young Thai coconut (remove in largest chunks you can)
Drizzle with Nama Shoyu and a few drops olive oil per fillet
Salt and Black pepper to taste.
Smoke in cold smoker, BBQ or wood burning stove in short bursts to keep internal temperature of the coconut low.
HINT: If it's too hot to hold in your hand it's getting too hot.
Set aside.
Spinach Coconut Soup
All the pieces of coconut too small to smoke
1 pound fresh spinach (reserve a small handful)
2 1/4 cup vegetable stock
Water from the young Thai coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic with skin left on
1 onion
1/2 red scotch bonnet pepper w/o seeds (we used a serrano)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric
fingertip size piece of ginger
2 teaspoons dark agave syrup
Salt to taste
Blanched Spinach (not raw!)
Blanch the small handful of spinach
Set aside...
Put all spinach coconut soup ingredients into high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Use your wrist on the outside of
the blender carafe to feel the temperature.....stop when it feels warm. Add blanched spinach and use low speed to briefly fold it into the soup. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with the smoked coconut.
Preparation time: approx 1 hour,
Servings: 4
Most recipes can be converted to raw. Use more or less water than called for or a little more oil....or less. Remember what happens when food is cooked and substitute! It's fun and easier than you might think! What cooked meals have you converted to raw lately? Please comment we would love to know.....
This particular recipe caught our eye because it had common ingredients that we keep on hand. It was easy to convert to raw and very tasty. We served it with a shredded carrot salad that was a great complement for color and flavor.
The secret was smoking the coconut. The original recipe called for grilled coconut (in oven for 2 minutes) Damon smoked the coconut in the wood stove after first spreading the coconut with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt and pepper.
It's winter and the fire is usually going in the office so we put it to use! We opened the flue and put some moist wood on a good bed of coals, put the coconut on a grill on top of the wood and closed the door and flue. This made a smoke filled stove that infused our coconut with a wonderful smoky flavor without overheating it. We had Oak.... Madrone is also readily available and has a wonderful flavor, use whatever hardwood you have on hand. If you don't have a wood stove, marinate with Nama Shoyu, olive oil, salt, pepper and a couple drops of liquid smoke for two or three hours, then dehydrate for 1/2 hour.
The soup ended up tasting much like a gourmet split pea soup with a smoky bacon or ham. It was incredible! We're not sure how the original soup taste, but we are sure it was just as good. Thanks again to French Cooking for Dummies!
Raw Spinach with Smoked Coconut Soup recipe by Damon Siska
Vegetable Stock
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 small zucchini
1/2 small carrot
1/2 avocado
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoon Bragg's Amino Acids
Salt to taste
Blend until very smooth and set aside.
Smoked Coconut Fillets (tasted like Smoked Ham!)
Meat of one young Thai coconut (remove in largest chunks you can)
Drizzle with Nama Shoyu and a few drops olive oil per fillet
Salt and Black pepper to taste.
Smoke in cold smoker, BBQ or wood burning stove in short bursts to keep internal temperature of the coconut low.
HINT: If it's too hot to hold in your hand it's getting too hot.
Set aside.
Spinach Coconut Soup
All the pieces of coconut too small to smoke
1 pound fresh spinach (reserve a small handful)
2 1/4 cup vegetable stock
Water from the young Thai coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic with skin left on
1 onion
1/2 red scotch bonnet pepper w/o seeds (we used a serrano)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric
fingertip size piece of ginger
2 teaspoons dark agave syrup
Salt to taste
Blanched Spinach (not raw!)
Blanch the small handful of spinach
Set aside...
Put all spinach coconut soup ingredients into high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Use your wrist on the outside of
the blender carafe to feel the temperature.....stop when it feels warm. Add blanched spinach and use low speed to briefly fold it into the soup. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with the smoked coconut.
Preparation time: approx 1 hour,
Servings: 4
Most recipes can be converted to raw. Use more or less water than called for or a little more oil....or less. Remember what happens when food is cooked and substitute! It's fun and easier than you might think! What cooked meals have you converted to raw lately? Please comment we would love to know.....
Raw Granola recipe
This is the first raw granola recipe that I have made. Although I have been wanting to make some since purchasing our dehydrator, it just hadn't worked out yet. I am very happy to announce, after eating tons of pre-packaged granola in my life, this one IS the best I've ever tasted!
Here's the story..... I recently went to a Cafe Gratitude, if you live in California and haven't been to one yet... GO! Find the closest location, take a trip, spend the weekend in the car and GO! When you get there, choose any item on the menu, or all of them, eat great food, take some to go if you can (for the long trip home) and don't forget to purchase the "I am Grateful" recipe book! Okay, you don't have to make a special trip, but the next time you travel, find a Cafe Gratitude along your path and make sure you're hungry! The closest Cafe Gratitude to me is almost 3 hours away. No, I didn't make a special trip, but the last time I went to the city I was blessed to be able to enjoy a meal in Healdsburg with my niece. I purchased a recipe book and we have now enjoyed several recipes, and can't wait to make more.
Here's the granola. I had to substitute some nuts, not because the flavor was lacking (since this was my first attempt), it's just what I had on hand. The recipe does mention to "adjust to your liking".
One great thing about making raw living food recipes that I have found is substitutions are very simple and don't ruin your recipe. No more quick trips to the store for eggs, baking powder or buttermilk! How many times has that happened to you while baking? It used to happen to me ALL THE TIME! Then I moved 15 minutes away from the closest market that isn't open 24/7. What do you do when you need that one ingredient for the cake that needs to be done the next day and you are baking it at 9:00 pm? I was always trying to find substitutes and they never really worked as well as the store bought stuff, IF you could find the alternative ingredients in your kitchen!
That's enough rambling... on with the photo and recipe.
I Am Great - Raw Granola recipe - by Cafe Gratitude
1 1/2 cups soaked almonds
1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/2 cup soaked whole buckwheat
5 cups grated apple, (about 7 small apples), any kind
1/2 cup pureed dates (about 7 large dates) soaked for about 15 minutes
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup dry coconut flakes
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon salt
Rinse and drain the seeds. Place in food processor and quickly chop to reduce size of seeds only. Place mixture into large bowl. Grate apples, add to nut mixture. Puree dates in food process with the "S" blade attachment, if the dates are soaked for a short time (not too much or they'll be too soggy) it helps this process, if you forgot to soak the dates, add a little apple while pureeing, it will help. Add all the ingredients to the nut mixture and stir.
Prepare 2 dehydrator trays with Teflex sheets. Place 1/2 the mixture on each sheet, use your hands or a spreader to spread approx 3/8 inch thick. The mixture is moist, but that's a good thing, in the end it is wonderful and chewy. If you like it crunchy, use less apple. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour and then reduce temperature to 115 until done. When your granola is dry enough to peel off the Teflex sheets, do so and place onto the grid sheets. Continue to dehydrate until dry.
NOTES:
I made a double batch, I was pretty confident it would be wonderful. Approx drying time was 48 hours. Of course it will vary depending on the humidity. It was raining while my recipe was in the dehydrator.
The cost? Probably about the same as 2 boxes of regular granola bars...approx 12 to 16 bars. My double batch yielded 2 full 8 cup jars and about 3 cups of crumbs (that was on purpose, I wanted some for cereal). That's probably 20 bars per jar, 40-45 bars. It's chewy and crunchy at the same time. Get that dehydrator out of the box (I know you have one.... ) and make some granola for you and your kids!!! Nathan loved it, Ali said there was too much dried coconut. Next run we'll have a "coconut free" sheet for Ali.
Have a favorite granola bar? Look at the ingredients on the label. Can you picture all of them growing in a field or on a tree? What are we feeding ourselves and our kids? Now, ask yourself.... what's stopping me from making it at home?
Here's the story..... I recently went to a Cafe Gratitude, if you live in California and haven't been to one yet... GO! Find the closest location, take a trip, spend the weekend in the car and GO! When you get there, choose any item on the menu, or all of them, eat great food, take some to go if you can (for the long trip home) and don't forget to purchase the "I am Grateful" recipe book! Okay, you don't have to make a special trip, but the next time you travel, find a Cafe Gratitude along your path and make sure you're hungry! The closest Cafe Gratitude to me is almost 3 hours away. No, I didn't make a special trip, but the last time I went to the city I was blessed to be able to enjoy a meal in Healdsburg with my niece. I purchased a recipe book and we have now enjoyed several recipes, and can't wait to make more.
Here's the granola. I had to substitute some nuts, not because the flavor was lacking (since this was my first attempt), it's just what I had on hand. The recipe does mention to "adjust to your liking".
One great thing about making raw living food recipes that I have found is substitutions are very simple and don't ruin your recipe. No more quick trips to the store for eggs, baking powder or buttermilk! How many times has that happened to you while baking? It used to happen to me ALL THE TIME! Then I moved 15 minutes away from the closest market that isn't open 24/7. What do you do when you need that one ingredient for the cake that needs to be done the next day and you are baking it at 9:00 pm? I was always trying to find substitutes and they never really worked as well as the store bought stuff, IF you could find the alternative ingredients in your kitchen!
That's enough rambling... on with the photo and recipe.
I Am Great - Raw Granola recipe - by Cafe Gratitude
1 1/2 cups soaked almonds
1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/2 cup soaked whole buckwheat
5 cups grated apple, (about 7 small apples), any kind
1/2 cup pureed dates (about 7 large dates) soaked for about 15 minutes
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup dry coconut flakes
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon salt
Rinse and drain the seeds. Place in food processor and quickly chop to reduce size of seeds only. Place mixture into large bowl. Grate apples, add to nut mixture. Puree dates in food process with the "S" blade attachment, if the dates are soaked for a short time (not too much or they'll be too soggy) it helps this process, if you forgot to soak the dates, add a little apple while pureeing, it will help. Add all the ingredients to the nut mixture and stir.
Prepare 2 dehydrator trays with Teflex sheets. Place 1/2 the mixture on each sheet, use your hands or a spreader to spread approx 3/8 inch thick. The mixture is moist, but that's a good thing, in the end it is wonderful and chewy. If you like it crunchy, use less apple. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour and then reduce temperature to 115 until done. When your granola is dry enough to peel off the Teflex sheets, do so and place onto the grid sheets. Continue to dehydrate until dry.
NOTES:
I made a double batch, I was pretty confident it would be wonderful. Approx drying time was 48 hours. Of course it will vary depending on the humidity. It was raining while my recipe was in the dehydrator.
Have a favorite granola bar? Look at the ingredients on the label. Can you picture all of them growing in a field or on a tree? What are we feeding ourselves and our kids? Now, ask yourself.... what's stopping me from making it at home?
Raw seaweed salad recipe with Light Asian dressing
We are vehemently against the purchasing, transportation and consumption of packaged food. BUT, this is the ONE item that we have NO replacement for. . . . This is our CRACK. That's our word for the items that you can't let go of, like drugs to an addict. We have tried local dehydrated seaweed for salads and it just didn't work. I don't know what we did wrong, but once we found these sea vegetables from Sea Tangle Noodle Company, we haven't been able to stop! No, we don't eat them daily (yet). But I'm sure we would if we could! Right now they are a special treat. We found them when we were out of town at a natural health food store and we were pleasantly surprised when we found them at our local organic market. The two serving package only costs $4.39... (less if you shop around online). Yes they are packaged in plastic, yes they are shipped from a far off location, yes they scream of everything we do not want to support! But man do they taste good!
Here's a photo of the package. Find the nutritional value and ingredients here: Mixed Sea Vegetables
Here's the finished product, we must brag about this photo, it DID taste as good as it looks!
This is the package, I know, it's plastic.
They are so easy to prepare, you simply rinse the salt off that they are packaged in with filtered water. They finish looking like fresh seaweed. Warning: If you don't like the smell and taste of the fresh ocean breeze. Don't eat this. I grew up waiting on the reef for my Dad to come back from scuba diving. So, I naturally LOVE the taste and smell of anything to do with the ocean. If you live away from the coast and have never experienced the smells and sounds of the ocean, go experience it for yourself. I hope it's something you will never forget!
Tonight we served them in a bowl of butter lettuce (use anything you have on hand) with a couple of salad fixings and Damon's light Asian dressing. It was light and tasty!
Damon's Light Asian Dressing
1/8 cup Agave Syrup
2 Tablespoons organic rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon raw sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Nama shoyu (soy sauce)
squeeze of citrus (lemon, lime, orange or whatever you have available)
optional pinch of Black, White or Szechuan pepper
Mix all of the above ingredients and pour over veggies.
Here's a video of our cat Pat who enjoys seaweed also. She likes Nori better, so we gave her a couple strips....
We try not to feel guilty about eating this delicious, nutritious, tasty, inexpensive, packaged in plastic food, but if it's the worst we do on our daily quest to eat more raw living foods.... than shoot us! Although it is what it is, we do fully realize from end to end the process that it went through to get to our table. We do appreciate where it came from, the path and resources it took to get to our home and the end result of tossing the package into the garbage....and even where it goes from there.
Don't judge us by what we do, judge us by what we represent and how far we have come. We still have leaps and bounds to overcome in order to become who we want to be.... we may even take a couple of steps backward here and there but we will always take more steps forward toward our ultimate goal. The control of our health through our nutritional daily intake. No, we are not free of the threats of this polluted world, but we hope by eating the best food and nutrients possible we will slow or reverse the process of decimation that we were predisposed to by our past (and our parents past) eating habits. We both come from parents who have been hit by major health issues that are suspiciously avoidable. Obviously some are not, but our family health history is very scary to say the least. We refuse to repeat any of it. We refuse to let our children continue it.
What is your family health history and what are you doing to stop the vicious cycle?
Here's a photo of the package. Find the nutritional value and ingredients here: Mixed Sea Vegetables
Here's the finished product, we must brag about this photo, it DID taste as good as it looks!
This is the package, I know, it's plastic.
They are so easy to prepare, you simply rinse the salt off that they are packaged in with filtered water. They finish looking like fresh seaweed. Warning: If you don't like the smell and taste of the fresh ocean breeze. Don't eat this. I grew up waiting on the reef for my Dad to come back from scuba diving. So, I naturally LOVE the taste and smell of anything to do with the ocean. If you live away from the coast and have never experienced the smells and sounds of the ocean, go experience it for yourself. I hope it's something you will never forget!
Tonight we served them in a bowl of butter lettuce (use anything you have on hand) with a couple of salad fixings and Damon's light Asian dressing. It was light and tasty!
Damon's Light Asian Dressing
1/8 cup Agave Syrup
2 Tablespoons organic rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon raw sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Nama shoyu (soy sauce)
squeeze of citrus (lemon, lime, orange or whatever you have available)
optional pinch of Black, White or Szechuan pepper
Mix all of the above ingredients and pour over veggies.
Here's a video of our cat Pat who enjoys seaweed also. She likes Nori better, so we gave her a couple strips....
We try not to feel guilty about eating this delicious, nutritious, tasty, inexpensive, packaged in plastic food, but if it's the worst we do on our daily quest to eat more raw living foods.... than shoot us! Although it is what it is, we do fully realize from end to end the process that it went through to get to our table. We do appreciate where it came from, the path and resources it took to get to our home and the end result of tossing the package into the garbage....and even where it goes from there.
Don't judge us by what we do, judge us by what we represent and how far we have come. We still have leaps and bounds to overcome in order to become who we want to be.... we may even take a couple of steps backward here and there but we will always take more steps forward toward our ultimate goal. The control of our health through our nutritional daily intake. No, we are not free of the threats of this polluted world, but we hope by eating the best food and nutrients possible we will slow or reverse the process of decimation that we were predisposed to by our past (and our parents past) eating habits. We both come from parents who have been hit by major health issues that are suspiciously avoidable. Obviously some are not, but our family health history is very scary to say the least. We refuse to repeat any of it. We refuse to let our children continue it.
What is your family health history and what are you doing to stop the vicious cycle?
Raw Cheese sauce with Broccoli recipe
This recipe is excellent. We found a new website and happened to have all the ingredients in our cupboards for this cheesy broccoli bowl. It was excellent and I must commend Julie Morris on this fine recipe. The link to the original recipe is here: Cheesy broccoli bowl.
Here's how we served it, on a bed of lettuce and spinach with some salad fixings. Note: The red sauce is some homemade hot sauce that Damon made. We have never made the same recipe twice so it's hard to share with others. He has a wonderful knack for hot sauces using leftover salad dressing as the base (or coming up with his own base) with fresh or dehydrated veggies and peppers. His new secret is re-hydrating organic chili flakes. You know the kind that we sprinkle on pizza? Wow, you wouldn't believe the flavor, and very economical!
Our dinner ended up to be a wonderful mix of greens and veggies.
I included the broccoli stalks. If you don't know, the broccoli stalks are very good, strip the tough outside skin, then eat raw or lightly steamed. I didn't learn about the broccoli stems until I was in my mid 30's when I watched a girlfriend prepare broccoli for her family. I've been eating the stems ever since. Read a little about the subject of eating stalks and leaves here: whfoods.com/broccoli
Check out the nutrient profile of broccoli ... who knew? What do you do with broccoli?
Here's how we served it, on a bed of lettuce and spinach with some salad fixings. Note: The red sauce is some homemade hot sauce that Damon made. We have never made the same recipe twice so it's hard to share with others. He has a wonderful knack for hot sauces using leftover salad dressing as the base (or coming up with his own base) with fresh or dehydrated veggies and peppers. His new secret is re-hydrating organic chili flakes. You know the kind that we sprinkle on pizza? Wow, you wouldn't believe the flavor, and very economical!
Our dinner ended up to be a wonderful mix of greens and veggies.
I included the broccoli stalks. If you don't know, the broccoli stalks are very good, strip the tough outside skin, then eat raw or lightly steamed. I didn't learn about the broccoli stems until I was in my mid 30's when I watched a girlfriend prepare broccoli for her family. I've been eating the stems ever since. Read a little about the subject of eating stalks and leaves here: whfoods.com/broccoli
Check out the nutrient profile of broccoli ... who knew? What do you do with broccoli?
Elaina Love's pizza crust recipe with Pumpkin!
We affectionately call Elaina Love's zucchini pizza crust/bread recipe "Love bread". It reminds us of her, and it's an easy way to identify one of our favorite recipes.
I recently wanted to try it with another type of squash. In the winter it's hard to justify purchasing zucchini when it's free all summer. So I purchased a sugar pumpkin for $2.50 and used it in place of the zucchini in Elaina's recipe. It turned out wonderful (with the addition of 1 tablespoon of agave syrup). It is our new winter favorite for quick veggie sandwiches and veggie burgers.
It was thick and yummy! I'm going to make a triple batch with the rest of the pumpkin!
Pumpkin Love Bread - Adapted from Recipe by Elaina Love
3 cups shredded, Peeled pumpkin
1 ½ tsp Sea sat
½ cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Agave nectar
1 cup Soaked Almonds (approx ½ before soaking for 8 hours or more)
1 cup ground Flax (about ¾ cup seeds = 1 cup ground)
Shred the pumpkin in Food processor, measure and return to food processor. Blend pumpkin, salt, oil and agave until smooth. Add the almonds, blend until smooth again. Add flax meal and stir.
If mixture is too soft, place in fridge or freezer to thicken.
Place on teflex sheets in whatever shape you want, making sure the mixture is thick (approx ¼ inch) place in dehydrator for approx 4 hours at 105 degrees. Remove from teflex sheets and dehydrate 8 or more hours. Note: One batch should fill one teflex sheet.
Have you done anything with fresh pumpkin since the holidays?
I recently wanted to try it with another type of squash. In the winter it's hard to justify purchasing zucchini when it's free all summer. So I purchased a sugar pumpkin for $2.50 and used it in place of the zucchini in Elaina's recipe. It turned out wonderful (with the addition of 1 tablespoon of agave syrup). It is our new winter favorite for quick veggie sandwiches and veggie burgers.
It was thick and yummy! I'm going to make a triple batch with the rest of the pumpkin!
Pumpkin Love Bread - Adapted from Recipe by Elaina Love
3 cups shredded, Peeled pumpkin
1 ½ tsp Sea sat
½ cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Agave nectar
1 cup Soaked Almonds (approx ½ before soaking for 8 hours or more)
1 cup ground Flax (about ¾ cup seeds = 1 cup ground)
Shred the pumpkin in Food processor, measure and return to food processor. Blend pumpkin, salt, oil and agave until smooth. Add the almonds, blend until smooth again. Add flax meal and stir.
If mixture is too soft, place in fridge or freezer to thicken.
Place on teflex sheets in whatever shape you want, making sure the mixture is thick (approx ¼ inch) place in dehydrator for approx 4 hours at 105 degrees. Remove from teflex sheets and dehydrate 8 or more hours. Note: One batch should fill one teflex sheet.
Have you done anything with fresh pumpkin since the holidays?
Tropical Green Energy Smoothie To Go
Breakfast for me is usually on the go. I enjoy my organic bedding as long as possible... So, to get to work on time, Damon usually makes smoothies for me while I am doing my "beautification" session. But, once in a while we do get up at a decent time and I am able to make a smoothie. Today's smoothie was based on ingredients we had in the kitchen. I hadn't been to the store for about 5 days and didn't think there was much. I was wonderfully surprised when I found a pineapple that I had purchased that I was waiting to ripen in the fruit basket.
I am continually amazed by the food that is kept in our home and how easy it is to make meals with fresh living foods. I remember cooked food being much more work. Every recipe that I used to cook took a trip to the store for specific ingredients, weather it was the main ingredient, the side dish or a spice. I used to go to the store every other day, if not every day. I also remember purchasing ingredients per meal, example: chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes for monday, Fish with rice and corn for tuesday, pork chops with apple sauce and salad for wednesday, etc etc. ingredients were out of control! Now I am down to shopping once a week, maybe 2 if we have special meals planned or craving something we don't usually keep in our fridge. I seem to purchase the same ingredients all the time, but we rarely eat the same meal twice. We can use cabbage and zucchini in so many ways it's amazing!
Once you switch to raw living foods and only purchase raw living foods you only eat raw living foods. Imagine that. We don't have canned or boxed processed foods in our kitchen any longer, so it's really easy not to eat them.
Here's my tropical smoothie recipe. Like all of our recipes, change things as you like. You can never make mistakes with smoothies, with the exception of Ginger with Mango... that didn't taste good to us....
Tropical fruit smoothie recipe by Toni Genaro
1/2 fresh pineapple (slice off skin only)
3 kiwi fruits
1 banana
1 tablespoon Chia seeds (soaked for at least 15 minutes in filtered water)
1 lime, skinned
approx 2 cups Spinach, lettuce (whatever greens you have....)
2 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1 tablespoon flax oil
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 cups water
1/2 tray of ice cubes
Place everything in the VitaMix and blend until smooth. The ice cubes let you blend on high longer. Otherwise your smoothies get a little warm. Makes about 8 cups. This is a rich one so only two cups will have you satisfied for hours.
So this time we want to explain the reasoning behind some of the ingredients a bit:
- Banana for texture....
- Chia seed for the ENERGY! (we had salba on hand, supposedly a finer grade of chia)
- Spinach and celery for fiber, silica and green!
- Coconut butter for essential natural fats and of course it's amazing flavor.
- Flax oil adds more essential fats as well as lubricating the eyes for those long days at the computer screen.
Enjoy eating fresh living foods! What do you do for breakfast? It is the MOST important meal of the day!
I am continually amazed by the food that is kept in our home and how easy it is to make meals with fresh living foods. I remember cooked food being much more work. Every recipe that I used to cook took a trip to the store for specific ingredients, weather it was the main ingredient, the side dish or a spice. I used to go to the store every other day, if not every day. I also remember purchasing ingredients per meal, example: chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes for monday, Fish with rice and corn for tuesday, pork chops with apple sauce and salad for wednesday, etc etc. ingredients were out of control! Now I am down to shopping once a week, maybe 2 if we have special meals planned or craving something we don't usually keep in our fridge. I seem to purchase the same ingredients all the time, but we rarely eat the same meal twice. We can use cabbage and zucchini in so many ways it's amazing!
Once you switch to raw living foods and only purchase raw living foods you only eat raw living foods. Imagine that. We don't have canned or boxed processed foods in our kitchen any longer, so it's really easy not to eat them.
Here's my tropical smoothie recipe. Like all of our recipes, change things as you like. You can never make mistakes with smoothies, with the exception of Ginger with Mango... that didn't taste good to us....
Tropical fruit smoothie recipe by Toni Genaro
1/2 fresh pineapple (slice off skin only)
3 kiwi fruits
1 banana
1 tablespoon Chia seeds (soaked for at least 15 minutes in filtered water)
1 lime, skinned
approx 2 cups Spinach, lettuce (whatever greens you have....)
2 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1 tablespoon flax oil
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 cups water
1/2 tray of ice cubes
Place everything in the VitaMix and blend until smooth. The ice cubes let you blend on high longer. Otherwise your smoothies get a little warm. Makes about 8 cups. This is a rich one so only two cups will have you satisfied for hours.
So this time we want to explain the reasoning behind some of the ingredients a bit:
- Banana for texture....
- Chia seed for the ENERGY! (we had salba on hand, supposedly a finer grade of chia)
- Spinach and celery for fiber, silica and green!
- Coconut butter for essential natural fats and of course it's amazing flavor.
- Flax oil adds more essential fats as well as lubricating the eyes for those long days at the computer screen.
Enjoy eating fresh living foods! What do you do for breakfast? It is the MOST important meal of the day!
Food away from home
Food away from home does NOT have to be an issue when you eat fresh raw food. Or should I say when you refuse to eat processed crap.....I was just having a conversation today with someone and they asked how difficult it was to stay raw. My answer was "you eat what's in the kitchen". Seriously, when I'm hungry for a snack, the only food I have to choose from is good food because that's all I purchase! Food away from home for us means packing our cooler with food from our kitchen. So again, we eat what we have. Lunch is the same thing. I work 15 minutes from our home. Damon (who works at home) often will meet me 1/2 way between our home and my work for lunch, which happens to be a beautiful spot on the Eel River. We have seen a bald eagle and watched salmon swim upstream this year! He packs a cooler with "stuff" from the fridge and we make lunch. You never know what combination of veggies there will be, but it is always fresh and yummy. You'll have to excuse the photos, they were taken with a cell phone, they are NOT up to our usual standards, but it's all we had.....
This is homemade Kimchee, Mung bean sprouts and veggies on top.
I also go to my Mom's once a month. Mom does have good food, but not my usual diet so I either bring a cooler full of fresh veggies from home or shop for fresh veggies to make some good food while I am away from home. The last weekend I spent away from home I was lucky enough to have Damon with me (that doesn't happen very often) to help with meal time. We ended up shopping because there wasn't much left at home, but we took all the food home with us so there was no extra expense. Being creative helps incredibly! We fashioned some veggies into Mexican taco and lettuce wrap and we ate like kings!
These purple cabbage tacos were served with a simple salsa and guacamole. Check out the chips. They are actually fresh zucchini that we sliced with a curve (like a Frito scoop) to pick up our dips. It was a small zucchini so they were firm.
The other meal we made away from home was the lettuce wraps. Again, using all the same veggies but switching up the ingredients we had an entirely different meal. These lettuce wraps featured our homemade sauerkraut and alfalfa sprouts from home. Sometimes it's all we have available, but it's better than nothing!
Notice the fresh sprouts. We make our own. It's SO easy, anyone can do it. My first advise is, you don't have to buy "sprouting" seeds. Any seeds (as long as they are not roasted, toasted, salted, irradiated or pasteurized) will work. Rinse them 2 times a day and watch them grow! How easy is that?
Do you do your own sprouts? Do you know how easy it is? Did you know that sprouts are more nutritious then the plants they produce? We recently found french lentils (we call them frentils) they are stocked in the bulk section of our local organic market, cost pennies to buy and make great sprouts! Do you have a favorite sprout?
This is homemade Kimchee, Mung bean sprouts and veggies on top.
I also go to my Mom's once a month. Mom does have good food, but not my usual diet so I either bring a cooler full of fresh veggies from home or shop for fresh veggies to make some good food while I am away from home. The last weekend I spent away from home I was lucky enough to have Damon with me (that doesn't happen very often) to help with meal time. We ended up shopping because there wasn't much left at home, but we took all the food home with us so there was no extra expense. Being creative helps incredibly! We fashioned some veggies into Mexican taco and lettuce wrap and we ate like kings!
These purple cabbage tacos were served with a simple salsa and guacamole. Check out the chips. They are actually fresh zucchini that we sliced with a curve (like a Frito scoop) to pick up our dips. It was a small zucchini so they were firm.
The other meal we made away from home was the lettuce wraps. Again, using all the same veggies but switching up the ingredients we had an entirely different meal. These lettuce wraps featured our homemade sauerkraut and alfalfa sprouts from home. Sometimes it's all we have available, but it's better than nothing!
Notice the fresh sprouts. We make our own. It's SO easy, anyone can do it. My first advise is, you don't have to buy "sprouting" seeds. Any seeds (as long as they are not roasted, toasted, salted, irradiated or pasteurized) will work. Rinse them 2 times a day and watch them grow! How easy is that?
Do you do your own sprouts? Do you know how easy it is? Did you know that sprouts are more nutritious then the plants they produce? We recently found french lentils (we call them frentils) they are stocked in the bulk section of our local organic market, cost pennies to buy and make great sprouts! Do you have a favorite sprout?
Dominic Says goodbye
Today's post is dedicated to a very brave Elaina Love who had to say goodbye to her only son yesterday. Here is a copy of the email I received with the sad news.
Dear Friends,
It is with great sadness that we send this final announcement about Dominic, as posted today by his mother Elaina.
"Dominic Angelo left his earthly body today. He passed peacefully and with dignity. I shared his last conscious moments with him at 3am when he got up to get his backpack to tell me he was going on a trip. He hugged me and my sister and niece for a long while, then lay back down and never woke up again until the end to let go of his last breath at 3:23 PM January 5th."
Memorial Service for Dominic Angelo is Thursday the 7th at 2pm at The George Mark Lane, San Leandro, CA 94578, 510-346-1290. All are welcome.
My love and prayers go out to Elaina and her family for the long journey of mourning ahead.
Toni & Damon from wewantraw.com
Dear Friends,
It is with great sadness that we send this final announcement about Dominic, as posted today by his mother Elaina.
"Dominic Angelo left his earthly body today. He passed peacefully and with dignity. I shared his last conscious moments with him at 3am when he got up to get his backpack to tell me he was going on a trip. He hugged me and my sister and niece for a long while, then lay back down and never woke up again until the end to let go of his last breath at 3:23 PM January 5th."
Memorial Service for Dominic Angelo is Thursday the 7th at 2pm at The George Mark Lane, San Leandro, CA 94578, 510-346-1290. All are welcome.
My love and prayers go out to Elaina and her family for the long journey of mourning ahead.
Toni & Damon from wewantraw.com
