Eat More Sprouts! Grow Them Yourself!

I mentioned the other day how grateful I am that summer is coming and therefore berries are beginning to appear at the markets. Blueberries are a favorite of mine and I adore them in salads.

This is not your traditional salad though. You know me, loads of fruit is usually involved and of course sprouts! The star green of this salad is sunflower. I added organic celery for some crunch and natural saltiness. The dressing couldn't be easier--2 bananas well blended. Top it off with some sprouted raw buckwheat and you have one amazing salad.

 

BB&G Salad

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

 

2 1/2 C sunflower greens

3 stalks of organic celery, diced

6 oz organic blueberries

2 bananas, blended well

1/3 C sprouted raw buckwheat

 

Plate the greens and add the diced celery. Sprinkle on the blueberries. In a small blender or food processor, blend the 2 bananas until creamy. Pour banana dressing over the blueberries and garnish with the sprouted buckwheat. Enjoy! Your cells will be smiling!!

 

If you haven't tried growing your own greens yet I say give it a go! It is so easy and so cheap. Once you begin you'll get hooked--and that's a good thing. You will be positively affecting your most important asset; your health!
Looking for a great tutorial, that's FREE? Here it is. No excuses--I have pasted Sproutpeople's instructions for spouting/growing just about any seed you can think of. He has videos showing you how to sprout. Just click on the type of sprout you'd like to grow down below, and scroll down that specific page a bit and you'll see his instructional video there. Have fun!! 

Keep in mind that I learned from them but chose to use recyclable materials for my sprouting vessels. For example my sprouting jars are applesauce jars that I saved and squares cut from leftover screen material act as my "lids" and I attach those with the rubber bands that I keep from Whole Foods--the ones they put on your berry and tomato containers. You do not need to purchase fancy sprouting supplies; use your imagination and safe even more money. In the beginning I used metal food trays for my sprouting trays. Once I felt comfortable sprouting/growing my own greens I upgraded to the standard black trays shown here.

 Instructions for Growing Everything: Sproutpeople

This page is here to give you another way to get to the core of Sproutpeople - our Detailed Pages.
Every seed and mix we offer (and some we don't) has such a page. They contain thorough growing instructions, videos, recipes, and much more. If you haven't seen those pages you haven't seen our site. We don't want that (I (Gil) have spent actual years writing this site. I NEED you to see those pages =;-), so here are links to get you to them.

Click the name of the seed or mix you want to grow to go to its detail page.
Click the name of a Sprouter to go to its detail page.

You can get to these same pages by using our menu bar and navigating through our links, but for those of you who like a list - here you go. Unlike much of our site, this page is alphabetically organized.

Bean Sprouts

Adzuki Beans
Beanie's Awesome Mix
Black Turtle Beans
Christmas Present
Garbanzo Beans - Beige - Large
Garbanzo Beans - Beige - Small
Garbanzo Beans - Black
Garbanzo Beans - Brown
Garbanzoid
Great Beans & Rice
Halloween Treat
Lentil - Black
Lentil - Crimson
Lentil - Eston
Lentil - French Blue
Lentil - Green
Lentil - Orange
Lentil - Pardina
Lentil - Red Chief
Lentil - White
Mung Beans
Mix #47 - Neville's Midnight Moon
Pea - Bill Jump
Pea - Green
Pea - Marrowfat
Pea - Speckled
Pea - Yellow
PeaBanzo
Pea Carnival
Peanuts
Peasant Mix
Pinto Beans
San Francisco Mix
Soy Beans
Spring Garden

Brassica Sprouts

Broccoli Sprouts
Cabbage - Green
Cabbage - Red
Hot²
Kale - Red Russian
Long Life Mix
Mustard
Radish
Tatsoi

Critter Crops

4 Legs of Love
Bird Mix - Lil' Bird
Bird Mix - Mid Bird
Bird Mix - Big Bird
Dr. Bird
Kat Grass

Exotic Sprouts

Clem's Choice - Mix #9
Dill
Fenugreek
Garlic
Hot + Sweet
Leek
Mother's Mix
Onion
Sweet Pea

Grain Sprouts

Amber Waves of Grain
Barley Sprouts
Corn - Blue
Corn - Yellow
Kamut
Millet
Oats
Oats and Groats
Rice - Brown
Rice - Red Thai
Rice - Wehani
Rice - Wild
Rye
Spelt
Triticale
Wheat

Grass

Barley Grass
Kat Grass
Oat Grass
Rye Grass
Spelt Grass
Triticale Grass
Wheat Grass

Greens

Buckwheat Lettuce
Mesclun Mix (a thing of the past)
Nalo Greens
Pea Shoots
Popcorn Shoots
Spicy Salad Greens
Sunflower Greens

Leafy Sprouts

Alfalfa
Clover
French Garden
Italian Blend
Mother's Mix
Moo Mix
Nick's Hot Sprout Salad
Oriental Greens
Russian Mix
Spicy Mix

Micro-Greens

Arugula
Broccoli Greens
Bruno's Indoor Garden
Cabbage Patch
Celery Greens
Chia
Cress - Curly
Flax Greens
Garlic Chives
Kale Micros
Leafy Micros
Mizuna
Mustards Greens
Spring Onion
Tatsoi
Turnip Greens

Nuts, Seeds & Pseudograins

Almonds
Amaranth
Buckwheat Groats
Hemp
Madison Market Mix
Peanuts
Pumpkin
Quinoa
Sesame - Black
Sesame - Natural
Sunflower Seeds

Sprouters

Bio-Set
Bio-Salad
Easy Sprout
Hemp Bag
Jar Sprouter
Miniature Garden
SproutMaster 5x6
SproutMaster 8x10
Trays
Tube Sprouter

The Basics of Sprouting:

• Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
• Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
• Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
• Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
• Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
• Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
• Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
• Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
• Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!

Here is the link to their website http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/grow/instructions.html

Welcome to Sproutpeople University!
We call this class Sprouting 101

If you pay attention you will learn the most basic truths of sprouting - according to us Sproutpeople.

The Basics of Sprouting:

• Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
• Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
• Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
• Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
• Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
• Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
• Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
• Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
• Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!

Click the links below for a thorough education, in each area of study.

Seed Storage

Dormant seeds can last for centuries - or weeks. Learn what you can do to keep them viable for as long as possible.

Seed Prep

Though it is not always necessary, it is always a good idea to Prep your seeds before you Soak them.

Soaking

Dry seeds are dormant.

Soaking a seed ends it's dormancy and begins a new life.
In nature this seed will make a plant which can, in turn make seeds, which can in turn make more plants, which can make More Seeds which make More Plants and more and More and MORE!

We eat all this potential. Its no wonder sprouts are SO nutritious!

REMEMBER: Once a seed has soaked up it's fill of water, it is Alive! It is now a nutritional phenomenon, with its own enzymes - it will take nothing but will only add to your body. We are used to sprouts having tails, but they don't have to. You can eat any soaked seed and know that you are giving your body an amazing nutritional gift.

Rinsing

Given proper moisture a seed will germinate.

Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to our sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture our sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.

The Sproutpeople's Principals of Rinsing:

Use cool water (60-70°F)
Use a lot of water
Use high pressure water whenever possible.
Rinse 2-3 times daily.

Draining

The Sproutpeople's Principals of Draining:

Drain as much of the Rinse water
out of your sprouts
as is humanly possible.

Be Thorough!

Air Circulation

In between Rinse and Drain cycles your sprouts do their growing. During that time it is essential that they can breathe. The best sprouting devices help them breathe, but you need to pay some attention too. There isn't much to it - sprouts can grow just about anywhere - as long as they can breathe, but don't have so much air movement that they dry out between Rinses.

We set our sprouter on our kitchen counter. We don't mind the diffuse sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light. Light just does not matter much. A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, and they need to breathe - so don't hide your sprouts!

Greening

On the day your Sprouts are ready to take in light - when their cotyledons (leaves) have shed their hulls or are about to - allow your sprouts light - if you've been keeping it from them. If you grow them - like we do - where light is already available, just watch the magic (it'll take a couple days so you might want to grab a sandwich if you plan on watching every moment @:-)

If you are Growing Grass or Greens you will have kept the light away most likely, so now is the time to uncover them. When you see them growing tall (an inch or so for Grass and 1-2 inches for Greens) but yellow (sans chlorophyll), uncover the container and move it to a well lit location.

Planting

Some of the crops we offer can or must be planted on soil or another moisture retaining medium. Click to learn all about planting.

When Are They Done?

You will find the answer to this question on each and every seed "detail" page. Follow that link, click the seed category (ie - if you're looking for Alfalfa, click Leafy), then click the name of the seed you want to know about (ie - once on the Leafy page, click Alfalfa). You may also use our new (is 2010 still new?) "Back Door" to those same detail pages.

De-Hulling

De-hulling is the process of removing hulls (seed coats) from your finished sprouts.

We don't de-hull much. We never bother with Beans, we brush what we can off of our Greens - and since we grow our Leafy sprouts vertically, the hulls fall off naturally as we rinse. The only sprouts we always de-hull are Brassicas.

Storing your Harvest

Before moving your sprouts to that big cool box in your kitchen, they should be dry to the touch. In most cases we let our sprouts sit for 8-12 hours after their final Rinse, and extremely thorough Drain before we refrigerate them, but if our salad spinner can contain them, we use it.

Sprouter Cleanliness

You should thoroughly clean your Sprouter as often as you can. We wash thoroughly with soap and water between crops, or use the dishwasher (if the sprouter can take it). It is always best to have a clean Sprouter - that way your crop will have a head start. You can sterilize your Sprouter too - and you should - especially if you start having crop failures.

Travel Sprouting

It isn't actually a basic element of sprouting, but if you are lucky enough to be on the road, we'll tell you how to keep on sproutin'


+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for great insructors.

Super Simple Sandwiches

 

One of my favorite raw breads has to be Lisa's raw onion bread. I make a few changes but it is about the same process. I add about 2 cups of leftover carrot pulp from our carrot juice and she uses just 2 shredded carrots. I prefer the texture you get when using carrot pulp; it gives it a more bread-like texture. I also omit the salt and use less oil, substituting flax oil for her olive oil.
Here is Lisa's recipe from Rawon10.com, with my adjustments put in parenthesis:

 

1 cup ground flax seeds

1 cup water

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, grated (I use 2 C carrot pulp)

1 teaspoon salt (I omit)

3 tablespoons olive oil (I use 1 T Flax oil)

Mix together the ground flax seeds and water. Let sit for several minutes to gel. Slice the onions very thinly and grate the carrots (I used the food processor for both). Stir together and add the salt. Spread out on lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for about an hour. When top is a bit dry to the touch, flip and continue drying on the other side. Let dry another couple hours until dry but not brittle. I used kitchen scissors to cut the bread into shapes.

 Making raw bread, for me, is not an exact science. You just toss in ingredients and mix until you get the consistency you like when spreading it onto the dehydrator's Teflex sheets. I like how each and every batch turns out a little bit different.

 

 Here is my post about making her bread along with a spinach guacamole dip recipe of mine.

 

To top my sandwiches I simply sliced one small Haas avocado and added thinly sliced tomatoes, garnishing with my homegrown broccoli sprouts. Super simple!

Having a stash of this amazing raw bread in the freezer is a must. So when I make a batch I use all 5 trays in my Excalibur dehydrator. That way I have enough raw bread for months. I only eat it about two-three times a month. It keeps well in the freezer and thaws out in less than 5 minutes.

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for an organized garage....still in progress, but coming along nicely.

Berries are Coming into Season

I get so excited when I start to see organic berries in the store. I know summer is on its way and that means time to enjoy a whole new season of organic fruits and vegetables. I have been a bit on berry overload the past few weeks but hey, that isn't a bad thing. Most of us know that berries are power houses of nutrition and antioxidants. Berries do a body good! Right?? I have been incorporating berries into a ton of recipes these past few weeks and will be sharing many of them with you. Two stars shine in this raw soup, dandelion greens and organic blueberries.

Dandelion Soup

 

For this raw soup the star green was dandelion. Dandelion is probably one of the first greens, next to kale that I added to my diet the moment I went raw. Star quality this green has (note the Vitamin K content below). Have you ever researched the nutritional content of your food? Once you begin it can become a habit. Knowing the nutritional content of what you are eating is very empowering. As I'm eating now I tend to think about all of the benefits the foods have and how they will be working in my body to nourish, detox and heal. It has made eating a joy for me where years ago it was more of a chore. I didn't enjoy preparing cooked foods very much, it seemed like a ton of work. Preparing raw, whole foods is so simple and quick that I now have the time to actually enjoy my food and focus on the nutritional benefits. Take a look at this chart listing the nutrition facts in just one cup of dandelion greens. Remember that my smoothie and soup recipes usually contain 3 cups of greens, so you will actually be getting 3x this much nutrition.

Source: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts-compare.php

 

Nutrition Facts Dandelion Greens Raw Serving Size 55g Calories 25 % Daily Value* Total Fat 0.39g 1%     Saturated Fat 0.094g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 42mg 2% Total Carbohydrate 5.1g 2%     Dietary Fiber 1.9g 8%     Sugar 0.4g ~ Protein 1.5g ~ Vitamin A 112% • Vitamin C 32% Calcium 10% • Iron 10% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Vitamins   %DV Vitamin A 5588.55IU 112%     Retinol equivalents 279.4μg ~     Retinol 0μg ~     Alpha-carotene 199.65μg ~     Beta-carotene 3219.7μg ~     Beta-cryptoxanthin 66.55μg ~ Vitamin C 19.25mg 32% Vitamin E 1.89mg 9% Vitamin K 428.12μg 535% Vitamin B12 0μg 0% Thiamin 0.105mg 7% Riboflavin 0.143mg 8% Niacin 0.443mg 2% Pantothenic acid 0.046mg 0% Vitamin B6 0.138mg 7% Folate 14.85μg 4%     Folic Acid 0μg ~     Food Folate 14.85μg ~     Dietary Folate Equivalents 14.85μg ~ Choline 19.42mg ~ Lycopene 0μg ~ Lutein+zeazanthin 7485.5μg ~ Minerals   %DV Calcium 102.85mg 10% Iron 1.71mg 10% Magnesium 19.8mg 5% Phosphorus 36.3mg 4% Sodium 42mg 2% Potassium 218.35mg 6% Zinc 0.23mg 2% Copper 0.094mg 5% Manganese 0.188mg 9% Selenium 0.28μg 0% Water 47.08g ~ Ash 0.99g ~ Stats Percent of Daily Calorie Target (2000 calories) 1.25% Percent Water Composition 85.6% Protein to Carb Ratio (g/g) 0.29g

* Percent Daily Values are for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet.
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20.
Each "~" denotes a missing value.

Read more at http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts-compare.php#voUAlIVC8XKeCss1.99

Dandelion Soup

Serves 3 or 1 hungry foodie (I eat the whole batch)
by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

3 organic bananas
1/4 oz frozen mango
1 T freshly ground flax seeds
3 C dandelion greens
a few drops of vanilla
water for blending, adjust for your desired consistency
Garnish: 6 oz fresh, organic blueberries
Directions:
In a blender, blend all of the ingredients, except the blueberries. Pour into a bowl and garnish with the fresh blueberries. Enjoy!

You can be thinking of these positive benefits while munching on the garnish for this yummy soup:
(source: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/fruits/blueberry.php )

Health Benefits of Blueberries:

• Increased Immune Function
• Protection Against Heart Disease
• Alzheimer's Protection
• Osteoporosis Protection
• Antioxidant Protection
• Prevention of Epileptic Seizures
• Prevention of Alopecia (Spot Baldness)
Packed with antioxidants, blueberries have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, alleviate the effects of Alzheimer's, and may help prevent urinary tract infections. Furthermore, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonols, and tannins found in blueberries have been shown to inhibit cancer cell development.
*Some of these health benefits are due to the nutrients highly concentrated in Blueberries, and may not necessarily be related to Blueberries.

 
Read more at http://www.healthaliciousness.com/fruits/blueberry.php#HAx3AhWveQo3CJXB.99

Also wanted to share this juicer giveaway contest. Click this link to enter!!
http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/bella-nutripro-cold-press-juicer-review-and-giveaway


+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for AMAZINGLY good news from my Mom ;)

How Do You Get Your Selenium?

Selenium is an important trace mineral that I never gave any thought to, up until now. Have some time to read a few medical studies on the subject? Click on this link!

It wasn't until I began my new health journey 4 years ago that I truly learned about proper nutrition.  I am learning more and more each day about essential nutrients our bodies need. But the important thing that I have discovered along the way is that we must find ways to get these nutrients in their natural state whenever possible. Easy to do IF you follow a plant based diet, right? Well not always; there are so many sources out there trying to convince you that their supplement is THE WAY to go. It is easy to get confused and sucked into their persuasive claims. Keep it simple and then things look much clearer. I say try nature first--simple whole foods in their unadulterated state.
For instance, Selenium. By simply consuming 2 Brazil nuts a day one can get their dose of this crucial element. The easiest way I have found to remember my nuts is to pop them into the morning smoothie. Here is a delicious recipe that the entire family will enjoy. I add 2 Brazil nuts per serving. So in this recipe, which serves 5, I added 10 Brazil nuts. Make sure you are using raw, unsalted Brazil nuts--never use roasted/salted.

Selenium Rich Green Smoothie

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com
(serves 5)

10 Raw, unsalted Brazil nuts
2 T chia seeds
1 C purified water
1 C dandelion greens
3-5 large leaves of purple kale
6 frozen bananas
1 C frozen peaches
1 capful alcohol-free, vanilla or a vanilla bean

Blend everything in a high speed blender and enjoy!

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for tomato plants spontaneously growing in my square foot garden!

5 Drawbacks to Being Vegan

I read this article this morning and it put a smile on my face. It is so true, everything that Patti stated, I just had to chuckle out loud. Hope you enjoy it too! At the bottom of the post I share my easy vegan salad recipe for  Greened Up Apple Salad.

Five Drawbacks to Being a Vegan

Patti Breitman | 04/18/13

What do vegans complain about when they are among themselves?  I thought it was time to go public with the private thoughts of many vegans.
Bathroom Blues
Whereas most people we know can flip through a magazine or check their email while on the toilet, vegan food is so high in fiber, we don’t spend enough time in the bathroom to get any reading done.  Despite going sometimes two or more times a day, we are on and off the seat in no time, and there is no reading in the john for us.  Also, we spend more than non-vegans on toilet paper, which we use at a rate that would shock the people who keep laxatives in their medicine cabinet.  You might say we are number one at number two. But it’s not something we can talk about in polite company.
No Second Helpings
At gatherings where food is served family style and non-vegans are in the majority, the vegan dishes are always among the most popular.  Hence, when we go back for another serving of the vegan lasagna, the salad that doesn’t have cheese in it, or the vegan brownies, they are invariably gone.  We would love to take another helping at the pot luck dinners and picnic lunches, but the vegan food seldom lasts as long as the meat and dairy offerings.  If you are reading this, please bring a vegan dish to your next event.
Stuck in the Middle
Statistically, vegans are more slender than our meat eating friends. So when five people ride in one car, we are usually designated as the middle passenger in the back seat. We don’t mind too, too much. But just once in a while we would like to ride shotgun.   Drivers: Please dig out that middle seat belt for us before we are cheek to cheek with the other two passengers.
Indecision                              
Vegans have too many options when we buy milk.  We have to decide if we want almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, rice/soy combinations, coconut milk or hemp milk. And as if that’s not enough, we have to choose among vanilla, chocolate, original, no sugar added or enriched. So while our hearts are breaking for the cows and their babies, we are sometimes befuddled by the variety of non dairy milks that leave us breathless with indecision.
Hearing Confession
When people know that we are vegan, they feel compelled to tell us what they ate at their most recent meal.  Frequently, vegans are thrust into the role of confessor as friends confide in us, “I hardly ever eat red meat any more,” or “I thought of you last night;  I had the most wonderful salad with my dinner. Oops, I did eat fish.”   And while we try hard to be supportive of any move toward more conscious eating, we really wish these people would imitate us rather than confess to us.  I suppose it’s a good thing that others seek our approval and our blessing, as it probably means that they think we’re on the right path.  But we want to tell these people: It’s a wide enough path for everyone!  Join us!
- - - - -
Author Patti Breitman’s next book, co-authored with Carol J. Adams, and Virginia Messina, is Never Too Late To Go Vegan; The Over 50 Guide to Adopting and Thriving

Greened Up Apple Salad

 

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

 

Serves 1

 

2 Organic pink lady apples, diced

1/4 C organic raisins, soak for 30 min. then drain

3 large organic romaine leaves, torn

2 organic purple kale leaves, torn

1/2 C organic parsley, rough chop

2 T raw pine nuts

sprinkle of cinnamon

Dressing: Juice of 1 organic lemon, zest of the same lemon, 1 tsp raw honey (optional, if you are a strict vegan)

Whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over salad and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Enjoy the simple goodness!

 

 

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for organic berries popping up at the store--berry recipes to come!

Satisfying My Craving for Mexican Cuisine

Every now and then I get a really bad craving for Mexican food. Of course I do not crave the sour cream, cheese, or animal flesh aspect of this type of food but I crave the general flavor that Mexican food has. So when that craving strikes I have two go-to recipes and this is one of them.
 I adore raw corn combined with tomato and cilantro. Add some cumin, hot sauce, a few other ingredients and I say, let's eat some RAW, vegan Mexican cuisine. It is basically a spruced up salsa that can be served two ways.

Let's get started with the veggies. I soaked my onion in some raw apple cider vinegar and water because it was really strong. Drain off the soak water and discard or keep for a non-toxic window cleaner. And I always soak the sun dried tomatoes in some purified water for about an hour, to plump them up.

 Next I used the food processor to chop the grape tomatoes. I added those to a mixing bowl with the raw corn.

Next step is to chop the cilantro in the food processor along with the white onion.

Finely dice the sun dried tomato with a very sharp knife and add those plus the onion and cilantro to the mixing bowl.

Lastly add some cumin and hot sauce to taste, and stir well.

You could serve this dish two ways. One way is to slice up 2 large cucumbers and use them as your "chips" to scoop up this amazing mixture.

Or you could stuff some raw red, yellow or orange peppers. I actually had it both ways!

Loaded Salsa

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

2 C organic Grape Tomatoes
1/2 C raw organic corn, cut off cob
1 small sweet white onion
6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in water for 1 hour--drain well
1 C fresh cilantro
cumin to taste
hot sauce to taste (technically not raw--could use red pepper flakes)
2 organic cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1-2 organic red, yellow or orange bell peppers, cut in half and remove seeds

Directions:
With a sharp knife cut the corn off the cob. Next, in a small food processor, pulse chop the grape tomatoes. Pour the tomatoes and corn into a mixing bowl. Next pulse chop the white onion in food processor adding cilantro last and pulse a few times. Add these to the mixing bowl. Using a sharp knife, finely chop the sun dried tomatoes, add to mixing bowl. Add some cumin and hot sauce to taste, stir all of the ingredients well. Serve with cucumber rounds as a salsa dip or stuff the bell peppers with the loaded salsa. Enjoy!


+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for family night out this past weekend. We all were together celebrating hubby's birthday. Happy Birthday honey!

Raw Asian Marinade

I just love marinated mushrooms. A recipe like this is so easy to put together and it yields an amazingly satisfying and delicious dish every time. I think that is why I make it so frequently. I really like the baby portabellas, but any mushroom would work great in this marinade.

Raw Asian Marinade

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

Marinade
3T Coconut Aminos
1 T Sesame oil
1 tsp Coconut Granules
Juice of 1 lime
2 small cloves of garlic, pressed
Onion powder to taste

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the following vegetables:

Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 bag of Trader Joe's snow pea pods, sliced diagonally
1 organic carrot cut into match sticks
Allow vegetables to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Enjoy! 

Garnish: raw white and black sesame seeds

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for Holy Week and the many hours I have spent peacefully and prayerfully praising The man who laid His life down for me--a poor sinner! Tomorrow we celebrate His Resurrection with great joy and thanksgiving. Wishing you a very beautiful and blessed Easter Season.

Grow Your Own Food

Here is a quick post...I wanted to share this great video to get you pumped up for growing your own food this Spring and Summer!! Be forewarned he swears a bit. Not too vulgar yet it is swearing.
Great video none the less. Really worth watching--This man is making a difference in his own community and it is so inspiring.
http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/growing-your-own-food-is-like-printing-your-own-money-video

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for helpful reminders!

Quick Raw Soup Recipe

Well I am sharing yet another raw soup recipe. I have been on a soup kick I guess. But this recipe is really, really good and I hope you can give it a try. It only requires 4 main ingredients and comes together so quickly. I have added an optional ingredient if you need to get selenium into your diet--3 raw Brazil nuts. They lend a yummy creamy texture to the soup too!
I garnished the soup with some fresh, home grown sunflower greens. If you have been reading over my blog you know that I LOVE my sprouts. I always have at least 3 varieties sprouting each day, sometimes more.
If you need information on how to sprout and grow sunflower greens you can look at some of my previous posts. Here is a basic one on sprouting and growing. And here is a picture of the black sprouting trays I currently use. I purchased them at Ace but my father found some at Home Depot as well. Of course you can always order them on line if you prefer. When I first started out I just used a disposable Hefty pan that I had in the house. I posted about it here. The point is to keep it simple so that you'll DO IT. That is what I have found to be very helpful for me--keep it simple.

Carrot Apple Pear Soup

by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

2 organic pears, rough chop
6 organic carrots, rough chop
1 organic apple, rough chop
3 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 30-60min till soft
1/8 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 C purified water or more to blend
3 raw Brazil nuts, ground into a powder in coffee grinder (optional)

Garnish: Sunflower greens

Directions:
Place all of the soup ingredients into a high speed bender, adding the water first. Blend to your desired texture and garnish with sunflower greens or edible flowers would be nice too.
Enjoy!


+JMJ+Today I am grateful for accomplishing a daunting task. Relief!

Collard Burritos

I do love my collard wrap burritos! Putting one together is a breeze and the result is nothing less than fantastic. They are so satisfying and delicious. The fresh mint is key in this particular wrap. It tastes just amazing with the other ingredients. Here is how my collard wrap burrito came together:

 

Raw Burrito

by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

 

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced length wise

1 Kumato tomato, sliced

1 small Haas avocado

Juice of 1/2 lemon

4 fresh mint leaves, chopped (must have! so good!!)

1 C sunflower greens

1/2 C broccoli sprouts

Collard leaves for wrap, remove stems or shave flat with knife

To assemble: Lay out ingredients flat on the collard wrap, careful not to overload, and roll up tightly just like a burrito. Cut in half--Enjoy!

 

+JMJ+Today I am grateful for realizing priorities.

Spinach Mango Soup with Keylime Kream

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. I had a bit of leftover green smoothie from the children's morning batch, and decided to use it as inspiration for my lunch-- a fruity green soup. Their smoothie was simply banana, Power to the Greens, and frozen mango. For the soup I decided to add to the leftover smoothie some baby spinach, a bit more frozen mango and freshly ground flax seeds to thicken. How to garnish?? I have had key lime pie on the brain lately so I made a deliciously creamy key lime kream sauce. Key lime kream sounded like a perfect thing to drizzle on top of this vibrant green soup. The tangy contrast of the limes complimented the sweetness of the mango and banana in the soup so perfectly. This soup was so yummy I was sad to see my bowl empty. I'll be making another batch tomorrow!

Spinach Mango Soup with Keylime Kream

by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

2 fully ripe, peeled bananas (skin must be covered in brown freckles)

1/2 C Power to the Greens (Trader Joes)

2 C baby spinach, organic

1 T freshly ground, organic flax seeds

1/2 C frozen mango

Blend the above ingredients in the blender, adding water if needed, until it becomes smooth and slightly thick. Pour into a large bowl.

 

Now add the following to a smaller, personal-size blender or small food processor:

Juice of 2 limes, include the pulp

1 very small Haas avocado

1 small capful of vanilla, alcohol-free

2 packets of "SweetLeaf" natural stevia sweetener

water for blending

Blend the ingredients until thick and creamy, adding water a tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Drizzle over the soup and Enjoy!!

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for family movies...we watched some last night and it is scary how much you can forget when you are so busy raising and educating your children. So much of the babies early months are just a blur to me, I must have been so caught up in child rearing, trying to do everything just right, that some of the precious little moments, faces, and voices need to be brought back to my memory via home movies and photographs. For both of these I am truly grateful.

Carrot Juice with a Twist

This is the twist--kale.

 

Certain members of our household adore raw kale and we try to use it in just about everything. Today we added it to our carrot apple lemonade that we make routinely. If you want to get veggies into your kids, give this juice a try. It is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream because the fiber is not present. They'll get a blast of nutrients that require almost no digestion. Juices that have greens in them are very cleansing so ease newbies into this slowly by diluting the juice with a little bit of purified water. A good ratio to start would be 50/50 for those new to green juices. Each week decrease the water to juice ratio until you reach 100% juice!

Here are the ingredients:

Carrot Juice with a Twist

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com


12-13 large, organic carrots
1 organic apple, I use the entire thing!
1 organic lemon, use two if small
3-4 large stalks of organic kale, stems and all

Run all of the ingredients through the juicer and ENJOY!
Note: For those new to green juices, dilute the juice with some water and slowly, over several weeks of juicing, add less and less water until you are drinking 100% juice. I find that children who are new to fresh juices, even those without greens, do best in the beginning with diluted juices. Their bodies will adjust to the cleansing properties of the juice and within a few weeks of regular juicing they will be able to handle 100% fresh juice.



+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for children who squeal when they see me getting the juicer out!!

RAW Lime Pudding

Today I wanted to share a more indulgent raw vegan recipe with you. The inspiration came when I spotted a very fresh looking Young Thai coconut at our local Wally World (Wal-Mart).
I was wanting something similar to key lime pie but didn't want to make a nut crust, which would make it an even higher fat recipe, so I went with a lime pudding. First I hacked open the coconut and strained the water from inside. I knew right away this would be my electrolyte filled soak water for the dates that I wanted to use to sweeten it. I store my Medjool dates in the refrigerator which makes them hard, that is why I like to soak them before using in recipes. Be sure to save the extra coconut water in case you need it for blending. I drank the remaining extra water--so delicious! Here is how the rest of the recipe came together...making it up as I went along. That is the fun of raw foods; no real measuring or rules involved. It really was fantastic, if I say so myself. I hope you get a chance to try my recipe.

 

RAW Lime Pudding

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

1 Young Thai coconut

1 Haas avocado, organic

Juice of 2-3 limes, according to your taste

4 Medjool dates, pitted

1 truly ripe banana

1/2 C raw baby spinach

1/2 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract

Open the Young Thai coconut, pour the water through a fine mesh strainer. This will be used as the soak water for the dates and also in the pudding if needed. In a glass dish cover the dates with just enough coconut water and allow to soak 30-60 minutes. Reserve remaining coconut water for pudding. Next scoop out all of the coconut meat and place in a blender along with the dates and soak water. Add the lime juice and begin blending the meat until smooth. Now add the avocado, baby spinach, vanilla extract and banana, blend well. If too thick keep adding the extra coconut water slowly until your desired consistency is reached. Garnish with a lime slice and ENJOY!

+JMJ+Today I am grateful for special information being laid in my lap.

Raw Green Soup

We've had some mighty scary things happening around here and therefore things have been quiet on the blogging end. My Mom had a very serious situation and I can't tell you how afraid I was. My only salvation was knowing that I was not alone, none of us in the family were. We had Christ right by our side leading us and guiding us through this very difficult time. Fear was there but so too was comfort; knowing that God was in control. Deep down I just knew things were going to be okay. We had the support of many friends and family members praying for her and my Dad, and I am happy to say that she is home recovering and doing well--praise God!!

I have been playing around with some new recipes that have been popping into my head. Raw soups have been my focus lately and here is a recipe that just came together one day and turned out to be amazing.

RAW Green Soup

by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com

1 Haas avocado
juice of 1 lemon
1 zucchini
2 small cucumbers
1/2 C spinach
1/2 C sunflower greens
a few sprigs of fresh dill
1/8 C organic sweet onion
1 clove organic garlic, remove inner green "sprout"
purified, alkaline water to blend
Garnish:
diced, organic grape tomatoes
diced sweet onion
broccoli sprouts
Option: Convert to Energy Soup by adding freshly ground flax seeds and some Dulse flakes!

In a high speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

+JMJ+ Today I am grateful that my Mommy is ok!!!+