RAW Living and Learning

One of my favorite blogs is Lisa's Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!) I made three of her amazing recipes she posted on December 19th . Her "Nut Nog" is so delicious and I enjoyed every last drop. I read the ingredients in her recipe, knew they would make a killer nog, threw everything in the blender and chugged it down in about 4 seconds flat! It was absolutely delicious. See her recipe here . Nut Nog The second recipe of hers that I just had to make was Marinated Broccoli and Mushrooms. I made a version of Marinated Broccoli and Tomato. I didn't have mushrooms so I improvised and came up with this. You can see Lisa's recipe for Marinated Broccoli and Mushrooms here . I used sun dried tomatoes that I had just purchased and they were begging me to eat them. Here is my variation to her recipe: Marinated Broccoli and Tomatoes 10 organic sun dried tomatoes, preservative free, soaked and sliced 1 bunch of organic broccoli, chopped and stems peeled and diced 2 T Pine...

I just love this salad so much that I decided to have it as my main course for Christmas Eve dinner. I will make numerous other sides but this salad will be center stage; it even looks festive. I love the combination of collard greens and Swiss chard. The chard is tender and earthy and the collards add some texture and depth. They are enhanced with the sweetness and tartness of the  fresh apple and dried cranberries. RAW Swiss Chard and Collard Christmas Eve Salad RAW Swiss Chard and Collard Christmas Eve Salad 1 bunch swiss chard, thinly sliced 4 large collard leaves, stems removed and thinly sliced pinch of sea salt 1 T first cold pressed EVOO fresh lime juice, from 1/2 of a lime 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 2 T raw sesame seeds, soaked 2 hours and drained 1 T dried white onion flakes 1 red delicious apple, skin on and diced 1/2 C fruit juice infused dried cranberries or dried cherries Directions: Mix the chard, collards, salt, and oil in a large bowl. Gently ...

I posted about my transition to the raw living foods lifestyle and talked about it being my one year anniversary.  I then continued to add Part II , Part III ,  and now Part IV. After collecting a small library of raw cookbooks and notebooks full of recipes I got off the Internet, I was ready to officially stock my raw pantry. Again I proceeded very slowly and got only the bare minimum. I purchased about four different types of nuts and seeds, first cold pressed olive oil, local honey, coconut vinegar, coconut aminos, sea salt, coconut oil, raw honey, hemp protein powder, alcohol free vanilla extract, nori sheets, kelp noodles, blue green algae capsules, oat groats, quinoa, buckwheat, nutritional yeast (isn't raw but in several recipes), garlic, and sea vegetables. It made it so much easier to prepare the recipes now that I had things on hand. It got very frustrating running back and forth to the store each time I wanted to experiment with a new recipe. Something I learn...

Raw Snowball Cookies I am getting excited to make our raw Christmas cookies this year! I had to make a small batch early because last night we had our homeschool group's Christmas Pageant and reception.  Each family brings a platter of cookies or some type of finger food. My intention was to bring the raw cookies and a platter of Raw Pesto Zucchini Rounds but I only had the energy and the time to prepare these delightful Snowballs and a platter of gluten free/dairy free cookies for the kids. They of course gobbled up my raw Snowballs but also enjoyed their GF/DF cookies too. I was searching the web the other night for raw cookie recipes and found several. One that caught my eye was on rawfoodnation.org for Raw Carob Balls. Of course I had to play around and tweak their recipe and this is the one I came up with: Raw Snowballs 1 C raw sunflower seeds, soaked and air dried handful of apple juice sweetened dried cranberries 1/2 C dates, pitted 1 T raw honey, softened 1 tsp vanilla e...

Chinese Cabbage and Carrot Slaw I am enjoying my pummelos so much right now that I had to figure out a way to incorporate one into a recipe using the organic Chinese Cabbage I have from this weeks produce pick up.  I decided to make a very simple cabbage and carrot slaw dressed with one of my favorite raw dressings; it is more of a mustard vinaigrette. Topping the slaw is one large pummelo and a handful of dried cranberries (unsweetened but infused with apple juice). See how I peel these very seedy citrus fruits here . Pummelo Cabbage and Carrot Slaw 1 Pummelo (or grapefruit) peeled and diced 1/4 of a Chinese Cabbage, shredded 2 small carrots, shredded Handful of dried, unsweetened cranberries Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing Organic Dijon mustard Coconut vinegar EVOO cold pressed Fresh lime juice Raw honey, warm gently to liquefy Shake dressing ingredients in a glass jar with tight fitting lid. To assemble the salad : Plate the cabbage, drizzle on some of the dressing. Top the cab...

December 6th is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas . In our house we celebrate it by reading the history of St. Nicholas and stuffing stockings with goodies for the children, in rememberance of Nicholas' giving spirit. Here are 4 of the 5 Kiddos   On the Left is the Youngest who Wouldn't Pose on the Steps On the feast of St. Nicholas we tell this story of St. Nicholas who lived in the fourth century in Asia Minor: He came from a well-known wealthy family but was taught by his parents to be generous to others, especially those in need. Nicholas heard about a rich man in Myra who lost all his money when his business failed. He had three daughters all wanting to get married, but he had no money for their marriage. The father thought he would have to sell one of his daughters into slavery in order to get money for food to feed the others. But the night before the first daughter was to be sold, Nicholas tossed a small bag of gold through their open window and then vanish...

As I mentioned previously, November marked my one year anniversary transitioning to the raw living foods lifestyle. One of the first things I did after discovering the raw foods diet was search the Internet for any and all information on preparing raw foods. I filled notebooks full of recipes, that I found on the Internet. These are now my "uncook books" that I treasure. I actually wrote most of them all down by hand!! But once we purchased our laser printer, I started copying them off web sites and putting them in 3-ring binders. I was hungry for knowledge, raw food knowledge. I spent soooo many hours educating myself about this new way of life. I couldn't wait until the next meal so I could experiment with one of these amazing recipes that I found on raw foodist's blogs. I am so thankful for all of the bloggers that share their recipes and knowledge. It is like having a support group 24/7.  Speaking of support. I could not have done this if it weren't for the s...

My Ugly but Yummy Breakfast When I was transitioning to raw I knew the importance of green juices. As I began to routinely juice I began to crave "morning juice", my body was telling me just how much I needed it. I seemed to prefer it upon rising more than any other time of day. And I started to notice that I wanted smoothies in the late afternoon.  But one complaint I have read about with newbie raw foodies is having to do both, green smoothies and green juices. Many ask, why do I have to do both? Can't I just do one? I have to ask, why wouldn't you do both?? They are two entirely different things. Smoothies, green smoothies, give you the fiber and nutrients you need while juicing gives you the nutrients but not the fiber. So why would you juice you ask? Juices are a supplement for additional nutrients and they help protect the body from diseases by supplying it with the live food it needs in an easily absorbable form. Many people do not eat enough ...

Last month marked my one year anniversary living and learning the raw living foods lifestyle. How did I begin this journey? It happened as a result of the research I did for family members on healing Crohn's Disease. We have three family members with gastrointestinal issues and I needed some answers. I started snooping around on the Internet searching everything I could regarding Crohns and other IBD's. I kept seeing a repeating pattern-- proper dietary changes. First I looked into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for them and I would see many references to the Raw Foods Diet while reading through all of the information. I became curious so I decided to start researching the Raw Diet. I came across two different men who had Crohn's Disease and they both had great success with changing their diets. One of them went totally raw and the other went partially raw. Each of them taught me a great deal and I was able to take what information I needed from both of them and adapt it to...

                  Gift from a Sweet Friend, a Bowl Full of Pummelos! What is a pummelo you ask?? Well, I have posted previously about this wonderful citrus. You can read more about them here:   http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisapummel_rldn.htm My dear friend has a tree in her yard and I am fortunate enough to receive baskets full from her when they are in season. How does one eat such a fruit you ask? Well, they are LOADED with seeds. You have to cut them a certain way to avoid all of the seeds. This is the way I do it and it works great! Follow along step-by-step here: How to Cut a Pummelo Step by Step  Slice off Each End With a Long, Sharp Knife Begin to "Fillet" off the Skin Draw the Knife down in a Smooth, Sawing Motion  Make a Backwards "C" Around the Fruit Continue Removing all of the Skin Make Four Slices Around the Center Remove any Remaining Seeds from the Cut...

Grape and Pear Salad I made a dressing the other day that was so easy and very delicious. I decided to use it on three different salads. The first salad is one of my favorites. I love the combination of pear and romaine. I also tossed in some green grapes and sweet onion. The second salad started with baby spinach and was topped with a combo of fresh and dried fruits. The third salad is marinated with the dressing. I used Green Tea Kelp Noodles, some mushrooms, tomatoes, and fresh basil. I allowed it to marinate 24 hours and enjoyed a fabulous kelp noodle salad served on a bed of greens. Let's start with the dressing recipe: Easy Raw Salad Dressing In a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid combine the following: 1/3 C fresh lime or lemon juice 2 T raw honey 2 T organic Dijon (or use pure mustard powder) First Cold Pressed EVOO Pinch of dried basil or use fresh Pinch of cumin powder 2 T dried onion flakes Pinch of sea salt Pinch of fresh ground pepper Sha...

Zucchini Pasta Salad Here is a delightful zucchini pasta dish that I just loved. I am having so much fun with my new spiralizer ! I only like eating raw zucchini when it has been spiralized. It somehow changes the texture for the better. It really feels like you are eating noodles. I am in love with this dressing and had to find another recipe to use it on. Here it is: Zucchini Pasta Salad with Balsamic Dijon Dressing 1 organic green zucchini, spiralized into long thin noodles 1 organic orange bell pepper, sliced 3 scallions, sliced 2 Roma tomatoes, diced Fresh organic basil leaves, sliced Directions: Spiralize the zucchini and place on serving plate. Top the zucchini with the pepper, tomatoes, scallions and fresh basil. Drizzle on the Balsamic Dijon Dressing. Enjoy! Balsamic Dijon Dressing 1/2 C First cold pressed EVOO 1/4 C Balsamic vinegar 2 T raw honey or real Maple Syrup 1 T organic Dijon mustard 2 tsp dried onion flakes pinch of sea salt pinch of black pepper Directions...