RAW Living and Learning

Elizabeth's Sea Vegetable Salad Lunch yesterday was a fabulous salad made with loads of fresh vegetables and  sea vegetables. I used the Creamy Thai Dressing from yesterday's salad dressing post. I decided to use the red pepper flakes instead of the Thai bird chilies. I like things slightly spicy, not overly spicy. The red pepper flakes gave it just the right amount of heat. I enjoyed this salad so much, I was tempted to lick my plate when it was all gone! If you are trying sea vegetables for the first time you may want to use less than I did in my recipe. I really adore them so my recipe has quite a bit. Alter it to your tastes and I'm sure it will be fantastic. Below the recipe I have pasted an excellent article outlining the wonderful health benefits of sea vegetables. It also points out the one sea vegetable you should steer clear of. Please read it and educate yourself. You will be truly amazed at how healthful these plants are. Here is ...

Today I would like to share some really great raw salad dressings. Wait, aren't all salad dressings considered raw? No they are not. Remember, you have to be very careful about the ingredients you use. Raw salad dressings are as unprocessed as possible. Using ingredients that are as close as possible to their natural state. That is why I choose first cold pressed olive oils, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and coconut vinegar, fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits. You get the picture. But keep in mind sometimes I will use a small amount of ingredients that may not be truly raw. For example, real maple syrup is heated to reduce the amount of water content and to make the syrup into what it is when we purchase it in jars. And I am pretty sure balsamic vinegar is not raw. I still love the taste sometimes in dressings so I don't mind using a tiny amount. I am not an extreme raw foodist . If I choose to eat something that is not raw I am fine with that. Keep it simple or ...

Basic Avocado Salad The other day I just wanted something really basic and easy for dinner. This salad hit the spot and was very satisfying too. I have been able to get the most wonderful avocados lately. I try to only eat one per week or one every two weeks even. Then there are times that I will go months without wanting any. Funny. Here is my simple yet tasty recipe. Enjoy! Basic Avocado Salad 1 organic avocado, diced 1/4 of a red onion, diced 6-8 grape tomatoes, cut in half handful of cilantro, chopped lemon basil, chopped 2 C sunflower sprouts 3 T First cold pressed EVOO 1 T Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar juice from half of a lime Put the sunflower sprouts on a plate. Top them with the vegetables and fresh herbs. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the EVOO , vinegar and lime juice. Pour dressing over salad. Enjoy! ~ JMJ ~ Tod ay I am grateful for simplicity. The simple things in life always seem to make me smile; this salad actually did tha...

Romaine with Apples and Pummelo So what is a pummelo / pomelo ??? Read about them here: http://en. wikipedia .org/wiki/ Pomelo I love starting the day with salads. They are very refreshing to me in the morning and really make me feel good. I usually like a sweeter salad early in the day versus a savory. I make many variations of these  pummelo salads. When pummelos are in season I am fortunate enough to have some very dear friends who share them with me. They have a large tree in their yard and they bring me pumelos often. It is such a treat and I adore them. I actually prefer pummelos to grapefruit. Here is a simple morning salad that you can of course enjoy any time of day. If you do not have access to pummelos just use a really good grapefruit! Romaine with Apples and Pummelo 1/2 a head of romaine, cut up 1 red apple, diced 1 grapefruit or pummelo , cut into bite size pieces shredded raw coconut, soaked 1/4 C raisins, soaked 3 hours Fresh lemon thyme, cho...

Banana Kiwi Granola Crumble I used some of my buckwheat krispies on this crumble. Buckwheat krispies are simply raw buckwheat that has been soaked 6-8 hours in filtered water. Then you rinse and drain the buckwheat and dehydrate it at 104 degress for 3-5 hours. Store them in an airtight container in your pantry. They added a great crunch to this dish. I loved how the granola turned out. It has sprouted quinoa, wheat berries and walnuts. I think I may have posted this granola previously. Here is the recipe: Banana Kiwi Granola Crumble 1  ripe organic banana, sliced 2 organic kiwis, peeled and sliced handful of fresh organic blueberries fresh lemon thyme leaves Granola Crumble: 1/4 C sprouted quiona 1/8 C raw walnuts, soaked 1/4 C sprouted wheat berries pinch of sea salt pinch of cinnamon pinch of nutmeg 6 soft dates, sliced In a food processor, process the crumble ingredients. Crumble it over top of the fruits. Garnish with fresh lemon thyme lea...

I previously posted the recipe for marinated baby bok choy .  I have another version of marinated bok choy that is a little sweeter. It can be served on a bed of carrot noodles for a beautiful contrast of color and wonderful flavor. I like both of them equally. A lady in our raw living foods group gave me a more savory bok choy recipe that her toddler loves. I will post all three recipes here. Sweet Bok Choy on Carrot Noodles 4 heads baby bok choy , cut in bite size pieces 3-4 carrots, peel into noodles w/ vegetable peeler Dressing: Juice of 2 oranges 5 soft dates, cut up 2 tsp cold pressed EVOO 2 T raw tahini 2 T raw honey sea salt to taste Blend the dressing in a small blender till creamy smooth. Add more or less OJ depending on the consistency. It should end up thin enough to pour over the bok choy . Mix well.  Serve the bok choy on a bed of carrot noodles. Sweet Bok Choy on Carrot Noodles Marinated Baby Bok Choy 2 small bunches ...

Today for breakfast I really wanted to try my chia seeds that I bought a few weeks ago. I had been reading on line from several different people how much they love their chia . Well I just had to see what all of the fuss was about. I liked chia very much. It is a texture thing, so if you don't like textures similar to tapioca pudding you probably wont care too much for chia . But who am I to say; give it a try and decide for yourself. " Chia is a powerful plant that was used centuries ago as a staple crop by the Aztec Indians and other tribes in what is now Mexico. They believed it was very powerful, not only for the body, but for the mind. Chia is a whole grain that contains protein, fiber, calcium, omega-3s, and antioxidants. The benefits of chia have been rediscovered, and science is proving just how right the Aztecs were to rely on this little seed." (source : www. fitday .com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of- chia .html ) O...

Blackberries with Banana Hemp Kream Yesterday I went shopping for berries. Our market has them on sale and I had coupons for $1.50 off each package of berries. I actually ended up getting my blueberries for free and my blackberries for only $1.50 per 12oz box!! I am posting some of my favorite raw cobbler recipes today. You will notice that all of my cobblers incorporate some type of "green". One even uses sprouts as the cobbler's crust. I mentioned before that I have to start my day with greens. You will be amazed how wonderful berries taste when using fresh herbs and sprouts as a garnish or a central feature in a recipe. Gotta get my protein and chlorophyll! (I get protein from sprouts, dark leafy greens and sea vegetables.)  Hope you get a chance to enjoy these amazing berries while they are in peak season. Blackberries with Banana Hemp Kream Sunflower sprouts, rough chop Blackberries Boxwood basil, remove leav...

Ok , I am going nuts here in South Florida looking at all of the green coconuts in the trees and wondering how the heck I can get some. I want them for the coconut water. I have been wanting to add fresh coconut water to my raw diet for quite some time. I am a bit afraid to knock on people's doors and ask them if I can cut down their coconuts. I found water Kefir grains so I can make my own non-dairy kefir with these water grains and coconut water. I added the water Kefir grains to my store...check them out. Now I just need some coconuts!!  Anyway, if you too want young coconuts but don't live in a tropical climate, check out this web site: http://www. florida -coconuts.com/index. php Here is the direct link for the products they sell. They even have coconut pencil holders! http://www. florida -coconuts.com/ produtos . php Peace and have a great raw day! ~ JMJ ~ Today I am grateful for my 3 red cherry tomatoes that I picked from one of my potted plants. I am just...

The other day I made a delicious "breakfast" salad. I love "breakfast" salads. I really don't label it "breakfast", I call it my morning meal. I don't limit myself in the morning, I eat what ever sounds good or what ever I think my body needs that particular morning. Well that particular morning I needed grapefruit. I also wanted to start my day with some greens and of course sprouts. Here is what I came up with: Sprouty  Morning Salad Organic romaine, cut into thin strips 1-2 small organic carrots, shaved with vegetable peeler 1 large organic grapefruit, cut into bite size pieces Organic yellow pea sprouts Organic adzuki bean sprouts Organic mung  bean sprouts Organic quiona sprouts fresh  lemon thyme or lemon basil Plate the romaine lettuce. Top lettuce with the carrots, grapefruit and sprouts. Add some chopped lemon basil or lemon thyme. Salad Dressing 1/2 C Cold pressed olive oil 2 capfuls of Coconut Aminos or Coconut...

Green Mango Madness 1 golden mango, peeled and sliced off of pit 1/2 C frozen mango cubes 1 frozen organic banana large handful of organic baby spinach 2 T Nutiva Organic Hemp seeds 1 1/2 C filtered water Blend well in a high speed blender. Enjoy the green madness!

Blackberry Mango Smoothie Blackberries are now in season, so feel free to use fresh. I had found these organic frozen blackberries on super clearance at our local market, so I stocked up. I try to keep things simple, and one way I do that is using what ingredients I have on hand. I don't like feeling that I have to run out to the market just to make a recipe. Keep it simple and use things you have around the kitchen. You just might come up with an even better recipe than the original. Blackberry Mango Green Smoothie Recipe 1 1/2 C filtered water 2 handfuls organic baby spinach 2 T Nutiva Hemp Seeds 1/2 C frozen mango cubes 1/2 C frozen organic blackberries 1 ripe organic banana 1/2 of a frozen banana Blend well in a high speed blender. Enjoy! ~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for delicious fruits! I love starting the day with a nutritious green smoothie. Have a smoothie today and see how great you feel! Peace and Eat More Raw.

Ani Phyo  spoke at our local raw living foods group!! I am so thrilled to write this post. Our local raw living foods group was fortunate enough to have Ani Phyo come and speak. She prepared one of her raw recipes, answered questions and signed books.   For those of you who are not familiar with Ani , I will tell you a little bit about her. Over the past fifteen years she has gone from making the simplest raw meals to starting her own raw foods company, SmartMonkey Foods. She has published three books: Ani's Raw Food Desserts, ani's raw food kitchen, and Ani's Raw Food Essentials. I personally own the latter two. She signed both of my copies, you can see one of them in the photo above.    She was raised in the Catskill Mountains, living on a large plot of land. Her family grew their own organic produce. She ate a lot of Korean food which was whole and unprocessed. A majority of the Korean food was vegan, raw and fermented. Her father was a ...