RAW Living and Learning

Lately I've been blessed with fresh, green, Florida coconuts from my neighbor's trees. We enjoy drinking the coconut water and also using the coconut meat in our raw, vegan recipes. Several days ago, on Instagram, I posted a smoothie that I made for the children utilizing both the coconut water and the fresh coconut meat. I decided to top it with some homemade, dairy free whipped topping just to surprise them and to make it extra decadent.  In order to make the whipped topping, you must plan ahead because the coconut milk you use must be chilled completely so that you can take the heavy cream off of the separated liquid below it. To do this all you need in one can of full fat coconut milk. Open the can and pour the contents into a glass jar. Refrigerate until it separates and the thick cream is floating on the top. I like to let mine chill over night. Remove the thickened coconut cream and put into a bowl. Then using an immersion blender, whip the cream with 1 tsp of pure c...

Florida organic strawberries have arrived at the markets and I am thrilled!!! It's a bonus that they just happened to be on sale the day I discovered them stocked at our local grocery store. Each year we patiently wait for berry season because everyone in this house loves them. And this batch was nothing short of spectacular and definitely worth the wait--deep red, juicy, and sweet!!! I knew I had to make them the centerpiece of my salad.  I really love combining organic baby spinach and organic celery with strawberries. That was base to this wonderful salad. Garnished with sweet onion slices and a Creamy Citrus Dressing and you have one amazingly delicious salad.  Let's talk about the creamy dressing I made. It couldn't be easier--3 simple ingredients. Hulled hemp seeds lend the irresistible creaminess, deglet dates add a touch of sweetness, and fresh orange juice adds the citrus notes.  CREAMY CITRUS DRESSING By Elzabeth @rawlivingandlearning 1/2 cup fresh orange juice ...

So my new friend on Instagram, Tanya @tannyraw, did a video on this great gadget. We both bought ours at Bed Bath & Beyond. I used one of my $5.00 off coupons and got this gizmo for mighty cheap. You see my original spiralizer broke about a year ago and I have been whining about it and decided to finally replace it with this little guy.  I was thinking how easy it will be to pack it along with my travel blender and juicer when we travel. The first veggie I experimented with was carrot. Just look at the noodles this thing made out of just 1 small carrot!!! I added them to my killer kale salad yesterday and enjoyed this deliciousness for lunch, in the sunshine. The next veggie I experimented with was a green zucchini. I used the "thin" side to create these long, thin noodles. Reserve the small leftover end of zucchini that does not spiralize; this will go in the sauce. Tonight on the dinner menu was Raw Mushroom Marinara Sauce served over a bed of raw z...

Meal #1 Dandy Orange Mango Smoothie   Dandy Orange Mango Smoothie by Elizabeth @ Rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com 7 organic dandelion greens 8 oz frozen organic mango chunks juice of 3 oranges 1 C ice 3 T white chia seeds 1/4 C raw pumpkin seeds Blend in high speed blender until creamy. Enjoy! Meal # 2 Snacking on random stuff Organic celery sticks Radishes Clementines Sprouts Meal # 3 Yet Another Smoothie It is a great day when I can enjoy two smoothies!!! Raspberry Kale Smoothie by Elizabeth @ Rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com 4 C curly green kale 3 bananas 1/4 C raw pumpkin seeds 3 T white chia seeds 10 oz frozen organic raspberries 1 C filtered water 1/2 C ice Blend until creamy. Enjoy! +JMJ+ Today I am grateful for my children patiently awaiting the count down to Christmas season which begins on the 25th and culminates on the Baptism of the Lord, January 9th. Have a Blessed Christmas everyone. SO much to be grateful...

Meal #1 Vanilla Mango Madness Vanilla Mango Madness by Elizabeth @ rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com 1 C filtered water 8 oz frozen mango 2 frozen bananas 2 medjool dates 1 tsp good quality vanilla powder 4 C chopped kale 2 T white chia seeds 2 T hemp oil 2 T raw pumpkin seeds Blend in a high speed blender till creamy. Enjoy! Meal #2 Sprouted Lunch--This is so simple, just the way I like it. I plated some sunflower greens, white clover and broccoli sprouts and topped it with a few Harry and David pear slices. Now for some dressing! Orange Persimmon Dressing-Fat Free by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com 1 orange Fuyi Persimmon, peeled and diced juice of 1 orange 2 T chopped sweet onion 3 fresh sage leaves, rough chop Blend in a small blender until smooth. I made a second version of this plate by adding some sprouted mung beans and 1 chopped pear. Meal #3 Leftover Raw Banana Kream Pie from yesterday--Seriously! I want to be a bearer of li...

It is essential (for specific health issues) in our household that we get our EFA's in proper proportion every day. The easy way we achieve that is by loading up our morning green smoothies with them! Another way is to enjoy them in a luscious raw pudding!!  I alternate and rotate and combine two or three of the following in our daily green smothie: Nutiva White Chia seeds, Nutiva Hemp Seeds, Organic Flax Seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds or Hemp Oil. Our goal is to get the perfect balance to reap their anti-inflammatory properties, this is essential for us. The way that most Americans eat leads to an overabundance of Omega-6 fatty acids which actually promotes inflammation in the body. The good thing is we don't eat like standard Americans so there is not much concern that we will have too many 6's but I still need to pay close attention to our intake of Omega-3's. Plant-based eaters do not have a DIRECT source of EPA and DHA in their diets so...

I tried my first sapote today, a Mamey Sapote that is. I understand there are different types of sapote but our market had the Mamey and I have really been wanting to taste one. If eaten raw they will contain: A serving size of 1 fruit without refuse of raw mamey sapote contains 691.92 calories and has 8.091 grams of protein, 112.3812 grams of sugar, 2.5668 grams of fat, 30.132 grams of fiber and 0 milligrams of cholesterol. Raw Mamey Sapote contains the following vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Phosphorus, Manganese, Copper and Sodium. How to choose Mamey Sapote : Mamey is hard when unripe and becomes softer as it ripens. Press it till the skin collapses to know it is ready to eat. Mamey will not taste good unless it is ripe! Climate and origin : Mamey is a tropical fruit grown mainly in South America, the Bahamas, and Florida. Taste : Mamey is moderately sweet, flo...

I have been away from Blogger World for over two weeks--much too long. But so, so much has happened in this short time that it makes my head spin. Some of it stressful, some of it depressing and some of it very, very exciting! I will only focus on the exciting. I am now officially a certified RAW CHEF!!!! I am so excited about that. I made a trip up to Michigan and went through Raw Chef Certification with my wonderful sister-in-law. If there is anyone who can relate to this whole raw adventure it is definitely her! We had a blast and we were overwhelmed all at the same time. Wow what an experience. I will be posting all about it and I have loads of photos. I am still compiling everything and will get it up just as soon as I can. I have been tearing up the kitchen with raw recipes. So much else is going on here that it has been a bumpy few weeks, I look forward to smoother days. Here is my lunch recipe that I wanted to share with you. Whenever organic corn is in season in SW Flori...

The past few days I have been eating very little following the juice fast. I actually kept juicing the day after my 3-day fast ended. It just felt like I should keep going. I have been eating whole foods again but not much in the way of quantity and have only had one or two meals per day. Today I felt like a crunchy salad so  I made a delicious curry sauce to toss onto dandelion greens, celery, carrots, and green apple. It sounds strange when you read the sauce's ingredients, but it tastes great!! Later today I will put this same sauce onto some grated cabbage and carrots and have it for dinner. If you thinned the sauce with some more water or lemon juice it would make a lovely dressing for tossed salads, keep it thick and use it as a fruit and veggie dip.  This recipe is from Bethany Tait and she calls it: Dandelion Greens with Curry Sauce 1 head dandelion greens, finely chopped 1 carrot, diced 2 green apples, cubed (I used one) 1 stalk of celery (I used two) ...

I can't believe how fast this fast went!!! The most shocking thing is that I never got hungry. Amazing! Here is what today looked like: I woke up feeling very well rested and had no detox symptoms. I am very shocked that I have not had frequent trips to the powder room, if you know what I mean. I was hoping for a good cleanse. I may have to take some other measures. I was given a pamphlet on some capsules that actually help to loosen old waste and really clean the colon. Something to think about. 8:45AM Big glass of lemon water 9:15 AM spinach, dandelion, pineapple, sunflower greens, and collard stems left over from the kiddos green smoothie ****This was by far my most favorite juice of the fast, it was so amazing!!!**** 9:45AM Dino kale, parsley, carrots--I even shared this one with the three youngest kids. Very yummy . 11:30AM Time for a lemon spritzer 12:00PM Lunch was a "Ginger Fizz" ginger, apple, sparkling water 2:00PM 3 broccoli florets, 2 celery ribs, 3 t...