RAW Living and Learning

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 ...

Last night I enjoyed a fresh, light, yet satisfying dinner of Zoodles topped with my Strawberry Salsa recipe. I basically created this easy salsa recipe as I was chopping up what veggies I had on hand that would compliment the beautiful, organic strawberries. I used my trusty Veggetti to spiralize the yellow zucchini squash into Zoodles. I have been so happy with this little kitchen gadget! You can see what the Veggetti looks like in this photo.... I took the juice of 1 lime and marinated the Zoodles in it for 2 hours. This softens them and gives you the "mouth feel" of traditional noodles. Just drain off the excess juice before using the Zoodles in a recipe to avoid having a plate filled with juice. Here are the organic ingredients you'll need for the Strawberry Salsa... Strawberry Salsa (Organic) by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.BlogSpot.com 1/8 C of diced orange bell pepper 1/8 C of diced green bell pepper 1/8 C of diced sweet onion ...

The other day I found a beautiful, deep red, organic bell pepper and knew I had to make something extra special with this beauty. Originally I thought of making a dip and then using the pepper slices and some cucumbers in it, but decided instead to stuff it with a smokey filling. Here is how I put it together: Smokey Stuffed Peppers by rawlivingandlearning.BlogSpot.com The Filling 1 Roma tomato 1/2 of a small, organic, green zucchini 1 stalk of organic celery 1/2 of an organic sweet onion 1/2 of a very small Haas avocado 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika In a food processor or blender, pulse the first 4 ingredients. Then add the avocado and paprika and process to desired consistency. I made mine quite smooth. To assemble: Cut the bell pepper in half and remove all seeds and white ribs. Fill each half with the filling and garnish with broccoli sprouts. Serve with a side of lettuce and cucumbers to clean up any filling that spills from peppers when you cut them!!! ...

Getting back into the normal routine after a trip is always a chore with a large family. It still amazes me how much laundry a family of seven can produce on a short 5 day vacation! But I am digging my way out from underneath this mountain of dirty clothes and trying to get back to normal. Unpacking all of the suitcases is what I dread the most. Then I get to sort through all of the mess and try to make piles of color sorted laundry, the kiddos help with this. I already have done about 5 loads and I think I have 5 more.The older two help me with switching the wet clothes to the dyer and then emptying the dryer and folding. Thank goodness for that!  On the brighter side, I am happy to say that my sprout kitchen is back in full swing. My lentils will be ready to eat today and the broccoli sprouts should be ready in three days. I will plant my sunflower seeds on Thursday or so, after they get their tails on. My adzuki beans are in the sprout bag.  Now that I...