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 ...

As I mentioned the other day, I have been juicing a ton of carrots lately. To be exact, I have been juicing 5 pounds of carrots each morning!  I drink it throughout the morning and I also add some to recipes.  A few days ago I used a little bit of my carrot juice in the smoothie and smoothie bowl recipe that I made for the children and me; It was what I call "Pumpkin Pie Smoothie and Pumpkin Pie In a Bowl." Pumpkin Pie Smoothie/Pumpkin Pie In a Bowl by Elizabeth @rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com 12 oz of fresh pumkin or canned 7 frozen, ripe bananas 5 Medjool dates, remove pits 2 T raw, hemp hearts 1/2 cup fresh carrot juice or water Squeeze of fresh lemon juice 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice 1 teaspoon of cinnamon Blend all of the ingredients until creamy smooth. I blended mine on "smoothie mode" in my Blendtec Blender. Garnish the smoothies with a sprinkle of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy! For the Pumpki...

So here is a traditional recipe for a Mojito Cocktail that contains alcohol, sugar and club soda; all three of which are not generally consumed on a raw lifestyle. Ingredients in the Mojito Cocktail 6 Mint leaves .75 oz Simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar) .75 oz Fresh lime juice 1.5 oz White rum 1.5 oz Club soda So quite by accident, I came up with a juice that was so sweet and so minty that I called it "My Pineapple Mojito". I've actually never had a real Mojito Coctail before but know that there is loads of mint in them. My version has no alcohol, sugar or club soda. The sweetness comes from the fresh pineapple juice not a simple syrup. And who needs the alcohol or the bubbles of the club soda? The tangy-ness of the pineapple and the refreshing burst of lime and mint are such a taste explosion, nothing else is needed in this one!! Here is what I threw together the other day; give it a try you won't be disappointed. I actually made t...