Going Green with Raw Cuisine! 30 days of Raw....

So Monday, February 7th 2011 was the first day of my "30 days of raw". I have committed to eating mainly raw foods that nourish to help me flourish. I didn't realize how junky my diet was until that day. I had some rice chips and grape leaves, which were definitely NOT raw--but some yummy raw snacks are in the making so I won't be so tempted. Basically that is the key to eating well-keep the bad stuff at bay and take a luxurious canoe trip away from them. I have a feeling that the first week is going to be very ... slow moving. I have been incorporating a lot of raw foods already, but it's overwhelming to THINK about eating only certain things whether it be only lettuce or only cheese or only fruits. I don't want to get the wrong mindset--although my goal was to become 75% raw originally, allowing for one cooked meal a day if I so desired, making it easy to be sociable. I wanted to give this goal so I could make it into a long term thing instead of sporadic. I impulse bought The complete idiots guide to Eating raw; I thought it would be fun and give me some good tips on sprouting and juicing etc. PLUS I could loan it out afterward.

Raw foods have a delicious bounty of calcium and iron and even superstar athletes are raw! People going raw are concerned about nutrients which, I think is preposterous since the s.a.d. diet constitutes the essence that is malnutrition. Protein is a key player in every cell in our bodies for energy synthesis, structure and function. Without protein our bodies wouldn't produce the proper enzymes and hormones it needs to function properly. The key to getting vital amounts of living protein requires the accumulation of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids and humans produce 11 naturally! (Thats already over half!) But we strive to get the other 9 from our foods. These 9 are essential amino acids b/c without which, we would be considered malnourished. This said, amino acids are pooling together to make a complete protein so why would we need to eat them all at once? We don't. Our bodies are smart machines we just have to give them the right stuff to do the job! Enjoy a bounty of goodness with raw nuts, seeds, vegies, fruits and sprouted grains. Eating a diverse diet is not only exciting but beneficial. The following are foods super high in protein...
NUTS
COCONUT
SEEDS
VEGGIES- dark leafies like spinach and kale, peppers, shitake mushrooms garlic and sea veggies
Fruits- apricots, peaches, currants, prunes figs avacados
Sprouted grains like quinoa and legumes like lentils and chickpeas

The recommended amounts of protein are 1.0-1.2 grams per day per kilo body weight (1 kilogram=1 pound) and potentially more if extremely physical.
Dr Colin Campbell, Ph.D --wrote the China Study and in The China Project the results showed a remarkable increase in the skyrocketing disease rate in people who consumed a higher protein diet from animal products. I highly recommend reading this book it's astonishingly incredible.
Quick info on B12...
Vitamin B12 can be present in bacteria in the soil, the only reason animal foods are high in the vitamin is because it's in their digestive tract from the foods they eat directly from the ground and we, in our society refuse to eat the natural way--washing EVERYTHING and eating more processed food.
Eating veggies from an organic garden with fertile, nutrient rich soils can help with vitamin B12 deficiency.

I guess I haven't been as great of an example thus far BUT I am determined to make this "fast" work for me!!! I had a delicious spirulina smoothie yesterday to start-
Almond Mylk+A boatload of Spirulina+ Frozen banana+hemp seeds.
and lots of salad making goodies!
Today I had a GREEN smoothie WHICH I forgot to picture, but next time I'll take one b/c it is SO decadent! My green smoothie was:
Two cups spinache
1 cup purple kale
2 tbsp Spirulina
1 1/2 'scoops' mila soaked in h2o
A splash of almond mylk
3 strawberries
2 small slices of Durian
MMMMM>..... delicious!

This was my delicious lunch at Infusion tea on Friday! bean/chickpea/edamame salad and a vegan pesto panini! <3 It's so good I will think about it every time I'm not actually eating it! I can't wait to go back!!!!!

I also made some oatmeal 'cookies' in the dehydrator last night they are not COMPLETELY raw, because I have some rice flour i've been jonesing to get rid of, but w/ coconut flour or almond flour they would be excellent! The non raw ingredients were xanthum gum , rice flour, vegan chocolate, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar but next time I'll be a rawarrior! I'll post the decadent recipe once it's perfectious!

This is my attempt at kale 'chips' smothered in coconut oil and nutritional yest with wasabi powder.... NOT my favorite but will be delicious on salads~! The lovely room mate suggested it! I used purple kale so they turned out a little dark. But raw and delectable! And the adventure continues...

Gypsy Creme Tarte w/ Recipe.

There is nothing I love more than good food to share with friends! I have been getting really excited about the 30 days of Raw I'll be doing with some friends starting February 7th. I have been trying some new raw recipes out to see the difficulty levels and taste sensations. Recently I was trying to make some Home made almond butter in the raw and because i haven't been able to afford a BLEND TECH blender I am limited on what I can do. SO I tried my regular crappy blender and the food processor and it just didin't cut it. I had already soaked my beloved almonds so what was a girl to do.?? I decided to dehydrate the "almond butter" and make tarts. Then I decided to make some cashew creme and fruit topping to boot! after about 12 hours the tarts were done! The taste was astonishing but the texture.... well... they just wouldn't stay together. It brought a tear to my eye. I decided to make a pie crust out of my tarts so I crumbled them into smaller pieces and added some slightly melted oil (coconut in this case, but you can use anything!) I pressed it into a pie crust and let it freeze for 30 minutes. Then I took the cashew creme and spread it over the newly formed almond crust-followed by a date/plum topping spiced to perfection : ) It looked a little rough, so I crumbled some more almond 'tart' on top for aesthetic and it was ready to eat. SO EASY-actually an accident but so delicious! It was so much fun sharing with friends--and room mates' friends. Here's some pix: I call it Gypsy Creme Tarte. (it's a little french and a little ostentatious) ^_^

Gypsy Creme Tarte with it's luxurious duplectic layers

Oh, baby I'm at salivation station--heading to salivation rhythm nation!!!!

Recipe:
Crust
Raw almonds (soaked) 2 1/2-3 cups
1 tbsp sea salt
cloves
cinnamon
cardamom
water
olive oil
(all blended in food processor)
Spread onto dehydrator teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115' for 12 hours-1 day. check throughout. take off of sheets and crumble into bowl. Add to pie crust plate and melt a minimal amount of coconut oil. Just enough to saturate the crumbs. Press and freeze for 30 minutes.

Cashew Creme:
Raw cashews (soaked)
2 tbsp agave --or to taste.I didn't want it to be too sweet.
4 tbsp Nutritional yeast
Lemon juice-to taste
(I'm pretty sure thats all I put in... I kind of made it up as I went but your taste buds will lead the way!)

Date Sauce:
2-3 cups dates soaked
cloves
cardamom
cinnamon
ginger
1/2 cup plums (unsoaked)
food processor until smooth, start with dates then continue adding ingredients. Should be thick consistency but everything should be smooth.

Spread everything on frozen almond crust and top with crumbled leftover tarts.
ENJOY!
don't forget to share the love with everyone!
LOVE,
The little green vegan!

Kombucha and the power of raw!

KOMBUCHA!!! So far the strawberry is the best! Partly because it was given to me with love and partly because it is so delicious!

Kombucha is a handcrafted chinese herb tea that is delicately cultured for about a month. Essential nutrients form during this time of fermentation like active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. This tonic helps restore and balance your body and increases vitality! 20% Vitamin B1, B3, B12 and B6. It tastes as mild as an apple cider to as intense as a light wine depending on the fermentation level.  I really like synergy brand organic RAW kombucha simply because it is raw and I trust them.Kombucha supports:
Digestion
Metabolism
Immune health
Appetite
Weight control
Healthy Liver Function
Anti-aging properties
cell integrity
and healthy skin and hair (*due to all the B complex!)
Kombucha is loaded with amino acids and electrolytes!
As a lot of you probably already know Kombucha was pulled from the shelves of healthfood stores across the nations because of a heightened alcohol content. WELL it's back and better than ever and if you pop the top just a bit it will ferment like it was before so not to worry! It's one of the ONLY things that helps me when I'm having chronic stomach aches --it works SO much better than any digestive enzyme out there. Also, if you have been taking antibiotics it replenishes the good bacteria in your body that help fight off infections. If you are interested in making your own HOME MADE Kombucha you can buy the culture mushrooms for the process here: http://www.anahatabalance.com/teakombucha2.html It should make a lot so you can share with friends! I've never tried making it but some people like doing it themselves! it's kind of expensive when you can go to Chamberlins (health food store) and buy them for only $3!!! I just stocked up!  It's a great way to jump start the system! I swear by it!