Living Rawesome

Day #11 Potato Salad pg. 84 everyday raw

Day #11. I was very tired tonight. I have been studying all day after I got out of work. Jason was hungry after he got home from work, so it was motivation for me to complete the potato salad. This potato salad is made with jicama as a replacement for the potatoes. Many recipes for raw potato salads have jicama as the replacement for potatoes. Before I discovered raw food, I never had jicama, I just knew what they looked like. I think the flavor is bland and the inside texture is very similar to an apple. The outer peel was difficult to peel, but once the jicama was peeled it was easy to cut into it. When I first decided to “go raw” I made another potato salad recipe. Unfortunately it was not so good:( I actually ended up throwing it out. I was hesitant to make this one because of the last episode. This was actually Jason’s choice. I am glad he wanted it because it actually is good. It reminds me of a mexican dish, similar to guacamole but with crunchy jicama. The ingredients are jicama, yellow pepper, celery, rosemary, green olives (I omitted these), avocado, and red onion with the potato salad dressing that I made yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors. They taste lovely together. I stuffed celery with the potato salad. It was so delicious, I will make it for my lunch tomorrow. THIS RECIPE WILL NOT GET THROWN OUT, I AM POSITIVE!

Day #10 Potato Salad Dressing pg. 84 everyday raw

Today has been a very long day. I started my day at 5am. I had to turn in my homework for Economics. Only one week left:) Woo Hoo. I am almost done, then I start Anatomy and Chemistry. The fun classes:) I worked for 6 hours at Rutabaga’s. I made 6 raw vegan yummy pies (2 white chocolate, 2 chocolate, and 2 strawberry cheesecakes). I love my job. Then I went to a friends house to learn to make a new bracelet. She was so sweet to invite me over and teach me a flat peyote “hump” bracelet. I will post pictures when I make one myself. She spent several hours with me. I told her we will barter. I will make her a raw keylime pie. She always buys them at the store when I make them. We haven’t had any ripe avocados so I haven’t made any. Jason bought avocados tonight for the potato salad, so I will use one for her pie.
Unfortunately, the avos are not ripe anywhere. I wanted to make the potato salad tonight, but had to settle for just the dressing. I need to find ripe avocados, so I will make the salad tomorrow. The dressing is very good. I think it will taste great with carrot sticks. Yummy!! It is a tahini base. Unfortunately, the tahini is not raw. We haven’t been able to order any raw for a long time. Maranatha and Arrowhead Mills discontinued it. Possibly from salmonella poisoning. That may be rumor, I really want to email the company. In order for me to have truly raw tahini I will have to make it or order it online.
The ingredients include: tahini, lemon juice, cumin, water, fresh parsley, nama shoyu (I replaced with braggs liquid aminos), agave, salt and of course chili powder. I am beginning to think that Matthew Kenney should have his face on all chili powder bottles. He uses chili powder in almost all the recipes I have made so far. He is really making me appreciate chili powder. I really never used it that much, but I have a feeling that I will be using it alot more for the next year. I was thinking today…”Does he use chili powder in his desserts?” I bet there are a few of them. He is a genius, I am no way putting his recipes down, like I said, I really appreciate chili powder now. I am going away next weekend to St. Augustine, so I will be going downtown to the Old Florida Spice Trader to buy chili powder:) I hope there are different varieties available. This was a very simple recipe. Only took 5 minutes.

Day#9 Lemon Macaroon Cheesecake Tarlet (crust) pg. 120 everyday raw

Just got home from the gym. I had to hurry and make this crust. I can’t believe I haven’t made a yummy raw dessert. I love to make desserts. I make them at work and I figured Monday would be the best day to start making this delicious crust. It has shredded coconut, cashew flour, sea salt, maple syrup (I used agave), coconut oil, and date paste. The cashew flour was just ground cashews in the food processor. It actually worked better in the food processor than in the Vitamix. I have never been able to make cashew flour like I do with almond flour. Almond flour is the pulp that is left over after making raw almond milk. Sarah and I tried to make cashew milk and strain the cashew pulp for one of our classes. We didn’t have any pulp left. I mixed all of the ingredients in the bowl, I normally mix all ingredients in the food processor, but I tried to follow instructions accordingly. I still haven’t bought any maple syrup. I just can’t bring myself to buy it. I am going to purchase some tomorrow. Also, I didn’t have a tartlet pan, which I will be purchasing soon. I was supposed to line the pan with plastic, but instead I used a glass pie plate. The directions call for dehydration for 24-48 hours, I didn’t want my yummy crust sitting on plastic at 115 degrees. I want the recipes to come out just like they are supposed to, but there are some exceptions. Jason tried it and he said it was the best raw macaroon crust he has ever had. He was kidding, he has never had raw macaroon crust. Nevertheless, he loved it. Can’t wait to eat the tartlet on Thursday.

Green Smoothies and Bar-b-que Crisps sandwiches

Jason and I are staying faithful to our choice to do green smoothies everyday. We started our morning off together with a green smoothie. Mine was one banana, 6 cups of romaine and 5 strawberries. He had 2 apples, 6 cups of romaine lettuce and one banana. I am so fortunate to have my husband do this with me. It makes it so easy and we draw closer to one another through raw food. He is very supportive of it and wants to see the changes in himself.
I ate some bar-b-que crisps with squash and tomatoes. Absolutely hit the spot for lunch. I followed those by a green smoothie later on. Different recipe. It had kale, blueberries, peaches and banana. I crave greens. I love them. I can’t believe how many cups of greens I am consuming. I guess my body needs them.
I love eating raw food. I feel alive and most of all peaceful and creative. I need to eat healthy so I can accomplish all the things I want to do. Thank you my lovely Creator for allowing me the opportunities you do and finding the way to optimum health so I can do your will on EARTH. I am going to make more crisps. Sleep well my friends:)

Day #8 Baked Macaroni and Cheese everyday raw pg. 98

On the way to church today I let the kids thumb through my two books. I told them to pick out anything they would agree to eat tonight. I wanted to have an all raw family dinner. I want my boys to be included in this project as well. I know it’s going to work. It’s been so exciting, they are actually going into the dehydrator on their own and eating the granola, blueberry pancakes and bar-b-que crisps. They were actually fighting over the last 2 bar-b-que crisps. I don’t want them fighting but it’s great to see they like them that much. It caused Christian to make the crisps again. He made the almonds, oats, and flax into flour. He mixed all of the ingredients for the crackers. Now we will do the sauce next.
The boys both picked out baked macaroni and cheese. I am so grateful that I had all of the ingredients that I needed to make this wonderful and filling meal. This is what I call comfort food.
The recipe calls for:
cashews, lemon juice, water, olive oil, sea salt, nutritional yeast flakes, shallot, chili powder, cayenne and turmeric. The noodles are yellow squash.
The dressing was very easy to make. I put all ingredients into the vita mix and 10 seconds later I had a divine cheese. Jason helped me with the noodles. We were going to use the saladacco but we decided to use the shredder of the food processor. We used about 10 cups of yellow squash and poured the cheese on top. I mixed it all together and it had a gooey consistency much like Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese. The kind where you squeeze the fake cheese out of the silver bag. It was tasty when it was fresh, but after 1 1/2 hours in the dehydrator the flavors mingled well and it tasted more comforting for my children. I will make this meal again. Next time I will make a raw ketchup for Sabby. He loves his mac-n-cheese with ketchup. I mentioned it at dinner and he wanted me to make it then or let him use Annie’s Ketchup. I told him no we have to stick with our goal of at least 3 raw meals a week:) So if any of you know a great no fail kid recipe for raw ketchup send it my way:)
We are all picking out what we want this week. I will have to do my shopping trip tomorrow. I am excited. I am doing week 2! This is truly an amazing experience for myself and my family. I know we will all learn so much from it.

Green Smoothie Challenge 8-2-09 Combinations for Green Smoothies

I received an email from my friend who got this info from Victoria Boutenko website.
GREEN SMOOTHIE MUST HAVE INFORMATION:
from Victoria Boutenko – RawFoodFamily Website

The KALE Family: Any variety of Kale or Dandelion Greens, Plus Apple or Mango or Pear, and Banana(berries or kiwi)

The SPINACH Family: Spinach, Plus Apple or Peach or Mango or Kiwi, and Banana & a squeeze of lemon(berries or cherries or figs)

The COLLARD Family: Collards, Plus Blueberries or Peaches or Cranberries, Peaches or Pear, and Banana.

The ORANGE Family: Arugula or Celery or Swiss Chard, plus Orange or Mango, and Banana(Strawberries, Peaches or Pineapple)

The SPROUT Family: Romaine or Clover Sprouts, plus Apple or Pear, and Strawverries or Kiwi, and Banana

The HERB Family: Parsley or Cilantro, apple or Mango, Banana(Strawberries, Pineapple)

Day #7 Blueberry Pancakes pg. 56 everyday raw

These pancakes are sooooo delicious. They really taste like Aunt Jemima’s pancake batter, but 1000x better. No guilt in eating these at all:) It is late but I decided to eat some of the batter. Jason and I couldn’t believe it. I know all of the recipes have been to LIVE for, but this one hits that warm feeling in my heart. Before I went vegan I used to have pancakes every morning. I thought when I went vegan I would miss them. I would make them with egg whites, and oatmeal. I would put blueberries on top. It was really a ritual for me. I would place my fork on the right side of my plate and my knife on the left side of my plate. I would have 2 pancakes and cut them up and take small bites. I would practice conscious eating even though I had never heard of Gabriel Cousens. I guess I just felt like I didn’t want it to end. Now I have found a replacement. It should only take 24-48 hours to make them perfect to eat. I am sure I will try my ritual again. I am sure this will not be the last time I make them. I can’t wait for the boys to try them and of course my friends.
Ingredients: fresh blueberries, bananas, pine nuts, pecans, water, agave, maple syrup, vanilla bean(scraped), sea salt.

Green Smoothie Challenge and Going Raw 8-1-09

My plan is to drink at least a quart of Green Smoothie a day for the next 30 days. I was so inspired by Theresa’s story that I decided that I would embark another endeavor. There really is absolutely no reason to continue eating cooked food. I am making Matthew Kenney’s recipes and I work where there is FRESH PRODUCE. I believe that I will have the support with Jason, Sarah and D’ to be there if I get weak:(. I felt so fantastic yesterday. I felt full but light. I drank 3 quarts my first day, July 31. I am sure my body was craving it. I felt clear in my head too. I miss eating mostly raw. I lost my way for a little. It just takes some enthusiastic energy to get me on the path again. I figure my 30 days will be ending when I go to Raw Spirit Festival. I am sure the Raw Spirit will keep me charged for at least another 30 days.I will keep you posted on my successes with Green Smoothies. I am going to purchase the Boutenko’s new book.
Cheers! I am off to drink my greens for my breakfast.

Raw Gathering 7-30-09

The July Potluck went as planned! We had conversation, great food (as always:), and 2 demonstrations. Theresa brought a video by Victoria Boutenko. The video was very informative about the Boutenko’s Raw Transformation Testimony and Green Smoothies. As of July 1 Theresa went 100% raw. She is such an inspiration to me. She does a quart and a half of green smoothies a day. She inspired some of us to take a challenge and do them for 30 days. Sarah, D’Adjoa, and I are challenging ourselves to do it everyday. I know Teresa is interested too. These gatherings are so important to success in this lifestyle, for me. It is fun to catch up and see what everyone has done this last month. The Gainesville Potluck Group came. Gayle, Marsha, Theresa, and Joanne. Gayle may not be coming to our potlucks regularly anymore:( she may be moving to Tampa. I hope she stays connected. She has a Ayurvedic Doctor and I would love to hear all of her stories and successes having an Ayurvedic Doctor. Marsha is always on top of new information. The Boutenko’s are coming out with 2 new books. Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health (Paperback) and Raw Family Signature Dishes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Live-Food Recipes (Paperback). I have read all of the Boutenko’s books. I admire Victoria, she is a researcher by nature. When she comes across a problem she finds the answer, because she knows there is an underlying reason for the problem. As in the case with her son’s Diabetes Type 1. Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening (Paperback) explains the whole story. It is so inspiring. I would encourage everyone to read it. Joanne looked beautiful as always. She is staying strong and winning against cancer:) I pray for you, Joanne, as I do everyone else.
We had two new people come this time. Sarah and Ruth. It was great to see them. The were our very first students to come to our Raw Food Class, when we did it out of our home. It was great to see they are still interested in healthy living. They brought delicious Strawberry Shortcake and Broccoli and Cranberry Salad. I do not have the recipes:( Hopefully in the near future they will send it to me. Everyone loved the shortcake. Even the kids:)
After the movie we did the demonstration of D’Adjoa’s Ginger Brew.

Everyone loved it. I felt like it was New Year’s Eve and I was drinking champagne. The kick that the ginger gives, feels like carbonation. This is a fantastic drink.
I demonstrated Matthew Kenney’s Raspberry Vanilla-Almond Granola.

Marsha was concerned about taking the almonds skins off because of a poison. They were soaked but she always pops the skins off as my friend, Joan does. I have never read anything about taking the skins off. She did some research and Brigitte Mars says there are tannins. Marsha is still going to “pop” her skins off. I also did some research and wrote several people on Facebook. Including Raw Chefs and Raw Educators (Raw Radiance, Jenna Norwood, and Elaina Love). They all said it is not necessary. I am still waiting for a response from Paul Nison. I love the taste of skinless almonds, but my time is always limited. I usually just keep the skins on after soaking. There are few recipes I remove the skins for.
The night was filled with love and inspiration.
I have to say my favorite dish in presentation was Teresa’s Blueberry and Fig Salad. It truly looked like something out of a magazine or book. My photography doesn’t do it justice.

All of the meals were delicious. Of course, I went for the desserts:)
Thanks everyone for coming. I love you ALL:)
Another website to look up HealthRanger and NaturalNews

Food

Gayle's Apple Pie

Theresa's Marinara Sauce for the Cheeze Sticks

Sarah's Rawcotta Cheeze Stuffed Zucchini

Day #6 Bar-B-Que Crisps pg. 52 everyday raw

When I first received everyday raw in the mail I briefly thumbed through it and decided that one of the first recipes I would make would be bar-b-que crisps. After work today I decided to soak the sun-dried tomatoes and chipotle peppers. The recipe’s soaking time for the chipotle peppers is 2 hours and sun-dried tomatoes is at least 3 hours. Destiny came over tonight and hung out. We chatted about Raw Food and Healthy Living. We both have so much in common and I’m very grateful for all I learn from her. We both tried the vanilla granola. It is almost crispy. She loved it more than the buckwheat granolas. It is not too sweet, just sweet enough. I really would love to add more raspberries next time. The dehydrated raspberries are delicious. I would also love to make a cacao bar and shave it on top of the granola. YUMMY!! Everyday that goes on I appreciate the chef Matthew Kenney is. It amazes me how someone can make up these recipes. The bar-b-crisps have so many ingredients and they blend so nicely together. It tastes savory and sweet. Jason and I kept eating the batter. I made myself stop. I made a mistake when I made the batter though:( I am so used to following my own rules I didn’t see how to mix the bar-b-que sauce with the bar-b-que chips (flour). According to the directions, I am supposed to mix the dry ingredients together and then lay that out on a teflex sheet, then pour sauce over it. I mixed the sauce with the flour. I did make it work by spreading it out just like I normally do for flax crackers and onion bread. I am still reading the directions and wondering how Matthew does this. It seems like it wouldn’t work. I think I’m going to write him an email and ask how he does it for sure. No matter what, the recipe is RAWESOME!! I bet the crisps will be gone in 2 days after their dehydration time of 2 days.
Ingredients
sun-dried tomatoes, almond flour
maple syrup, oat flour
apple cider vinegar, flax meal
shallots, nutritional yeast flakes
garlic, olive oil
chipotle peppers,
chili powder
sea salt
sumac