ingredients, catfish, kale chips and mental stimulation

Hello Longevity Seekers!

I am hoping you are well this wonderful week in April! Southern California has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL this week! Warm and Breezy ~ Palm Trees dancing!

Ingredients

I acquired a DVD called “INGREDIENTS”. I am unsure if anyone has seen this DVD, but it is a wonderful film made to explore the SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT and Support of the LOCAL CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area.

The DVD informs us of some rather shocking facts upon it’s opening and features some really wonderful community efforts in Oregon, NY and and few other stops along the way.

There is a wonderful quote I wrote down from the beginning of the documentary…

“I started growing vegetables with my husband…to recreate what we think is our duty. Our taste buds are there for a reason. They are there to guide us to BETTER NUTRITION. It isn’t greed or gluttony to like the taste of food. It is a natural drive to nourish ourselves.” Carol Boutard, Ayers Creek Farm

Did you know…

• 17,000+ foods are introduced to the American Public each year.
• Most Children born during the year 2000
• will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents
• An overabundance of processed foods has put our children at risk for Type 2 Diabetes
• There is no culture in the world that spends less money on their food that the US.

How do we change this? With our Forks!

Local Food systems are available and need to be intergrated into your life! Biodynamic Farms, CSA Farmers Markets and growing our own vegetables is really the best way to change things!

Fresh Food is ABSOLUTLY out there!

The Veg888 Kitchen will begin attending local Farmers Markets and BEGIN growing it’s own lettuce/greens! I am part of the fossil fuel consumption. We all are! As a society we really have to Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle!

It’s like I always tell myself – “BE ABOUT IT – DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT IT!

Catfish

I will only cover this documentary very briefly.

I had wanted to see this DOCUMENTARY for a VERY LONG TIME! It is difficult to find certain movies at various times and I was finally able to “seize the moment” and buy this Documentary.

The story begins with communication between an 8 year old artist and a young film maker name Yul Shulmen. The story begins to spiral from there and the end will have you absolutly astonished and the path everything follows. Even to THIS DAY.

In case you see this movie, I will not go into detail. However I will say this. The places our minds can take us the moment someone reaches out to us is amazing and very clear in this Documentary.(?) I place this question mark there since it left me feeling like it was all a planned/staged setting. If you see it, I would love to see what you think!

And finally…KALE CHIPS!

When I went completely Raw for the Parasite Cleanse I kept seeing recipes for KALE CHIPS!

Although I wanted to try them, something always happened and I just never did.

Last week, I decided I would like to try adding them into my diet. Why? RAW Lacinto KALE has protein, calcium and if you add nutritional yeast to your mix – you get B12! Very important for us as Vegans/Vegetarians!

So here we go!

KALE CHIPS

For 1 Bunch of Kale…

1 C Sunflower Seeds (Soaked)

1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

1/3 C Water

2 T Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Chipotle

1 pinch salt

Place all ingredients into a Food Processor or Blender until it is a thick paste.

Once the paste is made, place over the kale and massage the paste onto the kale.  Once all of the kale is covered it is ready to place onto a teflex sheet and place in the dehydrator.

These will be in the dehydrator for 5-6 hours.  I made 4 trays worth! They were delicious!

Here they are all in a jar ready to be eaten!  I enjoyed them quite a bit! In fact my taste tester ate the ENTIRE JAR in one sitting!  I will make more this weekend.  I will try another flavor of course! Something spicy maybe.

Thanks for reading!

Love and Light!

Namaste

:) haPPineS (: —> Come Forth!

Well readers here we are!  Another year!

I wish you THE BEST YEAR you could possibly have!

You are ALL BEAUTIFUL SOULS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Quite a bit has changed around here at Veg888 headquarters since last year!

I will continue to seek out longevity and healing & will ALWAYS INCLUDE YOU along my journey!

Thursday Night Run…

I headed out for my run about 5 min till 11pm.  It was cold but there wasn’t a wind factor to contend with! Whew!  Since it was so late, I was unable to take more than 1 picture of the run!  I will miss the holidays!  It is the only time the streets are illuminated with lights and creativity.  One of the houses decorated their palm tree with various colored lights!  Hopefully I will be able to take a picture of it before the lights are taken down!

I plan on running into the new year!  I will be out there thinking of the wonderful world we live in and all the beauty it posses!  Not that there aren;t bad things happening around the world, but I will release love into the world tonight!  I hope you will join me!

Raw Cashew Adventure – Part II – Update

When I got home, I went to look at my cashew cheese.  It smelled different than the eve before.

Projected Problems:

- I think I should have placed the cheese on top of the cheesecloth and allowed it to drain, this way I would have ensured a firm cheese.  (This is all theoretical until I can experiment!)

-The blender I have has seen better days.  Actually, it saw better days a year ago!  All the RAW FOOD PREPARATION over the last year has worn out the blades in both my blender and my Food Processor.  I think if I had a better blender it would have ground the cashews better and I would have had a “thicker” firmer cheese. (Again my theory!)

With these factors in mind, I added lemon, onion powder, cayenne, salt, dehydrated leeks, scallions, and shallots.

I mentioned my “antique” molds and I wanted to use them for the cheese…

Here they are before the process…

Next I lined each mold with plastic wrap and filled each mold with cheese.  Filled the molds with the cheese and covered.  I had hoped the cheese would firm up by morning, but 8 hrs later the cheese is still soft!  I have seen on the Raw Forums this problems occurs and I hope this is not like my adventure in making Gnocchi!  In one word… DISASTROUS!  I have NEVER ATTEMPTED it at home AGAIN!

Rejuvelac Front – Update

This is my third batch of Rejuvelac and I am quite PLEASED!!!  Tonight will be the last batch I can make with what is brewing.  I saved the other sprouts and hope to experiment with the next batch ALL TOGETHER!  I am also going to DEHYDRATE the “spent” sprouts and make a bread!

I have noticed some profound differences since I have begun conuming REJUVELAC!  My running times have contined to get BETTER! YES!  Last night I ran the 2.8 miles in 38 minutes!  For the last few weeks, between the REJUVELAC and the E3 I have felt enormous differences.  I have cut my time by 8 minutes!  I’ve got to get to 35 minuted!  Once I do that, I will be able to start with intervals.  Intervals will change my time and strength while I am in a race!  10 k – HERE I COME!!!

Hopefully I will be able to conquer a 4-5 miler this weekend!  I will let you know!

Another positive and maybe negative ALL AT THE SAME TIME – MY SENSE OF SMELL!  I know this seems strange, but I have a keener sense of smell and sharper vision.

My stomach seems to feel really good all of the time and the “Taste Tester” has definitely experienced some changes as well!  Love It!

Love and Light!

Namaste!

Last Years Holiday Wish! Read It and Know I still mean it!

General Veg888 Adventures!

Inhale! Exhale! AAhhh!

Hello All!

I hope you are all doing well on this fine day!

I am quite pleased with my running and biking at the moment.  I finally have many of the computer issues solved.  I was even able to install the Garmin software onto my computer!  That made me really happy! 

Although I received the Garmin Forerunner last week, I waited to use it until I understood a bit more about it.  I took it for a test run yesterday and I was quite pleased! It told me calorie count, the GPS tracked my run, It gave me the pace, and the miles set.  I will be working with it more and more!  After the run I connected the Forerunner to my computer with a USB cable and the watch sent all of my info to the computer.  Just one of the wonderful advantages to this great little device.  Technology!  Don’t you just love it sometimes??? 

Logging the information will allow me to see the changes in my workouts.  I will increase the RAW food intake and see how this fares.  I will also be biking more and more during the next few weeks.  I looked at my pace…a sad 14 minute mile and remembered the elite women are running a little over a 4 minute mile! Can u believe that?  Crazy. 

My run was a nice one.  For the first time in a long time I began thinking about all of the things I need to get done.  I also was feeling positive about the next few months to come.  More food posts, more excercise and MORE LAUGHTER.

After my run I enjoyed a wonderful smoothie!!!

Here it is! Delicious! (For the most part! More on that in a moment!)

This one was a good one! 

BLUEBERRY PINEAPPLE VEGA SMOOTHIE

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup pineapple

1 scoop Vega *

1 tbl. Udo’s Oil

1 Banana

1 1/2 cups PH water

Blend and Drink!

Top Shot!

About the Vega Health Food Optimizer.  What is Vega you ask?  Well Vega is a supplement by Brendan Brazier.  (Psst…the Author of one of the FREE GIVEAWAYS!!!  You have until November 30th 2010!!) It’s a raw food smoothie supplement to be used after activity or meal replacement.

I have found the supplement to work.  At least in the sense that I am not sore after running/cycling if I drink this 10-12 minutes after activity.  I just find the sweetness to be a bit off!  There are tons of wonderful ingredients in this supplement, however!  Here is the ingredients list!

Features & Benefits
Formulated by Brendan Brazier, vegan, professional Ironman triathlete and best-selling author on performance nutrition, Vega is made exclusively from natural plant-based whole foods.

A synergistic collection of Brendan’s favorite plant-based superfoods, Vega is not only a complete meal replacement, but also an ideal daily health-optimizing supplement.

High in fiber, protein and essential fatty acids, Vega is naturally filling and satisfying, helping to reduce appetite and cravings. Each serving of Vega supplies:

26g of Broad Spectrum Protein

• 40% of calories from protein, with all essential amino acids in ideal balance
• Alkaline forming, 35% raw protein with enzymes intact
• Protein sourced from hemp, yellow pea, brown rice, flax and chlorella

6g of Essential Fatty Acids

• 30% of calories from naturally occurring fats from whole foods
• EFAs mostly in the form of hard to get Omega 3s and zero trans fats
• EFAs sourced from whole flax seed (not flax meal), hemp and chlorella

17g of Quality Carbohydrates

• 30% of calories from naturally occurring complex carbohydrates; no maltodextrin
• Naturally low glycemic index and no sugars or sugar derivatives added
• Carbohydrates sourced from hemp, flax, brown rice and maca

15g of Fabulous Fiber

• Contains both soluble and insoluble fiber
• Helps balance blood sugar, reduce insulin, improve elimination
• Fiber sourced from hemp, flax, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and chlorella

Full Serving of ChlorEssence (High CGF Chlorella)

• Rich in protein, chlorophyll and nucleic acids DNA & RNA
• Cleanse, nourish, rejuvenate cells and activate, support immune system
• Special cell wall fiber binds to and removes heavy metals and other toxins from the body

Full Serving of MacaSure (Organic Gelatinized Maca)

• Rich in alkaloids, glucosinolates, minerals and sterols
• Increase energy, reduce stress, balance hormones, improve libido
• Gelatinization enhances potency and ease of digestion/absorption

Mixed Berry Complex (ORAC 800 blend)

• Great source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
• Helps defend against free radical damage

Probiotics (Dairy-free)

• Beneficial form of bacteria
• Helps maintains healthy intestinal flora

Digestive Enzymes

• Facilitates breakdown of food to improve absorption
• Helps reduce nutritional stress digestion places on the body

100% Recommended Daily Intake of Vitamins & Minerals

• All essential minerals present in easily absorbable form
• All essential vitamins present in natural form

With just 220 calories and 2g of net carbs per serving (natural flavor), Vega is an excellent choice for those on a calorie-reduced diet. High in fiber, protein and essential fats, Vega is naturally filling and satisfying, helping to suppress appetite and cravings.

Easily digested, alkaline and great-tasting, Vega is clean and green, containing no animal products, corn, dairy, egg, fillers, gluten, soy, sugar, wheat or yeast. Absolutely no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners and GMO and pesticide-free.

Vega is available in wholesome and delicious Natural, Berry, Vanilla Chai and Chocolate flavors, in three sizes: individual 30g Snack Packs, small bottles containing 7-8 servings and large bottles containing 15-17 servings. One serving of Vega is a complete meal, exceeding all meal replacement requirements, but people with smaller appetites may find half a serving sufficiently satiating.

Each serving of Vega contains a full dose of MacaSure and ChlorEssence!

At the moment I have the Vanilla Chai.  The chocolate is good.  I don’t like the Berry so much. 

After my run I cycled for 33 min and rode approx 3 more miles.  A total of 6 miles last night!  I just need to keep up with the training schedule I have.  (Fingers Crossed)

I need to plan some runs in the area of 5 – 7 miles for Sunday.  Stay tuned!!!

A really GREAT & INFORMATIVE movie I saw this weekend was called FOODMATTERS! Has anyone seen this movie? Comment and join the FREE RAFFLE GIVEAWAY! -or- Just comment about your thoughts on this I would be very pleased! Nutritional Therapy sure sounds better than Chemotherapy!!!

Thanks for reading!

Namaste!

Day 17 of 30 – 13 to go!

This was a very interesting evening.  On my last post I mentioned that I put the RAW Sesame Chicken “Nuggets” together.  You can find the thread for this recipe here.

I will update with photos before I eat them.  Unfortunatly since it was late and I still had to prepare dinner for last night I forgot to take pictures of the preparation process.  The recipe calls for the “Nuggets” to be in the dehydrator for 4-5 hrs before and then put the sweet & sour sauce on them.  Dehydrate for another1 – 3 hours.

I have the sauce ready and do as the recipe calls.  I am excited about this one.  It also gives me the opportunity to make a RAW rice dish that I have been curious about.  I also found a recipe for Spanish rice.  I will have to investigate this raw rice thing further!  I am a little skepticle that it could be good.  Being the Rice Eater that I formally was.  I will let you know!

DINNER

I did however remember to take pictures before these were eaten.  And quite quickly I might add!  I made my first attempt at RAW RAVIOLI!

I made these with the beet ravioli in mind from the RAW FOOD REAL WORLD recipe uncook book.  I figured if it could really be any vegetable, then I could certainly do it with my favorite red veggie.  The Tomato!  I put a big spoonful of the macadamia nut cheese I had made earlier this week.  The only change I made was that I put a vegan probiotic into the cheese to make it taste a bit sour.  I also added some fresh garlic.  Drizzled them with black truffle oil and served with a salad.

So as mentioned I will make RAW Rice tonight.  I munched on fruit all day yesterday.  By evening this dinner was both wanted and appreciated!

Tomato Ravioli

20  Slices Tomatoes

1 1/2  cups Macadamian Nuts

3 Cloves Garlic

2 oz Basil Leaves

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp onion powder

Black Truffle Oil

Preparation: Take the slices of the Tomatoes and Dehydrate at 115 until pliable and chewy.  Next, Process Macadamia Nuts until chunky.  Slowly begin adding water until a nice fluffy consistency is acheived.  Add basil, garlic powder, garlic, onion powder process again.  Open 2 capsules of probiotic capsules  and stir.  Allow to sit overnight covered.  Once the cheese and the tomatoes are finished.  Put spoonfuls of the cheese onto a slice of tomato and place another slice of tomato on top.  Drizzle with Black Truffle Oil!

More tomorrow!

Namaste!

Day 13 of 30 – 17 to go!

Today was the first time in a little over 2 weeks since I wanted anything cooked.  It was a simple craving, that although is still there, I will not give into.

A Flour Tortilla.

When you grow up in a household like I did, you get used to certain foods.  My mother made most all dishes from scratch.  If we went out to eat it was usually because she felt we needed to be exposed to other foods besides what was being served in the home.  Although my father didn’t like that idea to much we still went.  Middle Eastern, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Persian, Basque Cuisine.  The list could go on and on.  If it wasn’t for this exposure to various cuisines I don’t think I could have been so open to various foods when I decided to become a vegetarian.  (15+ years ag0, btw)

And from a vegetarian to vegan I am here.  Here in this RAW for 30 day quest of cleansing my body.  Although I had a craving I knew at that moment I needed to clean my mind.  In meditation I thought of a process taught in Raja Yoga.  Cleansing the mind and preparing the body.  I think in addition to what I have been doing I will do a long meditation session to clear my mind field.  The mind field can trick you and it if full of ego.  I would like to be open to all the wonderful energy this food and lifestyle had to offer.

Yesterday for lunch I had a salad and a smoothie.  I also had a few pieces of fruit, which was nice and refreshing.

I made a smoothie and added some Vega to it.  I didn’t like the sweet taste at all.  I didn’t take a picture of it eiether.

For dinner I made pesto and a marinara sauce.  I decided I was ready for zucchini pasta with two different toppings.  It was very delicious I might add.  But again no picture. (I will update the picture later.  I can’t seem to load pictures today???)

I made three piles of the zucchini pasta.  On top of each pile I put a different pasta sauce.  Each was adorned with a different topping.  The Pesto had a black olive tapenade on top of it.  For the marinara I put a few mushrooms that I had marinated on top.  The white macadamia cheese I added I put Basil and Black Truffle oil on top.  It was a damn fine meal I would say.

Marinara Sauce

3 Cloves Garlic

2 Tomatoes

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (soaked)

1/4 cup olive oil

Dash of Cayenne

Diced Green Olives

Preparation: Place all ingredients into the Food Processor with the S blade.  Turn on and wait until it makes a paste.  You can add water if you would like it a bit thinner.

Pesto Sauce

4 oz Fresh Basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup pumpkin seeds

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cloves of garlic

Preparation: Place all ingredients in the Food Processor with the S blade.  Turn on Processor.  Scrape sides every few moments and finish to desired consistency.

Update: Physically I feel great.  Sleeping really well.  The pesky cough is gone for the most part and I have my voice back.  I feel as though the cleanse is going from the top of my head down.  Almost 14 days into the cleanse and I feel like it is now is the area of my solar plexus.  By the 30th day it should have passed Muladara (Red Chakra) and reached my feet.  No pain in my elbow and No pain in my knees.  I feel alert from the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep.

I wish you well!  Sweet Dreams!

Namaste!

Day 12 of 30 – 18 to go!

Things are going along nicely.  I’m really excited about a postcard project I have been working on for a while.  It finally manifested into paper form to actually mail out to various clients! Yeah!

I also feel a lot clearer in my mind and my vision is better.  Getting up in the a.m. doesn’t feel difficult like it used to.  My eyes open pretty early.  I usually stay in bed a little longer since it is still a bit chilly right now.

Saturday went by pretty quickly and Sunday was even faster!  When I got home Saturday evening it was time for some Zucchini Pasta!  I put the Dehydrator on at 115 when I walked into the house.  I straightened up the kitchen and made a list of what I was going to need for the following week.  I also decided to make some Macadamia Nut Cheese while I waited for the zucchini to warm up and allow the mixture to “melt” together.

Here is the zucchini straight out of the Dehydrator.  It was really good.  Definitly cheesy!  The red pepers tasted like they had been sauteed.  It was a nice culinary experiment!

I also shredded some potatoes to make a Raw potato dish.  I had to soak the potatoes in Apple Cider Vinegar for 12 – 24 hours.

Here are the potatoed ready for the Dehydrator…

Here they are out of the Dehydrator!

I served these with some macadamia nut cheese that had basil in it.  I also chopped up cucmbers, red bell peppers and tomatoes together.  They were okay.  Not what I expected.  I found the recipe on Gone Raw.

At the moment I am soaking some sweet potato slices.  I hope to make them into BBQ chips tonight.  I also have buckwheat sprouting.  I am going to make Buckwheat cold cereal and Almond milk for the mornings.  I am begining to get hungry in the morning now.  The smoothie is good, but I get hungery pretty fast after that.  Initially when I began the cleanse, the smoothie would keep me full for awhile.

For dinner I made my own recipe experiment.  I made kale stuffed portobellos.

Mushroom Marinade

2 T Garlic Chopped

1/4 cup Olive oil

1/4 cup Bragg

Juice of 1 Lemon

Preparation: Once the mushrooms have marinated for approximatley 2 hrs.  chop kale.  Remove mushrooms from marinade.  Place Kale into marinade and mix with hands for approximately 5 min.  Stuff Mushrooms with kale and place in Dehydrator for 2-3 hours.  (I also added some strips of white onion.) Done when it tastes sauteed!

No smoothie on Sunday.  I was pretty content with a meal earlier in the day and water throughout the day.  However, when dinner came I was ready for the portobello with Kale!

Wish me luck with the BBQ chips and Cereal!

Namaste!

Day 10 of 30 – 20 to go!

My parasite cleanse is coming along nicely.  I am feeling clearer in my thoughts and vision is definitly better.  Last night I went to drop food off for a client.  Usually in the evening I struggle to see street signs but to my happy surprise I saw them clearly.  That’s not to say that I didn’t get lost.  I was just able to see where I was going a lot better.

Day 10 Smoothie recipe:

1 Banana

2 Handfuls of Blueberries

1 Anjou Pear

1 Green Apple

1 Avocado

Kale

Oxygen Water

Preparation:  Put enough water in the blender to begin breaking fruit up in the blender.  Once it is pureed add kale.

I think after I finish the Parasite cleanse, I will do an organic essential detox.  This will clean all of my organs from toxins.  Not just parasites.  This will be the first two weeks of February.  But before I count my veggies before they sprout, I will continue on this quest to be PARASITE FREE!

This entire week has been quite an adventure in food.  I have enjoyed making all of these RAW food surprises.  Preparation. Preparation. Preparation!  I cannot stress this enough.  I think this is the reason most people feel as though they CAN”T.  I don’t like hearing I can’t or it’s too hard.  Rubbish.  If you set your mind to something you can do it!  But again, What are you willing to do to meet your goal?

Last night I saw a DVD I had ordered a few weeks back.  It was my second time watching it and I thought since I am doing what I am doing it would serve as a good inspiration.  The DVD is called “RAW for 30 Days”.  The DVD is a documentary on individuals diagnosed with diabetes.  Each individual is placed on a RAW FOOD diet.  They are taken off their meds and onto a healthier routine for 30 days.  The entire documentary takes place in Arizona at the Tree of Life Resort run by Gabriel Cousens.

Although not everyone stuck it out, it was nice to see all the different things they were being fed and there is even a bonus DVD you can order.  (I hope to be offering this in the future on my blog, but for now if you do a google search you will find lot’s of outlets. )

The nice thing about the bonus DVD is the recipe ideas and information given.  I have looked up many of the people featured on the Bonus DVD and it was really great to see some people who I never thought would have been on it.  Brenden Brazier has a few excerpts on the DVD interviews.  Woody Harrelson, Michael Beckwith (The Secret), Tim Robbins, and more.  Check it out.  If for no other reason that to prove that VITAL food is a VITAL source we need for our bodies!

DINNER

Last night and tonight I am determined to use up the rest of the ingredients left over.  I had a few buckwheat pizza crusts left, 2 Wraps from the Falafel meal, Tortilla Chips, Nut Cheese, Pumpkin Pesto, Raw Marinara and mole.  The mole is a difficult one.  I don’t know what else to make with it.  I noticed a sage type of nut pattie on another blog I was looking at.  The blog is Beautiful Living Food in Vermont.  You can visit the website by clicking over the name above.  Maybe that will go good with the mole.  I will have to think about it.  I made the tamales already so I will have to put my brain to work.

I had one huge green zebra tomato left, a few buckwheat pizza crusts -   all of the neccesities to make a RAW Italian Plate.  I made the Living Lasagna with the green zebra tomato, a few thin slices of zucchini, and all of the fixins.  I also made up a slice of pizza and a nice salad with avocado on the side.  Avocados! Avocados! How I love them.  They are food of the God’s!   When I was a little girl I didn’t like avocado unless it was made into guacamole.  Now I can eat it with a spoon out of it’s shell.  Delicious!

So this is what I ended up with for dinner…

I attempted to put some moons to the right hand side, but I don’t think I have a good handle of my new digital enhancing program yet.  If you couldn’t already tell.

Update:  Still no voice, but overall I feel good.  I am happy that I have managed to make it to day 10 without feeling like giving up or without any more sickness.  Onward and Upward! Thank you for reading this posting.

Namaste!

Day 9 of 30 – 21 to go!

I haven’t posted a smoothie pic in a minute, so I thought I would show a picture of my smoothie today.  This smoothie was

Day 9 Smoothie

1 Green Granny Smith Apple

2 Bananas

2 Handfuls of Cranberries

1 Romaine Heart

Preparation: Place fruit in blender.  Liquify. Add water to desired consistency.

*NOTE: The smoothie would be really good if you add a date or two, however I can’t since I am eating anti parasitic and I can’t have dates.
The really cool thing I have been able to utilize and really be better about is my use of plastic packaging.  I go and buy most of the nuts, seeds, and grain in bulk so there is no packaging – which is positive.  And then I also am able to stay away from plastic when I take my smoothies back and forth from my store.  I have been using Mason Jars to take actually everything.  Even in storage.  I just think it’s better this way.  Plastic is cheap but did we really need to start with the plastic container? Before I digress…

So…as I was saying.  In keeping with the glass theme I was able to implent glass when it comes to straws as well!   If any of you are interesed, leave a comment and I can send you one.  They are $5 bucks suggested dontation.

DINNER

This was a nice surprise!  I found the following recipe on gone raw. (Where else, right?)  and as usual I changed the recipe up a bit.  It worked well, as it was quite savory.  I have posted the original recipe and given credit where credit is due!

Falafel Wrap!

Submitted by linnylooloo on November 4, 2009 – 1:26pm

Ingredients:

For the tortilla
3c peeled courgette (zucchini)
3T olive oil
2t lemon juice
Pinch cayenne
1t ground coriander
1/2t salt
1/2c flax meal*

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
• Add flax meal and blend again until smooth.
• Pour mixture onto 2 dehydrator sheets and spread evenly into a circle on each.
• Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees F, or until able to peel of the sheet.
• Once the dehydrator sheets are removed, return to the dehydrator for 30 – 60 mins, until both sides are dry to the touch but still pliable.
* Flax meal is flax seed that have been ground in a coffee grinder or similar, to produce a fine flour.

For the falafel
1c pumpkin seeds
2T fresh dill, finely chopped
1t ground coriander
2t cumin
8 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked for 1 to 2 hours and then chopped
3T fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 clove garlic
2 shallots
1/4c olives, stones removed
2t oregano
Pinch cayenne
Pinch pepper
1/2t salt
1T lemon juice

• Process all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed.
• Form into Falafel and dehydrate on a Paraflexx sheet at 105 degrees F for 6 – 8 hours.

I began the evening before preparing the batter for my wrap.  Somehow it didn’t end up looking like the one in the picture.  But, that’s okay nothing EVER does.  Needless to say I was completly successful in making a wrap.  It reminded me of the day I was attempting to make crepes filled with collard green that were lightly simmered in a curry coconut reduction.  That was a good dish.  I have seen on various You Tube videos and seen that there are some rather translucent wraps made with coconut meat.  I think I will try to recreate the collard green “mouth amusement” in the raw.  (Stay Tuned.)

So here is my version of the Wrap/Tortilla

It was nice and pliable this time.  Unlike my other adventure that went from tortilla to tortilla chip!  You can see that posting here.

The flax seeds are pretty prevalent visually.  I need to grind them up better.  I keep thinking it is more nutritious to grind them up at that moment rather than purchasing pre ground flax.  Maybe I am crazy! Maybe not!

Here is the Falafel Mix in the food processor…

Falafel ready for the Dehydrator…

Here is everything out of the Dehydrator before assembly…

Ready to Roll up…

Ready to eat and plated!

This was a tasty dish if I do say so myself!   I used the rest of the hummus I made the other night.  I was able to make 4 Wraps and I have 5 Falafel left over.  No doubt that may be dinner tomorrow!

Update: Physically I feel good.  Giggly today for some reason.  I have howver lost my voice.  Maybe that is the universe telling me to be silent and know that I am doing the right thing.  No pain or anything like that.  Just no voice.

More to come….

Namaste!

Day 7 of 30 – 23 to go!

So I am happily at Day 7.  Technically day 8 but I am always a day behind in documenting my journey to wellness.

I will begin with yesterday’s smoothie.  I didn’t take a picture of it since it was really not that good.  Well, I take that back.  If you would like a smoothie that tastes like Grapefruit Juice and is as filling as any meal, then the recipe is below!

1 peeled lemon

1 peeled orange

10 Almonds

10 Cashews

1/4 cup coconut meat

4 Dinosaur Kales Leave

1 Handful of Blueberries

Water

Mix and get ready to pucker!

Needless to say I didn’t even take a picture of it!  It was okay, just not the treat to have when you are ready for a sweet smoothie.  But I guess such as life.  Sweet & Sour!  Somewhere there is a reggae song called Sweet & Sour…I’m digressing!

PIZZA

This was a fun one indeed!  Can I just tell you that I like pizza in any form.  (Meatless of course!) Anyway, I can safely say that RAW Pizza is now on the list of GREAT PIZZA Experiences!

I began soaking buckwheat the other day to make it sprout!

The Buckwheat is the bowl at the left corner.  The others were Macadamia Nuts,  Sundried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts and then the buckwheat.  Soaking seems to be an imperative step to this cuisine.  It is also something that helps the body intake the nurtients.  They say “Soaking nuts and seeds before consuming them helps with digestion and softens the texture .”

I made a buckwheat crust according to a recipe I got off of Gone Raw.  You can find the link on the Blog Roll to the right. —>

I altered the recipe a bit to my liking.  This is what I did.

This was the crust before it went into the Dehydrator.

Buckwheat Crust

2 1/2 cups soaked buckwheat

2 peeled zucchinis

1/3 + 1 handful flax seeds

2 1/2 cups sunflower seeds

4 cloves of garlic

1 T Basil

1 T Oregano

1/3 cup olive oil

Water to smooth the batter up.

Preparation:  I put the buckwheat in the food processor and began to process.  Meanwhile, I peeled the zucchini and then added the zucchinis into the paste that began to form.  I allowed this to process while I grinded up the flax seeds.  I stopped the processor and then added the flax seeds and 4 garlic cloves.  When I turned on the processor again I allowed it to breakdown the garlic and mix in the flax for a moment.  When it appeared that the mixture was ready I added olive oil and water until smooth.  I added all of the rest of the ingredients last.  I waited until it was the consistency of cake batter.  I spread this onto the teleflex.  (I was able to make 2 large pizza crust out of it.  One big rectangle and another circular.  I also pre scored the batter with a ravioli cutter.)

Dehydrated at 125 degrees for 2 hours and then set it at 100 degree for another 3 hrs.

Sunflower Seed Hummus

2 1/2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked

2 Heaping T Raw Tahini

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 T Spike

Preparation: Put sunflower seeds into food processor and process.  While the sunflower seeds are processing, juice lemon.  Add lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini through the chute.  Stop and add garlic clove and spike. Process again.  If it is still thick, add a bit of water a little at a time.

The Sunflower Seeds in the processor…

Here are all the toppings for the pizza…

And here is the final plating…

Day 5 of 30 – 25 to go!

Day 5 was equally challenging.  The challenge I have met with this cleanse is my distaste for feeling ill.  I don’t like being sick. EVER!  Up until recently I always looked at being sick as a FAILURE.

I used to think that being ill was proof that I wasn’t doing something that I should be.  But if I think about it, being ill only gives me the clues of things I need to add.  I suppose it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Today I feel good.  Culinary wise…I am excited!

Todays smoothie was:

Raw 5 of 30 Special Smoothie!

Ingredients:

Handful of Blueberries

10 Almonds

10 Cashews

5 Dark Green Dinosaur Kale Leaves

1 Pear

1 Green Apple

Juice from a Young Thai Coconut

1 T Almond Butter

Put all in the Blender and away you go!

This smoothie was really good.  Very different than all of the others.  It wasn’t as sweet.  But just as green and fulfilling!

Later on in the evening I decided to get creative!  So on the menu was

Guacamole and Raw Crackers

And for the main course I made RAW TAMALES!

The tamales were from RAW FOOD REAL WORLD by Sarma Mengalis and Matthew Kenney.  I followed the recipe for the first time in my cooking history.  I figured it was better to do this since I had never made them before.  I think the next time I will make a different kind of Tamale.

Since I have had Tamales during each holiday that I can possibly remember it was hard for me to think of a RAW Tamale being good.  However to my surprise, it was delicious!

I also made a HOT Fresh Salsa. (Sorry no picture!)

RAW Salsa

1 FAT Serrano Chile

1/2 a small onion

2 Medium Sized Tomatoes

1 T Oregano (Dried)

1 Garlic Clove

Pulse in the Food Processor just until lightly chopped.

I felt good overall today.  It was a bit of a challenge for me to get through the evening.  I started to feel tired at about 10:30 p.  I am usually up until like 2 or 3 in the a.m.  What a change!

But nonetheless I am commited to my healing and my practice.  I did about an hour of yoga and am able to get deeper into bridge pose.  It feels absolutly amazing on my back and abdomen.

More tomorrow!

Namaste!