Strawberry-Arugula Salad ~ REWIND ~

While going about my usual internet search daily, I came across a recipe featured on the SAVEUR magazine website.  I usually get an update from the Magazine each week.  I saw a beautiful picture of this salad.  I looked and the recipe and knew this would be a wonderful addition to the mix!!!  Organic Strawberries have been so beautiful lately!!!

The original recipe had ricotta cheese, sugar and other such ingredients and thought REWIND!!!~ And a new recipe for a  RAW ORGANIC VEGAN version was made!

ARUGULA STRAWBERRY SALAD

Serves 2

3 cups fresh Arugula

1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

3/4 cup fresh raspberries

Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of 3 Lemons

1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Preparation: Wash and slice strawberries, wash raspberries and set aside to dry.  Place cashews in the Food Processor with the “S” blade.  Process for a bit, add the juice of 2 lemons and half of the zest of the lemon.  Process again.  Add purified water a little at a time unitl smooth.  Once smooth, seperate into (2) bowls.  (I saved the other half to make some cashew nut cheese…more on this tomorrow!):)  Once seperated put the rest of the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl you will be using for the dressing. Mix.  Plate salad and put a dollop of the dressing on top.  Enjoy!

Washed Strawberries and Raspberries…

Soaking the cashews…

Cashews in the Food Processor with lemon juice…

Processed and ready to mix in the nutmeg and cinnamon…

The Dressing ready and on top of the salad…

After I washed the berries I picked four of the best strawberries for our dessert!

RAW CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

Turn on the Dehydrator to 90 – 100 degrees

Take coconut butter (oil)

Melt Coconut Oil in Dehydrator

Add equal amounts of raw cacao powder to the melted coconut oil

Add 1 /2 tbsp raw agave syrup

Add 1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 washed strawberries ready to dip…

I dipped each of these strawberries into the chocolate mixture

I continued to dip these strawberries 7 more times.  I put them in the fridge and waited 20 mins between each dipping.

And finally … Dipped 8 times!!

Note:  You will need to have a non-stick surface (parchmant paper) between dips.  I myself learned this the hard way.  However, I will more chocolate experiences based on this wonderful treat!

Thanks for visiting!

Namaste!

READERS NOTE:

KOMBUCHA

Yeah! Kombucha in the news again.  You can read that article here. Do you like kombucha?  Comment. Join the raffle and have a choice between the Eating for Beauty Book by David Wolf -or-SUPERCHARGE ME!

HEALING YOURSELF WITH DELICIOUS FOOD

This was a great article I found.  You can read it here. I am inspired daily by all of you out there that are curious to find a healthier, happier way to live.  Beauty comes in so many forms.  In people, in moments, in our cats (pets), in the beauty of the earth – vegetables, fruits, the ocean, the sky!! A healthy change in our lifestyle everyday is the best movement toward your goal!

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?….COSMO G!

COSMO G

Cosmo G first appeared to me while I was making notes and doing some food history research.

I had come across a technique called:

supreme

v. to remove the skin, pith, membranes, and seeds of a citrus fruit and separate its wedges. Also as noun, a wedge of citrus fruit. (in French it is Suprême)

It looked pretty easy so I figured with all of this California rain why not do something with oranges.  There have been lots and lots of Organic Oranges around since they are in season.  I have also been blessed with some tangerines, grapefruits and lemons from locals in the area.

With this in mind I segmented 3 large oranges and 3 grapefruits.

Orange Suprêmes…

Grapefruit Suprêmes…

I decided this would become Cilantro & Orange Salad with Mint, Olives and Grapefruit! And all at once Cosmo G was born.  I think I will include this recipe for a Raw Tasting party I would like to host.

COSMO G

3 Oranges, Supremed

1 small Grapefruit – (*Please see note!)

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 cup Raw Pine Nuts

1 cup Raw Olives Chopped

Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil

2 Drops Bergamot Essential Oil

Preparation: Combine the oranges, cilantro, pine nuts, and parsley in a large bowl.  In a seperate bowl combine grapefruit, olives, and mint.  Allow each bowl to marinate for 15 – 20 minutes.  Combine the two and sprinkle with olive oil.  Allow this to marinate for another 20 minutes. * (The Grapefruits I used were extremly PITHY.  There was such a small amount of fruit that I ended up with approximately 2 Tbs.)

Here is the Cilantro, Parsley, Pine Nuts and Orange Suprême…

Grapefruit Suprême, Olives, and Mint…

I decided to go with an Italian themed meal.  I set about looking around at the veggies I had.  Eggplant (Aubergine) was the winner.  I had received 2 wonderful Eggplants last week from a client and felt this was the best time to use them.  It is nice when I am able to use vegetables that are grown locally and given as gifts!

I decided I would make some sort of Eggplant Noodle and an Al’Arrabiata sauce.  Nice and Spicy is what I needed last night.  I needed to refuel my fire with some spice.  It was really chilly last night and I was so cold when I got home.  I kicked on the Dehydrator for the first time in a long time.  I figured I would have a warm “Raw Pasta” dish and a nice refreshing salad.

I used my Cai Bao to make a Tagletelle type of noodle out of the eggplant.  I drizzled them with olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and a little Nama Shoyu.  I placed them in the Dehydrator for 1 hr at 115 Degrees.

Meanwhile, I made…

RAW ARRABIATA SAUCE

3 Chopped Roma Tomatoes

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Handful Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped

8 Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 Tbl. Cayenne

1 Tbl. Red Pepper Flakes

3 tsp. Nama Shoyu

Preparation: Process 2 Romas, Parsley, Sundried tomatoes and garlic in Food Processor with “S” Blade.  Combine the ingredients just processes in a bowl with the remaining Roma tomato and mix in the spices.  Place bowl in the Dehydrator at 115 Degrees for 1/2 hour.  When both are just warm to the touch combine and serve.

Arrabiata Sauce out with the Romas before the Dehydrator..

Nice and rich looking out of the Dehydrator…

Everything on one plate…

And another…

This was a really good combo in terms of taste!  Sweet & Fresh with a hint of salt from the olives and the wonderful spice from the red sauce on top of the marinated Eggplant Noodles! Delicious.  A definite winner for the tasting menu!

Thanks for stopping by!

Namaste!

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Mango Salad Adventures – Part III & FREE GIVEAWAY!

Thank you to all who have entered the raffle!

If you haven’t joined please find all the details here!

One of the most beautiful things in life is the experience of our senses.

Feeling water on your skin in the shower, the releif felt when you are sitting and are lucky enough to have someone rubbing your feet, sitting and relaxing in the comfort of your home enjoying a really good movie, book or the scent of beautiful food being prepared in the kitchen….

Life can be a beautiful experience.  It can also be a bit of a challenge at times as well.  Just remember to breathe, stay in the moment and accept that nothing except PURE LOVE lasts forever! (I don’t necessarily mean man and woman love either. PURE LOVE IS PURE LOVE!) 

I looked over all of my recipes I keep in a notebook and saw the last recipe I had been working on was a Vietnamese Mango Salad.  It was a nice switch in heat than the previous night.  I also made a RAW SOUP recipe I had been working on!

Here we go…

RAW CO/CONUT & AVOCADO SOUP

1/2 of the flesh of one coconut

Water from one Coconut

2 4″ pieces Lemongrass

2 tbs. fresh mint

1 Large Avocado

4 cloves Garlic

1 Handful Cilantro, chopped

1 Seranno Chile

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbs White Miso

Preparation: Place coconut water, lemongrass, mint, and 2 cloves of garlic into food processor.  Process with the “S” blade until it is uniformly as smooth as possible.  Using a nut bag, muslin fabric, or strainer – Strain liquid.  Set the pulp aside.  Place the broth back into the food processor and add the avocado, lime and lemon juice, miso, cilantro, remaining garlic, and serrano chile.  Process.

VIETNAMESE MANGO SALAD

1/2 cup lime juice (Approximately 4-6 limes)

1 tbs.  Raw Agave Syrup

1 tbl. Fresh Ginger cut into matchstick strips

1 tbl. Sesame Oil

1 Small Shallot, minced

1 Serrano Chile, minced

1 tbl. Raw Sesame Seeds

1 Handful Mint, chopped

1 Handful Cilantro, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/3 cup Sake

1 Ripe Mango, Sliced

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the mango.  (Allow to sit about 1/2 hour) Slice Mango and allow to marinate another 15 minutes.  Take out Mango slices and set aside.  Save remaining dressing for the next recipe.

NOTE: I made a sort of Cucumber, Cilantro relish with the rest of the dressing to put on top of the soup.  The texture of the relish went really nice with the creaminess of the soup.  It is included after the mango salad since you will be using the dressing. Also, I made the dressing, then made the soup above, then sliced the mango, etc.)

CUCUMBER RELISH

1 Cucumber, peeled and cubed

1 Handful Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped

1 Handful Fresh Mint, roughly chopped

Preparation:  Place all ingredients into remaining dressing from Mango Salad.  Allow to marinate 15 minutes and place on top of soup.

Thanks for stopping by!

Live in Light & Love!

Namaste!

Day 8 of 30 – 22 to go!

When you enjoy each second of your existence, you have achieved the state of self-realization.

This morning I woke up quite rested.  It had been some time since I was able to really acheive a restful sleep.  This is due to the die off of the parasites. Ick!

I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about something.  It is called Sankalpa.

This powerful sanskirt word means resolve.

“The purpose of Sankalpa: Influence and Transform the whole life pattern, not only the body, but also the mind, the emotions, and the spiritual forces. These forces are normally dissipated by inner conflicts, or confusion, or by various external demands and responsibilities of life. Sankalpa is a tool to focus the energy, the Prana – the life force, so that it becomes like a laser beam.” Dr. Rita Khanna

This was a really powerful hit to my ego recently.  If you think about it, that is what is keeping us from all kinds of things in life.  Whatever struggles we go through in life.  The ego is our biggest barrier.  We decide to make the decision rather than listen to what our inner self tell us. We think we want something because it feels good or tastes good or looks good.  But is it?

I encourage you to find a quiet space and close your eyes.  Focus on your heartbeat and your breathe.  Begin to visualize what you are struggling with and what changes you would like to make.  Be still and know you are loved and you are beautiful. Decide what it is you are willing to do to meet your goal.

For me?  My goal is wellness.  To feed my body live food.  This began as a Raw for 30 days mission.  For all I know I will be Raw from this point forward.  I am learning and I am loving.  Thank you for reading this blog.

Today’s Smoothie was adapted from Gone Raw a wonderful resource that I found!

2 bananas

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

A few Almonds

Handful of Hemp Seed

1 Head of Romaine

Oxygen Water

This smoothie is pretty good!  Sorry no picture.  I ran out of charge! ;(

Last night I had a salad topped with a salsa recipe I really liked and a beautiful avocado!

SALSA

1 Jalepeno Pepper

2 Tomatoes

1/2 of a brown onion

2 cloves garlic

2 handfuls of Cilantro/Fresh Coriander

Preparation: Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until chunky.  CAUTION-DO NOT PROCESS UNTIL IT LIQUIFIES! THIS WILL HAPPEN PRETTY QUICKLY IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL!

I also began to prepare a falaffel recipe and a wrap!  I will post pictures tomorrow so you can see the final plating.  It is Dehydrating at the moment at 105 for the next 8 hrs.

Updates tomorrow!

Namaste!