Raw Aged Turmeric and Black Pepper "Cheese"

Didn't I just do a "cheese" recipe not long ago, but you know what? This one is AMAZING. And a thing I love about cooking (or un-cooking) is that you learn and keep improving! This is the best "cheese" I have made to date and I am just getting started!

This is probably also the healthiest "cheese" I have ever made. Brazil nuts are more digestible than many other nuts, and do not even require soaking. Sauerkraut juice is an excellent probiotic. Turmeric has so many health benefits I can hardly list them all here, but a few are that it improves digestion, cleanses skin, and is high in anti-oxidants.Unfortunately we can't absorb turmeric fast enough to reap the full benefits... until we add pepper! Black pepper enhances turmeric's bio-availability, which is what makes this cheese such a superfood! (Yes, I decided this myself.)

1 1/2 cups brazil nuts
3/4 cup sauerkraut juice (water from homemade sauerkraut, see recipe for reuben dip)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon coconut milk (or nut milk)
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons black pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste

In a food processor blend the brazil nuts, sauerkraut juice, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, coconut milk, turmeric, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the black pepper. Blend until smooth. Should be a thick spreadable consistency, but if it seems too wet, add more brazil nuts. If it seems too dry, add more  coconut milk. Pour mixture into a small spring-form pan and smooth the top with a spatula. cover with a coffee filter or paper towel secured with a rubber band. Allow cheese to culture on the counter at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for roughly 48 hours. Remove from spring-form pan carefully (this is the hardest part). Cover outside of "cheese" with remaining 1 tablespoon of black pepper. If a rind is desired (recommended, but not necessary), dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees. Serve with flax crackers, cut veggies, or fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Raw Red Pepper Hemp Soup

The air is getting chilly, and it is only going to get colder. Will I stay raw on those cold nights to come, for months on end in the unforgiving East Coast winter? Even if I have something cooked at some point, can I maintain my commitment to my health and the health of my family? I am enjoying the food we have been eating, but it is getting COLD. I think I have the answer, and it is soup. Yes, raw soups, but no chilled. Room temperature soups warmed, not on the stove, but with heat from spices! Bring on the cayenne, winter is just around the corner!

4 cups bell pepper (I used baby bell peppers, so I mixed red, orange, and yellow)
3/4 cup hemp seeds
1 large tomato
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup sauerkraut juice (water from homemade sauerkraut)
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste
jalapeno slice and baby bell pepper to garnish

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with jalapeno and baby bell pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Time and Raw Food

The comment I hear the most now that I have been eating raw is, "But doesn't it take a long time?" In truth I asked this question myself quite a lot. Now let's take the same question and turn it back around, "But doesn't cooking take a long time?" It all depends, doesn't it? What are you eating?

While I have been trying to keep this blog filled with delicious and exciting raw creations, I can't make every meal as decadent as some. Last night I didn't get home till 6:45 PM. My son goes to bed at 8:00 PM, but I managed to get dinner on the table by 7:15 PM... raw food for my husband and I and a plate of raw veggies and rice for my son. I quickly spiralized some yellow squash and made a fast sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, red pepper, onion, nutritional yeast, salt, and oregano. I even massaged some collards and splashed them with olive oil, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, salt, and a dash of chili pepper. It may not be the most Instagram worthy meal I have ever made, but it tasted better than some of the ones that do make it to Instagram! And who am I actually cooking for? My family or strangers across the internet?

So I thought I would write some quick tips I have learned since I transitioned to raw foods:

1. Get something going. Soak. Sprout. Ferment. Dehydrate. You don't even need immediate plans of how you will use these, but some of these processes take hours or even days! Get it started and the ideas will come as the food prepares. Buy lots of jars and designate a space for them in your kitchen. You will start noticing if it looks too empty, and you will remember to check when things are ready.

2. Go to the produce aisle. A LOT. I used to be a once-a-week food shopper, but now I am a one-big-trip-a-week food shopper. One trip is enough to cover the bulk of our shopping, but to keep up with all of our fruit and veggie needs I usually need to make 2 small trips directly to the produce aisle with a quick escape.

3. Fruit. Honestly, I tend to be a more savory girl than a sweet one, but recently I have been embracing the miracle of fruit. Nature was kind enough to provide us with delicious snacks and meals that require NO PREPARING and are the most healthy choices we can make for ourselves and our family! So why make it harder than it has to be? It is apple season, grab a freakin' apple!

4. Buy what you can in bulk. Believe me, you will use it all. Nuts, seeds, coconut oil, and salt are main ones which you will always need, and it will save you time and money to have a good store of these items.

5. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Have a back-up plan for times when there is no time. As a single mom before I started paying attention to my health my back-up plan was a veggie burger meal at Burger King. This is NOT a healthy solution, but even in the health wasteland of chain restaurant suburbia, there can be some hope. If you aren't lucky enough to have a raw restaurant or a smoothie place near you, find a place with a decent salad bar. Get only veggies and bring your own homemade dressing (most places won't care). Or go to a restaurant that serves fresh guacamole or salsa and bring your own flax crackers. You can't guarantee that everything is organic, but a little outing once in awhile can save you from feeling alienated socially and dropping your goals completely!

Raw Reuben Dip

While this recipe lacks a lot of the traditional ingredients of a reuben, it has the essence of what I always loved about the treat- thousand island dressing and sauerkraut! It also makes for a really fast meal. The savory flavor of this recipe is a sure way to help kick any cooked food cravings!

Homemade Sauerkraut

1/2 head of green cabbage
2 tablespoons of pink Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Cut or shred the cabbage into fine pieces. Use a large mason jar, or similar glass container with a lid, and pack the cabbage in tightly. Cover with salt and smash down with a wooden breakdown the roughness of the cabbage a bit. Add caraway seeds and apple cider vinegar. Fill the remaining space with spring water or filtered water. Close jar loosely. Leave the jar out of sunlight at room temperature for about 3 days. The jar will need to be "burped"(opened to release any excess gas) about twice a day.

Reuben Dip

1 cup brazil nuts
1 large tomato
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in water at least 30 minutes)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons hemp milk
1 tablespoon sauerkraut juice (liquid from sauerkraut)
3/4 cup homemade sauerkraut
pink Himalayan salt to taste

In a food processor combine brazil nuts, tomato, sun-dried tomato, lemon, olive oil, paprika, nutritional yeast, hemp milk, sauerkraut juice, and salt. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl and add the sauerkraut. Pair with your favorite slices veggies or flax crackers. Enjoy!

Sunflower Seed Cheese Wheel with Rind

My husband has been feeling some positive results from going on a fruit fast, which is wonderful. I have been feeling the benefits of eating more fruit as well, but sometimes I need a little something to go with it. So this past Friday I paired our fruit with a "cheese" wheel. This was my first attempt at a cheese with a rind, and I assume there will be many more attempts along these lines in the future!

2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked 4 to 8 hours)
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons sauerkraut water
1 tablespoon hemp milk
1 teaspoon truffle oil
2 enzyme capsules
Celtic sea salt to taste

Drain and rinse soaked sunflower seeds. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour contents into a small spring form pan. Cover the pan with a coffee filter and rubber band (paper towel or cheese cloth will work as well). Allow to sit on the counter for 24 to 48 hours. After cheese has set, undo spring form pan and carefully set cheese in the dehydrator for an additional 8 hours (this step is to make the rind, you can skip it and go without the rind if you do not have a dehydrator.)

Product Review: CocoBurg Raw Coconut Jerky

Here is my first product review, and I have to tell you that I kind wanted to start doing reviews because I was excited about this product before I even tried it! Where I live finding young coconuts isn't easy. The one store I know of that consistently has young coconuts is 30 minutes away, gets robbed quite frequently, and the coconuts have to be checked over VERY well for mold. So while in theory I could drive an hour round trip, buy my own coconuts, hack them open, and dehydrate them for hours, it is actually worth the $4.99 per 1 oz. package (or $7.99 for 2 oz. package) to save me the trouble. In the world of raw food items, this is actually pretty damn affordable.

I got to try all three flavors: Original, Ginger Teriyaki, and Chili Lime. I was fully expecting my favorite to be either Ginger Teriyaki or Chili Lime because I love flavors... bright, exciting, saturated flavors. While all three were great I was surprised that Original was actually my favorite. Original usually communicates "plain" or "boring" to my brain, but CocoBurg's Original is peppery goodness. As close to a steak as a raw foodist can get. I portioned out my bag carefully so that I wouldn't eat it all, but my husband came along and finished it off. I sprinkled a bit of the Chili Lime on a raw stir-fry I made (topping on salads would also be a good idea), which gave it an extra kick. This one is spicy though, so be warned! Luckily I love heat.

All of the ingredients used are organic and dehydrated at 115 degrees. CocoBurg is a great alternative to buying highly-processed treats. The flavoring is spot on. Whether you are eating raw, gluten-free, soy-free, paleo, vegan or vegetarian, this product meets your standards. In fact, my only complaint about their products are that they are already gone now and I need to get more!

cocoburg.com

The 5-Minute Raw Apple Crumble

What else is there to say? Apple crumble in 5 minutes? Um, yes please! Just another recipe to disprove the idea that raw food takes too long. (I once believed this myself!)

2 apples (I used Fuji that we picked from an orchard!)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds (mine were bought pre-sprouted)
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon water
dash pink Himalayan salt
drizzle of sweetener of choice (coconut nectar, maple syrup, honey, or agave)
sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine raisins, pumpkin seeds, tahini, coconut butter, water, and salt in a food processor until dough-like. Slice apples (the thinner the better). Place apple slices in a bowl and crumble the mixture over top. Drizzle sweetener of choice and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

5 Fast, Easy, Simple Raw Snacks

Sometimes after a long day, but between meal times, we slump on the couch completely exhausted and just need some small treat to satisfy us. Or maybe we are running out the door and don't have time to bother with dishes, let alone dehydrators, food processors, spice grinders, spiralizers, mandolins, and the like. So here are 5 simple snacks (all 5 ingredients or less), to keep you going on your path, aside from the obvious choice of just grabbing a piece of fruit (which is also an excellent option!)

-Cucumber slices, mashed avocado, paprika, and salt.

-Apple slices, sunflower seed butter, sweetener of choice (honey/ agave/ maple syrup/ coconut nectar), and salt.

-Almond milk, chia seeds, sliced banana, and cacao nibs.

-Tomato slices, chopped onion, greens of choice (basil/ dandelion/ arugula/ spinach), olive oil, and salt.

-Massaged kale, olive oil, coconut aminos, chopped bell pepper, and salt.

Raw Portobello Mushroon and Onion Quiche

This one was yummy, although I do need to work on its appearance a bit! Quiche is a great comfort food that some how manages to feel warm even when it is cold. I just ordered these mini springform pans, so that helped out with portion control (if I had made a large one I am sure I would have eaten the whole thing!)

Crust:

1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds (bought pre-sprouted)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
dash of pink Himalayan salt

Using a spice grinder, grind the flax seeds into a flour-like texture. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and mix until even. In a mini springform pan, line the bottom and sides with mixture, pressing evenly into shape. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes before putting in filling.

Filling:

1 large portobello mushroom
1/4 a red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large handful of fresh herbs (I used parsley, dill, sage, and rosemary)
1 cup raw macadamia nuts
1/2 a yellow squash
1 tablespoon hemp milk
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
1/2 a lemon, juiced
pink  Himalayan salt to taste

Slice the mushroom and onion, then marinate in a mixture of olive oil, coconut aminos, cumin, paprika, and salt for at least an hour. Dehydrate marinated mushroom for 1 to 2 hours at 110 degrees. In a food processor combine the macadamia nuts, yellow squash, hemp milk, coconut butter, nutritional yeast, white truffle oil, lemon, and salt. Mix until smooth. Chop the fresh herbs coarsely and stir into mixture. Stir in mushroom and onion. Pour filling into crusts. Release the springform carefully and serve.

Raw Chocolates in Maca-Cinnamon, Vanilla-Coconut, and Dark

Sweets and treats. We need them sometimes. The tricky thing in the raw vegan world is what to use as your sweetener. As often as possible dates or fruit juice suffice, but sometimes they aren't quite the right texture or consistency. So often I face the three possibilities: honey (not vegan), maple syrup (not raw), or agave (not always raw, and not all that healthy). I have heard arguments from both sides as to whether the consumption of honey is helpful or hurtful to our declining bee population. It is hard to know which is true. Raw local honey can be beneficial to people with allergies and skin problems (i.e. me).  While maple syrup is technically not raw, it is anti-inflammatory, contains more minerals than most other sweeteners, and is high in anti-oxidants. Agave can have the advantage of being both vegan and raw (read your labels), but really is lacking in any sort of health benefits.

So, pick your poison (hopefully lack of poison), and if these three still don't do it for you, try coconut nectar, which is raw, vegan, and has better nutritional value, but may be expensive and depending on where you live harder to find. After doing some reading on this topic, I definitely need to add this to my shelves...

Anyway, on to the sweets!

Dark

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons carob powder
1 tablespoon liquid sweetener of choice (see above options)

Warm the coconut oil on the stove enough just to melt it to liquid (as long as this is not over 118 degrees it still falls under raw) and turn off heat. Mix the oil, carob powder, and sweetener until smooth. Pour into a silicone mold of your choice (I got my cute flower one off of eBay for $1.50 with free shipping!) Place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to harden, or freezer if you can't even wait that long! WARNING: These will melt if you leave them on the counter too long! So once you take them out of the cold, eat them fast!

Vanilla-Coconut

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoon carob powder
1/2 tablespoon liquid sweetener of your choice

1 additional tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1/2 additional tablespoon sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon vanilla

In your first pan, warm the coconut butter and coconut oil just enough to melt and turn off heat. Mix in vanilla and sweetener. This is your top layer to pour into your silicone mold. For the second layer, follow the directions for "dark" above in a new pan, and pour into mold. Place in the fridge or freezer, as instructed above.

Maca-Cinnamon

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoon carob powder
1/2 tablespoon liquid sweetener of your choice

1 additional tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1/2 additional tablespoon sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon maca powder

In your first pan, warm the coconut butter and coconut oil just enough to melt and turn off heat. Mix in maca powder, cinnamon, and sweetener. This is your top layer to pour into your silicone mold. For the second layer, follow the directions for "dark" above in a new pan, and pour into mold. Place in the fridge or freezer, as instructed above.

Exploring New Possibilities

As I have made these transitions with my diet and my health, I have had it a lot easier than most. The reason for this is my husband. He has researched and studied about herbalism and nutrition for years and I am lucky to be able to feed off of his knowledge. Then again, he is lucky to feed off of my cooking (or un-cooking, as it is with raw food)! We have a pretty good thing going. No, I am not bringing this up just to brag. I have been thinking about how my husband and I should work together on this blog.

When I am writing these recipes I get excited about the FOOD. I am a firm believer that eating should be an enjoyable experience. But the "why" becomes a little bit trickier for me to communicate. For example: Flax seeds are good for you, or nettles are an excellent herb for just about everybody to take, because... just wait a second while I find a dry quote off the internet to answer this...

But my husband knows this stuff with a passion and rationale that I would love to share with the world. So hopefully in the near future we will figure out a way to work on this together, for everyone's benefit! If you have any suggestions, advice or questions that we might be able to tackle, let me know! In the meantime, I'll still be posting recipes, and we'll be planning together...

Raw Sprouted Lentil Bread

Sometimes you want a sandwich. Not a wrap, not a collard leaf. Sometimes you have a TON of sprouts in your sprouting jar and don't know what to do with them. This recipe solves both problems.

1 cup flax seeds
4 cups sprouted lentils
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
Celtic sea salt to taste (be generous)

Blend flax seeds in a spice grinder or small food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) into a fine powder. In a food processor mix ground flax seeds and all remaining ingredients, stirring sides occasionally, until you have an even, thick batter. Line your dehydrator with wax paper and spread a thick, even layer on the paper. Dehydrate at 110 degrees overnight (roughly 8 hours). Flip over and remove wax paper. Allow to dehydrate for an additional 2 hours on the other side. Enjoy! 

Raw Vegetable Biryani

In case you haven't discovered this yet, I LOVE Indian food. Unfortunately going raw has limited some of these indulgences, but last night I made this raw vegetable biryani and paired it with raw samosas, mint chutney, lemon pickle, and date dipping sauce. I am not going to give away all of my secrets (you will have to wait for my cookbook for that), but here is a taste of the goodness!

1 large or 2 medium-sized parsnips
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup of sweet peas
1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of diced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon coconut milk
2 teaspoons coconut aminos
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
pink Himalayan salt to taste
lime and fresh mint to garnish

In a food processor pulse the parsnip until it becomes a grain-like texture. Transfer to a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Plate and garnish.

Sprouted Coconut-Curry Hummus and Sprouted Mung Bean-Black Sesame Crackers

Sprouty sprout sprout SPROUT! Here is a living recipe! Enjoy!

Coconut-Curry Hummus

1 1/2 cups sprouted chickpeas (about 2 days to sprout)
1/2 meat from a young coconut
1/2 water from a young coconut
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon fennel powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
dash of cayenne powder
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until texture is smooth.

Mung Bean-Black Sesame Crackers

2 cups sprouted mung beans (about 2 days to sprout)
3/4 cup of black sesame seeds
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup dulse
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
2 teaspooons chili pepper
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
Celtic sea salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until texture is a smooth, sticky paste. Lay down wax paper in your dehydrator trays, and coat with a thin layer of the mixture (the thinner, the better). Dehydrate at about 109 degrees for 4 hours, then flip and dehydrate for an additional 5 to 6 hours. Break into chip-sized pieces and serve with hummus!

Raw 7 Layer Dip and Sprouted Chickpea-Sweet Potato Chips

Firstly, I want to admit that the refried bean layer of this recipe was very highly influenced by Dan the Life Regenerator's black refried bean recipe. If you don't know it, check it out. It was delicious.

Secondly, these recipes can start to become about habits and planning for the future.  They are good lessons actually. Sprout something. Soak something. You might not know how you are going to use it, but you will and it will stop you from eating crap.

Sprouted Chickpea-Sweet Potato Chips

1 cup sprouted chickpeas (2 or 3 days to sprout)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of flax seeds
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup onion
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth (this may take awhile). Lay down your mixture on a wax paper sheet on your dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 4 hours, then flip and dehydrate for another 4 hours.

7 Layer Dip

Bean Layer

1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add additional liquid if needed.

Guacamole Layer

1 avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Mash all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Sour Cream Layer

1 cup soaked almonds (soaked overnight)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon hemp milk
1 teaspoon truffle oil
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add additional liquid if needed.

Additional Layers

nutritional yeast
lettuce
tomato
onion
chili pepper to garnish

Select either a medium-sized pan or two small bowls. Starting with the refried bean layer, work your way up making a smooth, thin layer for each. Once you have finished the last layer sprinkle with chili pepper and serve with chips. This dip also goes well with cucumber slices, bell pepper, celery or carrots!

Orange Sesame Bok Choy Salad

Looking at some food pictures recently I noticed that I haven't been posting enough of my green recipes. Usually I think people just don't care as much about those recipes and I imagine the song from The Simpsons, "You don't make friends with salad." Well, they must be making the wrong kinds of salad then because quite often the salads are the best part of my meals! So here's some green for you... dig in!

1 head of bok choy
1 orange
1 purple bell pepper
1 cup sprouted mung beans
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon hemp oil
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Peel and chop orange. Chop bok chop and bell pepper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes before serving.

Raw Parsnip Chips

So, we finally got a dehydrator! Not a very expensive one, but a simple one to suit our needs. I have been putting off getting a dehydrator because you should have liquid in your foods! If you are eating nothing but dehydrated food, you are probably dehydrated yourself! BUT there are times when you would like a cracker to dip in your salsa or some kind of wrap or bread to hold your juicy sandwich. I have been purchasing store-bought raw crackers, wraps, and cookies, which are quite often $7 for a relatively small amount. I finally caved when my husband offered to buy us a dehydrator at a good deal and I played with it all weekend. Remember as you dehydrate foods to drink a lot of water and do not dehydrate EVERYTHING! Here is a recipe for my my first dehydrating experiment!

1 large parsnip (the bigger, the better)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon hemp milk
1 small handful of finely chopped  mixed herbs (I used parsley, dill, and sage)
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Using a mandolin, slice the parsnip into thin discs (the thinner the better). In a bowl, mix parsnip slices with remaining ingredients. Lay flat on dehydrator sheets, spacing out evenly. Dehydrate at 109 degrees for roughly 10 - 12 hours (check often for your desired chewy/ crispy preference).

Raw Pineapple Right-Side Up Cake

It is a grey dreary day in Maryland. I figured a good solution to this was to bring in some sunshiney pineapple dessert recipe!

1/2 a pineapple
1 banana
3/4 cup of brazil nuts
4 dates, pitted
1/3 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon coconut butter
2 teaspoons honey or agave
dash of cinnamon
sprinkle of bee pollen (optional)

Using a spice grinder or small blender (I used a Magic Bullet), grind the flax seeds into a fine powder. In a food processor combine the ground flax seeds, banana, brazil nuts, dates, raisins, vanilla, and salt. The mixture should be dough-like. Spoon the mixture to the bottom of a medium-sized pie pan, or 2 small bowls for individual servings. Slice pineapple and cover mixture. In a saucepan at the lowest heat melt the coconut oil and coconut butter, Turn off heat as soon as the mixture in liquified and add honey or agave. Drizzle mixture over pineapple. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bee pollen. Enjoy!

Going Raw... What Have I Lost?

My coworker was talking to me about food the other day and I confessed that I hadn't eaten cooked food in 2 months (with the exception of one vegan wedding, which involved falafel.) Saying it out loud I will admit, it sounded mildly insane. Everyone cooks right? That is where food comes from! Well, it does for one species on the planet. For every other species raw food is the normal way of life. But what have I gained so far, and what have I lost?

Well, for starters, since my transition about 2 years ago from the Standard American Diet I have lost 30 pounds. Though I was vegetarian all my life 2 years ago I was pretty content eating veggie burger meals with fries and soda from Burger King. Giving up soda I lost 10 pounds immediately. The second 10 pounds was lost as I transitioned into a more health-conscious vegan and soy-free lifestyle. The last 10 pounds dropped since I went raw. It hasn't exactly been my goal to lose weight. My goal has been to be a healthier version of myself... to feel happy in my own skin. I wouldn't have said about myself 2 years ago that I thought I needed to lose 30 pounds, but I would have said that I wish I had a nicer chin, neck, and jawline. I am pretty happy with these now. I don't think most of what I lost was even fat so much as it was fluid. I have no scientific proof of this of course, just observations from my own detoxing. It is disturbing to think of what 30 pounds of excess fluid was doing to my organs. As you can read in my blog "Portrait of a Detox", I had some pretty bad problems with boils before this process.

I have lost some foods from my diet, which I sometimes crave, but I have gained the ability to experiment and invent and create something to fulfill those cravings from better food! In this droll everyday routine, I actually look forward to coming home and making dinner! I fail, a lot more than I show in my posts, but I learn, which adults can tend to stop doing after a certain point in their lives. I probably will eat some cooked food somewhere along the line, but now that is more of a special decadence... like a birthday cake or Thanksgiving dinner, and not everyday life. I may have lost Burger King, but I can feel that with these habits I have gained years of my life and more time and energy to share with my family. And I gained a jawline, so that's a nice bonus too.