More Ideas I love...

A Wee House


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Devilish Delight Chocolate-Cherry Balls

If you are craving something super sweet. So rich one is usually enough.

Devilish Delights

• 3C Walnuts
• 1C Almonds
• 2C Dried Cherries
• 1C Pitted Dates (soaked for 20minutes - reserve soak water)
• 2.5C Shredded Coconut
• 2.5T Cacao Powder
• 4T Cacao Nibs (if you have fine without)
• 1/2C Raisins or Dried Cranberries
• 3T Maple Syrup
• 1/2T Basalmic Vinegar (brings out the taste in the cacao - I'm not sure why but it works)
  

Pulse Walnuts, Almonds, Cherries, Pitted Dates, Cacao, Cacao Nibs, Maple Syrup and Vinegar in food processor until goopy (if it is too dry add reserved soak water from dates 1T at a time until the consistency is similar to peanut butter). Stir in Shredded Coconut and Raisins mix well with spoon. Scoop out with a tablespoon and roll into balls in the palm of your hand. Use a small bowl of shredded coconut to roll the ball in to coat. Put balls on a plate lined with parchment paper and stick them in the fridge or freezer until firm until. I've been told these taste like they have alchohol in them due to the cacao nibs. I think they would be excellent at Christmas instead of rum balls.

Japanese Cabbage & Noodle Salad

I really enjoy spiral cut zucchini. Much like traditional noodles zucchini noodles have a nice texture and take on the flavour of whatever you decide to pair them with. Tonight I decided to try an asian inspired salad & noodle recipe that I adapted to raw from a traditional cookbook.

Japanese Cabbage & Noodle Salad

• 1/2C Sliced Almonds
• 1/2 Small head red cabbage - shredded
• 1/2 package of bean or soya sprouts
• 1C sliced mushrooms
• 1/3C sunflower seeds
• 1/2C sliced thin celery
• 1 Zucchini spiral sliced into noodles

Dressing

• 1/3C Sesame Oil
• 3T nama shoyu (wheat free soy sauce)
• 1/2T Miso Paste
• 4T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1T Maple Syrup
• 1 pinch pink salt

Wisk dressing together in a small bowl until miso is completely disolved.
Mix salad together in large bowl drizzle with dressing and toss together until thoroughly coated. 

Spicy Portabello Sandwich

Spicy Portabello Mushroom Sandwich

• 3 Portabello Mushoom Caps (take stems out)

Marinade

• 1medium mango
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 jalapeno pepper
• pinch of salt
• 1tsp tumeric
• 1tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic
• blend all in high speed blender until smooth

Cover mushrooms in marinade and let sit in fridge for 3-4 hours. Dehydrate for 2 hours at 105. (not nessesary but makes them chewy nice and chewy).

Slice mushooms and layer on dehydrated bread (I've used Matt Amsden's Famous Onion Bread in the photo above -
recipe can be found in his book RAWvolution) with sprouts, tomatoes and avocado. (enough for 2 sandwiches)

To B12 or not to B12

I keep hearing how important it is for people on a plant based diet to supplement with B12. Because my body chemistry is fairly delicate I tend to be particularly vigilant in trying to make sure that I'm getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals daily.

Most people get their daily dose of B12 by consuming animal products such as red meats, cheese or milk. People who choose not to eat animal products or byproducts can supplement by taking B12 capsules, liquid or injections. B12 can also be found in nutritional yeast (only if fortified... try Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula and Twinlab Natural Nutritional Yeast... keep them in the refrigerator & out of the light - B12 is light sensitive), seaweeds (ie nori), fermented soy, & algae (ie spirulina). There is a debate that B12 from plant sources is not as readily absorbed as it is from animal sources. Some believe that taking a good quality probiotic will help you to absorb plant derived B12. However from what I've read most experts on the subject believe that plant sources will not raise your B-12 levels enough to keep you from being deficient and that taking some sort of supplement is necessary.

In his book Cure for Diabetes Dr. Gabriel Cousins has this to say about B12 “Thirty-nine percent of meat eaters are deficient in B12 and up to 80% of vegans and live-food eaters are deficient in B-12 after six years"... the body stores B12 in the liver so if you have spent most of your life eating a standard American diet and are new to live foods you probably have enough B12 stored in your liver to see you through until you figure out which type of B12 is right for you - however - Dr. Cousins goes on to say... "it is absolutely essential that we supplement with this nutrient. Research has found that vitamin B-12 is also very helpful in maintaining proper function of the nervous system in individuals with Type-2 diabetes. Increased levels of B-12 were closely correlated with reduced oxidative stress in individuals with poor blood sugar control. People’s needs for for B-12 are quite variable, and stress plays a big role in those needs. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can result in memory loss, depression and numbness or burning feelings in the feet…

From an article Dr. Cousins wrote on B12 for Living Foods.com he suggests....

"My suggestion, out of my concern for all of my clients, for my fellow live fooders and vegans is that it is well advised to supplement with an actual B-12 human active supplement. There are vegan B-12 supplements, which allow us to be totally successful vegan live fooders. My general recommendation is that if you have symptoms of B-12 deficiency, you can even start with a 100 pg. injection, or according to the research, an oral administration of 1,000 pg. per day for two to four weeks is equal to repeated monthly injections. After about a month of the oral, the dose can be cut in half. One can even cut that in half again. I don't really recommend nutritional red star yeast, because of the fungal potential; I think that the safest and healthiest approach is via supplementation."

If you would like to read more about what Dr. Cousins has to say on this topic you can find an article at www.living-foods.com (the link below)

• Vitamin B12 Importance by Dr. Gabriel Cousens

I use two websites on a regular basis that have excellent nutritional information databases.

www.freetrainers.com

I've been using this site for years. The basic membership is free and they have never spammed me. This site is mainly geared towards fitness training but, also offers a nutritional database where you can enter all the foods you have consumed on a daily basis. The site will break these foods down and tell you if you have met your nutritional goals for the day.

www.nutritiondata.com

Enter any food into the search bar (upper right hand side of the site) and the site will give you a Nutrition Facts sheet on it (also free).

After the Feast...

I had someone ask me a few days ago how things are going for me now that I'm back on solid food again. She also wanted to know if I'd gained back any weight and if I still think going on an extended fast was a good idea. The short answer to the last question is yes I still think the juice feast was a good idea and that it helped me to achieve a greater level of health and awareness about myself. I've gained back 5lbs over the past month and a half (which I expected). I believe that if your only goal is to lose weight juice feasting may not be the solution for you. Fasting does help your body release weight but, if you come off the juice feast and jump right back in to eating how you ate before you will gain the weight back (and probably more because your metabolism will be much slower). If you go into it with other goals in mind, healing a health problem, gaining a greater understanding of yourself and your body for instance or as an aid in helping to transition into a healthier diet - I would still say - yes - go for it. Check out David & Katrina's juice feasting site to research what is involved to do it in a healthy informed way before you start (under my links or click on the "Juice feasting" logo above my photo to the right and it will take you there). If you want to connect with others doing a juice feast they also offer a free community site www.globaljuicefeast.com - you will find blogs, discussions, moral support and the like there (both are great resources).

I'm still finding my footing post feast. In many ways juicing every day was much easier than planning healthy menus. I still have days where I will choose to juice for most of the day because I'm busy and don't want to have to think about what I might want to eat - no I'm not sick of juice (amazing isn't it?) - I actually crave it a lot of the time. I still start my days with warm water, fresh lemon juice and msm powder. For breakfast I usually have fruit juice with blue green algae mixed in or a green smoothy, lunch is a salad, blended raw soup or green juice depending on how busy my day is and you've seen what I've been eating for dinner :). Some of my allergy issues have resurfaced so I'm focused now on reducing stress, and investigating which foods make me feel best. I'm reading a lot about Doshas and trying to follow some of the guidelines of Ayurvedic nutrition for my body type.

Cheezy Ravioli with Walnut Pesto

A friend gave me fresh basil from her garden yesterday - mmmm - I love basil. I wanted to use it to

make something with pesto for dinner tonight and came up with this. It turned out really well - a nice

comfort food dish.

Ravioli with Walnut Pesto

Ravioli Shells

• 1 small Jicama peeled and sliced thin with a mandoline slicer
• 1/2 Lemon Juiced
• 3T Olive Oil
• Pinch of Pink Salt
• 1 clove Garlic crushed and minced

Ricotta/Mushroom Filling

• 1/2C Mushrooms Minced fine
• 1C Macadamia nuts
• 1/4C Lemon Juice
• 4T Water
• 2T Nutritional yeast
• 1T Olive Oil
• 1T Apple Cider Vinegar

Toss Minced mushrooms in Lemon Juice, Water, Olive Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar until coated. Drain liquid into food processor set mushrooms aside. Add 1C Macadamia nuts and 1T nutritional yeast to food processor blend with s blade until smooth and creamy.

Assemble

Lay out Jicama rounds on a flat surface use a small spoon to scoop small portions of ricotta on to the centre of Jicama rounds. Place a few minced mushrooms on top of the ricotta and fold over Jimaca rounds to form half moons. Place on teflex covered dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 105 for 1 hour (not necessary but makes them nice and warm). Sprinkle Ravioli with 1T of nutritional yeast (* nutritional yeast contains no live enzymes but, it is chock full of beneficial B vitamins, minerals & protein - this is not the kind of yeast that is used to make bread or beer. It has a sweet cheezy taste.)

Walnut Pesto

• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 3T Water
• 2C Fresh Basil
• 1C Fresh (soaked for 3hrs and drained) walnuts
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 squeezed Lemon
• Pinch of Pink sea salt (I can't get enough of this! Have you tried it? If not so buy some - you won't be sorry)

Blend all until smooth in food processor. You will have extra - keeps well for up to 2 weeks. Very good on zucchini pasta. Right a photo from a few days later on black olives & yellow zucchini cut with a spiralizer

Cauliflower & Pecan Salad with Mustard dressing

I guess the olives aren't technically raw... purists could omit - but tasty with.

Salad

1/2 Head small cauliflower chopped

1 handful grape tomatoes

1 small Tomatillo chopped

1/2 cup sliced green olives

1/2 cup broken pecans

1 Cup french sliced yellow beans

Dressing

4T Grapeseed oil

3T Basalmic Vinegar

2t fresh ground black or yellow mustard seeds

1t agave

1 crushed/sliced clove of garlic

Marinate Tomatillo, Pecans, Beans and Cauliflower in dressing for 2-3 hours add tomatoes and olives toss and serve. (2 Adult servings)

Maple Walnut Ice Nocream

I had so much fun making ice cream the other day I decided to try making one of my favourite kinds - Maple Walnut. I think it turned out even better than the chocolate.

Maple Walnut Ice NOcream

• 1C soaked cashews (1-2hrs)
• 1/2C soaked walnuts (1-2hrs)
• 1/2 cup young coconut meat
• 1/2 Maple Syrup
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1T vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 4T Walnuts

Blend all except walnuts in blender until very smooth. Pour into ice cream maker add walnuts and follow manufacturer's instruction (1 quart)

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash - Raw

I don't think my photo does this dish justice it smelled and looked so good while I was making it that I just piled it all on a plate and took a quick snap without fussing too much so I could gobble it up fast... yum and very filling!

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash (Raw)

• 1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
• 2T Olive Oil
• 3T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Clove garlic crushed
• 1T Nutritional yeast
• Pinch of Salt

Cut Squash in half and remove seeds brush with olive oil and dehydrate 8-10/hrs at 110 to soften. When done scoop out soft part of the squash with a fork (will be stringy like spaghetti). Marinate spaghetti squash in ACV, Olive Oil, Garlic and Salt while you make the topping.

Southwestern Topping

• 1 Cup of Corn
• 1/2 Cup Black Olives
• 1/2 Cup Red Onion
• 1 Medium Tomato seeded and chopped
• 2T Olive Oil
• .5 Medium Lime (juiced)
• 2T Chilli Powder
• 2.5T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Clove Garlic Crushed
• 4 sprigs of cilantro chopped

Mix together all ingredients except Tomatoes and let flavours marinate for about 10 minutes

pile Squash on plate or in bowl sprinkle with nutritional yeast and top with southwestern topping and chopped tomatoes

Side Salad

I made the side salad using delicious fresh picked spinach from a friend's garden. The salad is baby spinach greens, a little chopped red onion, some radish sprouts, sliced mushroom and cucumber.

I kept the dressing simple so it wouldn't over power the Squash...

Hemp Oil Dressing

• 1.5T Hemp Oil
• 1/5 Lime squeezed
• 1/2 clove garlic

Wisked together in a bowl and poured over greens to taste (makes a lovely green dressing - very pretty!)

Cacao Nib Ice NOcream

I've been craving chocolate so I decided to try making cashew nut icecream. I adapted this recipe from one of Matthew Kenney's in "Everyday Raw"

Cacao Nib Ice NOcream

• 1 cup soaked cashews (1-2hrs)
• 1/2 cup young coconut meat
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1T vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2T cacao powder
• 1/4 cacao nibs
• 1/2 Agave Nectar

Blend all except cacao nibs in blender until very smooth. Pour into ice cream maker add cacao nibs and follow manufacturer's instruction (1 quart)

RAW Spaghetti with Marinara & Veg.

I made this last night - sooooo good!

Marinara

• 1c Sundried Tomatoes soaked 5 minutes or more
• 2T Italian Seasoning (or if you have it fresh basil & oregeno)
• 1tsp Honey or Maple Syrup
• 2T Water
• 1 medium tomato chopped and seeded
• 1 clove garlic (or more to your taste)
• 1/2T olive oil

pulse all in a food processor until well blended

Marinated Veggies

• One sliced red pepper
• One handful pitted kalamata or black olives
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1C sliced mushrooms
• 3T Olive Oil
• 2T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 clove garlic crushed & sliced
• 2T Nama Shoyu (soya sauce)

Mix Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic and Nama Shoyu together, pour over veggies. Add your in your marinara sauce and mix all together well - let marinate while you make your pasta

Pasta

• 1 Medium Zucchini

Peel then slice Zuchini into spaghetti using a spiral slicer (like a saladaco or spirooli) OR if you can peel your zuchini and slice it into thin strips using a veggie peeler then julienne the slices. I added in another chopped tomato to my pasta then put the veg/marinara on top.

Full Moon Tomorrow ...

Blessing Moon, Thunder Moon, Meadow Moon, Capricorn Moon, Wort (herb) Moon, Raspberry Moon

This moon is all about staying grounded. Which is timely because because I just posted a few days ago on how to do just that (think wading). Another big thing happening during this full moon is a lunar eclipse (cancer/water). Emotions are likely to be running high with some people because Capricorn and Cancer are in opposition (water/earth). The count to 10 rule before you react is probably a good idea for the next few weeks.

This is the perfect time to pay attention to your dreams, focus inward, and start identifying and clearing out old emotional baggage.

Raw Dill Pickles... YUM!

Raw Dillies

14 Pickling Cukes (3") sliced long
4 Sprigs fresh dill
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Whole Cloves
1/2 lemon juiced (squeezed)
2 cloves garlic crushed open
pinch of sea salt
Cold water to cover

Pack a sterilized jar with pickles, dill, cloves and garlic and cover with water, ACV and lemon squeeze. Cover with lid set in hot sun for a few hours (2-4hrs) to let the flavours marinate - then refrigerate - will keep up to 4 weeks. Use raw Cauliflower, Carrots, Green Beans, and Red Bell Pepper slices to make veggie pickles. Pickled raw beans as a garnish for fresh tomato/celery juice are delicious (remember to snap the ends off your beans!).

Barefoot - Grounding...

I'm one of those people who has a problem keeping their shoes on - especially in the summer. As soon as I get home at night the shoes come off and my toes rejoice. Okay to be honest I don't always wait until I get home. I've been known to pad around the office sans shoes because I've forgotten to slip my flip flops back on from time to time.

I'm a beach walker, a water wader - I love the feeling of mud, grass, warm soil, cool cement & sand on my feet. I feel more peaceful and connected when I'm barefoot. When I was younger I wanted to become a surfer and I swear one of the biggest draws was the idea that I could walk around barefoot all day.

So when I received an email from David Wolfe this week on Barefoot walking and Grounding Technology I was intrigued. He claims there is enormous benefit to walking barefoot and connecting with the earth "skin to skin". Wolfe says the earth is mobilized with antioxidant (negatively charged) electrons that flow into our bodies the moment we connect without shoes to the ground. The human body conducts electricity and we pick up static. When we wear rubber soled shoes the rubber acts as an insulator preventing our electricity from flowing into to ground. Another site states "The incidence of mental illness dramatically increased when people started wearing rubber shoes (became popular in the 60s). Before that most people wore leather, which allowed the electricity to pass through." Some people feel that connecting barefoot with the earth helps to reduce inflammation in the body and reduces the effects of aging - even if it is just for a few minutes a day. When you walk barefoot pressure points in the soles of your feet are massaged. Doctors have been recommending to patients with varicose veins that they try walking barefoot when at home to reduce swelling for years.

Hey it can't hurt it, might help and it feels good so I'm keeping my shoes off...

Raw Gingerale

My favourite summer drink...

• 2 fresh knots of ginger peeled and sliced (the more ginger the spicer it will be).
• A large mason jar
  
• 1 lemon sliced. Fill the jar with fresh water ginger and lemon slices.
• Agave or honey to taste (I don't use any sweetener in mine - if you don't like a sugary taste try it without - very gingery and delicious!)
• Club soda (if you want some fizz - but yummy mixed with plain water as well)
  

Put ginger, lemon and water in a jar, cover and set in a sunny hot window or on the porch for a day. This makes your ginger base. Mix to taste with club soda/sweetener and lots of ice any time you want a refreshing summer drink ( I use about 1/4 cup to one can of club soda - I like mine spicy - experiment by putting in 1T at a time until you get the ratio right). Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Raw Summer Treats

Here is what I'll be filling my picnic basket with this July 1st.

RAW SLAW

(makes enough for 2)

Dressing

• 1Tbsp Honey
• 1.5 Tbsp Tahini Paste
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Pinch Dry Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 to 2 Tsp Water

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let mellow while you make the salad (dressing should be pourable but quite thick - sticks to the "slaw" best this way)

Salad

• 2 Cups Shredded Cabbage (red and green mixed is nice)
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Carrot
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Apple (or Raisins)
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

Toss salad and dressing together squeeze .5 of a fresh lime over and toss again.

HUMMUS WRAPS

Large leaf lettuce for "wraps"

Raw Cheezy Hummus (you may want to double up on this - it is tasty)

• 1/2c mac nuts (for a lighter version use 1/2c chopped zucchini)
• 3T fresh lemon juice
• 3T tahini
• 1/4t pink sea salt
• 1 clove of garlic (more if you love garlic)
• 1T Nutritional Yeast
• 1/4c water (don't use water if you are making the zucchini version)

Blend all ingredients in a high-power blender until smooth. Let sit for at least 3 hours (I leave mine over night) - so flavours blend.

Marinated Veggies

• 1/2 cup Zucchini Sliced
• 1/2 cup Red Pepper Sliced
• 1/4 cup Red Onion Sliced
• 1/4 cup Mushrooms Sliced

Veggie Marinade

• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Clove Garlic Chopped/Crushed
• 1 Tbsp Tamari
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Let veggies and marinade sit in a bowl for 1-3 hours.

Assemble

Spread Cheesy Hummus on large lettuce leaf. Add one layer of Marinated Veggies on

top of hummus. Top with spouts or chopped

tomato and field greens. Roll up and enjoy. (You can layer 2 lettuce leaves for wrapping if you go overboard on the stuffing). *Note - if the lettuce leaves have thicker spines to make rolling easier cut the largest part out at the bottom - v shape - and put another leaf upside down on top of it (so the "holes" are filled). I find that if I wrap the lettuce cone style with the top of the

cone folded over and wrap a napkin around the bottom while you eat they stay together better. If you have a better method for wrapping I'd love to hear it (post a comment).

SUN TEA

• 2 Bags Herbal Tea (I like berry blends for this)
• 1 Sliced Lemon
• 1 Large Jar with a lid

Put Tea bags, fresh water and lemons in a Jar cover and let sit on a sunny porch or window sill for a few hours. After the Sun has steeped the tea add

in a squeeze of Agave or some Honey to taste. Pour Sun tea into Mason jars half and half with crushed ice put on jar lids and pop into your picnic basket (great for keeping the tea cold and your other goodies as well).

ENERGY BALLS
In a food processor grind into a fine powder

• 2C Raw Almonds
• 1C Raw Cashews
• Add to nut powder 1C Chopped Dates, 2C Organic Raisins and 1 lime juiced

Pulse till goopy and smooth

Add in a bowl (mix with your hands)

• 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
• Handful of chopped walnuts
  or almonds
  

Roll into balls sit in fridge for 1-3hrs till set (will be chewy but less sticky after cooling).

I'm back (day 26 post feast)

It is so strange to be home. I turned off my link to the world (my laptop) as planned as soon as I hit the prairies and spent most of my 3 week vacation outside painting a little house near my parent's farm that was left to me by my grandfather.
So food wise how did it go?
I really stuck to my plan for coming off the feast for the first week. Sticking to mainly juice with fruit salads. By week two I brought in salads, soups and more juice but, the weather was so cold the first week that I started having cooked vegetable broth to warm myself up a bit. Then by week three still lots of juice and salads but, also a few meals with beans and rice, and a glass or two of wine right before I came home. I plan to go back to 100% raw for the summer - now that I'm back in my own kitchen. The most amazing thing about all of this is that I still want my juice! You would think that I'd be sick of it but, I'm not. If I have a headache, feel grumpy, or just blah my first thought has consistently been - have some veggie juice - 9 times out of 10 I feel great again just a few minutes after I drink it. Below are photos of my painting project.

Day 94 (+3 post feast) - Calgary Airport

I love Calgaryl. Waiting to change planes and... they have a lovely Jugo Juice stand right beside the place where I picked up my baggage AND free Wifi - does it get any better? I think not. I'm stuck here waiting my connection until 10pm it is 7:28 right now -but I don't mind because I have a large Carrot/Apple fresh pressed juice sitting beside me and a connection to the world on my lap. And here I was worried I'd have juice issues when I arrived thinking I'd have to wait until midnight tonight to have my last juice of the day - people must have thought I was insane - acting like I'd won the lotto I said "YES!!" out loud when I spotted the stand and was smiling ear to ear as I quick stepped over to order a large juice YUM.. Calgary 7:30 and life is good :)

Day 93 (Day 1 Post Feast)

So the prunes - I have to admit the first prune was a little scary - what it represented, how it would make me feel. I sat and looked at my bowl of soaked prunes for at least 10 minutes before I could bring myself to eat one of them. Let me just say this about prunes - prunes work - I'm glad I was full after 4 and stopped (plenty of fiber in that many for me). I broke my feast via video chat with a supportive friend. I think because I took the time to make a ritual/event out of the prune eating - the whole feasting process has been reinforced in my mind as a big event in my life. I know a lot of people say they feel they aren't ready to stop at 92 days. I woke up yesterday elated. I've been feeling like it was time to stop for a little over a week now but, wanted to make it to 92 days and am glad I waited. I'm in transit tomorrow - off to the prairies. I'm excited and nervous to take my feast breaking on the road. A challenge but, I'm sure it will be a good one. It will probably be a while until I have a chance to post again - when I do I'm sure I'll have lots to report!