Fellow Foodies ~ The Meal.

 friend just tweeted this fantastic idea to me hosted by the arthousecoop. On Feb 24 thousands of people will photograph and upload what they are eating at 12:00 EST. It is free to sign up. Check it out!

THE IDEA...


The Meal
One moment. One meal. One photograph. Let's eat.
On February 24th at 12pm EST, join thousands of people around the world in a simultaneous global meal. Whether it's breakfast in LA or a midnight snack in Beijing, let's take a moment from our hectic lives and share it with strangers around the world. Snap a photo of yourself and your meal and mail it to us — we'll create an exhibition from these self-portraits, documenting the world's largest communal snack.
Nothing makes us feel connected quite like sharing a meal together. On February 24th at 12pm Eastern Standard Time, thousands of strangers from around the world will sit down for a bite in unison and capture a shared experience at the exact same time. Take a photograph of yourself with your meal and mail it back to us. These simultaneous snapshots – self-portraits of people and their foods – will be exhibited in our storefront project space and made available online. Our aim is to inspire a feeling of community across geographic and cultural boundaries. So wherever you may be on February 24th at 12pm, keep your camera handy and something delicious nearby – and remember that thousands of strangers, both near and far, are sharing that meal with you.


Hosted by arthousecooop.com  sign up at...

The Meal

The Power Of Words...

Raw Chocolate

David Wolfe speaking about raw chocolate.

Happy Valentine's Day ~ You say cocoa I say cacao...

What is the difference between cocoa and cacao? Cacao is raw and unprocessed. Available in beans, nibs and powder form. Cocoa on the other hand is processed. Cocoa is made from Cacao it is heated at high temperatures then different chemicals and additives are combined with it (like soy lecithin and sugar). 

Chocolate can be made from either cacao or cocoa. So why use cacao which is higher in fat? There are a few reasons firstly Cacao is full of nutrients, it contains over 1,200 active compounds. Cacao is packed full of antioxidants (polyphenols) more than some of the big hitters we all know about like blueberries, goji berries, acai berries, red wine and pomegranates. The antioxidants in cacao prevent bad cholesterol from becoming oxidized so it potentially can protect the body from things such as heart disease and high blood pressure.


A few fun facts:

• Cacao is full of Phenylethylamines (the LOVE chemicals) ~ which makes it the prefect choice for a Valentine's day treat. 
• Mayan and Aztec cultures believed that cacao "invigorated men and made women less inhibited" . 
• Cornell University food scientists found that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times what is found in green tea.
• Cacao is one of nature’s richest sources of magnesium, which is a heart as well as brain mineral.
• Cacao is choc full of chromium (which is the #1 trace mineral deficiency in North America)
• Cacao is high in vitamin C
• Cacao is high in (sulfur) the beauty mineral. 
• Cacao is said to diminish appetite

And a note: Buy Fair Trade. Child labour is a huge problem in some countries that produce cacao. Fair Trade ensures a livable wage is given to food producers. Fair trade bands people together into fair trade cooperatives which ensure them a fair price for their crops.

A few raw & rawish cacao recipes yum!!

Aztec AM 

• Almond or Coconut Milk (to taste
• Heaping tablespoon of cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon (to taste) of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup of organic coffee or espresso

This should be thick and very rich. 

Cacao Fudge

• 1/2C of finely ground cacao nibs (a coffee mill works well for this)
• 1/2C of Macadamia (ground into a powder) 
• 2T of maple syrup (dark)
• 1 smallish piece of vanilla bean
• 1 medium date (soaked and pitted)

Blend all together until sticky. Roll in to ball and roll in cacao powder or shape into a bar and let sit in fridge until firm. YUM

Adrenal Exhaustion

A great video about adrenal exhaustion.

Raw Vegan Hot Sauce Recipes

I love hot sauces LOVE hot sauces. They kick up the flavour in bland dishes in a flash and help keep your internal heat up during the winter. I've decided to dedicate my next few posting to raw vegan sauces and condiments. 


Chipotle Sauce 
The smoky flavour of this sauce goes great with bean salads, black beans, over rice, or over a raw chop salad with avocado and peppers.

• 3 dried chipotle peppers (soaked 20 minutes or longer)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 a small white onion
• 1 medium tomato (de seeded)
• 1 medium tomatillo
• 3 sun dried tomatoes (soaked)
• 1tsp chili spice
• 1 small jalapeno top sliced off and de seeded

Cut tops off soaked chipotle pepper slice them open and remove the seeds. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This sauce is best after it has been allowed to marinate for a few hours in the fridge. *Note: It is important to remove seeds from your tomatoes so your sauce isn't too watery/runny.

Easy Peasy Raw Vegan Hot Sauce

• 1/4C water
• 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
• 6 tsps of cayenne powder
• 1 medium clove of garlic

Mix all in a blender until smooth - store in old hot sauce bottles or something that will drizzle. The longer this sauce sits the hotter it gets so experiment with the amount of cayenne you use until you have the right amount of heat for you.

Raw Piri Piri Sauce

• 6 large red or green chillies with seeds removed
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of paprika
• 1/2 a fresh squeezed lemon or lime
•  (juice only)
• 4T of olive oil

Blend until smooth (you may need to add a bit more olive oil to get the right consistency - should be thick not too runny).

Raw Vegan Chili Sauce

• 6 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and de-seeded
• 1/4C of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3T of Maple Syrup or Agave
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1/2T of Pink Sea Salt
• 6T of water (may need a little more or less depending on how juicy your peppers are)

Blend the heck out of it until perfectly smooth. Stores in a bottle in the fridge for up to 3 weeks!

Raw Curry Sauce Recipes

It has been brrrr here lately. I've been craving hot soups, stews, teas anything warm to heat me up. I'm trying to be more mindful about maintaining a high raw diet (even in the cold) - so right now spicy dishes especially curries are a favourite.



Basic Raw Curry Sauce 

• 2 large zucchinis (peeled)
• 1/4c of soaked cashews
• 1t of maple syrup
• 3-4T of curry paste (I like green but go with whatever you like)
• 3T of coconut oil  (melt over v low heat - will melt at body temp)

Toss all in a vitamix or high speed blender pulse until well mixed. Serve over rice, lightly steamed veggies (cauliflower and broccoli is really good or quinoa and raisins for a warming high raw meal.

A little more heat Raw Curry Sauce

• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 large zucchinis (peeled)
• 1c of Coconut Milk (not the canned kind - the Milk kind) - - or almond milk if you can't find coconut - * if you use almond throw in a couple of tablespoons of shredded coconut
• 2T of yellow curry paste or powder (I prefer the paste)
• 2T of Avocado or Olive Oil
• 1/4 small spanish onion chopped
• 1/2C of soaked cashews 
• 1/2t of cayenne (1/4 if you don't like things too spicy)
• 1t maple syrup
• 4T of white wine (fine without - amazing with)

Same as above give it all a good blending until smooth in a high speed blender

Tomato Raw Curry Sauce

• 2T of Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium onion chopped
• small thumb of ginger peeled
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2t of tumeric
• 1t of ground cumin
• 1t of yellow curry powder (to taste)
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/2t of maple syrup
• 1 small green chilli
• 1/2 a lemon squeezed

Blend all together until very well until smooth in a high speed blender. This is great over cooked potatoes and raw peas or with rice. This would probably be really tasty over zucchini pasta but, I haven't tried it yet.

Raw Thai Red Curry

• 2 red chilies (sliced in half tops off)
• 3 green onions
• 1/2 red pepper
• zest of one lime
• thumb of ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece of fresh coconut meat (if you have it - shredded is okay if you don't about 3T)
• 1tsp of fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 a lime juice (squeeze)
• 1T of Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk

Blend blend blend!

Copying, Copyright and a fair amount of POedness

I found a posting on another blog that is a reposting of my blog post on mineral makeup (I know a weird thing to steal) - alone a reposting would not upset me however this site is trying to sell cosmetic procedures/products that have NOTHING to do with me. I'm not sure what kind of scam this is but, it looks like a fake blog where the person is reposting other bloggers material in an attempt to draw people in to looking at their products/services... If you blog google yourself  - if you find something similar report it to google they take this sort of thing seriously and will investigate it for you.

Buddha's Delight (rawish) Recipe - Happy Chinese New Year!

I've taken a traditional Buddhist veggie dish that is commonly served on New Year's day and modified it so it is high raw.

• 1C fresh mushrooms sliced or whole (straw mushrooms are great in this)
• small can of bamboo shoots (drained)
• small can of water chesnuts (drained) 
• 2 large carrots shredded
• 1c green cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup fresh peas (uncooked)
• 1 knob of ginger
• 4T Braggs Liquid Amenos
• 2T Maple Syrup
• 3T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3T sesame oil
• 1T Dark Miso Paste
• 1clove garlic

Mince ginger and garlic and mix with maple syrup, plum vinegar sesame oil, liquid amenos & miso paste.  Toss all veggies mix well and let marinate for at least 2 hours. Serve over Rice or noodles.

Full Moon In Cancer ~ Wolf Moon

The focus of this moon is on water and transitory states. Certain feelings about life path, direction and the need to tell people where you are coming from and what you are thinking come to the surface with this moon. Ambition, creativity and emotions are very connected right now listen to your gut feelings about the direction your life should be going in. If you are unhappy with the path you are on think carefully and take action now is the time to put your plans into action. Try to let things develop naturally and not to rush headlong into action. Plan, plan then plan some more then act. Enjoy the place you are in now knowing you are seeding new ideas by taking small decisive actions daily to reach your new goals.

Mineral Makeup

Berry Blue Toes Apothecary is making - mineral makeup! So excited. I will be offering sample packs for cheap soon soon. Check the apothecary link for more details

Healthy Holiday Punch

My favourite holiday drink. A fresh holiday juice punch recipe... I make it every year and it is a big hit.

• 6C fresh (fresh is important) squeezed orange juice
• 2C fresh (again fresh) pineapple juice
• 1C Coconut Water
• 3C (fresh am I being clear lol? fresh fresh) squeezed pomegranate juice (use a metal press)
• 1C frozen cranberries
• 2C Ginger water (slice a large knot of fresh ginger and pour 2 cups boiling water over - let cool in fridge for about and hour or longer)
• 3C club soda (or not fine w/o)

Serve in a large punch bowl use frozen cranberries as ice cubes (and because they look pretty). Good and good for you chock full on enzymes to help you digest holiday treats better.

Raw Vegan Holiday Recipes - Chocolate Bark

• 1 1/2 C of Coconut Oil
• 1/4C Maple Syrup (to taste)
• 2t of vanilla extract
• 1C Cocoa Powder   
• 1/2 Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (soaked)
• 1/4 Shredded Coconut
• 1/2C Chopped dried Cherries, Cranberries and or Raisins
• 4T chopped cacao nibs
• 2T Orange Zest

Heat Coconut oil just a bit until melted (will melt at body temp) stir in rest and pour (press) on to wax paper lined baking sheet set in freezer until solid and cut into bars

Raw Christmas Cake Energy Balls

Energy balls are easy to make and make a great finger food for the holidays. 


Christmas Cake Energy Balls

• 1C pitted dates (soaked)
• 1/2C dried Apricots (soaked)
• 1/2 dried cranberries (raisins or cherries)

Blend until sticky in a food processor

Stir in (or pulse in using food processor)...

• 1 C shredded coconut
• 1t orange zest
• 1C Walnuts and chopped (soaked)
• 1C Almonds Soaked and chopped (soaked)
• 1T fresh shredded Ginger
• 1T Cinnamon
• 1T Vanilla
• 1/4t Clove
• 1/4C Chopped Dried Cherries

Using a teaspoon portion and roll into balls. Place on wax paper and stick in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated. 

Rawish Vegan ~ Peppermint Patties

One of my favourite candy recipes...


Rawish Peppermint Patties

• 1/2C coconut oil
• 4Tbs Maple Syrup
• 2tbs Tahini paste (or 2tbs almond meal or coconut shreds)
• 1tsp organic peppermint oil
• 1cup dark organic chocolate chips melted over low heat

Mix coconut oil, tahini paste, maple syrup and peppermint oil in mid sized bowl. Using hand scoop out small portion of the peppermint paste and roll quickly lightly (coconut oil melts at body temp) into a ball. Place on wax paper and put in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Dip balls into warm (not hot chocolate) and return to freezer.

Locavore - Movie Trailer

Locavore Local Diet healthy Planet (Movie Trailer) from Jay Canode on Vimeo.

Sweet Pecan Vegan/Raw Cookies

A repost of one of my favourite cookies recipes. Great for the holiday season...

Sweet Pecan Cookies

Silly me forgetting that I have to dehydrate my next few cookies before I can take photos sooo another repost of a favourite for day 3 - I promise next cookies will be new recipes!


Crumbly Sweet Pecan Cookies - delicious with cold almond milk!

• 2C Pecans
• 1/2C Pitted Dates
• 3T Maple Syrup
• 1t vanilla
• 1/2t cinnamon
• 15-20 Pecan halves for garnish

Soak Pecans in water for a few hours (2 should be enough). Drain and rinse. Soak dates in water for 15-20minutes until soft - drain. In a food processor chop pecans until finely ground. Add dates, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon - blend until smooth. If not sticky enough add a little of the date soak water.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out mixture roll into ball using your hands. Place balls on non-stick dehydrator sheets press out balls with the palm of your hand to 1/4 inch thickness. Dehydrate at 115 to taste (around 20 hours if you like them quite dry). Flip cookies to dry the underside and return to dehydrator for 2-5 hours. These store really well in baggies in the freezer or refridgerator.

Holiday Essential Oils

I'm posting a nice essential oil blend for the holidays. Place a few drops in a diffuser to get people in the spirit.

Ingredients:

• 5 drops Fir Needle Oil
• 5 drops Spruce Oil
• 5 drops Cedarwood Oil
• 5 drops Juniper Oil (optional)

Directions: Mix neet and keep in a dark glass bottle or place in a carrier oil such as grapeseed (1/4 cup) warm oils in a diffuser.

Why you shouldn't wear Musk synthetic or otherwise...

Most of us know that originally Musk was collected from killing and extracting oils from the scent glands of a special kind of deer (now endangered)... BUT did you know that artificial Musk is just as unkind to the planet (not to mention unhealthy for humans because of it's chemical charactaristics?).... 


A few facts you may not have been aware of
Synthetic musks, are widely used in perfumes, deodorants, and detergents -- these musks have been linked to cancer. They can bioaccumulate, or store themselves in the body, and have been found in breast milk, which means that nursing infants ingest them. Research indicates that these musks don't biodegrade; they've been found polluting watersheds and the plants and animals that live there. Another worrisome class of chemicals, phthalates, are often used in fragrance because they allow the smell to last longer. They have been linked to changes in the reproductive and endocrine systems as well as in the liver, kidneys, and adrenal glands.

The FDA has banned only a handful of ingredients in personal-care products -- none of them related to scent. The fragrance industry essentially regulates itself, deciding which chemicals it considers hazardous. Some manufacturers have voluntarily stopped using phthalates (which are the main component in synthetic musk), but many others continue to use them; in 2002 the EWG tested 72 personal-care products and found phthalates in 75 percent. Certain companies have dropped some synthetic musks, but still widely use others. 

http://www.wholeliving.com/133573/replacing-your-artificial-fragrances


AND ALSO ( taken from a paper produced by the WWF on synthetic Musk)


"Synthetic musk fragrances are very widespread in the home. They are used as low cost fragrances in soaps, perfumes, air fresheners, detergents, fabric softeners and other household cleaning products. Many of these products are ultimately disposed of to the sewers. As such, a large proportion will end up at sewage works and pass from there to rivers and ultimately the seas. 

Toxicity

As for many synthetic chemicals in everyday use, there is a very serious lack of toxicity data on synthetic musks. However, we do know that synthetic musk fragrances are persistent and that they bioaccumulate.

Human Exposure 

Humans are most at risk from synthetic musk fragrances not only through their exposure from contaminated food species lower down the foodchain (shellfish, fish etc), but also through direct absorption through the skin from the many household sources of musk fragrances. Synthetic musk fragrances have been found in human body fat, with nitro-musks found more in women than men. Polycyclic musks are also present in human fats. Some synthetic musks get passed to breast-feeding babies in breast milk

As a result of these type of levels being found in human beings, the European Scientific Committee on Cosmetics has concluded that human exposure to musk xylene and musk ketone should be reduced. 

Since 1998 WWF has become concerned about the weakness of proposed action to reduce and eliminate discharges, emissions and losses of the OSPAR Chemicals for Priority Action. 

This includes the reduction and elimination of synthetic musk fragrances, which have the ability to disrupt endocrine systems and are present in human fatty tissue, human breast milk, wildlife and the wider aquatic environment.  WWF believes that the use of musk xylene, musk ketone and the polycyclic musks (AHTN and HHCB) should be banned as soon as possible. Voluntary reduction measures should be agreed in advance of such a ban to reduce as quickly as possible the environmental exposure of both humans and wildlife to this class of hazardous substances. "

The Truth About Perfume

The Truth About Perfume