Sunday, May 15, 2011

Granola Raw

1/2 cup raw almonds
8 pitted dates, chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
 1/2 cup raw walnuts
Dash Celtic Sea Salt

Place the almonds, seeds and walnuts in a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse briefly, just until coarsely chopped.  Add the dates, coriander, and salt and process pulsing briefly again.  After pouring into a bowl or carton, stir in:

1 cup sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat groats

Serve with raw almond milk or use as a topping for oatmeal fresh along with some raisins or craisins.  Enjoy!
**I also have added pumpkis seed and pecans to this recipe and that was delicious also!

Mary Ann's Home Kitchen by Mary Ann Jones

A Typical Day in the RAW!!!

Upon rising:

Drink 3-4 cups filtered water with the juice of 1/4-1/2 lemon or lime in it WHILE reading the Bible, praying and journaling. Every other day I take 2 PB8 capsules with my water (probiotics).

After this settles, I go exercise heavily.  Then I come home, shower vigorously with hot and cold water.  Then get dressed and ready for the day.

Breakfast:

Green Smoothie--see recipe in Sept. 2010 (I also add 2 tbsp of ground flax seed to just a small portion of it and eat it like a pudding. 

If I didn't exercise at all or only very lightly, I would have only the green smoothie for breakfast but since I'm usually marathon training, I need complex carbohydrates to give my body sustained energy for a longer period of time.  For this reason I also have ONE of these options listed here as additional nutrients for my day:

A small bowl of oatmeal fresh with raw granola sprinkled on top and a little raw almond date milk
OR
2-3 pieces of raw bread with raw almond butter and raisin or raw fruit jam
OR
1 banana sliced into a bowl with raw granola sprinkled on top with a little raw almond milk

Then throughout the day I drink filtered water very generously in between meals--always try to wait at least an hour after eating before drinking water so that the food digests well without the dilution of water for the digestive juices of the stomach.  4 quarts a day is usual for me but sometimes more or less depending on my activity level or the climate.

Lunch:
A Big Green Salad with lentil or mung bean sprouts--see dressing recipes in the early part of my blog of 2010
OR
Broccoli Raisin Sunflower Seed Salad
OR
Raw Cabbage Slaw with lentil sprouts

Again, if I qualified for the category of couch potato or didn't exercise very much, that's all I would eat for lunch.  But since I'm not in that category at all, I usually add

Raw crackers with raw hummus
OR
Raw falafels with raw sour cream
OR
Raw Soup

on the side for extra carbohydrates for energy, protein for rebuilding and fat for the purpose of oiling my machine and helping everything to function smoothly so to say. 

I like adding fresh alfalfa or clover sprouts to top the crackers or sometimes slices of avocadoes, tomatoes or fresh salsaCilantro and red onions are also some of my favorite ways to add flavor and color to my side dishes.

Some of my favorite raw soups are raw corn chowder, thai coconut soup and there's a new one I'm going to try called creamy asparagus soup.  I just had a client give me some wonderful fresh, organic asparagus from her garden that I will use to make this!

Very light supper:
Fresh organic fruit or fruit smoothie only OR if I'm still hungry I add to this some raw bread or crackers

Continue to hydrate with filtered water throughout the evening before bed and sometimes for a treat I drink a hot cup of herbal tea... with stevia or raw agave or honey for sweetening.  I like peppermint, chamomile, Tazo Passion, ginger or India Spice flavors of tea.  I've learned to make the India Spice tea into something like I used to drink at Starbucks called a chai latte.  I just use one india spice tea bag and one ginger tea bag and then add a little raw almond milk along with the sweetening.  Mmmmm.... Very warm and comforting.

**The principle to remember is that the closer we consume food to it's fresh, whole and natural state, the more nutrients it will have for a body's to use for cleansing, rebuilding, repair and energy!  Look for the plant the food grew on and it you can find it and it's still pretty close to the whole food form, you are making a good choice.  If it hasn't been heated above 110 degrees F, you are actually assimilating close to 100% of the available nutrients.  If it has been heated hotter, then you are only getting about 20% of the nutrients because an average of 80% of the nutrients and 100% of the enzymes has been destroyed in cooked food.  This doesn't allow your body to process and utilize them very well and there is more waste and debris left in your system to get rid of.  Over time this can cause many health challenges.

Mint Ice Cream, raw & vegan style!!!

This ice cream is now my very favorite!!!  It tastes better than regular mint chocolate chip ice cream to me!

Place in food processor with the S blade:

1-1/2 cups raw cashews
2 large organic avocados, ripe

Process until smooth.  Then slowly mix in:

2 cups filtered water

Then mix in:

1 cup raw agave nectar OR 1/2 cup raw honey + 1/3 cup raw honey
2 tbsp raw extra virgin coconut oil
2 tsp raw hemp oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp apple cidar vinegar (optional)
1-2 tsp natural peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil

Process until very smooth.  Then pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the directions or the machine.  If you don't have an ice cream maker, just pout into a container and place in freezer.  Take out every 1/2 hour till it's frozen and stir thoroughly.  Serve with raw cacao nibs sprinkled on top and garnished with fresh mint leaves!!!
This recipe was adapted from a recipe for Avocado Ice Cream at http://www.goneraw.com/

Vanilla Coconut Cream

Place in high powered blender:

Meat from one large young coconut
2 tbsp raw agave nectar
1/2 cup soaked raw cashews (soak for 2 hours)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2  tbsp. coconut oil
4 tbsp of fresh young coconut water
pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt  

Blend until very smooth.  Place in serving container and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

**Adapted from http://inspiredbyeverything.blogspot.com/

Strawberry or Peach Pie, Fresh

Pie Crust:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup almonds

To make the pie crust:  Put the almonds into food processor and blend until almonds are finely chopped. Add dates and blend until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture into pie plate--fluting the edges if desired.

Filling:  2-3 baskets of fresh strawberries washed and stemmed.  Slice the strawberries in half.  Set aside while preparing sauce.

Sauce:  Put 3/4 cup strawberries in blender with 2 tbsp. raw agave nectar.  Blend and pour over the strawberries, mix to coat strawberries. 

Put strawberries into pie shell.  Top with raw vegan cream of your choice. I like vanilla coconut cream on it!

For peach pie, just use fresh sliced peaches instead of strawberries and follow the same procedure.

Mary Ann's Home Kitchen by Mary Ann Jones

Peanut Sauce Without Peanuts

3/4 cup raw cashew butter
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3-1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos OR Nama Shoyu (a raw lower sodium alternative)
1 inch peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
1 red or green thai chili pepper (only if you like spicy things!)
1/4-1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chopped almonds in bowl and mix with a wire whip or blend in blender. Then add the chopped almonds after blending. Serve as a sauce on kelp noodles or as a dip for raw salad wraps or veges.

**This recipe was inspired by Mary Ann's Home Kitchen by Mary Ann Jones.  I added ginger, garlic and chili pepper to it to fit my taste.  You can adjust it to how you like it also!

Elizabeth's Raw Hummus

Place in food processor with the S blade:

1 cup sprouted garbanzo beans (soak in filtered water 1 cup dry organic garbanzo beans 10-12 hours, rinse them well and let them sprout at room temperature for 2-3 days while rinsing 1-2 times a day)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in filtered water for at least 2 hours OR raw tahini
1 ripe organic avocado
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 organic tomato, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic
2-4 tabsp. fresh squeezed, organic lemon or lime juice or both
1/2 tbsp. vegesal
1 tsp. ground cumin (optional)
1/4 cup water OR cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Process until smooth.  Serve as a topping for raw bread or crackers or as a dip for veges :-)  Mmmmm.....

**Garbanzoes are VERY HIGH in plant protein.  If you are an athlete or someone who exercises a lot, you will find this hummus helpful to replace some of the protein lost in our muscles as you exercise.  However, if you only exercise moderately or not at all, be careful how much protein you consume because it can lead to health challenges if too large of a percentage is consumed.

Elizabeth's Raw Unleavened Bread

Place in large food processor with the S blade:

2 cups spouted kamut grain berries (soak grain overnight in filtered water and then rinse for 2-3 days while letting it sprout at room temperature--it can then be kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it)
2 cups soaked oat grain berries (soak in filtered water for at least 12-18 hours, then let it set at room temperature for 1-2 days making sure to rinse it at least once a day--it won't sprout but the berries will swell and soften and this activates the enzymes and other nutrients making them more available for assimilation)
1-2 cups almond pulp from almond milk
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1/2 cup organic raisins OR
2-3 tbsp. raw honey or agave
1 tsp sea salt

Process until smooth, stopping every so often to scrape down the sides.  If you have a dough setting on your processor, use it.  Then empty dough out onto the paraflex sheets of your dehydrator.  Rolled or press dough out in to a thin layer--about 1/8 inch thick.  Score it with a knife or pizza cutter into the size you prefer.  Place in the dehydrator and set it to 105-110 degrees F.  Dehydrate for 4-6 hours, then turn it over onto the mesh sheet of the dehydrator, removing the paraflex sheet.  Dehydrate for another 4-6 hours or more depending on how soft, firm or crunchy you like it.  Serve with raw almond or cashew butter and raw raspberry jam or raw honey, raw hummus, avocado and tomato and sprouts or any other raw toppings you'd like!  It can be warmed in the dehyrator for about 30-60 min. before eating it to resemble the warm sensation of toast :-)
***Notice: This recipe can be made with only the sprouted kamut and it sticks together a little better.  If you leave out the oat groats, use only 1/2 cup almond pulp or almonds and the raisins instead of the agave.  Try it both ways (with and without oats) and see which one you like!