DAY 43 Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

Basil-Arugula Pesto Wraps

What a delicious recipe this is! I used green chard leaves to wrap my filling. Just 1 of those wraps were enough to satisfy me, you know I had to keep some space for a little bit of what's down below...go ahead look below, did you see that? lol, okay back to our grand wraps. Here's the recipe:

Basil Arugula Pesto
(recipe of pesto from http://www.thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com I made a little variation and didn't add the 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast it called for and instead added the wraps and julienned veggies for a more of a meal)

1.5 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1/2 cup arugula
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp mellow white miso
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs almond, ground
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs pine nuts

Blend in food processor with 'S' blade to preferred consistency--I like mine not overly processed. You can wrap it as is in some green chard leaves or add some julienned squash and zucchini--like I did-- to fill it up more. ENJOY YOUR GREENS:-)

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
ONE ONE: RAWsome!

DAY 42 My extra virgin Piña colada

EXTRA VIRGIN PINA COLADA

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp agave nectar
8 0z frozen pineapple
2 Tbsp coconut butter
pinch of salt

Blend and enjoy!

RAW WHITE CHOCOLATE in all its glory....

Okay, I always said if I could make raw/vegan white chocolate then I would be sold on the raw food lifestyle, yes I CAN! The secret ingredient for white chocolate lovers like me is raw cacao butter...AMAZING STUFF!!!!!! For this I just used equal parts of cashews, agave, cacao butter and 1 tsp of Lacuma powder. I got this recipe off http://www.thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/

RAW NOT-NESTLE CRUNCH BAR

Then to tweak it some more I used half of my batch and added some raw cacao bliss and some crushed walnuts, okay people why on earth (even if you're not a raw/vegan) would you not want to eat guilty-free deserts??????????????????????????????????? This came out so great and fooled everyone who tried it. It tasted like a Nestle Crunch bar, except that it is a healthier choice. Try any raw desert and you will never miss the other kind.

Tomorrow I will unveil my raspberry white chocolate pie. It is sitting pretty in the freezer for a little while. Thank God for His bounties. RAW IS FABULOUS.

~B

Day 41 ...And The Beet Goes On....

...AND THE BEET GOES ON...

oKAY, sorry for posting so late but as you can see from above, this is what I was doing in the kitchen. Came up with this recipe on the spot because I have more collard greens than I know what to do with it. I hope you like it, I certainly did.

Ingredients for THE BEET GOES ON SALAD

4 cups of thinly sliced collard greens, tightly packed (great source of folic acid)

1 tsp of minced garlic ( I love garlic)

1/4 cup of Bragg's raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar + 1/4 more

dash of salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup diced red onions

2 Tbsp green bell pepper or red bell pepper

1 Tbsp dulse granules (great source of iodine)

1/4 cup currants or 1/3 cup for sweeter taste

1/4 cup shaved or grated beets

First add apple cider vinegar and dash of salt to the collard greens and work with fingers to wilt the greens (till they start to take a darker green color). Then add the rest of the ingredients as listed. You can eat as is or garnish for more fun. I like more fun!

...LET THE BEET GO ON...

Day 40 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

Coconut-Curry Soup

Garnished with cilantro, tomato, mushrooms and avocado slices.


Whether it's cooked or uncooked, preparing food is an art form but I believe that raw/uncooked food is superior when it comes to nutritional density and benefit. Today is day 40 for me on the raw food lifestyle, I would never have imagined myself eating raw for 40 days but it got so simple once I got rid of my cravings for cooked food, got more recipes and joined some raw food communities for support. There is no way I can go back feeling the way I feel and knowing the things I know now. I love this lifestyle! It is back to basics and that to me is just gravy.

Today I made a delicious coconut curry soup (thanks Alexa, for the young Thai coconut).

This recipe if off a video I saw on YouTube and the host said it is from the Cafe Gratitude uncook book. Just type in 'Vegan coconut soup at cafe gratitude with the hippy gourmet'

There are so many great nenefits of coconut water and I will list some here:

-It is a natural isotonic beverage

-It is better than processed baby milk: it contains lauric acid which is present in a human mother's breast milk

-It is more nutritious than whole milk, it has less fat and no cholesterol

-It contains more potassium than most sports drinks

-It has less sodium and sugars than most sports drinks.

~B

Day 39 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

WELCOME TO ALEXA'S RAW FEAST DINNER!

I had the most incredible dinner last night at Alexa's and George's house. I won't lie I have been secretly waiting to eat some of her food for a while; the girl has got SKILLS! and I do learn alot from her. Walking through the door, I immediately found the kitchen, I was curious to find out what she had made and yes my eyes did FEAST before my belly did. Seeing the different vibrant colors of live food got me very excited. I brought some of my coleslaw to add to the feast as well.
Not only did she make a variety of uncooked food but she also catered to the vegans and non-vegans with a delicious, heart-healthy, colorful and rich lentil soup. She also homemade some sprouted Eziekel flat bread! What did I tell you? THIS GIRL HAS GOT SKILLS :-)

Now, I must show off my plate of course: This is Alexa's Raw Food Dinner Menu
Flax seed bread-priceless
Cashew-Cilantro cheese-Amazing and priceless
Honey plantain with carrots-okay remember I once said you couldn't eat raw plantain, well, I didn't know better, you couldn't even taste it in this dish because it was diced up very thinly and small and oh, this dish too was priceless.
Olive tappenade-Yumilicious and priceless
Sprouted chickpea hummus-smooth and very delicious and priceless
Salsa-what a refreshing dip this was and oh so priceless
Clover Sprouts--I just love sprouts , I should have made a wrap with the lettuce she had but that flax seed bread got a hold of me, lol...hmm did I forget priceless too?
Basil Pesto--Hmm, Hmm fantastic. you may think I'm being overly dramatic but wait till you try raw foods and the slightest tastes start to explode in your mouth...you will need more adjectives like hmm, let me see, priceless?

Here's our gracious and lovely host, Alexa with her beautiful baby Ilusha.

Nina and April enjoying some lentil soup with sprouted Ezeikel flat bread.

Okay, I want you to focus on those tall bottles with Green Magic in them, lol. That's how I started my dinner, with this refreshing elixir of apple and fennel, the greener one has more fennel and ginger, that was my favorite. Homemade juices rock!

Here's me and Deidre and Ilusha in his high chair that looks like his own personal space station. The thing with raw food is this, you don't have to over eat to feel completely satisfied because you're eating nutritionally dense foods.

Alexa, Me, Rick, George, April and Nina

Enjoying our bounties...

Ilusha:One of the healthiest babies I know, just look at that face!

What did you think, that we were gonna go without unveiling the best for last? OMG, okay, let me take a breather before you run off this page: This is the best tasting raw/vegan chocolates and truffles EVER!!!! What a healthy alternative to what you buy in stores, what a healthier choice for our children and us! She gave me some to take home, yeeeeeeeeeaaaaH. Needless to say my night was nothing short of spectacular. I love being raw, the possibilities are endless, the creative juices behind every recipe, the beauty of touching and making food with love knowing it is only going to add to the betterment of your wellbeing. What a way to live, what a joy to experience this lifestyle. I am truly blessed. Thank you Alexa and George and Ilusha. I have a different love and respect for all things living and to have found the versatile nature of fruits, greens, nuts and seeds is purely magical. GO GREEN!

Day 38 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

PHOTO FROM: http://www.naturemoms.com

I think finding the book that will become your favorite raw uncooked book is like finding the person you will be with for the rest of your life. Yesterday my wonderful hubby bought me a great pre-Christmas gift; RAW FOOD REAL WORLD by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis and I must tell you I haven't been able to put this book down since yesterday.

I am in love with everything about this book, the colors, the photographs, the personal stories of the two very beautiful people (who happen to also be a couple) who wrote it and of course the recipes are to die for! For those of you who know me personally or at least know of me through my book Lemonade Street, you must know I am a die-hard romantic, so yes, I am stating (and forsaking all other books to come) that I have found my favorite raw uncooked book and I am only on page 37 out of 367. It is like an album of never ending warm and fuzzy feelings; a love story. And what a wonderful way to be connected with the one you love by sharing something you're both passionate about: that is one of the secrets to a happy and fulfilling marriage. Rick and I talked about this years ago, no wonder we're still together and still so in love with each other.

Anyway I just wanted to share this with you guys and hope you get a copy for you plus what I wouldn't give to get a gift card from her organic beauty site http://www.oneluckyduck.com/

This is a link to their restaurant in NewYork http://www.purefoodandwine.com/

I have to run now, will share some pictures of our dinner tomorrow. We've been invited to dinner by some good friends and I can't wait to see what's to eat. Come back tomorrow for more.

~B.

Day 37 (30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge)

"Life is color."--Bernice Angoh

EAT TO LIVE, NOT LIVE TO EAT. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT and WHAT YOU EAT BECOMES YOU...GO GREEN. LIFE IS COLOR.

Hello happy people, I hope you're all doing great today. Well, I started my day with a 20 minute walk with my walking-buddy, my six year old daughter, Nina. We got a good dose of Vitamin D and then I did a 20 minute circuit training (cardio and strength training) which left me feeling very high and energized. Breakfast was one of the green smoothies from below and then for lunch I had a hefty plate of my coleslaw. By the way, yesterday I received my order of Lacuma powder, raw cacao butter and some raw/vegan chocolate paste (sweetened). So someday this week I will be making a fantastic raw ice cream...stay tuned :-) you wouldn't want to miss that!

I was researching more on Vitamin B12, you know, the one some people say you can only get from eating meat. Well, it goes that most meat eaters should be the ones who are vitamin B12 deficient more so than vegetarian, vegans or raw/vegans. The reason being most non-vegans lack intrinsic factor which is needed for the absorption of B12 in the ileum and that approximately 80% of consumed B12 is absorbed by humans with healthy digestive systems, plus at higher intakes, absorption of B12 quickly drops down to 3%.

This translates to the fact that those on the Standard American Diet of meats(all flesh including chicken and fish), sugars, dairy, processed foods and high fructose corn syrup are at risk of having unhealthy digestive systems due to poor food combining, highly putrefactive nature of animal proteins and a diet high in processed foods. An unhealthy digestive system causes the inability of the system to produce intrinsic factor which is needed for absorption of B12. Okay, some may argue that their systems are healthy and clean, but if you are a heavy animal flesh eater ( people who eat some kind of animal flesh more than one time a day and many do, they may eat bacon or sausage for breakfast, then eat a fish or chicken or beef dish for lunch and dinner), your absorption rate of vitamin B12 automatically goes down to 3%. So, I think it is safe to say that non-vegans are more prone to B12 deficiency. We can now lay to rest the notion that we (non-meat and dairy eaters) are B12 deficient. A cup of alfalfa sprout a day, mixed with your salad gives, you enough B12 to sustain a healthy body.

I rest my case.
~B