Recipes for a Nutritarian Diet

I have read many of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's books and articles over the past several years and am quite sold on the need to eat a nutrient dense diet.  However, actually eating the Nutritarian way is not necessarily that simple to just dive into (maybe for some, but not for most -- or more of us would be doing it, right?)  In his latest book, The End of Dieting, Dr. Fuhrman poses the question as to why so few people eat nutrient dense foods even when they can clearly see the need to do so.  I was thinking, "YES!  Dr. Fuhrman, tell us why this is!"  All I could think of was the incredibly addictive nature of unhealthy foods.  And guess what his answer was:

I quickly came to realize that science based information about nutrition alone wasn’t enough. many people fail to recognize their need to protect their precious health and lose weight? Why would they be unable and unwilling to change? Why would they want to remain unhealthy? Why would they want to reject unassailable, scientific, and dramatically effective advice? I’ll tell you why. Because of the overwhelming twin powers of food preference and food addiction.

I like that he adds "food preference" in addition to food addiction. It's not only what our bodies crave, but also what our brains are patterned to want.  Dr. Fuhrman goes on to say:

Unhealthy eating styles and food addictions have both taken control of our brains, and this addiction to certain foods is often as deadly as many other addictions. 

You can read any of his books to see the support he has for why eating the Standard American Diet leads to so many of the common diseases (and often deadly diseases) of our day.  But I'd like to switch gears and come up with some strategies to help us desire more of these nutrient dense foods.
I'm not a huge fan of spending lots of time in the kitchen.  I do love baking, but I'm finding my favorite baked goods not to be all that nutritious or helpful to my body at this stage of life.  (Oh, how I wish that homemade bread were super nutrient dense though!)  So when it comes to soups, salads, etc.,  I'd rather not spend a lot of time in the kitchen making them.  Maybe that will change.  But so far, I'm lacking the excitement thereof.

I think, however, that if I found some really tasty nutrient dense recipes for each meal of the day, I'd be more inclined to make them and eat them.  Novel thought, isn't it?  :)  I have several cookbooks that I need to actually use.  I'm more of a window shopper when it comes to cookbooks and recipe blogs, but that needs to change.

I've found a few  blogs and websites that support a Nutritarian way of eating, so I'm going to start with finding at least one recipe a day to try until I find several that I love and think my family will also love.

For now, I'll share the links.  And if you try some, let me know which are your favorites and we'll continue together until we've found more healthy meals to replace the less healthier habits we've acquired or have become addictive to.

• Raw Food Made Easy -- If you're not familiar with Jennifer Cornbleet, she is a raw food chef who creates her recipes with as few ingredients as possible so that it's accessible to more people.  I've met her in person and have taken her online raw food course (I also have a few of her books) and she doesn't eat an all raw diet.  She actually has recipes for cooked foods, as well.  But she recognizes the health benefits and delicious nature of raw foods and eats mostly raw foods from her plethora of recipes.  I want to try more of her garden wraps, which are the nutrient dense alternative to the traditional sandwich.  Jennifer has a variety of approaches to wraps, so I'll try some out and will be sure to post my favorites.  
• Carrie On Vegan  -- Don't let the V word scare you. If you don't think you'll ever become a vegan or vegetarian, it doesn't mean you can't add some of these nutrient dense recipes to your meals.  Check this out -- Carrie actually cooks kale with her oatmeal!  That's something I've never thought to try, and I'm not so sure I'd like it with strawberries, but maybe I would -- or I could try apples and cinnamon instead (yes, that's one of my recipe trying habits -- changing things up before I even begin!) 
• Healthy Girl's Kitchen -- Wendy posts some of Dr. Furhman's recipes as she explores them herself and also blogs about how to make eating this way more accessible.  I like this post with tips about making salads more desirable in the colder months.  Granted, our colder months are hopefully behind us, but you never know!  (And they will come back again; I'm sure you know that :) )
• Fat Free Vegan Kitchen -- I've followed this recipe blog for awhile and have learned that it's not always fat-free, but it is pretty darn close.  Wendy doesn't add oil, but there may be naturally occurring fat (which our bodies do need).  These Hummus Crusted Cauliflower Steaks sound easy and yummy.  It's a blend of a cruciferous vegetable and some beans.  And I'd think that anything crunchy like that would taste like a comfort food.  Right up my alley!
• Fat Free Vegan -- This is a recipe sharing site like allrecipes.com.  So you'll get a variety and can tweak them to be more nutrient dense or to meet your needs.  Even though potatoes are starchy and aren't packed with nutrients relative to their caloric content, I would include them occasionally and would like to try these Creamy Scalloped Potatoes for Easter dinner!
• Straight Up Food -- Cathy creates recipes for a whole food diet.  This Southwest Stew looks really delicious and contains lots of beans and some mushrooms -- both which are on Dr. Fuhrman's list of nutrient packed foods or G-Bombs.
• Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritarian Recipes -- I almost neglected Dr. Fuhrman's website!  He has over 1,000 recipes available in his Member Center that has a monthly fee.  But you can also find a dozen sample recipes that are offered to everyone.  I think I'll try the Mixed Greens and Strawberry Salad first.  I do like my salads to be sweet!  I think I'd make it with fresh strawberries instead of frozen though.  There I go again changing the recipe before I even begin!

I'll get back to you on my recipe exploration.  Let me know how you do, too!  Until then, here's Dr. Furhman talking about his new book on the Dr.Oz Show if you want to learn more about his approach to healthy eating:

 

Photo of Vegetables by Nociveglia Creative Commons

Raspberry Romaine Salad -- just in time for Christmas!

Ho ho ho!  Nope, we're not making cupcakes, but aren't these cute?  I don't even like cake, but I think the way pastry chefs make cupcakes these days is just adorable.  Salad may not draw people in quite as well, but THIS salad is one of the best green salads there is for a sweet-tooth like me AND it's festive for Christmas time. 

I originally got this recipe from a Pampered Chef party.  (In fact, I believe I was the host!)  It was called Chicken & Berry Salad and included 2 cups of chopped chicken (in which the Pampered Chef lady used for demonstrating the Chopper which I've loved over the years!  I've never used it for chicken, but I always use it for nuts and sometimes for veggies if they need to be small).  I searched for the recipe online and they have it posted on The Pampered Chef website as a Chicken & Strawberry Salad (which they must have changed over the years because I know the recipe I had from them said, "Chicken & Berry Salad" and used raspberries, with a sub suggestion of Craisins, which is good, but full of refined sugar.   There's probably a naturally sweetened dried cranberry that would work, though, if you want to give that a try).  I rarely eat meat, so I omit the chicken from my recipe, but you are most certainly welcome to add it in.  It's a satisfying meal either way.

I have a hard time loving salads, I think, mostly because I love sweet more than savory when it comes to fresh foods.  So this salad caught my attention with it's Citrus Salad Dressing.  I've used it for other salads too.  And just so you know, the dressing doesn't work if you try to sub fresh orange juice.  I tried it and it just didn't have enough flavor (and made the whole salad too watery and lacking -- sad mistake last Christmas eve).  I've thought of adding avocado (or putting it in place of the sugar-snap peas) but haven't tried that yet.  Perhaps I should only experiment when I'm not cooking for others :).

I usually double this recipe for crowds.  This recipe should fill a medium-sized salad bowl (just to know how to gauge the lettuce needs) and if you double the recipe, it will fill a large salad bowl.  Don't be afraid to add extra berries.  'Tis the season to add some red flare!

Raspberry Romaine Salad w/a Citrus Twist

Salad --

1 c. raspberries

1 head romaine lettuce torn into pieces (or 2 romaine hearts)

1 c. sugar snap peas (cut diagonally in half)

1/4 c. red onion

1/4 c. pecan pieces, toasted (lightly in the oven -- you can leave them raw)

(Options -- Sub strawberries or pomegranate seeds for raspberries or do a mix)

Citrus Vinaigrette --

1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 T. oil (olive or canola)

1 T. white wine vinegar

1/2 t. dijon mustard

Combine salad ingredients and toss gently.  Shake or stir vinaigrette ingredients.  Just before serving, toss salad with dressing. 

Pomegranate Salsa -- Raw Recipe!

I promised a birthday friend yesterday (Hi Lareesa!) that I'd post my newfound Pomegranate Salsa recipe for her birthday.  It's a bit belated, but I'm sure her pomegranates haven't gone bad yet.  I should just call it Birthday Pomegranate Salsa because my friend Thira made this pomegranate salsa for my birthday. (She brought it to a picnic we had with friends out on the grass by the lighthouse.  It was so wonderful!)  Thira had heard me talk about how pomegranates are my very favorite food and she told me I needed to try her recipe.  Well, I loved it!  I probably ate 1/2 of it that day! I finally bought all the stuff I needed and made it the other day and once again, tasty and heavenly!

I will admit to trying to just mix pomegranate seeds with the salsa I already had (which is my favorite fresh salsa from where I used to live -- Casa Lindra.  I wish they sold it everywhere, but you can only get it within about 100 miles of Humboldt County.  I have friends bring it to me when they visit).  But it wasn't spectacular with the pomegranate thrown in.  I needed to make Thira's recipe. 

When I ate it the first time, I had some tortilla chips, but these last few days, I've just been eating it with carrots.  The salsa is not blended up at all, just mixed, so it's harder to dip veggies in.  So I just broke my carrots into bitesize pieces and threw them in and ate it with a spoon.  Tasted great!

Try it yourself and let me know how you like it!

Pomegranate Salsa

Pomegranate seeds, extracted (either 2 small or 1 very large)
2 avocados sliced into small chunks
2-3 diced tomatoes (she said 2, I ended up using another one)
1/2 red onion
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 t. coriander
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper

Mix all together.  Enjoy!

Healthy Desserts Galore!

Yes, you CAN have your chocolate chip cookie dough and eat it too!  Even mint chocolate chip ice cream!  If you haven't notice this deliciously adorable blog on my list of favorite blogs (way down low on the right), I need to draw your attention to it.  Even if you never make anything from the recipes (and I hope you do), the photos are stunningly tasty to the eyes and her personality is adorable and fun.  

The blog used to be called Chocolate Covered Katie (which shows her zaniness right there), but somewhere along the line, she changed it to Chocolate Covered Healthy, which gives you more of an idea of what you'll find.  Katie makes up recipes without dairy and healthier versions of pretty much everything.  She started out making her fudge babies and Lara Bar alternatives (since they are so expensive to buy) and is quite talented at figuring out just the right way to make everything taste wonderful.  As she says on her "About Me" page:

What will you find on this website?
Naughty treats that have been given a healthy spanking! My aim isn’t for people to say, “This is good… for a healthy dessert.” I want them to say, “This is good. Period.”

That's kind of how I never wanted people to say I looked good for just having a baby after I had each of my children.  I wanted to look good even for NOT just having had a baby.  :)  She does tell you which of her recipes are great for taking to parties (like this chocolate raspberry fudge cake!), where people won't even suspect they are healthy versions (which is so interesting to me.  I've always thought people would WANT the healthier version or to know that little tidbit, but it tends to scare them away!)  

Mmm!  Look at this one.  Homemade Fudgsicles!  I want to make those tomorrow.  I even have a coconut waiting to be cracked open!

So go enjoy Katie's website and sign up for her e-mails.  She'll send you new recipes practically every day. 

P.S. (Katie gives permission in her FAQ to post her photos in your blog, as long as you give her credit.  So Katie, the credit goes to you at chocolatecoveredkatie.com !)

Raw Recipe -- Berry Bars

Berry Bars are super easy to make and very tart and tasty.  They have a little more of a chewy texture than crackers, which is fun too.

Berry Bars

2 c. sprouted wheat
1/2 c. soaked dates
1 1/2 c. frozen or fresh berries 

I use the triple berry blend frozen most of the time -- raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  Strawberries are good too. 

Blend up the wheat and dates in the food processor.  Stir berries in afterward.  Form small patties small cookie size (2-3 inches round, although they are rarely perfectly round) onto the dehydrator tray.  No Teflex sheet necessary.  

What's fun about these is that the frozen berries makes the mix cold and the raspberries makes the wheat pink.  I feel like I'm making hamburger patties for my mom long ago when I used to cook dinner growing up where my hands get cold and I get to work with this strange-feeling stuff.  Kind of nostalgic in a strange way.  :)  These are thicker than the crackers, but don't seem to take longer to dehydrate since you don't have the bottom covered with a Teflex sheet.  They probably dry in about 12 hours total.  Just check them from time to time to see.

As with the last two recipes, I'll post a picture in the morning when they are all done. 

Raw Recipe -- Fruitful Crackers

When I first ate raw, I was in search for something to replace my love for graham crackers.  There may be a recipe out there now that comes close, but at the time, raw recipes weren't plentiful (especially on the internet) and I decided to try a variation on my veggie crackers to see if I could make them sweet.  This is what I came up with:

Fruitful Crackers

1/2 cup soaked flax seed
2 apples
1 T. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
2 c. sprouted wheat
optional 1-2 T. water just to help it blend well

Blend up everything in the food processor.  Once it's blended well, stir in:

2 apples cut and sliced thin (maybe the size of a quarter)

optional -- add in 3 or 4 peaches sliced thin or berries (frozen or fresh)

It's super delicious with the peaches -- you may want to up the pumpkin pie spice for the peach variation.

Spread on a dehydrator tray covered with a Teflex sheet.  Dehydrate at 110 degrees overnight or for about 10-12 hours until the top of the cracker is dry enough that you can flip the giant square of a cracker over and peel off the back of the Teflex sheet.  Let it continue to dry for another 6 - 8  hours.   The drying time varies, so just watch it for dryness.

Once the crackers are completely dry, break into cracker-sized pieces (tasting as much as you want as you go) and keep in an air-tight container or zip-loc bag. 

I'll add to the post in the morning when they come out of the dehydrator.  I can't wait!

Raw Recipe -- Savory Veggie Crackers

When I make my veggie crackers, it's like making vegetable soup. I start with a base and vary them every time according to what's in my refrigerator.  They're really quite wonderful all alone or with a veggie dip or salsa.

Savory Veggie Crackers

3/4 c. soaked flax seeds
1 long carrot
5 celery stalks (or a few cucumbers)
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup parsley or basil
1 t. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
3 c. sprouted wheat berries


(Sometimes I add in 1/2 cup of other greens like kale.  I've also added bell peppers and garlic.  Just remember that whatever strong flavors you use, they will taste even stronger once dehydrated.  The bell peppers came out pretty pepper-y, so go easy on them).

Blend all together in the food processor.  I add the wheat last because it's hard for the veggies to reach the blades if the wheat is further down in the bowl.  If it's not seeming to blend well, you can add 1/8 cup or so of water.  This makes it easier to spread too (and it will eventually just dehydrate out later on).

 Spread on a dehydrator tray covered with a Teflex sheet.  Dehydrate at 110 degrees overnight or for about 10-12 hours until the top of the cracker is dry enough that you can flip the giant square of a cracker over and peel off the back of the Teflex sheet.  Let it continue to dry for another 6 hours or so.   The drying time varies.  I just kind of watch it and see.

Once the crackers are completely dry, break into cracker-sized pieces (don't even try to make them perfectly even) and keep in an air-tight container or zip-loc bag. 

Mine are still drying (I just flipped them over) so I'll take pictures to add to the post in the morning.

Raw Recipe -- Flax Seed Crackers

I've been promising my friend Natalie for about a month now that I'd post my recipes for dehydrated crackers. I mainly make 3 different kinds. Flax seed crackers are mostly just that -- soaked flax seed. For the sprouted wheat crackers, I either make a savory flavor using sprouted wheat, soaked flax seeds (it turns gooey and acts like a glue for the cracker), and vegetables or I make a sweet version with the sprouted wheat, soaked flax and fruit (mostly apples, sometimes berries or peaches). I'll post the wheat crackers later on. (I'm short on time or I'd do them both now -- sorry!)

I've never tried making crackers one of the smaller circular dehydrators, but my friends who have haven't had any success. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator with 9 shelves and Teflex sheets. If you don't have the Teflex sheets, the cracker mix will go through the trays. So find an Excalibur to borrow if you don't have one yourself (or start saving up! They're worth the cost).

Here is the recipe:

Flax Seed Crackers

2 cups whole flax seeds (soaked in 2 c. water for at least few hours to overnight)
2 cloves garlic
juice from 1/2 lemon (ends up being about 2 T.)
2 T. Braggs Liquid Aminos

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend together thoroughly.

Scoop out mixture with a spatula onto a Teflex sheet on the dehydrator screen. It's pretty gooey and difficult to spread at first, but you'll get used to it.

Dehydrate at about 105 degrees overnight or about 10-12 hours. The top layer of the cracker should look dry. Once it is, you turn the Teflex sheet over onto the dehydrator screen and peel off the Teflex sheet from the back. If it's sticking too much, then it needs to dry some more. If it peels off well, then you're fine. Put the tray back into the dehydrator at the same temperature until the top is dry -- another 6 or so hours. (I don't really time it -- I just check back every once in awhile).

These are really great with fresh salsa, hummus or pesto. Enjoy!

Dehydrated Pears -- New Delight

About a month ago, I bought two lugs of pears from a pear farm. The one canned food my children will eat out of the jar is canned pears. So even though I've only canned apples before (successfully anyway, I've tried blackberry jam and it looked like juice), I decided to can the pears too.

I love dehydrating and thought I should dry some of the pears too. But I had this memory of bad textured, bland tasting dried pears from the store. This kept making me throw more pears into the pot for canning. Near the end, I decided just to dry one tray to see how different the pears might taste if I dried them, knowing that the store uses sulphur dioxide and who knows what else to mess up the flavor (and keep them looking less brown). I also dehydrated a bunch of peaches (since I KNOW how heavenly those are) and loaded the rest of the trays up with fruit leather *YUM!*

The surprise of the next day was that the pears were absolutely delicious. Really, really tasty. Nothing like the bland ones in the store. I cut mine thinner than the store's. Theirs seem to be 1/2 pear (although they don't look all that thick). I cut mine into maybe 1/4 inch slices, probably even thinner -- about 5 slices on each side of the middle of the pear, then little thin strips from the 2 sides left over.

I dehydrated them at about 106 degrees overnight and into the next morning. They're okay warm, but are really great cooled down. (I only mention that because peaches, apricots, and mangoes are super yummy warm too -- like eating pie out of the oven).

I was kicking myself for not using a whole lug of the pears to dry. But live and learn. I've bought pears at Costco twice since and have dried them. I took a picture before they went into the dehydrator the other night to show you the before and after, but you know what? I finished them off today before getting a picture of the after. Sorry! I'll add one on here the next time I make them. And for some agonizing reason, my before picture won't download from my camera right now, so I'll have to save that for later too.

Until then, try them for yourself. They're great to just have in a ziploc while out and about or just nice to have handy in the kitchen to nibble on. Such a sweet treat!

Faux Plum Green Smoothie Recipe

I don't know if you like to eat baby food, but when my children were babies, I had my favorites. I loved the apricots and the plums. Peaches were pretty good too. But the plums have always been a treasure of a snack.

On Saturday, I made green smoothies at breakfast to stretch the last 2 cups of juice to feed all of my family plus my friend and her 3 children. As I was savoring every single sip as I got to the end of drinking it, I realized that it somehow tasted just like that plum baby food. Not a plum in it, but it truly did. Here's my recipe:

Faux Plum Green Smoothie

2 cups Apple Peach Passion Fruit juice (Kirkland brand from Costco *)
2 big ripe peaches
20 (?) frozen strawberries (maybe more -- enough to fill up about 3/4 of the Vitamix pitcher)
1/2 bunch kale

Blend it up and enjoy!

*If you can't find this juice, any juice with a tang will do. When I've made other smoothies, if I use pineapple juice or any juice w/pineapple or juice w/1/2 fresh lemon, the results are similar to this juice.

Raw Recipe -- Citrus Green Smoothie

I just came up with this recipe in my kitchen and it's sooooooooo creamy and yummy. I just had to share!

Usually I use my favorite green smoothie formula over and over (with little variations), but tonight I decided to break out of that mold a bit and see how it would go. I took a cooking creations risk and thankfully, it paid off!

Here's what I threw in my blender:

2 tangerines (peeled)
1/4 c. water
1 frozen banana (I'm sure you could use fresh, but frozen made it seem ice-creamy)
1 c. frozen strawberries (I'm guessing on the amount, it may be 1 1/2 c.)
3 handfuls of spinach
2 large chard leaves, broken off the stalk into smaller pieces

I tried it first w/o the water and it just wouldn't blend the frozen stuff. So I added the water after the strawberries to get it to blend. Worked like a charm!

This filled one 8 oz. glass and one much larger (which I froze for tomorrow). Oh, it was dreamy yummy!

Raw Recipe -- Berry Green Smoothies

When I make my green smoothies, I usually use this basic formula. It's always yummy and gives me plenty of dark green leafy greens. Try it!

Berry Green Smoothie Recipe

2 c. juice (I like to juice apples or pineapple but you can use anything --sometimes I put in 2 c. grapes and blend it up for the juice)
2 c. frozen berries (the triple berries are best)
optional -- fresh strawberries, kiwi, peaches, or mango
2 bananas (or 1 if it's really large)
3 big handfuls of washed greens (kale & spinach seem to work best -- if you use kale, make sure you tear it up into spinach leaf size so it doesn't get stuck in the blender -- the kale stems are really coarse and you don't want them in there).

Blend it all up in the order listed. Drink one glass right away, hand another to a friend and freeze the rest (usually another 2 glasses). It's really good thawed out the next day or even up to a week or two later. I've taken them frozen in a cooler when traveling before and it worked great. In the photo I added a few berries whole as a garnish, but it also tastes good to have some berry chunks inside.

Raw Recipe -- Pesto & Stuffed Mushrooms

This used to be in another post, but the title was so long that no one could find the fudge at the end (including me!)

So I'm giving the pesto and mushrooms their own post. I need to make them again though so I can get a picture for you. My pleasure!

For now, here are the recipes:

Pesto (no dairy, yay!)
1 c. walnuts
½ c. pine nuts
2 c. basil
½ c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
½ t. sea salt

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor. Keep in the fridge in a sealed container. Wonderful in stuffed mushrooms or just with flax crackers. I’m sure it would be good with pasta too if you’re eating cooked foods. It's so yummy and makes me realize that I don't have to give up tasty Italian food just because I'm not eating cheese anymore.


Stuffed Mushrooms
Wash and take the stems off of a bunch of mushrooms (as many as you want to eat in one day because they don’t taste great a day later). Put a teaspoon or more pesto into the hole left by the stem – whatever it takes to fill it. Lay them face down (w/pesto up) on a tray. If you have a dehydrator and want them to stay raw, dehydrate them at 105 degrees for 5-6 hours.

If you don’t mind cooked food and want to use your oven, just bake them at the lowest setting (or about 200 degrees) for about an hour (until soft). They taste wonderful because the olive oil marinates the mushrooms and it’s super flavorful. I'm sure you could marinate other veggies like zucchini like this just fine too. I've brought these to parties (as a tray of appetizers) and I haven't seen anyone eat them who hasn't gotten that wide-eyed look of "YUM!" as they say "These are good!"

Oh what do you do in the summer time? (Raw Lemonade Recipe)

Oh what do you do in the summertime

when all the world is green?

Do you fish in a stream or lazily dream

on the banks as the clouds go by?

Is that what you do? So do I.

Oh what do you do in the summertime
when all the world is green?
Do you swim in a pool to keep yourself cool
or swing in a tree up high?
Is that what you do? So do I.

Oh what do you do in the summertime
when all the world is green?
Do you march in parades or drink lemonades
or count all the stars in the sky?
Is that what you do? So do I.

I used to sing this song when I was little. I just love the memories it gives me of sunshine in the summer! I live in a cooler summer climate now, but we celebrate like no other when that sun comes out and brings the temperature up to even barely 80 degrees. Just love it!

I've been capturing that "Lazily dreaming" part this week. I have not been very productive at all! I was in L.A. last week with that infomercial filming and thought I'd just dig in this week with organizing and cleaning since my focus was away from that before the trip. But that hasn't been what I've been doing. I'm just enjoying the summer. It won't be here forever.

I've been writing quite a bit about my trip last week over on the Video Fitness (VF) Forum. I will post it here once I get some pictures to go with it. I thought I was so prepared for my trip by bringing 2 extra sets of batteries for my camera. I even emptied out my memory card (even though it only had maybe 5 pictures on it :)) before I left. I kept wondering what I'd forget. You know how every trip, you get there (or are on the way) and think "Oh, no! I forgot my razor!" (or pajamas, or underwear, or whatever -- these have all happened to me).

Once I ended up with no shoes on a trip to L.A. I did bring the pair on my feet, but we stopped off at a river on the way down and one of my shoes fell out of the car onto the river bed and we drove off without it. I rode all the way to L.A. without shoes and bought some at Target when we got there. The greatest part of that story was that we couldn't check to see if they were there on our way back because we drove back a different route. But a few weeks later when my husband traveled that same road, he stopped along the river, saw a spot where someone had built a fire and there was a collection of things someone had gathered along the shore. In the pile was my shoe! I got it back -- yay!

Anyway, this time I kept thinking "Did I forget this? Did I forget that?" and couldn't come up with anything. I was so well prepared. But the day we got to the studio, I took out my camera and it said, "No memory card" -- I'd left it in my computer!!!!! So I didn't get to take a single picture. But the other women did and they promised to send them to me. So far . . . nothing. But I haven't given up! I'll be sure to post about it all soon.

I should post a great raw recipe for lemonade while I'm here talking about summertime and lemonade. Here's a simple one I learned from Alissa Cohen:

Juice 4-5 apples
(Granny Smiths are great; others are fine too)
Add 1 big lemon into juicer

Drink up! It's super refreshing and wonderful.

Raw Recipe -- Rocky Road Ice Cream / Mousse

I promised (well, actually just said, but I feel like it was a commitment or promise) that I'd make my Raw Rocky Road ( I'd call it "Rawky Road" if I were like a lot of other raw foodists, but that just seems so corny to me :)) recipe yesterday and would post it here for you. Well, I ran out of raw cacao! So I didn't.

I have some more cacao coming from Amazon -- most likely this week. I'll just post the recipe now anyway and will take a picture to post of the actual goods when the cacao gets here. I could attempt it with my cacao nibs ground up, but whenever I've tried making fudge that way before, it didn't turn out very powdery -- it was more rubbery and gave way too strong of a chocolatey taste. So I'll just wait for the mailman to bring more.

Here's the recipe. If you freeze it, it's ice cream, if you refrigerate it, it's pudding. I'll just call it "ice cream" for now since that's my favorite way to eat it.

Raw Rocky Road Ice Cream

Meat or Insides of one Thai Baby Coconut (scooped out into a bowl)
1/4 c. dates (soaked in water, then drained)
1/4 c. cacao powder
1/4 c. almonds
2 T. agave nectar

Blend it all into a food processor until nuts are mostly blended smooth. You want some nuts blended into the cream and some left chunky for that rocky road feeling. Freeze until firm for super yummy ice cream that will last you a few days. Just refrigerate if you want to try it as mousse.

Raw Recipe -- Sweet Cauliflower Salad

I have quite the sweet tooth and tend to like my salads with fruit in them. I don't mind soups or sauces to have their savory vegetable flavors, but for fresh, I'm happy to overpower it with sweetness.

I never ate cauliflower growing up (that I remember -- if it was offered to me, I probably stuck it in a napkin & put it in my pocket). The first year I was married, I went to a cooking night at church and discovered this cauliflower salad. I've made it ever since. I haven't met anyone who loves it nearly as much as I do, but that doesn't bother me. It's my wonderful way to get some cauliflower into my body.

The sauce used to consist of mayonnaise with fresh lemon juice mixed in. Since eating raw, I decided to try 1/4 c. nuts in a blender with fresh lemon juice and it tastes just the same (if not better).

Here's the recipe:

1 head cauliflower

3-4 bananas

1/2 c. dates

1/4 c. nuts (I've tried walnuts, cashews, & macadamia nuts and they all work well)

Juice from 1 or 2 lemons (1 if you juice it, 2 if you squeeze by hand)

Cut the first 3 ingredients into bite-sized pieces (the dates even smaller so they can spread around the salad well). Place into a salad bowl. Blend nuts and lemon juice in the blender and mix into salad. You can eat it immediately, but it's even tastier when the juices have soaked in a bit in the refrigerator.

Let me know what you think of it. I'd love to hear if it ever becomes anyone else's favorite too!

Breakfast Simplicity

When I first read about having fruit for breakfast (in Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover book) years ago, I thought there was no way I'd be able to do that. That's actually been one of the easiest habits to adopt and has been a joy to do. I've always loved fruit and didn't know how energized it could make me feel. Every once in awhile if I've done a tough weight workout, I may come downstairs wanting something with grains or nuts instead. But most of the time, I reach for the fruit and it's a great start to my day.

My two favorite breakfast fruits are super simple. The first (which I've just discovered this year) is the grapefruit. Call me someone who has to be hit on the head a few times before realizing a good thing, but I never liked grapefruit and only thought it was good for carbonated drinks or Bath & Body lotions. :) But one day my friend was eating a cut grapefruit for a mid-morning snack and I was hungry enough to try it. The first taste was bitter and awful. But I was still hungry (I sound like the Very Hungry Caterpillar). The second taste was a little better. And the third and fourth (good thing she's a close friend) were just wonderful. I was sold. I've been eating up grapefruits ever since.

At first I cut them into circles, but now I just peel them and eat them like an orange. My grandparents used to cut them in 1/2 and eat them out with a dangerous-looking-pokey spoon (probably with sugar on top), but I just like enjoying the simplicity and beauty of the fruit. The more white stuff from the peel on it, the better. It seems to compliment the tanginess just perfectly. And the best thing about it is that it's so completely satisfying and filling. Try it and you won't leave the table wishing you had something else to eat.

My second favorite simple breakfast dish takes a tiny bit more preparation (but not much). I cut up a ripe mango and 2 or 3 kiwi and stir them around in a bowl. That's it. The flavors and textures compliment each other amazingly well. I just love it and everyone I've shared it with loves it too.

I recently attended a women's night where the theme was our "Favorite Things." I think it was a take-off on Oprah's Favorite Things show (which was probably a spin-off of The Sound of Music). Each of us was to bring our favorite thing to share with (and give to) someone else. I couldn't bring a pomegranate because they are no longer in season (and wasn't willing to part with my ceramic one :)), so I brought a mango and a few kiwis in a bag and told everyone how to make it, then drew a name and that lucky person got to take it home. Hopefully it didn't rot in her fridge or anything. I would have eaten it the very next morning! I think she did eat it though. She commented to me as I gave her the fruit that mangoes have a lot of Vitamin A in them. I thought it was funny that I don't even think of the nutritional facts with my favorite real foods. I just trust that they're good for me if they're abundant in nature and relatively untouched by human hands. Yummy and good for me -- how great is that!

Raw Recipes -- Pudding, Pies, & Lara Bar

I think my very favorite raw recipe is Mango Pie. I've probably said that about other raw things, but I truly think it's the Mango Pie because that's the one food that I lick from the bowl to the very last bit every time I make it. It's so easy and wonderful. If you don't have the dates and nuts (or time) for the crust, you just leave out the crust and it's Mango Pudding.

A quick word about mangoes: They need to be ripe to taste wonderful in this recipe (or any time IMHO). If the skin is soft and smooshy like a yoga mat when you touch it, it will be bright orange like the picture, sweet smelling, and ripe (and will be easy to slice through).

Mango Pie
1 c. almonds
1/4 c. dates (soaked)

Blend up almonds and dates in a food processor. Pat them into the bottom of a pie pan. If you'd rather just sprinkle them over the top of the filling afterwards, it tastes just the same :).

4 Mangos
4 Bananas
a few other fruits cut-up (kiwi, bananas, peaches, or strawberries)

Blend up the mangos and bananas in the food processor (or you can blend them in a blender, but you have to add maybe 1/4 c. water first to get it soft enough to blend).

Stir cut fruit into pie filling and then pour into pie pan (or dish that you'll later sprinkle crust on top of).

Eat right away if you'd like. Refrigerate. If you don't eat it within a day, the top may brown a bit (probably due to the bananas), but it still tastes fine.

Mango Pudding
I eat this all the time for breakfast. The recipe is the same as above, only without the crust. Since you use the same amount of mangoes and bananas, you can use any number -- just 1 and 1 for a bowl full or more if you want to serve others or save some. It makes a good smoothie base too. I'll copy and paste the other directions so you have it here and don't have to look above and figure it out :).

4 Mangos (or any number as long as you match it with the bananas)
4 Bananas
a few other fruits cut-up (kiwi, bananas, peaches, or strawberries)

Blend up the mangos and bananas in the food processor (or you can blend them in a blender, but you have to add maybe 1/4 c. water first to get it soft enough to blend -- I tend to use the blender more when I'm just making the pudding because I didn't need to mess up the food processor with the crust ingredients).

Eat up and be sure to lick every last bit!

Apple Pie
2 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. raisins, soaked
1/2 apple

Blend in a food processor and pat into the bottom of a pie pan. If you're just eating raw foods, make sure the sunflower seeds are raw. If you don't mind cooked, you can use regular ones (and it actually tastes better in my little opinion with that toastedness :))

7 apples
8 dates (soaked)
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 t. cinnamon

In a food processor, blend 2 of the apples with the dates until smooth and set aside mixture in another bowl. Blend the other 5 apples into bigger chopped pieces. Add to the date mixture. Add last 3 ingredients. Pour filling into pie crust and let stand for about an hour for the flavors to settle. Refrigerate.

Last time I made this, I wanted to try something different with it after about a day. So I dehydrated the rest into little apple cookies. It was fun to have as a snack, which reminds me............

Homemade Apple Pie Lara Bar
I love the Apple Pie Lara Bars, I mean LOVE them, but at over a dollar a piece (IF they're on sale -- sometimes they're almost $2 each!), they're just too expensive.

So I looked at the ingredients and experimented a bit . They came out pretty close, not necessarily in texture, but definitely in flavor.

1 c. soaked dates
1/2 c. dates (not soaked)
1/2 c. almonds
1/4 c. walnuts
3 apples
2 T. (or 1/8 c.) raisins
2 t. cinnamon

In a food processor, blend up dates until smooth. Add in nuts until they're chopped fine, Add in apples, raisins, and cinnamon. Blend well. You can just form them into balls and keep them in the fridge, but they're kind of wet. I guess you could roll them in cinnamon to dry them a bit. I kept mine in the fridge for about a week, then formed the rest into cookie size pieces and dehydrated them at 108 degrees for several hours. My 8 year old daughter and her friends loved them as much as I did.

Speaking of dehydrating fruits
Every once in awhile when I make a fruit smoothie or pudding, I'll dehydrate some of it for a yummy fruit roll. They never last long, but are wonderful snacks! The only fruit I haven't liked in a fruit roll is kiwi. For some reason it develops this really tangy, awful bite that makes it not all that pleasant. Maybe it ferments or something. I still eat it, but others don't seem to enjoy it and I'd rather have it without.

Rocky Road Pudding
I really should include this in a post all about the wonders of Baby Coconuts (or young coconut or Thai coconut -- white with a pencil shaved top, not the brown furry kind), but I'm going to include it here since I mentioned the Mango Pudding. I developed this recipe because I love to drink the juice from the young coconuts, but don't like the coconut meat all by itself (or even in smoothies -- and I've tried). Many recipes with young coconut meat have a lot of ingredients I don't have, so I made this up for my chocolate-loving self with what I already had.

Scooped out coconut meat from 1 young coconut
1/4 c. dates (soaked)
1/4 c. cacao (or cocoa powder)
1/4 c. almonds
2 T. agave nectar

Blend up in the food processor. Let the almonds stay a little chunky so you get that wonderfully crunchy rocky road flare. If you freeze it, it really does taste like ice cream. I never end up eating as much as I would of regular ice cream -- maybe because it's so rich (and it's more filling with the nuts).

I'll write about baby coconuts next week so you can see you don't need to be afraid to eat them. Yes, they have fat in them, but I've never gained an ounce eating them (in fact, I lose weight whenever I have them in my diet and have wonderfully clear skin, yes, even with the chocolate in it!)

Raw Recipe -- Fudge!

I'll post some recipes from time to time since I'm sure I'll be mentioning them often. I'll try to post pics of them too, so you get an idea of what you're making. Sound good? Hope so :).



Here are my favorite fudge recipes:

Raw Walnut Fudge (tastes like chocolate caramels)

2 c. dates (not soaked)
2 c. walnuts
½ c. raw cacao powder

Blend up the dates in a food processor. (Even though the dates are pitted, occasionally the food processor will jam and there’s always a pit caught in the blade, that I just take out and then get it going again). Once blended well, add the walnuts. Blend until the mixture is creamy like a paste (amazing how smooth walnuts can become). Add in the raw cacao. Press into a pan (I usually use an oblong Tupperware container). You can also just make them into fudge balls if you'd like. That's easier for taking them in a ziploc bag wherever you go. I like them cut from a pan though. Feels like real fudge that way. Refrigerate. Enjoy!

Other options! -- I've also made these with raw pecans. They don't blend up as well as walnuts, but they are really tasty in combo with the walnuts -- 1/2 and 1/2 or even 2/3 pecans and 1/3 walnuts.  And I've tried it with raw cashews -- less grainy than the pecans, but make sure you soak them for a few hours first.  Walnuts are just amazing because they require no soaking and cream up just fine. PLUS they have omega 3 fats that everyone says are essential for heart health.

Note: You can make it with regular cocoa powder if you can’t find raw cacao (I’ve only seen it in one store). I like the taste of the raw cacao better though (and it’s packed with nutrients you can’t get in cocoa powder). The best price I’ve found for raw cacao is on Amazon.com from a company called Nivea’s Naturals. They sell 2 bags (a pound each) for $25 with free shipping. 


Almost Raw Peanut Butter Fudge

It’s extremely difficult to find raw peanut butter (and expensive -- $24.95 for a small jar only on one website). No stores sell it because I guess all but some jungle peanuts from the Amazon have some fungus in their shell and must be cooked before sold. So I used to make this fudge with raw almond butter. But I ran out once and made it with organic peanut butter instead and it’s MUCH tastier – quite heavenly actually (and less expensive). So when I’m not focusing on 100% raw, I eat this a LOT. It takes the place of all the cookies I used to eat and never makes me gain weight like cookies do.

1 c. soaked dates (pour out the water)
1 c. dates (not soaked)
1 c. peanut butter (I used to use Marantha, but now Costco sells a nice creamy organic peanut butter and I use it instead)
¾ c. raw cacao (I like it very chocolatey!)

Blend the dates first, then the peanut butter. The paste will be a bit thicker than with the walnut mixture in the other fudge recipe. Add in the cacao at the end.

Press dough into a container that seals. Store in the refrigerator. It tastes best cold and set. Sometimes when I want some right away, I’ll put it in the freezer for about ½ hour, eat some, then refrigerate it before it starts to freeze.