Recipe for grilled veggie skewers

Winter is finally coming to a end, and there is nothing like melting frost to send your thoughts yearning for sunnier skies, fresh fruity smells, and that crisp spring breeze. So while you are getting your mind psyched for either spring-cleaning or spring break, why not take out that griller and prep up for an outdoor barbecue? This grilled vegetable recipe just might do the trick, and it’s perfect for everyone, vegetarian or not.

This meal is low in saturated fat and cholesterol while being high in dietary fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. From the vegetables alone, depending on how many servings you eat, you are getting your essential recommended daily allowance of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese. And because a substantial amount of olive oil is used in this recipe, you’re getting one of the good kinds of fat—one that is high in vitamin E.

If you don’t think you are getting the essential protein, think again. Broccoli provides 26% of the protein in your caloric ratio; Zucchini provides 18%. Servings of both cover almost half the ratio you need. Eat more and get more protein! Compare the above with a grilled pork patty where you get only 17% of the protein in your caloric ratio, with 81% of that ratio from fat.

So here’s to the coming change in season and to your good health!

For the Barbecue

• Bamboo Skewers
• Broccoli Flower clusters – 1 stalk clusters separated
• Eggplant – 1pc. sliced
• Zucchini – 1pc. sliced
• Tomatoes – 1pc. sliced
• Onions – ½ pc sliced
• Green Bell Pepper – ½ pc. sliced
• Olive Oil – 15 ml
• Ground Pepper – as needed
• Salt – as needed
• Garlic – 2 cloves – minced
• Fresh Thyme – 1 sprig – minced

For the Vinaigrette

• Balsamic vinaigrette – 30ml
• Garlic – ½ clove
• Garlic oil – 25g
• Salt – as needed
• Pepper – as needed
• Honey  – 15ml

Recipe Instructions

1. Drop the broccoli, eggplant, and zucchini in boiling water for about 3 minutes, just enough time to soften them up a bit. Drain, making sure no excess water is left.
2. Toss all of the barbecue ingredients together (except for the bamboo skewers of course).
3. Let marinate for 10-30 minutes.
4. Ease each sliced or chopped piece onto the bamboo skewers.
5. Grill until vegetables are slightly crisped and some parts golden brown.
6. While grilling whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together.
7. Pour over your barbecue while warm.

In my ten years of eating raw, I can tell you from firsthand experience that desserts are the most difficult raw dishes to prepare. Through a miserable number of trials and errors over the years, I’ve got many raw desserts like cheesecake, brownies, cherry sorbet, and coconut macaroons down to an artful science.  Pumpkin pie, on the other hand, was always a challenge for me. In the times I attempted to prepare this gourd pie, it always came out tasting bland, dry, and unappealing. It wasn’t until my close friend, who is also a raw foodie, recommended I try her recipe that I finally made some headway with my homemade raw pumpkin pie.

One of the common misconceptions about raw desserts is that they don’t taste good. On the contrary, cooking raw is delicious. All you have to do is use high-quality ingredients, stick to the accurate measurements, and taste as you go.  If something doesn’t taste quite right, trust your gut and tweak it. If you think your dessert needs an additional ingredient, go ahead and add it! Like an artist’s painting, raw food desserts are supposed to be unique to each artisan.

For those of you who are raw foodies or are trying to incorporate more raw foods into your lives, Thanksgiving can be a tough holiday to endure. Everything from the savory turkey, warm yeast rolls, and sweet pecan pie can derail all your efforts to eat raw. With this delicious raw pumpkin pie recipe, however, you’ll be all set for your Thanksgiving dessert. Not only is it filling, it’s insanely delish! Try this pumpkin pie out during the holiday or any ol’ time you have a craving for this classic dessert.

Raw Pie Crust Recipe

2 ½ cups pecan flour ¾ cup coconut oil, cold
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Okay let’s start with the crust! Start by placing the flour, salt, and sugar in an electric mixer bowl and mix on high for 30 seconds. Next, add the coconut oil and mix until the crust forms a solid, cohesive mixture. Don’t worry if you see a few crumbles though. If necessary, add a little more oil or water to solidify the crust.

Dust a clean surface with a pinch of flour and place the crust on the dusted surface. Using your hands, knead the crust into two flat ball shapes, (keep in mind: this pie makes enough for two crusts) wrap in plastic wrap, and place them freezer until you’ll ready to use them. When you’re putting your pie together, pull out one of the crusts, and using a rolling pin, flatten it out into the shape of a large circle (aka pie crust). Have flour on hand to prevent the crust from sticking to the surface. Gently lift the crust and place it in the pie pan. Press the crust until it adheres to the pan.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 3 cups shredded pumpkin
• 1 cup cashews, soaked for four hours, drained, and then mashed
• ¼ cup almond milk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 teaspoons vanilla bean extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch cloves

Combine all the ingredients in an electric mixing bowl. Mix for 3 minutes on high speed. Spread into one of the prepared pie crusts. Refrigerate for at least three hours. Eat and enjoy!

Eating raw is not easy during the holidays, but the health benefits of doing so are definitely worthwhile.

Saturday mornings, I have a standard food-acquiring routine pretty much down.  The farmer’s market is perused through for all of the basics.  Spring water is collected.  If needed, specialty stores are stopped by…and ‘Whole Foods Market’ meets the tail end of the stretch with its add-ins of anything that I couldn’t amass from the other locales.  I’m purposeful at each stop.  I know exactly what I want and where to find it.  My overall ‘game plan’ is to stock up on the freshest, most nutritionally dense foods and still square it all up within our weekly budget.  I go heavy on the greens, non-sweet fruits, and all varieties of veggies that will later meet with a transformation into some variety of smoothie, salad, steamed medley, or soup.  It’s all very satisfactory, yet repetitive…so when something extraordinary catches my attention, it tends to push my delight above and beyond the average.  This week, the extraordinary catch was one size-able container of freshly picked, ruby-red raspberries.

The first time that I recall eating freshly picked strawberries left the type of impression that almost demands that I still think about it from time to time several years later.  I questioned whether they were even strawberries.  They were incredibly juicy and flavorful– entirely different from the less intense store-bought berries that I was up until then familiar with.  Since then, I’ve developed a special interest in and appreciation for fruit that’s been separated from the plant for only hours, as compared to days or weeks.

These particular raspberries paralleled the strawberry incident of ’99 nicely. 🙂 There were plenty savored alone, and there were handfuls more that melded into various edible blends throughout the weekend. The following is our favorite flavor……a concoction that highlights the current seasonal flux– intertwining one of the last offerings of summer with a treasured fall staple. Enjoy!

(I don’t enjoy measuring, so I won’t be listing exact amounts– it’s a simple brew, however, and will likely turn out well if you adjust all amounts according to taste…)

Bottom (or top) crumble layer ingredients

• spoonful of coconut oil or ghee
• vanilla stevia (10-15 drops) (or unprocessed stevia powder and raw vanilla powder)
• coconut or almond flour (enough to make a creamy paste)
• sprouted flax, chia or hemp seed powder (mix in until crumble-like consistency)

Pumpkin blend

• pureed fresh pumpkin, or organic canned pumpkin
• cultured coconut (fermented at home, or store bought (I like So Delicious brand, unsweetened)
• vanilla stevia, to taste
• sea salt

Instructions

1. mix pumpkin blend well.
2. spoon out onto crumble mixture, or into bowl, adding crumble mixture over top.
3. sprinkle with raspberries.

How to make the best raw hummus ever!

I wasn’t crazy about raw hummus when I first tried it, I thought the uncooked garbanzo beans gave it a bitter aftertaste. I decided to do my own recipe, and after some experimenting, I am convinced that this is the best raw hummus recipe out there! In fact, I have grown to like this better than any cooked hummus I’ve had.

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry garbanzo beans (soaked, sprouted, and rinsed)
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 carrot, chopped or shredded
• 1/2 cup oil (olive oil, flax seed oil, and coconut oil blend, equal parts)
•  teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper or ground papaya seed
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
• jalapeño pepper, ground cayenne pepper, or other spice (or hot sauce) to taste

Instructions

Soak garbanzo beans for 24 hours (drain, rinse, and change water 4 times within the 24-hour period). You may need to soak them longer. The need to be just starting to sprout before you use them. Beans should be barely sprouted. Rinse beans well before using. In a food processor combine all ingredients except oil, and mix well. Add oil slowly until the desired texture is achieved (may need more or less oil than specified).

All ingredients are to taste, so play around and see what you like best. Coconut oil may be a little strange in this recipe to some, but I don’t taste it when it’s mixed with the flaxseed and olive oil. And the health benefits of coconut oil are why I add it. The flaxseed oil not only has excellent health benefits, it also introduces an additional, distinct nutty flavor to the dish that works well.

If you would like a thinner consistency, or you want to reduce the oil, you can add water.

You can garnish the dish with some cilantro and paprika on top.

Serve with your favorite vegetables and/or chips (raw blue corn kale chips is a recipe I am working on and I’ll bet it’ll be amazing with this), but make sure you throw in some pear slices! I know what you’re thinking, “Pears with hummus? Really?” Yes. I promise you, pears with hummus are simply amazing. You must try it.

Make your own vitamin C at home, and make it better than any store-bought vitamin C

Vitamin C Recipe

So you may not know that almost all of the vitamin C supplement manufacturers are making their vitamin C from genetically engineered corn. What! You exclaim. How am I supposed to get enough vitamin C into my family if I don’t buy store bought supplements? Answer: You make your own! What you are about to read is something that the giant pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to see.

Even the health food stores don’t want you to know about this secret. You can make your very own vitamin C supplement that is ten times better than anything you could buy in a store at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU!

Does it have a 1,000 mg of vitamin C per dosage? Nope. Does it have the USRDA amount per dosage? Not at all. Has it been approved by the FDA?  Absolutely not!

What homemade vitamin C does have is live enzymes that allow the vitamin C to be 100% assimilated into your body.  It has its own natural source of rutin, hesperidin, and bioflavonoids. It’s easily acquired, easy to make, and even tastes good, too. It’s just orange & lemon peels.

It’s that easy. Any organic orange or lemon peels left over from the fruit you  buy will do the trick.  Save all of your peels after you eat the inside of the fruit and cut them into thin strips. Place them on a plate on your dining room table and let them dry at room temperature for a couple of days until dry and crisp. You can also dehydrate the peels with a food dehydrator and then store them for about a year in a dry container. For consumption, one idea is to break up peels into smaller pieces and mix them with your favorite tea. This makes the tea taste great, but the downside to this approach is that heat destroys the enzymes. A better option is to place the peel strips into your coffee grinder and grind them into a powder (which won’t hurt the enzymes) and use to mix with your early morning smoothie. One rounded teaspoon will supply you with more organic vitamin C complex, rutin, hesperidin, and bioflavonoids than your body needs for the day, regardless of your size. And this homemade citrus peel powder mixed in your blender with some fresh organic apple juice tastes good too.

Check out these articles if you are looking for tips to boost your immune system, or heal from chemotherapy. Also, be sure to read up on Leaky Guts and Autoimmune Diseases.

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips

This is such an amazing dish, and so easy to prepare! It’s sure to impress even an those who aren’t fond of asparagus. If you are looking to go 10% raw, that’s easy too. Just don’t boil the vinegar, and cut the amount of vinegar you use in half. You may want to sweeten it a bit, as balsamic vinegar reduction is very sweet, but the mangos may take care of that so taste it before sweetening.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds asparagus
• 1 large mango
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• Hot sauce to taste (I use a peach habanera hot sauce I love!)

Instructions

Boil balsamic vinegar for 3 minutes to create a reduction (making the vinegar sweeter and thicker). Cut off tough ends of asparagus. Combine all ingredients and let set for 3 hours in refrigerator.

Alternatively you can cook the asparagus lightly if you prefer. In the image above I used three kinds of asparagus, and cook the purple and white variety lightly and left the smaller green asparagus raw. It’s also good served room temperature or warm if you chose.

“I learned from my two year’s experience that it would cost incredibly little trouble to obtain one’s necessary food even in this latitude; that a man may use as simple a diet as the animals, and yet retain health and strength. I have made a satisfactory dinner, satisfactory on several accounts, simply off a dish of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) which I gathered in my cornfield, boiled and salted.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden (Life in the Woods)

While, apparently, not one of the more sought after wild plants- or even that well known in North America- purslane is a popular food in the Mediterranean and many other areas of the world. Look for purslane in open, sunny areas as it is a warm weather lover- not sprouting until the ground temperature reaches around 80 degrees F- very determined once established and flourishing with ease. The tear drop shaped leaves (though they remain rounded- not quite reaching a ‘tear drop’ point where the leaf meets the stem and are typically no longer than 1 inch in length) are green with a hint of red, first sprouting as four propeller~looking leaves out of a reddish system of stems that resemble pipes stretching across the ground. The plant rarely reaches more than 2 or 3 inches in height.

Purslane is a succulent- a plant which has fleshy, water-storing leaves or stems. In extreme cases of drought, the stems of the plant will pull water back in from the leaves and drop them. With the way that it spreads across the ground, purslane has the look of a plant that would root at each node. It does not. Though, interestingly, much like a starfish, it does grow new plants from cut segments- granted that the soil conditions are ideal. Purslane’s hardiness, along with this ability to grow new plants from chopped up pieces make for an unruly task for those trying to eliminate its presence from garden space or farmland…….and a delight for wild~food enthusiasts;).

It is fairly easy to identify purslane based on its leaves and stems, alone- for those who still feel uncomfortable, however- the plants do produce flowers once they reach a certain age. The flowers are tiny (less than 1/4 of an inch,) are usually yellow in color, 5 petaled and found on older growth. The tiny black seeds are barely larger than grains of salt.

Nutritionally, purslane is potent! It tops the list for quality amounts of vitamin E and contains an impressive amount of omega-3 fatty acids- unusual for a plant. I have read that purslane contains up to 4000 ppm of the omega-3 fatty-acid alpha linolenic acid. For those who take fish or flax oil supplement, purslane could offer up a nice alternative during the summer months while saving money in the process. Purslane contains glutathione, is rich in vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, potassium and phosphorus, and nicely compares to spinach in its iron content.

With a mild, very slight hint of sour flavor and chewy texture- purslane leaves and stems are edible raw and make a fantastic addition to salads. After rinsing, you can steam or add them to soups, stir~frys or other veggie dishes.

**Be mindful of spurge, a similar~looking, poisonous plant that can grow near purslane. The leaves of spurge usually grow in a pair across from each other on the stem~ which is not as thick as purslane’s stem, and gives off a white, milky sap when you break it. If careless, it would not be difficult to toss some in your bag while out scouting for purslane.

Purslane Potato Salad

• 6 medium red potatoes, cooked and cubed
• 3 cups purslane, washed and chopped
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 tbps. homemade mayo, blended nut~based cream or simply any cold~pressed oil
• 2 tbps. dijon mustard
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash and chop all ingredients. Mix together in a bowl with mayo, cream or oil of choice. Add in seasonings to desired taste. Chill until ready to be served- (can garnish with fresh dill sprigs.)

*blending nutrient~dense leafy greens with antioxidant and water~rich fruits into a ‘green smoothie’ is an easy and incredible way to boost your health and vitality…

Purslane & Plum Smoothie

• 1 head of red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch chard leaves
• 2 cups purslane, washed
• 4 black or red plums, pits removed
• 1 cup mixed berries
• 1/2 avocado
• stevia, to taste

Add just enough water to blend until smooth & Enjoy!

The one rule, sans exception, of foraging; KNOW YOUR PLANT. While the benefits of eating wild plants are significant and very worthy~ there is no room for error. You can, and should, take all of the time that you need to get to securely know a plant before consuming it….in a way that you can comfortably and positively identify it 100% of the time.)