Raw Pizza Recipe

This Recipe is from the kitchen of Karen Knowler. Who is a Raw Food Coach, teacher, and raw food advocate. You can check out her site here.

*This recipe is also the same recipe that she teaches and serves on all of her "Raw Food for Beginners" courses...and it is always a Great Hit with Everyone!

You’ll need a dehydrator for this recipe (or you could try a low set oven with the door ajar). You can make this pizza in the evening , and have it ready for lunch the next day as long as you start dehydrating the base as early in the evening as possible. The base takes about 15 minutes to get together and about 12-20 hours to dehydrate depending on how thick you make it and at what temperature you dehydrate it (115 deg F to 125 deg F is perfect). An hour before serving, get together your other ingredients and make the 'cheese', tomato sauce and chop the toppings.

Makes one 25cm /10 inch circular pizza (enough to cover a Paraflexx sheet in an Excalibur)

Crust/Base

• 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
• 2 medium fresh tomatoes
• ½ a medium sized onion
• 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
• About 10 leaves of fresh basil
• Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup of olive oil

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until a thick dough consistency is achieved. If the mixture feels quite dry, add more fresh tomato.
2. Pour into a large mixing bowl in order to finish mixing by hand and feel the texture of the mixture. Make sure all ingredients have been blended together well. If not, return to processor and repeat the process until satisfied.
3. Spread the mixture bit by bit onto a paraflexx sheet and gradually shape into a circle or square shape according to your preference. Use the palm of your hand to press the mixture out to the desired shape and size and thickness. A good thickness is approximately 3-4mm high.
4. Dehydrate at 95 - 110°F for approx. 4 hours (until top is nearly dry), then flip over and dehydrate again until other side is dried to desired degree. (Some prefer the base to be hard and crispy, but I prefer it to be semi-dry so that it is easy to cut and eat - a bit more bread-like).

'Cheese'

• 2 cups of raw macadamia nuts
• 2 cups of cashew nuts
• Juice of 1-2 lemons (depending on sweetness and amount of juice)
• 1 clove of garlic

1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly using either food processor or hand blender.

Tomato Sauce

• 4-6 tomatoes
• 10 sundried tomato halves
• 1 clove garlic
• Half a red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• Handful of fresh basil leaves

1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly using food processor, hand blender or vita-mix.

Toppings

Choose from:

• Fresh tomato slices
• Fresh bell pepper slices (red, orange, yellow)
• Fresh onion rings
• Black olive halves
• Basil leaves, finely chopped
• Italian seasoning (dried herbs)
• Chopped pineapple
• Broccoli florets, halved and marinated
• Mushrooms - either fresh, marinated in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, or dehydrated after being marinated
• Anything else that appeals!

Assembly of the Pizza:

1. Spread the 'cheese' evenly over the top of the pizza base.

2. Spoon the tomato sauce on top of the cheese topping and spread evenly until there is a good covering.

3. Top your pizza with your chosen ingredients. I usually begin with the tomato, then the onion rings, then bell pepper, then olives, then mushrooms, then fresh basil and finally sprinkle the whole pizza with the Italian seasoning. Occasionally I add pineapple or broccoli florets.

4. Serve either fresh as is, or put the whole pizza back in the dehydrator for a while until warmed through. Either way it is delicious!

Sometimes it seems overwhelming when we hear dehydrate or have all these new recipes to throw together to make one dish. I have found that once you try it, it really isn't so bad. When I do it, I just concentrate on one thing at a time- like the cheese recipe.....then put that aside and move onto the next thing. Just being organized is the main thing........We are taught to cook our food and not cooking everything seems like some weird alien territory...Once you take on a new recipe, and taste how fresh and flavorful everything is you will be more than happy that you went beyond your comfort zone and tried something new!

Raw Lasagna

This recipe was created by Russel James who is an amazing Raw Chef from the UK. I got this recipe from his blog, and I wanted to share it with all of you. His site is great...Check it out. You can follow his blog here.

The Raw Lasagna really is a great dish. It takes a bit to make the ingredients for the layers, but it is soooo worth it!!

*Serves 9 large portions. Can be made in a 33 x 27cm -(or similar size) lasagna dish, or made as individual portions on the plate.

For the Nut Cheese

2 cups macadamias
1 cups pine nuts
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast( can get at the health food store)
2 yellow peppers
2Tbsp fresh parsley
1Tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
½ cup of water as needed

• Process all ingredients together adding as little of the water as possible until a fluffy consistency is achieved.

Walnut Meat Layer

1 ½ cup walnuts soaked 1 hour or more
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour or more
2Tbsp dark/brown miso
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried sage
5 Tbsp nama shoyu/ or Braggs Liquid Amios
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2Tbsp olive oil
1T agave nectar

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving the mixture slightly chunky.

Tomato sauce

1 ½ cups sun dried tomatoes, soaked 1 hour or more
2 soft dates
2 cloves garlic
2 cups tomato, seeded and chopped
1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
2T lemon juice

• Process in a food processor until smooth.

Green pesto

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves
¾ cup pine nuts or walnuts
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1Tbsp lemon juice

• Process all ingredients, leaving plenty of chunkiness!

Spinach Layer

6 cups torn spinach
5 Tbsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

• Place all ingredients in a bowl to marinade and wilt for 1 hour or longer, putting the covered bowl in a dehydrator will help this process but it’s not essential.

The Assembly

Using 5 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and marinated in 1Tbsp of salt and 3Tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes.

• Line the base of your dish with a layer of the zucchini strips that slightly overlap.
• On top of this put down a layer of the walnut meat, then the cheese, then tomato sauce and finally the pesto on top. Finish this with another layer of slightly overlapping zucchini strips.
• Repeat step 2 but before adding the final layer of zucchini, take your wilted spinach and create an additional layer with that.
• Placing the whole dish in the fridge for several hours will firm it all up slightly which will make it easier to cut into portions.
• Garnish individual portions with black pepper and a sprig of basil.

This is wonderful!

Enjoy!

Raw Spaghetti Recipe

This image is from Kristen's Raw She has a lot of wonderful food images... You can get her Recipe books here.











The sauce is something I played around with a lot until I liked the taste. I used several recipes and came up with something that I really enjoy.


For the noodles;
I use 1 med size zucchini
I use a spiral slicer

* You can use a veggie peeler to get thin slices, but using the Saladacco Spiral slicer makes the zucchini look just like spaghetti noodles and I really enjoy eating the raw pasta so much more in long spirals. The Slicer is not very expensive, and for me it was well worth the money. If you are new to raw and wondering what things are actually necessary. This isn't one of them, but it is one of my purchases that I get a lot of use out of and joy from.


For the Sauce;

1/2 cup of water
3 Roma Tomatoes
1 cup of sun dried tomatoes packed in Oil
2 small red bell peppers
2 Tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil
1 oz of Lemon juice
1 medjool date
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 Tsp of Celtic sea salt
Garlic pepper
Onion Powder to taste

* Blend it all together in a high speed blender. I find if you let it set for a bit the taste is that much better.

Place the ribbons or spirals of zucchini on a plate. I splash some lime on the noodles and some garlic powder to get a buttery effect. Then I add the sauce on the top. Wait until just before you are going to eat it to add the sauce onto the noodles because the salt makes the water come out of the zucchini.

You won't miss the old white flour pasta at all after you try this fresh live version!

Enjoy!

Raw Creamy Celery Soup

A rich and nourishing raw food version of cream of celery soup. Add texture and crunch by mixing in avocado and thinly sliced celery.

1 cup fresh celery juice, reserve celery leaves for garnish
1 cup filtered water
1 avocado halved with pit removed
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of Braggs amino
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or red onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tablespoon agave
Sea salt and pepper, cayenne to taste, optional

Run the celery stalks through a juicer. Juice enough celery to yield one measuring cup. Pour the celery juice in a blender. Then add the water, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, braggs, garlic, shallot,agave and seasonings. add the avocado last blending lightly. Blend until smooth and creamy. Store in a covered container, and refrigerator an hour or over night.

Bloggin about Blogging- Day 8 of my Juice Feast

Well here I am. I have sat down to blog everyday for a week and I couldn't bring myself to post. I have been 65 days 100%Raw, and I have been pretty much just drinking 2 liters of green smoothie and 2 liters of juice, with 3-4 liters of water for the past month or so...with light raw dinners on occasion. The week before I started the Juice fast I had very little solid food, but I did have one "Last RAW Meal" the day before my fast began- to celebrate my B-day. I guess because my transition from raw/solid to raw/liquid was very slow I have felt it very natural, and although I have detoxed all along the way, my progress has been gentle and healing.

Something has changed in me..or rather I should say "is" changing. I was happily blogging everyday to post my meals and how I felt, and share what little tid- bits of knowledge I had scrounged up for the day. The more I read, and the more I learned...I realized that I wanted to share this precious knowledge with as many people as would hear it. I was on a mission, I was excited...I posted links and posted information that had made the little light go on in my head...read read...post post.........Then I started realizing that I was writing as if zillions of people were benefiting from this info...when really I only had a hand full of blog followers....that sudden realization made it really hard to want to bother to post..in fact I became pretty depressed for a couple of days..in which I didn't post........................so then I thought well, for now, I will just live as an example of what transformations can really occur..and if people are meant to find something I have shared, then they will stumble upon it, like I did (on others sites) on several occasions.

People That have inspired me;

Angela Stokes from Raw Reform
Philip McCluskey from Loving Raw
Anthony from Raw Model
Courtney Pool from Radical Radiance
David and Katrina from Juice Feast
Penni Shelton from Real Food Tulsa
Lori Painter from Inspire 2 Act


So I stared posting again, but not as frequently, and my passion for posting was waning. I was, however, experiencing amazing changes in my body and my mental clarity was improving so much. My hunger for knowledge was unending. My spiritual awareness and my natural spiritual abilities were advancing and expanding. I was excited to be having such amazing results from this lifestyle change. I continued to share my experiences as I went. I know how much watching others inspired me...I think it is important to be a little voice of peace love joy and hope. So many people feel separate and alone, sick and hopeless.
Over time more people started reading and a few of them have started incorporating more live foods into their diets, some have even gone Raw, and still others are preparing for a juice fast in their near futures.

Since I started to do my Juice feast I haven't blogged at all until today..now.

Perhaps it feels boring to me to write down what I mixed my celery juice and greens with. I find myself eating close to the same thing each day. In small different measures and combination, but does it really matter? I guess it does....if it helps even just a few............

So..I need to get my butt in gear."She says to herself"......lol

I think during the lull I have spent more time internally..thinking..discovering myself along my journey. I have been doing some heavy emotional detoxing since I started my Juice fast. It is helping me discover what my purpose is in life..what I can do to make a positive difference to the world and the people that I touch. I have been on the right path..almost- on and off through out my life...I can see how my experience all interconnects to a purpose. It is great opening up to your own personal truth. There have been times that I have pretty much been shown very specific things to do....and I have stopped and said wait..I am not ready for that...I am not ready to take that on. I don't know enough, I am not important enough to do that right now..or I don't how to make that happen, it is too daunting of a task for little me to take on. I'm too shy..blah blah blah....
I need to trust and change my internal speak.
What I need to be saying is;
I am taking the steps to come into alignment with truth, beauty, knowledge,healing and trust.
For me the trust comes by abandoning myself to the rhythm of the universe..allowing things to unfold in a positive way. Knowing that if there is something I am meant to do...then things will begin to happen to allow for that. Opportunities will open, contacts will be made, information will find its way to me. I know that, that is truth.

So today is day 8 and today I am spending my day reading, listening to calming music, mediating, spending wonderful moments with my kidlings(it is spring break here). I find that I am easily irritated by external negativity. So I have gone out of my way to remove that as much as possible from my day. I am making a conscious effort to keep my thoughts and my mood positive and joyful.

I started my day with a warm cup of water with a little bit of lemon and MSM Powder
I drank 1 liter of water
*Before I eat/drink my Juices I have 1 enzyme capsule.

I had 1 liter of fruit juice made of a watermelon base with/mango/apple
* I had 1 oz of Phytoplankton and 1 oz of Himalayan Goji Juice along with Ashwaganda(for pain)

*1 Enzyme Capsule
I drank 3 liters of Green juice/soup made of;
Head of Celery
Head of Lettuce
Spinach
Red peppers
Carrots
Tomatoes
Jalapeno pepper
A piece of leek
Cilantro
Parsley
Lime
Garlic
Sea salt
Cayenne Pepper
* I added 1Tsp of Greens+
1Tsp of Hemp oil

I drank 1 liter of water
I had 1 liter of fruit juice made of a pineapple base with/mango/strawberry/apple

I have 1 more liter of water to drink and I am done for the day. I try not to eat anything but water after 6pm...I find I feel better and I get better weight loss results.


Have a Wonderful day You Beautiful Beings!!

Day 2 of my Juice Feast..60 days Raw.

Today is a bright and beautiful day way up here in Vancouver,Canada.

I am in a really happy and positive mood. This is only my second day on my Juicy fest. I can't believe how much different I feel. Wow. As most of you know who follow my blog, I have been eating a 100% Raw Vegan Diet for the past 60 days. I have had amazing transformations in both my health, weight, out look on life, moods, inner and outer glow, and my spirituality. You can read more about the changes here if you like. This next step in my dietary change has taken everything that much further. It is almost like peeling back layers to reveal more on the other side. It is wonderful really.

On day 2 I started my day off with 1 liter of water

My morning juice was made of Spinach and cantelope; 1 Liter

1 liter of water

Afternoon was a juice/ soup of spinach, celery, cilantro, fresh basil, garlic, cayenne; 1 liter

1 liter of water

I had 1 liter of kale, lettuce, apple, celery with spirulina and chlorella, and hemp oil

for dinner I had a juice soup made of;
Spinach
Lettuce
celery
carrots
cilantro
basil
tomato
garlic
turmeric
cumin
cayenne pepper

I drank 2 liters of the soup/juice.

I was really hungry today I had all together 5 liters of fresh juice and 3 liters of water.

I felt like at the end of the day I had ingested too much after looking at the numbers..but my body wanted it so I drank.....I am feeling great and have lots of energy during the day..but sooooo ready for bed about 9pm.

So far so good.....

Day 1 of my Juice Feast

So the time has come. I am actually doing the juice feast with people from all around the globe. You can check out the Global Juice Feast here. It is a great group of people coming together to give and to receive support during their fast. Most people started March 7th, which was when the fast was scheduled to begin. There are some who started early and some who are going to be joining us as we go. Still others are doing weekend fasts, or partial fasts. Whatever works for every one.

I decided to start today because Yesterday was my Birthday. I wanted to be able to celebrate and have solid food. Raw...but solid...lol I was struggling with my decision because I wanted to begin with the majority, but I was feeling like I would be too sad on my B-day if everyone else was eating and I was sipping celery juice....So I made myself Raw Spaghetti and had a wonderful dessert made with banana ice cream, vanilla pudding( from Matthew Kenny's recipe book Everyday Raw), and chocolate mouse on top. All of it was Raw and delicious....and I am really happy about my decision to wait until today...because I am excited to begin and so ready!!

Today I started my day off with a warm cup of filtered/ ionized water with lemon at about 7am

Between 9am and 11 am I drank;
1 liter of filtered/ionized water
2 liters of green juice;
Lettuce- 1/2 a head
Spinach- one bunch
Celery- 1/2 a head
Parsley- small hand full
Cilantro- small hand full
Apple-4
Pineapple-1/2
I also added hemp oil and spirilina and chlorella. I used the blender to mix the supplements into the juice, so I added a hand full of ice as well.

* I took 1 oz of phytoplancton with an oz of goji berry juice because it tastes much better that way. I will talk more about phytoplancton and how it can change your life from the cellular level up. I am taking it to correct/regulate my immue function and to repair my cells. There is much to be said for it so I will create a posting later, just for my new friends the phytoplanctons...lol

I drank another liter of water this afternoon
At 2pm I drank 1 liter of Cantelope juice. It was nice and cold from the freezer...mmm

For din din I had a Gazpacho juice/soup made of;
Spinach/celery/tomato/cucumber/garlic/fresh cilantro/fresh basil/red and orange bells.
I added Turmeric and cayenne pepper. It was good and it was spicy. I ate it out of a bowl with a spoon like I would normally eat soup. It made me feel normal...or at least as close as I can get right now...HA!!I ate 2 bowls of the Soup..which was about a little over a Liter.

I was so full after my "soup", but about an hour later I was hungry again.

I drank another liter of water.

I made a wonderful juice out of spinach and cantelope. It was almost like a vanilla flavor. Many people don't like mixing melons with anything because they tend to digest better alone. In the future I will drink my melons on their own...I just wanted to try it. It was really nice and really almost soothed my tummy after eating the spicy soup. I drank 1 liter of the juice and saved the other liter for tomorrow.

It is freezing here -6 but it is so sunny and bright.

Have a Beautiful day!!

Starting a Juicing Fast on Saturday!

Well I have known for a while now that I would be doing a Juicing Fast. I have been waiting until my body was ready. I am on my 53rd day of eating a Raw Vegan Diet. I have spent the last few weeks primarily drinking Green Smoothies and fresh fruit and veggie juice. Along with 3-4 liters of water a day. I have been doing this to get my body ready for a juicing fast. I was looking around yesterday at some blogs..Blog surfing you might say..and I found a girl that was going to be doing a 92 day juice fast...I followed the link on her page and found a wonderful surprise...

http://www.globaljuicefeast.com/

A 92 day Global Feast!

I don't have to juice feast alone...I love that this is organized so people that are considering juice fasting don't have to do it alone.Support and fellow juicers.. I am really excited about doing my Juice Fast now. I am mentally preparing myself now. I am going to keep track of my progress by doing video posts so everyone can see my transformation. I found that watching other peoples videos really made an impact on me. I am shy, but I feel like this is important. Sharing health, love and as much info as possible to those who need help is my primary mission.

If I can do it..so can you!

Love and Light
Kellygirl ")

Soft Corn Tortillas

I got this recipe from a site that I frequent and I really enjoy, Check it out. It is called We like it Raw

If you can take on this raw food recipe, you can take on anything! Although this dish is a bit intense, it is by far one of the tastiest things on the planet. I'm proud to say that we have the gorgeous Sarma to thank for that!

Feel free to check out more of Sarma's goodness. Check out her book, that she co wrote with Mathew Kenny- Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow.

*Another Great book written by Matthew Kenny is Everyday RAW

Soft Corn Tortillas
with spicy “beans,” avocado-corn guacamole and tomato-lime salsa

Serves 6

Ingredients

Corn Tortillas

• 3 Cups Fresh Corn Kernels
• 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Yellow or Red Bell Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Golden Flaxseed, Finely Ground
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin

Spicy "Beans"

• 1 1/2 Cups Sunflower Seeds
• 1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon Miso
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 2 teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 6 Tablespoons Filtered Water
• 1/2 to 1 Whole Jalapeno cored but with seeds chopped
• 3 Whole Green Onions
• 1 Small Handful Fresh Cilantro

Tomato Sauce

• 2 Cups Sun Dried Tomatoes
• 1 Small Tomato
• 1/4 Medium Onion
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• Pinch Of Hot Pepper Flakes

Avocado-Corn Guacamole

• 3 ripe avocados, pitted
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from 1 ear (or use thawed frozen corn or simply omit)
• 1 large handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Tomato-lime Salsa

• 3 cups finely chopped, seeded tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Tart Sour Cream

• 1 cup coconut meat
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts, soaked for 1 to 2 hours
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Assembly

• 3 Whole Limes

Preparation
Make this dish as spicy as you like. Don’t cut too deep into the corncobs or you’ll end up with those hard little pieces that get stuck in your teeth. When making the “beans,” keep in mind that they will be tossed with a mild tomato sauce, so the spiciness will be mellowed out. If you want to make them ahead of time, keep all the components separate and assemble at the last minute, as the tortillas will get soggy if left to sit too long. The flaxseed can be ground in a coffee or spice grinder or Vita-Mix with dry blade (it will yield about 1 cup ground flaxseed).

“We sometimes get large, skeptical men in the restaurant who may have been dragged in by a girlfriend or family member and who proudly insist ‘I’m a meat and potatoes guy!’ For them, I always recommend this particular dish. It’s very filling and hearty. Then I smile graciously as the same guys later inevitably tell me something like, ‘I thought I was going to have to go for a burger after this, but I’m really full!’ I’ve had so many variations of this conversation, and it’s always the tortillas that get the best response from the self-proclaimed ‘carnivores.” - SM

For the corn tortillas:

1 In a food processor, chop the corn and bell pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and process until almost smooth.

2 Divide the dough onto two Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and spread to the edges using an offset spatula. Dehydrate at 115 F for 3 to 4 hours. Flip the Teflex sheets over onto the tray and carefully peel away the Teflex. Place back in the dehydrator for about 2 hours.

3 When the tortilla is completely dry on both sides but still pliable, remove it from the dehydrator and place on a flat surface. Use a round cutter or small plate about 4 inches in diameter and trace around it with a knife to cut round tortillas. You should have about 9 tortillas per 14-inch tray. Keep the scraps to add to a salad or just eat them plain as a snack.

For the spicy “beans”:

1 In a food processor, grind the sunflower seeds, tomatoes, miso, cumin, chile powder, coriander, cayenne, olive oil, agave nectar, and sea salt until thoroughly combined. Add the water a few tablespoons at a time and process further for a wet dough-like consistency. Taste for seasoning. Add the jalapeno, green onions, and cilantro and pulse a few times to combine, but leave small bits of herbs.

2 Spoon the mixture onto 1 or 2 Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. You don’t need to smooth it out; leave it chunky on the tray but flat enough to fit under another tray. Dehydrate at 115 F overnight, or about 10 hours. If possible, about halfway through, flip the “bean” mix over so the undersides can dry -- this step is not totally necessary, as the mix will be combined with the wet tomato sauce anyhow. The mix should be dry on the outside and not too mushy, so it can be broken up into pieces.

For the tomato sauce:

1 Place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and grind well to a thick sauce consistency.

2 Place the “bean” mix in a medium bowl and break up any larger pieces. Add the tomato sauce and toss to combine well. It should be thick and somewhat spreadable. If not using right away, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a few days, if necessary.

For the avocado-corn guacamole:

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados well with a fork. Add the corn, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, and salt and stir well to combine, If not using immediately, cover the surface of the guacamole with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This will only keep well for about a day or so.

For the tomato-lime salsa:

In a medium bowl, combine the salsa ingredients and taste for seasoning.

For the tart sour cream

In a blender, blend the coconut meat with the lemon juice, cider vinegar, miso, and 1/2 cup of the water until smooth. Add the soaked cashews and more water, 1 tablespoon at a time and blend until completely smooth (you may need more then 1 cup of water). Season with salt and blend further. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be kept for up to 2 or 3 days.

For the assembly:

3 limes for garnish
1 cup Tart Sour Cram

1 Lay the tortillas on a flat surface. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of the spicy “beans” and tomato sauce mixture on each tortilla, leaving a very thin rim at the edges. Top with a heaping tablespoon of guacamole. Fold the sides up to form a taco shape. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

2 Cut each lime in half lengthwise (if you cut just on either side of the core of each lime, the sections are much easier to squeeze). Place a lime slice on each plate. Lay three filled tortillas against the lime and each other on the plates.

3 Top each tortilla with a heaping tablespoon of tomato-lime salsa and a drizzle of “sour cream.” As you eat them, squeeze a bit of the lime garnish on each one.

Nominated for an Award!

Thank you to Sweetie from http://sweetierawfoodgoodness.blogspot.com/ for nominating me for this award.


Here are the rules:
1~ I share with you seven things that I love
2~I nominate seven other bloggers for the honor

Things that I Love;

1~ I love the amazing connection I feel to all things. Especially the connection I feel to God. It fills me with energy and vitality. It helps me to connect to my life purpose and gives me the confidence and support needed to reach my potential. It also gives me a great passion for helping others.

2~ I love my Kids. I have two beautiful boys. They are amazingly athletic, they are creative and artistic. They are funny, intuitive and great actors. They have the best of me, and my ex. I am so proud of them, and I have a great relationship with them both...for all they are alike they are also different.. I love them both above all else in my life.

3~ I love my family. They have always been there for me. In the good growing years, giving me a positive loving base from which to flourish. And also through the difficult years of my illness and despair. Their love is unconditional and they have proved that through action. I feel so blessed to have all of them in my life. Not only my outgoing, amazingly selfless, glowing mother, and my quiet spiritual generous father, but also my brother(whom I have always been so very close to) we are 2 years apart but we should have been twins! lol As well as an amazing extended family of beautiful aunts and uncles and cousins who's prayers and support have been so appreciated over the years. I am just blown away by all the love sent my way. I am also so proud to be a part of a family that so selflessly help others, and keep me close to their hearts. We are truly blessed!

4~ I love my Wonderful Sweet Boyfriend Drew. He is so loving, giving, supportive and kind. He is truly a partner in my life and he has shown me what love can truly be. He applauds my achievements, forgives my flaws and encourages my dreams. I am so thankful to have found such a wonderful companion in this life.

5~ I love my friends. This year I have seperated myself from many people in my life that were not adding to my life. People that were selfish and sucking the life from me. I have also opened myself up to bringing people back into my life that were beautiful loving souls that I want in my life. I have been blessed with having amazing friends in my life- both friends from my childhood, and new friendships that I am cultivating now. I feel very fortunate to have the support and friendship that I cherish.

6~ I love my New Raw Food Path. I have found so many life changing benefits to this journey. You can read about them here. Body soul and mind. I started out wanting to lose some weight and find some relief for my pain. I never realized what a huge undertaking I was venturing into. Not only have I released over 40 lbs of excess weight, but I have a significant less amount of pain, and I have completely gone off of several of my medications that I could never have stopped taking without the healing benefits of the live foods, I am nourishing my body with. It has given me greater spiritual connection, and greater Mental clarity.

7~ I love Knowledge. Since starting my raw vegan regime of consuming live foods and taking in the right supplements to suit my personal needs I have found that my mental clarity has greatly improved. I spend hours daily educating myself about my body and how it functions. How stress, chemicals and toxins effect us, and how our body tries to protect us. What goes wrong inside of a body that is designed to heal itself..and most importantly the steps we can take to reverse the damage and find health again.

I could go on about the things that I love. I have a great abundance of love in me.

I love that I have wonderful artistic talent
I love that I can write
I love that I can sing and write music
I love music
I love healing energy
I love that I can naturally move that energy
I love the wealth of information there at our fingertips just waiting for us to uncover
I love my passion for helping others
I love the wisdom of others
I love that I have connected with my life purpose
I love that I am growing each day
I love that my consciousness is expanding each day
I love that each day brings me closer to greater health
I love that I can be an example for others to help improve their own lives


I am nominating others that have somehow been inspiring to me;

1. ~N~ at http://lovinglifeandlaughing.blogspot.com/
2. SimplyRawsome at http://simplyrawesome.blogspot.com/
3. HolyMother at http://holymotherofgod.blogspot.com/
4. Kristin at http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/
5. Debbie at http://daisyhalos.blogspot.com/
6. Heidi and JS at http://rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com/
7. Angela at http://www.momsraw.com/

Thank you again Sweetie I am honoured!

Reclaiming Your Health

Living and Eating in a Raw Vegan Lifestyle is more than just a dietary discipline, it completely changes and heals every aspect of your being. Along with supplements geared for your situation, and supplemental juicing...You can give your body what it needs to naturally go through it's healing process. This healing starts at the cellular level when you allow your internal environment to be condusive to healing. I feel so blessed to have this experience of entire self healing. I am still a work in progress for sure, but I have come so far, so quickly. I want to share with as many as I can about my experience so others who are sick, depressed, desperate, dying, weak, unhealthy physically or mentally can find a solution to their pain. There is a solution, there are intelligent informed steps you can take to take control of your life again. Start here. Decide today that you want to be a beautiful, healthy, joyful being...Living life Vibrantly!!

Spiritual Awakening

Upon this path of pure living foods..of knowledge, of clearing, of healing
We awaken....

The chemicals that are in our food, our water, and in our air are clouding our minds, our emotions and our body's. Once cleared we rediscover what has been there all along..but that which has been forgotten. Our Source, our true selves. Our connection to all things. Our purpose.

Now that I am more clear, and I have taken steps to avoid the consumption of toxic causing chemicals. And I have purposely fed my body whole pure live foods. I feel the veil has lifted. I can clearly see that God is the life energy that holds all things together through infinite threads of Light Energy. All things are part of that same energy. Bringing about this truth; We are not separate beings, all alone, but rather very much a part of an interconnected existence. When we open ourselves up, to receiving that energy, we begin to see that source of energy is pure LOVE. We begin to see that we had been living in an illusion of separateness..leaving us feeling alone, unfulfilled, depressed, sick, endlessly longing and searching for something we could never quite acquire. Only to see that it is exactly that, an illusion. When the veil begins to lift we begin to find happiness and fulfillment within that source. We reconnect to our knowing and find love, fulfillment, and peace. We see our place amongst the living pulsing vibrating fabric of our endless universe. We see that we can allow that energy to flow through us and around us, from us. Joy bliss and contentment become our constant companions. We can see it..I believe we all can.

It is time to reclaim our connection, our health and our happiness. To be responsible for what we as humans will allow on this earth. Our quality of life is suffering...it is up to us to manifest positive change for ourselves and our children. health happiness and success are ours to have!

Benefits of Eating a Raw Vegan Diet..Day 48

So it has been 48 days on this Raw vegan Diet, and









It is time to check in and do some measurements.


I have released 40 lbs of excess fat, mucus, and toxins. Yey!


I have released;

2 " off of my Breasts
2 " under my Breasts
11" off of my Waist
7" off of my Hips
2" off of my Thighs
1 and 1/2 inches off of my Biceps

Wow, I love looking in the mirror and seeing the new slimmer me. I also feel fantastic. Giving myself pure, organic, raw, life giving foods has made so many positive changes in my life. I feel so much healthier, Body Mind and Spirit. I am still detoxing, and have a long way still to go,but I am feeling really good.


Physically

- I feel ALIVE inside
- I have more energy
- I am eager to exercise and move my body
- I feel very little pain in my body, and sometimes no pain, which is a miracle after being in great amounts of pain for 15 years. (I have an auto immune disease, causing inflammation/pain in my joints). I'll talk more about my struggle with my health and my personal journey as we go.
- I have been on several medications over the years, for inflammation and pain, as well as antibiotics after surgery... and I am happy to know that my body is flushing the residuals of those toxic medications out and away from my body.
- My eye sight is clear and perfect again
- My eye color is bright and vibrant blue again ( they were very blue gray for the last 12 years)
- The whites of my eyes seem more white
- My teeth are whiter, and the lingering pain I had from a partial root canal is gone completely.
- My skin is softer to the touch, and firmer in appearance.
- My skin is younger looking, clear, even toned, fresh and has a natural glow.
- The skin on my body is tightening as I lose weight
- My body is releasing Fat out of my cells as it flushes away toxins and buffering mucus from those cells. I will write more on the release of toxins and the body's natural release of fat in the process.
- My senses are all keener
I can see better, my sense of smell is amazing, I can taste goodness in the foods, and this week I have been able to even taste the chemicals in the food if there are any. I can even hear better( and I have never had a problem with hearing, it just makes it even better!) My sense of touch is heightened as well.
- My sex drive is higher, I am more responsive to touch, and I have heightened sensation.


Mentally

- I feel very focused and eager to learn
- My concentration has improved
- My sense of humor has returned
- I am more playful and feel happy and more like myself
- I am more confident
- I have a sense of adventure
- I feel like going out and doing things with friends and family
- I have a passion for life
- I feel like my life has purpose
- I have a clear vision of what I would like for myself in the future
- I am very positive in the thoughts that I have about myself, and what I feel I deserve in life
- I am open emotionally
- I have greater empathy
- I am more trusting
- I generally just feel freer
- Unclouded
- Free of depression, or negative thoughts


Spiritually

- I feel a greater sense of awareness
- I feel more connected to everything
- My connection to GOD and the life force within all things is abounding
- I am more clairvoyant,clairsentient, clairaudient
- I trust my intuition completely
- The natural flow of healing energy surges through me to those around me
- My ability to see energy through auras has greatly intensified.
- My ability to see illness or blockages within the energy body has become more focused, as has my ability to manipulate them.
- All of my psychic senses are heightened, but with a greater sense of how to control my abilities and use them to help myself and others.


I have experienced so many Wonderful side effects from this new healthy lifestyle. I have spent much of my time reading and educating myself about how our body's work, and it all makes sense. Pure, clean, supported and loved being..That is what I am creating in myself. I hope that through my example, information, and support others can find total health and happiness also!

Complex Carbohydrates Verses Simple Carbohydrates

Many people struggle with the idea of carbohydrates, since carbs have such a bad wrap now days. What people need to know is there is a difference between a good carb and a bad carb.

Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. Your system needs carbs to sustain itself. Carbohydrates are necessary to your health, because every cell in your body uses them for energy. In fact, your brain can only use carbohydrates for energy. However, eating the right Carbs, is what is essential to your body's well being. Understanding the difference will help you to make good Carbohydrate choices to bring your body to better health.


Simple Carbohydrates
Are exactly what they sound like- Simple Sugars. Simple Carbohydrates are quickly changed to glucose in your body. Glucose, that's a fancy word for sugar. Simple carbohydrates are made up of one or two sugar molecules linked together. The truth is that the simple carbs are bad because your body processes them too quickly and therefore turns all that energy to fat. Over-consumption of sugar and other highly refined carbohydrates has been associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even breast cancer. Sugar and other simple carbohydrates can alter your mood, lead to cravings and compulsive eating, cause wide swings in your blood-sugar levels, and cause weight gain in most people. Some forms of simple carbohydrates include; glucose, fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar) and galactose (the sugar found in milk). Simple sugars are used as ingredients in candy, ice cream, cookies and other sweets. Plus they occur naturally in fruits and lesser amounts are found in vegetables.

Examples of Simple Carbohydrates are:

White Four White Sugar

Corn syrup

Fruit juice

Candy

Cake

Bread made with white flour

Pasta made with white flour

Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.

Candy

Most baked goods made with white flour

Most packaged cereals

Addressing the Simple Carbs in Fruit:

Fruit does contain a natural source of sugar called fructose which will need to be monitored especially if you tend to easily gain body fat from too many carbs. If your main goal is to lose large amounts of body fat, you definitely don't want to eat an unlimited amount of fruit. Although fructose is rather low on the glycemic index, I recommend not eating it after 6pm and limit it to a few portions throughout the day. The best thing to do is monitor your body fat levels and use the mirror along with weekly photos of yourself to really see how your body is changing. If you see that your adding too much body fat, then cut back on the fruit and focus more on vegetables like lettuce, kale, cucumber, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini and green peppers, swiss chard. These fibrous carbs contain very low amounts of calories and carbs which are the key to losing body fat.



Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are more slowly digested keeping your body's Glycemic Index lower. Thus not spiking your blood sugar levels and allowing your body to digest and absorb the important life giving nutrients in the foods we eat. It also allows our body to use the foods we eat for energy and not just store it as fat. Complex Carbs are found in high-fiber foods, which improve your digestion. They help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal.

Examples of Complex Carbohydrates are:

Spinach		Whole Barley	Grapefruit
Turnip Greens		Buckwheat	Apples
Lettuce		Buckwheat bread	Prunes
Water Cress		Oat bran bread	Apricots, Dried
Zucchini Kale Spinach		Nuts Seeds Oatmeal	Kiwi fruit Cherries Pears
Asparagus		Oat bran cereal	Plums
Artichokes		Muesli	Strawberries
Okra		Wild rice	Oranges
Cabbage		Brown rice	Grapes
Cucumbers		Rye Pinto beans	Sweet Potato Bananas
Dill Pickles		Mushrooms	Soybeans
Radishes		Skim milk	Lentils
Broccoli		Navy beans	Garbanzo beans
Brussels Sprouts		Cauliflower	Kidney beans
Eggplant Celery Peppers Snow peas Green lentils Chic peas		Soy milk Soya beans Kidney beans	Lentils Squash Swiss Chard Tomatoes
Green beans Onions		Tomato Soup Lentil Soup Multi grain bread Whole meal spelt bread	Split peas

Complex carbohydrates should be a major part of your diet; about half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates -- mostly from grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Choose a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice, which is very high in naturally occurring simple sugars. Choose whole grain breads instead of white bread. Choose whole grain oatmeal instead of packaged cold cereals.

Making simple healthier choices through out the day will bring you closer to a healthy you...

*Remember that the closer you get to nature, the closer you get to health.

Nori Rolls Recipes

I have found a few different recipes on the web and in my Raw Recipe books. I ended up making my own version based on a few different ideas. Follow the links to the different ones I looked at....

The first was in Ani's Raw food Kitchen recipe book. It is posted on This Blog. There are a lot of good Recipe ideas on that blog. There is also a Video that Ani Phyo has done to show you how to make the Nori rolls step by step. Click here to go to the video now.

The next was at The Sunny Raw Kitchen. The Recipe is posted here. This is a great source for really tasty Meal ideas. I love her Recipes and her energy.

I also partially went by a recipe by Jennifer Cornbleet from her book Raw Food made Easy for 1 or 2 people. Click here to see the recipe.


For my Nori Rolls I used;

2 nori sheets
3 tsp of Mellow White Miso
Ani's Ginger almond pate (see below)
Alfalfa sprouts
4 leaves of Spinach
The following Veggies cut thin and lengthwise;
1/4 Cucumber (with seeds cut out)
1/2 a Carrot
1/2 a red pepper
1/4 a small yellow pepper
1/2 Avocado ( I put it on last because it is so fragile, and I didn't marinade them).
* I marinated the veggies in Braggs Amino Acid for about 15 min before I made the rolls.

Assembly;

Using a Bamboo Sushi mat ( I got mine at Safeway in the Asian section) start layering the ingredients;
- starting with the Raw Nori sheets You can get these at healthfood stores that carry food, or you can buy the rosted ones that are at most supermarkets that carry Asian foods. Check out this link to hear about "RAW" Nori sheets..aparently not all Raw nori sheets are Raw so be careful if you are doing 100% Raw that you get truly Raw Nori Sheets.

Make sure that you leave about 1 inch of the nori sheet showing, from the edge closest to you. And also at the edge farthest away from you. This will make it easier to roll, and close, when you are done layering the ingredients.

Start layering the miso on the nori sheet. I put a very thin layer, about 1/4 inch in width across the nori sheet, from one side the the other. Pretty much making a base for where I wanted to put my veggies.

Then I put a thin layer of Ginger Almond Pate (See recipe below) on most of the nori sheet. Make sure it is thin because if you put too much on it can be overwhelming because it is very filling and takes over the roll.

Then I added the marinated Cucumber, Carrot, red and yellow peppers. With a nice layer of alfalfa sprouts next. Then I ripped the spinach leaves in small strips over that. Then I added the Avocado to finish the filling.

Now it is time to Roll the Sushi with the bamboo mat;

Take the bottom of the bamboo mat (along with the nori) and fold it tightly over the ingredients.
Roll the nori tightly, making a cylinder, using the bamboo mat to direct the roll away from you. Squeezing it as you go. Once you get to the 1 inch strip of uncovered nori at the top, dip your fingers in a bowl of water, wet the strip and finish the roll, squeezing the bamboo mat tightly around it. Unfold the mat and you've got your first sushi roll.

Lay it on the wooden cutting board, wet the flat-bladed knife in a bowl of water before each cut and slice the roll into bite-sized pieces. I also found that wetting my fingers helped as I held the roll during the cutting process.

I used Braggs Amino acids for dipping sauce. You can also use Tamari or Nama Shoyu.

* I made the Ginger Almond Pate from Ani's recipe book;

2 Tbsp of Grated ginger root
2 cloves of Garlic ( I used minced garlic)
1 Tsp of Sea salt
2 cups of almonds( she doesn't soak hers, but I find they are too hard for me..I like a softer texture so I soaked my raw almonds for 6 hours prior to blending)
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 a cup of water, as needed to get the texture you like.
Enjoy!!