Mary Ann's Home Kitchen

Mary Ann's Home Kitchen

Gourmet Raw Vegan Cooked Food

Recipe Favorites by Mary Ann Jones

About 101 of the recipes in this book are raw and about 49 cooked vegan recipes.

After speaking to Mary Ann on the phone she said it was gourmet and after reviewing this vegan book I agree.

CedarBrook is a lifestyle center where people spend time learning the eight laws of health. A great place to cleanse, eliminate toxins from the body and restore health and wellness.

"The only hope of better things is in the education of the people right principles…Unhealthful conditions must be changed, wrong habits corrects. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system." Ministry of Healing, pg 73.

The program at CedarBrook Lifestyle Center consists of rest, exercise, temperance, pure water, sunlight, nutrition, fresh air and trust in Diving power.

CedarBrook Lifestyle Center makes available many nutritional herbal supplements and healthful products for the entire family. CedarBrook Lifestyle Center also offers whole foods, internal cleanse products, kitchen supplies, cookbooks, health resource books and DVDs along with household cleaning products.

I'm throughly impressed with this book. I already know it will be a book I reach for. Some of the recipes include raw ravioli, nut cheese for ravioli, uncooked pizza, peanut sauce without peanuts, raw cabbage roll-ups, raw lasagna, raw garden veggie patties, tacos Italian mostly raw, fill potato dish, walnut loaf, enchilada sauce, potato garlic onion mash, vegetable fried rice with tofu, tofu katsu, raw mango butternut soup, raw bok choy soup, banana soup, tomato soup, raw corn fresh salad, raw broccoli salad, raw cabbage napa salad, raw cabbage blender slaw, raw kale salad, raw tabour, raw carrots, parsley, and walnuts, bean salad three, warm spinach salad, raw cauliflower walnut rice, raw alfredo white sauce, raw pesto sauce, raw carob sauce, raw marinara pasta sauce, marinara pasta sauce, raw barbecue sauce, and sweet citrus sauce.

The you get to the salad dressings and there are some really amazing recipes here such as raw CedarBrook special dressing, Larry's raw lemon avocado salad dressing, raw carrot-avocado soup or dressing, raw cucumber soup or salad dressing, raw ranch style dressing, raw corn-cilantro salad dressing, raw orange dill dressing, poppy seed salad dressing, raw olive green salad dressing, Catalina salad dressing.

In the non-dairy cheese section I found several raw cheeses including a jack, cheddar and slicing cheese.

In the spreads, dips, chips & side favorites some of the recipes are raw tuna mock-like spread, raw almond pumpkin spread, raw hummus sprouted, raw salsa, raw catchup, raw almondaise, raw cranberry relish, raw sour cream cilantro, raw prickles, raw walnut pate, raw spicy red pepper chips, walnut spread, raw tomato sun-dried cheese spread.

Bread, muffin, cracker favorite recipes include raw onion flat bread, homemade whole wheat bread, pizza dough, crackers sesame oat, muffins apple easy.

Breakfast favorites include raw lemon or orange date breakfast or dessert bars, raw apple parfait breakfast dish, raw seed cereal, raw granola, raw buckwheat berry cereal, raw oatmeal, raw apple raisin cereal, raw breakfast patties, apple oats casserole, raw waffles corn-oat, apricot or peach sauce, crepe Suzette, french toast, tofu scramble, and tofu Scramble seasoning mix.

Next chapter dessert favorites you will find so many gourmet recipes such as raw strawberry or peach pie, raw orange honey creme sauce, raw carob cake with raspberry sauce, raw banana cake, raw walnut-raisin cake, raw lemon glaze, raw carob mousse, raw lemon cashew cheesecake, raw lemon pudding or frosting, raw CedarBrook candy, raw carob halvah, raw frozeen fruit creme, raw cherry nut cobbler, raw carob coconut truffles, raw macadamia cookies, raw cookies or dessert crust, raw frosting deluxe for cookies, muffins or cake, raw brownie toostie-like candy, raw caramels, raw piano colada parfait, baked pie crust, carob almond butter pie, pumpkin pie bread, carob brownies, tofu cheesecake, raw whipped almond creme, carob walnut fudge, coconut whipped creme, whipped soy better creme, cookies--no bake, coconut cream pie, raw carrot pineapple cake, coconut cream frosting, raw nut butter donuts, raw maple orange donuts--not fried.

Beverage favorites recipes include raw coconut banana smoothie, raw orange banana shake, raw strawberry papaya smoothie, raw almond date milk, raw pecan nut milk, raw green drink, raw power drink, iron tonic and mango chill drink.

You can find this gourmet cookbook here at Cedar Brook Lifestyle Center

Rod Rotondi's Kale Salad

Hale Kale Salad

This is the basic recipe for a delicious and quick kale salad. You can of course add other ingredients (unless you want them to be mashed in, add them after you have completed the basic recipe). Some of my favorite additions are sprouted wild rice, tomatoes, seaweed, mung bean sprouts, and tahini. Yummy — I’m getting hungry just thinking about them!

Serves 1 to 2

1 bunch kale leaves

1 medium avocado

Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 cup)

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon sea salt

1. To prepare the kale leaves: Holding a kale leaf by the stem with one hand, wrap your other hand around the leaf up near the stem with your thumbnail exerting a slight pressure on the stem. Glide your thumbnail down the stem, separating the leaf from the stem; once you get the technique, it’s a snap. Using this technique, deleaf one bunch of kale leaves into a large bowl.

2. Now, reach in and grab a handful of kale leaves and rip them into pieces. Continue this motion repeatedly until you have ripped all the leaves into small bite-sized pieces (you don’t want the pieces to be too big because they could catch in the throat while you are swallowing or may just be unappetizing).

3. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. With a spoon, scoop out each avocado half onto the kale leaves. Add the lemon juice, cayenne, and salt to taste.

4. Okay, now comes the fun part. Remember how I talked before about having a relationship with your food? Well, here is a chance to develop a very tactile and immediate bond! I want you to get down and dirty. Reach into that bowl and start mashing the mixture with your hands. Squeeze the avocado between your fingers. Mash it all up until you have all the kale bits coated in a lovely creamy sauce. (If no one is looking you might even go ahead and lick that tasty dressing off your hands when you’re done.)

SPROUTED CHICKPEA HUMMUS

Okay, I’m going to give it up here — my prized recipe for hummus. It’s so easy, and

it keeps well for a few days in the fridge. Besides being a great dip/appetizer, it also

can turn any salad into a real meal. So make enough for a few days, and you’ll always

have a delicious and very nutritious boost to add to salads or wraps.

Makes 6 cups

6 cups sprouted chickpeas (see chart, page 57)

2 medium lemons, peeled and quartered

1 cup tahini

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

3 medium cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional (up to 1 teaspoon) to taste

1. Put the sprouted chickpeas in a food processor and blend well. Remove to a large

bowl.

2. Put the lemon first, then the remaining ingredients, in a blender and blend well.

3. Pour the blended mixture into the bowl with the chickpeas and mix well. Taste and

adjust the seasonings. Voilà!

MEXICAN CORN CHOWDER

This has become one of the favorite soups at our restaurants. It’s easy to make at

home — but please still come to the restaurants!

Serves 8

Kernels of 8 ears fresh corn (about 6 cups)

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about w cup)

1 medium bell pepper (not green), chopped (about 2 cup)

1 to 2 medium cloves garlic

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves (about 2 cup), plus more for garnishing

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Dash of cayenne pepper

Sea salt to taste

Hot water for heating

1. Set aside 1/2 cup corn kernels for garnishing. Put the remaining corn kernels and

all the other ingredients except the hot water in a blender. Blend until smooth with

some chunky bits, adding water as needed. If you like it chunkier, lightly blend the

mixture, then remove a third of it to a small bowl. Blend the remaining two-thirds

until smooth, then add in the chunky portion and blend just to mix.

2. Before serving, heat the soup by stirring in very hot water in a 1 to 1 ratio of hot

water to soup. Garnish with extra corn kernels and cilantro.

Excerpted from the book Raw Food for Real People Ó2009 by Rod Rotondi. Printed with permission from New World Library. http://www.newworldlibrary.com

Raw Food for Real People by Rod Rotondi

RAW FOOD for REAL PEOPLE by Rod Rotondi

I know there are a lot of readers who in a perfect world would be doing an hour of yoga every morning, meditating during lunch break, thinking only pure and grateful thoughts throughout the day, and eating a 100 percent raw, vegan, organic diet at all three meals. There is a tendency to want to make a resolution to “do it all” at once. And that might work for about .001 percent of you, but for the rest of us, it’s more about incremental change.

What works best for most people is a steady, gradual, and gentle movement toward a healthier, happier you. Setting unreasonably ambitious goals is only setting yourself up for disappointment and disempowerment.

In diplomacy, steps toward resolution are referred to as “confidence-building measures.” Since we’d all like to have more peace, it might be a good idea to think of our own progress this way: small, achievable steps that are doable and help create a momentum in the right direction.

So, how about ten minutes of yoga and stretching every morning? What about a fifteen-minute walk before you start your workday? Perhaps five minutes of meditation before you turn in at night (tuning in before you turn in).

Or how about one totally healthful meal each day? Or maybe set a goal of eating raw only five or six days a week, so you don’t have to face the prospect of life without that Grand Slam breakfast! Start with something achievable. Breakfast, for example, is so doable. Wait till you get to the breakfast section — we have lots of delicious, easy-to-make recipes for you, including smoothies, oatmeal, and granola. Plus, you can make a smoothie any time you get hungry!

Once breakfast is conquered, adding in a salad for lunch is a breeze. You can even learn how to bump up that salad until it’s a delicious and filling nutritional powerhouse — check out chapter 10, Making a Salad a Meal.

And then you are on to soups, desserts, dips, breads, crackers, and more. So have fun, and enjoy your food!

Dealing with Food Addictions

Those of us who have grown up on a contemporary Western diet have food addictions galore. I know I do. Fortunately, my three-year-old daughter does not. She has never eaten foods like refined flours and sugars, highly processed foods, meats, or dairy, all of which create negative addictions. We are helping our daughter create a very healthy and positive relationship with food.

But most of us were brought up with a less-than-optimal diet and a relationship to foods that includes an emotional attachment to eating them. We often have deep-seated and mostly unconscious feelings of giving ourselves a treat when we choose to eat many foods that we now know are far from optimal.

We can help the next generation by giving them a healthier start. But for the vast majority of us, we must begin by recognizing that we ourselves are food addicts — and not getting down on ourselves because of it! It simply is what it is, and now it is up to us to decide what to do about it.

Many people who learn about the incredible benefits of raw and living foods try to use willpower to overcome their food addictions. While this will work for a while, usually willpower alone doesn’t work in the long run. Instead, it’s best to take the opportunity to become aware of our beliefs and attitudes about food, educate ourselves, and be loving and gentle with ourselves as we evolve toward a healthier relationship with food.

I will give you an example. There have been times I have really felt like having a piece of traditional baked pizza. This is not terribly surprising considering the fact that I grew up in an Italian American family, that my dad makes an incredible pizza, and that he also taught me how to make one at a young age. Consequently I have had an emotional attachment to pizza. So how do I handle the hankering?

When I first feel the desire for a slice, I usually think back to when I was giving up smoking many years ago. The trick was not to ask myself “Do I want to smoke a cigarette?” but to ask “Do I want to live life as a smoker?” A single cigarette is not going to significantly harm me. However, living life as a smoker would seriously compromise my health, as well as having many other negative effects on my life. And life as a smoker always begins with the next cigarette.

So, with food addictions I try to do the same thing, changing “Do I want to eat a piece of pizza?” to “Do I want to live life as a pizza eater?” While asking the second question, I envision a very round version of me eating pizza (as I mentioned, my last name, Rotondi, means “the round ones” in Italian). I really don’t want to be round. I like being slim, light, and energized. So this thought often helps me get past the pizza hankering.

However, sometimes the hankering comes back — again and again. What to do? Use willpower to suppress my desire for pizza? If a desire for a specific food comes up repeatedly, I will go out and eat a small portion of that food. However, I will do it consciously. I will tune in to how my body feels before I eat the pizza and then focus on how the pizza smells, looks, and tastes. I will also be conscious of how I feel five minutes after I eat it, and thirty minutes, and an hour later. Usually what happens is that the first bite is okay but mildly unsatisfying. The second bite is really not a treat at all, and I realize that what I am eating tastes a bit like cardboard (keep in mind that when you eat a raw-food diet for any length of time, your taste buds change and cooked foods don’t taste the same anymore). Then after five minutes I feel a heaviness in my stomach. After half an hour, I feel lethargic and already wish I hadn’t eaten the pizza.

The point is that if we try to suppress all our cravings, in the end we get wound so tight that the spring may break and we might run out and eat three large pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese! It’s better to get out of judgment mode and work on evolving our relationship with food. The more we exercise our body consciousness and really listen to our bodies, the more we will replace old food habits, thought patterns, and addictions.

By the way, if you have any other addictions in your life, moving to a raw-food diet can often help in kicking them as well. Once we can control the food we put in our mouths, everything else becomes easier.

Rod Rotondi is the author of Raw Food for Real People. Rod Rotondi teaches about raw food through DVDs, retreats, and online and in-person classes. The founder of the Leaf Organics retail product line and Leaf Cuisine restaurants, he caters events and lives in Los Angeles. Visit him online at http://www.leaforganics.com.

Excerpted from the book Raw Food for Real People 2010 by Rod Rotondi. Printed with permission from New World Library.

Edible Wild Plants Book Review

I want to tell you about this great book from Gibbs Smith called "Edible Wild Plants" by John Kallas, Ph.D. Wild foods from dirt to plate.

This book is from the "Wild Food Adventure Series." John Kallas spent his youth in a suburban midwestern neighborhood fascinated with nature. He taught a senior-level class in edible wild plants at Michigan State University. That continued from 1978 through 1985. He has a Ph.D in nutrition, a masters in education, and degrees in biology and zoology. He trained as a botanist, nature photography, writer, researcher, and teacher. He has a website http://wildfoodadventures.com.

In part one "Understanding Wild Foods"

• identifying and enjoying wild foods
• what is edible
• when plant parts morph into food
• foraging tools.

Part two titled "The Plants"

Foundation Greens

• Wild spinach
• Chickweed
• Mallow
• Purslane

Tart Greens

• Curly dock,
• Sheep sorrel
• Wood sorrel

Pungent Greens

• Field mustard
• Wintercress
• Garlic mustard
• Shepherds purse

Bitter Greens

• Dandelion
• Cat's ear
• Sow thistle
• Nipplewort.

Part three titled "The Potential of Wild Foods"

• Why eat wild foods
• The nutrition of wild foods
• Oxalates and nitrates
• Agriotrophytology
• Crafting a wild paradise
• Feeding yourself and society

This book goes all though all the tools needed. It has maps of region for wild edibles in United States. Color photos of the wild edibles and recipe ideas. This book has 416 pages and a wealth of information.

I can't wait until this spring to start finding and harvesting wild edibles here in the northwest.

You can find it here at Gibbs Smith http://www.gibbs-smith.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=2907

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Raw Food Recipes for Beginners

In reviewing "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen" I just had to start trying recipes. One of the first recipes I tried was the baja cheese and I wasn't disappointed. Baja cheese is fast and easy and full of flavor. Right on the front cover is a comment from the Mad Cowboy, Howard Lyman who I've seen several times at health crusades and his testimony is amazing if you have not heard him do a search and listen to him.

In the introduction you will find helpful tips for your health, going to the market, shopping list, and how to use this book. You will also several recipes for smoothies and shakes like very blueberry smoothie, carob strawberry bliss smoothie and vanilla coconut shake and fuzzy navel, blue-green power shake and many more. There are several mylk recipes. Section 2 has cereals, puddings, pancake, syrups, butter and chicken friendly scrambles. Section 3 is full of salads with so many dressings. Section 4 soups and sauces to tickle your tongue along with savory sauces and dips. Section 5 accompaniments and sides such as black olive hummus (bean free), red pepper corn salsa and black sesame sunflower bread that is shown on the front cover sandwich that Ani is eating. Section 6 scrumptious cheezes and pates where you will find baja cheese, nacho cheeze, oregano ricotta, sun -dried tomato cheese. Section 7 is full of wraps and rolls, pastas, more main dishes that make you sing. Section 8 is the dessert section and you will find dessert soups, pies and cobblers, cakes, and icey kreams, sweet sauces. Section 9 is for your furry friends and she gives you Kango's favorite pate, dog treats and black sesame sunflower dog biscuits. If your looking for a easy to follow raw food cookbook with simple everyday ingredients this might be one you want to start with.

Another amazing cookbook from Da Capo Press.

Lasagna

Just put this lasagna together the other day. It's very rich so a nice piece on a bed of greens is amazing!

It's always a favorite!!

Ricotta
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 cup raw cashews
1 lemon juiced
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp water

Blend until smooth

Tomato Sauce
3 cups roma tomatoes, soaked
1 1/2 cups raisins

3 cloves garlic

1lemon juiced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Blend

Pesto
2 cup basil
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Blend
Toss together and let sit
3 medium zucchini
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
pinch of salt
Slice zucchini long ways and soak in marinate while preparing other sauces

Spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, diced small

Blend pasta sauce, nut cheese, pesto and continue to layer with zucchini, spinach leaves, and red bell pepper. Top how you want.

Your ready to eat your lasagna!!

Spinach Green Smoothie

How to make healthy smoothies

Green Smoothie Recipes are a great way to get many nutrients in each day!

We start our day with a green smoothie for the whole family. My 16 year old son asks me if he thinks I'm forgetting to make their smoothies. I know my family is getting their greens and my once non salad eater daughter loves her green smoothies. She has grown to like her salads but there was a time she didn't want to eat her salad and if you can't get your children to drink a green smoothie start with more fruit and blueberries disguise the greens. Then gradually add more greens until they don't question the green look. You want to work up 60% greens and 40% fruit. My children both get a spoon to scrape out every last drop!

I start with any of the following such as apples, pineapple, banana, orange, spinach, sprouts, dandelion greens, kale, chard, flax seeds, hemp seeds, frozen blueberries, and the list goes on. I add a combo of fruits, greens and seeds with enough water to blend into a nice green smoothie. Rotate the types of greens and fruits you use for a variety of nutrients. Green smoothies have significant amounts of protein, calcium, folate, dietary fiber, typtophan, potassium, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and trytophan. Green smoothies are loaded with chlorophyll rich, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytonutrients and live enzymes.

One huge reason my son likes green smoothies is it clears up his complexion within days of drinking them.

Green smoothies are a great way to get in our greens. Remember there is no cholesterol, saturated fat, hydrogenated oils, MSG, GMOs, added hormones, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, refined sugar, artificial colors, or preservatives.

Green smoothies are a healthy fast food!

Which Dehydrator?

I get the question a lot about which dehydrator do I think is the best and use. Number one for me is the fan in the back of the unit instead of being on the bottom. I have had 10 trays of tomatoes mold with a fan on the bottom of the unit. Usually with a fan motor on the bottom you are using a stackable unit. With a stackable and preparing raw food a stackable would work but it would limited your recipes you make. With the dehydrators that have your trays slide in and out of the unit you can omit every other tray and easily put in a 13 x 9 casserole or bowls of soup just anything you might want warmed up. The stainless steel shelves are strong enough to hold a 13 x 9 raw apple crisp that I just made for my last raw food class/potluck this month.

The D-5 from Home Food Processing is stainless steel so no cracking plastic and it's easy to clean up. I know that plastic has become a issues in the news for drinking out of plastic and seems dehydrating might raise some questions for some people. Made with no BPA's which is nice.

It's quiet.

The D-5 dehydrator has a timer that I love. I have found in using it that I am always up at night making something and I might not want it to dry that long so I can set the time to avoid over drying. Same thing if I won't be home during the day.

The D-5 unit has the 5 trays which still gives you a lot of room to make a whole batch of crackers and most recipes just fine.

Lets talk price:

The D-5 is a reasonable price compared to other dehydrators and to know that I won't have the plastic cracking. It's a investment worth a little more for the quality.

• 800 watt/110V heating Element
• 304 Series, 22 ga Stainless Steel construction- Food grade, Won't rust!
• Five 16 1/4" x 14 1/2" with 3/8" holes
• Outside Dimensions: 18 3/4" D x 16 1/2" W x 9" H
• Temperature Range 90˚ - 150˚ F
• Color coded temperature control

I wouldn't have a dehydrator that didn't have a temperature control because I want to make sure that the enzymes in my raw food are not destroyed.

Did I mention it dehydrates beautiful and this dehydrator is like a cadillac! If you have not seen Home Food Processing's website you can go here to see their dehydrators

http://www.home-food-processing.com/dehydrators.aspx

Trekking Poles

If you have never used trekking poles please give them a try. Trekking poles range from $20 to $250. There are many benefits that I noticed. The very first thing I noticed was that my arms really got a workout and it made it much easier on my IT-band going downhill. I developed a IT-band issue on my left knee going downhill always and trekking poles have given tremendous support to my knees going down hill. You will be amazed how much faster you can climb uphill with a little help from your arms.

You'll also notice you have more stability and balance getting around slippery logs, rocks and stream crossings. Some people ask one pole or two?? I prefer two. It just evens out your body and balance. Here you can see we were hiking in Glacier National Park. All I can say is what a difference and I don't leave home without my trekking poles!!

RAW Apple Crisp

If you have never tried a raw apple pie or crisp make it number one on your list. All I could think of when I thought of a raw apple pie was crunchy. This recipe I will make over and over. It's a keeper for sure!!

This apple crisp is amazing!!

Filling

5 fuji apples, slice into very thin pieces and toss with 3 tablespoons lemon juice

In a food processor blend:

1 apple

20 dates

8 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix into apples.

Topping

In a food processor blend:

1 cup pecans

20 dates

8 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

Arrange in a 13x9 casserole dish.

Place in dehydrator @ 110 for 4 hours or until warm.

Ani Phyo's Tomato Chili at 105degrees in OKC

Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials: Coconut Cake with Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce and Cashew Kream

Sergei's Diabetes

entertaining in the raw matthew kenney cookbook review

Great Raw Food Recipes in this raw food cookbook.
When Gibbs Smith sent this cookbook to review I was out of state and could not wait to get back home to get my hands on this book and review it. First Miha Matei did an amazing job on the photography in this book. I really love photos in a cookbook it really makes the recipes come alive. Almost every recipe has a photo of the finished dish. Beauitiful! One thing I notice in looking through this book is each and every recipe is broke down into sections which makes my creative side think of other ways to use maybe a sauce in the recipe on another recipe.

Some of the recipes include:

apricots with star anise syrup and crumble

beet ravioli with fava bean puree and green herb oil

plum carpaccio with vanilla agave syrup and ginger cream

raspberry parfait, vanilla bean cream, dark chocolate sauce, and coconut brittle

green tomato-"ricotta" tart with basil ice cream

black sesame and white coconut dumplings with creamy miso sauce

"paul smith" basil and young spinach-striped flan with white cardamom foam and lemon dust

jackson polluck raviolo with arugula pesto

green tea canneloni, banana lemongrass cream, almond "gelato," and goji lime sauce

gnocchi of broccoli rabe with ginger cream sauce, concord grape chutney, manchego paper, and dust of three leaves

frozen pumpkin flan, cinnamon foam, and mandarin candy

lipstick sweet pepper and basil wrappers with marinated greens, truffle cream, and marcona almond paste

white corn tamale, serrano-spiced portobello, raw cacao mole, and guacamole

bitter broccoli ravioli and pine nut "cheese" in chocolate wrappers with orange powder

and pinot noir sauce

chocolate chili tacos with marinated arugula, pear tomatoes, and pignoli "sour cream"

cinnamon graham cookie with marshmallow creme and dark chocolate fondue

oreo cookie with cream filling, vanilla bean "ice cream," and black cocoa syrup

yellow squash pasta, creamy saffron broth, and wild fennel

citrus tart, raspberry leaf-infused cherry sauce, and rosewater "ice cream"

heirloom tomato pave' and preserved lemon dressing with green olives and pine nuts

shiitake bisteeya with ginger-cilantro sauce, candied almonds, and wilted spinach

springs vegetable tagine with couscous, harissa, and cumin flatbread

ginger date flan with mint syrup, sesame brittle, and shaved green pear

apricot "yogurt" cake, sweet cream, pistachio tuiles, and anise syrup

summer squash pancakes with garlic flower "yogurt" sweet tomato jam, and crisp fennel

chili rellanos, monta-raw jack "cheese' and cacao mole

Just to name a few of the recipes you will find in this cookbook. I have not seen a recipe that I didn't want to try yet. I can't wait to get busy in the kitchen and try some of these!

Thank you Matthew Kenney for yet another great cookbook!

Cancer cells love high fructose corn syrup

Yet, another reminder to change our diet.

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently conducted a study revealing that cancer cells have a particular liking for refined fructose. In tests, pancreatic cancer cells quickly fed on refined fructose and used it to divide and proliferate rapidly within the body.

"These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation," explained Dr. Anthony Heaney of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, one of the authors of the study.

Published in the journal Cancer Research, the findings also reveal that not all sugars are the same, a widely held belief in mainstream medicine. Tumor cells love both glucose sugar and fructose sugar, but fructose directly causes cancer cells to reproduce and spread in a way thatglucose does not.

"Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different," wrote the team in the study paper.

So the study solidifies the fact that there is a major difference between high fructose corn syrup, a highly-refined sugarcommonly used in processed American foods and beverages, and refined sugarcane. Both can lead to health problems, but high fructose corn syrup is worse in terms of cancer growth.

"I think this paper has a lot of public health implications. Hopefully, at the federal level there will be some effort to step back on the amount of high fructose corn syrup in our diets," said Dr. Heaney in a statement.

It is already known that the pancreas has to work much harder to metabolize fructose than it does glucose and other sugars, so it makes sense that fructose consumption is implicated more seriously in contributing to pancreatic cancer growth.

Found this at:

http://www.NaturalNews.com/029374_cancer_high_fructose_corn_syrup.html

More Organic Garden Photos

The first three photos were taken in Thompson Falls, Montana while I was blueberry picking. This organic garden was huge and I love taking photos of gardens. The last two are of my organic garden.

Matthew Kenney Everyday Raw

When I received this raw book by Matthew Kenney to review from Gibbs Smith, I was a little excited to start reading this book and make some of the raw recipes.

This book has lots of color photos which is a huge plus when reading a cookbook. Matthew stress "simple" which is a question I hear quite a bit because it's a whole new way to prepare our food and we just are not used to it. I still cook vegan for my family and I have recipes that take forever and I have recipes that are very simple and quick. Me, being the only raw foodie in the house I have to keep things simple for myself. There are several easy smoothie and milk recipes, granolas, crackers, tortilla chips, flatbread, pancakes, soups, sauces, salads, pizzas, wraps, desserts. In the blended & squeezed chapter you will find several nut milks, smothies, a grapefruit cleanser.

The snack chapter has granola, candied nuts, macaroons, cookies.

The unbaked chapter has cumin flatbread, herb crackers, golden tortilla chips, za'atar flatbread and bar-b-que crisps.

On page 54, it's the start of another chapter titled starters and there are recipes like blueberry pancakes, eggplant bacon, tofu scrambler, sesame cashew dumplings, miso soup, savory crepes.

On page 70 starts another chapter, spreads, dips, & sauces! Just think chipotle mayo, red-chile-pineapple dipping sauce, sweet chili-lime sauce, macadamia hummus, salsa fresca, macadamia red pepper cheese, pineapple mango salsa, black olive pesto, red pepper hummus with lime, chili, sour cream. Then you move on to the salad chapter and it starts with blue green salad, spicy almond dressing, potato salad, creamy sesame dressing, thai salad, sweet miso dressing, blood orange dressing.

Then on to larger dishes chapter and in looking through all these great recipes like tomato, basil, and rocotta pizza, mango wraps, pasta primavera, rosemary-garlic mashed potatoes, pad thai, I can't want to start trying them. The second to the last chapter of course dessert and they all look so yummy. Just think vanilla creme, strawberry tart, agave caramel, pumpkin pie with anglaise, lemon macaroon cheesecake tartlet, key lime tartlets, vanilla mint flan, frozen goji berry souffle' and last you will find the ice cream section with several ice cream recipes and tips on ice cream. I have several raw recipes I just can't wait to try.

Easy Raw Green Smoothie

While in California last month visiting my mom and dad I had to adapt without my kitchen tools that I use daily. No high powered blender! My mom had a blender that even had the food processor attachment so that meant I could still have my green smoothie. It was not as pureed as I usually have them at home in Montana but it certainly still worked and green smoothies taste great!

I took a few leaves of kale, frozen blueberries and some fresh pineapple to make my favorite green smoothie ever!

I know not everyone can run out and get a Vitamix or Blendtec right away but don't worry just make them in any blender you have and I know you won't be disappointed!

Tribest: Glastor Airtight Glass Storage Containers

Tribest's 4 piece square set are airtight storage containers that are oven safe all but the larger one, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, freezer safe, and they stack nicely to store and save on shelf space. I just received these to review from Tribest.

Here are the approximate sizes:

112 oz (3.3L) 9 x 9 x 4 inches

64 oz (1.9L) 7 1/2 x 7/ 1/2 x3 1/2 inches

34 oz (1.0L) 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 inches

17 oz (0.5L) 5 x 5 x 2 1/4 inches

Love at first sight is all I can say. These days I'm trying to forget plastic and use more glass to store my food as much as possible. Yes, I'm try to be green as much as possible. You get the idea. More eco-friendly right! I love the idea that they nest inside each other to save room. Okay, did I mention that the lids are BPA free and snap on and they are made out of tempered glass made to hold up to everyday use. The lids really go on and snap off very easy. Just think if you have more than one set you can stack several of the same size on top of each other in your pantry and really save room and remember they are airtight so your dry goods shouldn't get stale and remember airtight means a lot! Most of all, think of how organized and neat your pantry or refrigerator will look. Plus, you'll be able to find things better because you can see right through the glass.

Now if you go to Tribest's website you can find these glass storage containers in sets of 4 in rectangular, square or round or you can buy single sizes to customize your kitchen with the sizes you need.

The square gift set's model number is GLS04SN and retails for $39.95 and you can call 888-254-7336 for more details and are available at www.tribestlife.com. Manufactured by Tribest--Making Healthy Living Easy.

Raw Food for Real People Book Review

Chef Rod Rotondi and founder of Leaf Organics sent me this great raw food cookbook to review. Rod lives in Los Angeles and teaches courses and holds retreats. This book gives you an introduction to organic food, a vegan diet, our relationship with food, and notes about the recipes. He covers the S.A.D. diet, getting natural and mind over matter. The big question we always get about protein! He talks about the pH Acid-Alkaline Balance, oxygen, water, antioxidants, fiber, electromagnetic energy, B12.

Chapter 4 covers transitioning towards a raw-food diet, dealing with food addictions, exercise, detoxing and fasting.

Chapter 5 Setting up your raw-food kitchen, basic equipment, stocking your pantry, helpful hints for preparing raw foods.

Chapter 6 Sprouting basics, a word about nuts

Chapter 7 Dehydration: crackers, croquettes, pizza, and bread

Chapter 8 Breakfast, smoothies, nut mylk

Chapter 9 Appetizers

Chapter 10 Making a salad a meal

Chapter 11 Soups

Chapter 12 Entrees

Chapter 13 Desserts

Chapter 14 Raw foods for real kids

I'm really excited about this book and can't wait to start trying recipes. I forgot to tell you it has 16 color pages which is wonderful. I love when they add color photos just gives you more of an idea of what a finished recipe is going to look like and presentation is a biggy!

Tonya Zavasta Book & DVD Review

Low Fat Raw Vegan Recipes

July 29th

Tonya Zavasta will be here in Kalispell, Montana giving a lecture on "Beautiful on the inside and out" that you don't want to miss. In reviewing her book and "Your right to be Beautiful" and her DVD titled "Make aging Optional: Miracle of Raw Foods", I am really excited to hear her speak in person.

Her DVD is 90 minutes long and she gives you information to improve your chances for optimum health, how to reach an ideal weight and have boundless energy, how to reverse the aging process and enjoy impressive youthfulness, eliminate eye bags and puffiness and add a glow to your face, and prepare green delicious smoothies to become youthful.

In her book her chapters contents are:

I Will Be Beautiful, or I Will Be Dead

Model's beauty: Inspiration or Desperation?

Take a Walk in Beaty's Shoes

Beaty Test for Goodness and Truth

Beaty Is God's Handwriting

Beauty Pleads Not Guilty

Beauty's Dilemma

Health Is Internal Beauty

Meet Beauty without Meat

Nature Always Right, Cooks Never

Will White Mustaches Make you Beautiful?

Beauty in a Sweet Prison

The Salt of Beauty

Divine Food for Divine Beauty

Body Knows Best

Beauty Assailants

Does a Lifelong Beauty Need Daily Bread?

Worshipping the Wrong God

Take the Experts at Face Value

The Death of Beauty Lies in Every Pill

Squeeze the Beauty Out

For Beauty To Last Forever!

The Mermaid's Beauty secret

You Have the Right to be beautiful-Exercise It!

Long Live Beauty!

When the White Crow Is Beautiful

Recipes For The Most Beautiful You

Daily aid in Your Beauty Crusade

The Hallmark of Beauty Is Style

Healed By Beauty

Beautiful Organic Garden

When I see beautiful gardens, I just have to snap photos if I have my camera with me. This garden is amazing! Love it. Good snap pea idea there!

Great idea for the potatoes.

Raw Food Sesame Buckwheat Raw Cracker

Raw Food dehydrator recipes are my favorite. Just made this easy raw food recipe for  buckwheat crackers with a hint of cumin. I make these a lot. Very yummy!
5 cups buckwheat sprouts
2 cups pine nuts or sunflower
1 cup flaxseed meal
2 t salt
2 tsp cumin
2 Tb honey
2 limes
2 big pinches cayenne
3/4 t garlic or 2-3 garlic cloves minced
2 tb olive oil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tb sesame seed (opt)

Juice
1 stalk celery
5-7 small carrots
use pulp and all

Process buckwheat in food processor and pour into bowl. This will take a few times of processing. Then process your nuts. You could use your blender for this and blend nuts with carrot juice. In a dry blender or coffee grinder you need to process your flax seeds. Mix everything together except your sesame seeds for your topping and spread on parchment paper and process probably 24 hours until desired dryness. I like mine dry but my friend makes hers not so dry so it just depends how you like them. Don't forget to score with pizza cutter after about 8 hours.
 

Raw Onion Crackers

I adapted these crackers from Abeba's Onion Rings recipe that I found online at livingmom.net and on rawfamily.
I really like these crackers because they don't have a lot of nuts. That means I consider them a lower fat cracker depending on how much flax seeds you put in! Yipee!! I have to watch my nut and avocado intake as my body wants to keep them all and store them for a cold day. This recipe would be good as a wrap with some of Ani Phyo's Baja Cheese and greens all wrapped up into on of these tasty treats. Oh, my next time I make these crackers I will save some for wraps.

1 1⁄2cups Water
2 Carrots
1-2 dates
2 tsp Pizza Seasoning
2 tsp celtic salt
1 Celery Stalk
2 Tomatoes
1⁄2 cup Sundried Tomatoes
dash Cayenne Pepper
to taste Nama Shoyu or Celtic Sea Salt
1 -2 cups Flax Seeds (ground into meal)
8-10 Medium White Onions

Blend all ingredients except flax seeds and onions. Check the taste and add salt . Add flax seed meal to your large bowl.
Process the onions coarsely in food processor. Spread about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick. Dehydrate for 10-12 hours at 105 degrees. Flip onion crackers and score whenever you can.
Yields a full 9 trays.
 

Garden Goods and Wild Edibles for Breakfast

Went out this morning to pick strawberries for breakfast. My strawberries are just beautiful and yummy. Love having a garden and in the garden are some wild edibles like lamb quarters. So I picked some for the morning fruit bowl. My husband and daughter gobbled it up. I did a post a while back on Lamb Quarters and here it is
http://veganrawfood.blogspot.com/2010/06/edible-plant-lambs-quarters.html