Raw Spicy Red Pepper Cashew Hummus

Tonight I made a tasty raw cashew hummus.  I wanted to share this quick and easy recipe.  All the ingredients are photographed (with the exception of a bit of jalepeno pepper).  I don't measure anything I just go by taste and texture; that's the fun about being raw.  Enjoy.

For those who need directions  ;o)

About one cup of raw cashews (either pieces or whole) soaked for 2  hours.
1 tsp of Shoyu
1 TBSP olive oil
2 pinches of salt
1 pinch of red pepper
A bit of jalapeno pepper
1/2 glove of garlic
A bit of onion
A a bit of red pepper

* I was going to use a bit of agave but didn't.  Also go easy on the raw onion and garlic as in large amounts it is very strong.  Also do not over soak cashews, as they may become too mushy and bitter.

Let me know what you all think!

Today

Is a another day to try again.

It's Grape Sesaon: Scuppernong and Muscadine Grapes

It is scuppernong  and muscadine season!  Those lovely large purple and bronze (scuppernong) grapes are here.  I remember my first taste of the grapes in early September when I visited my family living on the coast of Georgia.   My cousin George Ann drove my mom and me to the grape patch.   There I was toting my basket and rocking my church lady sombrero style hat with the little veil.  Please forgive me, I was 11 years old and you couldn’t tell me that I wasn't looking good!  

We picked grapes for about an hour each of us toting over five pounds.  I couldn’t wait get them back to the house and wash them off. I popped the first one in my mouth bursting open the skin, eating the sweet mild tasting pulp, and spitting out the skin and seeds.  The seeds are extremely bitter and the skin is tough (you can eat the skin), however it was good delicious wonderful fun.  One can imagine my excitement today when I went to Shoppers and saw them in stock.   $5.00 a quart is steep and nothing beats like picking your own, but it is so worth it.   

Health Benefits:

High fiber

Naturally high in polyphenols which are anti-fungals

Cancer fighting properties

Men please eat these grapes:  Studies have shown they reduce prostate cancer

Reduce colon cancer

Reduce heart disease

Increased weight loss

And so much

Raw Food Combination Chart

Wow I finally found one.  Great chart for those who are or aren't raw foodist. Link is from Sensational Raw Food Diet website. 

 http://www.sensationalrawfooddiet.com/food-combining-chart.html

Bless Your Food!

I bless the most high for my mom who brought me massive amounts of groceries:

Watermelons
Cantelope
Tomatoes
Squash
Baby Eggplant
Organges
Apples
Peaches
Brocoli
Blueberries
Aloe Vera Juice (great for blood sugar and lubercated the joints)

She just brought me a lot of stuff okay.  The list is vast.  I'm still struggling financially, yet I prayed for abudandance and I was blessed with a lot of food :o)

But I wanted to touch bases real quick on organic produce and food in general.  I'm not going to get into the debate, but the reality.  I can't always afford organic foods so here's a tip.  PRAY.  When I go shopping I make sure that I pray and my energy is in a positive place.  Before I go into the store I say a blessing over my hands (palm side up) and welcome healing energy to bless my hands. 

I do this because the food has been touched by everyone.  I don't put every piece of fruit I touch in my basket. I feel it's energy and if it's good I put it in my basket, if not I put it back.  When I get home with my groceries before putting them away I burn sage throughout the house and in the kitchen.  I wash my fruit while saying a blessing and being thankful. 

Avocado Boats

Lovely Green Boats!

Fresh homemade guacamole on romaine lettuce. YUM.

1 avocado
2 tablespoon lime (or as much as you like or don't like)
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
A bit of chopped parsley
Red pepper, Himalayan sea salt, and organic garlic powder to taste

Mush together. I don't mush too much.  I like a few chunks of avocado in my guacamole for texture.
Spread on romaine lettuce, wrap in a collard leaf, or add a few drops of coconut water to thin out and use as a dressing on fresh organic green salad. You can slice up a squash or zucchini for "chips" and dip in too. Just have fun!

Sunday summer sweetness

Today is sweet Sunday and  instead of running the store for a slurpee, soda, or juice high in chemicals and unnatural sugars I broke out the juicer and got busy.

1- pear
1- lg orange or two small ones (leave a bit of the rind on to get the orange oils this does add a slight kick in orange flavor, but it's optional)
2 - handful of red seedless grapes

1 - peach

1/2 - cup of coconut water (vitacoco water with pineapple)

1/2 - cup of filter watered (this is optional if the juice is too sweet and to decrease the ph and acid)

And JUICE!!

Result a nice glass of Sunday summer sweetness and healthy.

Food and Mood

Last year I was diagnosed with mood adjustment disorder and depression.  I was an emotional eater and relied on food for comfort and companionship.  However, these foods were affecting me and causing chemical emotional imbalance.  I couldn’t concentrate and was constantly irritable and suffered from extreme crying episodes.  During that period I was prescribed medication which basically turned me into a zombie, some days I slept on average 12 to 14 hours.  After doing some research and dealing with my problems I realized how certain foods have an adverse effect on mood. 

On diet primarily of meats I was aggressive and downright angry, frustrated, scared, and just pissy at times; constantly on attack mode.  My menstrual cycles were extremely heavy, and I suffered terribly with premenstrual syndrome.   It wasn’t until I decreased my intake of a standard American diet and embraced a more live food way of living my mood has settled, menstrual cycles and PMS are beginning to shift.  Although, my cycles are still at 7 days the amount of blood flow is lighter and the symptoms are lessening. 

I came across this article on mood posted on Raw Food Ideas’ website. 

Pool Fun and Watermelon Juice

A great time was had in the pool today.  I spent about 2 hours in the deep end doing laps, jump ups, flips, and splashing around.  This is a great way for me to get a full-body workout without feeling like a workout.  It was just an awesome time to be playful and free. Hopefully I can hit the ocean soon.  After pool time and a quick shower it was time to hit the kitchen and JUICE! I needed to refresh, rehydrate, and repair. So the juice of choice was watermelon. 

Watermelon Juice

In the blender – you can do as much or as little if you choose

½ cup of coconut water – great rehydration

2 cups of water melon

Juicer –

Juice about 6 to 8 pieces of watermelon rind this resulted in about 2 cups

Mix the two juices together add a splash of lemon or lime (optional).

Enjoy and repair

Check out the link below from Fruit Juice blog on the health benefits of watermelon juice.

Namaste

Raw Food: combining and not combining

Greetings.

Today I was about 80% raw and my stomach is going through the motions.  I have plenty of gas and I feel like a good movement would greatly help.  So while on my qwest for greater help I search raw food combining and came across this website.  If there is anyone else out there going through the gassy stomach, hopefully this well help.


Raw Food Health - Food Combining

Raw Juice Blunder: Glass of green fire

Greetings and blessings. 

Okay I'm feeling much better and the pulled hamstring is really repairing itself very quickly.  I would have blogged more on Sunday but the pain was annoying and distracting. Yet I just want to share this funny funny real quick. Last Saturday I attempted to green juice.  I've green juiced before but it was the first time with cilantro. I tossed in a couple of green apples, celery, parsley, cucumber, and a whole entire bunch of CILANTRO.  The result was a beautiful  full-bodied glass of green love.

When I smelled it I knew it wasn't right.  Instant nose and eye burning. So I took a huge swallow and damn near set myself on fire.  It resulted in me throwing out the juice (big mistake).  Cilantro is naturally spicy and holds heat; and putting too much in messed up the juice for me.  It would have probably been awesome as a shot to remove mucus with more cooling vegetables.  Oh well. I will try it again. Just wanted to share my raw juice blunder.

Chakra Garden of Jewels by Julie Lusk

I was online looking for yoga quotes and mantras and I came across one on Wholesome Resources by Julie Lusk. I thought this was beautiful as it spoke to my spirit.  I will be writing my own mantras soon, but this I wanted to share.

Chakra Garden of Jewels ~ Julie Lusk with inspiration from Kabir

Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels.
Don’t even bother with that excursion, my friend.
There are jewels inside yourself.
Precious, profound and ready to be discovered.
These jewels are just like flowers.
Some are taking root.  They are in the process of being fertilized and getting ready to sprout.
Others are growing and budding , preparing to flower.
There are also beautiful blooms inside, brimming with fragrance and lively vitality.
Others are in stages of decline, getting ready to retreat, recycle themselves,
and naturally cycle back to the beginning.
Like a bouquet of flowers, there are jewels within you.
There is a sparkling ruby red jewel and it’s so stabilizing and protective.
There is an orange carnelian jewel too.  It lights up your senses, creativity and ability to feel.
There is a beautiful amber jewel, radiating confidence, inner strength and courage.
There is an emerald jewel too.  The glowing emerald green jewel is loving, forgiving and kind.
There is a bright sapphire blue jewel shining with truth and sparks your creativity.
There is an amethyst glowing inside that awakens your intuition and shows you the big picture.
There is a crystal clear diamond, shining with spirit, connecting the Holy Ones with you.
Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels.
Don’t bother with that excursion, my friend.
There are jewels inside yourself,
waiting to be discovered, polished and ready to beam beautifully.

Raw vs. Processed Raw

I may lose folk on this one however; I have to speak my TRUTH.  Over the past couple of years I’ve been researching raw living.  I joined a couple of web-groups looking for knowledge.  My intent on understanding raw living/eating had nothing to do with losing weight or being hip.  I wanted the benefits of a clear mind, an open heart, and be a vessel of healing.  Weight loss and aesthetics were the furthest from my mind.  Over time I became discouraged because a lot the websites that had recipes seemed difficult:  dehydrate this for four days, sprout beans for three days, blend this, and process that. And I was like whoa, this is crazy. So instantly I became turned off.  I was like, “no I’m good.”

Again the research picked back up and I started watching YouTube videos on raw living and I came across Dan McDonald.  So I’ve been searching and watching his videos because I knew in my spirit there would be a video that would touch me.   I found it (Dan's video). This video resonated with me deeply because being raw for me isn’t about eating foods that mimic cooked recipes.  I desire to be to connect on a higher plane of self-consciousness and healing.  I don’t desire to be a raw processed eater.  I want the essence of my food. And I look at a lot these recipes and all of this metal technology involved in a dish such as a raw cheese cake and I say, wow. It's no different than opening a can of vegetables and dumping it on my plate; and that’s not the path I want to go. 

Spiritual connectivity for me is about things simple.  The simplicity or the organic feel of my temple being holistically healed without this overly mechanical process of being raw just to satisfy having “spaghetti and meatballs” or “chocolate cake”.  There’s something connecting about holding your food in its original state. Just give me a watermelon or mango in its organic form and I’m happy.  By no means am I knocking anyone on their journey, but I want to get back to the basics, get back to the spirit. Thank you Dan for that video, you hit it right on the head.

Living Off The Grid

This is an awesome video presented by veggie vibes on Youtube featuring a lovely woman Amy.  She lives off the grid in Costa Rica.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rI-r5eD-ag

ps I read that the passing of Senate bill 978  makes it illegal to embed YouTube videos. Sorry one day I'll post my own.

Asian and Farmers Market

photo courtesy of Low Impact Living



Since I'm on a TIGHT budget, I often frequent my local farmers market and Asian Market. I really enjoy supporting both actually.  Of course the benefits of getting fresh and affordable vegetables which haven't been tainted with pesticides in wonderful. My diet is transition so the abundance of affordable produce is very important.  The Asian market I go to is great because of the variety of vegetables and fruits from around the world that you wouldn't be able to purchase in standard markets; not even Whole Foods. Fruits such logans, lychee, dragon fruit, cactus, fresh stalks of aloe, pepper of all sorts. It's AMAZING. I suggest anyone regardless of diet type to visit an Asian market and support your local farmers market.

Earthlings Documentary

I watched this a few weeks ago.  Anyone who is thinking of transitioning from a meat to a plant based diet may not have any issues transitioning after watching this documentary. However, it's deeper than that. It's about how we are all connected - human and animal, we are no different. Both species hurts; feel pain; fear; sadness; angerr; and frustration. 

Many of us get our jollies of watching these animals perform. Animals that are beaten into submission out of fear of not wanting to make a mistake.   Many of us wear their skin and fur for fashion, however we turn the eye to how that fur and skin became a coat or purse. We'll do anything for that Coach purse. 

I won't get on my soapbox to much.  The documentary speaks for itself.

Raw Cabbage Wraps

That's right raw!  This is a quick and fun easy recipe.  I sliced up some asparagus, red bell pepper, and green onion.  I made a marinade of with raw apple cider vinegar, two crushed garlic gloves, and enough honey to tone down the vinegar. 

This recipe is to taste and whatever veggies you have will work fine.  Toss the veggies in the marinade and let them sit for a few minutes. The longer the better, it's sort of like a pickling method.  I used the outer most leaves of the cabbage because they are tender. 

If you want them a bit softer just boil some water and once the water is boiling rapidly dip them in and take them out after about 15 to 20 seconds.  This will help the leaves roll easier yet remain crunchy.  Add the veggies, roll up the wraps, and enjoy!