Yiayia, me, Shannon.

Often, I reminisce the good ol’ days of my kitchen being under my sole control.  As a single mom, I was always so grateful my daughter was an impressionable, agreeable little tot when it came to meals.  Before I even embarked on all of this dietary experimentation years back, I was always pretty conscious of food and kept a relatively healthy pantry.

Fast-forward to August 2006.  I got married and gained an instant household of five - my husband, George; stepdaughter, Shannon (now 19); stepson, Shane (now 22); and my daughter, Ciarra (now 14).  And as of a year ago, the addition of my 83 year-old mother-in-law who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease (Evangeline a/k/a Yiayia - Greek for “grandma”).  Now enter all the different tastes, appetites, requirements, and habits and the kitchen I once kept is now more like the wild wild west.

Do you feel like the lone ranger in your household when it comes to your dietary interests?  This doesn’t have to pertain strictly to a raw food diet, it could be a matter of just cutting back on red meat and increasing whole foods, fruits, and vegetables.  To whatever the degree, your desire is that you and your family eat better, more consciously, more healthfully.  And for this, you deserve a big pat on the back!  Because this isn’t always easy, especially if you’re struggling with familial support.

Although I’m fortunate that my family is very supportive to my raw and natural food ways, it doesn’t mean they want to always eat like me.  So herein comes the challenge.  I feel it’s ultimately my duty as a wife and mother to be an example, to educate, and achieve the fine balance of uniting us all, along with our individual relationships with food.

Here are some suggestions, in no particular order, from my personal experience over these past few years of newlywed-dom, on preparing meals for a family of six while keeping with my own journey.

1.  Be consistent. If you have children, then you know that consistency in everything you do as a parent is key.  The same applies with expressing your dietary self.  In other words, as resistant as your husband may be to trying that green juice you just made, or as weird as your mother might think you are for cracking open coconuts and drinking the water, the more you do it will greatly increase acceptance.  Yes, you may have to shake off some weird faces or churlish remarks.  But with consistency, your choices will ultimately arouse curiosity.  And from curiosity, questions can be asked and answered, and eventually a level of comfort can be established.  Ciarra cringed over the sight of me making green juice for two years until a couple of months ago when she began requesting that I make her one too.

2.  But be an example, not preachy or forceful. Food is a very personal element to each of us, and everyone has a unique relationship with food (as my friend Earthmother wrote about brilliantly in a recent blog post).  Therefore, in addition to being consistent, it’s important to not to impose too strongly onto others, or make dramatic changes overnight with the meals your family is used to.  With your enthusiasm about your new found diet and knowledge, it’s easy to want to stand up on a soapbox to your loved ones and do an extreme kitchen makeover with all good intentions. You’re lucky if you’re met with open arms, but more commonly it’s the squint eye.  Teach by just doing your thing.  Let them open the door and ask the questions.

3.  Come together for home meals as much as possible. Now with work and school and our modern hectic schedules, this can be challenging in itself!  And if you’re the one preparing meals and have a full time job, the last thing you may want to do is come home and cook.  But there’s another component to rather than just eating.  Food brings us together, and for many families this is the only time of day where everyone can unite, bond, and share what is going on in our lives.  Take advantage of it, no matter if you are struggling with time, or better options to bring to the table.  The idea is the practice, the routine, the regularity.  It does take some planning.  But with practice, you’ll get better with planning.  Maybe initially you can only manage once or twice a week.  I keep a notebook, and usually take time each weekend to plan meals and a grocery list for the following week.  My family absolutely loves it when I make dinner, not for just the food itself, but for the experience of a home-cooked meal at our own dinner table.  This is invaluable.

4.  Always prepare food with love. This is a fundamental rule in preparing any kind of meal for yourself or anyone!  It’s a vital ingredient that makes all the difference.  Putting your loving consciousness, time, and energy into food has a magical effect on those who will enjoy it.  It may not even be their favorite thing.  But love tastes better than any herb or spice you can buy.

5.  Appeal to all the senses. I always say that the culinary arts is really the perfect alchemy.  It is an art form and sensory experience that involves all five physical senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound - yes, sound (think crunchy).  When you use love, creativity, and consciousness to execute each of these sensory experiences in the food you make, it will straight away be many times more appealing.  For example, something as simple as a chopped green parsley garnish sprinkled all over makes the sight of a dish more alive.

6.  Combine raw and natural foods with cooked food. Not only does this balance make for a more healthy, wholesome meal, it enhances digestibility, and even looks more visually appealing.  A typical dinner at the Kalivretenos house may go something like this:  spinach linguine puttanesca with a fennel, arugula, and orange salad; grilled rosemary and garlic seiten skewers, vegetable orzo, and a greek salad; semi-raw tacos with all the fixins (semi-raw, because everyone loves my walnut-cremini filling, but prefer store-bought taco shells instead of raw corn tortillas).

7.  Focus on what works. During the rest of the day before dinner, I can eat anything I want.  I can focus on all my “weird” raw food concoctions.  But everyone is not down for raw zucchini pasta for dinner.  However, when it comes to raw desserts, they quickly become scarce soon after I make them.  And with all the sweet-teeth living in this house, it’s a blessing!  When you’re taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you may not have the same person from one day to the next.  Yiayia can be very fickle with food, and would much prefer to eat junk above all else, but her very favorite thing lately is when I make her raw chocolate pudding.  Of course, she doesn’t realize it’s actually good for her.  And to points 3, 4, and 5 - she does a lot better with meals and actually eats more when I make dinner.

I would love to hear your suggestions or tips.  How do you manage eating raw, or otherwise, with your family’s different diet personalities?

<3, JMK

Filed under: Foodie Talk, Health Matters |

raw vegan, gluten-free

Now this is what it’s all about.

Yesterday my husband surprised me with finds from a local produce market - incredible cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes from Waterkist Farms in Winter Park, FL, and big red onions from South Florida (just a hop, skip, and a jump away).

Bring me flowers?  Nah.  Chocolates?  Please…(well, maybe).  Surprise me with a big sack of off-the-vine fresh, I mean, really fresh produce?  He’s getting lucky tonight.

These were the perfect items to feed my obsession of adding paper-thin slices of lemon and red onion to pretty much everything.  Going through lemons like mad are a good thing, because the raccoons don’t bother with the ones that drop from our tree.  Someone’s gotta eat them!

The lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil is actually from Positano, Italy, but I brought that back myself.  What is it about lemons that are just sheer magic to whatever they touch?

The tomatoes are so sweet and juicy that their delicate acids mixed with the lemon oil is amazing.  After I sprinkled on salt and pepper, I could have very well stopped at that.  But why?

There were some soaked almonds sitting in the fridge that needed attention.  So I blended them up and made a very light sort of cream that turned out much like yogurt (adding a dash of lemon, of course).  I seasoned it with just oregano, sea salt, pepper, and a tad of garlic paste, tossed in the cukes for a light dousing, then laced them with dill from my herb garden.

The fresh dressed cucumbers were scattered on top of the tomato slices and, finally, mandoline-sliced pieces of lemon and onion crescents.

Simplicity.  This is the joy of fresh, local fruits and vegetables.  They speak for themselves.  They’re the stars of the show.

This salad really made my day.  Could you tell?

<3, JMK

Filed under: Gluten-Free, Mediterranean, Raw Vegan, Recipes, Salads |

raw vegan, gluten free

There’s no precise recipe for this dessert since it was something I kind of winged.  But winging ingredients usually makes for the best outcomes.

Actually, the experiment did begin intentionally.  Lately I’ve been playing with a lot of agar agar and Irish moss for an article in an upcoming issue of Purely Delicious magazine.  These are two very versatile sea vegetables that anyone preparing natural and raw foods should get to know.

I know, I know…sea vegetables in dessert?  Absolutely.  Agar agar and Irish moss are flavorless with virtually no smell which makes them ideal for sweet or savory dishes.  They brilliantly replace conventional emulsifiers, thickeners, and gelatins that contain animal by-products or chemical additives.  Agar agar is great for making jellies (or in this case, gelée), and Irish moss adds volume and super creamy lusciousness to puddings and sweets.

To prepare Irish moss, add one cup to 4 cups purified water in a large container and soak in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.  Change the water and rinse at least once a day.  Then blend moss with its water to make a purée.  Strain out any remaining particles with a seive. This will keep in an an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks to use as needed.

To use agar agar as a gelatin, dissolve 1 tablespoon in 1 cup hot water (or increase measures as needed).  Wait for the liquid to cool before adding to recipe.

For the parfaits, I blended fresh young coconut, fresh pineapple, some puréed Irish moss, agave, coconut oil, a scraped vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt all together until very smooth.

For the raspberry gelée, I blended fresh raspberries, agar agar liquid, agave, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.  Allow this to set and chill, preferably overnight.  Pulse it through a Vita-mix or blender to loosen it before layering into parfaits.  Any remaining gelée can be put into freezer for a delicious raspberry sorbet.

<3, JMK

P.S.  This is really good for breakfast, too.

Filed under: Desserts & Sweets, Fruit, Gluten-Free, Methods, Recipes |

A simple, semi-raw vegan dish perfect for raw food transitioning or satisfying carbo-cooked cravings.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re new to a raw food lifestyle is that it’s not about perfection.  It’s very easy to become overwhelmed or even overzealous, and inadvertently create a recipe for failure and disappointment.

We’re only human.  I don’t know of a single person who began life with a perfectly pure diet.  Most of us grew up to a realization or health crisis, and then to an awareness providing the desire to take control of our health and make real changes for life.  Once the decision is made to clean things up, the transformation simply doesn’t happen overnight.  There’s generally a lot of years’ worth of programming (and junk in the trunk) that we have to revisit, release, revise, and re-educate.  It’s a process built upon only by continual learning, patience, commitment, and small steps.

Acknowledging, not denying, inevitable cravings for our favorite cooked foods is a healthy practice that isn’t going to compromise all the beneficial changes you’ve been making.  There are ways of working with cravings rather than treating them like the enemy, which will only ultimately allow them to bite you harder.  An “all or nothing” approach to your raw food diet, believing you’ve ruined everything by giving in to a craving, just doesn’t need be the case.  The key is recognizing cravings as they occur, and process them consciously and with creativity instead of reacting impulsively.  Don’t fear the cravings.

Personally, I crave pasta and noodles of all kinds.  Linguini, ravioli, lo mein, soba - from the Italian classics to exotic asian varieties, I love them all!  My cravings for a noodle dish tend to emerge in the evenings, after a bout with tummy troubles, or after a hard work-out when my body’s demand for carbs skyrockets.

Udon noodles with spinach, shitakes, and sweet sake broth is one of my favorite and easiest semi-raw meals.  This method can really be applied to any type of noodle or pasta and combining it with any of your preferred veggies.  The general idea is that the pasta is the only cooked component while the rest of the ingredients stay raw.  Visual appeal and layering flavors is also very important (the warm noodles activate flavors of aromatics like ginger and garlic, and the small bit of warm water completes the sweet sake broth). The end result?  It’s a win-win in satisfying the craving with a modest portion of the culprit, yet keeping with living foods as main ingredients.

Noodles and veggies:

2 to 3 oz organic udon noodles (such as Hakubuku)
baby spinach
shitake mushroom caps, very thinly sliced
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
small bunch sunflower sprouts
knob of ginger root
1 garlic clove
a piece of dulse, cut into strips
black and white sesame seeds

Sweet sake mixture:

1 tbs. hemp seed oil
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 tbs. dry sake
1 tsp. agave

Cook udon noodles according to package instructions.  They’re typically more delicate than other pastas and take only 4 minutes to cook.  Remember to liberally salt the water!

Meanwhile as udon are boiling, place desired amount of baby spinach in a large bowl.  Add shitakes, then with a microplane, grate in desired amount of garlic and ginger.  When udon is ready, ladle the noodles directly into the bowl.  Allow some water to accompany noodles as they come out of the pot, do not thoroughly drain.  Evenly cover spinach and other ingredients.  Allow to sit 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle over spring onions, dulse, and sunflower sprouts.  Whisk together sweet sake mixture and pour over top.  Toss, and garnish with sesame seeds.

<3, JMK

Filed under: Japanese, Methods, Pasta, Raw Vegan, Recipes, Sea Vegetables |

During a recent Whole Foods shopping trip, I as usual made a slight right from the supplements section to head down the ethnic foods isle when a sight before me stopped me in my tracks.  Next to the English mushy peas and HP sauces was an unfamiliar multi-tiered shelving unit stocked with a brightly colored product array.  My eyeballs were immediately captivated by the predominant words waving to me on the packaging… “GO RAW”.

I parked my basket out of the way of blocking traffic.  It was immediately apparent I’d spend a fair amount of time investigating this generous selection of living cookies, cereals, flax “snax”, sprouted nuts, bars, and chocolates.  Eventually I was able to roll my tongue up back into my mouth, and make off with the Real Live Flax Bar, Spirulina Super Chips, and Chocolate Super Cookies.

The Go Raw product line

Freeland Foods is the parent company behind Go Raw.  It was founded by Robert and Brana Freeland, inspired by their children Ben and Leah.  Robert and Brana didn’t just want something better for their children than the common sugar and wheat laden packaged snacks with cartoon characters adorning the boxes.  They want to revolutionize the food industry by offering real packaged food and create awareness not just for everyone, but encourage parents to make better choices for kids that does not include the all too common processed, industrialized varieties.

As you may have noticed from the photo above, all of the ingredients are proudly displayed on the front of the package in a font size that doesn’t require a loop to read.  Nor do they contain ingredients that you couldn’t eat one by one.  The entire production line and facility is 100% raw, 100% vegan, 100% certified organic, 100% certified wheat and gluten free, and 100% nut free.

But besides getting to have your snacks and having them chocked full of nutrition, this all wouldn’t be quite as exciting if they weren’t absolutely delicious!  Since the time of my initial purchases, I’ve returned to Whole Foods and replenished with “Pizza” Flax Snax, “Spicy” Flax Snax, Apple Cinnamon “Granola”, and the Spirulina Energy Bar.

Unlike empty calorie junk food, such as a bag of potato chips that will just induce more cravings later on, raw food requires less to fill you up and keeps you full longer.  You’ll be satisfied and energized because you treated yourself well with whole, nutrient-dense food. If you’re new to raw food or limited with time in preparing your own raw snacks, then these Go Raw snacks are a perfect choice.  Eat them on the go or keep them in your desk at work for those late-afternoon munchies.  Look for them at your local Whole Foods Market, or visit their store locator to find your nearest retailer.  You can also order direct from goraw.com .

<3, JMK

Filed under: Products |

raw vegan, gluten-free*

I don’t think I’ve met a single person who isn’t impressed with the exotic flavors of Thai cuisine.  And what’s one of the easiest, most healthful ways to bring many of its flavor components together in a single bowl?  A big, green, crisp, refreshing salad!

If you’re really hungry, this recipe will make more than enough…and just enough for two.  You may possibly end up eating the dressing with a spoon, or adding more and more to the salad.  The bonus?  You can have your creamy dressing, eat as much as you want, AND know you’re getting loads of benefits like calcium, iron, riboflavin, manganese, magnesium, and vitamin E.  And that’s just for starters.

For the coconut-almond curry dressing:
1/2 cup soaked almonds
1/2 cup fresh young coconut meat
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp agave
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp nama shoyu*
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp omeboshi plum vinegar
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chopped lemongrass
1/2 tsp seeded and minced Thai or serrano chili (or to your heat preference)
1 kaffir lime leaf

* For gluten-free preparation, omit nama shoyu and replace with sea salt.

In a Vita-Mix or food processor, first combine the almonds, coconut, and water until well blended. Add remainder of the ingredients and blend well until very creamy. Adjust any seasonings if needed.

For the big green crunchy salad:

3 cups shredded napa cabbage
3 cups loosely packed arugula
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 cup julienned snow peas
1/2 cup thinly sliced and quartered English cucumber
1 finely sliced spring onion
handful chopped cilantro
2 tbs chopped Thai basil (other varieties will work too)
1 tbs chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds (previously soaked)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, reserving the almonds.  Pour over desired amount of dressing and toss well.  Top the salad with chopped almonds and serve.

<3, JMK

Filed under: Gluten-Free, Raw Vegan, Recipes, Salads, Thai, Vegetables |

After being putridly ill for the last 2 days, I now feel squeaky clean!

Usually my blog is all about the beauty of raw foods and the more pleasant side well-being.  The recipes, the restaurants, the community, I like to keep all my content on the positive.  Periodically though, I bring up the little buggar that is Crohn’s disease.  It lives in side of me and I sometimes talk about having it.  But I also don’t want to empower it too much by thinking IT has ME.

Funny thing is that this post may not even have much to do with Crohn’s.  All I know is that around 5:00 am Monday morning, I sprung up in horrible abdominal pain.  And shortly thereafter, I was sprinting for the toilet.  Make that about four hours of relaying between bed and toilet every 20 or so minutes, while simultaneously gaining chills that turned into a fever running between 102 to 103.  My back, especially my lower back, and on down throughout my legs and knee joints hurt so much I didn’t want to get up to go to the toilet.  And once I got there it hurt so much I could hardly sit on it.

Now besides the obvious frustration of being sick, I was actually pretty pissed off.  I have been 100% raw for two weeks straight and was feeling pretty damn good about it.  I’ve felt great, my energy has been great…now this?  What gives?  Is it food poisoning?  Is it a major Crohn’s flare?  (When I was first diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2003, my symptoms were very similar which ultimately landed me in the ER.)

Reluctantly, I sipped on coconut water once I was able to keep the latch down.  The more I drank, the more accepting my body became.  But eating anything at any time Monday, day or night, was out of the question.

Finally into the early hours of Tuesday morning, I shook off my fever.  But I had some other nice surprises: weird blister-like spots on the back of my throat, tiny red dots all over my face, and bright yellow diarrhea.  I didn’t really want to have to go to the doctor, but I guess residual fear and paranoia of being repeatedly reminded about being afflicted with a degenerative condition brought me back once again…JUST to make sure.

Thankfully, all Doc thought I had was some sort of foodbourne virus that might stay around for a couple more days.  This was a relief indeed!  I have spent the better part of the last 5 months being poked and prodded and treated and being sick and exhausted.  So much so that my poor little blog was neglected in the process.

By Tuesday night, I got a celery craving.  I munched down several stalks, dipping them in Liquid Gold dressing.  And my stomach happily accepted.

So now here’s the more pleasant conclusion of what may have been TMI (too much information) for some of you.  As of this morning when I woke at 8:00 am, I felt an immediate shift.  Yes, I feel better.  But actually better than better.  Better than I did before I got sick.  I feel like someone pushed the flusher on me.  The spots on my face and throat are going away.  After I took a shower, I looked at myself in the mirror with wet slicked back hair and bare skin and thought I’d been to the spa, or did something special to myself.  I’m actually kind of glowing!  So I took a picture and posted it above to remind myself of what an inside-out, viral (or otherwise) purging renewal feels and looks like.

Plus I’m grateful.  Whatever this thing was and for whatever reason it happened was GOOD.  I went from what was feeling balanced and right (like eating ALL raw), to feeling confused, defeated, and frustrated, to now having a peeled-back sort of greater emergence of energy AND intensified, appreciative sense of why I eat the way I do.

It’s a small victory in my book, and a step further in progress!

<3, JMK

Filed under: Health Matters |

raw vegan, gluten-free

This is easy to make and the pretty colors always bring out the “ooo’s and aah’s”.  It’s a great alternative from the usual bowl of salad, and has even converted die-hard beet haters to succumb.

It’s very helpful to use a mandoline to make the paper thin slices of beets, artichoke, onion, and garlic.  Horseradish root is easy enough to find at most supermarkets.  Use caution when grating it or you’ll get a sinus and eyeball blast that’ll send you to the moon! Use as much or as a little as you prefer.

Fig balsamic vinegar is so yummy and really compliments the sweetness of the beets, while creating a neat contrast to the peppery cress and garlic.  You should be able to find it at Whole Foods or a gourmet food market.  Use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar if you can’t find the fig.

For the salad:

1/2 each medium sized golden and red beets, thinly sliced
1 fresh artichoke
red onion sliced very thin
1 bunch fresh watercress
1 elephant garlic clove, sliced paper thin
hemp oil
handful fresh basil
1 lemon
sea salt

Place the thinly sliced garlic on dehydrator trays, sprinkle with a little sea salt, and dehydrate at 110 degrees for about an hour or until crisp.

Remove all tough outer leaves from artichoke and discard. Reserve softer leaves for another use in an air-tight container and drizzle with lemon juice (to prevent oxidation).  Remove bristly choke with a spoon, cut the artichoke base (heart) in half and slice very thin.  Immediately transfer thin slices to a bowl, drizzle with lemon juice, and sprinkle with sea salt. Let this marinate while preparing the rest of the salad.

In a food processor, blend the basil and about 3/4 cup hemp seed oil.  Toss the cress with the basil-hemp oil in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.  Transfer to the center of a large plate, making a mound.  Arrange the beets, red onion, and artichoke slices alternatively around the watercress.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

For the horseradish cream:

1/2 cup soaked raw cashews
lemon juice
freshly grated horseradish root
sea salt
cold water to thin

Blend the cashews, a squeeze of lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 tablespoon (or to your liking) of grated horseradish root.  Drizzle in water to thin to a creamy dressing consistency.  Check and adjust for seasoning.

To finish:

Spoon over desired amount of horseradish cream around beets and artichokes.  Randomly arrange desired amount of garlic chips over carpaccio (these can vary in strength and bite, so test them first).  Drizzle cress with fig balsamic.

<3, JMK

Filed under: Appetizers & Light Bites, Gluten-Free, Raw Vegan, Recipes, Salads, Vegetables |

raw vegan, gluten-free

It’s only mid-May, but I’m already tasting summer.  Surely it’s evident in Central Florida’s recent days of sweltering heat.  However, I’m talking about the seasonal treats making their debuts in the marketplaces around here.  Like crisp, cool watermelon; juicy heirloom tomatoes in all their glorious shapes and vibrant color spectrum (whomever coined them “ugly” was a fool); and last but certainly not least - sweet, succulent CHERRIES.

They have a pretty short growing season, so they need to be celebrated while they’re with us.  And cherries have MUCH to be celebrated! Gobble ‘em down while you can, from now until about late August (in North America).

Cherries are chocked full of a very important pigment called anthocyanin.  Anthocyanin gives them their rich, red color, indicating that they’re oozing with antioxidants.  Interestingly enough, it’s this antioxidant benefit produced by the anthocyanin that not only counters those icky free-radicals, it’s like eating your sunscreen and protects against ultraviolet radiation.  Just like it gaurds the flesh of these little gems, eating them will help protect yours, too.

If the whole antioxidant thing weren’t neat enough, anthocyanins also contain melatonin, a horomone typically produced from our brain’s pineal gland that helps regulate our sleep cycle.  They are also natural pain relievers, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and load a big gun for aiding with weight loss.  Because of anthocyanins’  anti-inflammatory properties, loading up on some cherries can help shrink fat cells and lower cholesterol levels (provided you aren’t washing them down with a quarter-pounder with cheese).

As an added bonus, cherries are high in vitamin C, fiber, beta-carotene (nearly 20 times more than blueberries or strawberries, in fact), potassium, magnesium, iron, and folate.  Bottom line…cherries ROCK.

And by the way, in no remote stretch does anything I just said pertain to those syrupy, overly-processed maraschino cherries in the jar that you use to make your Shirley Temple.  Those should be totally avoided like the plague, unless you want to replace all the aforementioned nutritional fabulosities with sulphur dioxide brine (a bleaching agent), calcium or lime by-products, artificial dyes, flavorings, and high-fructose corn syrup.  Eeu.

Simple Cherry Chocolate Shake

1 1/2 cups fresh-frozen pitted cherries
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1 vanilla bean
1 tbs agave
pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients into Vita-Mix or blender until smooth.  Add less almond milk for a thicker shake.  Spoon over desired amount of chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce:

1/2 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup agave
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until very smooth.

<3, JMK

Filed under: Chocolate, Desserts & Sweets, Drinks & Smoothies, Fruit, Health Matters |

vegan, raw vegan modifiable*

Really, it’s not that old.  But I’ve been making it since 2002 once I found it in the book, Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D. and Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D..  Have you ever craved something a little more interesting and substantial for your salad than just the same ol’ lemon juice and olive oil?  Then this tasty greens topper is calling your name.

Just two tablespoons of this tangy, tart, slightly sweet, with a hint of cheesiness, is a nutritional powerhouse.  It packs nearly 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (more than a day’s requirement), along with all your B-vitamins, especially B-12.  Depending on the nutritional yeast measure used, you can get up to 80% of your daily B-12.  And there’s even a good dose of iron, about 8%.  In just two tablespoons. And these are all happy things my body really likes right now since they’re vital in assisting my recovery from Crohn’s disease-related issues.

The dressing is versatile and has a unique flavor on its own but I like to add fresh ginger and a garlic clove for extra punch.  Cilantro is excellent, too!  The original recipe calls for some non-raw ingredients such as balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and Bragg’s aminos (which questions have been raised over the years concerning processing practices that suggest this product isn’t truly raw or even safe to use).  However, modifications are easy and without compromise to the nutritional basis.

You may find that the freshly blended dressing is a bit watery.  I reduce the water and add more nutritional yeast.  Letting it stand over time, especially in the refrigerator overnight will also help to thicken it.

A watercress, zucchini noodle, daikon sprout, and dulse salad tossed with Liquid Gold.

The Original Liquid Gold Dressing

1/2 cup flax seed oil
1/2 cup water (begin with 1/4 then check for consistency)
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbs balsamic or raspberry vinegar (omit for 100% raw prep)
1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (such as Red Star)
1/4 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos (substitute with nama shoyu)
2 tsp dijon mustard (or omit)
1 tsp ground cumin

Julie adds: 1 large garlic clove + 2″ long piece of peeled ginger root = YUM

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.  Keeps for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.

<3, JMK

Filed under: Health Matters, Recipes, Salads |