I do plan to share quite a few recipes with you today, but before I get started I wanted to tell you a little bit about the book I'm reading, and the great things I'm learning from it. As you may recall I am currently reading Natalia Rose's book "Raw Food Life Force Energy".
So far, the objective of this book is to educate individuals on the purpose, importance, benefits, and dynamics of the Life Force Energy that is inside all of us, and how to make it thrive. A lot of the information I have read before, but obviously have overlooked, or have forgotten over the years. Now that I truly am living my commitment to a more raw food lifestyle, I seem to be more drawn and observant to all this wonderful information. I'm a better sponge now!
Anyway, Natalia writes about the importance of cleansing the digestive tract, as well as your entire body through various methods, such as detoxification, skin brushing, colonics, and of course proper diet (not a diet, as in a temporary thing - but a change in the way you think and eat your food, and what you eat). She writes about how eating food containing "Life Force Energy" not only helps to feed your own personal Life Force Energy, but it also helps to push out the buildup within you that drains your "Life Force Energy".
Natalia clearly states, "Life Force Energy is what does the work of healing and beautifying." Obviously, foods that are high in "Life Force Energy" would be "Raw" and organic fresh foods. She writes about the different levels of Life Force Energy that different food types fall under. Everything from fresh veggies and fruits, to nuts and seeds, and even fleshy foods such as meat and fish.
The principal that Natalia also refers to that I totally agree with is, that "...we attract the same energetic pattern as that which we vibrate." In other words, if we are energetic, healthy, clean inside and out, we are going to attract the same types of beings, making us more successful, happy, healthy people. However, if we are filled with low energy, and putrefied buildup, we will feel unhealthy, unhappy, complaining, and therefore attract those negative energies to us (without even meaning to). So it's really important to keep a lot of positive energy flowing at all times!
Natalia covers a great deal in her book about body cleansing. "The root of most illness is stagnation of the body's pathways and impaction of waste matter in its cells and tissues." I totally agree with that statement. It was because of this internal impaction of waste inside my digestive tract and in my cells that caused me to finally take control of my life and start working on changing my food habits. I still have a long way to go, but I can honestly tell you that I am 100 times healthier and happier than I was before August 2007. Turning to a raw food lifestyle has truly changed my life. Through this journey I have truly started seeing myself from the inside and out, and now I'm truly on the path of successful healthy healing!
I obviously have a lot more to read, but so far I am truly into this book. I really think that you should pick up a copy of this book for yourself and read it (if you haven't already). It's great!
Now on to the recipes I promised. I want you to know that many of the recipes I share with you, although somewhat original, for the most part they have all been inspired by other great raw foodies - probably like yourself, that share their recipes on all the marvelous raw food websites, like http://www.goneraw.com/, or on personal blogs. Thank you for sharing! Now for the food...
This smoothie was so nice and refreshing, and simple to make. I could have this again and again...
Peaches and cream banana smoothie:3 peaches, seeded and chopped 2 small bananas, peeled and chopped handful of fresh cherries, pitted 1 T raw honey 2 tsp. Psyllium Husk enough Almond Nut Mylk to cover ingredients in the blender 4-6 ice cubes blend well and serve. Makes 1-2 tall glasses, that’s satisfying and delicious.
I was craving a combination of spring rolls, and raw fish, so I decided to create my idea of a raw spicy fish roll or wrap (you decide). I have to tell you, this was a very big hit at work the other day. Only one lady objected to it, because of the seaweed. Everything was so impressed by the flavors. One lady ate four wraps - she thought it was so good! I find it refreshing to serve the wraps with avocado, and a handful of corn chips to scoop up the wrap stragglers.
Spicy Asian Fish Wraps:
1 med carrot, finely chopped1/3 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped½ red bell pepper, seeded, and finely-chopped big handful of parsley, finely chopped (you can use cilantro too, with a little lemon juice)corn from 1 raw corn cob1-2 handfuls of micro herbs with dandelion and arugula (or any other type of herb greens)handful of herb flax-chia crackers, finely crumbled (or any other type of seed grounded fine)equal parts of Nama Shoyu and Bragg’s Amino Acids (enough to marinade with)a splash or two of rice wine vinegar several drizzles of Avage nectar (or 1 or 2 packets of Stevia)dash or two of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, shake or two of Dulse powder, and red pepper flakes1 cup of Wakame, and kelp flakes soaked well and drained4-6 leaves or more of romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce (you can substitute with any other big green leaf) Mix carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, parsley, and corn together, add the Nama Shoyu, Bragg’s, rice wine vinegar, and agave, garlic powder, sea salt, Dulse powder, cayenne, and pepper flakes. Mix well. Add the soaked Wakame and kelp, as well as the crumbled flax-chia crackers. Mix well again. Add the micro herbs and toss lightly. Serve on lettuce leaves, rolled up tight like an “egg roll” or “spring roll”. Serve with Nama Shoyu, or chili sauce for a spicier flair. Makes about 4-6 rolls.
Now that the summer is upon us, I've been craving ice cream like crazy. So, I decided to make my favorite vanilla ice cream from a recipe that I got from Heidi and Justin Ohlander, and a chocolate ice cream made with bananas (recipe to follow). And of course, you always need a topping, so I made a delicious and easy raspberry sauce (see below).
Raw Chocolate Banana Ice Cream:
3 frozen peeled bananas
2 scoops (about 3-4 T) raw cacao powder
2 T Agave nectar
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 drops chocolate flavored SweetLeaf liquid Stevia
Place in food processor and blend well. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Remix in food processor, place back into container and freeze.
Raspberry Sauce:
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup soaked dates
2 squirts of Agave nectar
Place in food processor and blend well. Store in a squeeze bottle container in the fridge. Drizzle sauce over ice cream, salad, or your favorite fruit. Great flavor!
If you've been reading my blogs lately, you know that I recently purchased a bunch of exotic fruits to try. One of them being the Star Fruit. Well, I searched for recipes using the Star fruit, and only found one on http://www.goneraw.com/. However, I thought it was a little plain, so I jazzed it up just a bit - and it came out super yummy! My son, and husband loved it too! Here's the recipe:
Shooting Star Smoothie:
1 Star Fruit (slice a piece or two to garnish with)
1 peeled and seeded pear
1 peeled and seeded apple
1 small ripe banana
3/4-1 cup almond nut mylk
4-6 purified ice cubes
a little water (if needed)
Place all ingredients (except garnish) in a blender. Puree on high. Mix well, and serve in your favorite glasses. Garnish with extra slices of Star fruit. Makes about 2-4 servings. This is a very refreshing and filling drink. Enjoy!
Oh another smoothie that I recently had was just a simple and refreshing shake-like concoction. I call it the Coconut-Goji Berry shake. Here's the recipe.
Coconut-Goji Berry Shake:
Meat and milk of 1 fresh young Thai Coconut
1 cup fresh strawberries
2 T Agave nectar
1/4 cup Goji berries
4-6 cubes of purified ice
Place all ingredients in the blender, and puree until well blended. Makes about 2-4 delicious and energizing shakes!
For my final recipe for this blog entry, I decided to share the absolutely fabulous mock crab pate recipe that I modified slightly from the original made by Alissa Cohen, that I found (once again) on http://www.goneraw.com/. It's really great! I shared some with the ladies at work, and they loved it. Even the one that didn't care for seaweed. Give it try!
Raw Mock Crab Pate:
(adopted from Alissa Cohen's recipe)
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup ground cashews
2 stalks celery
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped parsley (fresh)
1 T dried dill
2 tsp Bragg's Amino Acids
1 tsp Kelp granules
1 tsp Dulse granules
1/4 cup fresh lemon
dash or two of Cayenne pepper
dash sea salt
Place ingredients in a food processor and mix very well (about 2-4 minutes). Serve as a raw pate, or make patties and dehydrate them to make yummy mock "crab" cakes. I prefer it as a flavorful raw pate, served on top of Romaine lettuce leaves, with a few drops of Chili sauce - Yummo! Oh, and it tastes great on flax-chia crackers too!
One last dish to talk about. Tonight for dinner I had the most amazing Strawberry Salad, with Mango Sauce. I found the recipe on http://www.goneraw.com/. Try it sometime. It's simple and very delicious!
Well that's it for me - for now. Hope you enjoyed this blog. Feel free to comment or drop me a line. Until next time, have a fabulous weekend!
- Debbie :)
