Beautifying Lemonade

Oops, it's been a few days that I promised someone that I'd post this recipe..
He was begging for it and made me promise....when he saw me sipping it ever so enthusiastically the other "hot" day.

As I haven't posted anything in so long, due to a rather painful separation from the person I loved and spent my life with, a relocation to Los Angeles, a brutal car accident (which I still don't know how I survived), and my new business that kept me busy afterwards pretty much 24/7, this is a BIG deal to be back here! Yay! Hi AGAIN! :)

If you also happen to live in L.A. then you know it's been back in the high 80s to 90-ish degrees in the past 2-3 days and so refreshing drinks feel even more refreshing now AND we might as well "cheat" a bit and make them even more nutritious and healing than their commonly-known, traditional versions, right? Of course!..because if you're reading my blog, chances are, you're also into amazing foods for their health benefits, healing and beautifying qualities and the possibilities of its longevity-promoting effects.

Well, here's how I've been making "lemonade" lately....and, let me just say, it's been eye-catching. Yes, I DO take it with me often when I leave my little paradise behind and people ask me what I'm drinking. Most think it's a green juice...but nope. I blend ingredients for this one!
Great for your skin and gut health and a great detoxifier....so get in the garden and the kitchen and make this:

Beautifying Lemonade

Ingredients to be blended:

2-3 cups of the best quality water you can get

juice of 2 lemons

handful of fresh mint 

slice of fresh aloe gel (I used about a 3/4 inch thick slice)

favorite sweetener (I use raw honey* or maple syrup** usually) 

a really thin slice of ginger

pinch or two of (ground) cayenne 

*not vegan, ** not RAW

Blend all of the ingredients in a high powered blender that breaks down the mint leaves and the lemon seeds (which are best to keep in there). Grab a couple of straws and pour two servings of this wonderful treat if you have someone to share it with. If not, you will not have a problem finishing it all by yourself, I promise!

Enjoy! :)

And I'll be back soon.

♥

Dita

P.S: I'll be reviewing a TON of yummy and super healthy products in the next few weeks and some of them will involve giveaways too so stay tuned! You never know....you might get lucky and end up with a bunch of goodies delivered to your door! You can't beat that!

One Minute Green Soup That I Wish I Had on Tap!

I had the last few Persian cucumbers of the season sitting in the fridge. The crispy little things sure will be missed till they show up  at the market again because I can't get enough of this soup I use them for ALL THE TIME. So, that's what I made with them, yet again : )

I eat it at home or I take it with me in a mason jar...great travel food you can sip while long-distance-driving too....just make sure you have a straw! You get the picture...it's just perfect, easy, nourishing food, that's so tasty that it never gets boring (not to me, anyway).

And, yes, I do vary it a little bit, but most of the time I stick with this exact recipe:

Creamy Cucumber Soup 

(makes ~ enough to fill a quart size mason jar)

3 Persian cucumbers

generous handful of cilantro (leaves and stems, entire length)

small jalapeño (or other hot pepper)

2-3 tbsp hemp seeds

1 fat clove of garlic

generous splash of olive oil

pinch or oregano leaves

optional: cayenne for extra heat

½ tsp salt

1 cup (+) water

Blend it up and go! That's it! So quick, so yummy, so green, so nourishing, satisfying and hydrating. What else would you need?

Variations:

Summer time: use fresh basil instead of cilantro.
Calcium boost: use tahini instead of hemp seeds and dill instead of cilantro for another, very yummy, flavor combination and high amounts of calcium and copper.

No matter which of these alternatives you go with, it's a bone-nourishing soup and rather cleansing so it's a great "to-go" food when doing a detox (which is what I am doing with a group of other health-enthusiasts :) yay!). So go and make some! Your bones and skin will thank you...and once you taste it, you might even thank me for the recipe! :)

Enjoy!

Start A Garden!....If You Haven't Yet

My sister and I grew up with a garden. Well, kind of. We had a grandma that lived in a village where everybody grew their own food and going to the store for anything was very rare. If one didn't have something, chances were he/she could trade with or borrow from the neighbor or someone else down (or up) the street. It was a one-street village so those were pretty much the choices you got. Everyone knew everyone and you knew exactly where to go for what when you were in need.

Later, when I was 13, we moved into a house and started our own garden. We had red current (my favorite fruit) bushes, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, a pear tree, a quince tree, and grapes. My mom also planted vegetables every year. We had tomato plants, rows of green peas, carrots, and maybe even some greens but I can't recall....I was on a different diet back then ;)

Besides having to pull weed with my sister (I remember how much we moaned and groaned while squatting over small patches of dirt that were densely populated by a variety of weeds that were seemingly impossible to extract, even with the help of a spade. We were less-then-ethusiastic about this weekly chore and counted the minutes...) I really loved being outside, chasing butterflies, watching the ants being busy and of course harvesting fruits and veggies. This part of my life lasted till I was 19, which is when I left that house. And ever since then I've been just dreaming of having a garden and growing food that's as pure as it gets.

After a few years of growing some tomatoes, peppers and herbs in planter boxes while moving around the country it was time to go on an adventure and try to create a small garden outside last year. The tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries all did quite well but it was still not the real thing. This season, however, we're taking it to the next level and I couldn't be any more excited about it!

New Beginnings...
I spent yesterday planting tomatoes, peppers, basil, mint, and oregano in the green house and outside are the squashes, cucumbers, corn, kale, mustard greens, dill, and even purslane (for some reason they're not popping up here wild, unless they do but the deer get to them before I do).
I wouldn't call myself an expert at gardening but I've done my best researching (as always) and I'm confident that with all the love I give the babies they will do more than fine : ) While I have farmers I go to on a regular basis for produce, there's nothing like fruits and vegetables raised at home. Besides, one's food can't get any more inexpensive and eco-friendly...

What have I done so far to ensure their best "upbringing"?
1. Needless to say, they're all organic and heirloom, whenever it was possible.
2. The babies were planted in organic soil.
3. Newly purchased baby worms are working the soil as we speak.
4. The water I use to water them I let sit at least overnight or however long it's possible. This is a practice I have been following for as long as I can remember for my (argh, every once in a while I still do that) the plants indoors as well. I highly recommend that you adopted this simple "trick" for better water. Most of us are not lucky enough to have spring water or well water or any kind of clean water around and might not even be able to collect rain water (some places it just doesn't rain much). City water is full of stuff, of course and letting it sit lets the chlorine escape from it and makes the water sightly acidic....just the way the plants prefer. Just do your best.
5. They have been fed organic vegan food...yay :)
6. Finally, I've planted marigolds in the "pflanzengarten"for added color and to keep some of the bugs away.

What do I need to work on?
1. No matter how little it rains around here (I live in zone 9a), I insist on getting a rain barrel and collect whatever amount of water possible. It will be more than what buckets can hold.
2. COMPOST. I need to start a compost. Shame on me!!!!! This has been my dream for so long too and since nearly 100% of my "trash" is scrap from produce and pulp from juicing I really am ashamed that I still don't have one. What's wrong with me? Well, ok, moving into a new home and starting new jobs in a new area comes with its own hectic schedule, but still...*sigh* I'm going to get on this ASAP.
Anyone has a compost tumbler he/she doesn't want anymore??? There better not be anyone! You should be using it.

Ok. I need to get busy. Here are some more pictures of the nursery and updates will follow!
What have YOU planted this season???
♥

Blessings of Nature...

....all around us.
Have you ever been out of greens, that is, opened your fridge only to be reminded that yesterday you used up your last piece of kale or spinach or whatever used to be there? This happens to me waaaay too often, but the truth is I don't forget, I just simply run out because when I stock up while visiting the farmers market nearby (that is, only once a week during the winter) I simply don't have any more greens to juice or blend after a few days, period. So what's a raw girl to do? Well, let's be reminded that nature has always taken care of us! And even during times when GMO crops are spreading around the world at the speed of light, it seems, there's a place to go for the freshest, highly nutritious, unmolested, purest, wild, tender greens....and that place is called the YARD!

Don't have a yard? Surely you can find a place nearby where you can hike and pick some greens along the trail. Well, I hope you can, for sure you can if you live in the Bay Area...

What is there to find?

Dandelion
Remember the days when you were assigned chores by your parents? I do. And maybe the list included  pulling weeds??? Mine did! Little did I know back then that I was killing stuff we could have eaten. They were considered harmful invaders...haha. I find it really funny looking back.
Now, do you remember the yellow flowers of a weed with long stemmed green leaves that when you picked them released a milk-like substance? How about the puffy ball that you picked to blow on and make a wish? All these memories are describing dandelion. The weed that some health-food stores sell by the bunches for $3-5 a bunch! And it's free to pick. Chances are, you just have to step outside your home and they're there for you. More good news: the more you pick them, the more they'll grow, so you'll have an endless supply of dandelions, the incredibly nutritious, liver cleansing plant, freely provided by nature.

Where to find dandelion?
I've lived in many places and this weed is literally everywhere. I'm pretty sure you won't have a hard time finding some. Go picking!

What does dandelion have to offer?
Since they're dark leafy greens it won't come as a surprise that they're loaded with vitamin K and A, also have a good amount of vitamin B and they're high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. All-in-all, they're very good greens for beautiful skin, strong bones, and for cleansing the liver, as I mentioned before. But wait, would you have guessed that just about two cups of them provide you with 3g of protein?! They also have antiviral qualities and are a good addition to your diet for cancer prevention. Pretty respectable, isn't it?

Ok, let's move on to my new found delicacy...

Miner's lettuce
I've recently learned that these heart-shaped, tender greens, called miner's lettuce (claytonia perfoliata), are edible. I've been picking them over the past couple of weeks and adding them to juice mainly. I even picked a few and ate them just like that out in the yard but they will be a great addition to a salads too. They have a very mild flavor, no wild-green bitterness one might expect, at all.
The leaves and the stems, basically the entire plant is very delicate. They have somewhat of a velvety feel to them when you sweep your hands along the top of a cluster of them.
When they're young, especially when they first pop up, they have heart-shaped little leaves, which later become a different form with a tiny white flower at the center. Quite unique, in other words, easy to identify.

Where to find miner's lettuce?
They might be around anywhere in the Northern states of the U.S. especially during spring time, but this plant I have only seen here, in California. If you can find them where you live (as long as you live somewhere other than California), let me know, please, I'm curious to learn of its whereabouts!

What's in miner's lettuce?
This wild lettuce is famous for having qualities that help prevent scurvy, from which we can guess that they're rich in vitamin C. Wherever you find information about them the same historical fact is mentioned: they got their name from being consumed by the miners during the California Gold Rush to prevent scurvy.

An exert from the fed database http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/claper/all.html  states:

NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The nutritional composition of miner's-lettuce has been determined to be
37.1 percent protein, 42.5 percent total carbohydrate, and 12.4 percent
crude fiber.  The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 0.66:1.0 [37].

Note: be careful when picking them. Do not pull on the stems, if you do, the entire plant will come out with the root. They seem to be barely connected to the earth. You can just pinch them off or use scissors if you wish instead and leave the bottom part of the stem and the root undisturbed. Also, try to not clear a large area because the seeds need to spread for next season. Leaving some scattered will ensure their existence : )

So look around in your yard and see what's waiting for you there. There's not a more eco-friendly way of living. Expect more on "what's in your yard".
Happy Foraging!

♥♥♥

Lineup of Juices

Alright, as I've promised, here are some juice combinations I like. These are all very cleansing and each one is a power shot in itself, an immune system booster, a multivitamin, and so forth. Real vitamins don't come in pill form, flu-shots are what they are (I won't get into that here) and these are cupfuls of nutrition that will easily replace and surpass whatever any of the well-advertised "other" products promise to give your body. SO get the juicer out of your cabinet and get peeling, chopping, and squeeze some juice out of whatever produce you have, or try some of these:

Here's one of my absolute favorite ones. I love pineapple in every form, mainly freshly cut up and consumed immediately but it's quite the winner juiced too. One thing to keep in mind: the enzymes in the pineapple will start breaking down the protein in the greens so you might want to drink this juice right after you made it. Hmm, this is so yummy. Enjoy!

The Sweet Bright & Green 

1 cucumber

2 inch thick slice of a pineapple

piece of ginger

few leaves of greens

Next, a savory one that I love so much, especially after drinking a lot of sweet juice:
It can get pretty boring and sometimes I feel I "need" salt and something savory....that's when I make this, serve it in a bowl, and eat it like soup instead of drinking it.

Savory Savior Amidst The Sweets

1 fat carrot

1 large tomato/several cherry tomatoes

5-6 stalks celery

1 cucumber

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cayenne pepper (or add some ground cayenne powder)

optional: 2-3 leaves romaine lettuce, salt

This one is a wonderful liver cleanser. The burdock root is very earthy and, in a way, almost spicy. It has a very distinct taste that doesn't really resemble anything. I like it, sometimes even crave it, ok, not crave it but you know, I really feel like it, or wait, is that the same thing? I don't know :) Anyway, if it's new to you start with a smaller piece and see if you like it:

Earthy Liver Cleanser 

1 lemon (with no peel)

1-2 oranges (with no peel)

1-2 leaves collard greens

3-4 stalks celery

1/2 cucumber

1 small burdock root

piece of ginger

Similarly, just by replacing the burdock root with a small carrot you'll get a somewhat less bright green but sweeter juice, which you might prefer:

Citrus With Greens and Roots

1-2 oranges (with no peel)

1 lemon (with no peel)

1-2 leaves collard greens

3-4 stalks celery

1/2 cucumber

1 small carrot

piece of ginger

Enjoy! Ah, the beauty of creating delicious combinations... Happy Juicing! : )
Love.

Just Beet It!

What have I been up to lately? Lots of things. Some of them are a surprise for now but I'll be sharing with you all in the upcoming posts, promise. First off, I started juicing more so I'll be taking notes of my favorite combinations for you. Here's the first one:

I wasn't targeting a liver cleanse or doing a detox at all, it just so happens that the ingredients combined here could be used for the housekeeping of this precious organ.

The Earthy Liver Cleanser

(Serves 1)

5 stalks celery

1 cucumber (or use a half and add 1 green apple)

1 peeled lemon

1 small beet

1 in (~2.5 cm) piece ginger root

2 leaves of kale (or other dark green leaves like dandelion, which is especially good for liver cleansing)

Feed them through your juicer and drink it up.

Fruits and vegetables to juice for a liver cleanse: dandelion leaves, lemon, burdock root, carrot, beets, apples, garlic, turmeric root, etc.

Happy Juicing! : )

Sesame-Kale Wafers

The taste (or, rather, the memories) of a batch of similar chips stayed with me for so long that I had to create my own. Boy, was that a good idea! As the last batch of chips/crackers this year, I couldn't possibly imagine a greater new favorite. I had to label them wafers because they came out so thin and delicate and they have a "melt-in-your-mouth" feeling to them. Tart and spicy, green and nourishing, these crackers are light and yet, incredibly satisfying and addictive. Yes, they're hard to quit....hmm, ok that's a downside, but that's about it.

Sesame Seed Nutrition
As the main ingredients, these little seeds deserve some attention. Being so rich in bone-strengthening minerals, especially magnesium, phosphorous and calcium, is not all they have to offer. They're high in good quality protein and antioxidants as well. So tasty and so nutritious....you can't go wrong with them. Enjoy!

Incredible Kale Chips

(Ingredients for two sheets of chips)

1 cup sesame seeds

juice of 5 limes

1-2 cayenne peppers (or substitute powder)

1 large kale leaf

1/2 onion

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

your choice of sweetener to taste

water as needed

Directions:
0. Soak the sesame seeds beforehand if you have the time. 4 hours will do.
1. Chop up the pepper(s), onion, and kale into somewhat smaller chunks and process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy. Most likely, you will need to help the blender get started by adding a little bit of water and keep tamping the contents down.
2. Taste test and add salt or sweetener if needed.
3. Pour the mixture onto two teflex sheets and spread it out as thin as you can.
4. Score it for square shape or use a glass or a cookie-cutter to make round shapes or whatever else you might prefer.
5. Dehydrate your batch at 140˚F (~60˚C) for an hour then lower the temperature to 115˚F (~46˚C) and dehydrate for several hours longer, till you have crispy thin wafers.

You're in for a treat!

It's almost the end of this year. Is there anything you'd like to leave behind? Is there anything new you'd like to start with the beginning of the new year?

From Basil to "HemPesto"

A few days ago a dear colleague of mine surprised me with some freshly picked zucchini squashes from his garden. Yes, I know, I work with such nice people : )

Well, that meant I had to get to work and go out of my way to make something other than a salad for once... And since it's basil season too, here's the outcome. 

HemPesto

(Makes about 1/2 cup)

 large bunch of fresh basil

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup walnuts

2-3 cloves garlic

splash of olive oil

salt to taste

Remove the basil leaves from the stems and process them with just half the hemp seeds and half the walnuts, a splash of olive oil, the garlic, and salt. Depending on how thick/runny you prefer your sauce (runny is easier to mix with pasta) add more nuts/seeds or oil to the mixture. Taste test and add some salt if needed. 

To make zucchini pasta just cut grooves all the way lengthwise the zucchinis and then shave them into pasta. Check out the Pad Thai recipe for more details on this...
In a large bowl, toss the pasta in the sauce, cut up some tomatoes to go with it and decorate the servings with basil leaves. Hmmm, sooo satisfying...

Basil Nutrition
This lovely herb has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it's high in vitamin K and A, and the bone strengthening mineral, manganese. It can provide relief from arthritis and protect you from cancer.
Yes, the bursting aroma is not all...

Serving Suggestion
Needless to say, pasta is not the only way to enjoy pesto. Serve this as a dip with crackers or veggie sticks. Spread it on canapés, sandwiches, or pizza. You can even make it really liquidy and use it as a salad dressing. So good so many ways...

Move Over, Raspberries!...

As if raspberries were not "cool" enough anymore, right? No. Of course that's not the case. But... Yes, there's a BUT. Why would I get raspberries to make dressing when I live in Fairyland where all I have to do is just step outside of the house and I find myself surrounded with wild blackberry bushes?! I have been awaiting the season, watching them bloom and later show the green berries for weeks...and for the past two weeks they've had tons of fruit...mmm. I realize I probably end up with a bunch of haters, or jealous audience, but hey, I just moved here recently and I have to brag. If for no other reason, then because it's definitely a raw foodie's heaven and I'm a bit enthusiastic. You can't blame me for that. : )

So what did I do with the berries I just picked? I've made blackberry vinaigrette that's to die for!

Wild Blackberry Vinaigrette Salad with Millet Crackers

(Serves 2 people or 1 hungry raw foodie)

For the Dressing

Blend* the following ingredients:

~ 1 cup of blackberries (you may thaw out some frozen berries as an alternative)

~ 1 tsp mustard

~ 2 tbsp vinegar ( I used apple cider this time)

~ 2-3 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

maple syrup (not raw) or honey (not vegan) or other sweetener to taste

pinch of salt

optional: pinch of cayenne pepper

*Berries have a lot of seeds. I prefer to keep them in there but if you rather have a smoother dressing then press them through a sieve first and add your berry paste to the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Look at the color of this!...

As for the salad, I like to keep it simple when the dressing is such an extraordinary one so this is all mine had but of course you can go as crazy as you wish:

mixed greens (or chop up a large head of romaine lettuce)
peas removed form 3-4 pods of English peas
a chunk of thinly sliced red onion
1 small Persian cucumber, sliced diagonally

Add avocado or nuts for a more filling meal.

1. Toss the ingredients with the dressing and pile some on individual serving plates along with some crackers.
2. Excuse yourself (or not) and lick the blender before sitting down to enjoy your plate of Heaven!

Aren't we so spoiled???

Blackberries are antioxidant stars!

Anthocyanins, the antioxidants that give these berries their dark color, have antiinflammatory and anti-cancer qualities as well. Being exceptionally nutritious, high in vitamins C and K, and very rich in manganese and fiber, means they contribute to your heart health and good eyesight, help keep your bones strong and support your digestive system.

Taco Time

What else could you use baby collards for? It's Summer time (on the Northern hemisphere anyway) and  I didn't want to juice such fresh, crisp leaves. So I made tacos. Being about as large as the palm of my hand they're the perfect size and the perfect shape. Folded them into halves and filled them with sprouted goodness to end up with an enviable lunch.

Baby Collard Tacos

(Makes 6 tacos)

For the filling:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds 

sliver of red onion

1/2-1 jalapeno

juice of half a lemon/lime

cumin, cayenne, salt

handful of chopped cilantro

1 small tomato

and collard leaves to act as taco shells..

Directions:
1. Soak the sunflower seeds for 6 hours or overnight.
2. In a food processor, combine and pulse just a couple of times the seeds, the onion, jalapeno, lemon juice, and the spices.
3. Mix in the cilantro.
4. Fill your collard leaves with a few spoonfuls of the filling and top each with chopped tomatoes.
5. To top it all, drizzle nut/seed cheese on them if you wish.

This is great when you have people over and it takes just a couple of minutes to make. Yes, it's always good to have soaked seeds in the fridge; you never know when they come in handy...especially if you eat them often so they will never go to waste.

Sunflower seed nutrition
As the main ingredient here, replacing minced meat and what not, who knows what...they deserve some attention. Guess what, these seeds are full of nourishing goodness. They're very high in protein (the kind that's easily digestible), rich in B vitamins and a very good source of minerals too. They're exceptionally high in vitamin E, come out as winners as a matter of fact, yep, they've taken a trophy for it. So eat them! Your eyes, your heart, your bones, your hair, and your skin will thank you for it. They're good for your nerves, have anti-cancer properties, and are a good anti-inflammatory. All that in tiny seeds????!!!

This is fast food...not as you've known it... Enjoy and share!

Got Kale?

Somehow I never get enough. Not because I don't like it. I love it, but romaine just goes down easier, much easier than dark greens. So when I make salad I usually reach for lettuce. One way to make kale easier to eat is marinating it. Make the salad but give the greens some time to break down. It's quick to fix in the evening for next day or make it in the morning for lunch or dinner. And as far as seeds go? Truth be told, I eat way more nuts than seeds so I thought it was about time to give seeds some attention as well. Here's what's combined to make a quick and simple meal.

Simple Kale Salad*

(Serves 2-3, maybe) 

1 bunch green kale (you may use purple or dino kale, of course)

4 stalks green onion or 1/2 red onion

handful of each pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds

(you may substitute hemp seeds, pine nuts, sliced almonds, or walnuts )

2 -3 tomatoes

~ For the dressing ~

Combine just about equal amounts of the following:

juice of 2-3 lemons will do for a bunch of kale

olive oil

coconut aminos/soy aminos/shoyu sauce/soy sauce**

optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper to add some heat

*Obviously, you can make this as complicated as you wish. Add vegetables, herbs, even sliced apples, nuts, etc. if you like.

**With the exception of the coconut aminos, all of these contain soy and most are not necessarily raw unless they state it. Look for "raw" and/or "unpasteurized" on the label if you follow a strict, 100% raw, diet. Be aware that coconut aminos are pretty sweet, soy and shoyu are pretty salty, and any liquid soy aminos are somewhere in between. Depending on which you're using, you might want to add less or more or adjust the flavor of your dressing with some sweetener or some salt accordingly. I never make anything without tasting it once or twice during the process. Just have fun with it!

Preparations
1. Remove the stems of the kale if you prefer and chop the leaves into bite-size pieces. Slice the onions as thinly as you can and place the kale, onions, and seeds you're using into a bowl and mix.
2. Make the dressing by whisking together the ingredients, taste test and adjust the proportions to your liking.
3. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and mix well, maybe massage with your hands for a minute. Let it sit and place it in the fridge if you will not serve it till hours later. Just before serving, add chopped tomatoes to it, quickly toss again and enjoy! You got kale today : )

... And what does kale have in store for you?
Very high in vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals such as manganese, copper, and calcium, this dark leafy green is also a very strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. This type of nutrition profile provides protection from cancer, helps maintain good vision, and keeps your bones strong. Still think it's too tough or too much work to chew? Salad is not the only way to consume it. Add kale to a smoothie, make it into a soup, or blanch it if you really need to. The possibilities are endless...

Soup & Fries

It can get so crazy with the preparations for Thanksgiving, right? Today I didn't get to eat lunch till the mid afternoon and by that time I was so starved and wanted something that took but moments to prep. I had been playing with the idea of recreating my mom's spinach dish (or stew)...Spenót, as we called it, and which I never really liked as a child, ha! I always favored the sour sorrel version, oh how much I miss it! Anyway, the beloved spinach "stew" more than just grew on me and served as an inspiration for this soup. And the fries? Well, they're the no-fry "french fries" that are still starchy and oily and satisfying but in a healthy way : ). They're made using jicamas, which, by the way, must be in season because the farmers are selling them and they've been a regular (and ever-growing in size) at the grocery stores too.
Make the fries first if you don't want your warm soup to get cold! 

Jicama Fries
Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
1 jicama (mine was about the size of a large orange)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic (pressed or finely chopped)
salt
optional: chipotle chili powder or other seasoning

Cut up the jicama into "fries". Mix the oil with garlic and salt and whatever seasoning you're using and in a large bowl, toss the jicama with the mixture. You have fries!

Jicama is a high fiber food and very rich in vitamin C. It's a crunchy way to get some satisfying starches into your body.

Spinach Stew / Soup
Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
3-4 loose cups of spinach
1 sliver of celery root
1 clove of garlic
2 green onions (without the tops)
2.5 tbsp tahini or a generous handful of cashews
splash of olive oil
~3/4 cup warm water
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
pepper

Cut the celery into smaller pieces and blend all of the ingredients until you get a smooth consistency. Taste test and adjust seasoning. Serve with the fries, crackers, or salad, etc.

Spinach should be called a superfood. It's incredibly nutritious, full of antioxidants, phytochemicals, and most all vitamins and minerals so I won't even bore you with a list. Spinach, it's what Popeye ate, right? What else do you need to be convinced about its health benefits? : ) Ok, but seriously, it will help prevent cancer, heart disease, and cataracts, yes carrots are not the only vegetables that are good for your eyes!

Ok, time to start working on the Thanksgiving meal. What are you making?

From Farmers' Market to Salad Bowl

One of my favorite things to do is to go to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market and visit my favorite growers to see what they have just harvested. There’s nothing like seasonal, fresh, organic food, grown by caring people. Of course, I would love to grow my own fruits and veggies, that would be ideal, but where I currently live I’m only able to “raise” strawberries, chili peppers, and some herbs. “City living”, as we call it, only allows for a “garden” that consists of five little planter boxes. So farmers' market it is…

I went, I grazed, I picked, I bought, I carried, and brought home some fruit and such delicious ingredients for a salad that it really didn’t even need any dressing. The French are right: it’s all in the ingredients! Some of the goodies I picked up are French plums, a variety of heirloom tomatoes and even wild arugula!
There’s no such thing as coming home from the market with the fresh, crisp greens and not making a salad. They are the only types of dishes where I don’t mind combining lots of ingredients. They’re still all vegetables. No matter what, a salad can’t be that hard on you!
So I layered romaine lettuce, wild arugula, cucumber, red onions, red radishes, bell pepper, pineapple heirloom tomatoes and made just the simplest dressing to go with it.

Basic Salad Dressing 
(for salads that are too good to be drenched in an overpowering “sauce”)
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste

Variations
Sometimes we don’t have the best ingredients on hand or just want a more flavorful dressing or want to make something to impress… So here are some other combinations that I love to dress my salads with:

Garlic and Herbs Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp mustard
1-2 cloves garlic (pressed)
chopped fresh (or dry) herbs such as oregano, basil, or your favorite(s)
salt to taste

Honey-Mustard Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp mustard
1-2 cloves garlic (pressed)
½ tsp honey (NOT vegan, but you can substitute agave or maple syrup, which is not raw)
salt to taste

Whisk together all of the ingredients with a fork or shake it all up in a jar, pour over the salad, mix, and that's it! You've got a bowl full of antioxidants, anti-cancer qualities, fiber, copper, folate and the list goes on....it's a pile of vitamins and minerals "thrown" together in minutes!  It can't really get any healthier or more eco-friendly...

Pizza For Dinner

My recent European Adventures inspired me to create some more complicated dishes especially because I’m anticipating the days to turn cooler, when we all feel like eating “heavier” or more substantial foods. Also, people’s interest in raw foods is ever-growing and so does the need for transitional* foods on my blog! I had the best raw pizza at a restaurant in Copenhagen, which I wanted to duplicate ever since.

This pizza is even more amazing than I imagined it could be. The end result is just absolutely delicious cold and when put in the dehydrator for 20 minutes to 2 hours your guests might not even be able to tell that they're served a raw dinner!

*Transitional raw foods are those that help you convert to a raw (or high raw) lifestyle by their resemblance to cooked dishes. They usually have more ingredients, are more complicated to create, heavier on nuts and/or seeds, and very often dehydrated and/or even served warm straight out of the dehydrator. It is often very helpful to rely on foods as such for the first days/weeks/months (or however long it may take) because of the satisfaction and fullness they provide.

Raw Pizza Crust
(Makes 6 pieces)
1 cup buckwheat groats
½ cup sunflower seeds
1/6 of an onion (or garlic, if preferred)
splash of olive oil
splash of water
~ ½ tsp salt
basil, oregano to taste
½ cup flax seeds

Soak the buckwheat for a few hours or overnight. Rinse and drain them. Grind the flax seeds until fine. Using a food processor, combine all of the ingredients but the flax seeds. Salt to taste and transfer ingredients into a mixing bowl. Fold in the flax seeds and mix well. Spread the mixture on a teflex sheet (you will get just enough to cover one sheet at a thickness of about 1/3 in or 8 mm). Score as desired (I made it into six triangular slices) and dehydrate at ~130 °F (54 °C) for about an hour then lower the temperature to 115 °F (46 °C) and keep dehydrating until you can flip them over to a mesh sheet. Dehydrate for a few more hours to pizza crust-like consistency.
Now that you have the base, you can store them in the fridge (or freezer) to use later, or you can assemble pizza right away using the recipes that follow.

Raw Marinara (Pizza Sauce)
 (Makes about a cup)
Blend the following ingredients:
½ cup sundried tomatoes*
2 small tomatoes
juice of half a lemon
couple of slices of red onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste/splash of soy sauce
splash of olive oil
basil, oregano

*soaking the sundried tomatoes beforehand helps a lot, especially if you (just like me) don’t have a high-speed blender

Raw Seed Cheese
Ingredients:
(Makes about a cup)
1 cup sunflower seeds
juice of half a lemon
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce/nama shoyu/1 tbsp umeboshi vinegar + some water (if you avoid soy)
optional: dash of turmeric for color

Directions:
Grind the seeds as finely as you can. Blend the rest of the ingredients and add the seed “meal” to the blender. Add some water if necessary for desired consistency. I like it more runny than thick but everybody’s different.

Both, the pizza sauce and the seed cheese will keep in the refrigerator just like the crust, so guess what, once you prepare them all you'll have some grab-and-throw-together lunch waiting for you for days!

Toppings
This is where you can go as simple or as crazy as you wish! I put spinach, tomatoes, and marinated mushrooms on these (above), and the first image shows the one with herbed walnuts and lemon boy tomatoes. You may put pineapple for Hawaiian or pesto for a green pizza. It’s hard to go wrong…

So grab a piece of crust, spread some pizza sauce on it, add your favorite toppings, and drizzle with some seed cheese. You may put the assembled pizza slice(s) into the dehydrator for a few minutes to warm up or for a couple of hours for more of a “baked” feeling.

Dinner is served!

What are YOUR favorite toppings??

Europe in The RAW 2011 ~ Copenhagen

I’m soo excited to share with you my adventures in this WONDERFUL town! I’ve been to many places in my life but the people here I’m pretty sure are the nicest people I’ve ever met! The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, the service quality, the technology, such as the smoothness of train cars, the automated subways with a glass front, etc, etc, I could just go on I’m so impressed.  And it doesn’t stop there. You know what else I’m into besides technology: animals and food, specifically RAW food. Now, if we add all these things up Copenhagen still wins the competition. This lovely place has so much wild life and raw food restaurants or small eateries, and the government subsidizes organic agriculture!!! Perfection! Oh, I loved it there so much! Funny thing is that without even knowing all this, just a few minutes after landing I said: “I wanna move here!” You can imagine my first impression.

We stayed with my husband’s friends who are also my new friends now. : ) The evening we got there Rikke took us for a walk in their neighborhood. It’s so beautiful there. There are green fields, wildlife, fresh air, and the opportunity for wild foraging! Yep, I even did that!
There was also a herd of sheep out there and these two just loved getting pet! 
The next day we went back to see them and the same ones started running towards us. They knew they would get pet again…

It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with animals. There’s more to come!

Raw Food in Copenhagen
I did some research to see if there were raw restaurants worthy of visiting. I found several in town with varying reviews, but who are you going to believe? I decided the best thing to do was to go into town and let our friends guide us and wait till we pass by a raw restaurant. The first one I saw was The Raw Tribe. Sticking my head in was enough of a clue. It smelled so good in there so I decided to try it.

“The Raw Tribe” Review
This 100% raw place might be hard to see since it’s quite small and it’s located in a basement. Their menu is not too large either but they
serve fresh juices and smoothies, wheatgrass shots, lunch items like pizza, and zucchini pasta, salads, desserts, and their own protein bars. What else would you need? I’d never had raw pizza before so that's what I chose to go along with a wheatgrass shot, and a hemp protein bar, which was similar to a brownie.

Pizza at The Raw Tribe

All of my lunch was divine! I wish this place were in Los Angeles! The pizza had a flax seed crust, a layer of marinara, baby spinach, pickled red onions, marinated mushrooms, pesto sauce, and “roasted” tomatoes. It was so delicious; I highly recommend it!









The second day we went back in town, just the two of us, to roam around and see more before we had to catch a plane that evening. We were lucky enough to walk by Raw & Rustic. My husband noticed it and while I didn’t even think it would be worth checking it out, we went for it, and I’m glad we did!





Raw & Rustic Review
This adorable place is not a raw restaurant but they had some raw options, and they sell some produce as well. It’s more like a juice bar that has some salads and some raw cookies, chocolate bars, and truffles to indulge in. I ended up with a cookie and some truffles.

Raw & Rustic Inside and Out

The cookie was a raisin-sunflower seed-hazelnut-cinnamon-vanilla creation (if I remember all the ingredients). It was a little hard and very chewy but tasty! The truffles were not my favorite at all. I wouldn’t buy those again. The service, the atmosphere, and the products in the store were all amazing. All in all, it’s a lovely place to visit!

Organic in Copenhagen
I already mentioned how much I loved this town. It’s not just the people, the scenery, etc. It doesn’t stop there. The Danish government subsidizes organic agriculture! There are no specialized organic stores around but any grocery store will have many options for healthier choices and tons of organic produce! Also, walking around in town you can see organic signs everywhere. Coffee shops, delis, even hot dog stands, or fast food places, very often use organic ingredients! Can you imagine??? Still, I didn’t just rely on stores for food! This is a place with so much food available to you, you just have to go and pick it.

Wild Foraging in Copenhagen
For the first time in my life I had wild greens! The beautiful fields pictured above had lots of dandelions and since those greens I do recognize and feel safe to consume, even with no experience, I picked some for my morning smoothie. Rikke also knows of a lot of fruits in the area that are edible so we gathered some tiny yellow plums, and some sour cheery-like fruit, besides blackberries. It’s amazing how much food is just there available to everyone and anyone to eat! I wish I knew more about wild foods!

We shared the fresh greens with our friends’ bunnies. They have three of them, a mom and a dad and their daughter. It was so nice to hang out with them; they're really sweet.

…And the rest of this beautiful and clean city in pictures:

 

The Round Tower, Built As an Observatory in 1642

The View of Windmills from The Tower

Architecture

 Oceanside

Around Town 

So Many Houses are Settling

Coming Up Next: Amsterdam!