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!

Fig Bread Gets Photobombed!!

Don't you hate when that happens?!?!

That's definitely NOT the case around here. I love living in a place where it does happen : )

I was trying to focus in on the food, which I'm about to share the recipe for with you in a moment…when she just elegantly walked into the picture. Needless to say, I was distracted for a few minutes and decided to watch the deer (there were three of them) around who are most welcome in the yard. But I did get back to work, eventually, so here's a recipe, with some unique photos this time…

I've been making fig bread for the past few weeks and can't get enough, it seems. What started out as an experiment last year, during fig season, continued and developed into a regular production around here….because it's simply delicious. So, I've decided to share this with you while figs are still available AND fresh pumpkin seeds are out too…a nice combination.

Besides the flavor…
This snack food is incredibly rich in minerals (almonds, figs, and pumpkin seeds are all loaded with nutrients good for your bones, heart, skin, and even libido!) and very satisfying and easy to take with you. I have been taking them along for trips I went on lately and even when I'm just out and about…they're nice to carry in your bag so you have something nourishing to reach for wherever you are.

Raw Foodie's "Manna"  - Fig Bread

(Ingredients for 2 trays worth - 72 pieces, the way I cut them)

2 cups almonds

½ cup chia seeds

8-10 mission figs*

~1 tbsp cinnamon (fine powder)

pinch of your favorite salt

optional: cayenne pepper to taste, few extra figs for topping

pumpkin seeds for topping 

Directions:
0. If you have time, soak the almonds for up to 8 hours (or overnight)
1. In a food processor, grind the almonds fine and then add 8-10 figs and process further.
2. Grind the chia seeds (if you have a spice grinder or designated coffee grinder, otherwise just use them whole) and add them to the mixture, along with the cinnamon, salt, and cayenne (if you're using any)
3. Spread your batter onto two reflex sheets (about half of your batter on one and half on another) to prepare for dehydration.

Now, this step is optional:

(4.) Process a few more figs into a jam-like consistency (doesn't take much) and spread a thin layer on top of the batter. This will make them look even prettier and provide a nice gooey surface to hold the pumpkin seeds on top.

With "fig jam" layer

Without "fig jam"

5. Score, according to desired shape and size (I usually make square ones, 6 x 6 = 36 per tray).
6. Sprinkle / carefully place pumpkin seeds on top of the squares nicely, pressing them into the batter gently.
7. Place the trays in the dehydrator and dehydrate them for 1-1.5 hours at ~130 °F (54 °C).
8. Carefully flip them onto other trays with screens only, peel the teflex sheets off from the bottom, and  put them back in the dehydrator for several hours (depending on how soft or firm you'd like them to be) longer at 115 °F (46 °C).
9. Devour some of what's left (after coming around and tasting them while "baking") and let the rest cool before putting them in containers for storage. Most of the time I don't even put them away though. If you're not using the dehydrator for something else for a while, you can just leave them in there on the trays to store and get some out to eat / take with you every day (as long as they last).

Enjoy your raw manna! : )

Raw Travelings: Kansas City's Cafe Gratitude in the Spotlight

"It's 8˚F (-13˚C) outside right now" said the woman on the other end of the phone… Ouch. I was pretty much ready to cancel my flight! ;)

It was my first time, since living the raw lifestyle, to go on an adventure to some place so cold that I didn't even remember what that felt like. No matter how often I used to freeze my butt off waiting for the bus as a child on my way to school, I somehow forgot how that feels. Living in California for the past 3+ years has definitely left its mark on my "comfort zone", ha!

Ok, so I was that brave. I got on a plane, not knowing what to expect at all once we land there. NO. Not exactly. Guess what! The universe is always there for you, right? So, while you might think (and righteously) a raw girl could never survive those conditions, I did my best to prepare for the 4, weather-wise-challenging days I was about to go through...

The first thing I do (and have been doing for many years) when I travel is get online and take a virtual tour of the vicinity of my destination. When you care about what you put into your body you want to know ahead of time where to get the good stuff. Being aware of what is accessible and how much of an effort it will take to get it can save so much stress. You know what to pack, you know how to plan your route from the airport to the place you are staying at and you know where you will be able to go for daily replenishment of your tiny ice box in that hotel room, or where to get fresh produce to prepare in the kitchenette (if you can book one) that will be your temporary home for your stay.

But how on Earth is it possible that my favorite restaurant (in my neighborhood) is also in Kansas City (and nowhere else!)? I mean, what are the chances of that???? Tons, you may say…knowing how the Universe operates... Yes, there is a Cafe Gratitude in KC and you better believe that I was a daily guest! In fact, I was there twice a day! With Whole Foods being far away, what else would I have done?

And it doesn't stop there! I had a friend with me who had never eaten dishes that are made of, well, plants, and yet, he was not only willing to try it once but came with me to the restaurant every single time! The first day I thought he would just drop me off (we shared a car) but no, he came in with me  and ate and kept doing that every day.

As far as my expectations….let's just say they were quite high, but this sister restaurant delivered!
Great ambiance, knowledgable staff, fresh and delicious dishes that came so fast….yep, I was impressed right away, on the first visit…And so I tried a lot of things over the rest of our stay and so did my friend.

…here is the line-up:

I had to start with the "I Am Dazzling" caesar salad, the one I've had many times in California and always love

…….Ouch, ok, I'm trying to get passed the poor quality of these iPhone shots and move on…….

Dazzling was ever so rich and creamy. It's romaine lettuce and chunks of avocado plus capers, tossed in a generous amount of dressing, and topped with ground up brazil nuts (in place of pasteurized cheese)….so yummy.

I'm notorious for sticking with dishes I like and ordering the same old stuff whenever I'm in Berkeley, but this time I had to browse the menu and "try to" find something other than my usual favorite since they had different creations at this restaurant. And let me just say, I'm so glad I did, because everything was very tasty! So, next, I tried a new-to-me dish that was incredibly delicious. "I Am Happy is an apple-curry wrap filled with seed pate and veggies and it comes with a side of mixed greens salad

but I substituted "Kim Chee" (truly that pink, btw), which was spicy, just the way I like it. I could have eaten a large bowl of it!

The first thing my friend tried was the "I Am Super Plentiful", a bowl of chili (off the cooked section of the menu) and he said it was delicious and filling.

But we didn't stop there, or at least, I didn't. You will understand why, once you see the dessert plate they brought out…

Starting from the top left corner, the selection on our first day there was tiramisu, key lime pie, "Bliss", which is a chocolate-hazelnut cream pie, coconut cream pie, macaroons, truffles, and a chocolate-dipped superfood bar. If you don't know yet, they're famous for their dessert but even if they were not, how could you pass? I went with the tiramisu and took it "home" with me to devour it in the hotel room…ahhh so delicious…

And it continues, since we were regular guests there during our 4-day visit… My friend tried the "I Am Extraordinary" sandwich, a CLT with spicy cashew aioli, toasted chipotle-maple coconut, romaine, tomato and guacamole

And I chose the buckwheat flatbread, " I Am Creative". It was basically a large cracker topped with hemp seed pesto, tomatoes, basil, nut parmesan and cashew ricotta cheese…fabulous, I will definitely go for it during my next visit!

Pesto up close…it's obvious I liked this one… :)

Mint chocolate chip shake was the dessert of the night. "I Am Cool" was so delicious, I had to order it again our last morning for our ride to the airport…of course, I ended up having to "inhale" it too fast before going through the TSA "stuff"

And, since my friend decided to get his first piece of raw vegan dessert, I got to try Cafe Gratitude's key lime pie for the first time ever….yummy!

My friend tried the bruschetta, "I Am Present", one day and loved the crunchiness of the toasted baguette and especially appreciated the cashew mozzarella, all drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette

and I tried a new-to-me salad, "I Am Gorgeous", which was incredible! I highly recommend this delicious pile of mixed greens, carrots, dukes, apples, herbs and mission figs, tossed in a sesame-ginger dressing. I really was wishing it was a never-ending buffet instead of "just" one plate! So good...

The last slice of pie I tried was a chocolate-mint cream pie. It was so rich and creamy, dense, like "Bliss" that I'm so used to. It was our last night and how could I have turned down this green and brown marbled wedge sprinkled with cacao nibs?…

I didn't. I took a piece with me to eat in the car while we were on our way to a steak house where I watched a couple of friends have a different kind of dinner ;)

So, yes, it was a lot of eating over a short period of time…too much of the gourmet for me all at once but I couldn't be happier about having this restaurant there! It saved me!

Thanks, Cafe Gratitude, for being there! I'm so grateful!… See you soon! :)

What are YOU grateful for?

Soft & Crunchy Carob Energy Bars

There's a Bio store (organic health food grocery store) in Budapest that carries some cookies that are filled with a carob-sesame-honey filling. I lived on those for a while when I was there. Aside from the honey, they're vegan and whole grain and organic but of course not raw. That was perfect for me back then when I was a vegan whole foods enthusiasts and had not even heard of the strange concept ; ) of eating raw yet. So I was in heaven when they had them and was quite upset whenever they were out. They sold like hotcakes so you had to be on top of things and learn when they were delivered and be there shortly after. But that was then....and THIS is now.

It's been long overdue that I combined the above described flavors and created a raw delicacy and without further ado I'll share with you the "rawsome" outcome of my trial-and-error snack bars.

Crunchy Carob Energy Bars

(Makes 5 bars)

1/4 cup and 2 tsp carob powder

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup buckwheaties*

2 tsp lucuma powder

1/4 cup and 3 tsp tahini

3 tsp honey (not vegan) or maple syrup (not raw) or agave syrup

juice of 1 small carrot and a 1 in (~2 cm) piece ginger

For coating: cinnamon or extra carob powder or lucuma powder

* Buckwheaties are sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat. You could just soak and dehydrate them to be qicker. I usually make a big batch to have them around whenever I need to use them in a recipe.

Directions
1. Optional: grind the sesame seeds just a little bit to break them up.
2. Using a fork, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl adding the juice little by little.
3. Add more juice if the mixture is too dry to handle and add more carob powder if it gets too wet. Taste test and add more sweetener if desired.
4. Form bars or any other shapes out of the mixture. It will be a sticky experience but it's so worth it. Roll each bar into cinnamon or carob powder.
5. Store them in the fridge if you prefer them firm, leave them out for a softer snack.

Carob's benefits
This caffein-free bean that's commonly used instead of cacao in desserts is very rich in calcium, practically fat-free, has no oxalic acid to interfere with absorption of nutrients, and is naturally sweet so you'll probably use less sweetener in your recipes when using carob.

Buckwheat and ginger have warming energy, a perfect cold-weather food. Sesame seeds and tahini are extremely rich in minerals and B-vitamins and will nourish your bones, your hair and skin.

That's right, these bars are not only yummy but quite nourishing as well. I took one a day with me to work last week and looked forward to my after-lunch dessert more than ever :) They're great for traveling too. Enjoy!

Europe in The RAW 2011 ~ London

“The best for last?“ The last city we visited during this European vacation has certainly made it to my favorites list, just like Copenhagen and Amsterdam! London is very city-like, versatile, exciting, AND English speaking….yay! Before we left for our journey, I asked around for advice on where to get good quality raw foods in all of the places we were going to visit. The most negative warnings I got referred to London. I was told, all people eat in this city is white bread and fish and chips. This couldn’t be further from the truth! While I’m sure the above-mentioned foods are the most favored by the majority of people, if you seek out organic raw foods, you’ll find them. So that’s what we did and we booked a tiny apartment in Notting Hill near a three-story organic store (the one chain that has many stores all across the U.S. as

The View from Our Room

well but I don’t wish to advertise) that we visited three times during our two-and-a-half-day stay! And that is just the beginning…


Sightseeing
The first day we met up with some of my husband’s friends and they took us around town to show us as many of the main attractions as possible. We were so lucky to have the nicest weather. The rain did catch us but only for a few minutes and the rest of the day the sun was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds.
I learned from my horrible experience in Amsterdam and was smart enough to make a salad and also packed some snacks to take with me just in case! It was the simplest salad but it saved me from having to eat out. Ironically, we walked through the most impressive line-up of vendors’ shops, including an endless number of international food stalls, at the Mayor’s Thames Festival right along the river. It was such an amazing event and there were several places where I could have gotten some quality raw foods, one of them an all-raw, organic place. Unbelievably, there was even a coconut stand there (of which I did snap a picture) with wise words at the front to teach the masses the benefits of fresh coconuts. The city center was quite beautiful, full of memorable architecture. We started at The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster (commonly referred to as The Big Ben, see above) and then saw the London Eye, which I find a very impressive structure. Look how beautiful it is, and no matter where you are in the city you can see it “watch” you. It’s so enormous!                      

London Eye

Next, we passed by the Millenium Bridge (instead of marching across it ; ) so it didn’t sway), then saw and crossed the beautiful Tower Bridge to get to the Tower of London. Later, we took a detour to see the Buckingham Palace and its gorgeous gardens,
before heading home through Hyde Park. It was such a beautiful walk. We got to feed a lactating squirrel (luckily, I had organic walnuts on me), photographed some ducks, and saw some of the art, such as the statue Isis, there. Our little tour covered just a small part of what’s to see in London. There are reasons to go back : )

The Millenium Bridge

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London & The Royal Garden

Hyde Park

Raw Food in London 

The next day we were left to ourselves to do whatever we wanted on our last day in Europe. We decided to check out another part of the city, Camden Town. It turned out so well because we loved the area, we got to eat in a great restaurant, and there were tons of stuff to see so we spent the entire day there! Camden is famous for shopping, especially for its Stables Market, full of antiques and  

international food stalls. It is loads of fun to walk through this maze of shops and look at art and treasures from all over the world. But before we did that, we had lunch in a wonderful place across the street called inSpiral Lounge. This lovely place is an organic, vegetarian, high raw heaven. We didn’t know of its existence so it was a very lucky find, to say the least!









inSpiral Lounge – Review
As they say, a good first impression is invaluable. Mine was at least good. When we walked in we were greeted by lovely staff who were ready to serve us and didn’t hesitate to answer all my questions before figuring out what I could order. Andrew had (cooked) lasagna as his entree along with salads and I started off with a shot of wheatgrass and ordered a burger for my main meal that came with my choice of three side salads, yes, you’re reading that right, not one, not two, but three! I really enjoyed my first-ever raw burger, which was served on a bed of spinach and topped with some marinara sauce. The three salads I had were: a red cabbage salad, which had a creamy dressing, a maca & goji salad that was beet and carrot based, and caeser salad (my first ever caesar and my favorite of the three), which was nutty and savory, and so delicious.

As you can see the portions are quite generous too but that doesn’t mean I skipped the dessert. I wasn’t hungry at all but I had to try as much of their stuff as possible! So I ran back to take a look at the cakes and the ice-cream case (which you must pass by as you enter) and looked at what was raw. I went with the key-lime pie and since there were quite a few flavors of ice cream that were raw vegan I sampled
them and chose the lucuma-maple-pecan (ok, it had some maple syrup, not quite raw but we’re talking ice-cream anyway…) and the chocolate to go along with the cake. Whew, that was a good amount of sweets to share after such a meal. We cleared the plate though and we enjoyed every single bite. I loved everything at this place and I wish I could go back soon!

Goodies at inSpiral (and a bit of glare : J)

After lunch, we walked around a little more and as if we had any room left, we had some fresh sugar cane and young coconut. Andrew lived on Hawaii for a while so it was nothing new to him but it was my first trying both of them (besides a sip of coconut water before).

Are you impressed yet? What else would a raw foodie ask for all in one place??? London, or at least Camden, has got it all!
It was time to head back to our apartment so we got on the tube for our last ride before flying home the next morning.

Andrew & I - Maybe a LITTLE Run Down But Full of Experience!

I just remembered that night that there is a raw restaurant at the upper level of the gigantic organic store in the area we stayed so we went back to take a look at it right before closing. Saf is vegetarian and most of the stuff on the menu is raw. Since they had a table out front with their “snackables” I got to try some of their crackers. The superfood crackers were quite flavorful and had no added salt in them so they’re great if you avoid salt or high sodium foods.

I can’t believe how fast the three weeks passed. Six days in Barcelona and then five countries in fifteen days. It was the best vacation, ever! I got to see my family and a bunch of new places. I’m already sitting at home in L.A., typing away, and daydreaming of our next adventure somewhere far in a different world.

The funniest thing, and a closure to our trip, was the picture I saw at LAX airport upon arriving:

Having been the biggest dreamer my whole life, I always said I lived in La La Land. Little did I know that I literally did for the past year and a half! I love Europe and I love Los Angeles. The first time ever I didn’t mind coming home! : )

Europe in The RAW 2011 ~ Amsterdam

As if this town was a continuum of Copenhagen (no offense to anyone living in either of these lovely places), my first impression was that it would be my new favorite! Its beauty, its charming city center with the canals and the sinking buildings, its wildlife, and the kind people are hard to not fall in love with. The only part that was hard was finding raw or even vegan restaurants in the city.


Raw Food In Amsterdam
We only had a couple of days and after breakfast we headed to the city to see as much of it as possible. I made a big mistake by not bringing food with me! There are many juice bars where you can get wheatgrass shots and some raw brownie bars (I got a Pulsin‘ RAW CHOC Brownie) and the second day we found organic grocery stores too but other than that we were out of luck. The nicest “bio” supermarket is BioMarkt, I wish we had known about it the first day. We stayed a few miles from the center near a mall where there’s an all-organic, mini grocery store.
They carry a good amount of produce and some raw chocolate. It was nice to have the opportunity to stock up 

Raw Choc: rich, soft, and delicious brownie 

for breakfast and to try some new chocolate, such as the Lovechock’s cacao nib bar.

Lovechock Is Almost Too Rich

Inside BioMarkt

BioMarkt Review

This little market is an organic grocer that even has a raw section with crackers, superfoods, nuts and seeds, and a raw deli case full of desserts that will surely satisfy your needs whatever special diet you may follow. We got some produce and some dessert. I didn’t even feel like sweets but we were leaving the next morning so that was my only chance and look at this case!

The Amazing Dessert Case at BioMarkt

Gula Java Magic Chocolate Pie

Half of the desserts were raw vegan such as cakes, brownie bars, and truffles. I decided to try the Gula Java Magic Chocolate Pie. I know it looks a little imperfect but if you consider that I carried it around for a day in my purse, it held up pretty well, right? 

Ready for the ingredients? It was created using:
Almonds, buckwheat, coconut oil, avocado, dates, cacao powder, Gula Java coconut blossom sugar, camu camu, and salt. It’s quite something, isn’t it? Besides, it was my frirst time eating camu camu. It was creamy and yummylicious with a crunchy sprinkle of coconut sugar on top (that’s melted by the time I got to it after going around town).

Chocolate Explosion Pie

I also got a slice of their Chocolate Explosion Pie, which was more like a very rich and filling cake full of nuts and goji berries. This one was made of dates, coconut, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, avocado, agave syrup, cacao powder, acai, cranberries, goji berries, and camu camu. Believe it or not, I ate them all at once, while on the plane, the next day for lunch! It was a chocolaty day!








Miserable Cooked Food Experience After Months of 100% Raw


And here comes the most
disappointing part of this vacation. We always have a choice to eat raw and even if we don’t we have the option to fast. Over the years my husband and I went to two different restaurants all the time when we went out. One would eat at one while the other just sat there to keep company and vice versa. The reason for it is that he ate meat when I met him, later gave up meat and decided to stick with fish only, then turned vegetarian, and finally vegan. Since I had been a vegan macrobiotic all along and now a raw foodie, my diet has always been more restricted. This time, I could have opted for fresh fruit or juice that’s not organic but I really didn’t like the idea and after spending hours looking for an organic (at least) vegan place with some salads, where we could both eat, and not finding anything, I said to him: “You decide, and I’ll go eat whatever (as long as it’s vegan and not fried food).” And so I did. I joined him for a, by that time, dinner instead of lunch at an Indian restaurant. It was the most expensive Indian food we ever had in our lives, one of the best too, but

extremely salty for me, not surprisingly, and we enjoyed our time. Only later that evening and especially the next day did I realize how sick it made me feel. I was not 100% sure that it was due to eating cooked food initially but I felt horrible feverish, suffered from inflammation, and it felt as if I had the flu. Only after I was back to raw foods the next day and felt normal again did I know that it was the cooked food! There’s no other reason

why I would feel so sick and then bounce back so fast as if nothing had
happened. The following few days were a roller coaster since I “had to" have a few more cooked meals. Every single time I did I ended up feeling very sick and bloated and every time I went back to raw foods I was fine all of a sudden. On one hand I regret horribly, because it was so awful to not feel my best. On the other hand, it was the greatest experiment ever. I never believe what I read/hear, instead, I like to test things and see if they work or they don’t. This experiment was not planned but

Flamingos

what I had heard all along is proven to be true: once you’re raw, it hurts to eat cooked (at least very often).
You may follow your heart, have fun if you want to socialize or you are on vacation and the circumstances are not the most ideal, even at the cost of giving up raw foods. It will probably not feel good but may be worth it and you can go back to your raw breakfast the next morning.
My conclusion: My stomach is still recovering from the experience and I have awful cravings and am constantly hungry. Unbelievable as it is, I feel a little worse I felt the first few days of switching to 100% raw. My body is really confused and

doesn’t even know what it wants. It’s a terrible feeling but I hope it will be just a few more days. I’m sharing this experience for two reasons:
1 - you know what to expect (although everyone is different) if you choose cooked food one day.
2 – I wonder if you’ve had the same experience? How were you affected by cooked food?

Look at the rest of the beauty of this town! I couldn’t get enough of walking down its charming streets and along canals. Feeding and photographing swans and ducks, walking through the greenest parks, looking at boat homes, were just never-ending fun spent with my husband!  I could honestly move here too, I would just have to open a raw restaurant! ; )
But first, we’re off to London, our last stop of this Euro-tour.