Archive for the ‘recipes’ Category
KJ’s Should Be Famous Guacamole
I’m not sure why I stopped making this. When I mentioned that to my beloved, he said: “Maybe because I don’t eat guacamole?”
Given that that means twice as much for me, I really don’t know why I stopped.
I whipped this out over the holidays and it literally flew off the table. So for posterity’s sake, lest I forget again:
KJ’s Should Be Famous Guacamole
4 ripe avocados
2 small vine ripened tomatoes, diced
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, to taste
dash of cayenne
sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together and serve.
To make the mixing easier, I tend to mash the avocados using a potato masher before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with blue corn tortilla chips (or hemp tortilla chips from the same company if you can find them).
Though spoons, fingers, and celery sticks seem to work just as well!
Ah, even more ways and reasons to eat yams….
Filed under: coconut oil, cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment I’m consistently blown away by how good the Whole Foods website is.
For instance, check out their page on yams.
I’ll be curious to do the slice and steam prep they recommend for maximum health benefits (including blood sugar regulation), but it’s doubtful that I will ever give up my favorite: Candied Yams Without the Candy.
Although I had originally pitched this as a dessert, I’ve recently paired it with black beans, a little bit of forbidden rice (for texture more than anything else though it too is ridiculously good and good for you) and, last but certainly not least, my favorite kale recipe.
I put it all together on a beautiful multicolored, hand-thrown plate/bowl (7″) and I’m good to go. Not only is it super satisfying, it’s also beautiful with the gem-like colors: emerald, not quite ruby, and onyx. Seriously it’s almost as visually appealing as it is delicious.
New Winter Dessert Smoothie
I know that for most people, the words “winter” and “smoothie” rarely go in the same sentence.
However, I am one of those people that love cold, creamy desserts all year long.
Unfortunately, like most of the people in my family, I can no longer easily reach for ice cream or even a milkshake, as my ability to digest dairy (even raw dairy and goat’s milk yogurt, which is totally annoying) has diminished with age.
I can eat it (or drink it); it’s not like it causes me to swell up or anything like that. But it makes me feel crappy and it really throws a wrench in my normal digestion.
So for me, protein based shakes have become a staple – not only for breakfast, but also for snacks and desserts.
My newest concoction is perfect for the fall. I haven’t yet come up with the perfect name yet, but here it goes.
Vanilla Garnet Spiced Smoothie
8-12 ounces of cold water (or unsweetened almond milk)
4 tablespoons of Raw Organic Living Harvest Hemp Powder – Vanilla Spice Formula
1 medium garnet yam, cooked
1 tablespoon of psyllium husk (or Yerba Prima’s Colon Care)
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 pinch of pink sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of xantham gum, to thicken
Put all of the ingredients in a blender (preferably a high speed blender, though it may not be necessary for this particular recipe).
This is ridiculously good. I’m sure that you could also use pumpkin, but since I had a yam on hand, I just tossed it in – skin and all!
It hits all my buttons, the ingredients are super healthy, and it’s chock full of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. It also tastes suspiciously like a pumpkin pie milk shake (especially if you use almond milk as opposed to water). And if you’re worried about being cold, the cinnamon and the cayenne are very warming; I’m sure that cloves or nutmeg would also be excellent.
I’ve had it twice this way and I’m pretty happy with it. However, because I’m really conscious of adding more fat to my diet – yes, you heard me, more fat to my diet – I may throw in half an avocado or a tablespoon or two of coconut oil, manna, or creamed coconut.
I’ll keep you posted as the recipe evolves and if you try it, please do the same!
p.s. Now this makes a lot of smoothie, so you could easily serve four as a dessert!
Drink of the Day: KJ’s Sparkling Dessert
You know, I was going to write something meaningful today, but then I decided to go with something useful instead.
I’m sort of sugar-free these days, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally feel like something sweet. Feel, get it? Because when I do want something sweet, there are usually emotions involved.
So, here it goes. Whenever you need (or even just want) a quick sugar/calorie-free pick me up, viola:
KJ’s Sparkling Dessert in a Glass
1) Perrier water (or any other sparkling water, per your preference)
2) Organic Chocolate Extract (to taste, go slowly with this…we’re talking drops, not dropper-fulls)
2) Stevia (either regular or Vanilla Creme; again, so slowly as Stevia is about 1000 times sweeter than sugar and has a wicked aftertaste if you use too much)
Mix all ingredients in the most beautiful glass glass you can find (this is important). Sit back and enjoy!
It reminds me of some fountain drink – like a real fountain drink that you’d get at an old fashioned ice cream parlor – that I used to drink as a child.
Delicious, refreshingly sweet, and sugar-free! Yum! Besides the extra hydration is good for your skin!
Chocolate and Cinnamon Socca
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes, Uncategorized |
Comments (2) It’s been a long absence from this blog. I’ve been writing the journey from where I was when I was a regular blogger to where I am now, but the details seem long and convoluted and are of probably no interest to anyone other than myself.
However, I have been in the kitchen, so I may as well share my new discoveries.
Socca.
Socca? What the heck is socca?
I had never even heard of socca until I ran across this post from the Pure2Raw Twins.
Socca is a bread that you make from garbanzo bean (or chick pea) flour, which not only is gluten-free but is chock full of fiber and protein.
As I mentioned in the last post, I am in the process of sugar detox. Part of that means eating protein at every meal, including snacks.
Since I’m just as happy eating big protein-less salads and soups as I am anything else, I decided a little socca seemed in order.
I didn’t have any ground cardamon, so I subbed cinnamon.
Here it goes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat an iron cast skillet in the oven, with 2 1/2 Tbs coconut oil
1 cup chickpea flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 c. raw cacao
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. sea salt
Pour the batter into the center of the heated skillet and let it run out to the edges.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
I sat the skillet on a rack to cool and then used a baker’s cake decorating spatula to get it out (carefully, as you want it in one piece).
I cut it into 8 wedges. It’s dense and not particularly sweet (I think that next time I might add in some stevia), but it’s a great texture for sandwiches. And I can imagine that I’ll be eating it as a good source of gluten-free, high protein, bread.
Man, if I wasn’t on that no-sugar thing, this would be awesome with a little raw almond butter and honey! But I digress…
If you’re allergic to gluten or know someone who is, I highly recommend that you check out the twins’ webpage.
I think their pumpkin socca recipe is next on my list!
I’ll be sure to keep you updated!
Post Script: Chocolate Cinnamon Socca is phenomenal as a carrier for natural peanut butter!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
I love pumpkin. And I love smoothies, so when I saw my friend Ana’s post Winter Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, I was in heaven.
I even had pumpkin, so I was all set! Right?
Wrong. I went to the store without reading the recipe and when I got back I realized I was without carrot juice and without green cabbage. And as it turned out, I didn’t need the pumpkin – fresh and organic from the local farm – as the recipe called for sweet potatoes.
Have I mentioned that I am on a 31 day sugar detox and can’t have sweet potatoes? And technically, I’m only supposed to have 1/2 cup of carrots at a time!
I also needed some protein, because I hadn’t had any at lunch. What’s a girl to do?
Create her own Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. I hope Ana can forgive me for bastardizing her recipe!
KJ’s Version of Ana Poirier’s Winter Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla rice protein powder
1 small wedge of red cabbage
1/2 avocado
Liquid Stevia (I put in 4 -5 drops and it was pretty darned sweet; so proceed with caution).
6 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and puree until smooth.
I’m not sure what color the original is supposed to be, but this was a beautiful berry color – thanks to the red cabbage, no doubt, which you really could not taste at all!
So, if you’re in the mood for a little pumpkin pie, check this out. It’s surprisingly delicious. Or check out Ana’s. Or better yet, check out both!
I know I certainly be whipping up a batch of these post-Christmas dinner!
Enjoy, and if you try it, let me know what you thought!
New Green Smoothie Recipe (Low in Sugar)
I picked this one up from my friend, Kelly Cornell.
It’s sort of different, but it’s rapidly becoming a favorite! Check it out and let me know what you think!
A Dinner That Hit All My Buttons
Filed under: beets, coconut oil, cooking, food, gluten-free, recipes |
Leave a Comment Every once and a while, I surprise even myself. This was so good that I am immortalizing it here…as I will most certainly want to make this again.
Rainbow Salad with Spinach, Kale and Chard (I made a big salad for 1 as my main course):
Baby spinach (2 cups)
Red chard (2 small leaves, finely chopped)
Lacinta Kale (2 small leaves, finely chopped)
Green cabbage (about a 1/2 cup, finely chopped) – adds crunchiness without the carbs!
1 small carrot, finely shredded
1 small beet, finely shredded
1 Tbs shelled hemp seeds
2 Tbs of sunflower seeds
2 Tbs dulse
Dressing:
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb Braggs amino acid
That was the first course and would have been fine, but I was feeling particularly decadent.
So, onto dessert!
Roasted Delicata Sauce and Tahini
2 Delicata Squash (this way there’s plenty left over), seeded and cubed, unpeeled.
1 Tb Coconut Oil
Cumin to taste
Mix all three ingredients in a roasting pan and roast at 375 degrees. I took it out after 30 minutes or so, but it probably depends on the size of the cubes.
Optional: Serve with 1 Tb tahini to slow the absorption of the sugar in the squash and to add protein.
This was stellar. And gorgeous. Next time I’ll be sure to take a picture.
P.S. When I’m just having the salad, I’ll sometimes add in 1/2 cup of canned organic garbanzo beans.
Perfection in a Glass
No, I haven’t started drinking again! But I have created (for now at least) my all-time favorite raw food recipe: Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake with Goji Berries and Cacoa Nibs. Though considering that I spend most of my spare time in the kitchen, that – I am sure – is subject to change! 
This all started earlier this summer, when I had a Chocolate Maca shake at Planet Raw, this phenomenal raw food restaurant in Santa Monica, California. It came out in a 16 ounce tumbler, lightly dressed with nuts, goji berries, and cacao nibs – and it was heavenly. Not only was it delicious and ridiculously good for you, it also had the additional benefit of the maca/cacao buzz.
(If you’re familiar with maca – which is a peruvian superfood with slight psychedelic properties – you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, it’s sort of hard to explain, but I’d recommend that you try it. Without putting too fine a point on it, it’s sort of like malt, with benefits. Mix that with a little raw cacao and you’re in for a supersonic treat!)
Anyway, I digress.
Since then, as you might imagine, I have been trying to replicate it with more or less success.
But the big breakthrough came with the Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake I came up with a couple weeks ago. It was pretty close. The chia gel gives the shake a nice consistency – whereas the one at Planet Raw relied on coconut meat.
(Though I might use coconut meat too if I could figure out how to open one!)
But since I love nothing more than playing in the kitchen, the recipe continues to evolve – so maybe I should have called this post – Nearing Perfection in a Glass.
Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake with Goji Berries and Cacoa Nibs (1 serving)
1 cups almond milk (I used Almond Breeze, Unsweetened Chocolate – though I’m sure it would be better if I made my own)
3 Tbs chia gel
1 Tb maca
1 Tb chocolate rice protein powder
1 Tb raw cacao powder
1 Tb dried goji berries
1 Tb psyllium husk (or Yerba Prima Colon Care, which is much finer)
cinnamon, to taste
vanilla, to taste
5 drops chocolate stevia
8 ice cubesBlend together in a high speed blender! Garnish with raw cacao nibs and goji berries and enjoy!
Note: although this may look/sound like dessert, it can definitely be used for a meal replacement. It’s chock full of protein (close to 15 grams), fiber (close to ten grams), and essential fats – not to mention all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in the cacao, the goji berries, and the maca.
Peanut Butter Cups – Raw, Easy and Delicious
I love chocolate and I love peanut butter.
When you think about it, what’s NOT to love?
But I don’t like the sugar hit that traditional chocolate peanut butter cups give me. They taste great, but sometimes you have to think about how the food that you eat is going to make you feel two hours later, not to mention two days later when you’re still fighting sugar crazing – you know, that was actually a typo, but it’s so apropos, I think I’ll leave it!
So here’s what I came up with.
I originally saw a similar recipe on Alissa Cohen’s blog, but I ended up experimenting – big surprise.
KJ’s Version of the Old You’ve Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate Classic – Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients:
1 cup raw organic cacao
1 cup of cold pressed virgin coconut oil (melted; it becomes liquid at 79 degrees [or something like that] so you don’t have to heat it much, if any!)
1/4 cup of agave nectar
6-10 drops of chocolate stevia (or to taste; don’t do too much or you’ll get a strange after taste)
cinnamon, 1 – 2 tsp (or more; I like lot, so chances are I put in more)
organic vanilla, 1 tsp (or more, to taste)
raw organic peanut butter (or almond butter, or cashew butter….)
Whisk all of the ingredients – except the nut butter – until smooth.
Spray an ice tray or two with non-stick cooking spray (I know, I can hear Susan Powter as I type talking about the propellent in cooking spray, but what can you do?).
Spoon in about a T of chocolate into each ice cube space (the batch I made yesterday made about 20 pieces, but you might want to do one tray first and then start a second tray if you have any left over).
Let the chocolate set up for a few minutes; it shouldn’t take long.
Spoon in a rounded 1/8 teaspoon (or a 1/4 teaspoon depending on your chocolate:peanut butter taste ratio preference) into each cube space, then cover with remaining chocolate sauce.
If you have left over chocolate, start a second tray.
Put in the freezer overnight and you’re done!
Pop those puppies out in the morning and store them in an airtight container.
Now, the only caveat is you have to leave these in the fridge or freezer, because the coconut oil isn’t particularly stable – remember that 79 degree melting point? However, that said, they’ll stay good for a month or more (if they last that long) and if you keep them in the freezer, no one will know they’re there but you!
Reboot Camp Snack: KJ’s Kickin’ Kale Chips
Since part of my reboot involves in drastically limiting the almond and nut butters that cross these lips, I decided that I really had to do something with all of that kale I had in the fridge that didn’t require slathering in it tahini and nutritional yeast before putting it in the dehydrator – no matter how tasty it is that way!
I had tried a couple of other kale chip recipes and wasn’t a fan.
So, last night, I decided to make my own:
KJ’s Kickin’ Kale Chips
1 massive bunch of organic Kale (the big curly kind)
5 Tbs of olive oil (I am actually trying to increase my intake here, so it’s okay)
1 Tb agave nectar
1 tsp of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
ground cumin, to taste
cayenne, a pinch or less, to taste
Braggs Amino Acids, a couple of shakes, to taste
Cut the stems out of your kale, then tear into bite sized pieces. Place in a large stainless steel mixing bowl.
Then add all of the other ingredients, massaging them into the kale. The more massage, the better your flavor will eventually be!
Toss into the dehydrator, directly onto the screens and dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees (or until nice and crispy). I put mine in and left them overnight so I’m assuming it was about 8 hours!
Enjoy!
Recipe: Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, raw food, recipes, superfood |
Comments (3) More fun with chia seeds! It’s amazing how creative you can get when that’s one of your only three acceptable snack options!
Almond Maca Chia Cacao Shake (2 servings)
2 cups almond milk (I used Almond Breeze, Unsweetened Chocolate)
1 Tbs soaked chia seeds
1 Tbs maca
1 Tbs ground flax seeds
cinnamon, to taste
2 teaspoons of agave nectar (or 5 drops chocolate stevia and 1 tsp of agave nectar).
8 ice cubes
Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend!
I drank one for my morning snack and will have the other as my afternoon snack. Yum-my!
Recipe: Raw Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Filed under: cooking, raw food, recipes, superfood, Uncategorized |
Comments (1) This is my new snack option – incredibly filling and incredibly fibrous. In other words, this puppy will fill you up and clean you out!
Raw Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
2 cups almond milk (I used Almond Breeze, Unsweetened Chocolate)
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbs raw cacao
cinnamon, to taste
liquid Stevia, to taste (I used chocolate)
Mix all ingredients in a mason jar, then put on the lid tightly and shake.
Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours until nice and thick.
I think I waited about 4-5 hours, though a lot of recipes suggest that you let it sit overnight.
It stays good in the fridge, so I think there’s some wiggle-room.
If you’ve never had chia seeds before, they make a nice tapioca like pudding, and they are incredibly nutritious.
p.s. I’m sure you could make it with Vanilla milk, vanilla stevia, and without the cacao, but why would you want to? 
Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salad (Gluten-Free)
Filed under: cooking, food, gluten-free, high water-content food, recipes |
Comments (1) The other day I realized that I still had 36 cans of organic black beans left over from the case-lot sale last October – that is, before I decided to go mostly raw.
I also realized I had a ton of fresh corn in the fridge, thanks to the local CSA.
Given that black beans are really good for you and I hate to waste food, I found myself dusting off my cookbooks – you know, the ones where you actually cook – and pouring over the pages until I found something that I thought might do the trick.
The winner: Anne Lindsay’s Black Bean and Corn Salad (slightly modified, of course)!
1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet red bell pepper
2 cups raw corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tbs chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Dressing:
3 Tbs rice or cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp organic brown mustard (or Dijon)
1/4 tsp each of agave nectar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tsp each of water and vegetable oil (I actually forgot this part and didn’t notice until I was typing it up, so that leads me to believe that it’s optional!)
1. In a bowl, combine beans, red pepper, corn, celery, onions, and coriander.
2. Dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, agave, sea salt, and pepper; whisk in water and oil. Pour over salad and stir to mix.
Makes 8 servings
calories: 117
protein: 6 grams
total fat: 2 grams (unless, of course, you forget the oil, like I did!)
saturated fat: trace
carbohydrates: 21 grams
fiber: 4 grams
sodium: 204 milligrams
This was quite tasty and I’m sure that I’ll make it again. I mean, after all, I still have 34 cans of beans in the basement!
Regardless, I served it with fresh tomato and cucumber slices. Water-based. Easy. Beautiful. and Tasty! An all around win.
Enjoy!
Late to the Party As Always: “Cheezy” Kale Chips
I spend a lot of time on websites dedicated to the joys of raw food and I have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of references to Kale Chips.
Though I love kale and I love chips, I really hadn’t put the two together – until about a week ago.
Mama, I think I’m in love!
Kale chips! Who knew? Other than the thousands of raw foodists and other health enthusiasts out there who haven been blogging about these culinary delights for months, if not years!
My current favorite recipe for Kale Chips comes from the book, Raw Food Cleanse, by Penni Shelton, who just happens to be from my hometown and the founder of Raw Food Rehab. Without any copy right infringement meant, here it goes:
Susan’s Kale Chips 2.0
2 heads of curly kale, de-stemmed and cut into large chunks
3/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/4 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
Place all ingredients except kale in a food processor (or high speed blender) and run until well blended. Massage this mixture into the kale. Dry in dehydrator at 105 degrees until very crunchy!
EnjoY!
The Flavor of the Week: Avocado, Cacao, and Spinach…
…what’s not to like?
I have loved ice cream my entire life. It’s ironic that I lost 90 pounds while working at a Baskin Robbins. It wasn’t due to lack of desire, trust me. I just had stronger will power back then!
Since I’ve gone vegan (and soy free to just to make things really hard) I’ve been playing with the blender with as much enthusiasm as any mad scientist in her lab.
If given a choice, I would live on smoothies – or protein shakes. Or Ginger Lime Blasts. You name it, if it’s wet and cold, I’m all over it.
Especially in the summer.
This week’s concoction – or, as they used to say at Baskin Robbins, this “Flavor of the Week” – is totally decadent.
It’s super filling. It’s unbelievably healthy. It makes at least 16 ounces (did I mention that I still struggle with portion control?) and it’s chocolate. If I was going to describe it, I would say it’s half milkshake, half mousse.
KJ’s Flavor of the Week
1 scoop of Chocolate Rice Powder
1 scoop psyllium husk
lots of cinnamon (at least two teaspoons)
1/2 of an avocado
1 red chard leaf or a handful of spinach (or both)
1 cup of cold water
10-12 drops of Dark Chocolate Liquid Stevia
6-7 ice cubes
Process all of the ingredients in a high speed blender. Enjoy!
This is so filling and so, so yummy!
Tons of protein, tons of fiber, tons of essential fats, tons of yum! If you haven’t tried the avocado, cacao, dark leafy green combo, trust me, you don’t know what you’re missing!
Refurbishing Old Favorites: KJ’s Raw “Rice” Salad
One of the things that transitioning to a majority raw diet has taught me is that you need to be able to eat at least some of the things that you used to love when you were eating cooked food.
Sometimes that means just going ahead and eating it, as I did the other night when I had a delicious part-cooked part-raw meal at my friend Meg Maker’s house or as I did last night, when I met some former students for dinner at the Elephant Walk.
Other times, however, it means learning to refashion (or even refurbish) old cooked favorites.
A couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about a salad that a friend of mine used to make in graduate school. It wasn’t a traditional salad, as its base ingredient was cooked sushi rice. I believe the ingredients were rice, vinegar, avocado, crumbled nori sheets, and cucumber. I’m pretty sure that it came from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks and may have been called Sushi Salad or something like that.
Well, I’ve been thinking about that salad a lot, and this is what I came up with:
KJ’s “Rice Salad”
Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower, “riced” in the high speed blender or food processor
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 – 1 small avocados, diced
1 medium carrot, finely grated
6 – 8 stalks of baby asparagus, snapped into pieces (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
2 Tablespoons of raw organic dulse flakes (or crumbled nori sheets)
Sesame oil, to taste
Braggs amino acid, to taste
Directions:
Rice the cauliflower by cutting it small bite size pieces, then hitting the pulse button until you have reached desired consistency.
Add all of your other ingredients in layers, then drizzle on the sesame oil and the Braggs amino acids, to taste.
Gently toss to mix the flavors.
It’s fast, easy, delicious, healthy, and absolutely gorgeous. What more could you want?
Enjoy!
My New Favorite Breakfast Drink: Ginger Lime Blast
Over the last three years, I have given up pretty much every thing I liked – if not loved – to drink! Coffee, diet coke, wine, margaritas…. You name it, it I gave it up.
I was pretty much down to water and herbal tea. I had a minor flirtation with Kombucha – and I will again, when they put it back on the shelf!
Well, I have stumbled on a new concoction and I have been enjoying it daily! Not only is it absolutely delicious (indeed, even my father likes it!) it’s also super healthy. It’s detoxifying, alkalizing, and it even speeds up your metabolism! Seriously, what more could you want?
Recipe:
Juice of two lemons
Juice of one lime
3 slices of ginger root (each one about the thickness of a quarter)
1 slice fresh jalapeno (seeds removed)
2 stalks of celery
Liquid Stevia (15-20 drops)
2 cups water
2 cups ice
4 to 6 strawberries (optional)
Put it all in the blender and hit the button!
This makes about 32 ounces and it’s wonderful! It’s actually great if you exercise in the morning, because there’s just enough energy there to get you through a pretty tough 30 minute work out!
Regardless, enjoy on an empty stomach; preferably before breakfast!
This is so refreshing! I love, love, love it! And everyone I’ve shared it with agrees!
Eat Dessert First
Not a first, tonight I opted to have dinner in the form of dessert! Yum!
I swear, about half of my recipes these days comes straight from Gena Hamshaw’s amazing blog, Choosing Raw! Without a doubt, hers are some of the easiest, most beautiful, and most delicious recipes on the web!
Finally, a woman who knows how to make a salad!
One of the things I really dislike about trying to eat raw out is the sad definitions that non-raw people have of salads.
Even if you say – without any equivocation whatsoever – that you want a big salad, you’re still likely to get something that looks like something that wouldn’t satiate a six year old.
Indeed, my best results have come when I’ve actually brought my own food (that is, avocados and sunflower seeds) to dress up whatever meager offerings they’ve brought.
My favorite story about trying to order a raw dinner salad is thus:
KJ: I would like a large salad – -I mean huge – with all raw vegetables – anything you have is great. Any and all veggies – as long as it’s raw. Charge me whatever you will. I don’t care if it’s $25.00.
Server: Would you like grilled asparagus?
KJ: No, nothing grilled. Raw asparagus is fine. In fact, it would be great.
Server: You want raw asparagus? As in uncooked? You can’t possibly want that.
KJ: Actually, I do. Raw asparagus would be awesome, in fact.
She looked at me like I had just sprouted raw asparagus from my head!
Salad comes out: no asparagus.
Instead, I am offered a veritable feast of two scant cups of spinach, about a 1/2 cup of broccoli, 4 mushrooms, 4 tomato wedges (not even full quarters), 1/8 cup of grated carrots, and two decorative radishes.
Yum (as an appetizer…maybe).
I whip out my avocado and nuts and the waitress looks downright offended: “We have avocados in the kitchen. Would you like one?”
KJ: “No, I’ll use mine.” What part of any and all fresh vegetables did you not understand?!
Next time, I think I’ll just take a copy of this blog post to show the restaurant industry the difference between a side salad and a dinner salad! It might save everyone a lot of hassle, not to mention a couple of servings of raw indignation.
