Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Pineapple Smoothie

loving this smoothie of the moment.
feels so healthy, green, delicious!

2 leaves of kale, stem cut out
1 cucumber, peeled
1 apple, peeled
handful of fresh pineapple chunks
water, decide how thick or thin you want your smoothie

blend in vitamix or high powered blender.

Quantum Eating

"Quantum Eating: the ultimate elixir of youth" by Tonya Zavasta is my reading book of the moment. I was so happy to finally receive this book since there was a delay in publishing it.

Tonya, as usual is full of raw-scientific information, quantum physics, personal experiences and sense of humor. Her research is incredibly vast. There is a recipe section too.

I am reading it slowly, digesting it bit by bit.

Giving Away

Go HERE for a little give away.

David Wolfe

On Saturday, November 17 David Wolfe gave a talk at Exotic Superfoods....located in Queens, New York. Of course it was a full house. David, always full of high energy, vibrant and giving wholesome raw information.
His message was on the use of super foods and super herbs and get off of everything else.

SUPER FOODS
cacao
goji
maca
bee pollen
chlorella
aloe vera
blue green algae
spirulina
hemp seed

SUPER HERBS
astragalus
mushroom extract, especially reishi
ginseng
una de gato (cat's claw)
pau d'arco
tulsi
ashwaganda
garlic (kills everything)
or kyolic (garlic extract)
mangosteen rind

We have a choice, living longer or dying longer.

Raw Summit 2 Begins

Thursday, November 15, Raw Food Summit 2 begins!

Listen to living and health experts. It is FREE!!
You get all this wonderful information for free when you register by clicking here .

The first round was full of great information. Looking forward to the 2nd.

Enjoy!

Halva

Oh these are just so yummy and with a glass of coconut water......delicious!

1 cup of raw tahini

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla

small amount of each of: (these can vary with what you like, ie. nuts and seeds)

hemp seeds

cocoa nibs

cocoa powder

blend in food processor

roll very small balls in palm (it is rich)

roll in dried coconut

place in covered dish, keep in refrigerator

Greens & Fruit Soup

Greens and Fruit Soup
A lovely, thick soup this makes. So refreshing it is to eat this here in Bahia, Brazil.
If you want it to be a smoothie, just add more liquid.

for two servings:
1/2 medium papaya
1 medium mango
6 strawberries
greens of any kind
I used 2 leaves of lettuce, some arugula, 1 leaf of kale, small amount of cilantro
2-3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon of coconut butter/oil
pinch of sea salt
coconut water

blend, serve in bowls and decorate with cut up fruit

Coconut

One of my favorite foods is the coconut.

Happy to be back in Bahia, Brazil.....consuming lots of coconuts.

Oatmeal Cookie Biscotti at Raw Test Kitchen

I made this Oatmeal Cookie Biscotti using Raw Test Kitchen recipe.
Definitely soooo yummy.

2 c almonds
1 c oat groats, soaked, divided
1/2 c dried cranberries, soaked
1/4 c agave nectar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t sea salt

In food processor, pulse almonds into a flour. Remove from processor. Add half of oat groats to food processor and process until smooth. Place mixture in a bowl. Combine oat groat mixture with almond flour, seasoning, agave nectar and cranberries. Spread mixture on Teflex sheet. Dehydrate at 110 degrees overnight or 6-8 hours. Flip over and score into bars about 4 hours into the dehydrating time.

Beets, Carrots, Greens with Avo & Dulse

in food processor shred 1 carrot and 1 small beet
chop:
1 or 2 scallions
1 date
your favorite greens, I used romaine in this recipe
few leaves of basil
small handful of cilantro

mix all of the above in a bowl
add salt, juice of 1/2 lemon, olive oil
mix again

add some pine nuts if you like

serve with sliced avocados and pieces of dulse

a delicious meal this makes.

for chopping, my tool is the Wusthof mincing knife. it rolls over and cuts the veggies nice and smooth.

After the Flush

After the Gall Bladder/Liver Flush, I have been feeling clear and light. My insides want only very simple foods and drinks. Mostly fruits. Have been craving kombucha and drink it daily. I feel I am being extra careful. It feels so nice and nurturing. I touch my stomach, liver area as if sending it care and love....yes, that is what I am doing. Breathing into my liver and gall bladder. It is recovery time.

I made a light green juice today of:
celery
kale
cucumber
zucchini
apples

The Flush of the Gallstones

Last day of drinking apple juice. All 32 ounces were drunk in the morning. Had a very light breakfast of soaked raw oatmeal and a small cut up pear. Around noon some more oatmeal. After 1:30 nothing should be eaten.
About 1 PM a headache started to come on.
As the afternoon progressed I kept feeling sicker, nauseous, weak, a bit shaky and cold.
At 4 PM I went for a colonic. The bile ducts opened from the apple juice. Bile and toxins were releasing. That was the reason for the sickly feeling. Felt much better after the colonic. Even though there were several bowel movements throughout the day, it amazes me how much "stuff" is still in us when doing a colonic.

6 PM first glass of epsom salt drink. I did place half of a lemon on my tongue, way back onto the taste buds. This helped with not tasting the vile drink.
8 PM second glass of epsom salt drink.
10 PM olive oil and grapefruit juice drink. This was actually nice.
Laid in proper position for 20 minutes. Head propped up with pillows, higher than abdomen.
Was quiet, concentrated on liver. Meditated. Slept.

Next morning.
6 AM third glass of epsom salt drink.
Some watery bowel movements with gallstones (picture).They float. About 80+.
8 AM fourth and last glass of epsom salt drink.
Some more watery BM's with stones. About 50, then 60.
Later it was less and less stones. It appeared to be a total of about 200 stones.
I do not know if there were any calcified gallstones. They sink. I was not that adventurous to hunt for them.

I feel amazingly good. The whole experience was positive. For me the only part that was not pleasant was the sickly feeling before the colonic.

I am glad I did it. Will definitely do it again. Soon.

Liver & Gall Bladder Flush

Today I started the preparation work for the Liver & Gallbladder Flush. For 5 or 6 days I will be drinking 32 ounces of organic apple juice per day. The last day is the actual flush.

The Amazing Liver & Gall Bladder Flush by Andreas Moritz is the one I am following. After reading the book I got inspired by it. I know the importance of cleansing our body internally. Although I hear the epsom salt consumption part is not pleasant, I am doing it. The results will be great.

Wish me luck!

Peach Cobbler

This very delicious cobbler recipe is just so peachy. Oh so yummy. With all the ripe and aromatic peaches available now, this is definitely the recipe of the moment. Very easy to make. Do make the whole recipe. Everyone will love it. I just bought a bunch of peaches to make another batch. Had it for breakfast, snack and dessert. Trust me, you'll love it. Go HERE for the recipe.

Brenda Cobb on Raw Food Summit

Raw Food Summit has been hosting some very impressive interviews with raw/live food personalities.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to listen to all of them. By the way, they are free and it's live on the designated dates and time. Also, for 24 hours after the live interview it is still free on podcast. After that the interviews are available for sale. They are are approximately one hour long.

Brenda Cobb was on the schedule last night. Today I listened to the podcast. This woman has a healing story to tell.

I urge you to go to the site now before 8:00 PM Eastern and take a listen to her speak.
http://www.rawsummit.com/podcast/brenda.html

Also, check out the rest of the scheduled speakers and sign up to listen.
http://www.rawsummit.com/access/free

Nice Support from a Nice Hostess

I was invited to a churrascaria,( Brazilian version of a barbecue) at a friends house here in Brazil. Lots and lots of meat. Salads, rice, beans and many other prepared foods are also offered.

Being a vegetarian and mostly raw/living food eater, the hostess was incredibly attentive. Normally I do not prearrange any food requirement, because there is always salad. Sometimes I also eat before going to an invited "food" type of party.

A beautiful platter of different cut up fruits was put in front of me. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me. The fruits were displayed so creatively. I also had a large glass of fresh orange juice. I really did not expect it, I was going to be fine with a salad. Later, I did have a salad.

It did make some people curious and I had some nice conversations about raw/living food.

Great Article by Karen Knowler

The Eye Of The Needle

From Successfully Raw Issue 55:

The following article is one I've been meaning to write for a long time. Exploring the concepts of "extremism", freedom, contraction and expansion, the "eye of the needle" is the perfect metaphor for the way we approach, experience and come out the other side on our raw food journey.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that my dietary beginnings were just about as broad as you can get. There wasn't a lot that was considered off limits for me eating-wise - except to say vegetables, rice and nuts, which I hated with a passion! (Rather ironic to say the least, non?!) As I grew older the diversity grew as I did. In came more junk, more meat, more sweets, more crisps, more fizzy drinks, and then of course in came the alcohol at 18, as well as the Saturday night take-aways and goodness knows what else!

From this perspective we can liken the breadth of foods eaten by me then to the wider edge of a triangle or funnel, where pretty much anything goes.

The next stage of my food journey (January 1992) was my venturing into piscetarianism. That is, not eating meat any more but still eating fish, and a fair amount of it at that. And with this of course came the "loss" of burgers, sausages, various pies, steaks and more, and in its place came rice, some vegetables, more salads and other comparatively-speaking healthier stuff.
My first move in towards the eye of the needle had begun!

Eight months later, in August of '92 I dropped the fish, and was officially now a fully-fledged vegetarian! A few months later dairy was pretty much a non-event with my first serious exploration of veganism, and simultaneously bread was also being cut out of the equation with increasing frequency as I became more aware of my sensitivity and almost compulsive addiction to it.

From the outside looking in it must have appeared that I was very much in "high-restriction" mode as I cut these foods out, and yet, of course, I had never looked or felt better for what I was leaving out of my diet and bringing in more of instead!

Thus I was merrily tripping my way with increasing speed towards that eye, where very little gets through at all...
At the turn of spring in 1993, having now read the inspirational "Raw Energy" by Leslie Kenton, I was starting to dabble more and more with raw foods for the first time. In came the spirulina, more fruits and vegetables, more salads, juices, smoothies, sprouts, sea veg and wheatgrass and other great new stuff and out went just about everything else, bar a few cooked carbs to bulk up my meals and the occasional revisiting of anything else I fancied at the time.

At this point I was now obviously speeding towards the "eye" with mounting haste with old foods, drinks and menus being tossed very happily and enthusiastically over my shoulder as I went!

Between then and 1998 the journey continued apace, sometimes fast, sometimes slower, but all the time I knew that I was most definitely going to a place of increasing purity with my diet, and this proved to be the case - until I reached the amazing point where all my foods were raw, all my meals were "pure" and no cooked foods at all were eaten or even desired. Oooh! I had finally reached the eye!

And this is the place where I want to rest a while and discuss as together we enter and later go through the eye.

Over the years I have seen countless healthy eaters follow the same pattern as the one I describe. Whole food groups get discarded, others are added in or expanded upon, but ultimately the overall diversity appears narrower than before. I say "appears" because when we give up foods like cooked wheat, because of its widespread use in commercially manufactured foods, we feel we are giving up so much more than just wheat as we see pasta, bread, cakes and all manner of other "foods" removed from our diet which tends to make the outside world think that we are giving up "such a lot".

By giving these foods up, our choices become increasingly refined, until the point where, as raw fooders, we eat "only" fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sea veg (and a few groups more) and our diet becomes clean, clean, clean. This is the place that I refer to as "the eye of the needle" - not a lot can pass through that eye and what does pass has to fit the most stringent of criteria - in this case 100% raw and pure and nothing less will do.

I think each of us probably has a slightly different idea on what passes through our own eye. For me personally I was about 26 years old when I reached that place and the criteria was strictly 100% raw, vegan, and no supplements at all (not even B12 - silly girl), although some superfoods were "allowed" (oh, how I so don't like that word!). I also eschewed any borderline raw foods such as sprouted wheat bread (which tastes very alive but usually is preserved at cooking temperatures), oils, vinegars, that kind of thing. Oh the beauty, clarity and sanctuary that pure eating brings!

Now, as you can tell, I very much feel that the eye of the needle is a very fine place to be in a lot of ways. We know where we stand, we have tight boundaries, we are eating clean and we are no doubt feeling rather fabulous if those choices are genuinely healthy and supportive ones, but what I have found for myself and 99%+ of others is that the eye isn't a place many of us want to or are able to stay in for very long.

The main reasons for this being: It can start to feel too restrictive after a point, we still have to have social lives and real-world interactions, we start to miss or desire other foods, we feel trapped within walls of our own making. And more.

So, while the initial journey towards they eye can be exhilarating, fascinating, enjoyable, enlightening and so much more (despite what anyone watching us may think!!), it would seem that once we hit our "destination" and can certainly sit there and enjoy the view for a while, there has to be a place we can move on to, otherwise, as with everything in life, things become stale, stagnant and uninspiring. And then we find ourselves scratching our head and asking, "what was the point of all that?!"

So the journey through the eye, unlike the journey in, which is more about contraction, then inevitably has to become one of expansion. This is the part that I really love!

When we reach this point, by the very fact that we have done the journey towards, have actually now gone through and are about to re-emerge we have by this point already been through the "fire" of redefining our diet, our self and our lives (otherwise known as "The 5 Stages of Raw Transformation"), but there definitely comes a point where we have to stand back up again, strap on our backpack and ask ourselves, "where to next?"

Obviously the details of what happens next will vary from person to person. Food-wise some will choose to bring in some more "recreational" raw foods and stay with that exploration interspersed with some more fine tuning in order to pursue raw foods in an expansive and adventure some way for potentially the rest of their lives (this is me), others may turn their back on 100% raw foodism, opting for more of a "balance" that they feel is better suited to them long term, and others may stay with the intensity of their self-created raw food diet but start exploring life in other more expansive ways.

As I say, the details can be as varied as the ones of the journey coming in, but the most important thing to recognise in all of this is that we absolutely need to understand and joyfully embrace coming through the other side - because it has the potential to simply get better and better and better!

So many times in raw foods and other "stringent" eating philosophies I see people getting incredibly particular about what they will and won't eat, even though it is, by most people's standards, just about as pure as you can get. At this juncture, which is very much in the heart of the eye, the primary focus is usually "is it 100% raw?". I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! This is where cashews, Brazil nuts, macadamias, agave nectar and all manner of raw foods and ingredients come under intense scrutiny in order to ascertain their level of purity and raw-ness. And this level is what can go on to define whether that food is "in or out" of our diet at that time. No problem; this attention to detail most definitely has its place, is very much a "normal" part of the journey from what I have seen and is even, I would say, incredibly useful - in the grand scheme of things (the more attention we pay to our food the more this pays dividends in other aspects of our lives overall); the only thing to watch for is the less enjoyable scenario of "meanwhile back at the ranch" where potentially every other area of one's life may be quietly falling apart while we navel gaze, smiling with "truly raw cashews" in hand. : )

And so, by now it's obvious, I hope, that I am a great fan of this whole journey towards and away from the eye. It's exciting, enlivening and, despite what other people might think as they solemnly shake their heads as we eschew bread, milk and sausage rolls, it is absolutely priceless and life-changing, no question.

My job here is simply to remind or inform that the best is always yet to come, and to sit in the eye - like a holiday basking in the sun - is good for a while but sooner or later we have to get up off our deckchair and explore other just as exciting terrain in other parts of our world. This, I feel personally, is where the journey really begins : )

© 2007 Karen Knowler
Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Almonds, Banana, Raisins .... A Drink

This is a nice and easy to make anytime drink. I make it light by adding more water to it. A good pick me up!

10 soaked almonds
1 tsp vanilla
1 - 1.5 cups water
1-2 tablespoon soaked raisins, use the water
banana
agave if more sweetener is needed

blend
strain ( I like it strained)
or drink straight as is

Bad, Very Bad.....but now Very Good!!

In my travels this week I had pasta and bread. Now that is BAD. Today, I woke up with my eyes puffy and my skin itchy and broken out. My body said "enough, no more". The only good part of this is that it is a reminder of how food affects us. I knew this would happen as it always does when I go this route, which is not often....very little. It was a bit of emotions, carelessness, stress of delays at airport, etc. Now I am settled in Bahia, Brazil for a few weeks with all it's wonderful, healthy fruits. I am getting back on track. Look at this beautiful fruit basket. The watermelon juice is all ready. Coconut water will be a daily ritual. Of course green smoothies too!

Coconut Water

So happy to be back in Brazil for a few weeks. I absolutely love coconut water. It is hydrating and is full of electrolytes. I plan to drink as much as possible while in Bahia.

A Few of My Favourite Raw Things

Love this....by Angela Stokes.

Crepes

This recipe is worth having a dehyrator for. It is very easy to make and it is heavenly. Everyone will love it.

It is from Alissa Cohen's book, "Living on Live Food".

The crepe shells is made from blended bananas dehydrated.

Filling is macadamia and cashew nuts blended with other flavorings. The sauce is from strawberries.

It is so filling and can be a meal all on its own.

When mangoes are in abundance I will try it with mango sauce.

Herbs and Tomato

It is a special treat to eat herbs from your own garden.

Herbs are very easy to grow and do not need a lot of space.

This dish is full of flavor.

Whatever herbs you have, just mix it all up, chop it and add to a cut up tomato.

This recipe is:

cut up tomato

sea salt on tomato

drizzle olive oil

herbs I used: dill, basil, oregano, lemon balm, tarragon, peppermint

Super delicious!

My Healthy Business

I became a certified raw food chef, instructor and teacher through Alissa Cohen's program, "The Living and Raw Food Diet". To understand it, live it and teach other's was my goal. I have been enjoying this amazing way of eating. I am not always 100% raw.....I am fine with that. I am vegetarian. To me it is a clean and healthy way of putting good things into my body.

The benefits of eating this way is immense.

skin is clearer and smoother

definitely have a slimmer belly

if weight is an issue, weight comes off easily

you can eat as much raw food as you want

have more energy

circulation improves

clear and alert

.......and so much more

If you are interested in purchasing any items relating to a healthy lifestyle with the living and raw food diet, please visit my site

www.rawteachers.com/jessicatorok.

Click on Raw Food Store on the upper right corner to enter.

I highly recommend Alissa Cohen's book, "Living on Live Food".

It is a chunky book filled with life stories, nutritional information and great recipes.

I do receive a small commission on any purchases.

If you make a purchase, I do thank you in advance.

Banana Strawberry Pudding

Opal had this beautiful looking strawberry banana pudding on her site. I had to make it. Hers is a vibrant, beautiful color....probably more strawberries. I did not add ginger. This is so delicious. Will be making it a lot since strawberries are in season. I made this for a friend's one year old and he loved it.


blend:
3 bananas
1 cup strawberries

decorate with pieces of strawberries and mint leaves

Collard Leaf Nori Wrap

5 collard leaves

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Cut stems off at the base of the collard leaf.

Cut the thick, center stem evenly, making it flat to the leaf. It will help in the rolling.

Mix lemon juice and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Coat one leaf at a time in the mixture.

Place in a long dish and let it marinate several hours at room temprature or over night in the refrigerator.

Dry the leaves well.

Layer:

collard leaf

nori, cut to fit leaf

mashed avocado, seasoned with sea salt

1 teaspoon of hemp seed

sprouts

tahini

Love this meal.

Try other combos, most anything could be wrapped.

Raffle for Cascalheira

Hello Dear Friends,

Since last posting about Cascalheira, I had an idea of doing a raffle. This should be fun and hopefully bring in some money for this desperately poor village.

I sewed this 6" x 6" little wool lamb. I know it looks more like a puppy. Oh well, it is cute. It is chubby, I was envisioning abundance for Cascalheira. Around it's neck is the Bonfim ribbon of Bahia, Brazil. This is a tradition in Bahia, it is normally tied onto the wrist with three knots for three wishes. I did make three nice wishes for the people of Cascalheira. It is an imperfect little lamb, but made with love and care. Ready to make someone smile. I hope you like it and will take a chance on it.

Each raffle is $1 (one dollar). Send as much money as you like.For each dollar, put your name and contact information on a 3" x 5" (7.6 x 12.7 cm) more or less piece of paper.When it reaches the $50 mark and hopefully it will be more than that, I will draw the winner.

Also, whoever wants to offer an item that they made or not made for the raffle is welcome to join. Just let me know.

We will focus on one raffle at a time, so not to get confused and to raise as much money as we can.

I will be traveling to Brazil around July/August and will have an update of Cascalheira.

Thank you for being a part of this fun event and making a difference in some people's lives.

Please feel free to email me jtanyu@aol.com with any questions about this project and raffle.

Please send raffle money to:
Jessica Torok
P.O. Box 249
Mill Neck, NY 11765

Chocolate Cayenne Drink

I love chocolate. This drink truly satisfies my desire for chocolate

....it is heavenly. Yummy!
When I do not have or cannot get fresh coconut,

I use Amy & Brian's Coconut Juice with pulp.

Blend:
Coconut water with some of the pulp
Cacao powder - 2 tablespoons, adjust to liking
Cashews - about 1/4 cup, soaked for 20 minutes
OR
Cashew butter- 1 tablespoon
Vanilla
Cayenne - a few shakes. Add less. Increase if you like it with a kick

.....I do.

I just love this drink. Cacao is high in minerals, especially magnesium. My body must be needing something from it....I am craving it lately. Like daily.

Protein

An important article on protein and as always, well done by Karen Knowler.

"Where Do You Get Your Protein?"
By far, and you probably know it as well as I do, one of the most common questions you will be asked when you dabble with raw foods is: "Sounds great, but... where do you get your protein? "

Well, I have known for years that to become protein deficient on ANY diet can take some doing (although isn't impossible), but on a raw diet there are some interesting surprises when it comes to discovering what has a little and what has a lot.

Read on for the facts and figures that will either help you to feel at peace with your raw diet or help you make some positive changes.

First of all, let's be clear that we are not eating protein per se, but amino acids which combine together to create protein. So as long as we are eating a good quantity and quality of food (ideally organic as standard) and eat a wide variety of foods in the necessary amounts, then our protein needs should be more than adequately met.

There are 22 amino acids that our body needs to thrive - or at least that is what science has identified to date (we must always remember that nutrition is not yet a complete science and may well never be). Eight of these are termed "essential amino acids" because the body cannot manufacture them itself and therefore needs to obtain them from food. In a raw vegan diet, the best and most concentrated sources of amino acids come from those food groups listed below, although protein is present in every living thing, so not getting enough, while not impossible, is generally difficult!

Green Leafy Vegetables ~ Nuts ~ Seeds ~ Sprouted Grains ~ Sprouted Beans

And some good examples of foods from each of these food groups are:
Spinach, kale, broccoli, sprouted wild rice, carob, cacao, oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds (linseed), sprouted wheat, sprouted buckwheat, sprouted soya beans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, hemp seeds, hemp protein powder (excellent), sprouted quinoa, mung beans, lentils, aduki, chickpeas etc, bee pollen, spirulina, E3 Live, Pure Synergy, maca, avocado, and many more - so plenty of choice!

If you eat dairy produce, the cleanest source widely available in the UK that I currently know of is Emmental Organic Cheese which is available in the organic dairy section in Tesco. This is unpasteurised cheese so is a raw food, but not vegan.

Raw Protein Facts & Figures
The RDA of protein for an adult female is cited as being somewhere between 45g and 50g per day, with an additional 25g required when breastfeeding. For adult males the figures cited stretches between 45g and 65g per day, depending on who you listen to. More protein is needed by those especially active or athletes.

Our bodies recycle approximately 80% of our protein; cooked protein is denatured and largely unusable, thus our protein need may very well be far lower than what is taught by conventional dietetics.

35g of bee pollen can satisfy one man's protein requirements for a whole day - it contains more protein per gram than meat or fish.

High Protein Content Vegan Raw Foods
1 cup sprouted lentils = 49g
1 cup haricot beans (navy) = 46g
1 cup sprouted aduki beans (adzuki) = 39g
1 cup broad beans (fava) = 39g
1 cup sprouted black eye beans (cowpea) = 39g
1 cup sprouted chickpeas = 38g
1 cup peanuts = 37g
1 cup pumpkin seeds = 33g
1 cup sunflower seeds = 32g
1 cup almonds = 28g
1 cup oats = 26g
1 cup sprouted wheat = 21g

The key, as you can see, is to ideally eat sprouts every day - especially if you are trying to eat low fat - and to eat lots of greens (which are about 1-2g protein per cup) with them. An avocado - most raw fooders great love - offers 4g of protein per fruit, not great, but it all adds up. (Many raw fooders eat 3+ avocadoes per day, which equates to a quarter of an individuals protein needs before anything else has even been eaten.)

My final and potentially most useful piece of advice for this short piece is to visit www.fitday.com. Here you can enter what you have eaten in a day and get a reading for the fat, protein, carbs and calories eaten that day. It also shows you what percentage of your daily intake comes from where - very enlightening!

So, a lot of info here but I hope you feel confident enough now that you can indeed receive adequate protein on a raw food diet. Naturally as a first stop I would recommend that you get sprouting those seeds and beans and check out fitday.com to see how you are faring so far. Then it's just a case of further exploration and refinement until you find what works for you.

© 2007 Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

No Reason To Worry

As the new season changes, so do we.

This particular article from Daily Om is perfect for now.

It is a good time to detox.

Whatever that may be for each one of us.

It may need to be short or a bit longer.

Fruits or greens.

Ask yourself what you need.

Be gentle.

Walnut Dip/Pate

This is a great tasting dip. Or can be rolled into a romaine lettuce or collard green leaf.
Tasty and satisfying!

1/2 cup walnut - soaked
cumin
nama shoyu
pinch of himalayan crystal salt

blend in food processor

Veggie Nut Patties/Loaves

Another fabulous recipe by Karen Knowler. Click on "New To Raw Food?" on the sidebar for her recipes.

At this time of year, we're still really wanting those slightly heavier dishes.
Makes 2 decent loaves or many burgers (depends on size and depth of your burger)
This is soooooooo delicious. It stores in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Eat as is or dehydrate partially.
Eat with salad or alone.
Great to take away for lunch, picnic, potluck, in the car on a long ride or short ride, etc.

2 cups almonds or walnuts or pecans, or any combo of the three, pre-soaked
2 - 3 large carrots, cut up
1/2 large onion or more
1 large handful of parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice. In Brazil I use lime juice.
1 teaspoon sea salt
If you like curry it is delicous. Try half batch with it.

Process all of it in food processor. Taste. Add what is missing.
Lick the bowl.
Dehydrate partially for a few hours.
If you do not have a dehydrator you can do this in the oven with the door open.
Buy an oven thermometer and hang it in the oven on one of the racks and watch that the heat stays below 118 degrees Farenheit.
Place the patties or loaves on a pan.
This is how I made it in Brazil and it worked great.
Enjoy!

Pesto Sauce

A great addition to the marinara sauce or by itself over zucchini pasta.
Makes a great dip too!

blend
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
a good handful of basil
1 clove garlic
water

Increase or decrease ingredients according to desired taste and consistency.

Marinara Sauce over Sliced Zucchini

zucchini slices:
peel and cut zucchini in half lengthwise
with slicer attached in food processor, put zucchini through.
you should have half circles of thin sliced pieces.

marinara sauce:
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked for one hour
2-3 tomatoes, cut in quarters
basil
1/2 onion
olive oil
salt

blend in food processor, pulse it if you want it chunky.

pour over zucchini
i also sprinkled pine nuts over it.

an easy, beautiful, delicious, light meal.
went well with a glass of chilled white wine.

Cilantro/Coriander

There is some very important information on cilantro. Great healing benefits as discovered by Dr. Yoshiaki Omura.

--heavy metal detox
--kills bacteria
--mobilize mercury and other toxic metals
--mood elevator
--has chemical against salmonella bacteria

Sarma's Cilantro Smoothie is a delightful taste.

blend
pink grapefruit, peeled
cucumber, peeled
cilantro, about one half handful
lime juice, half
pineapple, about two slices
agave
vanilla
pinch of salt

I use orange since it is difficult to find grapefruit in Brazil.
This makes a delicious smoothie.

RawReform.com

Angela Stokes has been in the spotlight on the rawfood scene of late. I have been following her journey of her Juice Feast she has been doing for 92 days. Amazing. What discipline. I truly admire her. Do listen to her recent radio interview.

Blended Salad

Blended salad is a great way to get more greens into our bodies. The pre-digested nutrients are easier to assimilate than a regular salad and you will eat more greens this way than you can chew.

In a blender or VitaMix add:
cucumber and or tomato to create some liquid
add the greens....romaine, spinach, arugula, etc.
in this one I used spinach and arugula
last, add 1/4 to 1/2 avocado
season with lemon juice, sea salt and or Spike
makes a creamy, delicious salad
Good Health!!!

Karen Knowler

I have not yet met Karen Knowler, but I feel like I know her. Her informative and caring site is valuable. Full of pure, good, healthy raw food information. The following is her latest Feature Article. Sign up for her weekly, free eZine. Enjoy!

Food, S*ex, Power and Freedom
Last week I discussed raw foods and weight loss, and made a special mention about looking at things that, even though we might think we want to lose weight, can often subconsciously hold us back. This week I promised you “Food, s*ex, power and freedom”. Hmmm, I do like to set myself bold challenges!My first inspiration for this article actually came back in August last year. Some of you may recall that this was when American raw food educator and s*ex expert Roe Gallo (pictured) came to visit the UK, lecture at my home and stay with me for a few days. We had a ball. What a woman.Roe, I think, is a great role model. She’s in her 50’s but looks so much younger and her joy and enthusiasm for life are truly infectious and inspirational.I found it interesting that Roe was discussing s*ex so openly, or more specifically, beliefs about s*ex. I haven’t seen this done in raw foods so far and was interested to see what she had to say and how she delivered it.Well, she did an excellent job. And that’s probably not easy, because food, s*ex and power are all very emotive issues. So emotive (but potentially so incredibly transformational) that we have decided to run a class together at some point this year... Now, I’ll be completely honest with you when I say that putting fingers to keyboard to write this article has been slightly daunting! I know that because these issues are so emotive there may be a bigger response to this article than potentially any other so far. Plus it’s a subject I have never written or spoken about before. Well, I guess it’s time... it seems to come up for everyone eventually.Continue reading this article online here

© 2007 Karen Knowler

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Avo, Carrot, Cashew Dressing, Nori Wrap

Cut nori sheet in half. Layer grated carrots, mashed avocado with sea salt, chopped scallions and cashew dressing. Wrap it up and devour it. Then do it again.

Cashew dressing:
soak handful of cashews
blend cashews & some of the soak water
little bit of orange juice or any other juice
1 date, pitted
few drops of orange essential oil
consistency should be creamy

I always have this dressing available. It goes with so many different things, salads and fruits. So delicious.

Skin Brushing -- Tongue Cleaning

As we take care of our inside body so should we take care of the outside body.

Body/Skin Brushing
The technique is a simple one. You will need a brush with a long handle. Skin brushing is done on dry skin. Start at bottom of your feet and work upwards, brushing the legs, then buttocks, then on to the chest and stomach. Brush more gently where the skin is thinnest and always brush towards the heart. For the arms, start at the fingers with raised arms. Brush down your arm, into your arm pits. Brushing your whole body in this way will take you between three and five minutes, depending on how many strokes you give to each area. Try to keep a rhythm going and brush for up to five minutes every day and preferably immediately before you have a bath or shower so that the dead cells are washed away. The acceleration of blood flow has quite an invigorating effect. You should be able to see the difference in your skin after just a few sessions - it will become very soft and develop an attractive rosy glow.

Good reasons for skin brushing:
Stimulates blood and lymph flow
Helps eliminate toxins from the body
Removes dead skin cells
Encourages cells to regenerate
Stimulates production of sebum
Helps combat cellulite
Results in smooth glowing skin

The body's largest organ is the skin. We now know that if the skin is not carrying out normal elimination, your lungs, kidneys and bowels will function poorly. Conversely, anything you can do to improve skin function will improve the function of the other elimination organs.

Face Brushing/Exfolliating
Tonya Zavasta, is a beautiful example on natural beauty. She practices her own teachings. Do read her suggestion on skin brushing. She has her own facial cream and offers a face brush too, Your Right to be Beautiful Cream. It is a beautiful cream and smells delicious.

Tonya also recommends to brush hair 50 times morning and evening.

I like to put pure rosemary essential oil onto my scalp 2 or 3 times a week. It is a hair strengthener and stimulator.

Tongue Cleaning/Scraping
This also is a very important practice. Here is the tongue scraper that I use and recommend. Here is some more useful information on tongue cleaning.

A Raw Yogi Journal

It is important to get nutrients from different greens. This is a nice new addition. Arugula and mango pudding. Has a nice kick to it. Blend a handful of arugula and one mango. Manga in Portuguese. If the taste is too strong, mix with another green. Suggested by A Raw Yogi Journal. Love her site, she has some good raw ideas.

Squash::Mango::Orange Soup

Savory and refreshing this Squash::Mango::Orange Soup is. The curry and chilli powder warms it nicely....delicious as a winter or summer soup. I used a Brazilian pumpkin, there is no butternut squash here. Easy to make. A great beta carotene infusion.

Avocado with Fig Carpacio

Put avocado and fig in refrigerator to make cold. Peel and cut avocado in half. Place on plate rounded side up. Cut into slices, then squares. Sprinkle with a little salt. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add some sesame seeds on top. Slice fig thinly and place around on the sides. This was a large avocado and so it was a whole meal. Delicious and refreshing!

Papaya and Watermelon

Papaya, deliciously sweet when perfectly ripe. It was called the "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic, they can now be found in markets throughout the year. Papaya's seeds are edible, although their peppery flavor is somewhat bitter. The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements.

A one-cup serving of watermelon will provide around 48 calories. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, with one serving containing 14.59 mg of vitamin C and 556.32 IU of vitamin A. Watermelon also provides significant amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium. Watermelon rinds are also edible. Sometimes when juicing I include the rind. The seeds are rich in fat and protein. Watermelon is 92 percent water by weight, the highest percentage of any fruit. I love blending the pulp with the seeds, it gives it a nutty flavor.

Both these fruits are part of my daily diet. They are very available in Bahia.