Raw Vegan Transformation- Inspiring!

Good morning!

Today I am sharing a video that I recently stumbled across on Good Life Project. The guest is Rich Roll, an ultra marathoner and author of the book Finding Ultra. I am not sure where I first heard about his book, it may have been on a raw vegan website, or it may have been on NPR- but I do recall that I immediately added it to my "to read" list. I periodically check the library for an available copy, but it is OUT every time I look.

When I stumbled upon this video, I was immediately captivated by Rich Roll's story. All I had previously known about him was that he changed to a raw/vegan/vegetarian (I really could not remember) diet, and at the age of 40, competed in an IronMan competition. That alone was pretty inspiring. I did not know about his history of addiction, his dissatisfaction with a high stress corporate job, etc. But it all ties together, and brought him to where he is now.

I would encourage you to watch this video- I found it inspiring on many levels. Of course I am most intrigued by the dietary change :) When he was describing how GREAT he felt after his juice cleanse, I was literally talking back to the screen, saying Yes! Exactly! That's how I feel too! At least that's how I feel when I'm eating clean and mostly raw. And remembering that feeling, while watching this video, got me re-inspired to make more of an effort with my current eating habits. I have been in a bit of a slump, and have not been cooking (or uncooking) much lately. Yet I know how much food can affect how we feel and how much the right food can make you feel like a million bucks- so, it's time to get back on track (my little pep talk to myself, there).

Of course, after watching this video, I immediately went to the library's website to see if Finding Ultra is available- I figured it's been a year now, it won't be in such high demand- but guess what? It is checked out. Clearly a lot of people are interested in this guy's story.

If you are interested, here is a link to his book on Amazon:

Garden of Life RAW meal replacement shake

I am trying TWO new things as we speak.

1) This shake:

and

2) Blogging from my iPhone.

I am a fan of Garden of Life products in general. They seem to use quality ingredients and put together good combinations. Although I have read about them, & researched their ingredients, I have not tried too many of their products myself, as I experienced so many sensitivities to so many ingredients that it was difficult for me to find ANY commercial product that did not contain at least one ingredient to which I was sensitive.

The good news is, I believe my gut has (finally!) come a long way in healing. I have been branching out with more and more foods, & experiencing only minor, if any, reactions.

So I am once again trying a few commercial products, & hoping I do ok with them. Today I am trying this Garden of Life RAW meal replacement shake.

Generally, I believe that if one is eating a healthy balanced diet, there is no need for additional supplements or protein shakes. I found that, for me, when I eat high raw, I feel amazing and have no need for vitamins or protein supplements. As I've shared before, my lab tests have borne that out, which is awesome.

However, I have NOT been eating well lately, and certainly nothing that could be considered "balanced". I have been lacking in both energy & motivation to come up with menu ideas or prepare anything- so my diet has consisted of nuts, apples, rice cakes, maybe a salad or piece of gluten free toast. Not a sustainable source if energy or nutrients!

So, I figured why not try a meal replacement shake? Especially one that is raw & vegan. It's got to be better than a dinner of rice cakes ;)

So, as I'm sitting here sipping my vanilla shake, I have to say, it's not bad! I blended the packet with 16oz of filtered water, and first tried it just like that, to see what it was like. It was surprisingly tasty. I decided I'd like it cold, & a little more flavor, so I added some frozen bing cherries. Very tasty. Decided I'd like it colder, so added some ice cubes- and we have a winner.

Cheers!

Raw Vegan Seaweed Soup

Wow!

Raw vegan creamy seaweed soup

I really, really liked this soup.

I was a little skeptical, but it was fantastic. Not to mention fast and easy!

I got this recipe out of a raw vegan cookbook... somewhere. Unfortunately, I did not write down which cookbook, and I regret that I cannot give proper credit! If anyone knows where this came from, please let me know and I will cite appropriately.

Seaweed is very high in iron, calcium, and other minerals. Seaweed also has strong anti-inflammatory compounds, as well as antiviral and anticoagulant properties. For more information on the health benefits of different types of seaweed, click here and here.

Raw Vegan Seaweed Soup
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 ounce wakame
5 cups filtered water
1 cup raw pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sea salt

Soak the seaweed in the water in a large bowl for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a strainer, strain the seaweed over another bowl. Measure 3 cups of the seaweed water and discard the rest (or use it on your plants).

In a high speed blender, combine the 3 cups of seaweed water with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Using a ladle, remove any foam that rises to the top. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with some of the soaked seaweed.

Raw Vegan Watermelon Cups

Here is a fabulous idea for a summer fruit salad. It is the perfect party appetizer. Yes, it has several steps and looks like a lot of work, but it really wasn't that bad. The most time consuming part was dicing the fruit for the fruit salad. If you wanted to enjoy this recipe with a little less work, you could simply rough chop all of the ingredients for the fruit salad and serve in bowls. I highly recommend making the cilantro-lime creme dressing to top your fruit salad- it is quite good!

This recipe was inspired by this post. I raw-veganized it for the version below. This recipe does not contain any dairy, eggs, gluten, grains, soy, corn, or refined sugar.

Raw Vegan Watermelon Cups

Ingredients


For the Fruit Salad: 
1 mini seedless watermelon, 3-5 lbs
2/3 cup jicama, small dice
4 ripe yellow peaches, small dice
1/3 cup sweet or red onion, finely chopped
1/2 granny smith apple, small dice
1 clove garlic, pressed
1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice (depending on how tangy you want it)
1/2 fresh jalapeno, small dice (seeds and membrane removed if you don't like spicy stuff)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped plus several small whole leaves to garnish
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the Cream Sauce:
3/4 cup soaked cashews (soak raw cashews in filtered water for 4-8 hours, drain)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 cup filtered water
Pinch of himalayan salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno

Method

To make the watermelon cups:
Cut the ends off of the watermelon. Stand the watermelon up on one of the flat ends and cut off the sides, forming a rectangle. Discard the rind, but keep the watermelon "scraps" to add to the fruit salad.
Cut the rectangle into cubes. I pretty much just sliced mine evenly into squares- think Rubix Cube :)
Use a knife or a melon baller to hollow out the inside of each cube. I made mine square because I was in the mood to put in some extra effort, but you could just use a melon baller or spoon and make little wells in the cube. Once the cube is filled with fruit salad, you don't really see the shape of the hole anyway.
Put the watermelon cubes in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill them.

To make the fruit salad:
Finely dice the remaining watermelon, jicama, peaches, onion, green apple, and jalapeno.
Add to bowl, add lime juice and garlic.
Add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to fill cups.

To make the creme sauce:
Blend cashews, lemon juice, agave, water and salt until smooth.
In a bowl, add cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and 1/2 cup of the cashew creme and stir to combine.

To assemble: 
Fill watermelon cubes with fruit salad, top with cilantro lime sauce, and enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Made-from-scratch Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy Free Wednesday- click on the links for more great ideas for sugar free, gluten free, allergy friendly recipes.

Non-dairy milks

I am working on an instructional post about how to make your own almond milk. As I was writing, I was reflecting on how it came to be that I now make my own milks at home. I thought it might be useful information to share, so decided to write this post first for some background information. 

The information in this post is relevant to any commercially packaged food product- not just non-dairy milks- but milk is as good an example as any. Hopefully the information here will be useful as you navigate your pantry and grocery store shelves with a new perspective.

photo source

Non-dairy milks are a wonderful option for those who are avoiding dairy products for health or ethical reasons. There are many commercial non-dairy options now available, such as soy milks, almond milk, hemp milk, rice milk, and coconut milk, just to name a few.

However, just like any other commercial food product, it is important to check the ingredients- especially if you have multiple food allergies. You might think something labeled as "almond milk" is simply milk from almonds, and nothing more. But once you stop and think about it, you will soon realize that is simply not possible. Every commercial product must add compounds for stability during manufacturing, transport, shelf display, and ultimately, to keep it "fresh" once it gets to your kitchen.

Manufacturers may add ingredients to fortify nutrition, or for color, flavor or texture. They may add ingredients to prevent a natural product from separating while it sits on the shelf. Obviously, they add ingredients to preserve the product so that it does not spoil before you buy it. None of this is necessarily a bad thing- you should just be aware that commercial food products add ingredients for many reasons. When you have food sensitivities, it is important to educate yourself about which ingredients might be hidden in foods that you may not have thought to check.

For example, below are the ingredients listed on the Blue Diamond website for their unsweetened almond milk:

Now, those ingredients may or may not work for you. There are other brands, of course- this is just one example. Personally, I am allergic to sunflower, so I cannot use store-bought almond milk (they all have sunflower). That is not to say it won't work for you- shop around, and you may find a brand that meets your needs. 

It is important to educate yourself about ingredient names, and what they might be. For example, "natural flavor" can be a lot of things- some of which you might wish or need to avoid. For example, under current FDA labeling laws, monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is derived from soy, qualifies to be labeled as a "natural flavor". Some "natural flavors" may be derived from corn, others may contain gluten. 

Also be aware that ingredients and sources may change at any time and without notice, so check food labels every time before you purchase. If you discover that a product that has been working for you is suddenly giving you problems, it might be that the manufacturer has changed the source or supplier of an ingredient. Do not hesitate to contact a manufacturer if you have a question about an ingredient. Finding ingredient information from a manufacturer is becoming much easier as more and more people have discovered they have food sensitivities, and consumer demand for allergy information has increased. In fact, most manufacturers post ingredient information on their websites, and many now include specific information about allergies. If you do not see allergy information in the ingredient section, check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you still cannot find what you are looking for, give the manufacturer a call or send an email.

Image source

By law, manufacturers must disclose on the package label when a product contains any of the the following Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. Note this list does not include corn (a corn allergy can be very difficult to navigate). Labeling regulations have yet to include gluten, although there is proposed legislation regarding gluten labeling. For more information on current food allergy labeling regulations, check the FDA website here. For more information on proposed FDA regulations for labeling gluten, click here.

I've come to believe that the healthiest option is to make everything you possibly can at home. Not only do you know exactly what goes into your food, but I think it also tastes much better when it is fresh, whole, real food with minimal processing. However, I realize that is not always practical or convenient. (trust me, there are many days when I wish I could just order take-out!) Sometimes you just want something you don't have to make yourself. For that instance, we can educate ourselves about ingredients, and choose wisely.

*note: one thing I did not mention here is the actual food packaging. For those with severe allergies, packaging may also be relevant- but that is a topic for another post.

For more on "natural flavors", take a look at this blog post on Healthy Child.org which links to additional information about ingredient derivatives.

Raw Vegan Valentine Cookies

This recipe was inspired by a great recipe on Veggie Wedgie- check it out here. I love Veggie Wedgie! This recipe is also linked to Wellness Weekends and Allergy Friendly Friday, be sure to check each of those pages for more gluten free, allergy-friendly recipes. If you are gluten free and vegan, and you do not know of Cybele Pascal, get thee to her page now. If you are gluten free and sugar free, be sure to visit Diet, Dessert and Dogs for amazing sweet and savory recipes... and dogs. Food and dogs...what more could you possibly want in a blog? (Woof, woof, nothing, says Bailey from the Healing Kitchen. Wag, wag)

But first, read the yummy recipe below. Trust me, you want to make these cookies!

I think these are the best cookies I've ever made. Ever. Even way back when I could eat butter, eggs, flour, and Crisco (shudder). Seriously, these are as good or better than any raw,vegan, cooked, or traditional cookie I've ever tasted. Bonus: these are much easier to make than baked cookies! Bonus bonus: they are super healthy! (links to health info at bottom of recipe) 

This recipe has no gluten, wheat, sugar, corn, dairy, egg, soy, or nightshades/potato.

These cookies are mostly raw. To make them truly raw, you could use raw oat groats, and make a raw jam for the filling. I was lazy and used gluten free rolled oats and lingonberry jam I had in the fridge. 

Raw Vegan Valentine's Day Cookies

Makes approximately 30 sandwich cookies

Special equipment: Vitamix or food processor, Dehydrator (optional)

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup raw hazelnuts

1 cup gluten free oats

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 Tbsp coconut oil

pinch vanilla powder(ground vanilla bean)

pinch himalayan salt

few teaspoons of water, if needed

Method

One at a time, grind the almonds, hazelnuts, and oats into flour. I did this in the "dry" container for the Vitamix. You can probably do this in a food processor, or perhaps a coffee or nut grinder. You want a fine flour, not just finely chopped nuts. You could also use nut pulp left over from making nut milk (keep it in the freezer until you need it), or purchase nut flour (but nut flour is really expensive).

Whisk nut and oat flours, vanilla powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the agave nectar and coconut oil, and knead with your hands until well combined and you have a dough that sticks together when you press it between your fingers. If dough is too dry and crumbly, add some water, one teaspoon at a time. Knead, and add more water if necessary. I did not need any water this time, but sometimes I do. Be careful not to add too much water, or you'll wind up with a sticky mess.

Roll out the dough on parchment paper or silpat. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes. Carefully transfer to dehydrator tray lined with teflexx sheet or parchment paper. Dehydrate at 145 degrees F for one hour, then 115 degrees F for as long as you like to get the consistency you desire. I dehydrated for about 6 hours... but a few cookies may have disappeared from the trays in that time... had to taste, you know... 

Add jam to cookies, and assemble.

You can eat these as soon as you cut them, or dehydrate first. It is up to you! 

They are very good for breakfast. They are also very good frozen. Mmmm.

Click on the following links for more information on the health benefits of almonds, hazelnuts, another page on hazelnuts, nuts in general, oats, lingonberry, another page on lingonberry, and coconut oil. Click here for more information about the health benefits of raw & living food.

Help Yourself in Key West

Today's post is about an awesome vegan/raw/healthy cafe in Key West.

Ever since I saw this video from Kevin and Annmarie Gianni about the Help Yourself cafe, I've wanted to go there.

That opportunity finally arrived. Earlier this month, my good friend Rebecca and I headed to Key West for a short day trip to ring in the New Year. We were in Key West for less than 24 hours, but Help Yourself was top on the list of places to go : )

We arrived via ferry about 3pm.

Before the trip, I had called Help Yourself cafe (twice) just to make sure they would be open on New Years Eve. They were- but only until 4pm. So, we headed straight there (walking, you know, since we got there by boat), and made it just in the nick of time.

Signs with veggies and organic food make me happy :)

I love their slogan: Food As it Should Be (you know, food)

They have a large selection of hot or cold items, cooked, raw, gluten free, and/or vegan. All fresh and made to order. It was really difficult to decide which to order. Salad or smoothie? Cooked or raw?

I first decided on the raw vegan taco salad. I made a rookie mistake, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit it here. I looked at the ingredients, and I made assumptions that I shouldn't have. I know better than that. Good grief, do I know better. Of course I ordered the salad with no tomatoes, and no corn. I assumed the "brazil nut taco meat" was the same type of nut taco meat I make at home. But, as soon as I got the salad, I could tell that the taco meat was likely not something I could eat, either. My heart sank. I felt SO bad. I didn't want to bring the salad back in, because it was my mistake for not asking about every single ingredient. Like I said, I know better.

But... I couldn't take the chance. We were pretty much stuck on an island, with the whole night ahead of us, no other food choices (other than the dried fruit and rice cakes I always travel with in my bag) and I just could NOT be sick! Not only would it ruin New Years for me, but I didn't want to do that to Rebecca. So, I sheepishly went back in to the restaurant and asked about the ingredients in the salad. Sure enough, it contained sunflower and something else (I can't remember now) that I definitely could not eat. It was all natural and organic, there was nothing wrong with the ingredients, they just happened to be ingredients that I am allergic to.

I was so sad.

This is the part where I tell you how awesome this restaurant is. The owner offered to make me something else, at no charge. Really! I felt really bad about that, since it was my own mistake, and here they were cleaning up behind the counter and getting ready to leave. But she said it was no problem, and my growling stomach urged me to accept her very kind offer. So, I then ordered the "Ancient Secret" salad (and asked about ALL of the ingredients, including the dressing- which I couldn't eat, but she gave me some olive oil and vinegar on the side). The salad was fabulous: mixed greens topped with quinoa, gogi berries, almonds, chick peas, and apples. So. good.

Rebecca got the "Mighty Marinara"- which looked and smelled delicious, and she said it was yummy.

The food was great, the dining area was cheery and comfortable, the weather was perfect, and it was a beautiful start to the New Year. I am so glad we had the chance to try this great little cafe. Here are some more photos:

Extended seating area on the patio. I think this is also where they have a weekly Farmer's Market.

Fun food facts, to browse while you wait.

You can visit the Help Yourself web site here. You can also follow them on Facebook. The food is great, the atmosphere is cheery, and the staff is wonderful. Should you visit Key West, be sure to stop by and at least grab a smoothie.

More Key West photos- these guys are not at Help Yourself, but you can find fresh coconuts several places on the island:

Yes, they literally harvest the coconuts from the palm trees, and crack them open for you right there. Yum. Coconut water is extremely refreshing. Unlike coconut milk (which is actually the meat and water of the coconut combined) coconut water has no taste. It tastes like water. 

Coconut water is fat-free, cholesterol-free, full of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphate) and also contains small amounts of many essential amino acids. Think of it as Nature's Gatorade. And how much better to get it in Nature's packaging (the coconut) than after it's been processed, bottled, canned, and stored on the grocery store shelf. Right?

You can't beat the sunset at the Southernmost Point in the USA: 

So pretty:

OK, that's it for the Key West summary. I do hope you have the chance to visit. I would like to return, because we didn't get to see everything during our short visit- although it was perfect for New Year's.

Just looking at these photos brings back happy memories :)

Bailey Likes Kale Chips

I couldn't resist posting this photo of Bailey, he's just so darn cute!

I can't believe he eats kale chips.

Ocean Beach Farmers' Market

Persimmons were everywhere!

I am VERY behind on blog posts.... 

I haven't yet had a chance to share with all of you about my California trip at the end of October. I simply have to tell you how much I LOVE California. Do you want to know why? Because I can eat just about ANYWHERE without a ton of pre-planning and bringing my own food along everywhere I go.

I wonder if the people who live in California realize how unusual that is? As someone who does not live in a place with a plethora of health food choices, it simply blows my mind that everywhere we went, there were restaurants, markets, and grocers who carry whole foods, gluten-free, allergy-friendly, health foods, vegan foods... whatever your specific dietary need or preference may be... you can (easily!) find a place to accommodate it in California. Amazing.

At least that has been my experience in the Bay area in Northern California, and most recently, in the San Diego surrounding area.

During this trip to San Diego, I started taking photos of all of the places that offered "gluten free", "raw" or "vegan" choices- and then finally just stopped taking photos of all of those places- because it was, quite literally, just about everywhere. Heaven.

Here are some photos from the Ocean Beach Farmers' Market- which, by the way, is one of the coolest Farmers' Markets I've ever been to. First of all, Ocean Beach is a cool little surf town, right on the ocean, and a great opportunity for people-watching. The Farmers' Market is Wednesday evenings after work. They shut down the main street, and patrons stroll through the street and sidewalks to shop, eat, and listen to live music. They had a live band at each end of the street. There was art, music, jewelry, tons of prepared foods, and, of course, farm fresh meats, eggs, and produce.

All of the amazing food still made me wish I could eat just anything and everything- but there was enough for me to choose from that I certainly did not go hungry. I brought more back to the condo from this Farmers Market than I can typically find at Whole Foods at home. It was awesome.

View from one end of Farmers' Market. It was a cloudy overcast day, but still busy at the Farmers Market

Fresh fruit juices 

Fresh fruit salads just like you get from the street vendors in Mexico.
You could even get sea salt or chili on top, like they serve it in Mexico. Nice!

Trying on a fish hat :)

The rock-n-roller in me appreciated the guitar pick earrings :)

Gut-healthy, immune-building artisan fermented foods

I purchased a jar of organic caraway apple sauerkraut from this vendor and ate it all week. It was yummy. And for eco-points, she even offers $1 credit next time if you return your jar.

Peaches- in late October!

Local, cage-free, hormone and antibiotic-free eggs

Mushrooms 

I don't think there was anything you couldn't get at this market.

I didn't see dairy. But then, I wasn't looking for it. It is quite possible there may have been local cheeses there. There were also local, pasture fed, hormone and antibiotic free meats- both prepared (i.e. artisan salami) and just regular meats (ribs, bacon, etc) to take home and make yourself.

Many of the booths had "No Sprays" signs like this indicating they do not use chemical pesticides or herbicides- but they are not Certified Organic (many small farms find organic certification too costly and the paperwork too time consuming). Of course, there really is no way to know for sure, you simply have to trust your vendor. But they are all very nice, and knowledgable, and do not seem to mind if you ask questions. When you live local and shop the Farmers' Markets you do get to know your vendors. I noticed several of these farms had farm tours where you could go see where your food is grown. So, my feeling is that the "no spray" is likely true. While I try to buy organic, no sprays is good enough for me. I don't want toxic chemicals on my food!

Squash blossoms- I snagged a BUNCH of these! 

Here is one example of accommodating dietary preferences- even the tamale booth offered vegan and gluten free choices!

A local raw vegan restaurant had a booth at the market

One of the raw vegan options (they had several)

Don't worry... not everything in California is health food ; ) 

Time to make the donuts... 

A local gluten-free bakery

Green Smoothies!
I wonder if I could make green smoothies at our local farmers market...? 

Have you noticed that by now it is really getting dark outside? So you'll have to pardon the photos, it was the best I could do : )

More gluten-free goodies (seriously, they were everywhere)

Best. Date. Ever.
No, not THAT kind of date. Although it was a really fun evening at the Farmers' Market- that would be a good date :) But seriously- these date (fruits) were AMAZING! I've never had anything like them. They have completely ruined me for all other dates. They were locally grown, and this guy, the latest generation of this particular date plantation (which has one of the original species of dates brought over from Morocco), even had photos of the date farm and the palms, and how they harvest the fruit. It was really neat. This was absolutely my favorite booth. I wish I would have bought 5lbs of dates and brought them back with me.

More raw, vegan, and gluten free items

More super-healthy juices. You can click on any of these photos to see a larger photo, if you'd like to read the signs :)

Street musicians. Always tip musicians. It's a good thing :)