RAW PIZZA…OH YEA

Dehydrated Crust:

I use the Excalibur dehydrator to make perfect crusts that can also double as great crackers or tostada flatties.

½ cup ground flax seeds
Water to cover ground flax seeds, approximately 1 cup
1 cup soaked raw almonds
2 cups soaked raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw buckwheat ground
½ cup ground Deluxe Veggie Blend

(Jaffe Bros. blend of dehydrated cubed carrots, onions, tomatoes, celery, parsley, green peas, and green bell peppers)

1 lemon juiced
1 clove garlic
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 level Tb. of Real Salt (or to taste)
2 Tbs. Spice Hunter Italian Pizza Seasoning
1 Tb. Spice Hunter Garlic Herb Bread Seasoning ¼-1/2 cup water to adjust consistency before spreading on dehydrator sheets

Instructions:

1. Grind flax seeds to powder and place in a bowl with water, enough to cover over the flax powder. Stir ground flax seeds into water and let thicken while you work on the rest of the crust ingredients. Set aside.

2. Rinse and drain soaked seeds and nuts and add them to your Cuisinart (food processor) with all the remaining ingredients. Mix well until you have a smooth thick paste consistency. You may have to stop and stir a few times to get this mix well blended. Adjust with water at the end until you have a good consistency that can be rolled out with a rolling pin or pressed in a tortilla press between two pieces of thick plastic. (I use the plastic bags that my Jaffe products come packaged in)

3. Make pizza crust rounds the desired size. I like to make them smaller for individual size pizzas (5-7 inches in diameter). Once you get them pressed in between your plastic sheets, carefully peel down top plastic layer to expose the top side of the crust, then flip it over onto the dehydrator sheet and carefully peel down the remaining plastic sheet. (For the dehydrator, you can use a teflex sheet or I use the screened sheet with small holes in it to allow the crust to dehydrate on both sides evenly) Dehydrate the crusts overnight.

Almond Cheese/Mayo

This fluffy creamy spread is so concentrated and rich. Use it anywhere (wraps, pizzas, celery filling or where ever you would used mayonnaise) Quickly blanch the almonds to easily remove the brown skins.

2 cups soaked almonds blanched (place in boiling water for 30 seconds, cool and pinch skins off. Discard skins)
1 lemon juiced
½ tsp.-1 tsp. Real Salt (to taste)
¼ cup olive oil (or oil of choice: Coconut, Udo’s. Grapeseed)
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ cup water
¼ tsp. Spice Hunter Café Sole Seasoning (mix of lemon, pepper, onion and sea salt)

Instructions:

Place all wet ingredients into Cuisinart. With the Cuisinart running drop the blanched almonds through the top opening to blend well and emulsify to a thick fluffy consistency. Scrape sides and stir if needed. Adjust consistency with water if needed. Refrigerate mixture in an airtight container.

Sauce for Pizza

2 cartons/pkgs Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (or four regular tomatoes)
1 Tb. dried oregano (can use fresh if desired)
½ cup sun dried tomatoes (I use olive oil packed) 1/3 cup fresh Basil
½ tsp. Real Salt
1 clove garlic (remove middle section of clove to quiet odors)
To thicken sauce use 1 tsp.-1 Tb. of psyllium seed husk

Place all ingredients into Cuisinart and pulse chop to chunky consistency. Set aside

Toppings for Pizza

Choose any of the following toppings to sprinkle over the top of the pizzas

Shredded/julienne zucchini, carrots, jicama, Shredded cabbage, romaine lettuce, beets etc. Minced Raw Spinach or bell peppers

Instructions:

Place crust on counter and spread with a thick layer of Almond Cheese/Mayo. Spread a thick layer of Pizza Tomato Sauce over the Cheese Sprinkle toppings over the top and serve immediately. YUMMY!!!!!!

Sauces will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Pizza Crusts will keep for up to two weeks if kept dry and cool.

The Truth about Fruit & Veggies

A
sliced Carrot looks like the human eye.
The pupil, iris and radiating lines look
just like the human eye… And YES, science now
shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow
to and function of the eyes.

A
Tomato has four chambers and is red. The
heart has four chambers and is red. All of the
research shows tomatoes
are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure
heart and blood food.

Grapes hang
in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.
Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of
the research today shows grapes are also
profound heart and blood vitalizing
food.

A Walnut looks like a little
brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper
cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the
wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like
the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop
more than three (3) dozen
neuron-transmitters for brain
function.

Kidney
Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney
function and yes, they look exactly like the
human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many
more look just like bones. These foods
specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23%
sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you
don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body
pulls it from the bones, thus making them
weak. These foods replenish the skeletal
needs of the body.

Avocadoes,
Eggplant and Pears target the health and
function of the womb and cervix of the female -
they look just like these organs. Today’s
research shows that when a woman eats one
avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds
unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical
cancers. And how profound is this? It
takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado
from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over
14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of
nutrition in each one of these foods (modern
science has only studied and named about 141 of
them).

Figs
are full of seeds and hang in twos when they
grow. Figs increase the mobility of male
sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well
to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look
like the pancreas and actually balance the
glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist
the health and function of the
ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits,
and other Citrus fruits look just like the
mammary glands of the female and actually assist
the health of the breasts and the movement of
lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look
like the body’s cells. Today’s research shows
onions help clear waste materials from all of
the body cells. They even produce tears which
wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A
working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate
waste materials and dangerous free radicals from
the body.

Opening a Coconut

Welcoming the new year with Parkinson’s Disease

We have made it through Christmas and are about to enter into the new year of 2010. Since my last post for Thanksgiving, there have been some unexpected health issues show up for my family. After working with supplements and setting my dad up with a Raw Green Drink protocal, he was finally diagnosed with Parkinsons. I was truely shocked. The past few years have been spent searching for info and preventing Cancer since that is my family’s primary demise on both sides and including my husbands family. Honestly, I felt sideswiped by the news and a little pised that I didn’t recognize it. Most of the symptoms were there, but PD never entered my mind and the many various doctors he went to didn’t catch it either. We only noticed his changes this year although we could have caught on earlier. It must have started some time ago since he is in Stage 3. He is 72 and has had a pretty healthy life although I have been constantly on him and my mother about their use of excess sugar.

When we all moved North to a much cooler climate, things seemed to kick into gear and speed up for him. It began wih some balance issues. Falling off a ladder and then loosing balance while gardening. That was the main thing we saw, but then his speech began to slur a touch and his thoughts didn’t seem to be connecting. He seemed confused at times. Alzheimer’s came to my mind, but he was remembering things, just couldn’t make a seamless connection. Then he began hunching over when he walked and of course his balance worsened. We kept asking him to stand up straight. He said he couldn’t. He began to shuffle when he walked and his reaction timed slowed. It took a lot of convincing, but my siblings and I asked him to stop driving. We told him he deserved to be chauferred around town by mom.

Doctor after Doctor couldn’t figure it out even after CatScans blood tests and proding. There are two significant items that we never noticed. My dad didn’t blink very much and his arms stopped swinging when he walked. They were stiff next to his side. I have been spending a lot of time learning and seeking holistic treatments to compliment his medication. Since he began his medication, his walking has improved and his speech is better although now his short term memory is being affected.

In addition to my dad’s diagnosis, I am now learning about Shingles. My mother had some digestion issues and went to the doctor who gave her medication. Within one day of beginning her medication, she developed a rash. She discontinued  the use hoping the rash would subside. To her suprise, the rash intensified, spread quickly and began to hurt. She recognized it as Shingles, which my dad had a few years earlier, but her doctor didn’t call it. She went back to the doctor and the doc agreed that yes, it is Shingles. I get the call and I’m up in arms. Yet another miss. I feel like the doctors are just playing battleship. Randomly guessing at what the matter is. It has been 3 1/2 weeks and she is still in severe pain. I’ve given her aloe vera juice and topical gel along with peppermint and everything else I can think of. It’s really awful but I found out that there is a vaccination for Shingles. Typically I am not one to encourage a vaccination, but if you have had chickenpox you are more likely to get Shingles since it lies dormant for many years. Do the research first and make sure you know what the side effects could be if any.

~RawMa

Raw Thanksgiving

As I plan my Thanksgiving Menu, I am reminded about the choices that we all make and the way a habit can so deeply become engrained into our daily lives.

In a family of four, I am the only one who has really embraced the power of a raw food lifestyle. Although I vary in the degree of raw % on a daily basis, my intent is clear to incorporate cleaner food choices for myself and my family into everything that I make. Since we are having company this holiday, and they each have very traditional SAD diets, I have decided to gently present RAW choices that are delicious and simple so everyone can enjoy the benefits without feeling the pressure of eating what the hostess prepares even if they don’t like it. That’s really the joy of Raw preparation. Pretty much everyone likes the ingredients, but they have never tried them together in a dish that hasn’t been cooked. For example, cooked carrots,peas and beans. Many people eat them cooked, but haven’t had the pleasure of a fresh sweet crunchy pea. Make selections this holiday that will showcase the simplicity of Raw and give your company a suprise with the new twist on traditional dishes, or add in a new dish like Matt Amsden’s cauliflower couscous, or fresh cranberry salad.

Tell me about your Raw Thanksgiving Menu.

~RawMa

Raw Menu Plans

These are hard to find and hard to make up as well. When you have transitioned from SAD to RAW, it can be very challenging to know what your body needs. Yes, you will get more vitamins and minerals by primarily eating raw veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds but is this everything you need? As you begin to feel the effects of the dietary change, you will begin to question your body and add, or subtract some of what you are eating until it feels right.

It is also a good idea to consult with a nutritionist for your individual needs.

A good foundation to start with is to follow along with David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System. Below is a sample from his book.

The All-Raw Diet Weekly Menu (Fall/Winter):

Day 1: Monday Morning: 2 young coconuts, with coconut meat and water blended together in a cream. If young coconuts cannot be found, blend 2 avocados with mature coconut water.

Afternoon: 5 oranges. 2 avocados. Spinach leaves.

Snack: 3 oranges.

Evening: One large spinach salad containing cucumber, tomato, and green onion salad with 1 avocado and fresh-squeezed lemon.

Day 2: Tuesday Morning: One large papaya eaten whole or blended with orange or lime juice.

Afternoon: 4 oranges. One small green-leafed vegetable salad (containing kale or spinach) with 10-20 almonds and fresh-squeezed lemon.

Snack: 2 oranges.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 2 avocados, cayenne pepper, and an orange squeezed as dressing. 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables, 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. squash, peppers, okra, etc.).

Day 3: Wednesday Morning: 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly-made orange juice mixed with 1/2 avocado or 3 teaspoons of flax seed oil. (Mixing a fat with a sugar for breakfast will time-release the sugar for more endurance energy).

Afternoon: Cucumber, 10 pitted dates, lettuce mixed salad. Squeeze an orange into the salad as dressing.

Snack: 2 persimmons. Assorted green leaves (lettuce, spinach, endive).

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables eaten with 1-2 cups of raw nuts, and an orange squeezed as dressing. Add several servings of raw dulse seaweed to the salad. Add 30-40 Sun-ripened olives (if available).

Day 4: Thursday Morning: 2 large pomegranates and 3 oranges cut and juiced on a citrus juicer. Blend with 0.5 ounces (0.015 liters) flax oil if desired.

Afternoon: 8 dried prunes. Silicon salad! (see Appendix C: Sunfood Recipes).

Snack: 2 asian pears. Assorted greens (kale, spinach, baby bok choy).

Evening: Nori rolls! Be creative! (see Appendix C: Sunfood Recipes).

Day 5: Friday Morning: 8 tangerines. 1 avocado.

Afternoon: Cucumber, okra, zucchini, onion mixed salad. Add high-quality extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil as dressing

Snack: 2 tangerines. 1 grapefruit.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 2 avocados, and an orange squeezed as dressing. 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables (including 3 ribs of celery), 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. asparagus, apple, cucumber, etc.).

Day 6: Saturday Morning: 1 Papaya mixed with lettuce or mixed with 1 avocado.

Afternoon: 1 cup (0.25 liters) of wheatgrass juice blended or juiced with 3-4 apples or 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly-made vegetable juice containing at least 50% celery, 50% apples or pears.

Snack: 2 apples. 10 almonds.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables (including kale or spinach), 2 avocados, and high-quality extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil as dressing. Add 8 pitted dates to the salad for added zest.

Day 7: Sunday Morning: No breakfast.

Afternoon: 1 quart (1 liter) of freshly made vegetable juice containing at least 60% green vegetables (including 3 ribs of celery), 40% other vegetables or fruits (i.e. jicama, pumpkin, etc.).

Snack: 2 pears. 1 zucchini.

Evening: Large salad containing 80% green-leafed vegetables, 3 avocados, and a lemon or lime squeezed as dressing.

Wheat Grass’ secret weapon is…

CHLOROPHYLL! When you consume wheat grass for a few days in a row, you begin to notice many benefits (no, it’s not the flavor). If you do nothing else but add in a few shots of wheat grass every week to your diet, you will see massive improvements to your mental clarity, vision, skin and digestion among a few. Chlorophyll is most abundant in wheat grass, green leafy vegetables, barley grass and certain forms of algae. To get chlorophyll benefits, you may want to increase your current consumption level of all of these foods. You can also purchase liquid chlorophyll in health food stores but my favorite way to get it is from fresh Wheat Grass.

Chlorophyll is widely believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which means that it can be useful in helping to heal the body in a variety of different ways. It is also considered to be an internal deodorizer and if you purchase the liquid form of chlorophyll, you can use it as a mouthwash.
Get your fill of liquid sunshine today and feel the energy!

Raw food and Diabetes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwwKl6t6Cw

Making Almond Milk the Easy Way

How many times have you made Almond Milk and gone through the process in anticipation of that delicious fresh milk hitting your tongue? You love the milk, and the variations of chocolate and vanilla, spiced and plain. You would have it every day if it weren’t for the mess.

If you’re like me, everytime you make it, you think there has got to be a better way. The cheesecloth drawstring bags, a stocking or other variation of squeezing the milk through and almost milking it like a cow’s utter, just doesn’t appeal to me. It’s messy, unsanitary if you are serving it to guests and just plain impractical.

I’ve been looking for an alternative for months now and trying out different strainers laid on top of each other to press the almonds and release the milk in a cleaner manner. Without tooling a new product, I was at a loss. I mentioned it to a co-worker and she said four simple words “don’t reinvent the wheel”. I said I din’t have a wheel that would work and she brought to my attention something I had overlooked. The Frenchpress. I hate to admit what an amateur I am about coffee so I played it off like I knew exactly what she was talking about…for about two seconds, then I fessed up. I had no idea what a French Press was. When I got home I googled it and then went onto youtube and watched a video about making the perfect cup of coffee with a French Press. Finally, this was my answer! I love almond milk, but I don’t like the almond pulp mixed in. The Vitamix does a great job of pulverizing the almonds, but the milk is still too thick for my liking if I leave in the pulp. Besides, I like to make almond bars out of the remaining pulp.

Now that I have decided I want a French Press, I am seeing them everywhere. They appear to be the perfect device to use while doing a raw almond milk demo, and the guests won’t feel uncomfortable about drinking what you just squeezed out of a bag for them with your bare hands!

Peace.

~RawMa

Raw Food Menu Week 1

I thought I’d give you an idea of what my first few days at High Raw looked like.

Day 1

Smoothie: spinach, coconut water, banana, kelp

Snack in the car: almonds & goji berries

Lunch: veggie burger on veggie bread (I prepared and dehydrated the night before) w/ lettuce, raw mustard and raw ketchup

Snack: squash chips, flax crackers, 1 apple

Dinner: I really wasn’t hungry, but I had a small salad and 1/2 cup of a smoothie.

Day 2

I juiced ginger/cucumber & 2 carrots then added a frozen banana, spinach and maca to make a delicious smoothie

Snack: almonds & lemon water

Lunch: small salad w/ veggie burber

Snack: 2 vanilla macroons (I made the night before) & 1 small banana

Dinner: squash spaghetti w/ tomato garlic sauce

Day 3

I woke up late so I took a small salad to eat on the way to work

Lunch: veggie burger/veggie bread/lettuce/tomato

Snack: smoothie ~ blueberries/banana/horsetail/maca/dates & juice pulp from day 2 am drink

cayenne flax crackers

just before dinner: almond bar (I made day prior)

walk in the park

Dinner: Jicama/lime nori wrap

I really got hooked on the veggie burgers. They were so filling and nutrient dense that it gave me a ton of energy and kept me full.