15 Green Smoothies

Here’s why I love the Boutenko’s. It couldn’t be an easier than this to get your greens in.

 

Edible and Non- Edible Flowers

I’ve been wondering about which flowers I could add to my raw feasts. They look beautiful and taste delicious too. I was thrilled when I opened an e-mail this morning and a new raw friend had sent out a wonderful list of edible flowers.

Joz wrote:
Organic edible flowers are not just for salads and garnish. I love using them in smoothies, too! Did you know that organic edible flowers are rich in nectar and pollen (studies have shown pollen to be nutritious with minerals and vitamins). Roses, especially rose hips, are very high in vitamin C. Dandelion blossoms (and yellow flowers, in general) have plenty of vitamin A, while the leaves are loaded with iron, calcium, phosophorous and vitamins A and C. Marigolds and Nasturtium have vitamin C.

Other herb flowers-The tiny flowering blooms of the
following spices are edible: anise, basil, bee balm, chives, coriander
(cilantro), dill, fennel, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

* Borage blossoms (Borago officinalis)-Tiny blue flowers have
slight cucumber flavor.
* Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis)-Also known as “pot
marigolds”, multi-colored blooms with a peppery taste. Sometimes
called “poor man’s saffron”
* Carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus)-Red, pink, and
white blossoms with clove taste.
* Chamomile flowers (Chamaemilum nobile)-Daisy-like flowers
with a slight hint of apple flavor. Especially good for parrots when
calming influence is needed.
* Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)-the lavander-pink pom pom
flower is actually composed of many small florets. Flowers have a mild
onion flavor.
* Daisies (Bellis perennis)-Yellow and white flowers with
light mint or clover flavor. Flowers
* Dandelion flowers – pictured (Taraxacum officinale)-Small
yellow blossoms have honey flavor when picked young. Older flowers are
bitter but my Eclectus parrots do not seem to notice. Also offer the
dandelion leaves which are an excellent source of nutrition.
* Day lilies (Hemerocallis)-Many colored blossoms with sweet
taste and crunchy lettuce texture. Flower buds and blossoms can be
consumed at all stages of growth. Note: Many lilies (Lillium species)
contain alkaloids and are NOT safe for parrots or people.
* Elderberry flowers (Sambucus canadensis)-Sweet tasting
flowers. For colds and chills, Gypsies mix elderberry flowers, yarrow
and peppermint and steep in boiling water for 13 minutes, and drink
tea frequently.
* Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.)Flowers of many colors grow on a
spike with flowers above each other, all usually facing the same way.
Has lettuce texture and flavor.
* Hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)-Tropical blossoms
in a variety of colors have slightly acidic taste. One of the favorite
flowers of most parrot species.
* Honeysuckle flowers (Japanese Lonicera japonica)-Small white
to yellow trumpet-shaped blossoms are sweet and delicious. Parrots
relish these flowers and the Loridae family of birds especially loves
the honeysuckle nectar. Only the Japanese honeysuckle is edible and
only the blooms should be used as the berries are extremely poisonous.
Offer only the flowers so that no berries on the vines will
accidentally be eaten.
* Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana)-Multi-color small blooms
with mild taste.
* Johnny-Jump-Up flowers–(Viola tricolor) Yellow, violet, and
lavender flowers with wintergreen flavor. Leaves are also edible and
contain vitamin C.
* Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)–Lavender blossoms have heavy
floral fragrance and lemon flavor.
* Marigolds flowers (Tagetes signata pumila)-Bright yellow and
orange flowers with citrus flavor.
* Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)-Purple flowers are edible as
well as leaves and seeds which are known for benefits to liver.
* Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)–Red, yellow, and orange
flowers have a tangy, peppery flavor and are the most popular of all
edible flowers. Leaves can be eaten too.
* Pansies (Viola X Wittrockiana)-Purple, white, yellow
bi-color blooms have a sweet, tart flavor. Flowers
* Passionflowers – pictured (Passifloraceae – passion flower
family)–Passiflora caerulea and Passiflora edulis are two of the
hundreds of varieties. Some vines produce large greenish white and
purple blossoms and then orange or purple edible fruit, depending upon
the variety of the plant. *See website below with information and
photos of 200 Passionflower varieties.
* Roses (Rosa spp)-Some of the tastiest rose varieties are
Rosa xdamascena, Rosa gallica, and Rosa rugosa, Flower carpet rose,
Double Delight, Mirandy, and Tiffany variety. Roses have a slight
fruity flavor.
* Sage (Salvia officinalis)-Lavender-blue flower spikes grow
only on the culinary variety. The variegated species of sage do not
flower. Flowers have distinctive sage flavor.
* Other herb flowers-The tiny flowering blooms of the
following spices are edible: anise, basil, bee balm, chives, coriander
(cilantro), dill, fennel, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.
* Sunflowers (Helianthus)–Many varieties but most have yellow
leaves around a “black eye” center. Mature flowers contain the seed
that all parrots find so irresistible!
* Tree flowers-Parrots can be offered the flowering blooms of
the following trees: Apple, bottlebrush, citrus (orange, lemon, lime,
grapefruit, kumquat), eucalyptus, melaleuca, and plum.
* Tulips (Tulipa spp.)-Multi-color flowers with crisp, cucumber taste.
* Vegetable flowers-Butterblossom squash flowers have slight
squash taste. Zucchini flowers,
podded pea flowers (ornamental peas
are poisonous),
okra, pumpkin, and runner bean flowers are edible.
* Violets (Viola odorata)-Deep violet and white color with
sweet wintergreen taste.

Some of the NON-EDIBLE’S and possibly poisonous are:
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs from the Rhododendron family whose stems grow just one flower. Azaleas can be particularly poisonous to animals. Symptoms of poisoning after ingesting azaleas include vomiting, diarrhea, hyper-salivation, weakness, coma and hypotension.
Black Locust
Black Locust is a large, deciduous tree with pea-like white flowers. It can be toxic in large quantities if ingested and may cause depression, weakness, dilated pupils, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weak pulse, coldness of arms and legs, paleness and shock.
Buttercup
Buttercups are yellow perennials and can be found throughout the US. They can be toxic if eaten in large amounts or cause a minor skin irritation. Symptoms of poisoning by a Buttercup include skin redness, burning sensation and blisters around the area that had contact with the sap.
Calla Lily
Calla lilies are often found in floral settings in homes and at weddings. While beautiful, a calla lily can be fatal if ingested. Calla lilies are tall with white bulbs. Signs of poisoning include burning and swelling lips, tongue and throat. Sometimes, stomach pain and diarrhea will also present.
Daffodil
Daffodils are yellow, innocent-looking flowers. However, if ingested in large quantities, they can be poisonous and even fatal. Signs of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, trembling and convulsions. Daffodils may also cause severe skin irritation.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is an evergreen with white and pink berries. The berries can cause nausea in large amounts, but a few are generally not toxic. Eating other parts of the plant can cause problems however, such as difficulty with vision and convulsions.
Morning Glory
Morning Glories are commonly found in gardens and can be found in many colors, including white, blue and purple. Morning glories are not as poisonous as other flowers, but still shouldn’t be ingested. Their seeds can cause hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, numbness and muscle tightness.
Poinsettia
Many people are familiar with the popular Christmas plant, the Poinsettia. Its red petals are hard to confuse with any other plant. Poinsettias are mildly poisonous to humans but can be deadly to animals. Symptoms of poisoning include stomach pain with vomiting and diarrhea.
Wisteria
Wisteria is a beautiful climbing plant with white, blue or purple flowers. If a large amount is ingested it may cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea. the poisonous species can cause health problems for animals, including dogs, cats and horses, as well as human beings.

**THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST, SO PLEASE USE CAUTION AND DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE EATING ANY PLANTS YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE WILL BE SAFE FOR YOU**

Peace,
RawMa

 

RAW CHOCOLATE CHERRY TART

 

The great Juicer Debate

Since one of the internal pieces broke on my Jack LaLane Juicer, I’ve been using the Vita Mix every day to get my juicy life moving. I love the Vita Mix, but when I use the juicer, the drinks are so smoothe and I drink more. I miss my juicer, so I’m comparing notes so I can purchase a new one. Yes, I have designated juicer money. I LOVE treating myself with new kitchen gadgets, but really I only need a couple of things to really enjoy it. I haven’t been in the market for a while, so I’ll have to spend some time evaluating this so I get the most for the money. I had my last juicer for two years and used it almost daily. I think I spent around $100 for it, so I’d like to upgrade the juicer but not the price. I’ll get back to you with my findings, but in the meantime, let me know which juicer you prefer.

~RawMa

 

Sprouting Seeds

There are many different seeds you can sprout. Pick the ones you love and begin to play with your living food. The health benefits are tremendous when you eat sprouts of all kinds. I like to sprout sunflower seeds and lentils. After drying them out, I sprinkle with my favorite seasoning so I can snack on them throughout the day.

Directions to Sprout Sunflower Seeds
Here are the basic steps to sprout sunflower seeds.

Purchase sunflower seeds for sprouting: To make sunflower seed sprouts, you must start with organic, hulled sunflower seeds. The kind you can buy at the grocery store are usually roasted and salted or at the least, just roasted, which kills the enzymes inside the sprout, making them unable to grow. There are plenty of sources for sunflower seeds: Health food stores, grocery chains such as Whole Foods Markets and Fresh Fields, and online sources such as Sprout People.
Cull the bad seeds: After purchasing the seeds, go through the seeds and remove any that are discolored or look funny. Rinse the seeds under cool water. It may be helpful to place the seeds in a fine mesh strainer, rinse, then pour them into your bowl or sprouting jar.
Find a sprouting bowl or jar: Sunflower seeds sprouts can be sprouted in a plain ceramic or glass bowl, or you can use a Mason jar or sprouting jar. Because they soak rather than sprout, you will only need to keep them in water for a few hours before they’re ready to eat.
Pour about 1 cup of seeds into the bowl. If you think that will make too much for you to eat, reduce the amounts but keep the proportion of 1 to 3 (1 portion of seeds to 3 portions of water).
Add 3 cups of cool water.
Soak for two hours.
Drain the water.
Rinse with cool water
Enjoy…they’re ready to eat!
Sunflower seed sprouts should never develop leaves or roots. Look for sprouts that just have a bit peeking out from the seeds. That’s a sign of a good, wholesome, nutritious sprout.

Storage
If you must, you can store sunflower seed sprouts for a few days but they don’t store well. The secret to longer storage is to pat them dry and store them in a cool spot in the fridge. Cover the glass bowl or jar or pour the sprouts into a plastic bag to store them.

Enjoy!

 

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.

 

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are becoming very popular in the Raw food World. Rightfully so, this wonderful little seed has an abundance of nutrients, yet has been neglected by mainstream for years…with the exception of the Chia Pet. I always wanted one of those. Now after eating Chia seeds, I see how they stick to the surface. This is a huge benefit for our digestive system.

Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Another advantage: when added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.