This Dressing Is Sooooo Good

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Nama Shoyu
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp raw tahini
1 clove garlic

Put in blender and blend, serve over salad greens and lots of raw veggies.

Check out a great blog

Ok...quite some time ago I came across a raw blog that inspired me. This lady is superwoman.
You will literally spend hours reading her blog archives and recipes. I have tried a lot of them and they are all great. She had to end her blog in December because she was way too busy to keep it up.
Here is the link....enjoy

www.mawintheraw.blogspot.com

Drink Your Water

We all know that water is important. See for yourself:

- 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This likely applies to half the world's population)

- In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so week that it is often mistaken for hunger.

- Even MILD deydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

- One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

- Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

- Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

- A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory; trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

- Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and you will be 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

Spinach Dip

Great on veggies or raw crackers

4 cups spinach
1 large avocado
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare Seasoning salt

Bend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth

Note: Adjust Herbamare to taste or try just adding sea salt instead.

We learned this recipe at Alissa Cohen's class in March.

It's Friday Night...Have A Healthy Drink

From Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food


Mudslide

A filling drink that really 'hits the spot' when you get a craving for sweets.

1/2 cup almonds
1 1/2 cups water
1 banana
3 dates

In a blender or Vita-Mix, blend until smooth.

Romaine Roll-Ups

By Shazzie

Ingredients:
1 large head of romaine lettuce
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped
1 handful alfalfa sprouts
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
basil, oregano or mint, finely chopped
onion and/or garlic, finely chopped

Directions:
Separate the leaves of the romaine lettuce and place on a plate.

In a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, avocado, alfalfa, cilantro, basil, oregano or mint, onion and garlic to make the filling.

Spoon a generous dollop of the filling at one end of each lettuce leaf. Roll the sides of the leaf over, fold it in half. Continue until you have used all the filling and then eat like a sandwich.

Be kind to the earth tips

1. Bring your own bags to the store
2. Donate old cell phones and help save the African gorilla (eco-cell.org)
3. Start composting
4. Swap, don't buy (try eBay.com, craigslist.org, and freecycle.org)
5. Clean up indoor air with plants instead of artificial air fresheners
6. Plant a garden
7. Collect rainwater to water your garden
8. Remove your name from junk-mail lists by registering at dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist
9. Eat more veggies
10. Wash clothes in cold water and hang them out/up to dry

Sun Tea

1 bunch of each: peppermint, spearmint & lemon balm

Put into a gallon jar and fill with pure water. Let soak in the sun for
8 hours or more until it turns golden in color. Makes one gallon.

-Eating without Heating, Boutenko

Banango Smoothie

From Eating Without Heating - Boutenko

Blend the following ingredients in a blender until smooth:

2 frozen bananas
1 1/2 cups frozen mango chunks
1 cup orange juice

Cut up one fresh ripe mango into small cubes and mix into each cup for texture.
Serves 2-3

Mango Orange Cream

Recipe from Rawbert Reid, Organic Garden


1 Mango
2-3 oz. Almonds (soaked 6-12 hours)
Juice of 5-6 fresh-squeezed oranges


Blend until creamy with more or less orange juice to desired consistency. This can be eaten as a smoothie, a topping for fruit salad, or pudding.

The Dirty Dozen

My sister Kayla recently switched from conventional produce to all organic, when she did we had a conversation about which veggies or fruits were the least treated if she couldn't find organic.
Here is a list of the most heavily treated produce
and a list of produce that has lower amounts
of pesticides. It is helpful if you find yourself
in a situation where you are at a restaurant or
party where they are serving veggie or fruit
trays that you know are not organic.

How to read produce stickers

Have you ever wondered what the numbers on your produce stickers mean?

Most people assume it is only to help the cashier locate the correct price to charge for that shiny red apple. This series of numbers can also give you information about the food you are purchasing.

1. A label with four digits means the food is conventionally grown. (pesticides, etc.)

2. Labels with five digits starting with an eight indicate the food is genetically modified.

3. Labels with five digits starting with a nine mean that the food is organically grown.

So, look for five digits starting with a nine for peace of mind.

Alarming Facts

The Standard American Diet

In American between 1980 and 1997, the average per capita consumption of major food commodities per person, per year included:

111 lbs. red meat
580 lbs. dairy products
29 lbs. ice cream
53 gallons of soda
66 lbs. fats and oils
39 gallons alcohol
150 lbs. wheat
24 gallons coffee
154 lbs. sugar

US Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract 1999

On a raw-vegan diet you would consume nothing from the above list.

Busy Weekend

Sorry I haven't posted at all this weekend, we have been busy, busy, and more busy.

Also, took a little time to spoil Madison.

Back on schedule tomorrow. :)

Time to eat lots of WATERMELON

Watermelon is loaded with vitamins B, C and beta-carotene.
Minerals you get when you eat watermelon are: calcium, iron and lots of
potassium.

Watermelon supports kidney and bladder function. The seeds dilate capillaries to reduce blood pressure. (So Stop Spitting Them Out!!!)
Watermelon also has anti-aging capabilities and raises energy levels.

Raw/Vegan Ranch Dressing

This is soooo good on a big plate of salad. This recipe is by Elaina Love.
All you need is a blender and lots of veggies.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Blend the cashews, lemon juice, sea salt, onion and garlic powder with 1 cup purified water until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more lemon juice if the lemons you are using are not sour enough. Pour into a bowl.

Add the dill and Italian seasoning by hand to the blended dressing. Serve as a dip or a salad dressing. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Hummus

This is from Alissa Cohen's awesome cookbook. I had the pleasure of staying with her for five days in March and learning a bunch of great raw recipes.

Tastes just as delicious as the hummus served in the finest Greek restaurants! You can change the flavor of this hummus by adding different vegetables, e.g.: red peppers = "Red Pepper Hummus," carrots = "Carrot Hummus," and so on.


4 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup tahini
1 cup onion
1 cup olive oil
1 cup lemon, peeled
1/2 bunch parsley
1 Tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (I prefer Nama Shoyu)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Side note: CHICKPEAS - Acording to researchers, the mineral and protein content of chickpeas are of a level so high, that they may actually lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. Chickpeas also contain elements that prevent the wrinkling of skin. (nice!)

Eat More Veggies

What's good for the planet is good for you, too. That's why Frances Moore Lappe', author of Diet for A Small Planet, champions a vegetarian diet. "Eating low on the food chain is one of my core lifestyle choices," she says. While a meat-centered diet deepens our ecological foot print and contributes to pollution, a plant-centered diet requires fewer resources and supports long-term health. Research shows that vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, prostate and colon cancer. You don't have to go completely veggie to reap the benefits; try gradually shifting the emphasis of your meals from animal-based proteins to plant-based ones like soy foods and beans. -Body & Soul 5/07

When anyone ask the kids how they get their protein they answer, "from the same place the cow your eating got theirs, fresh greens. " :)

Strawberries are in season!!!

Strawberries are rich in vitamin b, c & beta-carotene.

They are filled with the minerals potassium, calcium, iron
and phosphorus.

Strawberries are an excellent skin cleanser. Mild laxative and have a
diuretic effect. They are helpful for high blood pressure, gout and rheumatism.

Dilly Zucchini

This is from Jackie Graff

Here is a great way to use all of the extra zucchini.

5 cups zucchini shredded

Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 bunch fresh dill
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
2-3 cloves garlic

Place lemon juice, sea salt, garlic and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. When the dressing is mixed well, add the dill, pulsing the blender until the dill is chopped. Toss dressing with zucchini, mixing well.

Happy Fourth of July

We hope everyone has a great day!!!
Back tomorrow with new recipes and more.