Sunchoke Salad With Apples and Kumquats
You know those strange little traditions that everyone has? Like “Fruit Salad Sundays!” or treating themselves to a coffee when they go to the bookstore? Well, my mother and I have a tradition like that. Every time we go to the grocery store, we try to find one fruit or vegetable that we have never tried. They are often in that “strange, exotic foods” section where rambutans, and gooseberries, and dragon fruit. To be fair, at this point in my life, I’ve tried most of the produce that pops up in that section. But the other day, I saw something that I had never tried. Never even thought about trying!…
Fennel Lemon Spring Rolls
I don’t know about you but when summer comes, I lose all desire for heavy food. Being new to the raw food diet, I have found myself eating the same portion sizes and still being hungry after. This is common. So my challenge has been to make myself meals that are filling, but don’t leave me feeling like I swallowed a hunk of granite. I love eating spring rolls in the summer and always have, but lately, without fish, they just haven’t been as filling. Until now! I filled these gorgeous raw spring rolls with fennel and carrot and micro-greens. Mixed with the sauce, just two of these rolls had…
Dates and Ume Vinegar Sauce
I can hardly consider myself any sort of expert in food experimentation, or even a novice in it. But every once in a blue moon I am struck so powerfully by my own food genius, that it’s like lightning! That being said, this particular occasion was awfully strange. You see, it all started with a thought, “I want salt… and dates! Yep, salty dates sound good right now.” I mean honestly, where did that come from? The thought crossed my mind and I immediately started thinking back to the last time I had my period. You know, just to make sure! Of course, then my rational self kicked in to…
Carrots and Onions and Peppers, Oh My! Salad
I’ve learned that my absolute favorite part of eating raw is not having to cook. I have a deep dislike for the time that cooking takes. Besides the heat of the oven, there’s the absurd amount of times I’ve burned myself with bacon grease. And the red-hot burner of the oven has done me no favors. I have the scars on my hands to prove it! But I love to chop vegetables and to garnish food. The raw lifestyle has essentially created the ideal food prep environment for me: everything I like to do, with no hot stoves. This salad is no exception. Plus, it was a wonderful symphony of…
Chocolate Lemon Bark with Lavender and Goji
Chocolate makes the world go ‘round. I don’t know about you but for me, chocolate fixes everything. This whole recipe began as an experiment. Raw chocolate is known to have a relatively low melting point due to the high coconut oil content. So, this recipe was more of a search to find the key to a strong raw bark. I think I nailed it! If ever there was an antioxidant bank, this chocolate would be its currency! But antioxidants are not nearly all this tasty treat has to offer. In addition to cacao being a recognized aphrodisiac due to its ability to increase your body’s serotonin and dopamine production, cacao…
Orange Cheesecake In the Raw
I know that a raw vegan cheesecake sounds oxymoronic, The first question that people ask when I tell them about this dish is, “How is it cheesecake?” Well, strictly speaking, it’s not. However, in my humble opinion, it is far better! I originally was given a lemon version of this recipe when I was training as the raw food dessert chef at the cafe my mother used to own. I was about fourteen years old, and was psyched to be doing something other than spilling drinks and trying to unlock the secret of dairy free cappuccinos. It became an orange cheesecake, simply because we ran out of lemons one day.…
The Vagina and the Pineapple: A Fairytale
Girl talk! I know that just about every one of us has heard some poppycock story about how vaginas smell like fish naturally. And we’ve all seen the ads that boast some chemical douche that’ll make your vagina smell like roses and taste like a jellybean. Here’s the thing: our yonis are very delicate. They absolutely must maintain a moderately acidic pH level between 3.8 and 4.5. This is to ward off infection, keep away itchiness, and just keep your vagina healthy and happy. It’s a fun fact that what we eat has a huge effect on our vaginas: how they smell, how they taste, and how they feel. For…
