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.…
Broccoli Carrot Slaw With Sweet and Spicy Tahini
Broccoli is an anti-oxidant rich powerhouse that supports healthy cells throughout the body. Plus it tastes good and it’s one of those healthy veggies that even most kids don’t turn up their noses at. That makes it a go-to in my house at all times! Broccoli at the Fairgrounds… The very first time I really made this recipe was years ago when I joined forces with three other raw afficionados to set up a booth for a fair in Santa Fe, NM, where I live. I honestly don’t know where our heads were. Somehow we believed that we could successfully bring raw food into the fairground! As if…! The moment…
Seeds, Scraps and The Birth of a Garden
Whether you’re trying to save money or the environment, turning your scraps and seeds from used produce, into a garden is an easy and fun hobby. I took it up in an effort to spend less time going to the grocery store! Some fruits, vegetables and herbs work amazingly well, like onions, garlic, bok choy or mint. Some will grow, but you might not get the results you’re hoping for -like with carrots or beets. Unfortunately, some store bought produce have either been treated or they’re clones and hybrids and scraps from these will not reproduce or propagate. These will just piss you off. I have tried some of these…
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…
Jammy Fruit Salad with Arugula
My son loves fruit but when it comes to condiments, he’s really not much of a fan. He never even liked sauces, never mind salad dressings. From the beginning that became a challenge. Because, let’s face it, salad dressing is kind of like ‘clothes for greens’. (I guess that’s why they call it ‘dressing’ in the first place). It gives it that little extra ‘oomph’ that takes it over the top and helps to accentuate the flavor of everything that touches it. I mean, even I don’t think it’s that much of a thrill to eat a bunch of lettuce completely dry. And salad is -hands down – my favorite…
Soaking and Sprouting: Patience is a Virtue
It’s hard to imagine that raw seeds, nuts, grains and beans warrant anything so involved as soaking and sprouting. They’re raw, after all! Isn’t that enough to make them wonderful? Unfortunately for us, however, they’re so highly evolved that they’ve got their own protective outerwear built in. They’re covered in enzyme inhibitors that prevent them from germinating prematurely and help keep all the essential nutrients they need to grow, all locked up and safe till the right moment. Essentially it’s like the plant equivalent of wearing a chastity belt. Those chemicals don’t help us at all, though. Instead they prevent us from being able to absorb minerals and proteins from…
Eggplant Carpaccio Caprese
When asked what food was most missed in the transition to a raw diet, a large number of people volunteered eggplant as their answer. Truthfully, I could get this; you don’t look at eggplant and even imagine anything raw. Sure, it’s a fruit … but you can’t – under any circumstances – just pick it off the vine and shove it in your mouth. Even in most cooked versions of it, there’s a process: you’re supposed to slice it and salt it and put it in a colander to get some of the moisture out of it before you even get to the cooking part. And that usually involves frying.…
Pineapple Pepper Raw Chia Jam
Chia makes it so easy to make jam, it’s ridiculous! No cooking, not a bunch of pots to clean gooey messes off of – barely any labor expressed on your part in any way, shape or form. And for barely lifting a finger, you get one hell of a delicious jam! Now, we used ground chia seeds to make this because they really seem to thicken better but the grey color of the seeds does mute the vibrancy of the fruit a bit. OK. More than a bit. It bothered us at first. Melissa was trying to figure out how to make it more yellow naturally. Turmeric seemed like the…
Melon Ball Summer Stew
Don’t be intimidated by the nifty little melon ball-er. Using one is easy and fun and it’s somehow so rewarding to see those little melon balls falling into a bowl to form vibrant mounds! Even if there not perfectly round, they’re still perfect; each one a burst of fresh sweetness! This is the kind of food that actually makes you want to play with it – even if you’ve got your mother in the back of your mind telling you not to! Now, mind you, you don’t have to make melon balls for this to be good. Cutting the melons into large dice would work just as well. It probably…
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Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Whenever I prepare food or smoothies with these tiny seeds, I can’t help but remember all those commercials for Chia Pets. And -let’s not forget – the famous Chia Head (scary and ridiculous)! I, myself, succumbed to the lure of the miraculous Chia Pet when I received one of the kits for my birthday. That was a long time ago. As I recall it was a hedgehog that actually looked pretty damn cute when it began to sprout green chia quills! But, never, at that time, did I ever anticipate a day that I would actually be eating those little seeds. And – even more miraculous – that I…
