Spring Rolls In

Nope, sorry, not that Spring, but fingers crossed for a miracle soon! 

I have this recipe for these delicious Asian Cucumber Spring Rolls from my Beauty Detox Recipes book. You've heard it here before. My yum-yum guide. 

This needed to be tweaked a little because I didn't have all the ingredients. Though the hubster was kind enough to pick some things up at the store.

Instead of clover sprouts, I got a jar of whole cloves. I have noooo clue, you figure that one out.

Annnnd...instead of Raw Coconut Nectar, I got a bag of shredded coconut.  Have to give him some credit on that one. Oh, I'll use it…among the 5 other bags I have. Hey, the hubster tried, right? :)

So I used arugula rather than clovers, and a small amount of honey, rather than nectar. Could have used Agave, but I hear that's not so good anymore. I also shredded the carrots to make it a softer bite. The cucumbers sure were a challenge to slice thin, for rolling.  After a couple of tries, I made them like sandwiches.  Same end-result.  I made too much of the 'sauce', and it came out thicker than I'd like.  Probably because I doubled the ingredients, I always make too much, and I also let it mix too long in the Vitamix.  The outcome though, was yummy.  Great flavor for the roll-up! 

These are my results, not too shabby right?  They were very tasty.  The hubster even loved them.

Here's the full recipe and directions:

1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 Tbs grated ginger
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbs raw coconut nectar
1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts, pulsed in processor (do not over process, keep some texture)
3/4 Tbs sesame oil
2 organic cucumbers
A few handfuls of clover sprouts :)
1 cup julienned carrots (I shredded for softer bite)

Put almond butter, ginger, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sea salt and coconut nectar in blender and process until smooth. Pour into bowl and set aside. (You can easily whisk, if you don't have a blender. Next time, I would just whisk.)

Pulse the macadamia nuts in processor and add to bowl.  Mix in the sesame oil and remaining sea salt, set aside.

Slice the cucumbers with a mandolin (I do not have one) into very thin, long strips.

Assemble rolls by adding a bit of the almond butter mixture about 1/3 of the way up the cucumber slice, and top with a bit of macadamia nuts mixture. Add a trace of sprouts and carrots, and just roll with it!

Yum factor!!

Note: If you are slicing cucumbers by hand and they are too thick, soak them in about 3 Tbs of lemon juice overnight, to help soften them for rolling.  I was too lazy to do that and wanted them NOW! 

Enjoy,

New Year, New You!

Happy New Year!  

I know, I know, I'm a bit late.  As the old saying goes, "better late, than never". 

Well, the holidays got me backed up for a couple of weeks.  All the decorating and wrapping, then the visits and cooking and baking.  Not to mention the clean up!  Oh, you all know what I'm talking about.  So I'll stop making excuses.  I'm finally posting this and I'll get on with it!

With the New Year, comes new resolutions and changes for many of us.  Some will fall through the cracks, not being able to fit more time into our busy schedules.  Like anything we want to change of ourselves, we need to focus and make the time.  Easier said than done, right?  Yes.

In this post I'm mainly talking about, 'dieting'. Eww, right?  A love-hate relationship. No one likes to, or should play the yo-yo game with diet plans. It doesn't do your body good. Personally, I think it makes things worse and takes you back to a tougher place. I've seen it happen time and again, with many friends and family.

Let's take the word ''diet' out altogether.  Let's just 'eat healthy'.  That definitely sounds easier to me. 

Although I've been lucky enough to be on the thinner side all my life, I've still had to watch what I eat. With age comes pounds, and they get harder to shed. No matter what you weigh, any additional pounds are annoying and not wanted. Agreed? 

If you've followed me enough, you'll know I am pro-RAW eating.  I'm not perfect, I fall off the wagon. A lot.  Especially around the holidays like many of us, the cookies, some healthy some not so healthy.  My pumpkin pie, not sure I can change it to the RAW side.  That's one great-grandmother recipe I'm not messing with :)  So, as much as I'm RAW 80% of the time, I am moving slowly toward the 100%.  I may never get there, but I will get closer to 95%.  I just know it's better for my health.

How do I know? My body tells me. I feel it.  I see it, in my skin.  The bloating face and tummy vs. not bloating. We all get it.  I like my martini now and then, and a glass of wine.  I had a bit too much over the holidays and 'I see it'.  I don't like it.  Since this past Sunday, I have gone smoothie-city!  With the help of:

Blender Babes They hold your hand (Tarashaun is wonderful), and help you live a Lifestyle, not a 'diet'. Right now they have a great green smoothie challenge & juice detox for you to follow.  Check out the Babes.

The Beauty Detox Foods This book helps you slowly go to the RAW side.  The recipes are delish!

Forks Over Knives More yummy recipes. I need to live by this book more, I've rarely used it.

Check them all out, to see which is best for you. Starting slow is key, to any change in your life. Taking the steps at your pace to healthier eating will bring you healthy results.  Try it.  You can have your junk day, or weekend.  Or do a healthy day, every other day, or every two days.  Remember~ your choices, your schedule, your results.

Let it be known, I am not receiving any compensation for these mentions. I'm sharing my personal experience of eating RAW and doing green smoothies every day, seeing/feeling my own personal results. I'm sharing those that have helped me stay on my healthy track.  Plus, there is so much FREE information on these sites as well, information on healthy eating for a healthier you. 

In the new year, make healthier choices in all areas of your life.

Since putting this together, there have been many things happening in my daily life.  I have a lot going on.  Fixing up a house to move my mother here from Florida; trying to find the time to go pack her up and move her here to PA.  Dealing with houses that have frozen/broken pipes that have flooded. The New Year has started off with a bang!  I've neglected my bloggesses and visiting their blog spaces, but will get back to it as often as I can.  I'll be posting as much as I can, still trying to find my niche, haha, but please be patient as I 'get my act together to try and remain positive' through it all.  

RAW Stacks Recipe!

I know it's the day 'before' Thanksgiving, and I should have had this food idea posted earlier (for those friends of mine in Malibu), but time has gotten away from me this week. So, hopefully some of you are still making your grocery lists and will be able to add this to your holiday menu.  If not, maybe an add-on to your leftovers over the weekend.


Timbale Stacks!

How delicious does this look!  Oh my goodness, I loved this dish.  

Quinoa, Squash, Avocado

I took this recipe from my favorite RAW book, The Beauty Detox Foods. I did change it up a bit, only because I didn't have all the ingredients.  My red cabbage went bad (not a good aroma), so I replaced that with mushrooms. It wasn't a mistake, I'll tell you that. I didn't have any micro greens either, but I think it looks just as pretty :) and appetizing! 

Ingredients

2 cups butternut squash, cubed

2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 Tbs dried rosemary, crushed

Sea salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup quinoa, soaked overnight and rinsed well 

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 Tbs lime juice

2 1/2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

1 tsp minced fresh basil

1/4 cup finely minced purple cabbage

1 large or 2 small avocados , diced
Microgreens or clover sprout, to top

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F and grease a baking sheet with coconut oil.  Toss the cubed squash with the coconut oil, rosemary and sea salt and black pepper.  Bake 20 minutes, then stir and bake 20 more.

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth for about 12 minutes, or until soft and fluffy. Add to mixing bowl and mix in lime juice, parsley, basil and cabbage.  (In my case, I sautéed mushrooms in veggie broth.) You can season with sea salt if you so desire.

Assemble the timbales, in a ramekin or any dish you'd like.  Even a cup if you don't have a small dish.  I used a small pyrex dish, worked just as well.  Grease your dish with coconut oil (small amount), and layer, squash, avocado, and then quinoa.  Press down, then turn over. Top with sprouts.  Voila!
Happy Hump Day! 

Starting a Conscious week with 3-words & 3-photos

Hey peeps, here we are on Tuesday, feels like Monday to me.  Of course I am a little behind this morning.  Blah, blah, blah. Gotta' love me, right ;-)

We had some great company over the weekend, visiting from California.  I didn't want them to leave.  So it was a fun pleasure to get thrown off track.  I even got to give all the girls facials! (Wouldn't you come for a freebie? )

We did some eating out…train riding…and football gaming in Philly!

Their visit was too short.  So now we need to head to Malibu! 

I shared my green smoothies, and inspired my girl "T", to purchase my favorite RAW eating book, 

The Beauty Detox Foods.

I'll be posting many recipes over the next two weeks.
My girlie visitors are asking for some Thanksgiving meatless dishes.
My kind of girls! xo

________________________________

On to my Conscious Box!  Again, a winner.  

Floating Soap Marshmallow Collection, what a great concept for stocking stuffers! A lathering soap that grows when wet, then let it dry and shrink back to size for the next time. www.actzstore.com

Yogavive Apple Chips, chocolate.  I don't think I can try them.  I'm not a big chocolate flavored gal.  Especially apples.  I'm someone in the house will eat them! If you like this, try it www.yogavive.com

The Source Coffee Company.  I'll take that! Since 1964 the Montecinos Sierra family has been farming this great bean, chocolate (no), hazelnut, bitters with a full creamy body.  www.thesourcecoffee.com

Mighty Leaf Tea Coffee by morning, Tea by night.  That's me! (Although "T" and I don't mind the midnight coffee!) 

Glorious Grains This is delicious! A small pack of multiple grains.  Really, really good. www.naturenates.com 

Ivre de Fleurs Boolg Orange & Juniper Lip Balm. Works! I like it, smooth. 

www.ivredefleurs.com

Relax-All MRM Metabolic Response Modifiers.  I'm afraid to just take a pill.  It is to support relaxation & calmness to muscles, and aid is a better night's sleep.  (not evaluated by FDA) But, they are vegetarian. No dairy, eggs, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, gluten or yeast. 

www.mrm-usa.com 

REBOOT Combat Oxidative Stress.  Cool packaging, you just squeeze the bottom into the top, and it is to promote elimination of free radicals (you know, pollution, smoke, etc.) It's to use during and after exercise and sports.  For healthy weight maintenance. After excess food or drink indulgence. During travel by air. After exposure to sun. Read up, check them out. 

www.rebootizerusa.com

Sunology Natural Sunscreen 50-SPF 80-minute water resistant/broad spectrum FInd out more:

www.sunolgoy.com 

Harmony Acres Soap Co. L-O-V-E the pleasant smell of this Patchouli Earth bar soap. Made in NC.

www.getsmelly.com (love that web name)

Postography! This sounds awesome.  Postcards on recycled paper are mailed to anyone you's like to snail mail to.  With each 20-cards sent, a tree is planted.  Love that idea. 

www.postography.com  

I like being introduced to new things that are healthy and RAW. Ultimately, it is my (or your) choice to use these products. Love the Conscious Box idea, check it out.  You might like it. 

____________________________________

Furthermore…three words…three pictures! 

  flowers

The latest bunch the hubster brought home. 
role model

A child. My son. From birth. Innocent and honest.   We, as adults, can learn their values. We, as adults, can let them lose their values. 
shoes

Wedding shoes, made of cupcakes.  Made these for my niece's bridal shower.  

Matches the shoes I bought her for her wedding day.   

Portobello & Muhammara Dip!

Yum!  I really am enjoying the RAW food recipes I've been experiencing lately.  Although it can be time consuming trying to make it taste like real food, it is definitely worth the time.  Wait, did I really just say that?  "Real food"!  Wow.  I suppose most of us have been eating the same meals of meat and potatoes, throughout the years, so I guess that is considered 'real food'.  What we don't see is how processed it really can be, that's the unhealthy part.

I was a vegetarian when I was younger, so going almost totally raw isn't an issue for me.  I can find it very fulfilling and a natural way of eating.  Meat was never my favorite, so I did only consume chicken and fish for the longest time.  What really made me change to NO meat, is a book called Skinny Bitch.  Sound familiar?  This book is so funny they way these ladies write it, but it is also sad how animals are inhumanely tortured and slaughtered. Sorry, but the truth always hurts.

With respect to you meat eaters out there, I do cook it for the family.  I just don't eat it. (All the while apologizing to the meat, wherever it came from or how long it sat there before getting to our table :) I have gotten more into the pre-packaged marinated meats, or toss everything but the kitchen sink into a crock pot, putting my focus on the vegetables and salads.  I can put together a mean salad, such as last night.

This is what I'm talking about!  Salad as a full meal.  This one I put avocado in it, kale, romaine, tomatoes, mushrooms, edamame, shaved carrots, hemp seeds, and a RAW made parmesan (by processing some nutritional yeast and almonds, tastes like the real thing), and light vinaigrette dressing.

I get a proud feeling when I make my RAW food and it tastes like an original food.  Such as my tuna-fishless sandwich. That was good.  I haven't made that lately, but it's a good weekend lunch.

Over the holiday weekend with my sister visiting, we made the Muhammara Dip and Portobello Burgers.  Oh so good!  Little Sis' marinated some portobellos and I made a burger out of some.

I cooked the porto-burger on the grill, in my cast iron pan.  I love cooking that way.  It seared it on the outside and it made for a nice juicy burger!  No worry about any 'raw meat' in the middle, it's always edible.  

(See the recipe below)

I used sprout bread and slapped some Muhammara Dip on this baby, along 

with some romaine and tomatoes.  It was so delicious.  (See the recipe below.) 

Muhammara Dip.  So good with fresh cut vegetables.  

This is full of amino acids, omega fats & vitamins.  

The vitamin C in red peppers, helps to repair and regenerate collagen. 

Both of these recipes are from my Beauty Detox Foods book.  I am not compensated in any way to mention this book, I just love the recipes!  You can find some of the recipes free on line by searching.  Check out the link, it is very informative.  For those of you interested in RAW eating or just some healthy tips and dips.  

  

Raw Muhammara Dip 

Combine all ingredients in a blender/processor until smooth.  You can add roasted peppers (dried) if you want a thicker consistency. I add hemp seeds and flax meal also.  

3 red peppers

1 cup raw walnuts (soaked in water for 15 minutes)

1 medium garlic clove

1 T nutritional yeast

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp powdered stevia (I chose not to add this sweetener)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

Portobello Mushroom Burger

This is the best veggie burger "I" have ever had, and the first I ever made! Use your food processor for the mushrooms and parsley first.  Move to a large bowl and set aside.  In a skillet, cook the garlic and onions in the vegetable broth, until translucent.  Add celery and cook another minute.  Add spices and everything together with the porto-parsley bowl and mix.  I formed them into patties and cooked on the grill in my cast iron pan, from there.  You can refrigerate for 45-mintues, and then form into patties.  Place into the oven at 350, for 30-minutes.  

4 portobello mushrooms     

1/2 c fresh chopped parsley

1 T low sodium vegetable broth

1 glove garlic, minced

1/2 c finely chopped celery

2 1/2 T organic ketchup (I did not have, and did not add any)

1/2 T fresh chopped thyme (You could use dry if needed, on all the spices)

1 tsp fresh chopped oregano 

1/2 tsp fresh chopped sage

1 T low-sodium tamari

1 tsp sea salt

2 c gluten free bread crumbs

So there you have it!  If you want to go RAW, you can always start slow.  Or, just use it as an ultra healthy way of eating for a couple days during the week.  You could even see yourself shedding some unwanted pounds.  Find the recipes you like most and work with them.  I'm always improvising with different ingredients.  Especially if I don't have them available to me.  

Have you tried any raw recipes? 

Share your favorites!

RAW Gorilla!

Recently I've committed to the RAW way of eating. Fresh organic vegetables, fruits and nuts, that about sums it up.  I never realized all the amazing dishes you can make with RAW foods.  I mean, , gorilla dish such as "Gorilla Wraps" doesn't sound very appealing but it is, trust me.  It's a mexican meat textured wrap.  Delicious!

I live by these two books,(so far): Forks Over Knives, my best friend told me about this one, and I accidentally found The Beauty Detox Foods.  Not only will the recipes in this book make you healthy, you actually feel healthy, and you look and feel better overall. Both can be found on-line.

I'll be sharing some of my random dishes and what I learn as I go along.

Today, I'm sharing the Raw Gorilla Taco Wrap, that I have made several times already. 

The Beauty Detox Foods book

This is your mexican dish without the meat but with all the flavor!  I don't always follow recipes to the exact, and many times I have to improvise because I don't have an ingredient.  This one is very easy. 

Ingredients

2 cups walnuts - use a food processor to make them chunky

1 TBS cumin

1/2 TBS coriander

1 tsp chili powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper (More if you like spice! I am less than a pinch, I don't like spice.)

2 TBS low-sodium tamari

Collard greens - wash and cut the stem about 2" from the bottom (keep them to use in green smoothies)

Salsa 

Directions

Put the chopped walnuts in a bowl and add in the cumin, coriander, chili powder and cayenne, mix.  (I found that adding the spices prior to any wet ingredients helps to blend them better with the dry ingredients.) Add the tamari and mix again.  

Cut your collard leaf stem.  If the leaf is very big, I will cut both sides off the stem and wrap.  Too much is overwhelming for me. 

Place the taco filling on the collard leaf, top with your salsa and fold up like a burrito!  Voila!  Enjoy.

(I make a salsa like topping rather than from a jar.  Using some cherry tomatoes, chopped peppers and shredded carrots. They have flavor all their own, but you could add any herb to your own taste.)

Just a note, I do not in any way benefit from either author of the books above.  I am not promoting their books or mentioning their name, for any other reason than, I eat RAW, the recipes are good, and I want to share them with you. 

Do you eat RAW?

Any RAW food books you'd like to share with me?