Why is my kitchen so happy?

Naming this blog was an easy task. You may have heard of the SAD diet. Being a raw foodie is just the opposite of SAD...HAPPY!!!!

The main reason my kitchen is happy, is the fact that I am so happy.
Eating raw food makes me feel energetic and healthy.
There are vibrant colors, textures, and scents.
I feel good about the food I buy.
I have very little waste from my food preparation.
I can make (almost) anything I crave from my happy raw kitchen!


Below is a picture of my refrigerator.There are all kinds of peppers, kale, spinach, herbs, avocado, eggplant, jicama, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, scallions, almonds, walnuts, and pecans in the shells, carrots, celery, beets, coconut, Thai coconut, raw mayo, apples, pears, lemons, limes, grapefruit,and some assorted grains.Oh yeah, one lonely cherimoya!

In the freezer, there are a bunch of peeled bananas, and containers of raw coconut, chocolate and strawberry ice creams.I also have some assorted fruit frozen. I like some frozen for smoothies, and I freeze some that look like they will go bad before I can use them. Always frozen and ready to go, the insert for the ice cream maker!

Since I am the only raw foodie in my house, this is a smaller fridge, just for me:) The rest of my family has a full size fridge. All items are organic when possible


















Here is a picture of my pantry. Stored in the glass jars are an assortment of grains, beans, seeds, nuts, dried fruit such as goji berries, currants, raisins, coconut and some home dehydrated strawberries, banana slices, crackers, cookies, chips, and my own raw (zucchini, jicama, and eggplant) bacon!

Bottles of oils, vinegars, and agave.

There are packages of lucuma, maca, mesquite,cocoa powder,and dried spices.

I am sure I forgot to name a few things, but you get the idea!

















Shopping is very easy on the raw food diet. My food choices are picked from the produce section and the bulk food bins of the regular market and in my local health food store/co-op. There are a few other items like oils, vinegars, capers, olives and salt.

I frequent a small Asian market for the young Thai coconuts. They do carry them in my regular market and health food store, at twice the price!

Superfood supplement items, such as lucuma powder, are the only things I have ever had to order online, and I only did that quite recently.

With these staples, I can make almost any thing I desire. Many times I will get an idea, or see a recipe that looks interesting, and it is nice to have the ingredients ready to go.

Some jars contain sprouted and dehydrated grains and nuts so they are recipe ready.

Raw Food For Children

I hope your little ones will enjoy some of my unique raw recipes created especially for them!

Fun Fries
















Ingredients:
for fries:
apple, pear, or mango cut into fry shapes (to prevent browning, sprinkle with lemon juice, and optional cinnamon,nutmeg,date sugar)
for goji ketchup:
½ cup dates, pitted
¼ cup goji berries
¼ cup water

Preparation:
1.Soak dates and berries in water for at least 1/2 an hour to soften.

2.Blend until smooth,may need additional water if dates aren’t juicy.

Serve as ketchup with fruit fries.

Play around with the jam by mixing other dried fruit with the dates or sub. fresh berries for the dried ones and water.

Ladybugs on a Log













Ingredients:
1 stalk celery
1 tablespoon almond butter
5 dried goji berries, soaked for 1 hour
1 sprinkle chia seeds,pictured, or poppy or black sesame seed

Preparation:
1. Wash and dry celery.

2. Fill with almond butter.

3. Sprinkle berries with seeds, and place across almond butter.

A variation:
ladybugs on a "raft"
Top sliced apple,pear,banana the same way.
Sprinkle the fruit slices with lemon or orange juice if making ahead (to slow browning)
Sprinkle with cinnamon, optional before adding the "ladies"!

fruit fiends














Ingredients: 
1 apple, cored and quartered
assorted nuts and seeds
nut butter
berries,grapes,or small fruit like kiwi berries
frilled toothpicks
orange juice

Preparation: 
1. Carefully remove football shaped slice from apple quarter, reserve for tongue.

2. Sprinkle all cut surfaces with orange juice.

3. Fill with nut butter ,if desired.

4. Add nuts or seeds as teeth, tongue is cut from removed apple piece(stick in with a bit of nut butter)

5. Add eyes with toothpicks using berries or grapes

If possible, let the little ones help to make these goodies. The best way to get children to eat healthy food is to get them excited and inspired about it. Children are more likely to eat foods they helped prepare:)

Sweet Treats

I was so happy to learn I didn't have to give up yummy treats when eating raw
Here are two of my favorite quick and easy recipes:

Halvah Truffle Trio













Ingredients:
½ cup raw tahini
2 tablespoons local raw honey, the thick opaque kind
¼ cup unhulled raw sesame seeds, soaked or not if you prefer*
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 inch vanilla bean, seeds only
extra sesame seeds
*you may wish to lightly grind seeds if using unsoaked.

Preparation:

1. Mix tahini,honey,and 1/4 cup sesame seeds. taste to see if sweet enough,adjust honey.

2. Divide mixture into thirds.

3. Add cocoa to one part,cinnamon to another and vanilla to the third. you may need to add a little extra sesame seed to the vanilla mix,to stiffen.

4. Chill until firm.

5. Divide each part into 4, one inch balls.

6. Roll in sesame seeds.

Strict vegans may want to try a substitute sweetener,use an equal amount of date paste (blended soaked dates)

Store in fridge.
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This next recipe is so easy I hesitate to call it a recipe. Freeze some ripe bananas for a few hours. When frozen, place them in the food processor fitted with the "S" blade until it forms a light creamy soft serve banana ice cream! Add anything you like, like cacao nibs, flavorings, nuts, coconut, berries...you get the idea! It can be placed in the freezer to firm up a little, or eaten as a soft serve. This recipe is from Alissa Cohen. Thanks, Alissa!

Starting to Eat Raw

Welcome!
You may have found this blog because you have decided to make a change in your eating habits.A change for the better! Raw food is quickly becoming a popular way for people to regain health, lose weight ,increase energy, and feel amazing.
To start eating raw, you don't need any special equipment. Most likely, you already have everything you need.The following recipes require a blender or magic bullet,a knife and a bowl! Here is a sample of what I eat on a typical day. I hope you will enjoy these simple favorite recipes.

What do you eat for breakfast on a raw food diet?
This is easy!The best thing for me to eat for breakfast is summed up in one word.
FRUIT!
Your breakfast can be as simple as peeling a banana(or two , or three!) or grabbing a piece of your favorite fruit. Fruit smoothies are also a wonderful way to start the day, if you have a blender. All morning long, I eat as much fruit as I desire.It is easy to digest fruit.
Here is a fast and easy favorite:

banana and currants













Ingredients:
1 or 2 bananas
2 tablespoons currants
optional:
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
2 tablespoons orange juice

Preparation:
1. slice banana into a bowl
2. sprinkle with currants, and optional coconut and orange juice.

Here is a picture of a fancy fruit plate, special enough for...you!













What can I eat for lunch as a raw foodist?
The easiest thing for me to have for lunch is a veggie salad. These sometimes include fruit, as well.Many salads contain mostly raw ingredients already. Here is the salad I enjoyed for lunch yesterday, with a tasty raspberry vinaigrette, based on this recipe.
Thanks to ray at gone raw:)

Berry yummy salad














Ingredients:
for salad:
3 cups baby greens
1/2 mango, cubed
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries

for dressing:
1 cup raspberries
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave, optional
pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:
1.In bowl, combine greens, mango, and berries.
2.In blender or magic bullet, blend dressing ingredients until smooth.
3.Pour dressing over salad and dig in!

Dinner can also be as simple as another salad, with veggies added in an unlimited amount.Raw soups are simple and satisfying.If you have a blender, it only takes a few minutes and several simple ingredients to make a delicious soup.Here is a quick soup recipe:

Warm tomato soup














Ingredients: 
6 plum tomatoes
1-2 limes, juice only
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, or cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
pinch salt

Preparation: 
1.warm serving bowl by filling with very hot water while preparing soup. Discard water before filling with soup.
2.place tomato, juice of limes, parsley,(or cilantro), garlic, oil, and spices in blender.
3.blend until smooth
4.garnish , if desired, with rose made from tomato peel ,chive stem, and parsley leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze:)

If you have access to raw crackers or breads, those will add bulk to your dinner, helping you feel more satisfied.As you become more involved with the preparation of raw foods, you may invest in a dehydrator, so you can make you own raw breads and crackers. My first year raw was without a dehydrator, as I was saving for the 9 tray excalibur model I had heard so much about.

Here is my personal favorite recipe.It can be served over greens, as a bruschetta or pizza topping, or just have a bowl of it! I love this so much, I have actually eaten it for breakfast. It keeps well, so you can always have a bowlful in the fridge.

Raw Eggplant Caponata













Servings:
makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant,peeled, 1/4"dice approx 4 cups
1 cup tomato, 1/4" dice
1 sweet bell pepper,I used orange, 1/4" dice
1 celery stalk, 1/4" dice
¼ cup red onion,or more to taste, 1/4" dice
¼ cup olives of choice,I used a mix of green and black, 1/4" dice
2 tablespoon capers,optional, not raw
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dressing:
½ cup sundried tomato, soaked
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons agave, or 2 soaked medjool dates
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, or more to taste
all organic if possible

Preparation:
1.prepare dressing ingredients in magic bullet or blender.
2.combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix well with dressing.

If you would like to reduce the amount of oil, replace with equal amount of tomato soak liquid:)

good right away or can be marinated several days in fridge.