Saratoga Springs and Something Sweet:)

Hi everyone! Today I would love to take you on a little trip to Saratoga Springs.

It's one of the places we usually visit each weekend when we do our shopping and necessary 'running around':)

Saratoga Springs is a beautiful historic city in upstate N.Y. known for it's many quaint shops, museums, art district, spas baths, and of course their world famous mineral springs.

I love to visit the natural springs, which flow even in the middle of winter. Many of them are protected by some kind of pavilion.

Trust me, that water is ice cold in December!

Some are even naturally carbonated, like Hathorn Spring:

Cold and very carbonated! And yes, I bring my trusty mason jars to fill while we are there:) I must tell you that the actual taste of the water can be quite...ummmm...earthy. They are mineral springs, and you can taste the minerals:)


Click here for a guide to all 17 springs of Saratoga.

If you are interested, here is a link to find a spring in your area.


But, there are lots of other things to do in Saratoga, like window shop:)
Hidden Gardens is a great little florist and antique store...

Such a pretty horse fountain:

I adore this greenhouse...

Gargoyles, anyone?


I also love to find and admire some of the beautiful Horses of Saratoga that were part of a public art project. The project featured 34 life-sized fiberglass horses that have been embellished by artists from New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. They are now sprinkled all around the city....


One of my favorite horses, pic from last winter:

My Dad would have loved this one, he was a tile setter by trade:)



But, my favorite place in Saratoga Springs is peaceful Congress Park...







Several of the mineral springs are located right in the park.

Saratoga Spring:

Deer Park Spring:

The park is also home to a beautifully restored antique carousel from 1910:

The carousel has it's own enclosure, and is open for several winter events, too:)

And, there just happens to be a great little health food store within a block of the park:) Here is a peek inside Four Seasons Natural Foods:

Fresh organic produce

Bulk items

Here is the Happy Cow link for veg friendly eating in Saratoga, but we usually end up at Ruby Tuesday's hehe!

Oh yeah, I promised you something sweet! Can't have a post at the happy raw kitchen without something yummy...

Raw Vegan Cheesecake:)

These luscious little lemon cheesecakes are courtesy of lovely fellow blogger, Averie.

I noticed the recipe yesterday, and whipped them up in a matter of minutes. I added a spoon of coconut oil to make sure they set up in the little bite-sized molds and added the zest of the lemon to accent the lovely lemon flavor. Thanks so much Averie...love you and this awesome recipe!

Hope you all enjoyed this little trip to Saratoga, and a taste of something sweet!

Veggie Expo and a recipe:)

On Saturday I went to the NY Capitol Region Vegetarian Expo in Saratoga.

I was happy to see some of exhibitors with products I was familiar with, like Artisana Coconut Butter:)

Here is a recipe featured at the Artisana booth as it appears on the hand-out. Thank you Artisana!
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Cole's Coconut Fruit Dip

8 oz. Artisana Coconut Butter
2 fresh ripe organic peaches or nectarines (feel free to experiment with other fruits!)
1 large organic lime
2 tablespoons raw and organic agave

Peel lime and remove seeds. Remove pits from fresh peaches. Place fruit and Artisana Coconut Butter into Vitamix or powerful blender and blend until smooth. Add agave for sweetening to taste.

This makes a super creamy and delicious fruit dip. Slice apples or prepare other fruit for dipping and enjoy. You can add even more agave for a Creamy Peachy Frosting that is super healthy!
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A little more about the Expo....
I had a chance to sample some of the Zukay Live Foods dressings. They are so good, and raw!
Here is a pic of Scott who was so nice and took a minute to briefly explain to every person who came up to the booth about the benefits of probiotic fermented foods. These are a great healthy alternative to your own dressings.

Another familiar product line exhibited was Navitas.

There were some lovely products at this booth from The Garden of One

Look at all the goodies from Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe:)

There were lots of compassionate books...

I got a sneak preview of the book I was fortunate enough to win from Gone Vegan. Thanks Gone Vegan! Here it is on the way home from picking it up at the post office today. What a beautiful day for a walk:)


There were some booths I could not get a picture of because they always had a large crowd of people around them and all you would have seen is the backs of all the people:) They were the ones selling fresh baked vegan goodies of some kind! There were lots of yummy samples.

I must say that the people I met here were all so awesome! Everyone I spoke to was so friendly and caring. Many showed a great interest in raw foods. There was one Raw Food specific booth, but sadly it was empty. I was sorry Gena from Choosing Raw was unable to make it:( I hope you are feeling better!

As noted in their website, the Expo is the first in the Capital Region area to bring together and promote the global health benefits of green sustainable living, environmental awareness, and compassion for animals and all beings while highlighting their relationship to a plant-based diet.

Many of the booths were there to educate people about the horrible reality of factory farming. There are links provided with the pics at the end of this post if you want to know more about the organizations dedicated helping animals. Happily, the vegan raw food diet does not contribute to such atrocities.

Here are a few pics of some of the wonderful organizations helping animals in need, and the beautiful people who love and care enough about our friends to dedicate a good portion of their time to saving them.
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary(Hi Cassie!)

Catskill Animal Sanctuary


New England Anti-Vivisection Society

Maple Farm Sanctuary

Here are a pair of the sweetest greyhounds from Greyhound Rescue of N.Y.

If possible, please support some of the organizations here or in your area that provide such a haven for our amazing animal friends. They might not exist without contributions from other caring people, like us:)