My S&M Salad Recipe

Cool salads are perfect on a warm summer day! I have been having this salad a lot lately. I created the creamy dressing as an alternate for Sarma Melngailis' popular S&M Salad.The salad is simply mixed baby lettuce with avocado cubes, a sprinkle of hemp seeds, and some torn dulse. Sarma has her recipe for the famous S&M salad posted in this interview. It is also in her most recent book, 'Living Raw Food'.

Creamy Macadamia-Lime Hemp Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup fresh lime juice*
1/4 cup fresh water
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 tablespoon agave, more or less, to taste
additional 1/4 cup fresh water or more if needed

1. In blender, combine nuts, lime juice, 1/4 cup water, and agave until creamy.

2. With blender running, add additional water until desired thickness is reached.

3. Mix in hemp seeds by hand.

Makes enough for 2 or 3 good sized salads. Keep in fridge 2-3 days in glass jar.
This is awesome as a dressing in a plain avocado half.

*to get the most juice out of your lime, have them at room temperature, press down on them and roll back and forth several times on the counter before cutting and reaming.



Raw Rosemary Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups almonds, soaked 8 hours, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup whole golden flax seed, ground after measure
1 cup fresh water
1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
Additional rosemary for top of crackers, optional

1. In food processor fitted with "S" blade, process almonds until coarsely ground.

2. Add nutritional yeast, flax, rosemary, and salt, and process until combined. Adjust seasonings as desired.

3. With machine running, pour in water to form dough. Let mixture stand a few minutes to thicken if it seems too wet

4. Divide mixture in half and roll out onto 2 teflex sheets, sprinkle with additional rosemary if desired, and score into crackers. These are scored into 1" and 1/4" crackers. Check my post about making breads and crackers for some helpful tips:)

5. Dehydrate at 112 degrees for about 8 hours, flipping about halfway through. Drying time depends on thickness of crackers.

6. Store in glass jars for several weeks.

This is a very forgiving cracker recipe. It will work with more or less flax seed, rosemary, yeast and salt according to your personal preference:) These are also excellent using different herb blends, especially Italian mixed herbs, za'atar, or Herbes de Provence.

I could not resist making my own "Rosemary Quackers"...hehe, sorry:)

Check your dulse carefully!!!!!

I buy the large whole dulse in the bulk bins, and they usually contain a shell or two. This little critter was hiding!

A word about raw almonds...

As you probably know, all almonds purchased in the U.S. are now pasteurized. I still soak my almonds at least 8 hours before using them. They plump up and are very easy to peel at this point if desired. They pop right out of the skin if you pinch them after soaking.
The almonds in the picture show unsoaked (top right), soaked (bottom right), peeled(bottom left), and the empty skins (top left). Notice the soaked almonds get a white point that sticks out at the tip. The soaked almonds are smooth and plump, and quite a bit larger than unsoaked. The soaked almonds can be dehydrated and ground for almond flour, or just a crunchy snack.

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.