Tag Archives: Raw Food

Green Smoothies To Revitalize Your Body

11 Feb

Looks can be deceiving! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how delicious this tastes and you will feel so healthy after drinking it. The flavors go together really well and it’s definitely a great way to start the day, cleanse your body, and increase the amount of antioxidants and vegetables in your diet. By using a blender instead of a juicer, you will benefit by getting more fiber too.

In a blender, add the following in order:

  • 1 Apple, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (not peeled) — I like Gala Apples
  • 3/4 of 1 English Cucumber (not peeled — I recommend English Cucumbers since the skin is thinner and they are seedless so easily digestible
  • Fresh Spinach Leaves, 2 big handfuls
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon (optional: include some of the zest, but avoid the white pith)
  • Ginger, a small 1/4 inch slice, peeled and finely grated (Optional)
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups of water

Start with low-speed and move up to the highest speed. Makes 2 servings.

If you like it, try these Mix and Match Green Smoothie recipes from the VitaMix company.

By the way, here is link if you’d like to get more information or purchase one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, the VitaMix Blender.

“Let food be thy medicine …” – Hippocrates

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Easy & Elegant Appetizers for Thanksgiving

5 Nov

Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away so it’s time for me to start doing a bit of menu planning. Every year, I tell myself “keep it simple!” but for someone who enjoys being creative in the kitchen, it’s hard not to go overboard when I’m entertaining for people I love. But of course, I want them to be hungry for dinner!

Below are a few ideas I have in mind…

Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper Potato Chips and Lemon Crème Fraîche from Bon Appetit

Blue Cheese and Walnut Spread from Martha Stewart. I think I’ll serve it with Celery sticks and sliced Apples, in lieu of crackers, to keep it light.

And last,  my own version of Tomato Olive Tapenade on Zucchini Rounds, inspired by a Vitamix Raw Food Recipe:

  • 1 small jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil (Trader Joe’s has a good one)
  • 3/4 cup of Kalamata Olives, pitted
  • 1 Tbsp of Capers
  • 1 small clove of chopped Garlic
  • Fresh Basil leaves (approx. 3 sprigs)
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon (zest the Lemon before juicing and use it for garnish)
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • Zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

Place all ingredients except Zucchini into your Vitamix or food processor and blend until creamy (if it’s too thick, you can add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, water, or some of the brine from the jar of Capers). Top your Zucchini rounds with the Tapenade and garnish with some Lemon Zest.

I’ll probably make the Blue Cheese Spread and Tapenade in advance for convenience.

Next, what to make for the sides? I’ll keep you posted!

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Tomatoes from Verdure Farm

9 Oct

Although we had rain last week and our Summer seems nearly over, in Northern California, it’s still possible to find delicious tomatoes such as these from Verdure Farm in Healdsburg, as well as in the local Farmer’s market (and in your backyard if you are lucky!).

If you’re in the North Bay/Sonoma County, take a scenic drive up to 2476 Westside Rd. (a few minutes south of Downtown Healdsburg). I like to take to some empty egg cartons and then fill them up with the tomatoes. They’re useful while traveling, seem to store well in the paper cartons and nicely protected from getting bruised. Verdure Farm also sells squash, melons, eggplants, and pears, depending on what’s ready to harvest.

One of my favorite things to do with the really ripe tomatoes is to cut them in half, through the “equator”, and grate them on a box grater, making a delicious fresh sauce. Or, if you’re not interested in canning or pressed for time when they’re getting too ripe, whole tomatoes also freeze quite well (I’ve heard some people suggest you cut out the stem but I don’t–it’s optional in my opinion). Place 1 or more tomatoes in a tight sealing container or zip top plastic bag. They’ll keep for a couple of months and work perfectly for soups, stews, and sauces. Now is the perfect time to stock up so you’ll have a better option over the tasteless ones in the supermarket.

RECIPE: Into a bowl, grate the cut side until all you have left is the skin (toss that or save in the freezer to add flavor and color to a stock, then strain it or scoop it out). I find that keeping my hand flat while pressing the tomato on the grate helps avoid grating my knuckles. Ouch! Season to taste with fresh garlic (ideally, grated on a Microplane) Salt, Pepper, a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and fresh Basil and/or Oregano (or even minced Jalapeno Pepper if you like a little heat). It’s delicious on pasta like Angel Hair, roasted veggies, scrambled eggs, or adding to a vinaigrette!


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Raw, Gluten/Dairy-Free, Vegan, No Refined Sugar AND Delicious!?

4 Oct

 Coco-Roons by Wonderfully Raw Delights…

It’s hard to believe there is a packaged food item that combines all of these qualities–most importantly, delicious! This is, without a doubt, one of them.

Delicious and healthy food that you don’t have to make yourself is hard to find,which one of the reasons I mostly eat food “outside” of a box (and as you probably guessed, it’s one of the inspirations for the name of my Blog).

I do not, however, eat only raw food, gluten/dairy-free or vegan all of the time, but each of those terms has health benefits and I do try to incorporate them into my regular diet.

I discovered Coco-Roons at the Berkeley Whole Foods in their Raw Food Section near the Produce. When I saw them, as always, I read the ingredients on the package before putting it in my basket. When I don’t read the labels at the store, I am typically disappointed once I get home, finding some artificial ingredient, or one that I can’t pronounce. As their name Coco-Roons implies, they are a type of macaroon.

The first flavor I tried was Lemon Pie. I love lemon for its tart, refreshing and palate-cleansing effect after a meal. Chocolate Coco-Roons are also very good but Lemon Pie remains my favorite.

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but every now and then, I do like to indulge in a something sweet, but not overly sugary, and I recently heard someone say 3 bites is a good limit if you are trying to keep your weight down–to me, 3 bites really does satisfy. These Coco-Roons are the perfect size.

There are 8 Coco-Roons in a package so they are not inexpensive (about $1 each), but if you consider the ingredients listed on their site, I think they’re worth it and I like supporting a company that offers a high quality product. If you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, they are available from their website (a half-case or case only). Check out the link above if you’d like to try something new and delicious!

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