Vegan and Gluten-Free

Many of us are subsisting on a variety of liquid greens these days as we are in the midst of the Green Smoothie Experience, but if you are ready for some solid food or not participating, here’s a super-satisfying dish that I adapted to the Raw Fusion Lifestyle.

I discovered this utterly delicious dish at a restaurant in Phoenix a couple of years ago (Pita Jungle) and couldn’t wait to develop a raw fusion version, which keeps the sauce raw. This makes a very satisfying main course served over a bed of baby spinach or other leafy greens.

Most people would serve this with some kind of protein or starch, but the Raw Fusion philosophy is to minimize the amount of cooked and concentrated foods at any one meal.  Anything that is not a fruit, vegetable or leafy green is concentrated; Food that has been cooked over 115 degrees has lost most of it’s nutritional profile and virtually all of its enzymes.  Combining this creamy (yet vegan!) creation with leafy greens (arugula, butter lettuce, baby spinach, spring greens, chopped kale, etc.) makes it guilt-free and easily digestible.

If you love garlic (and I certainly do!) you can add either fresh garlic to the browning coconut oil or some garlic powder to the blended tahini sauce.  What I usually do is put in a few drops of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (liquid) in the sauce.  Kyolic is a nice thing to have on hand as it adds a unique garlic flavor to dishes that I would prefer not to have overshadowed by the intense flavor.

CARMELIZED CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI SAUCE 

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 medium white or sweet onion, diced finely
Coconut oil
½ jar of Artisana raw tahini (or sesame seeds, water, olive oil blended)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Sea salt to taste

Optional:  Add 1 tsp. crushed garlic to browning oil or garlic powder to the tahini sauce.

Directions: Steam cauliflower lightly. Let cool and break into small pieces. Heat coconut oil and fry onions first, adding the cauliflower a little at a time. Let the pieces get brown and carmelized and then remove from heat. If very oily you can blot a bit with paper towel.

In blender mix the tahini, adding lemon juice, paprika, cayenne and salt. Add water if you need to thin out. This sauce should be at room temperature or slightly warm from the blending. Spoon over each serving of cauliflower .  You can sprinkle paprika over the top or a bit more cayenne, if you like it spicy.

By now many of you will have experienced your first Green Smoothie.  We’ve been having a nice conversation on the Facebook Fan Page, with participants posting their recipes, questions, feedback and concerns.  I am more than willing to respond to all queries and to guide your journey so feel free to check in there.

In the years that I have been teaching raw foods, raw fusion, green smoothie prep and coaching people in their quest for better health and lifestyle choices, a trend I often see is the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to making a Green Smoothie.  While I love experimentation, I feel that sometimes “Less is More” when it comes to these wonderfully nutritious-packed drinks.

The “mistake” I see most often is adding ingredients that don’t need to be there, specifically protein powders, nut milks, tree nuts and yogurt.  The beauty of the Green Smoothie is that it is an infusion of pure whole foods, blended to make them easily accessible to your bloodstream and cells.  The more concentrated foods you add to the mix (essentially anything that is NOT a leafy green, vegetable or a fruit is a concentrated food) the harder it is for your body to process.  You may be defeating the purpose by adding those ingredients, but ultimately the choice is always yours!

If you are concerned about getting enough protein — you needn’t be as leafy greens are EXCELLENT sources of easily digestible protein.  Most fruits and vegetables have SOME protein and you’d be surprised to know that your regular diet might include more protein than you need.

Avoiding Boredom

If you are limiting your food intake for the week to green smoothies and want to “spice them up” there are ingredients that you can safely add to your green smoothies, although my personal recommendation is to make the first one of the day as pristine as possible — simply leafy greens, veggies and/or fruits, water and ice.

As you go through the day — and if you are fasting/feasting on Green Smoothies, here is a list of items that you may add to make them more interesting.  You don’t NEED  these items to make them any more nutritious, but they will add some texture and flavor variety:

Extras, Extras:

Coconut oil, ground flaxseed, chia seeds or chia gel, hempseeds, nutritional yeast, braggs liquid aminos, horseradish, almond butter, cacao or cocoa powder, olive or grapeseed oil, natural flavorings, apple cider vinegar, umebyoshi vinegar,  fresh chopped herbs, Superfoods powders like maca, mesquite, lucuma, spirulina or other algae, seaweeds like dulse, wakame or hijiki, carob powder, unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut water, splash of coconut or almond milk, vegan worcestshire sauce, hot sauce, bee pollen

For Sweeteners:  Stevia, xylitol (birch-derived), honey, coconut nectar, maple syrup (organic), dates, palm sugar

Sometimes when you are fasting, what you long for is a bit of texture – you can either blend less to have more crunch, or chop up some of the following fruits and vegetables and add after blending:  frozen seedless grapes, cucumber, baby carrots, red pepper, jicama,  jalapeno, organic corn kernels (but just a few as this is very starchy and changes the dynamic)

Play around with them, experiment and if you find something wonderful that works, please share it with us on Facebook.  

A couple of new recipes I created yesterday:

Savory Salad Smoothie:

Ingredients:
Handful of spinach
3 Kale leaves (ribs removed)
Handful of grape tomatoes
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 radish
1 bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
1 chunk of a Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic
3 sprigs of dill
1 TB. extra virgin olive oil

Option:  this might taste better with a little sea salt.  You can replace the olive oil with one half ripe avocado

Blend with ice and water and leave slightly chunky.  Heavenly!

Dessert Smoothie

Ingredients:
2-3 cups chopped watermelon
1 bunch of fresh mint
splash of orange juice (I actually put in a splash of Trilogy flavored Kombucha)

Blend well and enjoy!

Green Smoothie Experience beginning Thursday, May 10th

Greetings!  We are just two days away now from our Green Smoothie Experience.  Have you set your intentions for this week?  Whatever your goal may be — fasting, detox, nurturing your body, learning a new healthy habit, enhancing your lifestyle  or just experimenting – WELCOME and we look forward to sharing this experience with you.

In this blog we’ll focus on the basic Green Smoothie recipe with lots of trips and tricks to find the fabulous formulas that are sure to make you a Green Smoothie junkie for life!

A bit of my background:  I’ve been teaching classes nationwide on raw foods, raw fusion living, healthy food preparation and green smoothies for the past 3 1/2 years after having rebounded from a series of debilitating and chronic health challenges.  Green Smoothies have played a huge role in my recovery and the truly achievable phenomenon of “youthing” (as opposed to “ageing : -)  My family members have all become fans of the Green Goodness.  When prepared correctly, a Green Smoothie is like a transfusion!  They are  true nutraceutials , free of drugs, preservatives, stimulants and additives.

Ultimately, you are the chef when it comes to blending your own Green Goodness, but below is a formula for the original, unadulterated Green Smoothie per the woman who invented them, Victoria Boutenko (Green for Life).  I was honored to have Victoria write the Foreword to my book series Raw Fusion: Better Living Through Living Foods (Quantum Mind Press 2010).

Here’s the perfect formula for a green smoothie:

40% Leafy Greens (see list below) placed in the blender first, closest to the blades +

60% fruit and or vegetables of your choice or combination of them  (of course you can always have one ALL green) +

about 2 inches of filtered water +

Ice – they always taste better and go down more smoothly when nice and cold.

TRICK:  You can blend the greens first with a little filtered or coconut water to break them down first.   This works well with the Ninja system.

DR. LJ’S PHILOSOPY:  If you review the Fans’ smoothie postings on our Facebook Page you will find a lot that list ingredients like yogurt, protein powder, nut milk, nut butters, soaked nuts, dried fruits. I  feel pretty strongly that we need to flood our body with the incredible  micronutrients and phytochemicals found in pure fruit, veggies and leafy greens. From my research I feel that adding concentrated foods (nuts, nut butters) and protein (dairy, nut milk, protein powders) interfere with this. At the very least your first smoothie of the day should be simply leafy greens plus veggies and/or fruits plus water and ice (coconut water can be subbed).  We will discuss acceptable EXCEPTIONS on the Facebook page and future blogs.

TIP:  If you are new to Green Smoothies adding 1/2 to 1 banana or some mint leaves does wonders for camoflauging the “green” taste.  If you need to sweeten it up a bit, some stevia, xylitol (birch-derived is best), honey, agave, coconut nectar maple syrup or even a few dates.

LIST OF GREENS:
Beginner: Baby Spinach, Green Chard, Beet Greens, Spring Mix, Mint leaves (these are the least “green” tasting)
Intermediate: Kale, Cilantro, Parsley, Bokchoy,  Swiss chard, Romaine, Cabbage, Tatsoi, sprouts
Advanced: Collard Greens, Watercress, Dandelion Leaves, Arugula (you may find them bitter at first)

TIP:  Try at least 3 of them throughout the week for micronutrient diversity.  

THIS IS GREEN CHARD:  

Feast or Fast – It’s Your Choice

My intention is to have only smoothies – about 4 or 5 a day– for the full week.  I may add some herb tea at night.  Some people are planning on doing that kind of fast for a day or two or three.  some people will drink smoothies throughout the day and have a light dinner.  Others will be trying a green smoothie every morning.  Participate at what ever level you are comfortable with — and remember, just take it one day at a time!

If you’ve missed the last two blogs – Part I is here.

Part 2 is here.

Here is a page of mouth-watering Green Smoothie Recipes.

Feel free to leave questions or comments here or “Like” our Fan Pageto get continuous updates.

NOTE:  Our Hypnovation for Health program will take you into an entirely new frame of mind and lifestyle.  The price is going up to $399.00 on Friday!

We’ve been getting a great response to our upcoming Green Smoothie fast.  This is just an OPT-IN – you can join us for a day, or two or 7; You can drink a green smoothie every morning, or just try one sometime during the week.  No pressure, no judgment, no “Green Smoothie Police” looking over your shoulder — but lots of unconditional support, information and inspiration.

I set up a public Events page on Facebook, so feel free to invite friends and family.  Throughout the week (5-10 through 5-16) you are welcome and encouraged to post questions, recipes, feedback or insights either here on the blog or you might find it easier to follow along on our dedicated Facebook Fan page where we can easily have continuous postings and follow threads of conversations.

There have been a lot of questions about equipment and supplies so I will address these in this blog and on Tuesday will have a blog with the full Green Smoothie lowdown — formula, recipes, tips how to “survive” the fast, etc. so you may want to bookmark this page or subscribe.  Naturally, each time a new blog on the subject is published we’ll update you on the Facebook pages.  If you want more info on the benefits of the Green Smoothie Experience, make sure to read Part I here.  

EQUIPMENT

Really all you need to take part in the Green Smoothie Experience is a blender.  It doesn’t have to be a “designer” blender with uber power, which can run close to $500.   A lot of you have asked me what’s the best blender to get and I really like the healthier living philosophy of the Ninja products, as they offer a good blend of economy and performance.

If you have a juicer, that’s also fine but we are going more for a blended drink here.  Many people find juice fasting a bit too stringent and find themselves getting too hungry or having to spend too much money on produce.  With Green Smoothies you have the following advantages:

• All inclusive – just blend it up and drink it!
• No waste as the pulp will be part of the drink.
• The fiber keeps the juices from quickly oxidizing.
• You can store a smoothie for up to 72 hours, covered in the fridge, which means you can make them ahead if you have to.
• The fiber fills you up for longer stretches of time.
• Children love them, too!  If you think they may reject the “green goop” look of them, just put them in a sippy cup.
• There are many tricks to making them not taste “green.”
• They are delicious and addictive in the best possible way!

TIP:  If you prefer something that is halfway in between a Green Smoothie and a Juice – you can do something we call Juice-Feasting.  Run you smoothie through a Nut Milk bag (we have these in stock), cheesecloth or a strainer and you will have LESS fiber/pulp.  I sometimes prefer mine that way.

SUPPLIES

On Tuesday (5/8) I’ll provide recipes, “tricks of the trade” and more information, but since this is the weekend and you may want to stock up, here are some supplies to have on hand.  Ideally you will pick up some fresh fruit and greens as you get closer from your supermarket or a local fruit/vegetable stand.

1.  SPRING WATER – have a few gallons on hand.  I really love the alkalized water (the brand I buy is called LeVai, from a local health food store)

2.  COCONUT WATER – This is strictly optional but it’s nice to have a few cartons on hand as a secondary base for the smoothies.  They are carrying coconut water now in regular supermarkets, but make sure to buy a brand that has no added sugar.  You can also find it in health food stores and Asian markets.

3.  BULK PRODUCE – You can get a large container of organic baby spinach greens at warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s Club and also spring mix lettuces (mezclun).  I buy bags of green apples from my local health food store since I use an apple in pretty much every smoothie I make.

Since this is a weekend, check out any local Farmer’s Markets to see what they have available.  We have one nearby that grows many greens and vegetables without pesticides (although they have not sought out the very expensive organic labeling.)

A Note about Organic:  Something that I am often asked when giving classes, workshops or demos is about whether everything needs to be organic.  Personally I won’t eat apples, berries (strawberries, blueberries) s or spinach if not organic.  I prefer organic kale  and during the summer, when stone fruit is readily available (peaches, plums, apricots) my preference is for organic since those fruits are rather heavily pesticide-sprayed.  Below are a couple of really helpful graphics depicting which fruits and vegetables may be best if bought organic, but the choice is always up to you.

4.  FROZEN FRUIT - It’s perfectly fine to use a combination of fresh and frozen fruit in your Green Smoothies.  Frozen fruit does fit in with the “raw” classification; while there are some molecular changes in the cells due to the freezing process, most frozen fruits are not preserved or do not contain added sugar.  I always have bags of frozen berries, mangoes, peach slices and pineapples in the freezer so that I have a nice variety for my smoothies.

5.  BUNCH OF BANANAS  - Green smoothies are delightful with bananas added.  This will give them a few days to get ripe and you can peel them, break them in half and freeze them for easy storage and a great texture to the smoothie.

6.  GREEN POWDER - A classic Green Smoothie is a combination of fresh leafy greens (will go into more detail on this on Tuesday) with fresh and frozen fruit, water and ice.  When I travel or if I am working on a full day project away from home, I take a Blender bottle (the kind that have the little whisks inside — see below)  with some green powder and try to get the freshest juice I can (carrot, orange) and shake it up.  You can find these at health food stores ; Examples are Barley Grass, Wheatgrass, Chlorella, Spirulina or you can buy combinations like Field of Greens or Green Vibrance.  This way if you find it difficult to carry equipment to make your midday smoothie(s) you have an option.

THESE FRUITS/VEGGIES ARE CONSIDERED OKAY EVEN IF NOT ORGANIC:

THESE ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST PESTICIDE-LADEN:

Will be back on Tuesday (May 8th) with more info!  Have a great Sunday.

A Life-Changing Experience!  Sponsored by Dr. LJ Rose and Raw Fusion Living

Thursday, May 10th through Wednesday May 16th (2012)

OPT-IN FOR AS MANY DAYS AS YOU’D LIKE!

If you would like your Spring Cleaning this year to include both your inner and outer environments, consider joining our Green Smoothie Experience starting  next Thursday May 10th. You can opt-in for just a day, or 3 or all week long and have motivational support, recipes, information, videos and plenty of recipes to keep it interesting.

Best of all you will have a forum where you can exchange ideas, tips and support! 

You are welcome to post your questions, queries, experiences, input, favorite recipes or feedback to this or any of the upcoming information blogs and Dr. LJ will respond throughout the day.  We are also very active on our Facebook Fan Page throughout all of these 7 days, where it is easier to start a conversation and keep track of the thread, so please do like us there if you have access to Facebook.

Today we’ll discuss what a GREEN SMOOTHIE EXPERIENCE is and the benefits of participating.  On Sunday (May 6th) the next countdown blog (Part 2) will give you specific information so that you can plan ahead.  Dr. LJ will post loads of recipes, tips on how to best manage the fast, variations for improving your smoothies and ways you can keep on track in subsequent Countdown blogs, so bookmark this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to stay on track.  The updates on the blogs will also be posted on Facebook

According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Eat to Live) micronutrient diversity is your best defense against degenerative diseases. A wonderfulr (and delicious!) way to flood your body with micronutrients and antioxidants are Green Smoothies.

According to Dr. LJ:  The most common feedback I get on green smoothies are these words –no kidding:
Green Smoothies have changed my life!

Q & A

1.  What is a Green Smoothie Experience?

Essentially it is a fast, with the goal being a gentle internal detox, while providing a vast array of beneficial nutrients to your body.

2.  What is in a Green Smoothie?

A classic Green Smoothie would be comprised of about 40-50% leafy greens, 50-60% fruit of your choice, water and ice.  Nothing else.  Sometimes you may enjoy a “Blended Salad Smoothie” which would be leafy greens with salad variety vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.

In the next post I will give you all of the details on how to prepare one – here is a blog I wrote last year with detailed info and recipes  in the meantime.  And here is a video of me making a classic Green Smoothie as the healthy living expert for eHow.com.

3.  Is that all I get to eat on during the fast?

This Experience is very flexible and you can really opt for whatever works best for you; You can have 4 or 5 smoothies throughout the day in lieu of food; You could have smoothies all morning and afternoon and have a light salad for dinner or you can just make a commitment to have a Green Smoothie every morning for 7 days to get yourself accustomed to this fabulous way to start your day!

Ideally, you will challenge yourself to a day or two or 7 where your food intake is limited to the Green Smoothie so that your body can take a break from processing concentrated foods.  But there is no Green Smoothie police looking over your shoulder — no judgment — only unconditional support, motivation and advice.

4.  How should I prepare?

My next post will have all of the details.  In the meantime enjoy your weekend and go about your eating as usual but personally I’d recommend that you don’t overdo the day or two before the fast even if the tendency might be better get it while I can so that you don’t get uncomfortable with any detox symptoms.

5.  What are the benefits of a Green Smoothie Experience?

Ah, there are so many, but let me list some here to get you motivated:

a)  You will flood your body each day with micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants) and your body will thank you by performing better, releasing toxins and excess weight and providing you with more energy and well-being.

b) Unlike green juice fasts, green smoothies have a lot of fiber so you won’t feel as hungry throughout the day.  They are delicious, filling and very satisfying.

c)  Research has shown that people who eat/imbibe more fresh fruits and vegetables are more attractive as the phytochemicals and polyphenols bring a beautiful and rosy glow to your face and skin.

d)  You will challenge yourself in a way that will strengthen your self-image and inner strength.  Once you prove you can go a day without the foods that you think you can’t live without, you gain a lot of self-confidence.

e)  If you achieve several days of the fast you are more likely to continue on a healthier eating pattern.

More soon!  Next post will be on Sunday, May 6th.

We hope you will join us – please invite all of your friends and family to our Green Smoothie Experience!

In my recent Pineapple Series for eHow.com I got a chance to create some new recipes for one of my favorite fruits on the planet.  There is something so captivating about the taste and aroma of pineapple — it has almost a perfume quality to it and it adds a sweet bite of flavor to smoothies, salads, stir fries, and any number of succulent creations.  This tropical treat has the perfect balance between tart and sweet so don’t be afraid to experiment with adding it to savory recipes.

Pineapple is also a fantastic source of Vitamins C, B6, B1, Thiamin and Folate.  Just one cup of fresh pineapple supplies 128.0% of the DV for the very important trace mineral manganese, which disarms free radicals in the mitochondria.  Pineapples are loaded with fiber and they boast a wonderful enzyme called bromelain that supports digestion and a healthy intestinal tract.

In this pineapple-inspired coleslaw salad I used a combination of shredded cabbage and carrots with a broccoli slaw made by Taylor Farms that made it especially antioxidant rich and filling.  Strictly optional were the additions of chopped chive flowers (which I found at a Vietnamese market) and sunflower sprouts.  For pineapple juice – when you buy cored or chopped fresh pineapple, there will always be some juice at the bottom, which gathers more the longer you store it in the fridge.  Personally, I prefer to stay away from canned fruit or processed pineapple juice, but the choice is yours.  I made this a vegan version, using Vegenaise.  Even if you are not vegan or vegetarian, you may want to try this as an alternative to mayonnaise as it has a spectacular taste and texture and is much better for you.  Vegenaise and other brands of non-dairy mayonnaise need to be refrigerated.

This recipe is also gluten-free.

Pineapple Coleslaw Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups of coleslaw (combination of cabbage, carrots and other slaws)
3/4 cup Vegenaise (if you are not vegan you can replace with mayonnaise)
2-3 TB. apple cider vinegar (depending on how tart you like it)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup of chopped pineapple
1/4 cup of sunflower sprouts
Optional:  fresh ground pepper, chopped chives for garnish

WATCH ME MAKING THIS RECIPE ON EHOW.COM

Photo by Rosemary Nickel

        Raw Vegan Chocolate Options

Chocolate Candy Shell

Ingredients:
¼ cup agave or coconut nectar
2 TB. raw cacao powder
1 TB  shaved and melted cacao butter*
1 TB. coconut oil

To melt cacao butter, grate over a small cup and immerse the cup in hot or boiling water (bain marie) – it will melt immediately.Whisk ingredients together until you achieve the desired consistency.

Magical Chocolate Pudding

Avocados  are rich in essential fatty acids (unsaturated fats), a great source of omega 3 and 6 and they are very easy to digest.  They are considered to be a “good fat” which is good news for people who love guacamole, a universally loved appetizer and so easy to make:

Botanically a fruit, but often served as a vegetable.  It always amazes people who are first experimenting with raw desserts are astounded by how an avocado can become an instant smooth and creamy dessert icing or pudding by adding some sweetener and flavoring and whipping up the mixture with a wire whisk or potato masher.   However, if you are making a large portion of this (3 or more avocados) you may want to use a food processor to get all the lumps out but for up to 2 the whisk or masher will be fine.

SURPRISINGLY HEALTHY CHOCOLATE PUDDING
1 Serving
Ingredients:
1/2 ripe avocado
1-2 TB. maple syrup, raw honey, agave or coconut nectar
2-3 TB. of unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional:  Dash of vanilla and/or salt to balance flavors

Spoon out avocado into a mixing bowl – with a large fork mash it well, add sweetener and mix – then sprinkle in 2 TB. of the cocoa powder.  Mix thoroughly and taste – should be sweet with no real avocado taste, so adjust by adding more cocoa and/or sweetener.

I didn’t have a photo of this pudding and “borrowed” one from www.greenlitebites.com - so, thanks!

These recipes are from Raw Fusion: Better Living through Living Foods volumes 1 and 2  copyright 2010 Quantum Mind Press, LindaJoy Rose, Ph.D.

Featuring  Vegetarian, Vegan and Raw Options
for the Creme Dip

The aim of Raw Fusion Living is to find sophisticated yet simple ways of combining our foods so that they are visually appealing, nutritionally optimized and yet still have a decadent appeal.  When we have something wonderful to look forward to as a snack, dessert or indulgence, we tend to stay more on track with healthier eating patterns.

Roasted fruit is exotic and texturally interesting enough to make it an ideal Raw Fusion Dessert.  You can use a wide variety of fruits, based on what you have on hand or in season.  The stone fruits, like the nectarines I used, hold up to the heat well.  There is something luxurious and almost perfume-like about the taste of slightly roasted pineapple  Add the succulent scent and flavor of rosemary and you have a real taste sensation!

The dipping sauce adds a lot of to this dish.  You can make it as simple of whisking in some flavorings to Greek yogurt, to a more complex version made with tender young coconut flesh (pictured).

ROSEMARY-INFUSED ROASTED FRUIT

Ingredients:
3 nectarines
3 fresh pineapple rings
½ cup dried cherries
1.5 TB. virgin coconut oil
2 TB. maple sugar, palm sugar or succanat
3 sprigs rosemary

Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice nectarines and discard pits.  Cut pineapple rings in halves or pieces according to how much room you have on the baking dish or roasting pan.  Brush dish with some coconut oil, lay the fruit out with rosemary sprigs in between.  I’d recommend waiting to add the dried fruit until the other fruits start getting brown as it easily overcooks and gets crispy, and not in a tasty way!  Brush the fruits with coconut oil and sprinkle sweetener on top.

Place in oven for about 15 minutes – check to see if fruits are browning.  Add cherries (or other dried fruit)  Brush with more coconut oil if needed.  Ready when lightly browned but still juicy!

 SWEET LIME CREME

Dairy Version:
Mix 2/3 cup of greek-style yogurt with 2 TB. honey, coconut nectar or maple syrup and juice of one lime.  Whisk until smooth.  Garnish with lime slice.

Raw Vegan Version:
Soak 2/3 cup of raw cashews for 1-2 hours.  Drain and rinse.  Place in blender with 1/4 cup of water (to start and add more if needed) 1 TB. of virgin coconut oil, juice of one lime, and 2 TB. sweetener of your choice.  Blend until smooth.  Garnish with lime slice.

Raw Fusion Version:
Using either the flesh of one young coconut or defrost a bag of young coconut and drain/rinse thoroughly to remove as much of the sugar and preservatives used in packaging.  (The latter is the convenience compromise, raw fusion method! )  Blend with 1 TB. coconut butter (you can replace with 1.5 TB. coconut oil) juice from one lime, 2 TB. of sweetener of your choice and 1 TB. of shredded dried coconut.  Garnish with lime.

Spring Rolls – ideal for the season!

I was back on NBC’s Daytime show yesterday (March 23rd) making Sweet and Spicy Cashew Rolls with host Lindsay MacDonald.  Collard greens are in season right now and they make spectacular, low-carb wraps.  As you hear me mention in this video, this nut pate blend is very “forgiving” – if you don’t have a certain ingredient on hand, don’t worry about it!  You can also substitute with what you do have in your fridge and pantry.  Also try using the collard wraps (simply cut along each side of the central rib) with any sticky base –hummus, shrimp salad, tuna salad, chicken or egg salad.  Make sure to spread out to each corner as it will make it stick when you roll it up.

Had a chance to debut my new Ninja 1200 system and was very happy with how the cashew pate turned out.  I am still learning the system but loving the possibilities, especially since the price and convenience are so compatible with the Raw Fusion Living philosophy.  Will be sharing more feedback on this soon.

The dipping sauce is particularly wonderful.  I use Tamari in lieu of soy sauce as it’s gluten-free and many people have wheat sensitivities.  To keep this recipe fully raw you can source Nama Shoyu, an unpasteurized soy sauce, at your local health food store.  You can use honey, agave, coconut nectar, maple syrup or succanat to sweeten this sauce.  I like to use agave as it’s easiest to whisk in there.  This also makes a fantastic stir-fry sauce and many of my clients love it as a salad dressing.

Try serving this recipe to friends and family – they won’t even know it’s “raw food” and you will be surprised at the mainstream appeal.  I never tasted a collard green in my life until I developed this recipe – I’ve never eaten them cooked, but they are stunning, simple and amazingly tasty as a wrap.  This is also ideal food-combining!  If you decide to use the Asian rice wrappers instead of the collards, first line the wrapper with some greens, like spinach leaves, before spreading the cashew paste.

As to the filling, ANYTHING will do!  See my suggestions below but also good are sprouts, jicama, beets, radishes, shredded snow peas.

 Sweet & Spicy Cashew Wraps

FILLING: 
Prep: Soak sundried tomatoes and dried pineapple in water for an hour

Ingredients: 2 cups raw cashews, 1-2 dried pineapple rings, 2 TB. red onion, 1 lg. clove garlic, 2 sprigs cilantro, juice from ½ lime, 2 TB. raw honey, 4 sundried tomatoes, 1 jalapeno (seeds removed), 2 TB. raw almond butter (can be replaced with peanut butter but beware of allergies!)

Directions: Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse a few times to combine ingredients but mixture should be chunky and crumbly. Place in bowl while you make the dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE
Prep: Grate ginger on smallest section of grater and add to a small bowl (minus fibers), juice a lime and add to small bowl
Ingredients: 1-2 in. chunks of fresh ginger, 1/3 cup agave nectar, 1 lime, 3 TB. Nama Shoyu or Tamari, 1 lg. clove garlic, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 2 TB. raw white sesame seeds, 1 green onion chopped

Directions: Press garlic clove into bowl with ginger and lime juice, add other ingredients, stirring well to blend.

STUFFING VEGGIES: 1 large bunch of collard leaves.
Carrots, shredded
Cabbage, shredded
Cucumber, cut in matchsticks
Green onions
Assembly: Cut collard greens along each side of the rib. Put one side on a large plate or cutting board, horizontally. Spread ¾ of the way up with filling. Place veggies in vertically. Now turn the wrap vertically and roll up from bottom.
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