Raw and Living Foods classes

photo by perplexia

Learn how to make flaxseed crackers, nut pate, zucchini pasta with marinara sauce, cakes and pies, 6:30-9 p.m. May 9. Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA. $33 plus $25 lab fee. 925-943-5858, http://www.walnutcreekrec.org/.


The Natural Gourmet hosts a Raw Comfort Foods class featuring Party Tacos with Spiced Nut Meat, Sour "Cream", and Guacamole; Zucchini Mac & "Cheese" Casserole with Crunchy Multigrain Topping; and Coconut-Pineapple-Carrot Layer Cake with Cashew Cheese Icing. $95. 1-4 p.m. May 17. 48 West 21st St., NY, NY, 212-645-5170

Introduction to Raw Foods covers how to shop for raw foods, recipe demos, Q&A session and more, May 17. Soho, London

Can't travel, no worries, Gourmet Raw Vegan Chef Dina Knight offers online raw food classes and demos. ALSO Raw Chef Dan hosts an online Raw Food Prep Class.

Raw Test Kitchen

photo by lucafotogne

Earlier today I posted that I wasn't creating raw food dishes of late. That doesn't mean that I don't have my share of recipes to well...share.

I haven't prepared this dish but I invite you to create it and let me know what you think. Send in a photo, comments, revises, whatever you feel would make it off the hook.

Peace and love,
Terilynn

Avocado Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cashews
juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 head Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 ripe avocados, cut into small cubes

1 Combine oil, cashews, lime juice, agave nectar and cumin in a blender. Process until cashews are smooth and creamy. If needed, use water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.

2 Combine the lettuce and cilantro with the dressing in a large bowl. Top with the avocado pieces.

Recipe of the Day

photo by artchick2002

As you might have noticed, I haven't posted new original recipes on the Daily Raw Cafe for awhile. To be truthful, I don't know what to make or to eat, other than salads with hemp powder and green smoothies. My eating seems to be in a transitional stage and I tend to prepare recipes on how I would like to eat.

I ask that you be a bit patient with me while I find my way. I will continue to share information about raw foods. I still love the culinary art of raw foods, I'm just not indulging at the moment.

Having said that, while I am finding my way in the recipe department and hopefully gaining back some of my mojo, I have found interesting recipes from other sources that I thought I would share.

Heidi at 101 Cookbooks posted a A Simple Spring Salad that looks absolutely tasty. She also offers tips on shopping for the right salad ingredients, washing and storing lettuce and dressing a salad.

Free Education

photo by yun-shan

I love to learn and I love it even more when an opportunity arises that you can gain a bit of knowledge for free.

Do you want a chance to win Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Food Home Study Course? Visit here for the contest details.

RAW NEWS YOU CAN USE

photo by boazimages

"Raw-food diets may offer healthier lifestyle" by Kim Pierce, McClatchy News Service. The saga of raw foods and scientific study continues.

"TLC introduces Raw Foods" The Desert Sun

Leaf Cuisine offers packaged organic raw vegan meals, Available meals include: Caesar Salad, Mock Salmon Pate, Kale Crisps, Pad Thai, Bombay with Coco Curry, Veggie Sun Burger with Salsa, Apple Pie and Chocolate Brownie. All raw and 100 percent certified organic. Entrees are $5-$10. The meals are available in various locations in California, including Whole Foods and online at the Leaf Cuisine website.

Cinco De Mayo Gourmet Rawfood Feast
Organic Garden Cafe hosts a five-course raw menu, 6:30 and 8 p.m. $35. Reservations recommended. 294 Cabot St., Beverly, MA, 978-922-0004

photo by stineblondine

My friend Scott of Raw Denver made his television debut on CW2. Scott introduces the viewing audience to the wonderful world of green smoothies.

The documentary "Raw for 30 Days" has a new title, "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days"

The film will premiere at the Newport International Film Festival in New Port, Rhode Island in June. "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days will be available for sale at the Raw for 30 Days website after the festival.

Above is a rough draft of the DVD cover and poster.

Want fresh breath?

photo by Sesselja Maria

When I had the privilege to hang out with Brigitte Mars at Denver VegFest and Health Expo a few weeks ago, she passed along a bit of her wisdom.

On of which was cloves. If you have not so fresh breath, place a clove in your mouth and park it between your cheek and teeth. Brigitte told me hers can last in her mouth for most of the day. She chews on it for a minute or two and parks it.

I couldn't help but continue to chew the ones she gave me from her tiny container. I guess I need more practice.

Cloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a tropical tree. It's flavor is a sweetly pungent, astringent and strongly aromatic.

Cloves are said to have a positive effect on stomach ulcers, vomiting, flatulence and stimulating the digestive system.

Volunteers needed

Living Light Culinary Arts Institute seeks kitchen angels for its Spring and Summer 2008 Trainings.

The cost for the program is $20 per day and includes organic meals on days worked and the opportunity to watch two demos, when available, each class day.

Visit here for more information.

ALSO:

Living Foods Institute needs volunteers to work in the kitchen 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Send your name, phone number, along with the days and times you would like to volunteer to info@livingfoodsinstitute.com.

Living Foods Institute hiring for a personal assistant to Jane Holmes and a dishwasher. Both positions are part-time and available immediately.

Call Jane Holmes, Center Director, 678-488-7566, to
schedule an interview.

For more information visit here.

James Beard winner Scott Haas describes the food at Alissa Cohen's restaurant Grezzo, as "complex and delicious."

If you're in Boston visit Grezzo Restaurant
69 Prince Street Boston MA 02113
857-362-7288

Positions available

The Creative Health Institute, in Union City, Michigan, is requesting applications for the positions of Director and various other staff positions.

Email your resume to lonavra@avraholdings.com.

So what did you do this weekend?

On Saturday, I volunteered for the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center at the first annual Denver VegFest and Health Expo.

The fest was at the new Ritz-Carlton hotel. Very nice and elegant, as it should be. I got to tell you I was one lucky girl. Author and raw foodist Brigitte Mars and Shari of Two Moms In the Raw shared the booth with me and I have to tell you folks these women are absolutely remarkable.

If you haven't tried Two Moms in the Raw granola or sea crackers, you are majorly missing out. They are 100% raw and organic and 200% delicious. She gifted me a bag of my favorite granola(the Goji berry mix) and I'm going to create something tasty ( As soon as I find my bag. I think the kids swiped it as soon as I came home).

I have always been a fan of Brigitte, author of one of my favorite raw books Rawsome. When my husband and I first went raw back in the day, we took an raw Asian class from Brigitte.

She is very beautiful, vibrant and youthful. Spending time with her gives you such a wonderful positive energy. She is a great lady.

My camera battery died about 10 minutes into its usage so I didn't get to take too many photos.

A few raw booths were at the festival. I'm excited to report that there will be a new restaurant in Denver that will serve Organic, vegetarian, vegan and raw food.

The restaurant, Solar, is located at 2615 Welton St., in the Historic Five Points area.

Fatima, owner of Solar was on hand at the fest, offering raw falafels balls, wraps, desserts. Of course, this was the point where my camera went kaput.

Here were a few of the other raw or semi-raw booths.

I was at the festival promoting Dr. by Gabriel Cousens' new book "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+Program." In my excitement of the event I forgot to purchase my copy of the book. My mother and aunt both have diabetes and it was something I wanted them to take a look at. I am every interested in Dr. Cousens approach to introducing non-raw eaters into eating raw.

I have been eating a mostly raw diet for 4 years now and my mother still looks at me like I'm eating something from outer space. It's just broccoli mom.

To be fair, she has started drinking green smoothies. You gotta crawl before you can walk.

A little birdy told me that Dr. Cousens was asked to speak at next year's event. That will very exciting if it happens.

Prayer Chain

photo by arny johanns

Hello everyone,

My 10-year-old nephew has to have brain surgery very soon.

I am asking that you say a silent prayer (thought, mantra, etc.) for him and his family to give an extra boost of love and support during this trying time.

Thank you so very much.

Peace and love,
Terilynn

Questions for the Daily Raw

photo akhater

I want to give special shout-outs to Valarie and Karen for being patient while I got my ducks in a row. These two wonderful women asked me questions a while back and I have one answer and I need advice from you guys on another.

Valarie is about 8 months pregnant and she asks:
"any advice that you could give, now that i will have a baby to take care of, on being organized eating raw. I have a hard time trying to manage the sprouting and dehydrating. Thanks"

Valerie,

Yeah, I feel you there sister, the last thing I wanted to do was sprout or dehydrate, let alone prepare.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Green smoothies. It takes about 10 minutes to make 4 quarts of delicious, nutritious smoothies. Store in Mason jars in the back of the refrigerator and you have four snacks at your disposal.

Also, have your husband clean, chop and store fresh vegetables for you to throw in a bowl for a salad or to snack on with a raw dip. Add pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Here is my favorite salad dressing that keeps in the frig for about a week.

Juice of 3 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Place ingredients in a bottle and shake.

Resources:

Melissa of Raising Alex is a wonderful resource in learning how to feed your child a raw foods diet.

Reading materials:
Baby Greens by Michaela Lynn
Introducing Living Foods to Your Child by Beth Montgomery


Karen says:
"I am severely allergic to Avacadoes and am looking for substitutions for them. I am also allergic to soy so tofu/miso is out. I thought maybe you would have an idea what I can use as a good substitute for the Avacado?"

Thanks,
Karen

Karen,
Okay this one has stomped me. I have searched and I don't know of anything that can substitute an avocado. Nothing beats the simplicity of the rich and creamy fruit. It is in a class by itself. Having said that, I have came up with a substitute dish that highlights avocados. Guacamole!

I'm not sure what dishes you were thinking of creating with avocados but here is a recipe for Sweet Pea Guacamole to get you started.

photo by mafleen

Sweet Pea Guacamole
3 cups fresh peas (or use a 20 ounce package of organic frozen peas,* rinsed, defrosted and patted dry)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of one lime
sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 Place peas, onion, jalapeno and garlic in food processor. Process until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.

2 Transfer into a bowl, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

3 Season with sea salt and pepper.

If anyone knows of a true substitution for avocados, let me and Karen know.

NOTE:

*Frozen peas may not be truly raw. Send an email to the company and ask if they blanch the peas before freezing. Also, please keep in mind that you will lose some enzymes because of the product has been frozen.

RAW NEWS YOU CAN USE

source of photo lauralemur

News links about the raw food lifestyle.

"Getting a Raw Deal," My friend Scott of Raw Denver was interviewed by the Aurora Sentinel.

"Could a raw-food diet have an impact on cancer survival?" by Kim Pierce - Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

"Big Health Benefits Attributed To Raw Diet" by Joann Klimkiewicz, Courant Staff Writer

"Going Raw For 30 Days," three Hartford Courant staffers eat raw.

Freestyling Garden Chickpea Fritters

This is the first recipe where I didn't write a recipe to start. I was free-styling. Which is a switch for me. I like to know what I'm making before I make it and alter the measurements and ingredients as I go but I had these chickpeas and I thought it would be fun to wing it.

Fortunately, they turned out to be very good. They are good if you have the munchies, just pop one in your mouth and go about your business.

This recipe is bordering on being falafel. Not too much difference, I rearranged the seasoning a bit. I am eating a lot of chickpeas in my salad for the added protein so I will experiment with more recipes in the future.

Corn was on sale this week, so I missed out on making corn fritters. Maybe next week.

Garden Chickpea Fritters

Makes 25-30 fritters

2 cups sprouted chickpeas
1 cup almonds, soaked for 6-8 hours
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup water
1 carrot, peeled, coarsely grated
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 Combine the vegetables in a large bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, seasonings and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and black pepper.

2 Process chickpeas, almonds, garlic and water in a food processor or high-speed blender. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add chickpea mixture to the vegetables.

3 Form the mixture into small ping pong-sized balls.

4 Place on Teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours.

5 Roll fritters over and dehydrate an additional 2 hours. The balls should be slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside.

Dinner Break

Dear Daily Raw Cafe

A couple of lovely ladies have had trouble sprouting chickpeas. Whether they had a foul smell or slimy chickpeas they haven't had much success.

So, I revisited my October posting about How to sprout Chickpeas to double check that the instructions were up to snuff.

Over the weekend I sprouted 3 quarts of chickpeas in quart size Mason jars.

In each jar I put 1/2 cup of chickpeas, I filled the jar with water and then I secured cheesecloth with the lid at the mouth of the jar.

The Mason Jars were the only variation I did from the original post. All the chickpeas came out great.

I am eating a lot of chickpeas because of the Raw Fit Challenge. They are high in protein, a good source of calcium, dietary fiber and low in fat. It works perfect for what I'm doing. Don't be surprised to find alot of chickpea recipes in the future.

I enjoy sprouting chickpeas because they don't take long from soaking to sprouting to using.

Here was my timeline.

9 a.m. Friday: soak

8 p.m. Friday: drain soaking water and rinse and drain at a 45 degree angle

9 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. Saturday: rinse and drain at a 45 degree angle (This might be a bit excessive for me, it was one of those weekends and rinsing chickpeas seemed to be the only things I could do successfully without fail.)

Noon Sunday: I noticed the tails sprouting and they were ready to use.

Tip: If you won't be using the chickpeas right away, make sure they are well drained and dry and place them in the frig.

photo by Meetak

I am not sure why the chickpeas spoiled. If I were to guess maybe they were soaked too long or didn't drain well enough. Or it could have been a bad batch.

If anyone else has any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.

What did I do with all those chickpeas? I made Garden Chickpea Fritters. The recipe I will feature tomorrow.

If you have a raw food kitchen question, forward to "Question for the Daily Raw" at thedailyraw@yahoo.com.

Coming soon: Is there a substitution for avocados? Tips for being raw and a new mom.