Cranberry Fruit Salad

Submitted By: Rhonda Malkmus
Need a popular dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas? You've found it! This refreshing fruit salad has a holiday twist that your guests are sure to rave about!

Ingredients
2 cups organic cranberries
1 tsp orange zest from organic orange (below)
1 organic orange, peeled, sectioned, and quartered
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1-1/2 cups seedless grapes, halved OR organic raisins
3/4 cup fresh pineapple cut into small chunks OR canned pineapple bits in its own juice (no added sugar)
1/2 cup pecans, halved
1/3 cup raw unfiltered honey OR maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of ginger and allspice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Raw Christmas Fudge

Submitted By: Rhonda Malkmus

Your guests will not believe this absolutely delicious Christmas Fudge contains no sugar... or chocolate!

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup raw carob powder
¼ cup sesame seeds (ground & optional)
¼ cup sunflower seeds (ground)
½ cup raw almond nut butter
5 medjool dates (pitted, soaked 2 hours, and drained)
1 cup walnuts OR pecans (chopped)


Directions

1. Place all ingredients except walnuts or pecans in a food processor and with “S” blade process until well blended.

2. Stir in chopped walnuts or pecans, and spread into an 8-inch pan lined greased with liquid lecithin or palm oil.

3. Chill, cut, and serve.

4. Keeps well in refrigerator for short storage.

Healthy Hot Chocolate

Submitted By: Rhonda Malkmus
Hot chocolate is something many people, especially children, enjoy — especially on a cold day after school! But there are a number of things wrong with hot chocolate: (1) it contains cow milk and (2) it contains chocolate and (3) often contains refined sugar, and there is something wrong with them all.

Cow milk is extremely mucous forming, chocolate contains theobromine (a form of caffeine), and refined sugar compromises the immune system.
Here's a better solution!

Ingredients
1 cup almond milk (store bought or homemade)
1 Tbsp carob powder
1 tsp raw unfiltered honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt (optional)

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat in sauce pan on low heat setting until warm.
Make sure you don’t let it boil, or you will destroy the enzymes, thus destroying its life force and some of its nutrients.

Pumpkin Parfait With Ginger Cream And Pumpkin Spiced Granola Topping

Taken from Splendor in the Raw


INGREDIENTS


Pumpkin Parfait 
•  ¼ cup water (more or less)
•  ½ medium pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
•  1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
•  2 Tbsp raw agave nectar or sweetener of choice 
•  ½ tsp Himalayan pink salt 
•  ½ tsp vanilla powder 


Ginger Cream 
•  1 cup cashews, soaked 4 hours 
•  1 cup coconut cream 
•  ½ cup water 
•  ¼ cup agave 
•  ¼ cup maple syrup 
•  1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt 
•  2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated 
•  1 Tbsp lecithin  
•  ½ cup coconut oil, melted 


Pumpkin Spiced Granola 
•  2 cups almonds, soaked overnight
•  1 cup cashews, soaked overnight 
•  1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight 
•  1 cup raisins 
•  1 Tbsp vanilla powder 
•  1 tsp pumpkin spice 
•  ½ tsp Himalayan pink salt 


PROCEDURE: 
Pumpkin Parfait 
1. Place all ingredients as listed in a high powder blender, blend until smooth and creamy.  
2. Add more water if necessary to create a smooth puree.  
3. Transfer to container and chill until set.  
4. Keeps in freezer in air tight container for months.  


Ginger Cream   
1. Place all ingredients, except the lecithin and coconut oil, in a high powder blender and blend until creamy.  
2. Add lecithin and coconut oil and blend until well combined.  
3. Transfer to a container and chill until set.  
4. Keeps in freezer in air tight container for months.   


Pumpkin Spiced Granola 
1. Place all nuts and seeds in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight. Place raisins in a 
separate bowl, cover with water and soak overnight.  
2. Place the raisins, along with their soaking water in a food processor and puree until smooth.  
3. Drain and rinse the nuts and seeds and discard the soaking water.  
4. Add nuts and seeds to raisin puree in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, to the 
consistency of granola, then add vanilla, pumpkin spice and salt. Pulse briefly to incorporate.  
5. Transfer mixture onto Teflon sheets and place in dehydrator on 105 F for 4 hours.  
6. Remove from Teflon sheets and continue to dehydrate 8-10 hours or until desired crunchiness.  
7. Keeps in freezer in air tight container for months.   


To Assemble   
1. In parfait glass, place a layer of pumpkin, topped with a layer of the ginger cream followed by 
several more layers of the same.  
2. Top with pumpkin spiced granola and serve.   


Chef Tina Jo is a registered trademarks of Splendor in the Raw, Inc. © Chef Tina Jo. All Rights Reserved.

Captivating Croquettes

Submitted By: Creating A Hallelujah Holiday Feast
An incredible appetizer that's not only delicious -
it's healthy, too! Taken from Their e-book,

Creating A Hallelujah Holiday Feast.

Ingredients

1 carrot (ground with the S-blade of the food processor until it resembles ground beef)
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed at room temperature
1 can black beans, juice drained and set aside
1/2 cup corn meal, or more for firmer texture
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt, if using unsalted beans
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp minced purple onion
2 Tbsp reserved bean juice
oil spray



Directions
Place all ingredients (except oil spray) in a bowl and stir together.
Press all ingredients together coarsely with your hands.
Roll croquettes into a round ball about the size of a golf ball and then press into a patty. If croquettes are too moist to patty, add enough corn meal to hold them together.
Spray skillet liberally with oil and turn pan on medium heat. once oil is hot, place patties in pan.
Cook about 1-2 minutes on each side or until they are brown.
Spray oil into pan between batches.

Makes 17 croquettes.

COCONUT DREAM SMOOTHIE

SERVES: Makes two large wine glasses full

EQUIPMENT

Blender

INGREDIENTS

1 carton coconut milk (or similar)
1 medium mango
4 Medjool dates
1 Tablespoon vanilla essence

DIRECTIONS

1. Simply blend all ingredients thoroughly until a thick, but bit-free consistency is achieved
2. Pour into a tall glass and savour!

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• This is a great recipe for sharing, as this recipe makes two large wine glasses full of smoothie. Drinking this feels decadent and relaxing, so it’s really a good one to use as an "end of the day" treat.

Happy Juice

SERVES: 1-2

If you’re looking for a juice that will really make you smile, then this is it. Happy by name, happy by nature.

EQUIPMENT

Juicer

INGREDIENTS

3 large carrots

5 small oranges

8 strawberries

1” round of pineapple

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare ingredients for juicing: scrub carrots, trim ends, stalks etc. and cut into juicer-friendly sized chunks.

2. Put all ingredients through a juicer making sure that you have maximum amount of juice.

3. Pour and serve.

Why not try adding a twist of lime?

Recipe of the day!

Thanksgiving Casserole
Ingredients :
    2 cups cooked brown rice (or substitute lentils)
    1/2 cup cashews or walnuts, chopped
    2 slices of whole wheat bread, chopped into small cubes
    1 cup vegetable broth
    1/2 cup soy milk or almond milk
    2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    1 rib celery, diced small
    1 small onion, finely chopped
    3 tablespoon olive oil
    herbs to taste: sage, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, pepper (or poultry seasoning)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 8- or 9-inch square casserole dish with cooking spray.
While rice is cooking, sauté celery and onion in the olive oil.  Mix well all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into casserole dish, and bake for 45 minutes.
Tastes even better topped with vegan gravy!
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 30 min

Favorite Cranberry Recipe

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 45 minutes Servings: 12

 

 

A variety of fresh and dried fruits and nuts are used in this cooked cranberry sauce.  What a great addition to our Thanksgiving meal.

INGREDIENTS: Preferably Organic

1 cup water 1 cup Agave or raw honey 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries 1 orange, peeled and pureed 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced

1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit (I used coconut, pineapple, cherries) 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a medium saucepan, boil water and agave or honey. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.  You may have to adjust the sweetener to your taste.

This recipe freezes well

Thanksgiving 2011

What a great time of the year!  I haven’t been able to blog anything in a while but thought that this would be the best time to share a few things I am thankful for…..

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who always thinks the best of me and who always does his best to help out so that I am not stressed from all the prep that goes into our dinner as well as everyday life!

I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have that seem to know when I need a laugh to pick me up.

I am thankful for my husbands mom and dad who, because I have no parents with me, are like my own mom and dad.

I am thankful that I have a job and home right now in times where people are without.

I am thankful for being able to come together as a family and celebrate Thanksgiving in a time where most families are bickering and fighting.

I am thankful for the health I have even when I have not been taking care of myself!

the list goes on and on but these are the things that are on my mind.

The number one thing I am thankful for this day and every day of my life is…

I am thankful for my Lord and Savior whom without, I would not be the person I am.  God has given me the blessings I have mentioned above and has answered my prayers not only when I am uplifted but in my darkest times.  He has been with me through out all of my life looking out for me and guiding me with that little voice that tells me what I need to know and sends the people into my life in times when I need them.  I owe everything to God!  I ask that he bless all my friends and family and watch over them.  I ask he blesses everyone out there and keeps them safe.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Closer to another year!

Its hard to believe another year has passed and I am just a few days away from another year older!  They say time flies when you are having fun!  I had a conversation with my beautiful daughter yesterday and she told me that she thought I was in good shape for my age!  LOL  what she meant was that she sees so many people my age that are on medication or have some type of problems physically.  She didn't think I had anything going on in this body of mine!  "Pretty good" I thought to myself!  I once talked to a well known artist here in Florida who at the time was 96 years young and I asked her how she stayed so young.  Her reply to me was that she never stopped moving.  She said "when you stop moving, its all over with".  I tend to believe that.  Yeah I have lazy days when I just don't feel like doing anything but all in all, I try to stay active.  I always have ideas on things to do that my husband and I haven't done yet.  Might not be things he's excited about but he does go along for the ride!  LOL  Poor guy.....hey at least its not boring right?

getting back to good

Laughter is good medicine!  Smiles are contagious!  sharing is something that brings out the best in us......the list goes on an on.  If you start your day off with a positive thought and focus on the things that matter, letting go of the little things that don't, you're guaranteed to have an awesome day!  Take a minute to think about others and not focus on what you are dealing with. Believe me, there is someone out there that is worse off than you.  You might even notice people around you that might need that extra hand or that kind word from you.

We as a society have fallen so far from the time when we cared about what our neighbors thought or how we could help someone who was in need.  I see it and I know you see it every day.  Everyone seems to be in this "it's all about me" world.  I make sure I do something that will bring joy to someone else even if its only for the moment.  I take time out from my daily happenings to focus on what I can do for someone else and if everyone did that there would be no need for wars.  I love it when someone you least expect to hear from either calls because they're thinking of you or sends something so small but yet so touching that it makes you tear up.  I love it when the person you love, for no reason, writes you a note to tell you how much they appreciate you!  It's the little things in life that bring you the most pleasure.......

Take the time to tell someone they're appreciated or help someone you don't know.....share your smile with the world!

creating or pilfering ingredients?

Just got my computer running after a week and still do not have all the software loaded.  I have noticed from seeing other sites that a lot of the raw recipe ingredients from various sites are looking similar lately.  Makes me wonder who actually created the original.  It's really easy to take someones ideas and change a few things to make it look like your creation.  Thing is, does that make you a thief or someone who can adapt a recipe to fit your style?  A lot of the raw food creations are taken from a cooked version and made to taste similar to the cooked "comfort" foods.  There are recipes out there whether raw or cooked that just don't taste the way you want them to so you change this and that and add this or that to make a version that is delicious to your taste buds.   Where does that line get drawn?

Did I miss it?

I am not someone who watches the news and a lot of tv because I don't want the negativity to effect my life.  I did, however, notice a great bit of talk about today being the end of the world.  I won't get into that but will say that we will know when it happens but will not know the date.  My husband, myself and two close friends have been walking the Roosevelt bridge on Saturdays and it is awesome!  I am really enjoying looking over the beautiful water and feeling the fresh (as fresh as it gets) air.  It's nice to have friends who are getting into a healthy lifestyle.  It's totally amazing how many unhealthy, overweight and uncaring people there are out there.  If you sit and watch people in public places you will see that majority are overweight and walking around oblivious to what they are doing to themselves.  Then you look at the older people who are using walkers or are ridden by some kind of illness and it kind of reminds me of a robotic life.  everyone going through the motions of living, following the same routines and listening to the same information - believing what they hear about on the TV and radio.  "milk!  it does a body good".  "beef!  it's what's for dinner".......  Take the red pill people!!!

I found this on the internet that really made me think of our daily lives so I am gonna share it with you.

The terms redpill and its opposite, bluepill, are pop culture terms that have become a common symbol for the choice between the blissful ignorance of illusion (blue) and embracing the sometimes painful truth of reality (red). The terms were popularized in science fiction culture via the 1999 film The Matrix. The movie relies on the premise that an artificial reality exists that is advanced enough so as to be indistinguishable from reality, and that no test exists that can conclusively prove that reality is not a simulation. This ties in closely with the skeptical idea that the everyday world is illusory, a simulated reality. In the movie, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill with the red pill leading to his "escape" from the Matrix, a fictional computer-generated world set in 1999, while the blue pill will allow him to remain in the world with no knowledge that anything is wrong.

this is so close to what you see out there.............

Hope I don't offend anyone.........just my thoughts

To My Best Friend Peggy!

I hope you like it Peggy.  I'll send you the DVD soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQOaM46ROE

reflecting on the fall!

What a week this has been!  I, having a slight ADHD life, decided I would pick one project and finish it regardless of what would not get done in the mean time.  First project I chose was the front porch and as of tomorrow I can say it will be completed.  I have also made the decision to get back to the healthy me I used to know and love!  I am armed with a schedule and recipes to get me going in the right direction again.  I'm not sure if it was the stress of not knowing if I would have a job or running to the point of exhaustion that was causing me to have these weird cravings for "JUNK" foods but whatever it was I ran with it.  The biggest problem with eating the way I did was not the actual eating itself and the struggle with my "healthy self beliefs" but it was the side effects from eating that way.  the worse I ate, the more tired and run down I became and the more I would crave the foods that sent me on the spiral I was trapped in.  Before long your skin breaks out and your whole way of thinking changes.  You allow yourself to think negative thoughts and have down moments.  It's a vicious cycle and even though I knew what was going on, I kept telling myself "I'll start over tomorrow".  Ever have that happen?  Tomorrow turns into many tomorrows.  Believe me when I say "S.A.D. (standard american diet) IS AN ADDICTION!"  You can go for days, weeks, or months without wanting or desiring cooked or processed foods and then the first time you tell yourself "one bite won't kill me" BAM!  it starts.  Much like someone who quits smoking.  You go along for days, weeks, months or even years without thinking about it and then you pick that one cigarette up thinking "one won't hurt me".  Next thing you know you find yourself having another and telling yourself "I can quit at any time".  Before you know it you are smoking just as much as when you quit!  Addictions are real!  All you can do is love yourself and ask if this is what you really want.  If it is not then get up on the horse and try again.  I'm through with beating myself up when I fall off.  I quit smoking almost 10 years ago and that was after several attempts to quit.  I know that when I finally get it right, there will be no turning back!  One day at a time!  Sometimes 1 hour at a time........

Today!

Today my husband and I with two of our close friends walked across the Roosevelt bridge!  It was a total of 2.2 miles both ways.  I got a feeling about half way across the first half that I wanted to run and just took off!  What a great feeling.  Of course I wasn't able to run the whole distance but it has given me a new goal.  Today was a great day!

falling off the wagon

The title should say it all....
Lately I have fallen into the rut where I am making excuses to have foods I know are not good for my body.  Seems as if, on those days, everyone I know is pushing my buttons,  either offering foods to me that used to be a comfort food or wanting to eat at places that I have limited healthy choices.  Ever have one of those days?   It's like the world is out to get you and no matter how hard you try, it throws everything your way to win!  I will find myself eating the foods that make me feel awesome and full of energy for three days and then it is like someone has thrown the switch and I find myself trying to sabotage everything.  I can tell, when I do fall off, my body suffers and it takes days to get back to the energy and pep I had before the fall.  It is all about being human and I do not suffer from guilt because I had a bad day!  I am gonna take it one day at a time and do the best I can!  This would be so much easier if I had a great support system.

Thought for the day

As I was sitting at the light coming from the local health food store, I look over and see this family in the car next to me.  Every one of them were overweight and stuffing their faces with Egg McMuffins or something similar to that and all I could think of is do they know what this is doing to their bodies?  The child in the back seat must have weighed 150 lbs and was probably 7 or 8 years old.  We have come from being a nation of people that grew their own foods and worked hard every day to a nation of fast food and jobs that are sit down 8 hours a day.  Everything has become easy and fast.  the newer generations will not know what it was like to enjoy the fruit of their labor..........Sad

Raw Living Foods

It's amazing how food affects our well being and state of mind.  Food plays a very big role in our lives from comfort to happiness.  Raw and living foods give the body what it needs to be whole.  Todays food is over processed and ladened with chemicals and ingredients that are not healthy for the body.  Most of it is totally void of nutrition.  Of course we can not see what this is doing to our bodies until it is too late!  Disease and obesity is an epidemic with our society.  The media has brain washed people into believing what it advertises.  Where does it stop?