Za'atar Dressing and Salad Recipe

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern Spice Combination that really answered my need for a new zesty salad dressing!

Traditional Za'atar is a mix of sumac, sesame seeds, and thyme. I've also seen oregano and basil used but feel those additions makes the dressing seem a little "Italian" for my preference.

Za'atar Dressing:
Whisk together Juice half lemon + equal amount olive oil 

(I use less because of my fat gram limitations and it is still wonderful, though the oil does help the dressing "cling") 

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp black pepper 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Za'atar (grind together 1 part sumac, 2 parts thyme, 1 part ground sesame seeds in mortar)

Salad:
3 tomatoes, eighth-ed

1/2 sweet onion

1/2 cucumber, diced 

head romaine lettuce torn into bite size pieces 

3T fresh parsley

3 T fresh mint

(add banana peppers and kalamata olives will give the salad a distinct Greek feel)

Toss dressing with Salad and let "rest" at room temp about 30 min for flavors to develop... keeps well in fridge "mixed" overnight if use mix of romaine and iceburg.

Sweet Tooth Answer

What better way to end the year than with a recipe for a super easy, no bake, sweet treat?
Make in small batches, but be warned... this one won't last long!

No Bake Coconut Balls

Ingredients

2 cups organic coconut flakes (unsweetened)

2 TBS agave nectar

4 TBS nut butter (I used Justin's Chocolate Almond)

1 TBS vanilla

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls and place into lidded container.  Place  into refrigerator until balls are firm (1-2 hours).  Makes 1 dozen balls.

Festive Apple Salad

I pretty much lived on the all weekend while everyone else was feasting on holiday fare...guess who didn't gain five pounds;)

Roxy Harte's Festive Apple Salad

3 large Fuji Apples
2 medium Granny Smith Apples
1 large cluster Red Seedless Grapes (halved)...about a cup to a cup and a half
1/2 bag fresh Cranberries (halved)
2 stalks Celery
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
1T Lavender (ground in pestle)
1 T fresh Basil (chopped)
Juice of 1 lg Lime
1 T Agave Nectar

I Am Figuring "IT" Out!

I am figuring it out seemed like a perfect title for today's post as it is Yule and the tide is turning toward Spring, although I know our weather will get worse before it gets better, and although I officially celebrated the "new year" in October on Samhain...we are still approaching what most of the modern world considers "The New Year"...and resolutions will soon run rampant...

As such, I've been reflecting a bit and I realized I have and am-more so every day-figuring out the raw food lifestyle.

Here's an example, yesterday, faced with an empty belly and my quickest fast food choices coming from the health food store... I chose Coconut Juice, an Apple, and some Falafel (not raw but vegan)...

A few bites in I told my hubby: "I could make these better raw." I then started listing the ingredients I would use and sure enough when I looked up an online raw recipe for falafel the majority of the ingredients I'd named were listed! I'm intuitively on the right track! Yay me

I then decided, if I can make falafel... I can make anything!
And I came up with a list of things to try:
Scones
Biscotti
Corn Tortillas
Nut free taco filling
*photo from Barefoot and Frolicking

**Blogger edited 12/23/2011:  "This recipe is a FAIL! Tastes nothing like falafel:( Maybe I did something wrong. Or maybe I love real falafel so much there is no way to make raw without chickpeas taste like cooked with chickpeas... anyway, as a concession to my cravings and desire to maintain low fat I am going to make a traditional falafel with chickpeas but baked, not fried...and hoping that it will taste closer to what I want.


A year ago I couldn't justify the price of a Vitamix and an Excaliber dehydrater...but now I see those purchases not as luxury items but necessities. And come tax return I will be getting them.

Being "Mostly Raw" isn't a fad...this diet is my new normal...and I'm excited about that!!

Cauliflower? Really??

I hate cauliflower...no offense to the cauli but really, it's strong, it's bitter...

But I keep seeing recipes that look absolutely amazing...yummy looking...and cauliflower is the base...and since I have a ton of cauliflower in my fridge left over from the holidays...meant for Crudités and not used at the last second because it didn't seem necessary...which basically means I just really don't like cauliflower...

I decided to make one of the recipes I saw online that looked super yummy, amazing, delicious, even though I was apprehensive it would be any of those things...

Of course, I didn't have all of the ingredients...like asparagus and miso...and lets face it, some ingredients are hard to find if you live in more rural parts of America as I discovered on my recent trip to my daughter's house in rural KY...so I decided to make due with what I had.
So, I changed the recipe immensely...but kept the general creamy feel...creamy being the key word because rich and creamy means comfort food to me...Since I'm not afraid to alter recipes. This wasn't really a challenge. The trick was, using what I had AND keeping it low fat.

Tangent: Here's a key gripe about a lot of raw food recipes I find, everything is marinated in oil and I cannot have oil...basically a drizzle of oil in my salad means I've ruined my 10gram goal for the day in one sitting, let alone the amounts (tablespoons and multiple ounces a lot of the recipes I see call for) ... So I have to adapt everything.

Example: Mushrooms do not need to be marinated in oil to get a "meaty texture"...and really, I don't necessarily want a "meaty texture" anyway...but sometimes I do marinate, using nama shoyu only. If you cannot find nama shoyu, my next choice would be a high end organic tamari (I spend a little more money on organic ingredients because the whole point of changing my diet was to get rid of all the toxins in my body and keep them out as much as possible)

So here is what I did for this lovely Cauliflower Salad, which the original recipe called a "Risotto"...she served a heated version (I think dehydrating and freezing alters the nutritional value of the food so I've been avoiding both whenever I can) and I'm keeping mine room temperature...

Creamy Cauliflower Salad with Spicy Mushrooms

Need for Spicy Mushrooms:
Mushrooms
Onion
Olives
Nama Shoyu
Hot Sauce

Need for Salad:
Cauliflower
Red Pepper
Carrot
Thyme (fresh is best, dried if fresh unavailable)
**Hummus

1. Marinated chopped mushrooms, onions, some raw olives in nama shoyu and hot sauce overnight but several hours would be sufficient. I made about 2 cups total.
2. 1 head finely chopped Cauliflower (about 2 cups)
3. finely chopped 1/3 of a Red Pepper
4. shredded a 5" piece of Carrot
5. Mixed cauliflower, red pepper, and carrot in a bowl with 1 T thyme
6. Added 6 T Super Garlicky Hummus

Allowed all flavors to combine in fridge for 2 hours...served with spicy marinated mushrooms on the side...and a huge mixed green salad with dried figs, sliced apples, sunflower seeds and a honey/apple dressing...

The most exciting part was the calorie/fat/nuitrition breakdown:
51 Cal    1.4 gFat   2.2gProtein  23%VitA  60%VitC  19%B6  10%B5

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe...I am the writer, so I prefer words...but here's a picture too...

OMG...this meal was so delicious! And that from the girl who hates cauliflower. So this is definitely a keeper recipe

I am learning to not be afraid to keep trying veggies I previously didn't like, sometimes again and again, because I am finding that the longer I am on my raw journey, the more my tastebuds are changing. I didn't like kale before this summer. Now, I can't get enough of it. I didn't like coconut juice or water...now I drink about twenty ounces a day! (very alkaline and awesome for the body) And now CAULIFLOWER!

I see much more of this veggie in my future:)

**I always keep several flavors of hummus in my fridge...right now I have Super Garlicky which I made using this recipe because it didn't call for oil. I used Raw Tahini which I found at the health food store. And tripled the garlic called for. The blogger offers two recipe versions one that calls for tahini and one that solely calls for sesame seeds also a bonus for those days I don't have tahini in the house and always have an abundance of nuts and seeds...btw in a pinch pine-nuts or sunflower seeds can be substituted for the sesame seeds...I know because I've done both. If you absoltely have to have the oily, fat to help your hummus feel more (commercial) top with a drizzle of sesame oil to the final product...

Raw Granola... yum!

Yes, it's Juice Feast Day #6 and I've been 99% awesome and committed ...though making the Best Raw Granola in the Universe (Kevin and AnneMarie Gianni's recipe) for hubby was a challenge and I did only taste a bite... couldn't serve him anything not perfectly yummy right? And omg the house now smells wonderful!!!

Now the recipe calls for sprouted buckwheat, oats and sunflower seeds and I did soak, but not long enough to sprout... if you are unsure about how to soak or sprout there is directions at their link (below) ...
Also.. if you do not have a dehydrator you can do this recipe in your oven on its lowest setting with the door ajar...

**copied directly from Kevin and AnneMarie's page
***there is also a full video of this recipe at their site

Raw Granola or “G-rawwww-nola” Recipe (“The Best Raw Granola in the Universe Ever Plus One”)

2/3 Cups Sprouted Buckwheat
1/2 Cup Sprouted Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Sprouted Oats
1 Cup Chopped Soak Almonds
(the dry ingredients you can play around with… add more nuts that you like add more oats if you you like less buckwheat… what ever you like  )

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil*
1/4 cup Raw Local Honey or Maple Syrup*

*to liquefy place decided amount in small jar then place small jar in warm water or out in sun

1 Tbsp Vanilla
Cinnamon to liking
Sea Salt to liking

If you have a Kevin at home plan on doubling the recipe! 

Mix together all together with hands. Spread on Dehydrator Sheet and dehydrate at 115 for 8-12 hours.

Cantaloupe Pepper Juice? And Chips!

Day Five of Juicing...going well... except I feel like all I do is hold a glass of juice in my hand.
And since hubby is eating healthier and craving a raw snack...I went looking for the Best Raw Granola Recipe Ever on Kevin and AnneMarie Gianni's youtube page and instead found Cantaloup Pepper Juice as the headliner... and since I'm juicing...
And as an extra ...Chips!... from the pulp!!


Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to that Raw Granola...

Over It...

I can officially say, "I am over it."
It being...
Fast food:
yes, I can drive by all those bright and shining buildings now with their empty promises, and piles o'msg and not drool on myself...
Dairy:
cheese? ick. milk? double ick. eggs? hmmm...maybe have to keep working on that one...
Cooked anything:
over it!! don't ask me about yesterday...
ok, I'll tell you anyway.
I went to Kroger for Strawberries and a few other Veggie Essentials... and omg...the smell coming from the chinese restaurant next door was divine... so I bought all the veggies for stir -fry.. and didn't stir-fry..but steamed them... and they were okay...no big win... what was a big win was the sauce!!!

Oriental Sauce Divine
1 lg piece pineapple 2"x4" chunk
1/4c orange juice
1" piece ginger
3 cloves garlic
1-2 hot peppers
1 T tamari
1/4c maple syrup
five spice to taste...
blend well in blender or vitamix

In the future this will be liberally drizzled over my fav uncooked veggies whenever I am craving chinese...

And AVOID the gut pain I am in today after only two meals of steamed veggies...
Did I say I'm over it? You betcha!!!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flouless, Raw, Vegan...Chocolake...Cake. I need more than one language to say yum in! As you can see, all that's left are the crumbs!

I made a cake and took it to Faire today because I knew my friend Dani was bringing cake to celebrate her son Zachary's 6th birthday...and I knew I'd be tempted to eat it. I went prepared with this cake I found a recipe for on Raw Fusion Living... and it's amazing. I wish I could convey just how yummy this cake was!

And it would have been even better with the cream sauce...but someone ate all the cashews...
You gotta watch those hubbies...

Anyway, next time I will be better prepared with all the ingredients hidden until needed.

Here is a video of Dr LJ Rose on the morning show Daytime, showing just how easy it is...

Trouble in Paradise

To be honest, I haven't been very hungry the last few days. I think all the nuts in the tostadas really filled a gap and now the almost constant hunger I was feeling is gone...
however, there is a downside. I pain-flaired yesterday because of the high fat in the nuts. I knew when I did the numbers at the end of the day Sunday that I might be in trouble. For my RA symptoms to stay quiet, I must keep my daily fat intake between 10 and 15%. I was over double that ...

The result? Mega-pain flair.
This morning I got almost out of bed... I made it to the floor and laid there for about an hour, maybe two...long enough for 2grams of aspirin to kick in. (Do not take high doses of aspirin without the advisement and guidance of a physician!! I work very closely with my RA doc who monitors me very closely with regular bloodwork) The aspirin got me across the room to the Jacuzzi where I soaked and jetted for over an hour. The entire time cursing myself for having seconds of the tostadas ... but they were soooo yummy. Lesson learned: Everything in Moderation!!

I won't say I'm moving freely, I'm mostly couch-sitting, juicing ... and watching youtube videos, which takes much less energy than writing ...  

Tonight, I thought I wanted a salad... and made a huge salad. It made enough for hubby and I to have small lunch salads as leftovers tomorrow. Another reason to keep the lettuce separate until serving...

Here is my Very Filling Mid-Day Salad Recipe:
1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced (1 cup)
3 heirloom tomatoes ( 2 cups)
kernels from 1 ear corn
1 T fresh herbs of your choice (I usually use cilantro or basil)
2 small heads heirloom lettuce ( save till last)

 dressing - blender on medium until smooth
3 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
1 T honey juice
1 lime

 Pour dressing over first 4 ingredients and mix well, add lettuce at end or just before serving if delayed from serving immediately.

Sunday, Another Faire Weekend Passes

I SURVIVED RAW for the WEEKEND!
Preparation payed off big time!!!

I packed more food than I needed, including 32 ounces of "Goatsblood Smoothie" ( beets lol) multiple bananas, apples. Today was especially sucessful in the not hungry, not craving anything department thanks to a lot of late night prep last night. In addition to the Smoothie, I packed RAW TOSTADAS!!!

Yes, I dehydrated corn tortillas and nut/mushroom "meat"... I made "sour cream" from cashews and limes OMG sooo good I could eat the whole bowl...oops, I did ;P ...and I'm paying for the total fat today, but soooo good!!! Oh yeah, I said that already... and Pico de Gallo. This was a super yummy raw-lifestyle-saver! Whew!!!

Onward!
The best part is that I FEEL GOOD. Yes, I'm on the Simponi now and it has made a huge difference in my life, but honestly...it works for 3 weeks out of 4 and that fourth week has been brutal. I've dreaded this week (forth week) ever since I got my last injection...and it hasn't been horrible. I actually went to the RA doc on Thursday for a pre-planned steroid shot to get me through the "bad days" and I don't think I would have needed it. Next month I'm testing the theory and not getting the preventative. Why would I do that? Taking a chance I might not be able to do faire at all on the fourth weekend? Because I think I'm on the right track. That's how much better I feel RAW compared to Not-Raw. Do I plan to stop the biologic? Not a chance... ask me in a year after I've been 100% raw. I'm smart enough to know that this damaging disease didn't take a few weeks to set in motion...cell regeneration takes time and my body has a whole lotta damage to correct. But just taking fewer NSAIDS and fewer Steroids will be an awesome benefit, hopefully dropping down to no NSAID's and No Steroids!! And even though I'm still very aware I have a degenerative joint disease...the IBF/undiagnosed** Crohn's Disease symptoms are gone. GONE! It has happened every single time I' attempted raw in the past, so I expected the same results this time...and since September 1st I've had no gut issues whatsoever. Nothing. That's amazing. I also haven't needed to take a single Tums (antacid) and I had a 2-4 habit a night going. I'm definitely on the right track!! Here's the Raw Caesar Salad that I am telling everyone about. Even hubby agrees its one of the best Caesar Salads he's ever had ... we're having it again tomorrow!

**Having lived with what I considered IBF all my life, and many RA patients also have Crohn's, my RA doctor suggested a lot of tests to prove I have Crohn's Disease...and I refused all of them. I really don't try to be difficult. I just don't think that barium enema's, colonoscopy's, endoscopy's or MRI's are necessary. Something is wrong with my guts. Period. I don't need tests or an exploratory look around when I know that seven full days of RAW fixes me...