10 Ways to Make Your Raw Food Kitchen Healthier

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Create a Healthy Living Space for a Healthy You!

Making a plan for healthy habits has to include a healthy space to make your creations. Your kitchen should be a comfortable clean inviting place. When the energy is good, you feel happier. The food picks up that vibration and actually becomes healthier for you. It’s true!

Take some time this week to get your kitchen ready for all those yummy Green Smoothies and real Healthy Bliss!

1. Clean out your pantry of expired foods.

Old foods have a dead energy. Get rid of them! Check the dates on everything periodically. If there is no date, get rid of it if you have not used it in more than 1 year.

2. Check foods for mold.

Look in any jars or powders in your fridge. If you see mold, get rid of it! Mold can spread through spores in the air; if one food is infected, others will be soon too!

 

3. Switch to glass containers.

Although glass storage is more expensive than plastic, it’s an investment in your health. Especially when storing salads with vinegar, the plastic can be leached into the food. Store dry goods in glass jars. For glass containers, look for store coupons, buy on sale, or check discount stores.

4. Get sharp knives.

Having a good set of sharp knives makes preparing food so much more enjoyable and easier! Is it time to replace a knife, can it be sharpened? Get your kitchen ready for chopping bliss!

5. Store cutting boards dry.

When you rinse your cutting boards, be sure they are totally dry before putting away. Stacking wet cutting boards makes a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.

 

6. Create healthy counter space!

Keep your kitchen in order by only keeping healthy essentials on the counter, like a blender or juicer. When those items are looking at you every day, you are much more likely to use them!

7. Clean out the fridge and defrost the freezer.

It’s easy to wipe the refrigerator shelves with white vinegar and baking soda. Old remnants of food on shelves is not only unsanitary and but has a stale energy. Your food should be treated and stored like valuable jewelry, in a beautiful clean container!

8. Play music, make the kitchen fun!

The happier you are when preparing food, the more likely you are to do it again and again. Take time to be grateful, feel happy, appreciate your health, and give thanks to your food while you prepare your creation. Sing out loud, the more fun the better!

9. Decorate with fresh food.

There’s nothing more inviting to a healthy kitchen than a bowl of fresh colorful fruit, a line of tomatoes on the window or a few fresh herbs growing in small containers. As you rotate foods with the season, your kitchen changes too!

10. Get inspired with new recipes & cookbooks!

Clean out any old cookbooks from your unhealthy past and make way for new recipes and inspiration for the New You! Experimenting with raw food salads, smoothies and recipes keeps life interesting. When your food tastes good and is good for you, healthy bliss comes naturally!

If you're ready for juicing, this is the juicer for you!

If you’re ready for juicing, this is the juicer for you!

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Benefits of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

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Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (or ACV for short) is one of those amazing healing foods that has lived up to its health benefits for almost 2,000 years. I always say, look at the ‘tried and true’ if you are looking to add better staple foods to your diet. I’d say a 2,000 year success rate is pretty good, don’t you think?!

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a Raw Food!

First of all raw ACV should be raw and that means unpasteurized. It should say on the label ‘raw’ or ‘from the Mother.’ Household brand names of ACV like Heinz are not raw. It’s the fermented or raw ACV that is so good for you so be sure to buy the right one. My favorite brand is the Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Raw ACV is the only vinegar that is alkaline-forming to the body. All other vinegars (white, balsamic, red wine, etc) are acid-forming. For a health balanced pH, raw apple cider vinegar is one of the best things to add to your diet. To understand more about acid and alkaline pH, read this article: ‘Alkalize Your pH – How Alkaline Acid Balance affects your Health’.

According to Paul Bragg, Apple Cider Vinegar is a ‘perfect food’:

Natural (undistilled) organic, raw ACV can really be called one of Mother Nature’s most perfect foods, the worlds first natural medicine. It is made from fresh, crushed apples which are then allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels, as wood tends to “boost” the natural fermentation. Research worldwide supports and commends what Hippocrates (the father of medicine) found and treated his patients with in 400 B.C. He discovered that natural, undistilled Apple Cider Vinegar (or ACV)* is a powerful cleansing and healing elixir – a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs, bacteria, mold and viruses – for a healthier, stronger, longer life!

Label reads ‘With Mother of Vinegar’

One of the benefits of having raw ACV every day is it is a naturally high source of potassium and enzymes. Many people link potassium deficiency to dark circles under the eyes, early senility, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, arterial and heart problems, arthritis, kidney stones, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Signs of potassium deficiency include fatigue, achy bones and muscles, tired eyes, itchy eyes, dry scalp and brittle hair and lack of mental alertness.

Paul Bragg says, “But the truth is . . . you must have potassium to build and maintain youthful, healthy tissues! If you don’t get required amount of potassium daily, you soon acquire an old-age look and feel.This premature ageing is usually due to potassium deficiency and unhealthy living!”

Can you see how a healthy diet is really the key to feeling better?

With the standard diet of devitalized foods that clog the small intestine and ferment, leaving backup and buildup, most people have a much lower absorption rate than normal. The reason why raw apple cider vinegar is a good source of potassium is because, in liquid form, it is almost instantly and fully absorbed.

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You can even gargle with raw ACV (1tsp. to 1/2 glass of water) to help clear a sore throat, naturally! It is also good for insect stings, bites, ear infections, acne, viruses, yeast (candida) and fungus problems. You can apply a watered-down solution directly to the infected area and also drink 2 Tbsp. of raw ACV in a glass of water both morning and night.

To improve digestion, gas, heartburn, burping and stomach bloating sip 3 tsp. of ACV before your meal. Hold in mouth for a minute before swallowing. This helps digestion to start in the mouth.

On a daily basis, try to have at least 2 Tbsp. of raw Apple Cider Vinegar to keep your body healthy and strong. You can mix 2 Tbsp. with water and drink upon rising, add the ACV to a juice or smoothie, or make a delicious salad dressing.

For a salad dressings try this recipe:

Mix 2 garlic cloves (chopped), 2 Tbsp. ACV, 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. raw organic honey, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1/3 cup water, 1 tsp. dried basil leaves, dash cayenne pepper, dash cumin powder and Himalayan salt to taste.

For more information on the healing power of ACV, I highly recommend the book Apple Cider Vinegar Miracle Health System by Paul and Patricia Bragg.

A good brand of ACV to try for yourself is the Bragg’s Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.

Read more information on the liver and liver cleansing here:

Gallstone Liver Flush – Recipe & Cleanse Info

How to Do a Coffee Enema at Home

How to Do a Castor Oil Pack for Liver Cleansing

How to Do Onion Socks for Healing

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Raw Food Dessert Recipe: Cacao, Hazelnut & Banana Bliss

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Raw Hazelnut Cacao Bliss

This recipe is fast and easy for a delicious raw food dessert. Have you ever tasted a fudgesicle pop? Well, if you freeze this chocolate-like creation, it actually tastes like a fudgesicle! But this is a healthy version, full of anti-oxidants and other nutrients.

Make this tasty gluten-free vegan treat to share with family and friends…they will not even know it’s a raw food! It’s also great for kids, and with this dessert…they are getting valuable nutrients in addition to a great taste.

Raw Food Recipe: Cacao, Hazelnut & Banana Bliss

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw hazelnuts, ground (can also use raw almonds)
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 3 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
  • 1 Tbsp. raw maca powder
  • Water from 1 young green coconut plus coconut flesh (can replace with 1.5 cups cold water + 3 Tbsp. coconut oil)
  • 2 Tbsp. raw honey (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp. raw ginger, grated (optional)
  • 6 raw dried organic apricots, chopped (optional)

Healthy Bliss…yes!

Grind the hazelnuts or almonds with maca and cacao powder. There is no need to soak the nuts. Use a mini-food processor to grind the nuts to a fine powder. (You could also add 1-2 Tbsp. of other superfoods, such as acai powder, pomegranate powder or goji berries.)

In a blender, blend the coconut water and bananas. Add the ground nuts and powders and blend again. Add the raw honey and/or fresh ginger (optional) and blend again.

Pour mixture into a container. Top with chopped hazelnuts or almonds and chopped apricots. Place in freezer and let sit for 6-8 hours. Serve with love, and enjoy!

More on Superfoods:

Recipe for Raw Food Detox Salad: Cucumber & Onion with Tangy Dressing

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A great recipe for after your detox, this cucumber, celery and onion salad is a delicious blend of flavors and combined with spinach makes for a nice lunch or dinner salad. It has very little fat and is a good salad for weight loss or for keeping your weight off after your fast.

Tangy Cucumber and Onion Salad, especially great after a Detox

You can use different dressings for the salad, but in this creation I made a tangy Green Onion dressing. If you mix the ingredients together and allow to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, the salad will taste even better! Cucumbers are great for the skin and for overall cleansing due to their high-water content. Onions are an anti-parasitic, anti-fungal and anti-viral food. Celery is a high source of organic sodium, an important mineral for anyone suffering from arthritis or joint pain. Ground flax seed in the dressing adds fiber and omega proteins. Raw apple cider vinegar is excellent for balancing pH health and is also good against internal fungus (candida) and parasites. Cayenne Pepper is great for circulation and for strengthening the blood and the heart. Let your food be your medicine!

Raw Cucumber & Onion Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 large cucumbers, chopped
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1/4 cup green scallions or green onion, chopped
  • Fresh spinach leaves, cleaned

Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup green scallions or onions
  • 2-3 Tbsp. ground flax seed
  • 1-2 Tbsp. raw honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of cayenne pepper

A Yummy Salad to Serve with Family & Friends!

Mix all salad ingredients in a large glass bowl and set aside. Make the dressing using a mini-food processor. First, add the apple cider vinegar and scallions and blend. Then add the ground flax seed, raw honey, cayenne and salt and process until creamy.

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly. To serve, arrange the spinach leaves on a plate in a nice circular pattern. Place the salad on top for a beautiful, healthy creation!

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Alternative Grains to Wheat that are Gluten-Free

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Increasing variety of natural, whole foods gives your body more variety in minerals, enzymes, energy and healing power. Unfortunately, refined, processed wheat has become the staple food in many people’s diets today. Of course, wheat also contains gluten, a protein that can weaken the micro-villi in the small intestine, decrease absorption rates and over time can also weaken the peristalsis function of the colon. Even if you’re not intolerant to wheat or gluten, adding different grains to your diet is a good idea.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Whether you cook your grains or eat them raw (usually sprouted or soaked) is entirely up to you. Either way, your body will benefit from having less wheat and gluten. Don’t be afraid to add a cooked grain, such as quinoa or brown rice, to a delicious raw vegetable salad for a half-raw, half-cooked meal. Especially when transitioning to a high-raw diet, cooked grains can help you feel full and keep you on the path of natural, whole and pure foods.

Keep in mind that gluten is also found in kamut, spelt, barley and rye. If you are looking for a total gluten-free diet, you should avoid those grains as well.

Gluten-Free Grains

Buckwheat

Technically buckwheat is not a grain. It is actually a fruit seed related the the rhubard family. It has a nutty taste and goes well with root vegetables like carrots or beets, onions and mushrooms. Buckwheat is high in protein (particularly lysine), is a rich source of B vitamins, and is high in manganese and tryptophan. Because of it’s high amounts of flavonoids, particularly rutin, buckwheat helps maintain blood flow, strengthens the blood and protects the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from free radical oxidation into potentially harmful cholesterol oxides. All these actions help to protect against heart disease.

Buckwheat is called ‘groats’ when unroasted (raw) and ‘kasha’ when roasted. In cooked food, buckwheat can be served as an alternative to rice or made into porridge. Buckwheat flour is great for making ‘healthy’ pancakes. As a raw food, buckwheat groats can be used to make a ‘raw’ porridge by soaking the groats overnight and adding cinnamon, dates, raisins and raw honey or agave.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a food from the ancient Incas, and although considered a grain, it’s technically part of the Chenopodium plant family. Quinoa has a light flavor and nice texture when cooked; it’s also easy to sprout. Quinoa is consider a complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. This makes it a great choice for vegans, vegetarians and raw foodists who are concerned with getting enough protein in their diet.

Quinoa is also a very good source of manganese as well as magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Can you imagine how much nutrition your body will get? You can make a delicious quinoa salad with finely chopped red bell pepper. tomato, cucumber, chopped parsley, raw apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and sea salt.

Brown Rice

Brown rice has a much higher nutritional value than white rice because the outer layers of the grain are still intact. The processing and refining of white rice strips the rice of its nutrients. Brown rice is naturally high in B1, B3 and B6 vitamins as well as manganese and selenium. It is also a good source of dietary fiber.

Add some cooked brown rice to a salad of chopped cucumber, tomato and grated carrot. Drizzle with a mixture of tahini, water, squeezed lemon, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt. This makes for a healthy lunch or a great fast dinner. You can also use brown rice as a side dish to a main meal, adding some chopped scallions and minced garlic for flavor. Let your food be your medicine!

Corn

Many people forget about corn as a healthy grain option to add to the diet. Corn is naturally high in magnesium and helps to stimulate bowel function. It’s great for anyone suffering from constipation. Corn is an ancient grain that is high in B vitamins and carotenoid antioxidants and is another good source of dietary fiber.

Corn on the cob can be eaten either cooked or raw. If raw, simply cut the corn off the cob and add it to a salad. You can even eat the raw corn on it’s own with a dash of cayenne pepper and salt for a fantastic afternoon snack. Add raw corn to a fresh homemade salsa for some real raw food bliss!

A great snack for kids as a healthy alternative to potato chips or pretzels is to make homemade popcorn using the real kernels popped on the stove. Transfer the cooked popcorn to a serving bowl and drizzle with organic virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and nutritional yeast for a yummy ‘cheese’ flavored treat.

Corn can be genetically modified which is definitely a concern, but keep in mind that genetically modified wheat will soon be produced for mass consumption too. At least corn is less processed than refined white flour and doesn’t contain gluten. If possible, buy corn from your local farmer and be sure that he is not growing ’roundup ready’ corn (ie, genetically modified and owned by Monsanto).

Millet

Millet is a fantastic gluten-free grain, naturally high in protein, phosphorous, iron and B vitamins. When cooked, millet has a sweet buttery taste. Millet can be sprouted and eaten raw; hulled millet should be used for cooking.

Cooked millet can be served as a breakfast porridge with a variety nuts and chopped fruits. Ground millet can be added to bread and muffin recipes as an alternative to wheat. Sprouted millet can be blended with flax seed, carrot pulp, rosemary and cayenne pepper and then dehydrated for some yummy raw food crackers.

Why is wheat so bad for you? William Davis, author of the book Wheat Belly, explains it well. He says, “Eliminating wheat is the easiest and most effective step you can take to safeguard your health and trim your waistline. An interesting fact: Whole wheat bread (glycemic index 72) increases blood sugar as much as or more than table sugar, or sucrose (glycemic index 59). So, when I was devising a strategy to help my overweight, diabetes-prone patients reduce blood sugar most efficiently, it made sense to me that the quickest and simplest way to get results would be to eliminate the foods that caused their blood sugar to rise most profoundly, in other words, not sugar, but wheat.”

Davis also states,” Whether it’s for convenience, taste, or in the name of “health,” Americans have become helpless wheataholics, with per capita annual consumption of wheat products (white and wheat bread, durum pasta) having increased by 26 pounds since 1970. If national wheat consumption is averaged across all Americans – babies, children, teenagers, adults, the elderly – the average American consumes 133 pounds of wheat per year. (Note that 133 pounds of wheat flour is equal to approximately 200 loaves of bread, a bit more than half a loaf of bread per day). Nobody becomes diabetic by gorging on too much kale. But plenty of people develop diabetes because of too many muffins, bagels, breakfast cereals, pancakes, waffles, pretzels, crackers, cakes, cupcakes, croissants, donuts and pies.”

With rates of diabetes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), colitis, celiac and cancer going through the roof and increasing every day, isn’t it time we started to make some serious changes to our diets?

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Recipe: Raw Food Healing ‘Jamu’ or ‘Love’ Juice from Indonesia

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Finally! A new video featuring our favorite Ms. Ta, my dear Thai friend and raw foodist from Thai Organic Life. With Ms. Ta, we never know what we will get, and on this particular day I rang her up to say hi and she told me to come over for some Jamu Juice. So I brought the camera and that was that. Totally unplanned. That’s just how we roll 🙂

The Jamu Juice was taught to Ta by her friend from Indonesia. It’s not something that they normally drink in Thailand, although we have all the ingredients here. Later I found out that this juice was featured in ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ as the juice that healed Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) during her time in Bali. Some people call it the ‘Love Juice.’

The ingredients for this delicious raw food creation are: fresh turmeric, fresh ginger, fresh wild ginger, Thai leaves, what I swear is betel nut but Ta says is not (you can decide) and raw honey. It’s a medicinal juice that cleanses the body and is a great blood purifier and mini-detox for the liver.

In between, we also had to pay heed to the beloved ‘Durian Ban’ or ‘House Durian’ that was calling out to me from behind the camera. The smell was distracting me into a happy durian raw food bliss! A bit of durian and a yummy detox juice makes for a healthy moment shared between friends. Hope you enjoy!

More on Juicing and Smoothies:

Green Smoothies for Dummies

Yep, I wrote the book! Get your copy here for the best Green Smoothie recipes ever!

Featured Superfood: Acai Powder

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Acai is an Amazonian berry and is pronounced ‘Ah-sigh-ee.’ The reason why it’s a Superfood is because Acai is very high in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help to break down free-radical damage in the body.

Acai Powder – Superfood Bliss!

Stress, poor air quality, frequent travel on planes, toxicity in foods, chemicals in body products and alcohol and drugs can all increase free radicals in the body. Over time, these free radicals can lower the immune system and make it more difficult for the body to fight disease.

Adding high anti-oxidant superfoods to the diet can help to strengthen immune system, decrease signs of aging, prevent disease and even improve liver function. It’s a small investment to make with a high return: your health! People with cancer especially should be eating foods like Acai Powder. Acai is great for a powerful anti-cancer or detox diet. You can add 1 Tbsp. to your green smoothie daily. Easy!

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Recipe for Raw Coleslaw Salad with Macadamia Nut Dressing

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Raw cabbage is a wonderful cleansing food, full of sulfur which helps to naturally detox the body. Onions are an anti-parasitic, anti-fungal and anti-viral food. Celery is very high in organic sodium and is known to help with arthritis and even gallstone problems. Fresh dill, parsley and cilantro are wonderful healing herbs for the diet. Cayenne pepper is excellent for strengthening heart and blood. Macadamia nuts are known to be high in monounsaturated (good fats), with exceptional amounts of anti-oxidants, phyto-nutrients and even fiber.

Raw Vegan Coleslaw with Macadamia Nut Dressing

This raw food salad is unbelievably good, and very easy to make! I modified this recipe from the book Super Cleanse by Adina Niemerow, changing it into an even more delicious raw food dish.

Can you see how easy it is to let your food be your medicine, just as Hippocrates said?

Raw Coleslaw Salad

Ingredients:
  • 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 3-4 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
 Dressing:
  • 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
  • 1/4 cup purified water
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground organic cumin
  • pinch of organic cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (coriander) or fresh parsley

Raw Coleslaw Salad – All Fresh & Natural, Whole & Pure

Mix all salad ingredients in a large glass bowl. Make the dressing using a mini-food processor. First, ground the macadamia nuts until you get a fine consistency. Add water, lime juice, cumin, cayenne and salt and process until creamy. Add either the fresh cilantro or parsley and blend again.

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly. This salad tastes even better if you can allow it to sit for at least 2 hours before serving.

I recommend this salad for people on a detox diet, a pre-cleanse program, a cleansing/healing/rebuilding program and even for people trying to lose weight. The good fats helps to keep the body full while learning to get away from unhealthy fried fats and dairy products. It is very important to have some transitional salads to help break away from old nutrient-deficient addictive foods. Enjoy this salad for lunch or share it with family and friends at a barbecue or party.

More Raw Food Dressings & Dips:

Recipe for a Fresh Homemade Tomato Mexican Salsa

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This is a recipe that everyone loves! If you are in the middle of a fresh summer tomato bliss, this is the perfect recipe to use a lot of deliciously ripe tomatoes. You can either make this salsa mild or spicy, depending on your taste. If you make it for a party, you can easily make half of the recipe spicy and the other half with no jalapenos – that way everyone can have a taste.

Add this salsa to a salad, or serve with fresh cut veggies or raw flax crackers

I love to make this Mexican salsa for my family when I am home in the US, and even though they are not into the raw food diet, they still love this dish. You can serve it with fresh chopped cucumbers, raw crackers, or even roll into mini-tortillas with fresh lettuce leaves, salsa and julienne-cut carrot, celery and zucchini. There are many ways to serve and enjoy!

Raw Food Recipe: Fresh Tomato, Onion and Cilantro Mexican Salsa

  • 8-10 large ripe fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 – 1/2 large white onions, diced
  • 10 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 3/4 – 1 cup fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped
  • 5-6 fresh limes, squeezed
  • 4 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
  • Dash Organic Cayenne Pepper to taste
  • Dash Organic Cumin Powder to taste
  • Himalayan Salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)

Chop and dice all ingredients and mix everything well in a large bowl. Season with more cayenne pepper or salt as needed. It’s best to sit overnight and let the ingredients marinate; but as a minimum try to let sit for at least 2 hours before serving. Optional ingredients below can also be added.

Optional:
1 fresh jalapeno, diced or
5-6 pickled jalapeno slices, diced
2 Tbsp. raw honey

Raw Food Yummy Salsa!

Tomatoes are naturally high in lycopene, a type of anti-oxidant that helps to break down free radical damage in the cells. Garlic and onion and natural sulfur (cleansing) foods and have anti-parastitic, anti-viral and ant-fungal effects. Raw apple cider vinegar is excellent for digestion. Cayenne Pepper helps to strengthen the heart and circulation and is naturally cleansing for the liver. Eating delicious raw food recipes with family and friends is a great way to enjoy healthy food together and also share some of your raw food lifestyle!

Mexican Salsa Bliss!

Cilantro is known to be a natural chelator and is very good for removing heavy metal toxicity from the body. Fresh limes are great for alkalizing the pH, aiding in digestion and reducing any build-up from acid wastes.

Preparing food fresh and in it’s raw form gives you all of the best nutrients and of course will taste far better than anything in a jar or can! All-in-all this fresh salsa is extremely healthy and cleansing for the body, and is also a great choice for anyone currently on a detox diet.

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How to Make Fresh Sprouts at Home

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Sprouting your own nuts and seeds is so easy and it’s a great way to really get connected back to the growing power of your food. Sprouts provide an excellent plant-based source of protein year-round and when you make them at home, you can eat them as short or as long as you like. They are also extremely affordable for those of you who are trying to add more raw foods to your diet but have a limited budget to spend on raw food.

Mung Bean and Lentil Sprouts: Raw, Vegan Live Food!

Fresh sprouts only require some water and a nice, mold-free environment to grow. I usually recommend starting with mung beans, lentils, wheat seeds, quinoa, alfalfa seeds or radish seeds for beginnings. These sprouts are all very easy to grow and will build up your confidence to later try things like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and garbanzo beans. Keep in mind that when sprouting lentils, you need to buy whole beans (not halves).

Fresh Lentil Sprouts: Full of proteins, enzymes & fiber

You can add sprouts to salads or raw soups for a nice garnish and added ‘crunchy’ texture. You can also make an afternoon snack using a few different types of sprouts and simply sprinkle with cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt. They are delicious! Be careful not to eat too many sprouts at one time as they can cause excessive gas, especially if your system is not used to them.

The real benefits of eating sprouts are that they are not only high in protein but they are also a great source of enzymes. All natural, not in any pill or supplement!

Mung Bean Sprouts: Add a small handful to salads for a fresh, crunchy texture

I recommend using 100% cotton bags for sprouting because they allow air-flow into the sprouts and they are designed to not have any standing water, which can often be a problem when using jars or sprouting trays. The bags only require a quick rinse with water 2-3 times per day, and in just a few days, you will see your sprouts happily growing! When I first looked online for cotton sprout bags, I was disappointed to only find nylon bags being sold, so I decided to have my own made! I now have them available for sale at the Healthy Bliss store!

The bags that I sell include a complete set of instructions for both sprouting and for using cotton bags to make your own nut and seed milks.

The instructions for sprouting are:
    Soak overnight (8-10 hours) in a glass jar, using 2/3 beans to 1/3 water.
    Empty beans or seeds in the sprouting bag and rinse well with water. Rinse until the water runs clear.
    Hang moist bag in your kitchen or in a dry place (away from windows and direct sunlight).
    Rinse bag with fresh water 2-3 times per day.
    Check for readiness after 1 day. When at desired length, put entire bag in the refrigerator and continue to rinse one time daily.

The following are some yummy sprout recipes from the book Ann Wigmore’s Recipes for Longer Life. There is so much you can do with fresh sprouts – get creative, have fun and enjoy!

Recipe for Alfalfa & Avocado Salad (For 2 – 4)
    3 Cups Alfalfa Sprouts
    1 Avocado
    1 Tomato
    1 Stalk Celery
    2 – 4 Tablespoons Minced Onion
    1 Teaspoon each : Cayenne Pepper, Kelp

Mash the avocado with folk, and chop tomato. Put both in blender and process for 4 – 5 seconds, just until both are mixed together. Put the other ingredients in a serving bowl and pour the sauce over all.

Variations : Instead of blending, cube the avocado and tomato, and use a different sauce to dress the salad.

Recipe for Complete Protein Salad Snack (For 1)
    1 Cup Wheat Sprouts
    1 Cup Chick Pea Sprouts
    2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
    1 Teaspoon Vegetable Seasoning (Cayenne Pepper, Cumin and/or Chili Powder)
    1 Teaspoon Kelp
    3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
    1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Mix the sprouts together with the minced parsley and seasoning. Pour the liquids over all.

2 Sprout Nut Seed Milk Cotton Bags + eBook – Raw Food Cooking
$15.99

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Spirulina: 60% Complete Vegetable Protein Green Superfood

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Superfoods are getting more and more popular these days, and it can start to get overwhelming to decide which ones you need and what is most important to add to the diet. Without a doubt, spirulina is a superfood that I would definitely recommend because it has so many nutritional benefits, it’s easily available and it’s not that expensive. What more could you ask!

Spirulina Superfood

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that grows in fresh water. It is cultivated, dried and sold either in powder, tablet, capsule or even ‘crunchy’ form. You can easily add the powder to your daily smoothie, but if you prefer you can simply take one tablet daily.

Dr. Morton Walker in his book The Chelation Way, explains the nutritional benefits of spirulina:

‘This fresh water algae has the highest conversion rate to sunlight – 8% – as compared to other plants (3 to 5 percent). Thus, spirulina brings you the most potent form of nutritional benefits derived from photosynthesis of the sun’s light. It is a complete vegetable protein and is the source of practically all the vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, trace elements, cell salts and chlorophyll your body needs for almost perfect nutrition.

Essential minerals in spirulina include iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium and others. It also contain B complex, especially B-12, so that spirulina could be an important food supplement for vegetarians. One tablespoon has one and a half more niacin than a half-cup serving of brown rice. This plant is so packed with power, in fact, that the authority says you could actually live on just two to three tablespoons a day. It is concentrated nutrition.’

According to the nutritional information supplied by Spirulina Planet, ‘Spirulina has 60% easy-to-digest complete vegetable protein without the fat and cholesterol of meat. Spirulina is also the richest source of natural beta carotene, ten times more concentrated than in carrots. It is also the richest source of B-12, richer than beef liver!’

Spirulina is known to be an excellent source of iron. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also a very good source of chlorophyll, known to be a natural cleanser for the blood and a natural detoxifier.

If you are already making a daily fruit or green smoothie, it’s very easy to add 1-5 grams (1 Tbsp. is ok) to your smoothie. A simple recipe would be:

Green Smoothie with Spirulina

In a blender, blend:
2 cups water
1 handful fresh spinach
1 medium banana
3 fresh peaches or nectarines, cut into slices (no seeds)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp. spirulina powder

Spirulina Crunch

One of my favorite ways to enjoy spirulina is in the ‘crunch’ form. You can find these at spirulinaplanet.com or online at different raw food websites. It is so delicious and the crunch doesn’t have any ‘pond scum’ taste.

My friend Anita Cheung at i-detox.com showed me how to make a great trail mix using the spirulina crunch. She mixes dried goji berries, raw pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs and spirulina crunch for a superfood snack extravaganza. My preference is to mix dried raisins, dried goji berries, raw pumpkin seeds and spirulina crunch. Yum! What a great snack to take on the road for the day or while traveling! Just a little bit fills you up too!

I also like to sprinkle some spirulina crunch to salads occasionally just for something different.

If you decide to use spirulina powder, you can add 1 Tbsp. to a sweet fruit smoothie and the taste is usually hidden. An example is 1 Tbsp. spirulina, 1 cup fresh pineapple, 1 banana, 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, 1 cup water, 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed blended in a blender.

You can even add spirulina to plants or home vegetable garden as a way to mineralize the soil and give more nutrients to the plant. Once a month, add 1 tsp. or 1 spirulina tablet to the soil near the base of the plant. Water the plant or garden normally.

Imagine all the good you are doing for your body just by adding this one superfood to your diet. Your body will thank you with more energy and power to get you through a healthy raw food day!

More on Green Smoothies:

Featured Superfood – Green Powder Blend Vitamineral Greens

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High-Quality Organic is a ‘must’ with Superfoods!

Did you know that low quality superfoods can legally use cheap ‘fillers’ and low quality ingredients? Especially when buying Superfoods, beware of low quality green food products. There is not currently a lot of regulation on these powders. Many superfood companies are taking advantage of that, offering high-priced products with lots of cheap fillers and very small amounts of pure ingredient. Watch for added fillers such as rice powder, bran, oats, apple pectin, barley malt, large amounts of lecithin or added sugar. This is an example of when 100% organic really does make a difference. Be sure your superfood is 100% certified organic!

Vitamineral Greens Powder Superfood

I recommend Health Force Nutritionals Vitamineral Green as an all-over high-mineral high-quality superfood to add to your Green Smoothies. The quality is superb – 100% TruGanic (beyond organic), 100% pure Super foods. Nothing added, No fillers, not Diluted. No synthetics. Just like we like it! You don’t have to be Raw or Vegan to experience the benefits of this product.

A green powder blend is a great addition to any diet because it helps you to build your mineral reserve, increases the variety of green you are getting on a daily basis, provides extra chlorophyll in the diet, adds a good source of vegan protein and helps to maintain a healthy alkaline pH.

Some people even claim to have a reduction in sugar cravings when adding high-mineral green powder blend to their diet. Read this testimonial:

‘I have used this product with great results. After one week using 1 tablespoon per day, I noticed a huge drop in cravings. I didn’t crave sweets or junk. I was just simply not hungry. This can probably be attributed to high mineral content within the product. I have read that constant food cravings are related to mineral deficiencies. Maybe its mind over matter. Either way it works.’

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