I just ordered a Vitamix

[kathryn]

I have a great recipe for almond "chai".
Take two cups almonds and soak overnight.
Drain and rinse until water runs clear.
Add 6 cups water.
Blend in Vita mix.
Strain the milk through cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
Put milk back into blender, and put aside leftover pulp.
Add 1 tblsp nutmeg
1 tblsp clove
half a tblsp cinnamon
half a tblsp salt
and agave to taste (I put 2-3 tblsp)
Blend.
I love, love, love this.
The recipe makes about 2 Quarts.

MMM... sounds good!
I have a soy/nut milk maker that automatically strains the pulp for me, which makes it even easier !

Here's my green drink from this morning (I didn't have exactly what I needed to make what I planned, so I improvised!) :
3 stalks kale
4 'ends' of romaine (the 1/3 of the leaf that is less leafy, I used the other half for "sammiches" yesterday ;-)) about the equivalent of 2 leaves.
large handful of frozen blueberries (about a cup?)
regular handful of frozen strawberries
1 fresh pear
2 Tbsp-ish of chia gel (soak chia seeds in 7-8x the amount of water and it forms a gel)
1/3-ish lemon

I blended and tasted at this point, and decided it needed the following:
1 package stevia
1 1/2 Tbsp of raw cocoa powder

It immediately went from "kind of icky" to REALLY good! with my additions (the frozen stuff made it cool, the lemon neutralized the green flavor, the stevia added the sweetness I didn't get enough of from the pear---if I'd had an apple, that would have worked as well, IMO---and the cocoa powder made it chocolaty and seemed to help blend the fruit flavors together better somehow. Next time, I will try a mix of 1/2 cocoa powder--for potassium, I think--and 1/2 carob--for magnesium, I think, unless it's the other way around! I'm thinking it is...or is it?)

I think why I've failed with raw before is trying to jump in too quickly and being too strict (anal!) about it. Then I end up going back too far the other way. Now, if I have a green drink once a day, and go pretty much "raw til dinner," I think it's both doable and maintainable for me.

 

[dmd]

Good point Kathryn!

I agree that it is easy to take a diet change like eating more raw foods to far too fast. The green smoothie is a quick and dirty way to add raw foods to a whole food/cooked diet. I really miss warm soups and stir fried veggies and my beloved garlicky white beans and kale. I have them from time to time...sheesh! I'm not having junk food!!! Somtimes we need to be more gentle with ourselves right?

By the way, I bought some raw cacoa nibs and powder and some Maca powder as well. I even heard Christiane Nothrup mention that Maca root powder is showing some promise in easing symptoms of menopause and peri-menopause.

Love this discussion....just started reading Natalia Rose's diet detox book...interesting.

Deb

 

[kathryn]

I'm not having junk food!!!

I think raw foods can come to our rescue when we crave 'junk foods." Some of those recipes for raw fudge, caramel, cakes, etc. look high in fat and sugars, just like 'junk food,' but contain much healthier ingredients. I think substituting those 'raw junky' foods for non-raw is a good way of incorporating more raw in the diet as well.

Trying to stick to the healthiest options when eating non-raw (like those garlicky white beans and kale...sounds good! Got a recipe? ) and turning to raw for 'treats' is a good option, IMO (not JUST for treats, but in addition to other raw stuff).

 

[dmd]

Hey there Babindy!
Yep, the "waste management" is interesting....dunno, I'll have to think about that one. However, the green lemonade was good. I am a fan of salt scrubs in the shower. Going to find a brush and give it a whirl. Dr. Oz is doing another show on Oprah Tuesday and he mentions the use of the sauna...will tivo it. I do Bikram Yoga and love extreme heat, always have. Nothing works in conjuntion with my weights and running like this style of Yoga. I live in CA. Central Valley, so temps of 105 and more is nothing. I am finding this thread very interesting. Thanks for keeping plugged in!

 

[dmd]

Oh yeah....1 tab olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
a bit of onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Saute the above quickly and then add:
1 can canelline beans rinsed
1 nice head of kale (minus the ends) roughly chopped
plus a little bit of water to steam and keep from scorching.....

When things look just right for eating I grate lemon zest alllllllllll over. GAWD, I'm hungry!

 

[kathryn]

Oh yeah....1 tab olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
a bit of onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Saute the above quickly and then add:
1 can canelline beans rinsed
1 nice head of kale (minus the ends) roughly chopped
plus a little bit of water to steam and keep from scorching.....

When things look just right for eating I grate lemon zest alllllllllll over. GAWD, I'm hungry!

Thanks!

(You know, if we could find a sub for the beans, that could be turned into a raw recipe, marinating the kale to soften it--or 'massaging' it in the oil and lemon to soften it). What raw (or soaked, or dehydrated, or marinated) thing would taste like a canneline bean? Hmmm...

 

[babindy]

Hey there Babindy!
Yep, the "waste management" is interesting....dunno, I'll have to think about that one. However, the green lemonade was good. I am a fan of salt scrubs in the shower. Going to find a brush and give it a whirl. Dr. Oz is doing another show on Oprah Tuesday and he mentions the use of the sauna...will tivo it. I do Bikram Yoga and love extreme heat, always have. Nothing works in conjuntion with my weights and running like this style of Yoga. I live in CA. Central Valley, so temps of 105 and more is nothing. I am finding this thread very interesting. Thanks for keeping plugged in!

I think the green lemonade is really good. I just recently 'graduated' from that to green smoothies for breakfast. (They keep me fuller longer and I get all the fiber that I just hated dumping with the lemonade) I really agree with Natalia that the key (for me) to green drinks is the lemon. Fortunately I have a huge tree full of them in my backyard

My smoothie today
- leafy stuff from 1 large stalk kale
- stalk of celery
- carrot
- 2 large leaves napa cabbage
- large handful baby spinach
- small handful parsley leaves
- 1 tsp spirulina
- 2 Tbsp hemp powder (until it's gone then I'm changing to hemp seeds)
- 1/2 pear
- 1 whole lemon minus the rind
- 1/2 pkt stevia
- 1/2 cup coconut water
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup frozen blueberries

Not the best I've had. But palatable. I try to keep the fruit to a minimum. I forgot the kumquats today but will definitely add them back in tomorrow. LOVE THEM! Even better - Mandarinquats. I LOVE CALIFORNIA!!

On the heat dmd - you can keep it. I had plenty when I lived in Indy. I LOVE my SF peninsula

Loving all of the posts.

 

[dmd]

Love the way you think Kathryn...I have marinated kale w/olive oil, lemon, pepper and kalamata olives overnight...it was yum. I really like salt and this gave me a fix, plus it broke down the kale so that it was easier to digest. Maybe, raw or soaked pine nuts in place of canalenni beans???

 

[dmd]

Hey Babindy, your smoothies look like mine...exept for the coconut water! I NEED to try some. My daughter is always raving about it. She has some after Bikram yoga and say it is better than any sports drink and yummy! I love, love, love a busy and thick GS for breakfast. The Green lemonade was more like...well, lemonade. I have only heard of Kumquats...do you grow them? Where can I buy some? They sound so exotic. Do you live in San Fransisco? Gosh, my DH is from Los Gatos. We visit the City as much as we can! Lucky you. deb

 

[dmd]

Off to whole Foods for raw almonds

Okay guys, I've never soaked nuts before...wish me luck. I love Chai flavored anything.

Just finishing my last week of Chalene Extreme Burn phase...boy, really like these workouts. The fun factor is high and the time commitment manageable. Getting me back into fighting shape. My DH is in Meso cycle 2....those workouts scare me! He really digs them though.

Have a great day! ~deb

 

[story1267]

The stuff you never knew you wanted!!

I had to click on this thread when I saw how busy it is. Now, a vitamix is out of my range at the moment but......

.....marinated kale?! That's brilliant!

I LOVE me some kale and not having to cook it just adds to the beauty.

Really? Just soak overnight in some olive oil and lemon? I have to try this.

 

[babindy]

Hey Babindy, your smoothies look like mine...exept for the coconut water! I NEED to try some. My daughter is always raving about it. She has some after Bikram yoga and say it is better than any sports drink and yummy! I love, love, love a busy and thick GS for breakfast. The Green lemonade was more like...well, lemonade. I have only heard of Kumquats...do you grow them? Where can I buy some? They sound so exotic. Do you live in San Fransisco? Gosh, my DH is from Los Gatos. We visit the City as much as we can! Lucky you. deb

Kumquats - I don't grow them. I get them at the Farmer's Market @ $2.50/lb. I've also seen them at Trader Joe's (my favorite store besides the Farmer's Market) and Whole Foods (would be my favorite store if their prices were less). They are fairly new to me as well. I eat the whole thing. Tart on the inside, sweeter outside. Since I love me some lemons, I now love me some kumquats I also like the Mandarinquats (also at TJ's). They're a bit sweeter on the inside. But bigger so I can't just pop them in my mouth, and seedier. Today's smoothie had kumquats, a mandarinquat and a lemon. If that doesn't cut the green taste, nothing will

I live on the SF peninsula. Midway between SF and San Jose in San Mateo. Los Gatos is lovely. Quite upscale

Marinated Kale - YUM! My not so secret cheat: Newman's Sesame Ginger Lighter Side Dressing. DS eats salad just for this dressing., lol It makes fantastic marinated kale. Add some shallots or leeks, some sun dried tomatoes and let sit in the sun for a bit. Then add some raw pine nuts and eat. It's not technically a raw dressing, but I'm lazy

Coconut Water - I buy it in the 11oz boxes. 1 box lasts about 3 days.

I also love sauerkraut so I brine that in batches. This batch also has carrots and yellow beets so it's a bit sweeter than normal. I use my Vitamix to make the brine (part of the cabbage, sea salt and water) smoooooooth. But mostly I eat easy to make stuff like lots of salads.

 

[kathryn]

Maybe, raw or soaked pine nuts in place of canalenni beans???

That's an idea: soaked ones sound good.

Todays green drink (which turned out really yummy!):

3 big leaves of kale
2 leaves of romaine
1 orange (whole, except for peel: it was organic, but labeled as having some kind of wax on the outside)
1 small banana (frozen)
handful of frozen strawberries
about 1 Tbsp of raw agave
about 2 1/2 Tbsp of chia gel

It ended up a pretty bright green color, and made enough for two, 12-oz glasses (one I had for breakfast, one I put in a thermos and will have in about 5 minutes).

I think I'm getting the hang of these green drinks : the way to cut the 'too-green' flavor is one or a combo of the following: 1) add citrus (lemon, lime or even orange); 2) add chilled ingredients (like frozen fruit). (frozen banana or cocoa powder may also help disguise the flavor, but I'm not sure....the cocoa seemed to help with yesterday's smoothie).

 

[kathryn]

. I LOVE CALIFORNIA!!

I would LOVE to live where fresh, ripe, local, organic produce were available all-year round!

 

[kathryn]

Okay guys, I've never soaked nuts before...wish me luck.

It's not difficult at all: just make sure the harder nuts (almonds, for example) soak longer (6-8 hours); and smaller nuts and seeds (pine nuts, sunnies) soak less time (2-4 hours). And be sure to toss out the soaking water, as it will contain phytates (?) that can hinder the absorption of minerals (and are bitter).

Soaked and dehydrated almonds are nice and sweet and crunchy!

 

[kathryn]

Really? Just soak overnight in some olive oil and lemon? I have to try this.

You can soften it by kind of 'massaging' it with your hands (it will both soften and shrink down, and be similar in texture to cooked kale).

 

[babindy]

I would LOVE to live where fresh, ripe, local, organic produce were available all-year round!

It IS nice. Year round Farmer's Market with local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Plus I subscribe to an organic box delivery. Then hit Whole Foods for the hard to find items (kale and jicama are hard to find right now.)

I've not done the cocoa powder in smoothie yet. I might have to get my head wrapped around that. Yup citrus and frozen stuff. I add the frozen last as my vitamix can really warm up the mix if I let it go too long. That way it stays cooler. (btw using the vitamix to make warm raw soups is a good tip)

 

[babindy]

It's not difficult at all: just make sure the harder nuts (almonds, for example) soak longer (6-8 hours); and smaller nuts and seeds (pine nuts, sunnies) soak less time (2-4 hours). And be sure to toss out the soaking water, as it will contain phytates (?) that can hinder the absorption of minerals (and are bitter).

Soaked and dehydrated almonds are nice and sweet and crunchy!

Good tips. I usually only soak my sunnies for an hour or so. Then I usually rinse/drain for just 1 or two cycles. Then mix with some sea salt and dehydrate at 104 for about 8 hrs. Wonderful. Pine nuts - Yummy any way.

I use sproutpeople. They have a great website for references on soaking and sprouting. Also a good source for organic seeds (my personal preference broccoli sprouts - a nutrition powerhouse)

 

[dmd]

Hi there! Okay, so the Whole Foods trip never happened....my son had an orthodontist appointment that I neglected to put into my personal calendar. WF's in half hour away. Yes, I bet soaked pine nuts might suffice in place of white beans.

So, my brother called me today (lives in Seattle) and said he watched a 7 part interview with a Dr. Douglas Graham ( raw food author) on Youtube. He said it was VERY interesting. Thought I'd watch tonight. Anyone here know of him?

 

[dmd]

Hi Suzanne! Kathryn is right on about massaging the kale with your hands..the warmth helps wilt it a bit.

Babindy's your idea about Newmans sesame dressing sounds fantastic! I bet that would be good over Napa cabbage huh? I understant Napa cabbage is really high in calcium..i think.