Collard Greens (RAW)

I have been hearing so much about the raw version of collards that I wanted to give it a try. I was apprehensive in the beginning but now that I have looked at some different recipes I think I have found what I would need in order to make this dish palatable for me.

Collards are one of the varieties of leafy greens that tend to be tough and in need of preparation before serving raw. Due to the thickness of the leaf it is perfect for various raw dishes and delivers a spectacular nutrient benefit.I discovered how to make the greens softer. My method is to break down the cell walls of the vegetable without using heat (which is most often used). I purchased them fresh from my local fruit and vegetable market then washed them thoroughly. I removed the stems and placed the leaves flat, one on top of the other. I put them in a plastic bag and into my freezer. The next day I removed them and let them thaw to room temperature. When this procedure is done the leaves are as if they were cooked (not overdone though). In this stage, you can prepare your collards anyway you wish. I proceeded to do the following.

Raw collards, frozen then thawed. Sliced into strips

To get the flavor I like in collards I would have to use a smoked turkey leg (lol). Since I am doing my 365 Day Raw Food and Fitness Fun Daze Craze for 2011, I am using a 95%  raw foods diet (without flesh foods of anykind) for my nutrition needs. The only other way I know to get flavor without cooking is to marinate. My marinate was easy because I only like certain flavors when it comes to my greens. I used Braggs organic RAW apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and a raw salad dressing I prepared earlier that night (see Day#11 for recipe). I don't have any specific measurements for these flavors because I like to approach my raw meals from the standpoint of my mood and physiological need.

In my RAW collard greens I also use sweet red onions, Leeks, and green bell pepper.

Once I have the flavors in place for marinating the greens I add any extra veggie that I may be craving at that time. In this case it was sweet red onions, leeks, and green bell peppers. I add these into the mix and let them all mingle with one another (lol). This meal is full of healthy enzymes and many other wonderful green benefits.

I cover my collards with plastic wrap to allow them to warm and let them happily blister with flavor.

Once all my ingredients are assembled in one bowl I give them some "alone" time (lol). I let them plan their mission of attack against any harmful agents, pollutants, and other toxic elements that they find when I deliver them (via eating them) to my system (hahaha, when you think of it, you are kinda helping your body fight when you eat RAW).

 The plastic wrap helps keep the warm air circulating while the flavors are releasing and coalescing. I will have pictures of the greens when I plate them with one of my RAW meals so please stay tuned!

As always, thank you for taking a moment and reading my blogs I really do appreciate the attention. Feel free to leave a comment if you like.

A day of raw #12

Today is the 12th day of my 365 day Raw Food and Fitness Fun Daze CrAzE for 2011 and I don't feel like really eating (lol). This isn't because I feel frustrated or starved or anything like that. I don't feel a need to feed (lol) is all. I a previous post I spoke about being driven to think about food while on the S.A.D. (standard american diet) and today marks a very special certainty within me and that is...

OUR MINDS DICTATE OUR NEED TO FEED when there is no hunger or other physiological reason. I don't think anyone really gives this any thought because we are so caught up in the midst of it. If you have ever been on a diet or situated yourself on a program that focussed on redesigning your eating habits, you have probably come to this realization before. I like to think that everyone has the ability to change unwanted habits. Believe me, if there were a way to get a phD just because you have mastered the ability to change unwanted habits, then I would be FIRST in line (lol). It's difficult but NOT impossible.

So let's get on with my RAW meals for today. Well....I had a salad for lunch (the same one pictured in yesterday's meal). For dinner today, I didn't eat a meal. I wasn't hungry and felt completely satisfied due to having had a few snack periods throughout the day. For my breakfast I slept in (lol). Worked late in the studio with my hubby on our music/entertainment projects (we write t.v. commercials, radio jingles, sitcom theme songs, and music for film). The current project has us making cellphone ringtones...hahahha. More on that later.

SNACKS TODAY

I made some absolutely mind blowing Maple coconut-pecan nuggets (Oh the Yum of it all). These were super easy to make but a little time consuming because I actually made it up as I went along (hahaha). I have a video going up on You Tube demonstrating the entire procedure but I must warn you. I use little or no measuring in this video because I have never made them and wasn't following a recipe. I can tell you that I was inspired by the recipe in the book "Raw Food on a Budget" by Brandy Rollins. Her's is called donut holes and when I read it, I thought to myself "Dangit, I don't have all the ingredients to make these." So I thought about it and figured I could make something similar. The rest (as they say) is history...hahaha

Maple coconut-pecan nuggets after dehydrating overnight

The amount I made was only to test them and make sure all the ingredients I wanted gave good flavor. I have the batter in the fridge and will put another dozen in the dehydrator soon.

This is how I presented them to my family..30 minutes later they presented the bowl to me...hahaha

I made a granola treat/cereal after making the nuggets. I make raw granola all the time and the recipe is almost never the same. There are some key ingredients that I like to have but the others are determined by my mood/appetite....hahaha. I love pecans, rasins, and cashews so most of the time those will be present. I eat almonds too (but they are not in my fav's list). In a pinch I will make the granola with almonds as the only nut in the entire batch.

This is my Raw granola. I usually eat it as a snack but it can also be a very filling cereal.

If you look closely you can see that there are 3-tray's filled with granola. I just broke the one large piece into several small pieces to make it easier to eat as a snack or a cereal.

A day of raw #11

Wow! I had to get that out because I have had that type of day. First of all, I woke up to the sound of my cell phone's 8am alarm and had a tall glass of filtered water since I was up. Then I got busy editing some vids and updating some of my blog pages. After that I had an impulse to prep some raw snacks, cereals, and treats....so I did just that. Funny how time flies when you're having fun because by the time I looked up, it was almost 11pm. I had prepared about 5 different snacks, cereals, and treats. All of them were recorded so as soon as I edit (they are all long because I just let the camera record...hahaha) them I will upload them either on my Youtube channel (313HealthyMe) or on my FaceBook page (313HealthyMe)

So what did I prepare for my raw meal today? I had the best tasting "mock" pasta with RAW marinara sauce. It was the most amazing taste I have ever had in this raw dish. I have made it quite a few times in the past and never could get the sauce "just right." Now, I think I have it but then again, my taste changes often (lol).

With that I also had a salad with raw dressing. The salad had some marinated mushrooms, sweet red onions, dulce flakes, chopped leeks and green bell pepper. The greens were a combo of spinach, romaine, and red swiss chard.

The dressing is one of my quick oil and vinegar dressings. In it I used Hemp oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, braggs Raw Organic apple cider vinegar, Herbamare, Braggs Sea Kelp seasonings, and lemon pepper. I love that dressing because it's simple, light, and easy to make quickly (lol). I have another dressing that I sometimes make on the fly and that's my lemon Tahini salad dressing. I also use this with a minor variation (fresh parsley) when I want something to dip my Nori Rolls in.

To wash the meal down today I had a wonderful tropical smoothie. It had papaya, fresh pineapple, and banana. I also added a little bit of pineapple juice to stretch it. My family LOVES the smoothies I make and I can't keep them away...hahahahaha.

That was an amazing day for me not only because of how fast the time flew by but because I have never felt so satisfied when it comes to nutrition and food. It seemed that no matter how often I would eat on the Standard American Diet, I was never satiated. I always snacked in between meals and always had my mind on the next meal. Funny how you never notice these things while they are happening. You know what they say..."Hind sight is always 20/20."

Thanks for reading my blogs and I certainly hope you will come back tomorrow on my day of raw #12.

A day of raw #10

Although today marks the tenth day of my 365 day Raw Journey, I am starting this blog with day number nine activities (because I didn't post yesterday...Eeek!). So Let me start out with the end of day number nine. I had a wonderful Raw soup and Salad with a Raw homemade dressing.

I video taped the preparation of the entire meal so you will be able to view it on my 313HealthyMe You Tube channel. The RAW soup actually started out as two different types of dips! One was a somewhat ranch tasting dip that doubled as a salad dressing at times just by adding filtered water or EVOO. The other dip was a wonderful cheesy dip that could also be made into a cheese cracker reminiscent of cheez-it snack crackers. When I make dips/sauces/dressings, I always take the last little bit and make a soup or cracker with it. Today I had enough left for more of the dip but I was getting bored with the same flavors and decided to make a soup and Ooooooh, what a wonderful decision I made (lol). Take a closer look at this soup and tell me if it makes you just want to grab a spoon and dig in with me (lol).

Now the mushrooms were marinated with a delicious fresh/raw marinate that I created. You will be able to take a look at the You Tube video in two days from now (lol, I'm a bit slow today). After the marinate, the mushrooms take on a meaty consistency and the soup flavor gives your taste buds a real treat with such a smooth texture. The sweet onions and freshly chopped dill weed are two more exciting flavors that you might not have expected to find in a RAW soup all at once. There is also a hint of fresh garlic that is oh so sublime to the palate. The actual soup recipe is red bell pepper
macadamia nuts
extra virgin olive oil

It was inspired by a cheese sauce/cracker recipe discussed on  The Raw Food World episode #292 on You Tube. I don't believe they actually listed the ingredients but more like discussed them with the creator of the recipe. I tasted the soup as I made it to get just the right taste for my palate. Another flavor that is in my soup is a dip/dressing that I made with

sunflower seeds
fresh lemon juice
chilled filtered water
sea salt
onion granuals (or powder)
dill weed
black pepper

It was inspired by Raw Dawg Rory's (aka xmantidx) Raw Sunflower Seed Ranch Dressing on You Tube. I always make this ranch dressing for my salad and when I get bored with it or run out of lettuce (lol) I turn it into a soup or in this case an ingredient for a soup.

The salad was a wonderful precursor to this wonderful dish. It boasts greens that are "butter soft" to the touch and almost melt on the tongue. It's labeled Red Leaf lettuce and gives wonderful color to the dish. In addition, the Swiss Chard leafy green gave an unexpected and delightful flavor to the salad. It was the red variety of Swiss Chard and worked wonderfully with the salad medley. Take a look up close and let me know how your eye perceive the taste to be (lol).

To wash this delightfully RAW meal down I couldn't do anything more than cool refreshing crystal clear filtered water (lol). Not because of a lack of ingredients but because I couldn't think of a fresh juice or smoothie that would compliment this incredible meal. Therefore, I opted to forgo a wonderful smoothies and utilize the benefits of fresh tasting and oh so good for you water. It made the entire meal a pleasant experience and nothing was out of place or overdone. My favorite ingredient from the salad was the seedless cucumbers. From the soup it has to be the flavorful red bell pepper that was used in the original form of the cheesy sauce. For the salad dressing my favorite ingredient is the Hemp Oil by far! I only wish that I had made more because I can honestly say, this is one recipe that I will definitely make again, and again! Thanks for reading come back tomorrow to see what I made for my meal.

A Day of Raw #08

Today is day number 8 in my 365 day raw food and fitness fun daze craze and I am as excited as I was during my 7 day water fast. I prepared some mushrooms for a recipe I am going to be making in the coming days. The mushrooms had to marinate in the fridge. I used some apple cider vineger and  some nama shoyu. To add a bit of sweet flavor I used some raw coconut sap. I had a salad for lunch today and a smoothie for breakfast. I was reading through an email from a long time friend of mine and she mentioned getting older and getting flabby in the same sentance. I totally understand what she means and have experienced this myself. I pointed her attention toward my 313HealthyMe video channel on YouTube. I told her to check it out and see what I did to lose weight and get healthy.

Chunky Garden Salad smothered with RAW G'Ranch dressing

Last night, I ate a wonderful salad for dinner. It had grape tomatoes, cucumber, romain lettuce, tabbouleh salad and freshly chopped onions as a garnish. I sprinkled the top with some seasalt and pepper. The dressing is something I made a few days ago and it has raw sunflower seeds that had been soaked, dried dill, hemp oil, seasalt, and filtered water. I have made a variation of this raw salad dressing in the past and love it. I make it quite often so I didn't video tape it this time. On my video channel it is searchable and I believe I called it raw ranch dressing. The salad was quite good and I made it chunky with the garden veggies.
For a light snack today, I had a berrysmoothie. This one is alot like the green smoothie pictured here but it has spinach added and no frozen berries. I drank this Green smoothie with my salad and together it made a very filling meal. The smoothie had some orange juice in it and spinach, banana, dates, and fresh papaya.
I woke up today earlier than I exspected to. I didn't feel sleepy or tired in anyway and throughout the day I didn't feel as if I needed to rest. I have been thinking about the summer months and hope that we have a good summer full of fun and outdoor activities. We'll see what the weather brings.

A Day of Raw #7

Today I participated in a "call-in" for people who are participating in a 21-day Raw Food Challenge. This is being organized by the good folks over at Living Well Now. It was a great conversation and very informative. I took notes and posted them on my discussion board over at my 313HealthyMe Face Book page. I will post a few excepts from my discussion board in just a minute. For now, let's talk about my DAY #7 today marks that day and it feels great. I haven't had any adverse feelings or affects from eating the raw food. I didn't expect that I would but you never really know. I started my day with a nice smoothie. It was a nutritious green smoothie made with dates, banana, oranges, pear, and spinach. I always make enough for my family because they love the taste and they look forward to my smoothies. So every time I make my morning smoothie I always make enough for five people to have a tall glass. Later in the day I enjoyed  a snack that I made with  raisins, apples, sunflower seeds, and honey. This is a quick treat that satisfies hunger and provides various levels of nutrition.

Well, as promised, I thought to share an excerpt from my discussion board and here it is:

I am listening to a call in conference with the folks over at livewellnow. The number of rebirth is 21 is what Christopher says. He is very excited and energetic in his delivery. Brandi Rollins is the author of Raw Foods on a Budget and she talked about chapters 2 - 3 of her book. She provided a free download of these chapters available from her website http://www.rawfoodsonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/RFBudgetchp2-3010110c.pdf

Buy what you need and eat all you have is what she says. When you get down to a few little ingredients you become really creative. These are some strategies that she outlines in her book.

Eat in season is another tip that she has for raw foodist.The food that is in season is cheaper than the food that isn't in season. "Season" food is food in your current environment and it is fresher.

She created a menu plan to give certain experiences. "Lightness" is one of the experiences she described for breakfast. Fresh fruit in the morning will fill you up and keep you satisfied. She says have 2-3 of that fruit in the morning. It is a mono meal! She wants everyone to experience that satisfying feeling. Mid-morning snack is a handful of soaked nuts. She says take your time and eat them. Savor them. For lunch she says experience satisfaction. Collard greens and peppers is a filling meal. It will give you tons of vitamin c. Brazil nuts are a part of that recipe as well. She has a recipe that includes sunflower seeds, apple, carrots, dijon mustard or mustard powder. The meal she outlines will last for two days and the price will be about six dollars. She says you will be satisfied and you shouldn't be hungry until dinner.

The feeling for dinner she wants you to experience is sensuality. She created.....

To read more please click on this link

A Day of Raw #6

I have been really enjoying my Raw Food and fitness fun daze craze and last night is a good example. Normally, I enjoy making something in the gourmet category as raw food goes. I like to refer to the gourmet side of raw food as any recipe that requires you to take a food from it's original form and put it into another form like making smoothies, nut butters, cereals, etc. Last night, however, I was so moved by my decision to go raw that I just wanted to eat some veggies unadulterated. I almost never eat my raw food meals like this just because I have so much fun preparing them. I had a different vibe last night. I just cut up some veggies and used a cheese dip that I had prepared earlier along with the last of my tabbouleh salad. It was like having a healthy snack and my cheese sauce was unbelievably delicious too. I thought I should dress them up a bit with some dulce flakes. This is a very quick and nutritious meal. tastes great and feels light on your stomach. Give it a try and add your favorite dip or sauce.

For breakfast I had a wonderful recipe that I created from an inspiration I had during my 2009 100 day raw food and fitness journey. I call my recipe RAW Macada-APPLE cinnamon cereal. It looks like a raisin brand with the crunch if a corn flake and the taste of cinnamon granola treats. Soooooo multi-delicious :-) I snack on it as well as have it for my breakfast along with some chilled FRESH Almond Milk.

FRESH Almond Milk (RAW)

Raw Macada-APPLE cinnamon breakfast cereal