Granola turned into a cookie!

I made a stab at making granola again. I mixed up oats, raisins, unsweetened coconut, honey, and salt. It needed more moisture I thought - so I added some water - like a cup or so. I put them on the Tflex sheets and dehydrated them overnight. In the morning my house smelled so wonderful but I ended up with the driest, hardest granola in the world. When you took
a bite of it - it crumbled into the biggest mess. So - I called Rachel Tally in Utah and
she helped me fix it!! HOW you ask?

To this crumbled mess - she told me to put water in my blender and add some ground
up flax seeds and a whole lot of the granola crumbs and maybe a touch more of honey. So I did. WOW - it whirled just right and I measured 3 cups and filled my Tflex sheets. I was so surprised at what I had just created. An oatmeal cookie!

It filled 7 of my trays with the most delicious "oatmeal cookie batter" ever.
My house smells like the best cookie.
So there you have it - lots of cookies in a real quick way.
I would really choose to make my cookies this way again!

Tell us why you are eating Raw!

I have had several people (whom I don't even know) email me and ask me to list some of the benefits we are seeing as we have reached our one month anniversary at eating 100% raw.

We truly are seeing such incredible results physically and mentally. I would list everything that is going on with us but I am trying to make this blog about fun, healthy eating. I don't want to start putting pictures of my size 6 pants or Jim's buff arms. It's really not about us anyway - it's really about this great food and learning how to eat it raw.

I do sleep 100% better, never have any mood swings, have incredible energy, simple periods, clear eyes and mind, wake up so happy and doing 3 sets of 10 men's pushups each morning....blah blah blah. My nails are so much better - my heels aren't cracking and I just basically feel so much more in tuned with the people around me and how I can serve and help them better. Jim is having similar benefits - but he isn't quite as verbal about them like I am.

Life is grand. The fact that I have a husband who is in this 100% with me - makes me the happiest woman alive. I could do flips because I am so happy! He's buff and outstanding. I want to kiss him all day long because I appreciate all his support and help.
His health issues are disappearing (we are not surprised) BUT his disposition has never changed - he was and still is the nicest guy in the world! I am more than just "L U C K Y!" So - I could list all the great things that are happening to us - but I guess I just don't need to.

Anyone that wants to see any kind of success eating like this....should pick up a book and start reading. Once you read the why's and the where's - and just "start in yourself"... you'll be hooked....possibly for life!

But for now...we are just enjoying learning this together, being with our family and basking in the luxury of raw. So thanks for asking!

SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM!

OH MY BECKY!! If THIS doesn't convince you to get a CHAMPION JUICER - nothing will.
This is a frozen banana coming out the end - to make the most incredible soft serve
banana ice cream. I wouldn't have believed it - if I hadn't made it myself.

Jimmy couldn't believe it came from just a plain frozen banana - nothing added. No
sugar - no vanilla - no chemicals - just a plain banana.
How could it be so outstanding and sweet?? It just is.

He did it again. None of us can believe we have never done this before.
I have had this Champion Juicer for about 12 years. It sat in the closet.

This is Jacob's second batch. This time he added frozen strawberries to it.

When Jim saw his huge bowl of ice cream- he asked Jacob to split it with him.
Well, that makes 2 guys in my house overloaded with fruit tonight!
Who would have thought it could be so delicious and healthy!
I wonder if Caleb (my son in law) is seeing this. He has THIS
to look forward to if he comes here for the summer. MMMmmmmm good!
It would even be a fabulous "baby food" to feed their 8 mos old baby, Judy.

CORN SALAD and Mashed Potatoes

Tonight was "CORN SALAD and then we finished up the spanish rice and I added "mashed potatoes" too! WE LOVE AVOCADOS - so this is smothered in them!

Here's is what the dinner looked like. You should have seen Jim's
eyes light up when he walked in the door! THAT makes me
so happy.

CORN SALAD
(p. 121 "The Raw Food Detox Diet")
2 T. sliced scallions
1 red bell pepper
2 tomatoes
4 ears of fresh corn - cut from the cob
A bunch of romaine lettuce shredded
Now mix everything all together.
(I marinated some mushrooms again and put them on top
of everything when it was ready to serve)
I also made a quick caesar dressing to put on top of everything.

Mashed potatoes anyone? This is not for the "first time" person eating raw.
This sorta takes "new tastes buds" - but WE loved them very much. I put them in this dish and put it in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for about 20 mins - oh - Jim thought he had
hot mashed potatoes. Tee hee.

MASHED POTATOES
Put one whole cauliflower and 2 c pine nuts (not soaked) through the
Champion Juicer with the blank plate. Add garlic, lemon juice and pepper to taste.
(Another successful dinner!).... (You're welcome, dear!)
(recipe from "Raw Power" p.132 uses macadamia nuts instead of the pine nuts I used)

Spanish Rice and tons of crackers!

Okay this is a glorious day! My Excalibur dehydrator came and my soaked flaxseeds were all ready
to be made into delicous crackers! (I ordered the Excalibur from Rawguru.com)
What a happy day for me and my family!! I used
2 full cups of "seeds" for each tray and it only took me 15 mins to do them all! My favorite recipe for the crackers is (flax seeds, pumpkins seeds (both soaked overnight separately) and then lots of my homemade salsa) - that's it.

Here is the great Excalibur with my 9 full trays filled with my flaxseed cracker stuff. I have the door off of the dehydrator for the picture only - but a door closes everything in very nicely!
Don't tell Gina and Jamie - but I am going to give the crackers to them when I see them on Wednesday in Show Low to take back to Utah - shhhh - it's a surprise.

For dinner - we made the famous "Spanish Rice" again because it is so tasty. Remember
it is soaked barley (overnight) and then drained and then I added red bell pepper, green onion, and lots and lots of tomatoes, cilantro, etc. (Real recipe is way below on this blog) I put a scoop of the rice on top of a bed of spinach and then topped it with avocado and hemp seeds. Also we had a left
over marinated mushroom (see them there) and 2 flaxseed crackers. Mmmmmm.

SATURDAY NIGHT - FUN

Tonight is Saturday night. We decided we better cut up all the million of bananas
we have bought over the last 2 weeks. We cut them up and froze them on cookie sheets.
Then we will bag them to use for our green drinks and for our summer smoothies.
Gina - where are you? It's gonna be a "cool" summer in this 110 degrees!

After Jacob finished with the bananas, he decided that we needed more fudge.
So we used 2 1/4 c pure maple syrup, 2 1/4 c raw cocoa and 1 cup coconut oil.
We whirled it in the Vita Mix and it came out smooth as silk. Jim wanted walnuts
in it this time - so we chopped some up and added them. Then put them on top too.
Ahhhh - such a fancy treat!

I made Sunday's dinner since we were all in the cooking mood. I must made up a simple
spinach mixture in the food processor - added a red bell pepper, 4 stalks of celery, mushroom tips, 1/4 of an onion, 2 garlic cloves and spices.
I filled each mushroom and then carefully set them in a flat dish. I poured Braggs Aminos,
olive oil and fresh rosemary from my garden as the marinate. Now they will soak up all the
great flavors and be ready to eat when we get home from church. MMmmmmm - wish you could come home for dinner girls!

PIZZA with asparagus ?

Tonight was PIZZA night. We usually go out to eat on Friday nights - but where could
we go and still get the quality of flavors and quality of food that we have been enjoying for a month? So heck -we decided to just keep our "date" at home!

I have to admit - this was fabulous. The flavors blended just right.

PIZZA
Ezekiel Sprouted Tortillas
Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce
Asparagus tips
red bell peppers
red onions
marinated mushrooms
sea salt
6 pepper spice

I cut the tortillas into little triangles to fit my "ancient" dehydrator.
I spread on the Pesto Sauce (recipe already on the blog from Rachel Talley) and then carefully
placed all the other items on top. I put the trays in the dehydrator for about
45 mins when 2 hungry guys walked into the house - and devoured all but
the three I was able to grab! This was one of our very favorite meals - served
with a romaine salad with jicama, tomatoes, hemp seeds, raisins and avocado with an olive oil
and lemon dressing. Oh - do I have to wait for another date to get this again?

This is just a "grab and go" place!

Well - over Spring Break - I gutted the kitchen and tried to make everything a little more efficient. It kinda looks like we have a little store now doesn't it. Whoa.

Having the food out on display like this helps everyone in the family to
grab a better choice when they are feeling a little hungry.

I was able to find a lot of great sales and plan on freezing the tons of bananas you see
so we can make banana shakes in the summer! (just waiting for them to get browner)

I was able to find a produce store that would sell me the young coconuts for
$9.50 a case - there are 9 coconuts - this lasts us only a week.

So - come on over and help yourself to some great food. ....and have a super day!

PAD THAI over "angel hair" pasta

This is the PAD THAI that I was talking about with the angel hair zucchini and cucumbers.
I served it with a salad and extra veggies from my garden (broccoli and purple cabbage) , bell pepper and the obvious avocados. I have to say that I could taste all the
different flavors in the sauce. The sesame seed oil in the sauce really made it taste authentic.
The broccoli and purple cabbage and red bell peppers are all separated on the plate when we started - but we ended up smooshing everything together so everything had the Thai sauce on it - Mmmmmm.

Here is the friend's plate I made - you can see how we just piled the Thai sauce over

the medley of fresh vegetables.

Well, my mother (80 yrs old) is in the hospital tonight - I couldn't bear the thought that she
wasn't getting a "REAL" meal in there - so I took her a plate of the Pad Thai, too. It made her so happy that after our walk - we almost just walked out of the hospital because she felt so good.
"Ah".....another happy day!

PAD THAI
Noodles - zucchini and cucumbers angel hair. You can also use
sliced cabbage, julienned carrots as your pasta also.
Peanut Sauce: (from p, 116 "Raw Food Detox Diet")
1 c almond butter (put 2 cups of soaked almonds through Champion Juicer)
2 T. fresh ginger
1/2 c coconut water
1/4 c maple syrup
3 T Braggs Aminos
5 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic
dash of cayenne pepper
Blend everything in the Vita Mix until smooth.
Serve with sweet peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, chopped green onions
and sesame seeds.

"Angel Hair" gadget!

I think I am hooked on this little kitchen gadget that makes "angel hair" pasta. I just really wanted to use it again tonight... so I did. I am showing you my famous "machine". ( I got it from Rawguru.com) I used zucchini and cucumbers this time to make my pasta.

This is how it looks when you put the lid on - and the pasta drops in the bottom tray.

Here is a huge pile of "angel hair" zucchini and cucumbers!

For dinner I made a PAD THAI sauce to go over the "pasta". I set the bowl on the
dehydrator and put the lid on top of the bowls. When Jim came home - voila! Pad Thai!
The details on the sauce is in the other blog!

Spanish Rice

Spanish rice may not sound very good right now - but we are trying so many recipes around here - it was bound to come up in this kitchen! I served it on a bed of spinach and topped it with hemp seed. (Hemp seed is a complete protein and delicious) Jacob and the rest of the group thought it was very, very good! Jim put homemade Italian dressing on it but everyone else just ate it with the avocado on top.

Here is my friend's portion for her dinner. For her, I wrapped a fresh piece of fudge in plastic
for a little after dinner treat!

SPANISH RICE
(from Becky Johnson "Living Food Recipes")

3 cups - soaked barley
5 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup purple onions chopped
1 handful of fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lemon
A little Braggs Aminos
3 T. chili seasoning
1 Tbsp cumin
sea salt

Chop everything up and put all together. We ate this like a cold salad.

SPAGHETTI with Alfredo or Marinara

Okay - maybe in a small way I am thinking of opening a little catoring service. Well - anyway - I am tonight. I am delivering this dinner to a friend tonight who wants to start eating raw and just wants a little boost. Tonight she is getting spaghetti with both an alfredo sauce and a marinara sauce, tossed salad and my homemade fresh flaxseed crackers. I also took her a piece of the apple/walnut pie for dessert.

This is a really quick picture (before it was all gone) of the zucchini spaghetti. I got one of those
little kitchen tools that make zucchini into an "angel hair pasta".
My whole family was extremely impressed. Jim wanted two helpings and
so did Joey. This bowl was packed - and every bit was gone before I got any.

Here are the two sauces I made. I don't feel like giving you the whole recipes because
it's too much typing - but if you want it - ask me and I really will be happy to give it
to you. The Alfredo sauce was made from macadamia and pine nuts. Oo-la-la.
The marinara sauce was the usual homemade Italian spaghetti sauce. We put the bowls in the dehydrator and it heated them up really quite nice without cooking them. That was a treat - warm sauces!

I suppose because there is so much sauce leftover - we will be having spaghetti again
real soon! Ah....just come over. We'd love to share with you!

APPLE WALNUT PIE & AMAZING ICE CREAM

Okay - it's time for APPLE WALNUT PIE! This is the crust. I mixed everything up and put it in the glass pie pan. I could have stopped right here and eaten the whole thing because it was so tasty. See recipe down below.

I mixed up the filling and put it on top of the crust. I then put it in the dehydrator for about

5 hours at 105 degrees. When we were ready to eat it - it was actually a little warm.
Oo - la - la great!

I yelled out "Dessert Time" and everyone came running! (except for Joey - he was
upstairs and didn't hear the "call". Dad is getting the first helping. Jimmy and
Jacob are anxiously waiting their turn.

Jimmy is telling Jacob - "Hey don't take it all!". They wanted vanilla ice cream to go on top - so I made that too (using cashews) . I have to say that the ice cream was STUPENDOUS - the most amazing texture just like real ice cream - you've just gotta try it.


Apple Walnut Pie.
CRUST: 2 c walnuts, 13 dates, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 T cinnamon
Chop up the walnuts and then chop up the dates in the food processor.
Add a tiny bit of water if you think you need it - I put in about 2 T water.
Mix everything together and press in a glass pie plate.
FILLING: 4 c very chopped apples (food processor by itself), 2 T lemon juice, 1 T cinnamon,
1 C chopped walnuts (in my small processor) 1 T. honey.
Process everything in the food processor. Pour it into the crust. Dehydrate at 105 degrees until warm - I left it about 5 hours. Repeat after me.....oo - la - la!

Now - see this blender.......does this look like ice cream in the making???

AMAZING - VANILLA ICE CREAM
2 c soaked cashews (I soaked them 2 hrs)
3/4 c water
1/2 c honey
1 T vanilla
Blend all the ingredients in the VITA MIX until very smooth.





Pour the smooth mixture into ice cube trays and let it freeze.

Don't bother scooping it and putting it into little bowls for everyone. Just give everyone their own ice cube tray of fresh ice cream!

Like Joey said, "This is UNBELIEVABLE" - "just friggin awesome!" He said that he can't believe that I can make the best stuff out of the wierdest ingredients. (like that chocolate mousse - that was amazingly super too!) Thanks, Joe!

Left overs!

Tonight was "leftover night". We are eating the "Cheesy Cabbage", the "Lentil Salad", flax cracker,a green salad and "black sharks" - (just kidding - those are marinated portabello mushrooms! Looks like we are feeding an army - but no - just five of us.

This looks like a lot of food on this plate...and... about those black sharks -yeah - they are killer black. I ended up pushing everything into a bowl and eating it all together like a huge
salad. AAhhhh - heaven.

Cheesy Cabbage

This dish was so easy and fun. I went to our garden and picked a purple cabbage and added
1/2 of a head of regular cabbage. I cut them into long thin strips. I also added some fresh cut up green beans and several small yellow and red peppers. I put it all in a bowl and poured 1/4 c olive oil and the juice from 1 lemon and mixed it up. After I stirred it well - I sprinkled about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast on top and stirred it again. When I served it to Jim, I sprinkled some hemp seeds on top. Mmmmm. You can see we ate an avocado and homemade flax crackers and a small green drink to top it all off! Very hearty and great. (recipe from Rachel Talley, in Utah)

LENTIL SALAD

I know it's not green food like everyone else did today on St. Patrick's Day.
I am feeling guilty but let's move on. This lentil salad was different but excellent.
I soaked red lentils overnight. Then I just added these chopped veggies: 1/2 red onion,
1 cucumber, 4 tomatoes, & 1 zucchini. The dressing is olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
I thought the lentils would get really soft - but they had a slightly crunchy texture. I made this
at noon - so it could marinate the rest of the day.The "vinegarette" dressing made it wonderful with cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions. Jim really enjoyed this. He wanted an Ezekiel tortilla with it and avocado. Well - the avocado was GREEN! Whew - guess I don't feel so guilty afterall.

Just a fun day "uncooking"!

Don't you hate it when your kids come home and say, "There's nothing to eat!"
HUH???

Don't you hate it when your husband comes home and opens the refrigerator and says, "When I open the refrigerator - I can't see anything to eat!"
HUH?

I guess it just takes a mother's touch. So, I pulled out the carrots and made
fresh carrot juice to go with dinner. (love that Champion Juicer)
I didn't show you how I made fresh raw peanut butter too in my juicer.
I added a touch of honey to it and Jacob is in 7th Heaven.


I pulled out cucumbers, apples, bell peppers, cilantro, miso,
red onions, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and celery. Of course I put them all
together in my new VITA MIX blender to make homemade SOUP!

So for dinner - we ate homemade SOUP with Nori flakes and
hemp seeds on top, a fabulous salad with avocado and
a fresh glass of carrot juice. NOTHING TO EAT???
HUH?

Jim had a meeting to go to tonight. Before he left - I told him I would make him a real chocolate mousse with whipped cream. He told me that he would be excited to come home. When he arrived he told me how a group of ladies came into his office and brought him cake and ice cream. He took it but wanted to wait and taste my chocolate mousse. What a guy.
See why I love him so much! Here he is with his chocolate mousse.
Notice he is one happy guy!


Shhhh - I'll tell you how I made it.
Of course, I put everything in my Vita Mix. It made the dessert so creamy and smooth!
( 2 avocados, 1 cup cocoa, 1 TBSP vanilla extract, 1 tsp salt, 5 deglte dates soaked for 3 hrs)) WHOA!
The topping (I just made it up) was peanut powder (made in the vita mix) with
bananas and a little water. Sounds so gross doesn't it!
Well, it was a SMASHING SUCCESS. It was rich and very satisfying!
I didn't DARE tell him the main ingredient was
avocados and he never did guess it.... but he'll find out if he reads this blog.
This is his second bowl.
Too bad there isn't anything in this house to eat!
HUH?

I just HAD to add this tid-bit. Joey got up this morning and I asked him if he wanted to try some chocolate mousse. He said, "sure, why not." He tasted it and I asked him, "Isn't it amazing that you can have a creamy chocolate pudding and still have a healthy dessert?" He replied, "Well, it has a certain flavor that everything kinda does - you know, that almond flavor or nuts. I don't really like almonds." He sat down and ate every bit of the chocolate mousse wiped his mouth and said, "Mom, that was really good." "Joey, do you want me to tell you what was really in it?" "Sure, why not." "JOEY you just ate avocados and cocoa!!" "YOU ARE KIDDING - THERE IS NO WAY!!" So, I had to get out the book and literally read the recipe in the book to him. He shook his head and still doesn't believe it. So - there you have it. Eating raw can be very disceptive! Still smiling.

Grandma Rah Rah in Show Low

Okay - I just couldn't put these pictures in the right order. But they are here - so that's good.
Will and Matthew love Scooby-Doo - so I took them a Scooby-Doo tent when I visited them in their new house in Show Low, Az.

Here they come - ready for lunch!

We made them homemade chips and grapes. (well, kinda homemade chips - we opened the bag.)....
and you know they just HAD to eat in their new tent! Here's Will looking at me with "those" eyes saying, "gosh, do I have to eat these raw grapes?"

When Rachel came home - we all made our famous raw cookies- oatmeal raisin and apricot/date. We all worked on them together - then the boys went out to play in the snow and I forgot to take their pictures eating the dough and licking their fingers! DOH!
Here is Rachel - testing the batter. Funny how it tasted the same after it was cooked in the dehydrator for 5 mins! Hahahahaha

I just had to show you the view as I drove up to their new house.
That is an apartment and a huge garage in their backyard! It
is almost bigger than their house! LUCKY!

FLAX SEED CRACKERS

Jacob is getting the trays ready for smearing on the Flax Seed Mush for crackers!

I have an Excalibur Dehydrator on the way - so we won't have to do this with the plastic much longer! It's tedious to say the least! (but it works - we've done it twice)

(Recipe from Rachel Talley) We soaked 4 cups of flax seeds and 2 cups of buckwheat overnight. Then drained it. In the processor we mushed up an onion, a whole garlic clove, tomatoes, bell peppers and carrots. Then we stirred (see picture) the veggie mush with the flax seed mush! (I know, I know- it's not very good English) Then we added tons of seasonings - sea salt, nutritional yeast and chili powder, Braggs Aminos and Italian seasoning.

Jacob is smearing the seed mixture on the trays and now they will dehydrate for 24 hrs.
We'll add the finished product picture when the crackers are finished. The crackers are great by themselves or great when used with our new "Chili Bean Dip" - see below for recipe!
Please excuse the burp.

After 24 hours - they were ready to eat. Joey wanted to be first. "MMMmmm" with a smile!

CHILI BEAN Tostadas

This is a picture of our Chili Bean Tostada dinner when everyone was finished! I forgot
to take pictures of them making them - but you get the idea. They loved them very much.
Okay, Okay - we really ended up wrapping them up like a burrito - but I just wanted to call them tostadas for the heck of it for the boys!

To make the chili beans - ha ha - I soaked 2 cups of almonds in water overnight. Drained them in the morning and put them in my Champion Juicer with the blank in place. It came out exactly
looking like refried beans only lighter. I added fresh garlic, onions, cumin and lots of chili powder. They were so fabulous. ( I got the recipe from a lady (Tommie) from a chat group on line.) Here's a close up picture. My boys scarfed them up and Jim thought he was back in heaven. The different spices and spreads make this so yummy. We topped it with my "cheese" (nutritional yeast, walnuts and a little sea salt) and my fresh homemade salsa. Man - we've just gotta invite you all over for dinner one of these nights. Someone said, "gee....I thought that eating raw meant that you were eating
celery and carrot sticks. We had no idea that it would taste so good!". Oh yeah - it's all about
flavor - and..... we've got it here in our RAW KITCHEN.

Sweet and Sour Veggie Chips

I cut up zucchini, yellow squash and sweet potatoes and marinated them in some olive oil,
lemon juice, raisins, fresh ginger and red pepper flakes. I let them marinate here for 2 days.

As you can see by the few veggie chips that are left.....I ended up eating most of the veggies
before I got them to the dehydrator. Now that they are dehydrated - I'll eat them next time
freshly marinated. (i got the recipe from who else? Rachel Talley!)

Broccoli Salad

I was quite excited today when I went out to the garden and picked my own broccoli and red cabbage. I also added some dandelions too because we have them growing everywhere! (Dad said, "hey you missed some by the pool!".
I took Nan Hinton's, one of my best friends, broccoli recipe and fine-tuned it to fit our style.

We ended up with this delicious dish that I can't stay away from. I hope my family comes
home soon - or I'll have the whole bowl finished off!

BROCCOLI SALAD
2 large bunches of broccoli
(I added a little red cabbage head and a bunch of dandelions)

2/3 c raisins
1/2 cup plain sunflower seeds
1/2 c chopped onions
1 1/2 cup of veganaise and a little olive oil
a dash of maple syrup
I added a little garlic and some red pepper flakes.

Make the sauce first - taste it - if you like it - you'll like the end result.
Then add the chopped broccoli and other greens.
Serves 1 happy maw in the raw or 10 hungry people

FABULOUS PIZZA

Jimmy rushed home to be the first one to make his pizza tonight.
After his first two bites - Jimmy shows you (and it's not a fake) that he really loves it!

Jim Cozza is also giving you a true thumbs-up because he thinks this tastes
better than a meal at the restaurant. (He's my best fan)

Jimmy loved all the sauces and used all the toppings.

I marinated portabello mushrooms all day in olive oil and my own rosemary

that I am growing in the back yard. Mmmm. I also made a homemade PESTO sauce and my own PARMESAN Cheese to put on top. WOW!

Jim said he wanted me to make this again and again.
"Hey - get Ben and Peggy Archuleta over here - they've
just got to taste this!"

So....another evening where everyone eats in the raw with a smile!
(Recipes by Rachel Talley in Utah)

PIZZA

Use the Ezekiel Sprouted Wheat Tortillas
Spread either homemade Pesto Sauce or homemade Marinara on top.
Top with whatever you like. We used:
Tomatoes, yellow and red bell peppers, purple onions, marinated mushrooms, shredded
zucchini and yellow squash, spinach and shredded cauliflower from our garden.
Top with homemade Parmesan Cheese.

PESTO SAUCE
3 cups fresh basil
1 cup pinenuts
4 garlic cloves
a dash of salt
Put everything in the processor and let it chunk up - scrape with your spoon and then slowly
add about a cup of olive oil until it's as creamy as you like.

MARINATED PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS
Place Portabello Mushrooms in a glass pie dish.
Cut up fresh rosemary - about 3 stems.
Add the best olive oil to cover the mushrooms.
Add a 1/4 c of Braggs Aminos.
Let this marinate all day.

PARMESAN CHEESE
I ground up 1 cup of walnuts in the processor.
Added about 2 cups of Nutritional Yeast and a dash of salt.
I started eating this by the spoonful.
Yum.

Portabello Burgers

We made Portabello Burgers tonight. (compliments to Rachel Talley and her recipes) I also made a Cashew Gravy to put over them andan Alfredo Green Sauce that I got from Jamie Bailey. I came home at noon - made the burgers and put them in the dehydrator until we ate at 7:00 pm Oh they even looked like they had been cooked - almost burned - Ha! I made Jim's plate first and before I even got to make my plate - my boys all came in and wanted some. Jim stood up and wanted seconds and the burgers were all gone. Jim LOVED LOVED the Green sauce made with cashews and cilantro and dill. I really enjoyed it - but the cashew gravy was so smooth and creamy - I think I liked that one better. Anyway - here's the pictures to prove it. Jimmy (17 yrs) got invited to go out after his baseball game - but he said no - he stayed home and ate our healthy dinner. Joey wanted at least 2 burgers and of course - Jacob is tasting the cashew gravy here - and always eats the healthy way with me. Jim's comment when the dinner was over. "I want this at least once a week". That made my day. (still smiling)

PORTABELLO BURGERS
Put the carrots in the food processor and blend until diced small. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Remove from the processor and form into burgers. Place on a mesh dehydrator screen and dehydrate for about 6 hours.

4 medium carrots
1 cup walnuts
2 cups portabello mushrooms
1/2 c onions
small bunch of cilantro
2 TBSP olive oil
pinch of cumin
1/2 tsp curry
pinch of salt

ALFREDO GREEN SAUCE
Put all the ingredients in the food processor and whiz until very smooth and creamy by adding water to make the proper consistency.

1 c cashews, washed and soaked
2 TBL nutritional yeast
2 tsp Braggs Amino
pinch of dill weed
1 TBL onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 dmall bunch cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
water enough to blend to have a thick creme.

CASHEW GRAVY
1 cup raw cashews tossed into the blender.
Cover them with water.
Start out low and speed until cashews are broken up.
Increase speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Braggs Aminos to taste.
delicious!

Apricot Cookies

I couldn't keep Jacob out of the dried apricots so I decided
to make cookies with them. Oh - we ended up making
two batches because they are so good!

2 c rolled oats - put in blender to make powder.
1 cup dates and 1 cup dried apricots - put in food processor to break up.
1 cup walnuts - put in food processor to break up.
Mix everything together and add
a touch of maple syrup and a pinch of salt.
Add water to make a great dough.
Make little cookies and put them on the dehydrator for only an hour.
They will be yummy and ready to eat!

Corn Casserole

This corn casserole was fabulous. I cut the corn off a fresh cob and put everything (except the corn) in the food processsor to make it chunky.
Oo-la-la! Thanks Rachel Talley!

2 cups fresh corn
1 cup chopped tomatoes
celery
1/4 c onion
1/2 c bell pepper
Sprinkle in some Italian seasoning and some cayenne pepper.
Mix it all together.
Serve with avocado, flax crackers, salad!

Why are we eating in the RAW?

Some of my friends have asked me why my family is eating in the raw?
Well - how is this for a simple answer.
Because we want to!

We have some health issues going on lately and it was recommended to us
to stop heating up our food and just try eating it raw instead.
So we started trying it and are seeing incredible results.
To start with - we have probably lost about 8 inches between the both of us
in only two weeks. Jim needs new pants and I can dig out my smaller sizes!

Other things are starting to happen too - so we like how we feel and like what
we see. We might or might not continue.
But right now....we are having fun learning something new together.
I guess it's quite personal - but thanks for asking.

Homemade Cookies

Okay - we got a sweet tooth last night. I decided to make Jim's favorite oatmeal raisin cookie and my peanut butter ones - so here ya go! It sounds wierd that we are eating RAW COOKIE DOUGH but it always tasted better raw when we were kids - right? - and now it's GOOD FOR YOU! Go figure! I got these recipes from Rachel Talley in Utah!
Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin
2 c ground raisins
2 c rolled oats (and I added barley oats too)
1/2 c walnuts
touch of sea salt
1/2 tsp each cinnamon & nutmeg
a dash of maple syrup
Grind or mix all together. Roll into small balls and flatten. I got my hands wet
so it didn't stick to my hands. Put them in the dehydrator for about an hour. You want
the outside to be like a cookie - but you want the inside to be soft!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup organic raw peanut butter
2 cups rolled oats (and I added barley too)
touch of sea salt
1 cups chopped dates
a dash of maple syrup
Grind or mix all together. Roll into small balls and flatten. Get your hands wet so
it doesn't stick. After you put it on the dehydrator - use a fork so it looks like an original
peanut butter cookie. Only for about an hour.

Meatballs on Friday

Okay - dinner is over. I have to say that I LOVED LOVED LOVED the meatballs. They had a fabulous flavor with the fresh garlic and they had a little crunch or bite to them - not as soft inside as I thought they were going to be. The sauce also made it taste so "restauranty". I made a homemade Italian sauce in my food processor with tomatoes, onions, fresh garlic, fresh basil, parsley, pepperbell pepper and mushroom. I blended it until it was saucy. I topped the meatball with the sauce - then with green onions. Served with a salad and freshly squeezed carrot juice. Everything was fresh and raw. What did Dad say? He liked them too - but wished they could have been warmed. I have to agree but they were still delicious. We are still eating Rachel Talley's famous chocolate fudge. I think it will take us 2 weeks to eat it since it is so rich. What a fun treat though!

ta ta

in the raw

In the Raw Recipes

Some of you wanted the exact recipes
that I have used this week - They came from a super
friend who has been doing this for 6 years (Rachel Talley).
She has been a super inspiration to me every day. I give HER ALL THE CREDIT!

Now YOU have a great day!
- Judy

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Green Drink - we have this every single day. (we may add or subtract some of the items, but for the most part - it's a green drink everyday!)

Put about 2 cups of water with ice in the blender.
Add 2 handfuls of Organic Mixed Greens and 1 handful of Organic Spinach.
Add 2 ripe bananas.
(you can add apples, pears and other soft fruits too.) (also cilantro and other greens)

At Trader Joe’s you can get extra greens from GREEN DRINK (it’s a powder) and add one tablespoon in your green drink. This has about 15 other greens in it. I always add it for the extra greens.

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Veggie BURRITO with honey mustard sauce. - Jim's favorite for sure!
Slightly heat a sprouted wheat tortilla – not over 100 degrees on the stove.
Inside –spread honey mustard sauce, shredded mixed greens, diced cucumbers
avocado pieces, and more mustard sauce on top.
Fold one end up and then each side. You can even dip it in your homemade salsa.

Honey Mustard Dressing
Veganaise (Mayonnaise made from olive oil– no eggs or dairy)
Mustard
Honey
Mix and add more of whatever you think it needs!
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COCONUT CURRY Veggies
Cut up all different veggies.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Celery
Zucchini
Cabbage
Bok Choy
Onion
Yellow squash

Make a sauce:
½ c Braggs Amino
Milk from one coconut
Meat from one coconut
½ c water
½ c sesame oil
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 tsp curry powder
1 TBSP fresh ginger
1 – 2 c dates or ½ c maple syrup

Blend all the sauce ingredients in the blender until smooth and creamy.
Pour over veggies and let this sit overnight to marinate.
Mmmm good. It gets so fabulous as it sits.

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PIZZA

I use the Sprouted Ezekiel Tortillas (they were cooked at a very low temperature and better than anything

else I have found. ) Spread on homemade spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Top with shredded and chopped veggies like such as:
Zucchini, mushrooms, onion, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower
Place in the oven to crisp up the edges – 3 mins.

You can also make a pesto sauce to replace the red sauce.
Now, eat your heart out!

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MEATBALLS

Soak for 6 hours - 2 cups each – whole almonds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts.
Put in food processor and add onion, 5 garlic cloves, Braggs Aminos and other spices you want. Mix until it’s like a dough. Add a little more water if you need to so it holds together.

Make into meatballs and dehydrate them for 6 hours.
Make a fresh sauce to put over them.
Either hand cut or put all in the food processor.

8 very ripe Roma tomatoes or ¼ pound
1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 3 or 4 mushrooms, 1 small red onion, 6 garlic cloves, 1 ½ cup olive oil, 1-2 cups water, 2 TBSP basil, 2 TBSP Italian seasoning,
Onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, 2 TBSP honey or maple syrup

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FLAX SEED CRACKERS (We made this in Rachel's kitchen!)

4 c flax seed
2 buckwheat groats
Soak these two seeds together over night. Lots of water.
The seeds will absorb every bit of the water or almost

The next day put in the food processor:
2 large onions
Whole garlic
3 bell peppers
2 tomatoes

Now hand mix the veggies and the drained (if you have to) seeds.

Add flavorings:
Italian seasoning
Nutritional yeast
Chili powder, Sea Salt.

Watching Rachel make this - she added really a lot of the seasonings listed above - so I did too. They tasted so wonderful. The spices make it so very flavorful.

Spread on the TFlex trays and dehydrate for 8 hrs – flip them and continue to dehydrate them over night. Makes about 6 trays.
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CHOCOLATE FUDGE
I have to say that I do not make the crust when
I make this recipe. I just want the filling!!! It is better than fudge!

Crust: 2 tbs. coconut oil
3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-2 tbs. maple syrup

Filling:
2 1/4 cups maple syrup
2 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup coconut oil

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Nutty Meatballs

I know that I have been sending you the totally finished product but this time Jacob wanted to help me and I took it as a time to show you how we did it.

Meatballs (from Rachel Talley's recipes)

We soaked 1 cup each - almonds, sunflower seeds and brazil nuts forabout 6 hours. Drained them but kept some of the liquid and put them into the foodprocessor. Added fresh garlic, onion and spices and a little bit ofwater. You see the raw meatballs - white. We put them in the dehydrator over night for about 7 hours at 105 degrees. I can't keep Jim Cozza out of them this morning. Joey ate 4 with ketchup. They are incredibly wonderful. Tonight we'll make a fresh sauce to put over them. Just wanted you to be hungry all day!

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Stuffed mushrooms

Mixed Salad

Coconut

Chocolate fudge for FHE dessert!

WOW. Having fun sharing this with my girlfriend too. Jim will take 2 mushrooms and green drink for lunch today (and steal a piece of fudge).

Veggies and Coconut-Curry Sauce

I love taking pictures of our dinners. This is the broccoli, califlower, cabbage and extra veggies marinated overnight in the coconut-curry sauce. I got the recipe from Rachel Talley in Utah. Mmmmm good. It is eaten raw - cold - like a chowder. The sauce is quite yummy. Followed with flax crackers and avocado. Of course - fudge for dessert.