What's to EAT on our trip?

This particular blog spot is about going to my kid's college graduation at BYU. Our daughter, Jodie, is graduating - along with three of our son-in-laws. All five of our daughters graduated from BYU and their husbands have graduated, are graduating or look forward to graduating. After tomorrow's graduation ceremony we'll have a total of 9 graduated and 1 still attending BYU. And in the fall our oldest boy will be a freshman there. Incredible - isn't it?!

Well, Jim and I are going to help celebrate with them. I wanted to pack us some fun things to snack on and have some great food to eat on the way. You would think that our whole family of 10 were going. I made all this for only 2 people? (These pictures don't show what I already
packed in the ice chest!) Okay - maybe I'll leave some for the boys.

GRANOLA
I really looked at many granola recipes but ended up just putting in what I liked. So - this is original at best. There are a lot of recipes on the internet if you don't like the idea of this one. As you can see - we are snacking on it even before finished being dehydrated!

This recipe makes 5 trays.
10 c whole raw oats
2 cups of chopped almonds (soaked before I chopped them)
2 cups of ground flax seeds
3 cups unsweetened dry coconut
4 cups raisins
1 cup date pieces
3 cups of strawberries chopped in the food processor.
spices - cinnamon, apple pie spice, nutmeg, salt

I mixed this all up and added like 3 cups raw orange honey.
I mixed it with my hands and put about 3 cups on each tray.
I smashed it all together so it would clump when it dries.
It tastes better than an oatmeal cookie but you can see why.
Sweet!


This next recipe came from the book "The Complete Book of Raw Recipes" p. 197 They called it Italian Rawsage - they seem to think it resembles sausage in a way. GREEN SAUSAGE??? How wierd.

I would rather call it "GREEN PATTIES" and be done with it. So just let me. (I gave credit where credit was due)

"GREEN PATTIES" that don't taste like sausage at all.
1 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 head of romaine lettuce
1/2 c olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1/2 c onion powder
1 Tbsp dried sage
1/2 bunch of fresh basil

Put everything in the food processor and it turns into a very soft kind of dough. Spoon it on the TeFlex sheets - (makes 9 patties) and dehydrate it overnight and then some.

I could be wierd at this point in our "raw journey" because we think these green things are DELICIOUS. This is actually the second time I made them and we ate them too fast for me to take a picture last time. I used them as a snack - like a grab and go kind of snack. You can use them for a dinner - like a meat pattie but frankly - I have a hard time eating green meat.I have already told you about the toona sandwiches we loved - so we are taking it all made up to make that on the road. Also - we wanted to have "pnut butter" sandwiches in case we were more hungry - so I made that too. EXCEPT - it's really almonds and pumpkin seeds ground up in the Champion Juicer to make the almond/pumpkin butter. To simplify - I call it "pnut butter" around here. I add a little honey to it and it's D'LICIOUS.

I also made our famous Chinese Cabbage (which has become my favorite in the world), and the Lentil Salad (without the lentils this time) to take in case we get lost in the desert and need nourishment to get help (just kidding - I always pack way too much food on trips to Utah).

So see you next month - like May 2nd or so. Try your best to stay focused on eating raw until I return!

I forgot to show you the recipe books I am planning to read on this 12 hour driving trip. I should have some great things to try when I return. Ta ta.

Toona Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago - we made tuna sandwiches. Tonight we felt like having
another one and decided to try a new recipe.
In my opinion - scratch the last one and use THIS one!
We loved how light and yummy it was.

We used veganaise, sprouts, tomatoes, pickles and seasoning on Ezekiel Sprouted bread.
This crazy picture below just shows an opened faced sandwich and the closed one.
Duh. Then of course we had a super salad to go with it.
You've got to try THIS toona - it's a keeper.

Toona Sandwich
(The Complete Book of Raw Food by Lori Baird p 239)
(note - I did not use the same measurements. This is the original recipe
and I noted at the end how I added flaked Dulse))

3 cups walnuts - soaked
3 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 onion
1/2 cup parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 ounces lemon juice
nama shoyu and celtic sea salt to taste.
Process the walnuts and carrots in the Champion Juicer with blank in place
or food processor until smooth. You may have to add a little water.
Cut the celery into 1 inch pieces and then pulse-chop the garlic onion, celery,
herbs and lemon juice in a food processor until well chopped. Add this mixture to the carrot and walnut pate and mix well. Add nama shoyu and salt to taste.
I added flaked DULSE to make it taste more like tuna.
We loved the texture and the flavor.

Crazy Hair Day

This is Jacob. He is almost 14 years old. He is our 8th child. He is an exceptional son, just like his 2 brothers.

Now - this didn't make me very happy. It's Crazy Hair day at school. SO! I mean
it's all about hair - isn't it? So where is Jacob's hair??So this is what he is stuck with now, the morning after. Comparing the before
and after picture.....hmmm..... I guess I like the bald look afterall.
It only takes him a second to do his hair before we go to school.

I have no idea what this has to do with eating raw.

CLASS STARTS IN 10 MINS!

My friend, Peggy, talked me into teaching a Raw Class at my house. Okay - I decided to do it.
I surprised myself and put together a notebook for each person attending - filled with easy
transition ideas, books to read, shopping list guide, Question and Answers, and lots
and lots of recipes - especially all the ones we were "uncooking" tonight. I just
simply called it "Raw-licious Concepts".

You are looking at an array of raw foods that I prepared so that everyone to come and have
a full dinner - we could have a casual chat about it - talk about the recipes and answer any personal questions they had about eating this way. It was WAY fun.

I wanted to have a variety of tastes for them to try. (Veganaise based, apple cider base, soy sauce base and a sesame oil base) You are seeing the Tai Cabbage with sesame oil, Lentil Salad with apple cider base, Flax crackers, cheesy sauce, & marinated mushrooms.

I made Spanish Rice (barley) with soy sauce base & guacamole for the crackers.
Everyone got little plates so they could take whatever they wanted
without mixing the flavors and they could have as much or little as they wanted.

I also made a broccoli salad with the raisins and veganaise dressing.
What you don't see is that they wanted to try a veggie burrito with the
honey mustard sauce - so I got up and made that. Oh, and I almost forgot.
They wanted to taste our famous pizza with the basil pesto sauce - so they each got
a slice of pizza too! Burp. Excuse me. Don't forget about the famous
Green Drink - so I got up and made them one of those too!

The evening didn't just stay at the table. We ended up going in the kitchen and making flax crackers, almond butter, almond milk, soft serve ice cream, angel hair pasta from a
silly zucchini (eating it with warm marinara sauce), and oh ya - don't forget about the
Chocolate FUDGE!! Do you think anyone can move anymore??? We are stuffed.
But then one last treat - we took the grapes from the table and juiced them!
There's nothing as fresh and nice as ice cold grape juice - freshly juiced!

So the night was a fun sucess. I know I had a really great time with everyone.
Drat - I remembered to pull out my camera after some of the other
guests had already left. I feel bad about that. This is my best friend , Peggy (in green)
and 3 of her sisters. They are stuffed (can you tell?). I think that meant they had
a really great time.
Everyone got to leave with a container of their favorite flax crackers.
That made them happy.

So - would I do this again?
Well....okay......the SPROUT class will be in just about 4 weeks!
See you then!
Email me for specific recipes - I can send them as an attachement and
not have to keep retyping them! Thanks. judycozza@gmail.com

Coconuts anyone?

WE LOVE... Young Tai Coconuts. We are learning that they are so important for our health.
In the book, RAW POWER, on page 34, Stephen Arlin states that "coconut water is the closest substance to human blood plasma found in the plant world. Also, green chlorophyll is the closest substance to human hemoglobin in the plant world. Coconut water combined with green juice is a powerhouse way to revitalize the blood and build the body." We believe it. It's like getting
an easy blood transfusion...so we eat one everyday. This is Jacob and his friend cutting open some coconuts.

Jacob can actually whack it just in the right place.
This is basically his job - opening coconuts. He has opened dozen and dozen of them.
He can probably get a job at an Asian restaurant now!

After he whacks it - the top lid just pops up and off.


He is actually very happy with himself here.

Now the coconut water is ready to drink - or put in a "green drink". We scrape out
the coconut meat and put it in our "green drink" too. Mmmmm good.
Jacob makes it look sooooo easy.

Easter dinner and was it an egg hunt or egg throw?

Easter Dinner!

You ask...."if you are eating raw - then are those are raw eggs?

Nope. Not raw eggs. They are mushrooms stuffed with a cheese sauce (cashews)
and lentil salad and spanish rice stuffed into small tomatoes. I served the
cheese sauce, lentil salad, spanish rice and homemade salsa in bowls on the side
for anyone to add more to their salad. We served flax crackers with homemade
salsa.
Now you ask......so if you don't eat deviled eggs....then what do you do with them?
Take a look.... this will give you a hint.
A bulls eye.

Jacob wants to win the prize again. They have 5 dozen eggs to throw to
get it right in the bulls eye.
Last year - all the son-in-laws were here to get in on the fun!
(Jacob won last year)Joseph really tries hard...but Jacob is still closer.Jimmy hears all the fun and comes out half naked to
take a try at the last 2 eggs.
Jacob was the winner - yahoo - 2 years in a row!

Now....THAT'S what we do with OUR eggs at Easter.

Dessert for PROM

Here is Joey and his friend going to Prom tonight.

They went with 6 other youth and decided to have a progressive

dinner at 4 different homes instead of going out to eat at a restaurant.
So you guessed it - my house was DESSERT!
(lucky me - literally!)

Can you tell what they are eating?? You know
it had to be RAW. (shhhh don't tell them)

Here is a clue. We are using two Champion Juicers to
get the job done quick! YEP - SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM!!

Here is one of the guys who loved all the flavors.
Mango, Pineapple, Strawberry and Banana!

It was a fun and successful night. The girls were happy that
they weren't laden with a fatty dessert. They wanted to stay
nice and trim in their beautiful dresses.
But....I already knew that!
Cheers - for fresh fruit!!

TUNA Sandwiches

My sister, Jan, called me and asked me - "What are we having for dinner tonight?" (You see - she's going "raw" too.) So I asked her, "How does TUNA SANDWICHES sound?"
Her reply.... "REALLY?"


Tuna Salad
(Raw Power p. 122)
called "walnut pate"

3 c walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
3 stalks celery
1/2 c fresh parsley
( I added 1 T Dulse flakes)
1 T. Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt

Soak the walnuts for 30 mins then drain. Put garlic, onion, celery and parsley into the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add walnuts , lemon juice and sea salt. Blend
until smooth. (I added a couple of tablespoons of my honey mustard sauce)
Makes about 3 cups.

We served it on Ezekiel's sprouted bread, with
honey mustard sauce, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, & avocados.

Jacob insisted on putting pickles on it - so I took a bite.
Oh yeah - pickles are a must! (they aren't raw though)
A friend, Bruce Christensen, stopped by.
I had him taste this "tuna salad" on a spoon. He
didn't know what it was but told me it was very good!
He was sure it was tuna. Nope. It's walnuts!!!

BANANA CREME PIE

It all started when Jamie, my daughter, called me and told me about the classes that Rachel Talley teaches each month in her kitchen. Rachel showed them how to make this delicious banana cream pie. You know it's gotta be healthy! Well - it's Sunday and I wanted to have a fun dessert after dinner tonight - so I tried my hand at it too. (So this is Rachel's recipe)

CRUST
1 1/2 c fine almond flour (I used mini coffee grinder)
1 cup dates (soaked) (food processor)
2 TBSP lemon juice.
Mix them all in the food processor and dumped in pie dish.

Spread it by hand and get it up to the edges.

Banana Creme Filling:
9 bananas
1 1/4 c coconut oil
1 cup cashews (soaked and drained)
Blend in the blender until smooth. It will look like
pancake batter. (Cut up a 1/2 banana and add to the
batter and maybe a little bit of maple syrup (Judy's idea)
Pour batter into the crust.
Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.

Look at how much banana filling I had left over! So I had to make another one! Darn. :)

This crust was different because I ran out of the other stuff.
CRUST - (now this is my recipe)
1 1/2 c soaked almonds put in the food processor.
1 cup dates (soaked real fast in hot water)
no lemon juice - ran out of lemons.
It is way more chunky than the almond flour one.
I bet it will work anyway.


I patted it down with my hands. The dates make
it so pliable and nice.


The finished products!
Two healthy - homemade banana creme pies with extra crumbs on top!
I think I'll take one to Kellie's (my niece) birthday party today!

She'll get the first one...the one with the best crust!

So here is Kellie Keith - my niece.
We are BOTH loving this pie!

We both felt a little goofy at this time -
afterall, it's her 26th birthday!

Kellie is engaged and moving to North Carolina
at the end of May. It was fun sharing a piece
of healthy pie with her! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLIE!

RACHEL TALLEY

Meet my friend, Rachel Talley. She lives in Provo, Utah near my 4 daughters that live there too. I have learned everything I know from Rachel Talley and from reading so many of the books that she recommends to read. She has an awesome website that I wanted to share with you. If you are new at eating raw and want some FABULOUS transitioning tips -please click on the link I give here and you will learn so many easy and great steps. Her website has way more information than just "transitioning advice" though. You will want to sit and learn from her for hours. So - go on. You will be in for a great treat. Go to.....

http://www.livingmom.net/health/2006/03/transitioning-tips.html

and....since we are on the subject of friends......meet my family!

I have 5 daughters (Jana, Gina, Jamie, Jenny and Jodie)
and 3 sons (Jimmy, Joey and Jacob).
All 5 daughters are married and 3 sons still live at home.
You'll just have to guess who is who!

ENCHILADAS

Joey couldn't hold back. Even though the enchildas sauce was dripping down
the sides, he still lifted the burrito up to eat it in just one bite. "This sauce is delicious!"

It all started with a massive case of tomatoes. I decided to dry them and make my own
SUN-DRIED TOMATOES - RAW! I dried them overnight with sea salt and Italian seasoning.

I stuffed them in a jar filled with delicious Olive Oil!

My best friend, Peggy Archuleta emailed me her version of "raw enchiladas sauce" that called
for "SUN-DRIED TOMATOES". She stopped by to show me how to make it. Here it is - I was shocked out of my gord at the incredible flavor. "You put cocoa in it?" I asked! Oh - get the spoon - who needs anything else!

So, here is Peggy filling an Eziekel Sprouted Tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes and avocados.

She is getting it ready to give it to Joey.
(notice how much sauce she is putting on the top!)
YUM! YUM!

It actually took Joey more than one bite to finish it.
and he loved every minute of it. "Can I have another one", he asked.
I think it took him about 20 mins to finish licking his fingers!
(Joe - that's not polite for the camera!)

He just didn't care.

ENCHILADAS SAUCE
(Peggy Archuleta's originial recipe!)

2 red bell peppers cut up
2 garlic cloves
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
1 avocado (to thicken it)
2 tsp. Braggs Aminos
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp raw cocoa
about 1/4 cup of water - watch to see how much you need.
(OR - Gina didn't put in the water. She put in 1 more avocado and said it was just like beans!)
Blend it all up in the blender until smooth.
Taste it if you need any salt.

Serve on Ezekiel's Sprouted Tortillas, or bread or use
Romaine lettuce to make a lettuce wrap.
Pile high with shredded romaine or red leaf lettuce
avocados
diced onions
diced tomatoes
cilantro.
Drizzle more enchiladas sauce on top!
ENJOY!
THANKS PEGGY - Joey wants to know when you are coming back!!

ROSEMARY BROCCOLI

I made this dish early this morning and it marinated in the dressing all day. We loved
it very much and look forward to having it again for lunch tomorrow. I served it on a bed of mixed greens and we also ate some left over "folded" pizzas
with some tomatoes and avocados on the side.

Rosemary Broccoli
(from Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine p. 241)
I changed a few things from the original recipe - so here's mine:
4 cups chopped broccoli
2 red bell peppers
1 yellow bell pepper
2 cups chopped raw mushrooms
2 TBSP fresh rosemary from my garden- chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
pinch of sea salt
I chopped everything pretty fine except I wanted to leave some of the broccoli
a little chunky. I added everything together and then poured the
dressing (listed here) on top. It sat all day in the refrigerator - ready to eat for dinner.

Liquid Gold Elixir Dressing
(p 102 - The RawFood Detox Diet)

2 cups fresh lemon juice
3 whole cloves of garlic
3 T minced ginger
3 T Braggs Aminos
4 T. honey
Put everything in the blender. Blend and then slowly
add... 1 1/2 c olive oil slowly.

HAMBURGERS

Okay - I apologize that the pictures are blurry. Can't redo them at this point.
I started with soaking regular mushrooms in Braggs Amino, olive oil and fresh rosemary from my garden. They soaked overnight. Then I put them through my food processor.

I soaked 1 cup of macadamia nuts and 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of sunflower seeds
together for a couple of hours. Then put them through the
food processor.

I chopped in my food processor - 4 stalks of celery, garlic, onion and bell pepper.


I mixed the mushroom mush, the processed soaked nuts and the veggies all together
by hand. Then I formed them into "hamburger" patties on my Teflex trays.

Here is my 80 yr old mother, Betty, enjoying a healthy "Hamburger" and her favorite salad
with romaine, red bell peppers, pinenuts, hemp seeds and avocado. I made a homemade
Caesar Dressing with olive oil, nuts and lemon juice. Notice she is almost
finished with her glass of fresh GRAPE JUICE that I made a couple
of days ago. MMMm good.
She told me... "I can't believe this tastes so good."
Can I come back tomorrow for your pizza?"
"Sure, Mom. See you at 5:30!"

FRENCH FRIES AND KETCHUP

We were dying to make french fries so we did. Jimmy is using a little mandolin
that we found at Big Lots for $4.00

Don't they really look like REAL FRENCH FRIES!! Look closer above. That's a
JICAMA!!
We sprinkled a little olive oil and cayenne pepper on them.
Mmmmmmm.


Of course we needed ketchup.
But how could we have THAT raw?

Oo- la - la - I used sun dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 c raisins
1/4 c onion powder and some salt. Forget the fries.....we wanted to just eat the
ketchup on a spoon.

CORN CHIPS

I just wanted to make my own corn chips. So what did I do? I called Rachel Talley
in Provo, Utah and she gave me the best recipe.

CORN CHIPS
About 3 lbs of corn off the cob - or frozen.
Lots of homemade salsa.
Grind it up in your VitaMix.

(now....I call that easy!)

They took it all night to dry - and before we left for work - they were almost gone.
We added a little salt to them and they were outstanding.

Here it is - the corn
mixture - turned into chips! THANKS RACHEL TALLEY!!
(one day...watch for her name....she is going to write a book!)

LOTS and LOTS of TOMATOES!

Okay - it's time for TOMATOES!!!

Good thing I have a super great dehydrator. By the way - the cheapest place to buy it
is at Rawguru.com. You get the Teflex sheets for free ($81 savings) and the shipping is free!
Get one - you won't be sorry.

I not only dried 9 trays so I could have my own "sundried tomatoes" - but I made
a boatload of fresh salsa. I use salsa in all my crackers so I needed tons.
I made these corn chips too - thanks for Rachel Talley!
(recipe on another blog)

JOEY! "GET OUT OF THAT! It's for dinner."
"Oh - never mind. There's plenty!"
Ha!

GREEN DRINK - EVERY DAY!

So many friends have asked to see my green drink. I do this every single day
and sometimes twice. It is the MAINSTAY of my way of eating. GREENS.
I watched and learned this from Rachel Talley in Provo, Utah.
I start with approx. 2 cups of filtered water.

I try to always use organic greens in my drink. I put
in 2 handfuls of the Mixed Greens and 1 handful each of spinach and kale.
I also use 2 tsp. of this Green Drink powder from Trader Joe's.
It has 15 different greens in it so I love the variety that we are getting.

So I pack it all into the super Vita Mix blender.


I then open a young Thai coconut and use all of the water inside plus
all of the meat that I scrape out. I do this every single day. If you
read up on the health benefits of these coconuts - you would do it too!

I just layer it all on top. Water on the bottom and built up from there.

I always put in a couple of ripe bananas but sometimes add a pear or an apple.


I have to have it cold - so I always add ice.

If I have it already made up - I will add a cup of almond milk. Remember - this is my whole meal for the morning or for lunch. I want it full and hearty with lots of variety.

Okay - my Vita Mix is full and I'm ready to make the drink!

I whirl it around for about 30 seconds - it doesn't take much more than that and I
don't want to heat it up! This Vita Mix is worth it's weight in gold for me.

See how vibrant and brilliant green it is!! It's delicious too!

Joey has had this every single day for over a month - he has lost 20 lbs in 2 months!
He is feeling quite BUFF!

Wine? Heck no!

Well - we wanted some fresh juice around here. I was able to buy a case of purple grapes
for $5.00. So we went to town!

My Champion Juicer is a real Champion. I use it everyday now!

This fresh grape juice was so sweet and so delicious -
we had to add tons of water to it so that we could drink it.

Notice the bowl of pulp. I also kept every bit of the pulp. It tasted exactly like
grape jelly and we made sure that it didn't go to waste!

That's right - I put it in the Vita Mix and now it's drying in my Excalibur Dehydrator.
I find that I am using my dehydrator every day also. What a great blessing!
Anyone for real "grape fruit leather"!!

EASY COLESLAW

Tonight I thought I better pick the rest of the cabbage in the garden. We need the room
to finish planting our new garden and I want lots of canteloupe and watermelons this summer!
Here is the yummy easy coleslaw.

This picture below certainly doesn't look very appetizing. I usually have to stop in a panic
before someone finishes their plate so that I can take a picture of it. I yelled - "just put it
down" and then I snapped the picture! Did Jimmy have to put it on the
messy cutting board? That's what I get for scaring the poor boy!

EASY COLESLAW
1 cup cut up purple cabbage
1 cup cut up green cabbage
1 red and yellow bell pepper chopped
1/2 c raisins
sesame seeds
I just cut up everything and added the raisins and seeds.
I made a dressing with lemon juice, garlic, ginger and Braggs Amino
with a touch of honey. Then added 1 1/2 c olive oil in the blender.
S W E E T !
I served it on a bed of lettuce and had extra tomatoes and
avocados on the side.

GOT MILK??

Is Joey enjoying a refreshing glass of milk?

But you say - "He has a milk mustache!"


I know - I know - and so does Jacob.

APRIL FOOLS!

It really all started with ALMONDS!
Soak them overnight if you can - or at least 5 hours.

Then you will drain the water off and put them through

the Champion Juicer and you will end up with Almond Butter.

Measure 2 tablespoon of almond butter into the VitaMix. Add 3 cups of water

and whirl for about 30 seconds until it is blended well. I put in a
touch of sea salt and about 2 tbsp of maple syrup. Adjust to your taste.

I didn't purchase a "nut bag" but you can. I am using cheesecloth over
a funnel and the "almond water" is now being strained into a pitcher to become
a very smooth "Almond Milk".

After it is finished straining, I pull up the cheesecloth and squeeze all
the "milk" that is left in the fiber.

This is the fiber that is left. I am going to use it as fiber
in my crackers.
Joey said, "Hey, Mom! This is really great stuff!"
See... (not staged) - he's drinking another glass!

We like to use this almond milk when we make our vanilla/cinnamon
banana shake. Mmmm - it's rich and creamy!

BLT - almost raw

Okay - don't have a hissy fit. My 3 boys and husband were craving just a good old BLT sandwich. I was told by many sources that Ezekiel makes an incredible bread. (Ezekiel claims that it is cooked at such a low temperature - it's an "okay" at "best choice" that is... IF you are going to eat bread - which we don't (but we just might now!) Today is Saturday and they have worked so hard...so it's time for a BLT. (This is just showing you an opened-face sandwich
but we closed it to eat it)

I smothered the bread with Veganaise, sliced avocados, tomatoes and lots of lettuce. No one
even noticed it was missing the bacon. Go figure.......See.....these guys are the best!
With a green drink to provide extra chlorophyll they were all "tanked" up!