Raw Cream of Mushroom Soup (with hidden ferments)

Image by su-lin via Flickr

We eat raw, living foods whenever we can. But using raw food for autism recovery means paying extra special care to the digestibility of the food and the sugar content.

I’ve worked with hundreds of children on the autism spectrum, and ALL of them have had gut imbalances including candida (yeast), food intolerance, allergies, and  nutrient deficiencies. So, we’ve got some pretty delicate systems here. Finding a balance of green, raw, fermented and blended (easily absorbable) food is a must. We also keep as close to the  Body Ecology principles of food combining (fruit is eaten alone, on an empty stomach,  and proteins are not combined with carbs) and  80/20 (keeping our meals 80% vegetable and 20% protein or carb) as possible. This ensures that we can get the most nutrient bang per bite.

This recipe is blended and contains live beneficial bacteria that can help you digest it.  It also contains some nuts — which do cause reactions for some people.  I wouldn’t call this one of my healing recipes but, it’s a darn delish way to enjoy raw food.

Ingredients:

1 lb of mushrooms (shitake and maitake are delish and healing)

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

pinches of black pepper, oregano, thyme, sage, pinch nutmeg and any other herbs you may like

3 cups  homemade Brazil nut milk (recipe below)

½ cup pine nut cheese

Process:

Marinate 1 lb of mushrooms (I  get a bag from farmers mkt.. any kind you like will do) with ½ cup olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, sage, pinch nutmeg and any other herbs you may like for about an hour. Then, blend the entire mixture with 3 cups  homemade Brazil nut milk and ½ cup pine nut cheese. You can warm this on the stove top or blend in vitamix until warm. We like to have this with peas. Then again, we simply love peas.

Tiny Kick in the Pants:

Add some ume boshi plum vinegar to the end result before you eat.

I like Brazil nut milk with this recipe. You can make it by soaking 3 cups of Brazil nuts in enough water to cover them for about a day. Then, rinse the nuts and add to your blender with 6 cups of water. Blend for about 30 seconds and  strain the pulp through a nut milk bag (or strainer). The liquid is “nut milk,” and the pulp can be used in muffins, crackers and raw breads.

Mangia!

G

Fermented Quinoa Milk

The Incas knew about this magical grain…. have you tried it yet?

If you haven’t already added quinoa to your diet, you probably should. This grain-like gluten-free seed is so versatile and absolutely delish.

I used it to make my vegan guacamole burgers last week, I use it in salads, wraps and even make milk out of it.

You can make quinoa milk much like you make rice milk or almond milk and  add  it to smoothies, soups or chocolate — YUM!  Of course, I like to take it one step farther.

I’ve been known to ferment just about anything I get my hands on, and why not? Fermented foods are the most powerful of all super foods because they are predigested.

When you ferment quinoa milk you add living bacteria and enzymes to it. These bacteria live in your digestive system and create your immunity.

Make your own fermented quinoa milk

Equiptment

1. High speed blender
2. 2 quart sized sterile glass jars with lids
3. nut milk bag or strainer

Ingredients

2 cups raw quinoa ( I buy mine in bulk)

1 quart pure water

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup coconut kefir, home-made kefir or strong probiotic powder.

Optional

vanilla, stevia or agave, mesquite, maca

Process

1. Soak your quinoa overnight in quart-sized  glass container with a pinch of sea salt ( in fridge or on the counter)
2. Rinse quinoa and add to blender with 1 quart pure water
3. Blend for 30 seconds
4. Drain quinoa pulp by using a nut-milk bag (found at natural grocers) or a strainer
5. Pour the liquid into a sterile glass jar
6. add 1/4 cup kefir or tbsp probiotic powder and seal jar
7. Make sure jar is sealed and clean
8. Set out to ferment at 70-80 degrees for 18-24 hours
9. Drink as is or add sweetener and flavors listed above

This is so much healthier than the store-bought pasteurized probiotic drinks, because it doesn’t contain added sugars, colors or preservatives. It’s raw, its delicious and I hope you love it.

photo credit: “Hand in Quinoa” by:FranUlloa

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Fermented Pine Nut Cheese with Body Ecology Starter

Image via Wikipedia

I have learned that fermenting nuts means that I can have more of them. This is probably because the good bacteria in the culture starters I  use helps to break down the nuts, However, I still try to keep them varied and in small amounts for balance.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic raw pine nuts

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 body ecology starter or 1/4 cup already fermented coconut kefir (or cultured veggie brine)
• (in a pinch, I have also fermented with digestive enzymes instead of a culture starter)
• herbs like dill, chives, marjoram (or whatever you like)

Props

• Sterile glass jar
• Strainer (like a metal strainer with handle)
• Cheese cloth
• Bowl and plate
• Good blender

Process

Blend 2 cups of pine nuts  in your Vitamix or high speed blender(you do not have to soak these) with enough water to make a creamy consistency in . Add juice of 1 lemon. Scoop into sterile jar. Ferment over night using 1/4 cup coconut kefir or other fermented liquid or 2  digestive enzymes.

Close the jar and allow to ferment for about 12 hours.  Remember that the friendly bacteria eat sugar, so foods like this ferment quickly, and the bacteria will die if there is no more sugar to feed them. If you wanted to ferment it longer you could add some inulin (chicory fiber) to feed the bacteria… but I have never done it that way.

After 12 hours, remove cheese from jar and place in cheesecloth. Lay the cheesecloth in strainer, and place the strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator. The liquid will drain into the bowl and make a thicker cheese. Cover the bowl with a glass plate (to keep it as sealed as possible)

You can then add herbs and sea salt to your cheese for a delicious dip, spread or addition to your soup, salad or any other meal.

You can even dehydrate this on raw crackers and make cheese crackers.

(You can skip the cheesecloth step if you like. The cheese will still be delicious, but softer).

P.S.  Lots of children on the “autism spectrum” have food allergies because they do not have the bacterial digestive make-up to break down some of the proteins and sugars. Nuts are a big trigger for many of our kids. We never had a problem with fermented pine nuts in  moderation. Then again, pine nuts are not really nuts.

If your child is allergic to nuts, depending on the severity — you may be able to reverse the allergy by repairing the gut. And, if you still want to try this cheese recipe you can replace the pine nuts with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or a combo of them.

Mangia Mangia

G

Key Lime Ice Cream: A fermented Dream Come True

Image via Wikipedia

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at making ice cream, but didn’t think you had the time? Well, you can make your own ice cream from fermented coconut meat or avocado, and enjoy it as a dessert or even a tangy, sweet smoothie addition.

It’s delicious and takes minutes to make – and even less time to disappear from your bowl. So you may want to consider doubling the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

4-5 cups coconut kefir cheese (fermented coconut meat) or avocado

Juice of 3 limes

½ cup Lakanto or birch xylitol or luo han (herbal sweetener)

Few drops Stevia (to taste)

1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean

Pinch Celtic Sea Salt

Process:

In a Vitamix or food processor, combine coconut kefir cheese (or avocado) and lime juice, and blend for about 1 minute. Add Lakanto, sea salt and vanilla and blend for another 30 seconds. Taste and add Stevia as needed. Pour into freezer-safe container or ice cream maker.  Freeze until ready to enjoy!

 

*Note – If you do not have an ice cream maker, you will want to blend it once more before eating to get the creamiest consistency.

Use this to fill a raw pie crust, make a delish sundae with berries and chocolate syrup or add it to a green smoothie for the yummiest of smoothies.

Note: when we freeze fermented food, we do kill off the living bacteria. However, the bacteria has already predigested some or all of the  sugars, fats and proteins to ake this food much easier for you to digest.

when we are trying to heal and support our children’s  guts, we need to make our food easiest to digest and delish enough for them to eat it.  You can get creative with this recipe and add supplements that you need or pull a switcheroo on the flavors to make it more palatable for your little sugar plum at home.

Enjoy your moment,

Gina

Vegan Fusion Guacamole Burger to Bliss Your Socks Off!

You hungry?

You better be. This recipe Blissed my family out so much that my hubby made me write it down. It’s probably due to the fact that we eat so much raw food. Once in a while we like to enjoy something cooked. Luckily, I also created a raw version that is equally as delish.

Friends, I am no Rachel Ray. I don’t follow recipes, exactly. I make huge kitchen messes. And, I never open canned food. But, what I admire about Rachel Ray is her ability to make something tasty in a pinch, and recreate recipes to be used over again.

A Dish That bears Delicious Leftovers

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups soaked/sprouted and steamed red quinoa  (soak in water and 2 tblsp  raw apple cider vinegar for 8 hours or more)

• 2 cups home made rice/sesame flour

• 2 cups chopped wild mushrooms

• 3 stalks chopped celery

• ¼ chopped purple onion

• 2 tblsp Italian seasonings

• 2 tsp  yellow curry

• 1 tsp mustard

• ¼ cup wheat-free/ gluten-free tamari

• 1-cup tempeh crumbled

With a little prep work you can have several healthy eats.

Step 1: Make Homemade Flour (or buy gluten-free allergen free flour of your choice)

Rice/Sesame Milk:

• Soak your sesame seeds and brown rice in water for 1 day

• Rinse. Add to your blender with 1 quart of fresh water. Blend. Strain pulp through  nut milk bag

Your pulp is your flour. You can use it wet or dry.

This milk can be added to smoothies, used to make horchata or enjoyed alone.

Step 2: It’s Burger Time

Burgers:

• Marinate mushrooms, celery, onions and tempe for a half hour with tamari and spices

• Add steamed quinoa to the mix. Blend on high speed until it’s all smooth. Fold in your flour and form patties.

• Pan sear with coconut oil and place in the oven on 350 to finish cooking.

Serve with guacamole and cultured salsa between lettuce leaves or on a sprouted tortilla

Holy yum!

Raw Foodie Option:

This whole recipe can be done raw by eliminating the quinoa and adding sprouted sunflower seeds in its place. Then you can dehydrate it for about 5-10 hours depending on thickness of burger. I also love this method.  Holy Yum plus living enzymes!

OR, you can try another one of my Faves.. the Midnight Mushroom Wrap — an all raw magical feast.

Enjoy!

Gina

note, I wouldn’t call this a “healing recipe” by any means. But, enjoying some cultured food along with it will aid in digestion… and of course, soaking your grains makes them much more digestible too.  If you want to simplify it even more you can opt to delete either the quinoa or the tempe… I’ve done it any ways.

Image credit: Making Guacamole by: blmurch

Fermented Foods for Gut Healing: Coconut Kefir and Cultured Beets — Recipes I talked about on the Raw Mom Summit

More times than not my counter top’s full of sizzling mason jars spreading their sour stink throughout our poorly ventilated apartment. My hubby and I used to argue about “the way I eat” and how it would drive him bonkers. But he’s settled down ever since I started sneaking spoonfuls of it into his shakes.
We ferment all kinds of veggies and drinks in our home and we do it for the sake of gut healing. See, gut problems lead to indigestion and malnutrition — undigested foods turn into toxins, and organs malfunction and allow other toxins to grow and thrive. With my son, the label makers liked to call this autism. Autism usually comes with horrific gut issues. And, I learned, that by repairing the gut we allow for the whole body to heal.

We began our recovery with fermented young coconut water (coconut kefir). I am blessed to have found this. Because it was coconut kefir and coconut kefir alone that helped clear the terrain for deeper healing. Kefir brought back eye contact where there was none. Kefir helped him focus. Kefir changed the bacterial make up in his gut, and he began craving greener foods. Soon, he loved all of his green veggies. And, we all know that green is good! Green heals!
Once I had the kefir in my own system as well – I could see the light at the end of the autism tunnel and it was bright!

Soon, my motto for health through food became Green it, Blend it, Ferment it. I use Body Ecology controlled culture starters to ferment, and I highly recommend this if you or your children have severe digestive problems.  You can ferment wildly like so many of our raw friends do. But, BED’s starters are very hearty and have been specifically formulated with bacterial strains to conquer candida, create vitamins, and assimilate nutrients from food and more.
When you ferment food you save the body time digesting. You make the nutrients more readily absorbable. You promote detox. The body begins to heal because it’s finally receiving the proper nutrition from every bite. So, even if your child lacks HCL (hydrocholoric acid) in the stomach and  has a hard time digesting everything he eats – fermented foods take hold and share their love inside his body. That’s why it’s such a necessary step when trying to undo the autism mess.  I advise my clients to begin with a tablespoon of coconut kefir each morning as a first step in the recovery journey. They can usually work their way up to a quart of the amazing drink within time.

Here’s my method of kefir making:

You’ll need:
1 box (9) young coconuts (which can be purchased most inexpensively at your local Asian market)

1 pack Kefir Starter

I glass pitcher

3-4 sterile quart sized mason jars

1. Begin with room temp (75 degrees or warmer) coconuts and starter pack
2. Open 3 coconuts (I just poke hole right below the tip with a screwdriver), and pour into glass pitcher. Make sure that the water is clear and not pink or brown.
3. Pour that liquid into one jar.
4. Add the kefir starter.
5. Lightly stir
6. Close the jar and let it sit out for 24-36 hrs.
7. Then, split that batch into 2 jars.
8. Add fresh coconut water from 3 more coconuts.
9. Close jars and let sit for another 24 hrs.
10. Repeat until you have used all of your coconuts.
11. Refrigerate.

When the coconut water ferments it becomes a bit cloudy, bubby and tastes a little like champagne, you may sense that it smells like bread or beer and that’s fine. Don’t toss it if it doesn’t smell like roses. Sometimes the jars talk, sizzle, make  funky sounds and even vibrate and move on your counter top. Seriously! So, if there’s tons of action coming from a jar, I’d watch out. Tops do pop off. Handle this with komucha care. Every batch won’t ferment at the same pace.  Too much bubbling could mean it’s done fermenting and you can take a drink. Each jar of kefir can ferment about seven more jars. So you will want to leave about a ¼ cup of this magic juice in each jar to start the next batch.
No need to go too fast when embarking on your fermentation journey. There’s plenty of time to experience the magic. Check out the recipe in this issue of Health in High Heels! Just promise me you’ll go slowly with the kiddos. This stuff is very detoxing and chances are that they’ll be releasing a lot. The detox will be amazing if you support it with colon therapy, skin brushing, spa baths, energetic and emotional reinforcement as well as good old fashioned sleep.
Reactions to probiotic foods like kefir are really as varied as our kid’s symptoms. Some kids get hyper for a while others disconnect. It’s generally a sign that the body is pushing out the old. The body really wants to heal.  If you sense that embracing fermented foods as part of your autism healing plan is something you need to do for your child, then please don’t hesitate to contact me for help and support along the way. We can make healing easy if we do it together.

PS. The coconut meat can also be fermented with about a tablespoon of Kefir. This takes about 12 hours. You can do it overnight and wake up to a yummy raw yogurt in the morning!

Enjoy!

“Hey Liver Toxins — Beet It” Fermented Beet Salad

(Originally published on Health in High Heels)

Ingredients:
5 lbs red beets, shredded in food processor
Tons of dill
Juice of 4-5 lemons
2 cloves garlic
Caraway seeds to taste
About ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
Few cabbage leaves
Pure water
1 green apple
Few stalks of celery
1 culture starter from Body Ecology

Equipment:
Tiny glass
Humongous mixing bowl
Sterile quart-sized mason jars

Process:

1. Empty room temp starter culture into 4 oz warmish water and set aside
2. Shred your beets and add to mixing bowl
3. Finely chop half of your dill and add that to mixing bowl
4. Blend 1 green apple, about 4 cups water, handful of beets, celery, garlic and lemon juice and the remainder of dill in Vitamix or really good blender.
5. Add water/culture starter mix to your blender.
6. Pour liquid mixture over beets and mix well.
7. Stuff your outrageously clean mason jars with these cultured vegetables leaving about 1.5 inches at top.
8. Roll up some cabbage leaves and place atop each jar before sealing…. This helps prevent explosion.
9. Seal tightly and run under hot water and wipe clean.
10. I always do a blessing or intention on my veggies…. you can do this now if you choose.
11. Ferment for 5-10 days at room temp.

The longer you ferment… the more sour they become.

Enjoy!

This is a very cleansing food, so begin trying them in small amounts. You can use this mix as a dip for blue corn chips, raw chips, a topping for any salad or wrap, mixed with a nut or seed cheese for extra zing. Or you can even sprout some quinoa and/ or sesame seeds, blend them together and make dehydrated crackers with it. Very yummy, still raw — and possibly easier to get the kids to love.

Image Credit: Beet It, By Darwin Bell

Blueberry Bliss: The Easiest Raw Ice Cream Ever

Are you looking for an easy raw dessert for kids that doesn’t contain nuts?

Who isn’t? Kids with special dietary needs often have a sensitivity to the nuts and sugars used in raw desserts.

So, here’s our fave easy solution.. and its also very low in sugar!

2 Ingredients til YUM!

• 2 avocados

• 3-4 cups frozen blueberries (freeze your fresh blueberries)

Blender Magic

Whir this mixture up in your high speed blender for a quick frozen treat that’s Gluten Free, Casein Free, Raw, Vegan and quite low in sugar.

For more healthy recipes check here

note: if you are trying to follow strict a  Body Ecology diet, this recipe is not ideal food combining. Ideally, we do not mix fruits with any other foods.  However, when transitioning, this is a fantastic solution. Enjoy it with something fermented, like coconut kefir to aid in digestion.

photo credit: “Blueberries in Gin Syrup” by: thebittenword.com

In Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a day away. But today is my Favorite Holiday of all. Today, my husband Doug and I celebrate nine years together.  So, even though I’ve got like two million gallons of gratitude running through my veins, I’ve got to make this blog quick so that I can go cuddle with the love of all my lifetimes.

We moved across the country last month, and were welcomed to Los Angeles by an amazing group of loving friends—both old and new. The abundance of love and support that we have experienced has been beyond my expectations. Two of our best buds shared their home with us for two weeks, an old man (and I mean old) carried huge palm trees up to our apartment for us, friends offered their car when ours died, people gave us beds to sleep on, the teachers and parents at Dougie’s  new school have been EXTREMELY warm and flexible, the administration at my new school have been EXTREMELY accommodating, we’ve been invited out, greeted on the street, and given daily reminders that we have definitely moved to the right place.

Sure, there is a ghostly spirit residing in our apartment. Probably more than one.  But thank goodness for the message I received from one them last week. As Doug and I sat atop my massage table (the closest thing we had to a couch) eating a delish kale salad – I looked over and saw my grandfather, Papa Joe, sitting in the corner of our living room. He passed a year ago, but I see him once in a while. This time he showed me a vivid scene from my father’s childhood. He showed me how he lifted my dad from bed and got all the kids into the car during the middle of the night because there was a gas leak in the house. I sat staring at Papa, and Doug sat staring at me. All I could do was laugh though. I couldn’t really tell him that I saw Papa. And I didn’t know why I couldn’t stop laughing.

Soon, Doug was infected with laughter and we were both literally rolling on the floor – when it hit me. Dougie had been awfully calm and sleepy that night, which was unlike him. We couldn’t stop laughing and I was feeling really dizzy and confused. THERE WAS A GAS LEAK IN OUR APARTMENT.

I don’t know exactly how we escaped that because I was so weak and delirious that we took forever to actually get out the door. But, as soon as I realized what Papa was trying to tell me, I said “We have a gas leak. Get Dougie.”  And we got out. In a blur — but we got out.

Thank You Papa you continue to protect and fill me with love even from your new world.

So, I’m alive. And living in a sunny new place where it’s super easy to find friendly smiles and gluten free treats. I’m sure you can understand my gratitude.

So, now it’s time to pass along this goodness to you.

In honor of Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season I am offering tons of gifts of love.

The holidays tend to be times that many of us dread. There’s the relatives, the expectation for present buying, and the food. Oh the food! Why do the holidays seem to carry this negative food vibe with them? Either we feel tempted to eat what is bad for us, we over eat, we try to satisfy too many people, or if you’re like me – we struggle to find what we can eat in the midst of the sugar-filled, double-stuffed, deep-fried frenzy.

Either way, the holidays are a time when balance is key and money is most often saved for others.  I don’t know many people who treat themselves this season, but perhaps if we did – we’d all be much happier and healthier.

I’d love for your holidays to be as peaceful and relaxing as mine have recently been.

Reiki, Intuitive Energy Healings, Body Ecology and Raw Food Wellness Coachings can be had by you for the simple price of whatever you can pay.

Enjoy Donation-Based Reiki, Energy Healings and Wellness Coaching sessions through December 2009.

Come –  let me help you find balance, health and relaxation. Reiki Energy Healings are a great way to help recover from pain, illness, stress and confusion. Body Ecology and Raw Foods can offer great nutritional healing.

I will design a session that is personalized to fit your needs.

Come see me at my new location in Santa Monica and you will also receive a free surprise gift to take home.

Free Bottles of Bio Superfood when you join Heal Artfully: 12 weeks of Healing

If you know that you are in need of deep healing from serious illness, consider this 12 Week program. In it I share each and every step I took to heal my son form autism and my family from candida/yeast, bacterial and fungal infections as well as a toxic overload of metals and chemicals which caused pain, depression, fatigue, seizures and more. Bio Superfood is a smart blend of micro algae (look up http://www.bioage.com). It is a product that has brought great healing to my family.  You will receive a free bottle for your family when signing up for Heal Artfully.

How Can I serve you best? Let me know! Gina LaVerde:  773-540-9328 or gina@healartfully.com

And Finally, The Recipes!

Here are some of the things on our menu this year. Many of them are inspired by traditional recipes that my family always had at Thanksgiving.

Everything is or can be made Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Nut Free, and sometimes Raw.

Green Bean Corn Casserole (can be raw/semi-raw or cooked)

Ingredients:

1 1lb green beans

2 lbs corn

1 large onion sliced very thin

1-2 cloves garlic chopped

½ cup cranberry juice

1/2 – 1 cup flax meal

Juice of ½-1 lemon

Olive oil, oregano, sage, thyme, sea salt, to taste

Process:

Marinate green beans, onions and garlic in glass or clay baking dish with lemon juice, cranberry juice, olive oil and the spices. Let sit for up to 1 day. Blend 1 lb of corn in your blender with ½ cup of flax meal. Mix green bean mixture with corn/flax in casserole dish. Add the 1 lb whole pieces of corn. Taste and add more spices to your liking. Top casserole dish with more flax meal and then bake at 100-200 until warm and crisp.  I do it for about 4 hours.

Cranberry Salad: (raw or semi raw)

Ingredients:

2 lbs raw cranberries

2-3 stalks celery chopped fine

1 cup walnuts chopped

2 cups pineapple chunks

Water and agar agar to make gelatin

Lakanto or xylitol

Process

Fill a pretty glass pie dish with whole cranberries and sprinkle with sweetener of choice (stevia, lakanto, xylitol etc.) I use aprox. 1 cup of lakanto. Use potato masher or fork to break them open a bit. Add a splash of lemon juice or water and let marinate for a few hours in the fridge. Add chopped celery, walnuts and pineapple to your cranberry mixture and mix well. Blend 1 lb cranberries and add enough water to create a juice. Boil that cranberry juice and follow directions on agar agar (seaweed) pkg. to make into gelatin. Pour the warm cranberry juice over your cranberry salad and let sit until firm.

Variations

For an all raw version, just stir in some cultured coconut meat pudding and forget the agar agar.

For an extra treat you can add cultured coconut pudding, raw cream, tofutti cream cheese to the mix. It’s delish either way!

I also like to add ginger!

Butternut Squash/Quinoa stuffing (cooked)

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash cubed (buy already cubed at stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods)

2 bunches kale chopped

4 cups cooked quinoa

4 stalks celery chopped

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

Sage, thyme, poultry seasonings, sea salt, pepper

Coconut oil for sautéing

Process:

Saute’ onions, garlic, celery, squash until almost caramelized. Add kale and sauté just a minute longer. Add all of your seasonings (you can use any seasonings you would use in your traditional stuffing) add cooked quinoa. Spread thin layer onto long baking dish and bake at 300 until toasty. YUM!

Cherry Crisp and Raw Mint Ice Cream

Crisp (Raw or cooked)

This dessert can be made with green apples, berries or cherries. I am using cherries

Ingredients:

2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chia seeds

1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup hemp seeds

1 cup soaked goji berries

1-2 cups almonds

Cherries (or fruit of choice)

Lakanto, pumpkin pie spices, pinch sea salt,

Optional: dates are optional (may be too sweet)

Coconut oil for blending

Process:

Soak cherries, gojis, and any fruits in a bit of kefir overnight. Blend all of the dry ingredients with a bit of coconut oil. Mix the fruit with your dry ingredients and add spices and sweetener. Bake or dehydrate until crisp. I bake at low temp for about an hour.

Variations: to satisfy a crowd you can add all kinds of nuts and some raw honey to this. YUM!

Peppermint Ice Cream (Raw)

Ingredients:

3 Cups Coconut Milk (meat and water from a couple young Thai coconuts) you can used canned coconut milk as transition.
¼ cup lakanto sweetener or Zero sweetener from Whole Foods (xylitol or stevia can also be used)

2 Teaspoons Peppermint Extract (or a handful of mint leaves.
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

Process:

Blend all ingredients in a vita-mix or high speed blender for about 1-2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker (according to the manufacturer’s directions). It should be done in about 20-25 minutes, or until it looks like it’s really thick. Or you can freeze in a freezer safe container and put back in the blender to make it creamy before you eat it.

Variations: add any extract for the flavor you like.

Happy Holidays Friends

Xoxo Gina

New Post Up at Raw Mom Dot Com

What’s Fer-menting Tonight, Hun?

“What’s Fer-menting Tonight, Hun?”

That’s a question my man always asks because more times than not my counter top’s full of sizzling mason jars spreading their sour stink throughout our poorly ventilated apartment.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE ON FOOD REMEDIES FOR THE  AUTISM GUT HERE AT RAWMOM.COM

Midnight Mushroom Wraps

These things are so delish – I had to have another as a midnight snack while I worked. I don’t know if you eat mushrooms. I’ve always loved them but grew a distaste for them since Body Ecology kind of put the yuck stamp on them when I was all candida’d out. Now that I’ve gone and done the raw thing, my body can handle many more foods. And, I don’t have a problem (that I know of) with mushrooms. Especially when wrapped up in all of this goodness

Marinate 4 sliced portabella mushrooms and 2 small shaved onions in wheat-free tamari, red wine, garlic, marjoram, thyme, oregano, black pepper, cayenne, and a bit of basil and extra virgin olive oil.. for a good long time. Overnight would be good

Then, choose one of these nut cheese methods:

Quick Cashew Cheese:

1 bag raw cashews, 1/4 cup rejuvelac, juice of 1 lemon, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill, chives, 1/4 of a red pepper, sea salt and blend in high power blender until creamy (add water if necessary)

Slow Cashew Cheese:

same as above, except skip the rejuvelac and ferment with a controlled starter and let sit in a closed jar at room temp. for 24 hours. You can then use cheesecloth over a bowl to drain out liquid in the fridge. I do it this way to ensure I am getting some good probugs for digestion and to avoid contamination by bad bacteria. I also add digestive enzymes to my nut cheeses for extra help in the gut.

Wrap it up

When you’re ready to make wrap — use marinade to soften a raw sprouted tortilla, pile in mushrooms, cashew cheese, fancy gluten free mustard, romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red pepper slices, and nappa cabbage.

You can easily warm this up in oven or dehydrator before u add in mustard, cheese and toppings if you are serving people who are craving warm food.

image credit: Portabella by mj*laflaca