Raw Food Recipes:
man on the raw

Today’s Cream of Shiitake Soup will be accompanied with a tale of break-ups.

My first major break-up, that I recall, was a silly little man-boy by the name of Fulton J. He had these striking, chocolate eyes that mesmerized. They gazed into mine and held tight, giving me the illusion that I was the only thing he saw.
On later recollections, his glare really resembled someone who smoked way too much ganja. None the less, he (and his eyes) were as smooth and charismatic as a 15-year old could be in bible camp.
That‘s where I chased him like an eager puppy. He loved the attention and he played with me, as long as I didn’t piss on his new penny loafers (to mark my territory, mind you) or until a new b**** came into the mix. Whichever came first.
To make long stories, shorter and to prevent opening old wounds, it was nearly 10 years of hooking up with Fulton J. and being tossed aside by him that I finally wised up and got him out of my system for good.
I never want to have anything to do with him, ever. He broke my heart.

During that time, my best friend Monique was there to pick up the pieces.
Monique and I met during 5th grade at Amesse Elementary School in Denver. I said something that made her feel bad to which she immediately set me straight. She told me if we were going to be friends I couldn’t be mean to her. I apologized and we have been best friends ever since.

I loved Monique like a sister, that‘s how close we were. If it ever possible for two only children to break free from that “me only” habit and love another as a sibling. But that‘s how I loved her.

Monique has been there for me through thick and thin and she has always been my cheerleader. She has loved me even when I couldn’t find the strength to love myself.
I, for her, have given her positive and happy-go-lucky inspiration. I tried to remain upbeat and
optimistic when she refused to. And I, at times, provided the voice of reason.

Unfortunately, I had to listened to her same issues surface again and again with a supportive stance. By supportive, I mean without comment that would set her into attack mode. She had endowed with me with a the gift of holding my tongue.
Enter juice feasting. I am cruising along, detoxing crap, purging old habits, getting out everything that's on my mind that would be beneficial for me. Not a good thing if your best friend is Monique.
Again making that long story, short.On Wednesday, February 10, 2010, when she mentioned taking a break from the friendship, I thought it a bit harsh that many, many years of friendship could be tossed aside with such ease.

Monique stated that since I said something that made her feel bad she thought it best we end our relationship.

This time around, I did not apologize. After several man-boys, birth of 7 children between us, tragic deaths, ups, downs and whatnots... after 30 years of friendship, Monique has broken up with me.
I want to get her out of my system for good. I never want to have anything to do with her, ever. She has shattered my heart. On to soup. Cream of Shiitake Soup to be exact. This particular soup really has nothing to do with the story. Well, except this is the first day I hadn’t got that sinking feeling in my stomach from thinking of her. That alone is a reason to celebrate with a soup.This soup started out as Shazzie’s (p. 97) until I realized I didn’t have half the ingredients required for completion. I guess coming out of the fog that break-ups provide, I missed a few steps.
No worries, I promise I am okay. After twice-a-day Bikram sessions and running endless miles on the treadmill, I feel better than yesterday and twice as good as the day before. And so is this soup.
Although, Man on the Raw, didn’t enjoy it. I was surprised that he didn’t, it smelled amazing to me, very rich. But when he reacted so negative about it, I couldn’t resist I had the tiniest bit of a taste of the broth (I know, I know the juice feast). I thought it had a nice earthy taste to it. A statement in which Man on the Raw proclaimed, “Earthy?!? More like dirt.” Well, you my dear readers will have to be the deciding vote. Try it and tell me if you taste “earthy” or “dirt”. Just remember, I'm the one going through a break-up.

Cream of Shiitake Soup
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
4 tablespoons Nama Shoyu
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups almond milk
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
Red pepper flakes
Parsley
Slice 1 cup of mushrooms and place in a bowl. Finely dice the remaining 1 cup of mushrooms and place in a second bowl.
Add 2 tablespoon Nama Shoyu and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each bowl. Toss to coat. Marinate mushrooms for 1 hour.
Combine the sliced mushrooms, almond milk, red onion, parsley leaves, garlic and sea salt in a blender. Puree until smooth and creamy.
Transfer to a bowl and add the diced mushrooms to the soup. Garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley, to taste.
Recipe #42 of the Complete Book of Raw Food Endeavor - Shazzie's Cream of Shiitake Soup, p. 97
Recipe #43 of the Complete Book of Raw Food Endeavor — Shazzie's Almond Milk, p. 184

I love Man on the Raw.

....and about a bazillion more to go. I've better bust a move on these recipes if I want to complete them before...well, I don't really know before when. I'm kind of moving along at a turtle's pace, yes?

Well, to make the challenge more interesting and to post a few more recipes, I have joined NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month. See my cool widget for February to the left? I have pledge to post something every day on The Daily Raw Blog (weekends included) for the month of February. Mom, stop frowning. I know, I need to find a job instead of blogging everyday. But imagine the dedication that is shown on my part writing everyday. I'm an employer's dream. It shows I have commitment or should be committed, I'm not sure which one.

Speaking of jobs, I did put in a call with the 2010 Censor Bureau to work with them this spring here in Denver. That would seem like an interesting job, meeting people and such. Wish me luck.

So to kick off February's blog-a-thon, I give you Karyn Calabrese's Walnut Pate on page 258. Visually, I wasn't impressed with the pate, it looked rather depressing, a tan-ish hue depressing. In the future, I might add a few grated carrots or diced red pepper to it or possibly half of a red onion, to add some color.
The flavor? Well, Man on the Raw said it had 'lack-of-salt/seasoning issues.' Hey, it wasn't me who said it. I'm totally playing the blame-game on this dish. So he seasoned it up a bit with a couple of garlic cloves, more dill and of course, sea salt. His platting is spot on. He is great at creating little platters of food using simple ingredients. He makes things look appetizing and isn't that as important as taste and smell and texture? By adding a few basil leaves, spicy jalapenos slices, sweet tomatoes, salty olives and a drizzle of olive oil, he produced a dish with flare.

Cucumber Number by Shazzie, p. 143

Yesterday, the Man on the Raw and I went to hot yoga. I was a bit worried practicing in the heat and not eating solids for the past 21 days, but I managed just fine. The heat felt like heaven during these cold winter nights in Colorado.

What can I say about Cucumber Number? Let me start with it being very refreshing, crisp and cool. Cool like a cucumber. With cucumbers being about 95% water, Cucumber Number was the perfect drink to have after a hot yoga class. I could feel this drink re-hydrating my cells with each sip.

Cucumbers are our friends, we should have at least one a day, I am juicing three a day during this feast. I did make a slight modification, instead of the suggested lemon peel, I just peeled the lemon and threw the whole thing in the juicer.

All three ingredients worked in harmony with each other, the cucumber, lemon and apples.
Uh yes, apples. Any juice that uses apples as its ingredients has my vote. Truth be told, when it comes to eating apples, I am picky.

If there is one soft spot, bruise, any sort of imperfection, I won’t put it to my lips. They can be sweet or tart, but when it comes to the texture, it better be hard and firm.

Now, when it comes to juicing apples all are fair game. The bruises are the sweetest part anyway, right? The sugar from the apples will give me the extra energy to make my next recipe…Rose Lee Calabro’s Falafel. That experience is coming up on Monday.

I have come to the place where it is time dust off the Excalibur. I, personally, haven’t used my dehydrator in over two years, maybe three. I had forgotten how to turn it on and to what setting it should be at.

I remember when we first got it, the Man on the Raw and I were raw for about four months before we got it. I think we had thick flax crackers, thin fruit leather and somewhere in between sun burgers every day for a month. That dehydrator didn’t get any rest. Oh, by-the-way, soak a cup of flax seeds (golden or brown makes no difference) in a large bowl with a cup-and- a-half of purified water for about five hours. Jameth and Kim’s Original Flax crackers are coming up next week also.

So if you are creating recipes with me, break out your Excalibur, it’s time to start dehydrating.

Banana Tahini Drink by Paul Nison, p. 138

With only three ingredients: one banana , two tablespoons tahini and a cup of water, Paul Nison’s Banana Tahini definitely qualifies to be placed in the Minimalist Meal category.

Tahini, a paste of ground sesame seeds traditional used in hummus, may seem like an odd coupling with banana but it produces a surprisingly appetizing beverage.
Preparation is a breeze, just a swift whirl in the blender provides you with a tasty, smooth beverage to please any grumbling stomach. My husband, the Man on the Raw, went as far as to say that he would drink this every day.

Which he proceeded to do the next day and the next and the next and the...well you get the picture. Like a mad mathematician, he added, subtracted, multiplied and divided ingredients to each batch to achieve a different version of the last. Below is the recipe he settled on to whet his appetite.

Bananahini

Inspired by Paul Nison’s Banana Tahini Drink, from The Complete Book of Raw Food

2 bananas
2 tablespoons raw tahini
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups water

Blend ingredients together. Serve on ice.

Note: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and another tablespoon of agave nectar and create a Chocolate Bananahini.

Man on the Raw is my husband's blog. He is an insightful writer (I met him in a screenwriting class at film school) and wonderful human being. I hope you enjoy it.

Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator — Edit Image
After all the raw recipes and the juice feasts in 2007-08 and in January of this year, it's hard to believe that I have never been 100% raw for longer than 7 months, give or take a few.

It's an idea I've been toying with for a number of years, ever since I perused Tucker Shaw's book "Everything I Ate: A Year in the Life of My Mouth." I was fortunate to work with Tucker at the Denver Post and he has been supportive of The Daily Raw Blog. And the sweet guy that he is, Tucker has given his blessing on this raw adventure.

So starting January 1st, in the spirit of Tucker's book, I will take pictures of every thing I eat and everything I eat will be raw.

Now, I'm not going to worry about percentages. For the most part, I will consume a 100% raw vegan diet, but if a dish contains vanilla extract or gracious forbid the IS IT, or ISN't raw agave nectar, I'm not going to nitpick over ever ingredient. The only guidelines I am following is uncooked and vegan, that seems simple enough.

After years of hee-hawing back and forth, the timing feels good. Since I do work at "the birthplace of gourmet raw vegan cuisine" it's a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of the incredible meals that the students create, especially, the Gourmet Chef students. I can't wait to start sharing some of those photos, they are always so creative.

Although my journey will mostly be expressed in pictures, from time to time I will chat about the how the experience is going and of course if you have questions please feel free to ask.

Man on the Raw will also start the journey with me (about 6 months of raw is his goal), I'm not entirely sure if he will be blogging about it. Of course, I'm all about the blogging so I will give him a nudge to write about his thoughts. A few people at work will start the year with a 30-day raw fest. Any one else out there should come along for the ride, it will be fun.

Yeah! I love the new year, it's all about the possibilities and fresh starts, new beginnings, projects and all. Wish me luck and stay tuned to watch my adventure unfold.


I have some bad news and some very good news. Which would you like to hear first? Okay let's start with the not so great news.

The Daily Raw Blog's Almanac 2011 edition has been placed on the back burner. I have been overwhelmingly busy with life and I have had trouble finding a way to publish hard copies of the book. There just hasn't been enough time to write the book the way it deserves to be written.

I am hoping in the next year that I can work on a 2012. I want to thank everyone who submitted articles, events and tidbits. I appreciate all your efforts and I will take the time to organize the book (and my life) in the coming year.

Now some pretty cool news.

I meet Dave the Trucker today. It was really cool. He has such a beautiful, genuine spirit.

An interesting encounter happened between his companion Tresa and myself. We both looked at each other like we have met before. We even hugged each other like we were old friends. Yet, we have no clue from where. We named all the places where our paths could have crossed but we could not figure it out.

There was a definite connection between us, too, but from where is a mystery. Maybe in a different time and space, but I know in my heart that I know this gorgeous soul.

Okay on to the great news.

I've been very, very coy about my big news and now I feel it's right to share the big news. We have moved to Fort Bragg, California.

It was no surprise how much I fell in love with the town of Fort Bragg and most certainly it has been a whirlwind romance. So it has been decided to take a chance and move there. I know it seems sudden and out of nowhere. I feel in my heart that it's the place I should be.

I was fortunate during my time in Fort Bragg to secure a job (more on that below) and a place to stay (temporarily). Actually by the time you read this, the children and myself have already have settled into Fort Bragg. Man on the Raw has decided to stay in Denver for a while.

About the job.

I am very, very blessed. I am the Executive Assistant to Living Light International Founder and Director Cherie Soria and (her husband) Co-director Dan Ladermann.

I am very grateful for this opportunity, I couldn't have of dreamt a more perfect situation in a most beautiful place (Fort Bragg). I truly am a very lucky girl.

In Ani’s Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food, Ani Phyo guides readers through the fundamentals of raw food preparation in a simple and user-friendly manner.

Phyo has left no stone unturned when it comes to this collection of over 250 recipes. As in her previous book, Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, she offers tips, cleaning product recipes and advice on how to be eco-friendly. Divided into three parts, Part 1 is the basics; it uncovers the mysteries of dehydrating, soaking and sprouting, fermentation and pickling. This section presents a few starter recipes: flatbreads and pickles, to be exact.

Phyo gets down to business in Part 2 where she showcases her talent of taking a basic recipe, using minimal ingredients and straightforward instructions, and creates variations. For example, her recipe for “Basic Nut Mylk” on page 41 transforms into “Vanilla Almond Mylk,” (p.41) “Chocolate Flurry Shake” (p. 42) or “Chilled Chai Frosty Shake” (p. 45). Another good example is the insanely, easy recipe for “Buckwheat Crispies” on page 63. The only ingredient is one pound of buckwheat groats and the recipe can be used as cereal in “Chocolate Crispies” (p. 63) or as “Basic Buckwheat Batter” (p. 115) for “fried” onion rings (p. 116) or as the base for “Buckwheat Pizza Crust” (p. 213).
Phyo offers effortless, quick, step-by-step instructions on the techniques of every raw culinary dish imagined. She leads with, a fruit smoothie (p. 31), and travels right along, from breakfast to desserts, with the likes of “Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Coconut Bacon Scramble” (p. 85) to Kimchi (p. 126), to “Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup” (p. 232), to “Lucuma Ice Kream” --- and we haven’t even touched the chapter on feeding your raw dog.

Pay attention to the green and gray boxes interspersed throughout the book, they offer handy tips (“Dehydrating in Your Oven” p. 195) and bits of factoids (Is Sugar Vegan? Turbinado vs. Sucanat vs White Sugar” p. 57).

Part 3 is a resource guide to Phyo’s uncooking videos, metric conversions, movies to watch and advice on reducing your carbon footprint.

My one complaint of the book is not enough color photos. Fortunately, Phyo has the skill of descriptive writing that brings a dish to life, but the dowdy black-and- white photography doesn’t add anything to the book. Part of the appeal of living foods, especially in a cookbook, is experiencing the “life of the foods” through the vibrant colors and textures seen through the photography. The dozen or so colored photos in the book are definitely drool-worthy. I would gladly trade seeing photos of Phyo (although, she is quite beautiful) for a few more colored pictures of the food.

All-in-all, one of the most enticing aspects of “Ani’s Raw Food Essentials” is Phyo’s flair of providing “recipe” road maps to the gentle encouragement of creating your own culinary journeys in the kitchen. Which is how it should be.

My journey started with crepes.

Apple Crepes
Makes 4 wrappers
From Ani’s Raw Food Essentials page 69
1 cup cored and diced apple
½ cup flax meal
2 tablespoons agave syrup
½ cup water, or as needed

Place the apples in the bottom of a high-speed blender. Add the flax meal, agave, and water. Blend until smooth.

Spread the mixture evenly onto one lined 14-inch square Excalibur Dehydrator tray.

Dehydrate for 4 to 6 hours at 104 °F, or until completely dry. You can also flip the crepes, peel off the liner, and dehydrate for another couple of hours until dry.

Crepes with Herb Cream and Red Pepper Sauce
by The Daily Raw Café

1 Crepe recipe, making 8 small rounds

RED PEPPER SAUCE
Make 1 pint of sauce

2 red peppers, seeded, coarsely chopped
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, reserve ½ cup soaking water
¼ cup reserved sun-dried tomato water, or more as needed
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth, silky sauce. Adding enough of the soaking water to reach desired consistency.

FILLING
1 cup soaked cashews
¼ cup reserved sun-dried tomato water, or filtered water
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Combine cashews, water, vinegar, onion and garlic in a blender; process until cashews break down into a creamy, yet slightly chunky crème. You want the consistency of a ricotta. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Fold in parsley and basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Assemble crepes
On a clean work surface, place 1-2 rounded tablespoons of filling in the center of each crepe, shiny side down. Roll up crepe.

Spoon red pepper sauce on a serving plate, arrange crepe on top. Serve immediately, crepes will become soggy if left on sauce too long.

Chocolate Crepes with Chocolate Cream
by The Daily Raw Blog
CHOCOLATE CREPE WRAPPERS
Add 2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder to the ingredients of the crepe wrapper recipe. Continue to make crepes as instructed.

CHOCOLATE CREAM
1 cup soaked cashews
½ cup water
½ cup raw agave nectar*
20 drops Cocoa Bean Extract**
2 tablespoons coconut oil (liquid)

Blend ingredients until you have a smooth, creamy texture.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut oil (liquid)

Blend ingredients.

Note: If the sauce becomes cold, it will solidify, just place it in the dehydrator for an hour at 115 degrees to melt.

Assemble crepes
Place the crepe with the shiny side up. Put the cream in a line down the center of the crepe. Fold the right side just past the middle and then do the same with the left.

Drizzle chocolate sauce on top of the crepe and sprinkle with coconut “powder”

ANI’S SERVING SUGGESTION: Grind dried coconut into powder, and sprinkle over your crepes through a sieve to give a powdered sugar look. (p. 71)

* I used Xagave Raw Agave Nectar (review next week)
**I used NuNaturals (review next week)

IN THE LATE yet still note-worthy department. The Daily Raw Café was mentioned in last Wednesday’s Denver Post (June 9, 2010). You can read the write-up here.

My book is in the final, final, final stages of coming out. Self-publishing is a b*****! You are in charge of so ALL the aspects of development (editing, layout, design, cover art, author bio, yada yada, ya, ) on top of writing the little creature.
The buck stops with you all the way. So much pressure! I want the best book possible for the resources available to me. It’s a lot of hard, tedious work. Which makes me wonder why on earth am I doing it again very soon (yes, there will be another book out before the year is out!). Well, we all know the answer, I am a bit wacky in the brain and I loved the experience so much, I wanted to do it again right away. Don’t laugh, I’m serious ;).

WOW, now that’s a beet! This colossal-sized beet emerged from our garden. Man on the Raw and our daughter Avery planted it in mid-March. This root vegetable has an interesting backstory. Man on the Raw was working the compost when he spied a sliced beet top with dead stems and leaves attached.

Nothing out of the ordinary, until he notices one leaf thriving amongst the deceased foliage.
On a whim, he decided to plant it and see what happens. Several months later, on a rainy June weekend in Denver, the jolly red giant emerged with an amazing amount of greens. All of which made many quarts of beet and carrot juice.

You know what I realized? I don't start my posts with any sort of greetings. No “hello,” “how are you doing,” “what's happening," nada. So from this day forward I am saying howdy.

Howdy! There much better.

I am sooo excited! One month from today, I will be checking in as a student at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute. Woo hoo!

I can’t believe it, I have wanted to attend Living Light for over 6 years. One of the reasons Daily Raw Café exists is my desire to learn how to prepare raw foods.

It’s bizarre, I have never had the slightest interest in preparing cooked dishes at a culinary level, but there is something about using only living/raw ingredients and creating amazing dishes that stokes the fire within.

Somewhere along the way, I must have got an inkling of my raw culinary destiny. When I did a raw food demo at the Raw Spirit Fest in 2008, guess who introduced me? Go ahead, guess. You’ll never guess. Okay, pull my leg why don’t you? It was the founder of Living Light herself, Cherie Soria who introduced me as a chef! Wild and crazy.

I would have fainted right there if I didn’t have to show a room full of people how to make raw Thai Food.

How’s that for the Universe/Higher Power/God leaving a proverbial bread crumb.

So I followed the promising trail and here I am a month and a day (classes start on July 10th) from a new raw adventure.

On to garden. I love my garden. It is growing so beautifully and it’s such a zen experience tending to it. We won’t be getting our greens from the grocery store this summer. We are S-E-T. We have been blessed with an abundance of kale, lettuce, mixed greens, beet greens, weeds that taste like beets and so much more. We are juicing them, using them in smoothies, but here are a few of the dishes I have created showcasing greens from our garden. I hope you enjoy.

This is truly a garden salad. Man on the Raw and I literally cut greens and piled them in our bowls and ate [and laughed and kissed and stuff ;)] in the garden. It was nice, very nice.

“Garden” Salad

Serves One Adam and his Eve

½ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon hemp oil, or your favorite oil
1 garden full of your choice of greens
pinch of sea salt, or more to taste

Stir lemon juice and oil in your bowl. Add the sea salt . Fill your bowl up with greens from your garden. Toss gently with a fork, mixing all ingredients together.

Note on photo: On my salad I preferred ½ of avocado and hemps seeds instead of the oil.
Bonjour!
Ma mère m'a fait la prise des leçons françaises comme un enfant et moi obtiennent finalement de l'employer ici à The Daily Raw Café!

Potage Crème De Laitue
Services 2

anarcadiers crus de 1 tasse, imbibés pour 1 heure
l'eau de 1 tasse
laitue de 1 tasse
1 scallion
1 noix de muscade crue de cuillère à café de ½
de nectar d'agave de cuillère à café

Placez les ingrédients dans un mélangeur à grande vitesse jusqu'à la saison douce et crémeuse avec du sel et le poivre. Arrosez avec la noix de muscade supplémentaire.

Mercredi heureux mes amis!

Hello!
My mother made me take French lessons as a child and I finally get to use it here at The Daily Raw Café!
Cream of Lettuce Soup
Serves 2

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour
1 cup water
1 cup lettuce
1 scallion
1 teaspoon raw agave nectar
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Place ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with extra nutmeg.
Happy Wednesday my friends!

English to French translation courtesy of WorldLingo

This beverage is all Man on the Raw's doing. It's funny because he'll create these wonderful things and doesn't use measurements and so I have to backtrack with him. Which isn't always fun.

But I love him all the same. He is quite fabulous in the kitchen, if I must say so. And I must. I have learned a great deal from him, even if he doesn't realize.

Citrus-Ginger Refresher
2 cups orange juice
1 lemon, juiced
½ tablespoon ginger
4 cups sparkling water

Blend orange juice, lemon juice and ginger.

Pour ¼ cup of juice into 4 glasses.

Fill the glasses with sparkling water. Serve.

“Pretty damn good” was the statement Man on the Raw used to describe Blue Mountain Organics’ Cacoa Walnut Brownie. I concur. I ate my thick piece of brownie with a cold glass of almond milk.

Blue Mountain Organics was gracious enough to send me a brownie to try. Created by the Raw Bakery, the 2.4 ounce brownie was individually packaged for freshness. As far as taste goes, the unique cacao flavor stands out, but doesn’t overpower the brownie. I love the fact that it has golden flax in it, yet I don’t taste it at all.

The smooth, glossy texture wholly compliments the rich and dense qualities of the brownie. Consistent use of chopped walnut pieces throughout bring added appeal to the texture.

The dates and agave combined puts the brownie on the sweet side, but it’s forgivable, it is a brownie after all.

Blue Mountain Organics has a nice variety of brownies, more than your usual Standard assortment. Examples include the Simply Cacoa, Carob Walnut, Carob Pistachio, Carob Hazelnut, Carob Crunch, Cacao Pistachio, Cacao Hazelnut, Cacao Crunch and the one Blue Mountain sent to me to sample, Cacoa Walnut.

The walnuts and flax seeds goes through a process the company calls “Better-than-Roasted™ .” The nuts and seeds have been soaked, sprouted and dehydrated thus removing the enzyme inhibitors that naturally occur in nuts, making the brownies easier to digest.

Among the other products Blue Mountain Organics sell are sprouted nuts and seeds, granola and raw ice cream.

Blue Mountain Organics is offering The Daily Raw Café readers a chance to try their products. From May 28-June 3 you will receive 10% off your entire order. Just type in the discount code “DAILYRAW” at checkout.

Blue Mountain Organics’ Cacao Walnut Brownie
Size: 2.4 oz
Price: $4.80
Ingredients: Dates, Agave, Cacao Powder, BTR Walnuts, BTR Golden Flax.
Certified Organic: Yes

What's up with that? No, show today? I know, I know and there won't be one next Monday either. Man and the Raw and I are separating. He is "back to his old tricks" and we all know where that path can take us. My gracious, I really shouldn't mislead you like that. I'm kidding...sort of.

We are not separating within the marriage. I love the guy. Anyone who makes compost for the family garden is a keeper.

But in the physical sense, unfortunately, there will be a separation within the family. More on that later. Man on the Raw makes the richest soil, look at it. He really must talk to you guys about his soil. It is fabulous.

Man on the Raw came up with the idea for taping a special show of "He Said...She Said" for the Daily Raw Blog's anniversary celebration, so we are holding off showing videos until then. After the May 28th shows, "He Said...She Said" will be on hiatus for the summer. Details to follow.

Along with a special "He Said..She Said," there will be more videos, including one featuring Man on the Raw making a green juice...methinks. He has to give the okay on that one.

For your viewing pleasure, here are pictures of the family playing in the garden. Bishop planting my Mother's Day Flower.

It's a tradition, every Mother's Day we plant our seeds in the garden and I am very pleased with the crop thus far. After a week we have the micro greens popping up very nicely and the rest of the greens are doing well.

Avery and her basil

8:38 a.m. Thai Tea Dessert at home

1:34 p.m. Nut burger with onion and mustard on lettuce bed

3:38 p.m. Pumpkin Pie Filling

6:28 p.m. Nut burger with onion and mustard

Man on the Raw made Seaweed soup with mushrooms and Miso Broth

8:41 p.m. Seaweed Soup

8:48 p.m. 2nd bowl of delicious Seaweed Soup

April Fool's Day was 90 days on my raw adventure. Three months of eating raw vegan foods. What can I saw about it? Well, I can't say enough how energic and full of life I feel. And I'm having fun, honest to goodness fun. With the exception of some cooked flesh cravings here and there, things have been fairly smooth sailing. My clothes are swimming on me. Sounds like a shopping spree (at the thrift store) is in the near future.

8:28 a.m. Island paradise smoothie at work

For the last month or so I have been hee-hawing about how much of my life to share. I am a writer at heart, it’s something that’s all in the family; my mother writes, my 10 year-old daughter writes and my Man on the Raw writes. We, for all intents and purposes, write.

As most writers do, I draw upon my personal experiences and interpret my perceptions of them into words. I feel the occurrences that motivate me to write the most come from a place of jealously, anger, sorrow and fear.

Having said that, I’m a bit of a chicken-sh**. I wish I possessed the personality that says, “F-it,” I’m going to write what I want to write and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it.

But I love the Daily Raw Café and I love the people who visit and comment on The Daily Raw Café and I don’t want to offend anyone.

This post could offend. If only for the sheer fact it has nothing to do with Karen Knowler’s Marinated Veggies (broccoli in my case) on page 123 and Shazzie’s Cheddary Cheeze Spread (p. 188)

So if it does offend, please, forgive. Come back tomorrow, "Raw News You Can Use" will be posted.

This Thursday at 9 o’clock in the morning I am having surgery. The type of surgery doesn’t really matter....okay, okay... twist my arm why don't you?

I am having my breasts implants removed. Crap! Did I write “breasts” out loud?

I guess this really isn’t a cheeze and broccoli conversation.

The short of it is, I have had implants for 15 years come this summer, they have served there purpose and I would like my original set back.

Wait before you click the page away, this post isn’t about me down-sizing, it is about me being afraid.

Although, the procedure itself, I have been told, is quite harmless, there are always risks.

My head swears to me that everything will be fine and I will make it through surgery just fabulously. I even had a very lovely psychic yoga instructor give me the A-OK that I will come through with flying colors. And I know I will.

But…

There is a morbid side to me, it’s the writer in me asking “What if?”

I have always wondered what people’s lives were like the days, hours, minutes and seconds before they met their demise. Every minuscule movement could be suspect of the end of days.

You just never know.
Is me NOT writing about Cheese on Broccoli, tossing the tender earth on top of my coffin?

Let’s get this straight, I am not afraid of death. There were days, in the not so distant past, that I have foolishly courted it, like the batter who relentlessly swings yet still misses the ball.
My biggest fear is leaving my children motherless. I know they will be alright, yet I don’t think they are ready to exist without me.
And truth be told, I am not ready to miss being in the audience during Jordan’s Nobel Prize, Donavan’s Pulitzer’s, Bishop’s Presidential Inaugural speech and Avery’s Oscar. I am not ready.

So if it crosses your mind throughout Thursday, (and only if it does) please send a bit of love my children’s way, their mother would be grateful.

Needless to say, I'm taking Friday off. Write you on Monday. :)

March 27 — Day 85 of My Year of Raw Vegan Cuisine

12:23 Man on the Raw's strange smoothie concoction at home

I love eating wraps. They are so easy to make and fun to eat. All you have to do is cut up some of your favorite vegetables, add a few herbs, maybe a nut pate, your favorite greens for wraps and a nice sauce or two. Take notice on how I cut extra vegetables for the days to come.

Now, move forward in time a few days and you have this.

Colorado weather, go figure.

Yesterday, Man on the Raw took me and the kids to Golden to play in the river. Well, they played in the river and I took pictures and actually ended up reading my camera manual.

Okay, I really wanted to stay home and do laundry, okay, okay, I wanted to write and surf the internet. So maybe, I didn't appreciate the beautiful day like I should have, I am a bad girl. It was a really gorgeous day.

Man on the Raw and I did some major kitchen spring cleaning and carpentry (check out the wood board on the stove burners) in the midst of a mini-blizzard on Friday.

Come Saturday and Sunday Colorado’s winter wonderland transformed into pleasant warm spring.

Saturday night, I hosted another raw dinner party for friends. It was a pleasant, relaxing evening and everyone enjoyed the food, which is always good. For the first time during the juice feast I felt left out, not eating and for the last week I haven’t been enjoying the green juices as much so….

Today, Day 81, my juice feast has officially left the building and has taken residence in Smoothie and Prunesville.

I love the juice feasting experience and I just might venture on an extended trip again in the far-off future. But for now, quick juicy pit stops once or twice a week will suffice.

On Tuesday a very special lady, who I absolutely adore, will be sharing her “10 Thoughts.” I could be nice and tell you who she is, but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thai Coconut Curry Soup, p. 104This week for The Complete Book of Raw Food Endeavor, recipes from Elaina Love will be featured on Wednesday. I served a collection of her dishes at a “Nothing But Love” dinner party I hosted last month.

Don't forget about the giveaway here of the e-book “Me Raw-You Cooked” by Emma and Rod MacDougall

Oh, my goodness I almost forgot! My eldest daughter, Jordan turns 19 today. Happy Birthday, Jordan, I love you baby!

Also, Man on the Raw has a birthday tomorrow and I know for a fact he (he would never admit it) would love your well wishes on his blog here.

Is it just me or are there really talented singers on American Idol. Wow, this is the first time I have watched AI faithfully and I am amazed by the talent. Was it like this in past seasons? Tell me.

The only censure I would have is Randy starting his comments with “So, yo.” or “Dawg, yo.” or “Dude, yo” Yo, what’s up with that?

I predict that Crystal Bowersox will take it all. I think she is fabulous, she seems down-to-earth and very cool.

Recipes. If my calculations are correct, these three recipes will complete all the recipes by Matt Amsden from the Complete Book of Raw Food endeavor. Here and here are his others. I have stopped numbering the recipes but if you would like to see how many recipes I have completed, check it out here.
On the pierogi, I had a tough time with the jicama slicing even after bringing out my heavy-duty mandoline. I couldn’t get a full “paper-thin” round at times. So I took the thicker rounds (about ¼-inch) and cut them in half. No worries.

Other than that...

Man on the Raw adored the Cheese Pierogi, p. 118, he ate them up something fierce. The children adored the Carob Walnut Fudge. p. 292, and I nearly fell off my juice feast lusting after the Seaweed Chowder, p. 102. My taste buds are obsessed with seaweed.

Thanks to everyone who are sharing their raw commuities, keep them coming.