Raw almond milk

This recipe is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk or soy milk. You can use almonds, filberts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to make delicious milk.

Almond milk
• 1 cup raw almonds (soaked for 24 hrs in spring or purified water)
• 3 cups water
• Optional: raw honey or 2-3 pitted majool dates and vanilla to taste

Preparation: Process almonds and water in a food processor until smooth. Separate almond milk from almond pulp using either a nut milk bag or 2 to 3 layers of cheese cloth. [Almond flour and almond pulp are the same thing].

If desired, process honey or dates with the almonds and water for additional sweetness. I recommend adding sweetener to the milk after it’s separated from the pulp. This way you can use the pulp for making almond pâté or some other dish requiring almond flour.

Almond pulp can be used for almond pâté and cookies, as well as many other desserts or dehydrated goodies.

2 red and white cabbage salads

Cabbage belongs to the cruciferous family and is not just a delicious vegetable but also has cancer fighting abilities. It is very rich in vitamin A, C, E, B, iodine, calcium, potassium, magnesium and other essential nutrients. At the same time it is really low in calories. One cup of cabbage contains only around 15 calories. One can consume raw cabbage in the form of juice, sauerkraut and, of course, salads. One can use shredded cabbage as a salad base, add vegetables with different flavors and textures to it and make a new and exciting salad every time. The recipes below are great additions to any dinner or potluck party.



White cabbage salad with mango


• 4 cups shredded white cabbage
• 1 unripe mango thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 3 sprigs green onion, chopped
• ½ sweet red pepper diced
• 1 tsp thinly sliced red chili pepper (or ½ tsp of chili flakes)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp Tamari sauce (optional)


Preparation: Put cabbage into a salad mixing bowl, add sea salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Massage the cabbage until it gets softer. Add red pepper, chili pepper, parsley, onions, slices of mango and mix well. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.



Red cabbage salad


• 4 cups shredded red cabbage
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
• 3 tbsp chopped red pepper
• ½ cup grated carrot
• 3 tbsp chopped green onions
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice


Preparation: In a salad mixing bowl mix cabbage with salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Massage cabbage until it gets softer. Add cilantro or parsley, carrot, red pepper, green onions. Mix well. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Arame (seaweed) salad

Seaweeds fall into the category of superfoods because they are high in minerals, amino acids, chlorophyll and other important nutrients. I try to use seaweeds on a daily basis in salads, dips, soups, rolls or spreads. Popular seaweeds include arame, nori, wakame, dulse, hijiki, and kombu.


Arame (seaweed) salad


• 1 pack soaked arame (sold shredded)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• ½ cup shredded sweet red pepper
• 1 cup grated carrot

Sauce

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp mashed garlic
• 1 tbsp Tamari sauce
• ½ tsp finely chopped red chili pepper (optional)
• ½ tsp chopped ginger


Preparation: Prepare a sauce by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, Tamari, chopped red chili pepper and ginger. Mix all salad ingredients together with the sauce. Let sit for 15-20 min before consuming. Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Green smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to start your day, have a fresh energy drink or a snack. They are easy to make and enjoyable to drink. Most combinations of fruits, berries and water will work. The most popular fruit used in smoothies is banana since it helps to create a smooth and creamy texture. Add a cup or two of fresh greens and you’ll make your smoothie even more nutritious. Greens contain an abundance of minerals and chlorophyll while fruits are rich in vitamins. Any kind of greens will work: spinach, kale, Swiss chard, parsley, cilantro, etc. Experiment for yourself and find the flavor that you like best. Since smoothies are quick and delicious it's an appealing way to increase your greens consumption and, if you have children, you'll find that they enjoy them too. Over time, smoothie drinkers typically experience a strengthened immune system and increased energy. An added bonus is that they also help to shed extra pounds!
If you’re interested in learning more about the health benefits of raw green smoothies, read the book “Green for Life” by Victora Boutenko (www.rawfamily.com)


Basic smoothie recipe:
12 oz. of water
2 bananas
1 cup of chopped Granny Smith apples
3 cups of baby spinach


Preparation: combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Yields 3.5 cups of smoothie. Keeps in a fridge up to 3 days, but it’s best when consumed freshly made.

Note: If you wish, you can add some superfoods to smoothies. My favorite superfoods for smoothies are goji berries, bee pollen, spirulina, chlorella and blue-green algae.


Popular smoothie combinations:

1. Water, bananas, strawberry, spinach
2. Water, bananas, apple, parsley
3. Water, mango, kale
4. Water, bananas, pears, romaine lettuce
5. Water, bananas, pineapple, mixed greens

I hope you enjoy them and create your own because the variations are endless!

4 raw soup recipes

Hello!

I’d like to share with you some of my favorite raw soup recipes. I enjoy serving them at room temperature but if you prefer them a bit warmer, you can heat them up to 115 F (45 C) without destroying their nutrients. You can substitute sea salt in these recipes by using Dulse flakes (seaweed).

Enjoy!

Lela



Cream of tomato soup

• 3 cups of chopped ripe tomatoes
• ½ of chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice (optional)
• 6/7 halves of soaked sun-dried tomatoes or ½ of ripe avocado
• 1 tbsp of chopped chives or basil leaves for garnish
• Salt/pepper to taste

Preparation: Place chopped tomatoes and peppers into a blander and process until smooth. Add garlic, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes or avocado, salt/pepper and process to a creamy consistency. Garnish with chopped basil or chives. Yields 2 bowls of soup. Best when consumed fresh.


Creamy curry carrot soup

• 1 cup of fresh raw carrot juice
• 1 cup of chopped tomatoes (preferably yellow)
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ of ripe avocado
• ½ tsp of yellow curry
• ½ tsp of sea salt
• 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro for garnish
• 1 tsp of chopped fresh ginger (optional)
• White pepper to taste (optional)

Preparation: Blend carrot juice and tomatoes. Add garlic, avocado, ginger, curry powder, salt/pepper and blend until smooth. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Yields 2 bowls of soup.


Cream of beat soup

• ½ cup of fresh raw beet juice
• ½ cup of fresh raw carrot juice
• 1 cup of chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• ½ ripe avocado
• ½ tsp of sea salt
• ½ tsp of red chili flakes
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce for garnish

Preparation: Blend all the ingredients, except lettuce, together until creamy. Add shredded lettuce for garnish. Yields 2 bowls of soup.


Cream of spinach soup

• 2 cups of spinach leaves (baby spinach is the best for this dish)
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup of chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• ½ of ripe avocado
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ tsp of sea salt
• ½ tsp of red chili flakes

Preparation: Blend spinach and water. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic, salt/pepper and avocado and blend until creamy. Yields 2 bowls of soup.

Welcome to my blog (introduction)

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I’m happy to share with you what I have learned and experienced from my raw food journey so far. Being relatively healthy throughout my life, I didn't follow any particular diet and I was never interested in fads. But when I first heard about a diet based simply on eating what nature creates I got very interested. I read a lot, listened to numerous interviews and looked through many raw food websites. All of them were talking about the wonders that raw food does for the body and mind.

My first step away from a conventional diet came when I noticed all of the false data about how animal protein is necessary for the human body. I listened to medical lectures about animal-based versus plant-based nutrition and the whole idea of a vegan/vegetarian/raw food diet started to make enormous sense to me. Probably the best research I’ve done was to just switch to eating raw vegan foods and observe the results. Two years later, I’ve never felt as strong, healthy and joyful as I do now. I’ve learned that the body always heals itself if it is allowed to do so. Providing the body with proper nutrition, rest and exercise and avoiding harmful foods and environments is essential. Raw food has a light energy and consuming it makes me feel lighter both physically and mentally. Our bodies were designed to be healthy, active and to live long. All of the resources are within us.

In looking at the increasing statistics of disease in Western society, it’s clear that there needs to be a more preventative approach to disease or, better yet, a more promotive approach to health. Decades of unnatural, corporate "convenience foods" have downgraded the health of mankind and the pharmaceutical approach to dealing with the symptoms rather than the cause of disease has made the road back to stable health a foggy one for most people. A back-to-nature, commonsense approach to health can provide simple answers to seemingly complex questions.

Our bodies are built from whatever we put in them. Artificial foods, altered foods and chemicals upset the balance in our bodies. Nature lives in perfect harmony and consuming nature's unaltered creations helps restore balance in our bodies. Eating whole, ripe, raw, fresh organic foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, and sprouted grains is nourishing and healing because they provide necessary amounts of top quality vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates and fats. Cooking these foods (especially frying) destroys most of their nutrients and often creates toxins that promote numerous diseases.

A raw food diet is surprisingly versatile and delicious. Recipes abound for drinks, appetizers, entrées, desserts, and snacks. Raw foods can be chopped, sliced, blended, puréed, juiced, marinated or dehydrated (at temperatures below 46 C or 115 F) to create beautiful dishes that often require just minutes to prepare.

People all over the world are experiencing how consuming raw/live foods increases health, energy, beauty and longevity. It is my hope that this website plays a part in ushering in a new era where these improvements are commonplace.

Wishing you health and well-being,

Lela