Friday Raw Food News

Shadow & Light: Your Soul Year
I have a lot to tell you about today so I am just going to jump in! First, I want to introduce you to a project that I just completed with my dear friend, Amy Oscar. Her words have always taken my breath away. She wites in a way that speaks to your heart and opens your mind.
We took her words and combined them with my images to create a beautiful card set for your thoughts and inspiration.
This is a month-by-month card set created to help deepen and strengthen your life journey.
We’ve designed this card set to be open-ended and undated. Though the images are seasonal, the messages and the journey are eternal. The set can be picked up at any time of year – or in years to come. They will become a friend, a refuge. Make yourself a cup of tea, sit down with the beautiful image and meditate on the words.
Use the cards to stimulate questions, to deepen your personal spiritual practice, or as journaling and discussion prompts. Carry a card in your pocket. Keep them on your night table or your desk.
With my beautiful nature photography, the set arrives in a clear plastic jewel case (like a CD). It contains 12 cards – one for each month – each bearing a theme – and a soul activity – that is both seasonal and timeless.
For more pictures, information and to order, click here: Your Soul Year
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Last night, I had the honor of being interviewed by Cher Till. She has a weekly radio show, “Healthy Shots with Cher”  about raw food and health. If you would like to listen to a rebroadcast of the show, you will find it here: Healthy Shots with Coach Cher. There is a quick commercial and the show will start. Thanks so much to Cher for a wonderful hour filled with interesting questions and fun!
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Last, I am so excited to let you know that The Best of Rawmazing 2009/2010 is almost ready to be released. It is a collection of all of the recipes on the site with beautiful pictures, chapters on setting up your kitchen, kitchen equipment, ingredients, etc. I have had so many requests to put all of the recipes in one place, and I am finally doing it. It is over 250 pages of fun, food and facts! Keep your eyes out for more information!
Tagged as: raw food recipes
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Eggplant Chips with Cucumber Dip

I know I have hit on a really good raw food recipe when I can barely get the dish photographed because I want to eat it. So, if I tell you I should have taken more pictures of this one, you get the drift. The flavors compliment each other beautifully. The spicy chips love the cool cucumber dip. And the final addition of cumin to the cucumber dip (thanks Mom) was the perfect touch. These make a great appetizer, meal or beautiful addition to your entertaining raw  food recipe collection.
Eggplant Chips
2 eggplants, peeled and sliced thin1/4 cup olive oil1/2 cup water1 tablespoon agave nectar1 teaspoon smoked paprika1/2 teaspoon chipotle
1. Place sliced eggplant in bowl.
2. Mix all of the rest of the ingredients together, pour over eggplant.
3. Marinate over night, stirring occasionally to coat.
4. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour, reduce heat to 116 and dehydrate until crisp, about 6-8 more hours. (Don’t worry about starting at a higher temperature. The food never gets to that temp and is still raw.)
Cucumber Cumin Dip
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsedYoung thai coconut, flesh from1/4 to 1/2 cup water1/2 lemon, juice from1 clove garlicpinch Himalayan Salt and pepper1 cup cucumber, diced to 1/4 inch pieces1 teaspoon cumin1 tablespoon parsley
1. Place cashews, water and coconut flesh, lemon juice and garlic in food processor. Process until smooth.
2. Remove from food processor to bowl. Mix in salt and pepper (to taste), cucumber, cumin and parsley.
3. Serve with eggplant chips.
For more great appetizers check out the recipe list here: Rawmazing Recipes
Tagged as: healthy recipes, organic, raw food, raw food diet, raw food recipes
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How Raw Foods Work For Me

There is a huge debate going on in the raw food community right now about how to eat. Do you eat a 100% raw diet? 50% raw? Do you include cooked food, should you eat meat? Can you thrive on a 100% raw food diet? Have I failed if I am not 100%? Can I get any benefit if I only include small amounts of raw?
I find it all exhausting. Take another step back and include all of the information we get bombarded with on a daily basis from the food industry that is misleading and inaccurate, how is a person supposed to figure out how to eat? I have a suggestion. Become aware of what your body needs.
Everyone has a different constitution. You need to find out what works for your constitution. I have become very aware of what works for me. In the summer, I eat almost 100% raw. In the winter, I like to supplement with cooked food, but in a very specific way which I will talk about a little later. I am finding that this works for me. Do I stick to it all the time? No. And here is where it becomes interesting. When ever I do deviate, my body rebels, instantly.
Your body speaks to you, all the time. But you need to become aware and figure out how to listen. If you know my back story, I waited until my body was screaming at me. Shortness of breath, horrible acid reflux, weight gain, sore swollen joints and fatigue were all symptoms that I was experiencing from the way I was eating. I knew I needed a drastic change and I made one. I went 100% raw. Luckily, it was summer and many wonderful raw foods were available.
Here is what happened. I felt amazing. I lost weight. All of my symptoms went away. It was fantastic and it gave me a really good set point for how I could feel. I kept up pretty much a 90-100% raw diet for quite a while. It was amazing. Then some interesting things happened. The first thing was that I started missing some of the food that I was used to. Cooked food. I also was having trouble navigating social events such as dinner at friends, or eating out. Lastly, winter hit. I found myself craving warm, cooked food.
I went though quite a few “ups and downs”, good food times and bad food times. I have finally figured out what works for me. But before I go into that, what I really want to stress is that I had to figure out what it felt like to really feel good, before I could realize when I wasn’t. Make sense?
Once I cleaned out, after I was actually raw for a period of time, I created a set point. A point where I felt great. So, now when I eat food that isn’t optimal for me, my body tells me immediately. So my first and most important suggestion is to clean your diet up. Spend some time getting off of all processed food, grains, and refined sugars. Really up your raw food percentage and eat very clean for at least 21 days. See how it feels. Remember how it feels. Use that as your base line. (Check back in March, we will be doing a 21 day cleanse.) Learn how to listen to your body.
What works for me? 90-100% raw in the summer, with some supplemented cooked food in the winter. When I say supplemented, I don’t mean a completely cooked meal. I mean a meal that is mostly raw with some cooked thrown in for warmth and that hearty feel. Even in the dead of the winter, I don’t feel good consuming a completely cooked meal. Which makes sense because I love raw foods so much!
Tagged as: gluten free, raw food, raw food diet, raw food recipes, vegan recipes
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Finding Your Raw Groove

I have a pattern. It seems to happen to me every year, right about now. First, I start to get a little cabin fever. Then, to add insult to injury, I put on a pair of pants, or look in the mirror and all of the slack I have cut myself over the Christmas holidays has caught up 10 fold. My 80-90% raw diet has turned into 40-50%, and the food that I am eating that is not raw is not healthy.
I am not always 100% raw. Nor are most of the raw food leaders that you know. Sometimes I am, especially in the spring, summer and most of the fall. At that time of year I follow a 95-100% raw diet. But when the winter hits, living where I do, I start incorporating more cooked foods.
Finding high quality fresh produce that hasn’t been trucked for thousands of miles is next to impossible where I live in the winter. The prices go through the roof. Combined with that,  I crave warm, dense foods. Root vegetables, and hearty beans and grains. If I stopped there, I would be ok. But then the holidays hit and I indulge. And little by little, the unhealthy temptations sneak in and before I know it, I need a reset. I need to find my Raw Food Groove.
What is a Raw Food Groove? The most important thing to know is that it is different for everyone. It is figuring out how raw food can  fit into your life-style in an easily maintainable way.  It isn’t about being 100%, unless that is your raw groove. It is about health. It is about figuring out how to make it work, so we don’t give up.
That is where finding your RAW FOOD GROOVE comes in. It is all about figuring out how to make incorporating more raw food into your diet can work for you. Over the next month, I am going to be working on my raw groove and I invite you follow along, take notes and work on finding your raw food groove.
Tomorrow, I am starting my reset. For a week, I will be detoxing. No grains, beans, or processed sugars. I don’t eat animals but if I did, they would be eliminated for this week, too. I will be eating fruit, veggies, some nuts and that’s about it. Hmmmm…sounds remarkably like my 100% raw diet! I am allowing for some cooked foods, soups, etc. Just cleaning out.
If you want to join me, would love to help you find your raw groove too!
A quick note: Voting for The Best of Raw ends tonight at midnight. You can vote for Rawmazing in the following categories: Best Raw Gourmet Chef (Susan Powers), Best Raw Website: Rawmazing (under media) and also Best Raw Book, Rawmazing Desserts (under media). Vote here: Best of Raw 2010.
Tagged as: gluten free recipes, healthy recipes, raw food cooking, raw food diet, raw food recipes, vegan recipes
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Marinated Zucchini with Veggies

I love using my spiral cutter to make raw food “noodles”, and zucchini makes the best “noodles” for your raw food recipes. The only problem is they lack in flavor. When you are just using them as a base for a flavorful sauce, it isn’t an issue. But when they become a center item for your raw food recipe, they need a little help.
I decided to make a dish using marinated zucchini. It is amazing how much zing a little marinade can give to these noodles. Since I was craving a clean recipe, the filling had to be tasty but light. You eat this for lunch or warm it in the dehydrator for diner.

Marinated Zucchini with Veggies
Marinade
2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon agave (or sweetener of choice)1 teaspoon grated ginger1/3 cup olive oil1 teaspoon thyme
1. Mix all ingredients together.
Mushrooms:
2 cups portabello mushrooms1/4 cup olive oil3 tablespoons nama shoyu2 tablespoons agave, or sweetener of choice
1. Cut mushrooms into slices
2. Mix together olive oil, nama shoyu and sweetener. Pour over mushrooms and marinate overnight.
Assembly:
2 zucchinis, spiralized2 carrots, grated2 scallions, thinly slicedmarinated mushrooms, see above1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1. Place zucchini noodles in bowl, pour marinade over noodles and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Drain noodles and place in a circle on the plate.
3. Mix together carrots, scallions, mushrooms and pumpkin seeds. Place in the center of the noodle nest.
Tagged as: raw food, raw food diet, raw food recipes
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Winter Pick Me Up Sale

Weekend E-Book Sale!
It always happens at this time of year. And because of my love of winter, it always surprises me. I hit the winter wall and get a touch of cabin fever. I have to shake things up a bit, usually by going to the conservatory and photographing flowers or diving into something new to inspire me.
I wanted to give you a little something to shake up your winter doldrums so I am offering the Rawmazing Dessert E-Book and also the Holiday E-Book for more that 20% off through the weekend. If you don’t have either of these books yet, now is a great time to order them. A little inspiration for you and your raw food diet.
Rawmazing Desserts E-Book: 14.99
Sale has ended
Rawmazing Holiday E-Book: 9.95
Sale has ended
Have a wonderful weekend!
Tagged as: healthy recipes, raw food diet, raw food recipes, vegan recipes
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Soon to be Released!

I was going to post a recipe for pears with pistachio cream and chocolate sauce today but I got started late and the pistachio cream just hasn’t set up yet. You will get that recipe tomorrow! And I do apologize for the site being a little quiet this week but I have been up to my eyeballs putting the final touches on my latest project!
My next book, Rawmazing Easy Raw Food just got sent to the printer and will be released very soon! I am really excited about this collection of raw food recipes and information. I was inspired to put this book together by all of the emails I received requesting that I do a book all of the recipes from Rawmazing.  After months of work, and over 230 pages of recipes and information, the collection is done. I am excited.
Honestly, I can’t wait to have a copy of the book in my kitchen. To be able to have 2 years worth of recipes, right at my fingertips will be so convenient. And what a great way to share these raw food recipes with your friends! To see two years worth of recipes in one place blew me away. Every one with the quality and ease that you have come to love and expect from Rawmazing.
The book is beautiful, stunning design, great color pictures and chapters on kitchen equipment, pantry set up, ingredients and more! You will thrilled. I am even more excited to let you know that the book will be available 3 ways. The Deluxe Print Book is a full color book, the B&W copy has a full color cover and a black and white interior. I decided to offer the book both ways so there is a more economical version available. The third way to get the book will be a PDF download.
Look for more information next week! And make sure you stop come back tomorrow for one of my favorite recipes, Pears with pistachio cream and chocolate sauce!
Tagged as: raw food, raw food cooking, raw food diet, raw food recipes
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Sotheby’s Artful Living and Rawmazing!

Every time I see something about raw food in main stream media, I get excited. Today, I am really excited. Sotheby’s Artful Living magazine highlighted Rawmazing in their winter food issue. To see the on-line version and the article, click here: Artful Living Rawmazing.  You can zoom in.

I also have a photo shoot that starts on page 77. I photographed 5 of the top Minneapolis chefs and their food. I can’t figure out which one I am more excited about.

Upcoming Classes:

I will be teaching Intro to Raw Foods, sessions 1 and 2 starting next Saturday, January 22nd. The follow up class will be January 29th. There is a discount if you take both classes. It will be a great series. We will be covering raw food basics, why, how, kitchen equipment, setting up raw pantries, techniques to make raw quick and easy plus some great recipes. Each attendee will get a spiral bound book of all the information we cover and recipes. More information can be found here: Rawmazing Classes.

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Finding Your Raw Food Balance

A good friend of mine posted a comment today on her Facebook page. She made tacos with walnuts and her ph level was more acidic. She was wondering if it was the walnuts. It could very well have been because walnuts are very acidic. But they also contain tons of health promoting nutrients. The good and the bad?

Let’s look at spinach, one of the most nutrient rich vegetables out there. It is full of vitamins, minerals and phyto nutrients. Spinach contains nutrients that fight inflammation and cancer. It also is full of anti-oxidants. Calorie for calorie it is said to have more nutrients than any other food. Sounds perfect? Not quite.

Spinach is one of the vegetables that is on the dirty dozen list, meaning one of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that pesticides are most frequently found on. Spinach also has measurable amounts of oxalates. Oxalates can cause problems for people with kidney issues and also interfere with calcium adsorption. It also contains purines which can lead to a build up of uric acid.

So, here we have the good and the bad of spinach. And lately, it seems you can read negative and positive about almost everything we put in our mouths. And I am talking about the healthy stuff.  So what do we do? Stop eating all together? Well, then we are left with air and water and everyone knows about the pollution issues associated with that!

Ok…I was a little tongue in cheek there but I think you can catch my drift. How do we deal with all of the information that bombards us? Moderation. Balance. Eat your spinach but not every day of the week, or at the exclusion of other greens. Mix it up. Go for variety. Eat a lot of different foods so you can get the different benefits from all of them. Cover your bases, so to speak. Oh…and buy organic spinach.

Tagged as: organic, raw food, raw food diet, raw food recipes, vegan, vegan recipes

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BBQ Brown Rice Crackers

I have gotten numerous emails requesting the raw food recipe for the crackers pictured in the cheese post on January 6th. They were a new experiment that I tried that turned out better than I could have hoped for. I used organic, long grain brown rice for the flour, chia seeds for the binder and flavored them with a wonderful BBQ spice mix. These crackers have a wonderful, crisp texture that reminds me of brown rice crackers I have bought in the store. They are also gluten free! Another great addition to your raw food recipe collection!

I am lucky enough to have a flour mill from Sunrise Flour Mills to grind the brown rice in. You can buy stone ground brown rice flour at your coop. If it is stone ground, it shouldn’t have been interfered with. I love my mill and will be trying many other grains to see what fun combinations I can come up with.

Brown Rice Almond BBQ Crackers

2 cups brown rice flour1 cup almonds, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed1/2 cup cup chia seeds soaked in 1 cup water4 tablespoons bbq spice mix*

1. Place almonds in food processor and process until they resemble a fine crumb. Remove to bowl.

2.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Combine well.

3. Spread on non-stick sheets about 1/4 – inch thick. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour, reduce heat to 115 and dehydrate, flipping once during dehydration for 6-8 more hours or until dry. Don’t worry about compromising the raw status, the food temperature never gets above 115 in that first hour.

*I use BBQ spice mix from Penzey’s spices.

Tagged as: gluten free, gluten free recipes, raw food diet, raw food recipes, vegan recipes

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