How to Make Tasty Green Smoothies

A simple tidbit that helps with making green smoothies everyday: use mostly fruits with soluble fiber and your green smoothies will turn out creamy and delicious instead of bitter, chunky and watery. With that info in mind, you can make up many of your own recipes.

If you are just getting started with green smoothies, I recommend getting the original book on green smoothies. Or the Green Smoothie iphone App is great to use everyday for recipe ideas.

Black & White Cookies

The raw version.

I decided to try the old new york classic cookie from a raw perspective. Made from cashews, macadamia nuts and shredded coconut, topped with half vanilla coconut frosting and half cacao frosting. Sweet and salty and filling! Can only eat a few of these at a time, and tasty at that.

Recipe from Everyday Raw Desserts by Matthew Kenney.

Quinoa Salad

Some cooked and some raw

Cooked quinoa with steamed baby zucchini and corn, with raw carrot, tomato, basil and scallions.

Super easy to make and good to eat warm or cold. Recipe from Raw and Beyond.

Triple C Cookies

Raw cookies made from coconut, chia seeds and cacao.

A healthier raw cookie, made with virtually no nuts (with the exception of 2 tablespoons of nut butter), but packed with chia and coconut which makes them tasty, chewy and high in omega 3's.

Recipe is from Raw and Beyond.

Raw Pea Soup

Very simple and tasty recipe from Raw and Beyond, by Elaina Love. Perfect for the summertime.

1 bag frozen peas, defrosted
1 1/2 cups hot water
1-2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons hempseeds
2 teaspoons flaxseed oil

Blend in a blender or food processor and serve.

Green Smoothies for days

It's been over a month and I'm still going strong on the green smoothies.  I've been having them everyday, and I make enough in the morning to sip them for a good chunk of my day. I have been just making them up as I go now that I know what flavor combinations I like. I haven't been photographing them or anything I've making for that matter because it hasn't been that exciting to show you all :)

I've been eating very simply in the evenings as well in the last few weeks. I'll make a dinner such as beans, a grain and steamed veggies, or a big salad, or a lightly steamed sweet potato with minced raw veggies on top. I've been enjoying going out a little bit more now that I've been including some cooked food back into my diet. But even when going out, I try to eat pretty simply and find dishes that pack more nutrients. (I do hope however to make some more exciting dishes soon to show you all so stay tuned :)

For my green smoothies, I try to hit up a farmers market every week to get a different variety of greens that I can't find at the grocery store, in order to fully be able to rotate my green intake. There I have been finding lamb's quarters, dandelion, miner's lettuce, sorrel, vitamin greens, russian kale (younger and softer than normal kale), purslane, chickory, mustard greens, and sprouts. And then at the store I can easily find arugula, kale, spinach, romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, chard, beet greens, and bok choy. 

For fruit, I typically pick up a big bunch of bananas, and then some apples, pears, mango, pineapple, strawberries, and peaches and then switch it up with different berries, kiwi, papaya and whatever I can find. 

I was making 2 or three kinds a day and only having 1/3 or 1/2 of each batch,  in order to have different flavors in a day. But I found that I don't mind sipping on the same smoothie for a while as long as its tasty. That way I can make one smoothie in the morning and finish it that day and can start with a fresh one the next day instead of having left overs.  The fresher the better in terms of having the nutrients at their best for consumption.

I tend to always have a banana in my smoothies and switch up everything else, just because they create a nice sweet and creamy base. I've done just apples and pears and that was really boring and too watery tasting so I found that something sweeter and creamier mixed with apples and pears is good. 

For spicy or bitter greens I found that mango or pineapple are really good for cutting through the spice or bitterness. Then I add whatever fruit I think is good with them. I try to not use both mango and pineapple because they are so sweet on their own.

For more neutral tasting greens, you are good to use any fruit as your base. 

Overall, I try to use no more than 3 or 4 fruits in my smoothies because the simpler the ingredients, the more your body can absorb all the nutrients of the smoothie and not be bogged down with too much work. So feel free to experiment! Green smoothies are a simple thing to make, just focus on rotating your greens, and keeping the smoothie simple. Also, try to consume them on their own and not along with other food so that your stomach can just focus on getting the good stuff from the smoothies. Green smoothies are a complete food with their nutrient content and fiber so don't worry about only having a smoothie in your stomach.

Greens + fruit + water = fun timez

Check out my previous post on green smoothies here and of course I encourage you to learn from the original creator of the green smoothie, Victoria Boutenko, on her green smoothie blog.

Green Smoothies

After exploring more of Victoria Boutenko's writings about green smoothies, I decided to do a week or two cleanse of sorts, primarily consuming green smoothies. I have been learning more about the nutritional powers of greens, the simple thing we all know but still don't give enough importance to. I wanted to see what it felt like if I got a better amount of them.

Green smoothies are a fun way to get your greens for the day. You simply just mix fruit with greens and water so that the greens taste better and that you are able to consume more of them. Green smoothies are a complete food, they have all the vitamins and fiber you need. They are better than eating a salad because oils or fats from dressings and avocado can slow down digestion and nutrient absorption. You are able to consume more greens in a day if they are already broken down for you in a blender. For example, Victoria's research suggests to consume 1/2 -1 bunch greens via smoothies or 2 bunches via normal chewing a day, (eating two bunches of raw kale or spinach is INSANE). People have cured "incurable" diseases and ailments simply buy consuming green smoothies!

Hell, what did I have to loose but to feel even better than I have already. And I have. Already being mostly raw the last few months, this wasn't a huge step but I have noticed a difference in my energy levels eating more greens compared to eating more nuts and heavier raw foods. I am definitely convinced that a couple green smoothies a day is a great way to continue feeling great and being healthy.

You can learn all about green smoothies, like recipes, benefits, common questions on Victoria's blog. She also has a iphone app called Green smoothies, by Raw Family, which is great.

Here are my smoothies from the week. Each recipe typically made enough for 2 or 3 days, and I rotated them daily in order to rotate my greens. I made these up inspired from Victoria's recipes.

Apple, pear, banana, miner's lettuce.

Strawberry, banana, assorted shoots (sunflower, broccoli, pea, asian).

Strawberry, banana, sorrel.

Mango, orange, banana, mustard greens.

Apple, banana, strawberry, russian kale.

You can make green puddings too. 

Coconut water and meat, blueberries, pear, purslane, psyllium husk.

NYC Farmer's Market

Headed to the Union Square Farmer's Market yesterday. It's open every mon, wed, fri and sat. It has quite a big selection of vendors and it's open until 6pm on saturday which is nice for sleeping in.

<<<>>>

My scores for the day: sorrel, purslane, russian kale, mustard greens and mixed shoots (sunflower, asian, broccoli, sweet pea).

Apple Cinnamon Donut Holes

Made from almond flour, shredded coconut,  and apples.

These were fun and easy to make. I always love a fake rendition of common American food. :)

The recipe calls for dates as the main sweetener, which before dehydrating was enough but after, they were not sweet enough to my liking. So I rolled them in palm nectar and cinnamon to make them a little sweeter. The coconut oil in the recipe combined with the warmness of them coming out of the dehydrator, gave them a nice baked flavor.

Recipe from Everyday Raw Desserts, by Matthew Kenney.

Cauliflower Stuffing and Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower Stuffing with carrot, onion, celery and pecans. Brussel Sprouts marinated in flax oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper.

These are a couple side dish recipes from Living Raw Food, by Sarma Melngailis that are intended for Thanksgiving. It was a chilly not so spring week last week, and this fit the mood. She has other recipes for Thanksgiving as well, such as a veggie mash, marinated mushrooms, and cranberry sauce.

These two dishes were easy to make and tasty, and I would make them again for Thanksgiving. The stuffing tasted a lot like stuffing, I did add tamari to the recipe to give it more flavor but other than that, a great recipe. The brussel sprouts were easy, slightly sweet (I added less maybe syrup than the recipe called for) and savory. Both dishes were put in the dehydrator which solidified the flavors, warmed them and gave them a golden brown texture. The dehydrator is great for that.

The Best Smoothie I've Ever Made

Kale, coconut, banana, hemp milk, almond butter, maca powder.

More please.

I made this one up inspired by a coconut kale smoothie I used to get in LA, but added hemp milk and maca powder to bump it up a bit.

Super yum town and really good for you.

1 fresh coconut, water and meat

1/2 bunch kale

2 bananas, frozen preferably

1 cup unsweetened hemp milk

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 1/2 teaspoons maca powder

blend it up.

I've recently been enjoying maca powder for, as David Wolfe writes, 

"its ability to balance and stabilize the body's glandular-hormonal system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and musculature". 

It has a sweet malty taste that I think compliments creamier smoothies, sweet snacks or desserts.

Fruit Sorbet

Mango, mixed berry and banana (topped with shredded coconut)

SUPER easy to make.

Cut up fresh fruit and freeze it. Put frozen fruit through a juicer with the solid (non screen) plate in. It turns the frozen fruit into a nice creamy texture.

Done.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds really are amazing, and are gaining recognition as of late for good reason. They were once a staple of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures, along with the Native Americans of the southwest. They are high in omega 3's and 6's, protein, calcium, potassium, iron, and antioxidants.

Other benefits according to Raw Reform, are that the provide energy, boost strength, bolster endurance,  level blood sugar, induce weight loss, and aid intestinal regularity.

When put the seeds in liquid, they absorb the liquid and develop a gummy halo, which makes them very hydrating when consumed. This halo is removed slowly by the digestive system, keeping the colon hydrated while releasing electrolytes and nutrients. 

They are virtually flavorless making them great to add to anything you want. I like to add them to a cold sun tea with lemon and agave. 

High Raw

I just finished reading a very important book written by three long term raw food pioneers, called Raw & Beyond, How Omega-3 Nutrition Is Transforming the Raw Food Paradigm. It talks about the importance of focusing more on balancing omega 3's and 6's, and incorporating in cooked food if necessary. They all found that about 6-7 years into a 100% raw diet, that their health was not as tip top as it had been. They each individually discovered on their own that they were needing more omega 3's in their diet. They discovered that that was the one thing that a 100% raw diet couldn't provide for them in a sustainable way.

For example, raw foodists turn to nuts to get enough calorie intake, to get healthy fats and to keep them feeling full. But with more reaserch they discovered that most nuts were high in omega 6's, which ironically, if too much is consummed, it counteracts the Omega 3's that are consummed. One of the authors even started feeling nauseous at the even thought of eating nuts. She started listening to her body and cut back on her nut intake and like the others, did more research on how to improve her diet.

Despite possible scruitany, they looked to a few cooked foods, like quinoa, millet, various beans and vegetables that are a little easier to consume lightly cooked, like broccoli, bok choy, and sweet potatoes. They decided it was better to eat some of these foods that are omega balanced or a have a good amount of omega 3's, than to eat more nuts or oils that were high in omega 6's. They decided to evolove into what they call a "High Raw" diet, or a diet consisting of 80-95% raw foods.

I was relieved to read this for many reasons.
One - I was glad to receive such important nutrition information early in my raw food "journey".  I've thought about omega 3's and their importance but didn't know much about them or took them very seriously.
Two - It is more sustainable in the long run to be able to eat out at more places, or more easily with non raw foodists.
Three - I too had moments of feeling like my body was trying to tell me to ease off the nuts, just in my short time of eating all raw. I had mild moments of nausea, feeling dehydrated, tiredness, and now I know why.  Just since incorportating in more omega 3 heavy ingredients, I haven't felt those things and I'm back to feeling consistantly good.

Some foods that are high in Omega 3's that are good to focus on getting more of:

greens greens and more greens
chia seeds
hemp seeds/milk
flax seeds/meal/oil
kidney beans
walnuts

Eating a high raw diet might also be easier for newcomers to transition into raw food as well. There is less pressure to be 100%, all or nothing. I echo the authors in the book, and still value the importance of a mostly raw food diet, for its low inflammatory, high enzyme, high nutritional makeup. So I focus on eating raw first, getting enough omega 3's and welcome more lightly cooked foods when I am needing them.

One dish I made last week that was partially raw and partially cooked:

Modified Macro Plate

Raw kale, wakame and arame on top of cooked quinoa, black beans, and lightly steamed sweet potato, topped with raw tahini dressing and avocado. First time I had beans in 2 months! I was definitely glad to give the cashews a break for a night.

You can find more info from Victoria Boutenko about omega 6's and 3's here.

Watermelon Mint Cooler

A nice simple bev I threw together the other night. It's good by itself and a great base for a cocktail too.

1/4 watermelon, fruit removed from rind and chopped
juice of one lime
1/2 cup mint leaves
16 oz coconut water

 Blend it all in a blender. Just make sure to drink separately from food, as melons take over your stomach when you are digesting, and do not combine well in your stomach with other things. A good 1-2 hour window from other stuff is preferable.

 For cocktails, would be great with vodka, gin, rum or tequila.

Why I Do It

I have been blessed with overall good health and an upbringing of open mindedness, good nutrition and accessibility to healthy food. My family went vegetarian when I was 13 simply because we thought it would be healthier. Since then I have continued to be vegetarian for 18 years, and within that I was strict vegan for 6 and for another 5 years, was a mixture of vegetarian/vegan/raw. I have to say that I have always felt my best when I ate mostly raw foods.

I first became aware of the raw diet when my uncle was diagnosed with cancer. His wife, having a history of raw food eating and detoxing introduced the practice to him. With a variety of detoxing, healing herbs, ph awareness/balance and a raw food diet, he was able to cure his stage one colon cancer.

A couple years later, I moved to LA and was living with my uncle, his wife and my cousin in our family/my grandparents home. My uncles wife and daughter would prepare a variety of raw foods for him and I got introduced to a lot of things just by being around that. I learned about juicing, blending, dehydrating, sprouting, and ph balancing. It was something I eventually tried on my own, simply out of an interest in being more healthy.

I did a long cleanse and ate raw afterwards for a few months. It wasn't until I started introducing certain foods back into my diet that I learned that my body didn't prefer them. I "can" eat things like sugar, dairy, soy, and wheat without having major problems but i now KNOW all the intricacies of why they are not good for me. And I can tell the differences in how I feel, and I don't like it. Also, in once having a partner with candida, I learned a lot about foods that can grow bad bacteria and cause problems to the intestines and your overall health. Not surprisingly, I found some major similarities in the foods that cause candida and in the foods that I was starting to learn about, which only furthered my interest in eating better.

So I have been healthier since then, taking breaks from cooked food, limiting my dairy, wheat, soy and sugar intake, and doing cleanses at least twice a year. I figure why not try to PREVENT problems from happening instead of ignoring what might happen if I continue to eat an American FDA approved diet.

Improvements I have experienced by eating a more nutritionally dense, ph balanced and inflammation free diet include:

almost no back pain and tension from my scoliosis
no crazy mood swings or anxiety attacks. I have overall emotional balance and happiness
feeling inspired on a daily basis
stable energy levels, no need for stimulants
no cravings for unhealthy food
clear radient skin free of eczema (which I used to have a small amount on my face)
ph balance (I was always a tad on the acid side, which can be a breeding ground for disease)
no yeast/bacteria imbalance
good check ups at the doctors including the dentist!
sick only once a year or less
a feeling of self control and pride about being in charge of my own health
piece of mind knowing that I'm treating my body the best I can (a priceless feeling)

In the contrary when I have eaten wheat, sugar, soy and dairy for an extended amount of time I have experienced:

moodiness or irritability
sugar addiction
bloating/blahness
felt temporary lumps in my breasts and breast tenderness for long periods of time (SCARY)
severe back pain and muscle inflammation
ichy dry skin and breakouts
chronic, week lasting coughs after having a cold
mild depression, lack of motivation to go out and be social
guilt about how I was treating my body

When you know things, when you have researched nutrition, eating in not so healthy ways isn't as fun after a while. Sure I love to try all kinds of food, especially differing cultural foods, but in terms of my daily regime, I try to treat my body the best I have found for myself.

Which speaking of, I firmly believe that everybody is their OWN best judge for what is best for them. I have never been interested in imposing beliefs of dietary habits on people especially fueled by fatphobia, classism, and racism. There are limits in the world to the amount of information and accessibility to food for people that is very real, that makes everyones situation different. I personally love to share my experiences and hearing about others and hopefully we can all take charge of our own health, in the ways in which we feel fit for ourselves; but that is certainly limited by accessibility to such things. Further, being vegetarian for 18 years, I 'm definitely used to being around differing lifestyles and accepting of varying eating habits and know first hand that judgement and isolation are the worst things for anyone!

So I continue to find what is best for me, and I hope you can find what's best for you. I can only hope for self love and empowerment, for EVERYONE. We don't need that other shit.

Raw Food Testimonials

I recently watched a documentary called Reversing the Irreversible, the Remake, by Valya Boutenko. It simply shows interviews of several people who have suffered from everything from IBS, diabetes, rare lung diseases, skin diseases, to cancer, and who have CURED such ailments simply by drinking green smoothies and eating a raw diet. All of these people have come off their medication and have drastically expanded their life spans from it, its mind blowing?!

Its one thing to read about the benefits of raw food, but its another to hear story after story or remarkable changes told by the people themselves. Frankly I balled my eyes out for the first half because I couldn't get over how wonderful it was to hear of peoples sufferings and ailments being treated and cured simply by eating what nature has always provided for us. I mean, intuitively I have believed this, wanted to believe this, but I have received so many messages against this from everything and everyone around me. Its a wonderful thing, a validating thing to hear testimonials on the subject, which personally will continue to help inspire me and fight the isolation I feel sometimes on the subject.

I learn the best through my own personal experiences but I am always moved to hear personal experiences told by others. There are hundreds of people who eat raw, and who are benefitting from it and we still hardly hear about it. As cheesy as it sounds, I'm here to tell you that you are not alone. And if you are looking to be convinced on why raw food is good in any way, this film will def do the trick.

The trailer:



"Reversing the Irreversible is a documentary featuring 37 people who have healed illnesses believed to be incurable by medical professionals. The participants of this film share their unbelievable recovery stories from conditions such as obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, colitis, psoriasis, cancer, and many more. Find out what these people did to reverse the irreversible in this captivating new documentary."

The film can be ordered online here.

More Truffles

This time I experimented and created my own flavors: coconut sea salt, orange cacao, and lavender cacao.

Mind blowing! and so easy

I used the same recipe as before, split into thirds and:

For coconut sea salt, add a 1/4 tsp more salt and roll in coconut instead of cacao powder.

For orange, just add 1 tablespoon of orange zest (preferably organic as conventional oranges have pesticides imbedded in their peels), decor with more zest.

For lavender, add 1/2 tsp lavender extract, roll in cacao powder.

Recipe from Living Raw Food.

Sushi

Rice made from sprouted sunflower seed pate, rolled with carrots, cucumbers, avo and sprouts. Technically the nori sheets are roasted but they are still very good for you!

Recipe from Fresh: The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook.

Wild Rice Pilaf

This is one of my favorite dishes, I make it pretty often. Its filling and savory and I love the chewiness of the sprouted wild rice.




You do have to soak the wild rice for three days, but if you plan ahead, the recipe is quite easy. On the third day, you just rinse the rice and add the remaining ingredients. It doesn't require any equipment and it can be made in 15 minutes.

Recipe is from Raw Food for Real People, by Rotondi.

Raw Brownies

This was a pretty easy recipe and they turned out great. Blend it all up, spread it in a baking pan and "bake" in the bottom of a dehydrator for a bit. I added shredded coconut and walnut pieces to the recipe as well for texture.



Also another great thing to pair ice cream with :)

Recipe from Everyday Raw.

Raw Pesto Pizza

Holy crap was this good!

I made a herbed flax crust with pesto sauce, topped with arugula, roma tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, hearts of palm, and black olives.



Got the first few layers going



Finished adding the rest and put it back in the dehydrator to warm up and slightly "cook"



And she's done.

Crust recipe from Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney.

Pesto recipe:

1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Blend it all in a food processor and spread on dehydrated crust.

Tamari Almonds

Quick recipe for a savory and addictive snack.

2 cups almonds
1/4 cup tamari or braggs
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Then spread in one lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 104 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Recipe from Ani's Raw Food Essentials.

Beet Rawvioli's

Beet rawvioli's stuffed with pine nut cheese, in a rosemary cream sauce and served with a mâche and pea shoot salad.

The rawvioli's were reasonably quick to make, other than the fact that the slicing of the beets was a total pain. I actually have a restaurant grade mandoline and I had difficulties getting consistant full beet slices. The beets were so hard that I had to push really hard on them against the slicer in order to slice a complete circle. Physically exhausting and a waste of the beets. This reason alone is probably enough for me to not attempt this recipe again. Its unfortunate because the cheese stuffing and sauce were good. In itself it was a great recipe, but technically it was hard to complete.




Fortunately in the end it was enjoyed by all, which is all one can aim for :)

Recipe from Living Raw Foods.

Hempseed Corn Chips

Modified recipe from Everyday Raw. I added hempseed because it adds a nutty crunchiness and because I like to throw in as much good stuff as possible!

Requires a high speed blender and dehydrator.

1 3/4 cups flax meal
4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 1/3 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
3/4 small red onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 tablespoon sea salt + more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
pinch cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

Put flax meal and hemp seeds in large bowl. Blend all remaining ingredients except chili powder in a high speed blender until smooth. Stir in flax meal, hemp seeds and cayenne. Spread 1 cup of mixture per 1 teflon lined dehydrator tray, each should be no more than 1/8 inch thick, and you should have about 4 trays worth.

Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 12-24 hours or until completely crispy. IMPORTANT, 30 minutes after you first place in dehydrator, score out triangles with a knife and sprinkle with salt. Also, half way through you can flip the chip mixture and carefully peel off the teflon sheet, and keep dehydrating.

These turned out great! Super crispy and of course amazing with guacamole.

Lime Mousse Tart

Made this recipe from Living Raw Foods last night. It's kinda like a key lime pie but creamier. I'm not gonna lie, it took me 2.5 hours...but once again, this book did not fail me. Totally worth it.

The recipe is for four small tart pans but I made one big tart and a few smaller ones in muffin tins, why not? I worked with what I had.

First the crust:




I lined the tart pan with seran wrap so that later, I can just lift it out.



and for the filling, a LOT of avocados and lime zest





boosh

Recipe from Raw Food, Real World.

Resources

I guess I have acquired quite a collection of raw food books over the last few years :)



If you are wanting a raw food primer, something that explains the why's and how's of raw food, I recommend only the best:

The 12 Steps to Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko.

Written by one of the founders of the modern raw food movement. She raised her family raw and her kids grew up to write a few books of their own, particularly a great recipe book.

Their recipes are delicious and on the easier side to make as well. Most of the recipes don't require a lot of equipment. Any book from this family are informative and with your health priorities in mind.

Their mother Victoria, being raw for 18 years, has recently collaborated with 2 other longterm raw eaters about their experiences over the years, in a book called, Raw and Beyond. They share candid experiences on what worked and what didn't work and introduce a groundbreaking 80-95% raw or "high raw" diet perspective, in which they found to be healthier and more sustainable in the longterm. It focuses on getting more omega 3's and limiting omega 6 intake. I have found this book extremely important for anyone thinking of or practicing raw eating in the longterm.

If you want some more modern and innovative recipes, my current favorite recipe books are ones by Matthew Kenney, Sarma Melngailis and Ani Phyto.

Their recipes do call for ingredients that are a little harder to find and the use of more equipment, but I have found that everything I make from their recipes are super tasty and fun and refreshingly different from most raw recipes. But do keep in mind that the more gourmet/heavy the recipe is, the heavier the ingredients tend to be, such as nuts. Just as it is true to limit the amount you would consume of gourmet cooked food, the same is true for raw food.

Ginger Candied Pumpkin Seeds

yes!

Crunchy, made with maple syrup powder and sea salt, so they are both sweet and savory in a really good way.

Recipe from Raw Food, Real World

The Apothecary

its growing and it feels good