Raw Jam

Here's a recipe to satisfy that craving for warm toast and fruity jam that you can feel good about!

This living food is a healthy alternative to store-bought, cooked jam that is filled with sugar and preservatives!

Raw Berry-licious Jam
2 cups frozen organic berries
2 Tbsp Agave, Date Paste, Coconut Nectar or other natural sweetener - do not use sugar 
1 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
pinch sea salt
3 Tbsp Chia seeds

• My favourite combination is strawberries, wild blueberries and blackberries, but you could use any frozen fruit
• First thaw the berries and then mash with a potato masher - leaving some chunks
• Add a natural sweetener (more or less to suit your taste), lemon juice, sea salt, and mix through
• Mix Chia seeds into the jam and allow to sit for 15 minutes or more to thicken
• Stored in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator, the jam will last for 1 week
• Spread Berry-licious Jam on any homemade raw bread that has been warmed in the dehydrator, or drop a dollop on top of raw cookies - and enjoy!

Day 2 - September 2012 GSC

Once you have completed your 2-day GS Challenge, please contact RawBC with "I did it and your name and town/city" in the subject line at  info@rawbc.org  so that we get a total number for those having participated.

Did you know that one pound of kale has even more protein than the USDA's recommended daily serving?

Humans need adequate amounts of 9 amino acids in their diet. Individual amino acids are found in fruits, vegetables, and especially greens - complex proteins are found in meat, dairy, and fish.

The body works less when creating protein from the assortment of individual amino acids from greens - as opposed to complex proteins where it works more creating protein from the already-combined long molecules of protein from a foreign pattern like an animal.

So a good way to cover all essential amino acids in abundance - is to eat a variety of greens in our diet!

Pear Kale GS
3 cups water
4-5 small pears
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 bunch Red Russion kale
Optional: 1/2 lemon, peeled and seeded (or lemon juice)

• Begin by adding water and fruit to blender first
• When blended add kale and blend again until smooth
• To counter the stronger taste of kale, add some lemon or lime

Nutri-Tips:
Kale is a powerhouse green with high fibre, per calorie has more iron than beef, and has Vitamin K for bone health and blood clotting. It is filled with antioxidants to help protect against various cancers, and is a great anti-inflammatory with omega-3 fatty acids. And kale also has Vitamin A for your vision and skin; Vitamin C for your immune system; and per calorie kale has more calcium than milk to aid in preventing bone loss.

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I have posted this recipe before, but it is such a refreshing version of a GS that I thought I'd share it again.

Double Orange GS
2 cups water
2 oranges, peeled and seeded
1 banana, peeled
1 cup Arugula (if you don't have Arugula, increase Spinach to 2 cups)
1 cup Spinach
1 large chunk Ginger, peeled
1-1/2 Tbsp Chia seeds

• Adding the water, oranges, and banana to the blender first makes for easier blending if you are using a regular blender - I use a Vitamix
• To this liquid blend, add the arugula, spinach and ginger, and blend again until smooth and creamy
• Add Chia seeds last and only blend for a few seconds to keep seeds whole
• Let GS sit in blender for 10 minutes while the Chia seeds absorb liquid and swell up to thicken the GS

Nutri-Tip: Arugula is packed full of many vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, potassium and vitamins A, C and K and folic acid just to name a few. Another great benefit of arugula is its aid in cancer prevention due to various properties. And it is also a great source of chlorophyll which helps to cleanse and energize the blood.

Day 1 - September 2012 GSC

Welcome to our Monthly
Green Smoothie Challenge!

Next month the GSC will be on October 15 and 16 - be sure to mark on your calendar!

Today I tried this GS from a book by Victoria Boutenko, Green Smoothie Revolution - and it was yummy. Will definitely make this one again!

A fun way to serve, especially for children, is to pour the blended GS back into the hollowed out watermelon shell, add a bunch of straws, and let them have fun!

Wicked Watermelon GS

4 cups fresh watermelon chunks, rind removed
1 banana, peeled
5 large leaves Romaine lettuce
Juice of 1/2 lemon

• Placing fruit in the blender first makes for easier blending
• After blending the fruit, add the torn or chopped greens
• Blend again and taste

Nutri-Tips:
Watermelons are good sources of vitamins A and C, B vitamins, carbohydrates, potassium, antioxidants, and amino acids which can help keep arteries and blood flow to our hearts in fine order. Did you know that eating the watermelon rind is good for your skin and immunity, as well as the health of your nervous system? Simply add the rind to your Vitamix along with the rest of the watermelon.

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Coconut Dream Pudding GS

 

Another recipe from the Green Smoothie Revolution book, this pudding was a delightful surprise that I really enjoyed!

1 young Thai coconut, meat and water

5 Medjool dates, pitted

2 apples, cored if not using Vitamix

1 peeled banana

1 bunch chard 

• Adding the ingredients to a blender, a few at a time, makes for easier blending
• Blend together until thick and creamy

Nutri-Tips:
The fat from coconut is considered saturated but it is actually called Lauric Acid which is a type of fat that is easily absorbed by the human body and used instantly as energy. For tips on using young Thai coconuts see post Aug 27, 2012.

Raw Zucchini Chips

My dehydrator has been working overtime for the past few days! Because of the abundance of fresh Organic produce from my local farmers market, I have been dehydrating lots of sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini chips!

 

Each batch of the chips varies according to how spicy I want them to be - so here is a basic recipe that you are welcome to play around with. Make them cheezy by adding nutritional yeast, heat them up with cayenne powder,or add a smokey flavour with Chipotle powder - there is no limit to the tastes you can create!

 

Raw Zucchini Chips

4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 to 1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 tsp basil, ground

1/2 tsp oregano, ground

2 tsp Mexican chili powder

3-4 medium zucchini (or 2 very large)

• In a bowl, stir together all ingredients - except zucchini
• Slice the zucchini in thin slices (I used a mandoline on the 2nd setting)
• Add zucchini slices to bowl of marinade and mix to thoroughly coat
• Top the mesh sheet on dehydrator trays with a Paraflexx sheet to catch liquid
• Spread zucchini slices on top of the Paraflexx sheets
• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12 hours or more until you reach the desired texture
• After a few hours, remove Paraflexx sheets, and continue dehydrating on mesh trays
• Dehydrating longer will give crunchier chips
• Chips that are sliced thick will take a long time to dry - a couple of days
• Since the olive oil makes the Paraflexx sheet greasy - for a smaller batch you could put chips in a flat glass casserole on the bottom shelf of your dehydrator (after removing bottom 2 trays)

 

Abbotsford Farmer's Market

Love going to the Farmer's Market in my area and coming home loaded with fresh Organic goodness straight from the Earth!

Today I picked up Basil to make batches of Pesto that I am going to freeze, huge bunches of Rainbow chard, Beet greens, Dandelion greens, Arugula, Red Russian kale, fresh cucumbers, lots of large zucchini for raw pasta and tasty chips, and 23 pounds of Heritage tomatoes to make sun-dried tomatoes!