Raw Vegan Sattvic Sauce Recipe

• 1 cup cashews, soaked, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
• Fresh, filtered water (enough to allow the mixture to blend)

This is the first time I've experimented with nutritional yeast, and it turned out fantastic! I poured this cheezy sauce over zucchini noodles with julienne carrots and 1/2 avocado. Garnished with freshly ground black pepper.

Raw Vegan Donut Hole Recipes

These donut holes are sooOoo super easy to make I can't believe I haven't done it sooner! For any of you Canadians out there ... don't they look like Timbits??

The basic recipe is raw nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc ...) ground up into a flour and then mixed with dates (or raisins) that have been soaked and drained. Combine everything well in the food processor until the 'dough' begins to form a ball (add the dates slowly with the processor running). Roll into balls and refrigerate. Here are some variations on this basic recipe:

Almond Orange Donut Holes

• 1 cup raw almonds, ground
• 1 cup dates, soaked and drained
• 1 orange, zested then juiced
• raw sweetener (if desired)

Grind the almonds in the food processor. Add the orange zest and juice (and sweetener if using) and combine well. Then begin to add the soaked dates. You should see the mixture begin to take form. If needed you can also add a bit of the date soak water.

Some of them I also rolled in shredded, dried coconut!

Cardamom Spice Donut Holes

• 1 cup almonds, ground
• 1 cup dates, soaked & drained
• 1 tablespoon cardamom, ground
• raw sweetener (if desired, I think I put 1 tablespoon of raw honey in these)

You can roll a few of them in coconut for some variety (& it looks pretty too).

Chocolate Carob Donut Holes

• 1 cup almonds, ground
• 1 cup dates, soaked & drained
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon raw carob powder
• 1 tablespoon raw honey or agave

It makes a very sticky "dough", but it is delicious!!

Middle Eastern Tahini Balls

• 1 cup raw sesame seeds, ground in the blender
• 1/2 cup dates, soaked & drained
• 1/2 cup raw tahini
• 2-3 tablespoons raw honey or agave
• dash of vanilla extract (alcohol-free)

In a bowl mix the tahini, honey & vanilla. In the food processor combine the ground sesame seeds with the tahini mixture. Blend well and then start adding in the dates. Tahini can be quite bitter, so taste and add more honey if desired. Roll in whole sesame seeds.

I also made a batch of Ani Phyo's oatmeal raisin cookies, but I guess I didn't take a picture. The recipe is super simple and can made into balls or formed into the more traditional cookie shape.

• 1/2 cup raw oats
• 1/4 cup dates, soaked & drained
• 1/4 raisins
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• dash of vanilla extract (alcohol-free)

Blend the oats in a food processor. Add the dates and combine well. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. If the mixture is too dry add some of the date soak water.

The possibilities here are endless really. I mostly used almonds as the base because that's what we had, but you can also experiment with seeds like flax and pumpkin. Other add-ins I might play around with in the future are fresh, grated ginger, fresh cherries, lime zest and other spices like nutmeg!

I made these treats for the guests (& staff) where I have been teaching yoga. The majority of these people don't eat raw, and probably didn't even realize they were raw, but enjoyed them anyway. I received lots of compliments.

Unsmoothie'd

Recently Kristen of Kristen's Raw posted a simple, quick raw salad: bananas & romaine lettuce. At first it seemed so weird ... but then I thought, hey! I eat that everyday - blended up in a smoothie!! Isn't it strange that I find the unblended version so unappealing, but the blended one good enough to eat on a regular basis?

Kristen mentioned that she likes to eat a banana wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf, so I decided to try it out. Pure heaven! I love the crunch of the romaine and the sweet filling that is the banana. I'm thinking this would also be good with some raw almond butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top. I used an organic, fair trade banana (which makes the snack even sweeter in my opinion).

This Post is 100% Biodegradable

I've been searching the internet for hours, and I still don't know what the term "biodegradable" really means. There is no legal definition and no laws or governing bodies to control the use of the term (yikes!). Needless to say, the term has been increasingly appearing on soaps, coffee cups, paints and even yoga mats (I have a biodegradable yoga mat, by the way, whatever that means ...)

Most people would agree that biodegradable material should break down into simpler organic components such as water, carbon dioxide and other organic matter. However, using that definition, even rubber tires would be considered biodegradable! Everything decomposes over time, the question is how long will the decomposition take, and what conditions might effect the breakdown of matter. For instance, a disposable spoon made out of corn might be labelled "biodegradable" because it breaks down faster than a conventional plastic spoon. But if that spoon is buried in a landfill and deprived of sunlight, water and air (the main prerequisites for decomposition) it might take significantly longer to decompose. Are you beginning to see how tricky this word is?

No one seems to have a definitive answer, including me. Each week I am seeing more and more products (especially soap) with "biodegradable" tacked onto the label. The validity of these claims are yet to be verified, but I suspect the majority of them are false and derived from profit seeking companies trying to cash in on the newest and hottest trend.

Don't be fooled into thinking that products labelled "biodegradable" are better for the environment, more natural or safer to use. Biodegradable is something completely different from organic; please don't confuse the two. Certified organic products will have the organic certifier's logo on the label (see my previous post about identifying organic products).

So the question still remains, at least for me, what to make of this "biodegradable" word. Simply seeing the term on a product definitely won't influence me to purchase it, or make me feel better about buying a tea in a "100% biodegradable" cup.

UPDATE: Looks like the FTC in the US is working on rectifying this issue right now. Ahem, Canada .... hope you're working on it too!