Raw Vegan Sattvic Dinner (with dessert too!)

Here's a simple, but absolutely delicious dinner menu for tonight.

First start making the dessert:

Raw Blackberry Parfait

Yes, we're starting with dessert.  Not eating it first, but blending it and putting it into the fridge to chill and set up so it's ready to eat after dinner.  You can even do this the night before.  Into the blender goes:

• 1 pint of blackberries
• 1 banana
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• pinch of cinnamon

The perfect light summer berry dessert.  Aren't luscious berries the best part of spring turning into summer??

Next up is a raw, vegan, sattvic salad dressing to drizzle on your favourite salad.  A lot of salad dressings use vinegar, which is fermented and a no-no if you're following the yogic way of eating.  This vinegar free dressing is easy to make with just a knife and a citrus juicer.

Sattvic Lemon Poppy seed Dressing

  

In a jar with a lid combine:

• 2 lemons, freshly squeezed, no seeds plz!
• 1/3 cup olive oil, cold pressed
• drizzle of honey or agave, to taste
• 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds

Secure the lid on tightly and shaky-shaky-shake until well combined.

This dressing was so good I almost forgot to take a picture before the whole jar was used up.

I put this lemony dressing on a high raw salad with fresh greens, carrots, cucumbers, 1/2 an avocado, tomatoes, broccoli and lightly stemmed brussel sprouts.  Ooooh how I love brussel sprouts, but not raw.

I hope you all enjoyed the sneak peak at my dinner tonight.

 

India Spiced Chia Pudding

The word chai isn't used a lot in raw, vegan & sattvic conversations.  Chai, meaning tea in India, is usually cow's milk mixed with water heated on the stove and then mixed with hot black tea - not raw, not vegan and since it's caffeinated, not sattvic either.  In the south they add LOTS of white sugar too.  You can't even walk a few feet without seeing a small chai shop.  They're everywhere, and you can get a freshly made steaming hot cup of chai for 5 rupees (roughly 11 cents in US dollars). 

But hey, no one reading this blog wants to hear about that kind of chai.  I'm talking about the raw, vegan sattvic kind today.  Yep, that's right it's chai spiced chia pudding.  All you need is some chia seeds, a liquid, a tea bag and sweetener (if desired).  Here's the recipe:

Sattvic India Spiced Chia Pudding 

Start by flavouring the liquid you will soak your chia seeds in.  I used a homemade raw almond milk.  You could also use water or banana "milk" which is a banana liquefied with some water in the blender.  The ratio I use is one cup of liquid for 1/3 cup chia seeds.  Now grab your favourite non-caffeinated tea bag and let it soak in the milk for a few hours.  I received a free sample of Four O'Clock's rooibos chai with a magazine, so I decided to try it out.  Four O'Clock's tea is not only organic, but also fair trade certified and they have lots of naturally caffeine-free varieties.  It's also a Canada company, which I love ;)

After the milk is flavoured you can stir in the chia seeds and sweetener (if desired).  Mix everything well.  Keep in the refrigerator for a few hours to thicken up.  Keep checking on the mixture occasionally and stirring to make sure lumps of seeds don't form.  No one likes a lumpy pudding.

I finished my pudding off with a sprinkling of dried shredded coconut reminiscent of my time in South India.  Coconut trees were everywhere in the part of India I was in.  So I couldn't go a single day without eating something with fresh coconut in it.  But hey I'm not complaining.

As you can see there are lots of possibilities of different combinations using different tea.  I'm thinking a peppermint flavoured one would be lovely.  Four O'Clock also has a chocolate spice tea that uses carob, not chocolate, so it's caffeine free (can you tell I'm in love with this company now?).

Stay tuned for another India spiced recipe, cookie balls ....

Flashback to 2009, Juice Recipe & Food Definitions

Way back in 2009 (it seems like just yesterday) I posted this list called "The Vegan One Hundred".  It's a list of 100 food items and you mark the ones that you've tried.  I think I've been fairly adventurous in my eating sampling over the years.  There was a good number of items on that list that I've had.  But there was also several things that I hadn't tried ... or even heard of!

Today when I was looking over this list I realized I have everything to make #49: Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh pressed juice ... with Extra Ginger.  It's so simple and easy!  Why didn't I make this way back in 2009??!!

Ah well, the past is done.  Now is the present and it's time for Apple-Lemon-Ginger juice!!  Here's what went into the juice extractor:

• 1 granny smith apple
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

To get the maximum amount of juice I scoop out the pulp and run it through the juicer a second time.  Then pour 1/2 cup of water through the juicer.  Yes, this juice is that good.  I need to get every last drop ;)

Stir in a pinch of cayenne and consume!  Don't let your freshly extracted juice sit around too long.  It will start to oxidize fairly quickly and start to turn brown, not to mention that the vitamins and nutrients diminish the longer you wait to gulp it down.

After I had my juice I felt energized, so I decided to do a quick Blackle search and find out what some of those unfamiliar items are.  Here's what I discovered:

• #2 Nopales - also known as prickly pear, this pink-ish fruit grows on the cactus plant.  Hey I have tried this, but I think my mom called it "ugly fruit".
• #7 Arepas - mini corn cakes made with large kernel cornmeal. 
• #12 Umeboshi - Japanese pickled plum.  Since it's pickled, it's not considered sattvic, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try it at least once.  Often sold as a type of vinegar too.
• #26 Scotch Bonnet - an extremely hot (but very cute looking) chile pepper.  I love that whoever made the list put the qualifier "raw" in front.  I've had lots of cooked hot peppers, but not raw.  I'll have to try to make a raw sauce with this one day.
• #46 Fuyu - hey I've had this too!  I sure am learning a lot.  It's a type of persimmon that's hard when eaten.  The other type of persimmon, hacheeya is soft when ripe.
• #54 Ramps - otherwise known as wild onion or wild leeks.  It's said to have a strong flavour of garlic and onion ... another one I think I'll stay away from.
• #60 Poi - I crossed it out because for some reason I thought it was fish, but then I realized it's a vegan list.  A quick search revealed that poi is actually a Hawaiian pudding-like dish made from the stem of taro.  Poi is also a type of fire dance (I haven't tried that either)
• #70 Mache - a dark lefty green!  Oooh I have to try this in a green smoothie!! 
• #79 Lapsang Souchong - Chinese tea with a smoky flavour.  I'm not really a fan of the smoky taste. 
• #93 Harissa - another hot & spicy one.  A hot sauce made from chiles, garlic, cumin and caraway seeds.

Wow, I really learned a lot.  Hopefully all my dear readers have found this research helpful too.  Have you done the Vegan 100?

Get Crafty For Charity

I wanted to have this post published a few weeks ago, so anyone interested could also donate a bracelet to the charity, but I've still been having problems with Blogger.  Since I've been away, there was quite a few changes to the way posts are created and how to insert pictures.  But I think I have gotten the hang of it now, so look out for lots of new posts from now on :)

For quite a while now I have wanted to create something for Craft Hope.  This crafty website combines handmade items and helping others in need.  The idea is to gather as many handmade items and then the website distributes them to different charities and non-profit organizations.  The first project sent pillowcase dresses to impoverished children in Brazil.  Another project made sock monkeys for child burn victims in California.

Project 12 is making friendship bracelets for an orphanage in Russia.  For a long time I have wanted to donate something, but I either missed the deadline, didn't have the time or the project was something I've never made (project 5 was quilts).  When I saw this friendship bracelet, I knew it had to do it!

The bracelet is easy (and of course) environmentally friendly.  I used an old shirt and ribbon remnants.  Here's what I did:

I have a shirt in a pretty colour that didn't fit right anymore ...

    
So I cut it up!  Into 3 long strips.

And then braided them ...

Then using a sewing machine I stitched the ends together (you could probably do this by hand as well).  Trim away the excess fabric.  To make sure the ends don't fray I used a little bit of fabric glue.  Now you should have a long braided loop (kinda like a necklace).  Wrap it around your wrist a few times.  The number of wraps will depend on how long your loop is and how big your wrists are.

I have freakishly small wrists, so I made this bracelet to fit me because I know it will also fit children at that size.

Now you just need something to cover the seam.  I used a small piece of leftover ribbon I had in a matching colour.  A contrasting colour would also look nice.  Or you could use a big decorative button and hand sew it on. 

Wrap the ribbon (right sides facing) around the bracelet over the seam.  Stitch, trim ends and then turn right side out.

Easy peasy, right?  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I mailed it out to Craft Hope the next day.  In a recycled paper box of course.



I hope this bracelet brings a smile to the child in Russia who receives it.

Have you ever participated in a Craft Hope project?  If not, make something today!  The deadline for this project has already passed.  But the next project (security blankets for tornado survivors) is in full swing. 

 

Raw Vegan Sattvic Summer Strawberry Recipes

It's strawberry season, and I love a fresh, ruby red strawberry picked right off the plant.  There's lots of "pick-your-own" farms around here. 

I have lots of fond memories from my childhood of strawberry picking with my dad (now deceased).  We used to make our own homemade jam with the strawberries we collected on the weekends.  We even made our own labels for the jam and distributed it out to family and friends as gifts. 

I can't make jam with my father anymore, but I can make these healthy, raw, vegan desserts in honour of his memory.  It just so happens that father's day is during peak strawberry season ;)

Here are some of the strawberry recipes featured on my blog.

Raw Strawberry Pie

When I first started my raw journey I was famous for just making the pie filling (sans crust) and calling it a pudding.  This was my first attempt at an actual pie back in 2009.  It's a super quick and easy raw pie with a few basic ingredients and appliances.  I got hooked on making pies after that!  Get the recipe here.

Raw Strawberries & Dream

An equally easy and delicious recipe that can be whipped up in no time (pun intended).  Get the recipe here.

Double Strawberry Raw Serve

I recently had some strawberry flavoured ice cream while taking care of my nieces, and let me tell you, it tasted nothing like actual strawberries!  This quick "soft serve" type ice cream does.  Get the recipe here.

So like any good auntie I made them a pink princess strawberry smoothie.  As you can see from the picture they opted to eat it with a spoon.

Strawberry Mandarin Spinach Salad

All the ingredients are pretty much in the name of this one, but if you want see my original post for this salad back in 2009 which includes a raw salad dressing to pour on top, click here.

Strawberry Post Yoga Snack

Here's one for the coconut lovers!  I called it my post yoga snack because it's not too heavy, but absolutely delicious.  I ate loooOooots of coconut in India when I was there teaching yoga.  Everything from coconut in curry, chutney, rice pudding and of course fresh coconut water.  Get the recipe here.

Raw Strawberry "Cheese" Parfait

HA HA This is a strawberry "cheesecake" where I neglected making the crust and called it a parfait.  Despite my laziness, it's amazing and one of my all time favourite raw vegan recipes.  Get the recipe here.

Pretty in Pink Smoothie

Wow, I had no idea how many strawberry recipes I have on my blog until just now!  This last one is near and dear to my heart.  I posted this back in 2009 before I went hard core with my green smoothies, but I also like non green smoothies occasionally for a quick snack.  This smoothie uses strawberries and mango, one of my favourite fruit combinations.  Get the recipe here.

I hope you enjoy my strawberry highlights post.  I really enjoyed putting it together.  I will have to do another one soon for another ingredient (suggestions?).  If you are celebrating father's day this Sunday, have a great time with your dad and dad-type people in your life.



I'M BACK: But why no pictures or stories??

(sun) Salutation bloggie friends. I'm back from my journey to India. What an amazing experience I had teaching, meeting new friends and diving in head first to adventures I never dreamed of. I'd love to tell you all about it ... well actually I already did!

Last week I wrote a lengthy post detailing all the adventures, lessons and spiritual growth I encountered during my trip. It was easily the most revealing post I've ever published on my blog. There were lots of pictures and my own personal reflections on how much I've grown and matured since I left.

And then ... Blogger deleted it!!

There was some glitch and lot of other blogs experienced the same thing. The next day Blogger Status reported that most of the deleted posts were recovered. Unfortunately for me, the post was only recovered in a very early draft, which hardly contained any of my thoughts at all. I've already contacted Blogger to see if they can access the final post that was published, but I haven't heard back from them. I guess they're pretty busy with the more popular blogs ;)

Anyhow I guess the blogosphere just wasn't meant to hear this story ... well not yet. So instead of trying to re-write the post I'm just letting go & letting be. My journey will just have to remain somewhat a mystery.

The good news is that I have lots of other new posts in the works right now, including:

• Truly raw cashews (picked off the tree myself)


• Eco crafts for charity


• Update on the Canada Organic logo (it's everywhere now!)


• And more raw, vegan and sattvic recipes

Several new people are following the blog since I've returned. WELCOME!Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoy my musings, recipes and eco craft creations.

Gluten-Free Gift Ideas

Here's a great gift for the holidays for that gluten avoider in your life. I made this last year for my sister-in-law who avoids gluten like Superman & cryptonite :)

First find a great gluten-free recipe. I used a recipe for a baked macaroni & "cheese" from the Gluten Free Goddess blog (lots of great recipes there). Find something that suites the recipient. Type up the recipe and print it out on fun paper or a cute recipe card.

Collect a few ingredients from the recipe and assemble them together in a baking dish or something relevant to the recipe (use a cake pan for a cake recipe, a salad bowl for a salad recipe ... you get the idea).

It's actually quite fun to hunt for things. I found this gluten-free mustard in my local health food store. I don't know if regular mustard has gluten in it, but this one sure doesn't! I also added a few other cooking related things (there's some pot holders, a matching dish towel and a pot scrapper in there).

Then just wrap it up and tie a pretty ribbon around the whole thing. A thoughtful, personalized gluten-free gift that the recipient is sure to enjoy ... or you could just give them a fruit cake.

2010 Holiday Green Gifts Guide

It's time again for Angelic Monkey's green gifts guide (the third year in a row I might add. Check out the lists from 2009 & 2008, lots of good stuff that's still available). Without further ado, here's this years list:

PlanToys Recycling Truck Set

Eco minded kids will love this little recycling set that comes with the truck, driver and sorting bins for recycling, compost and garbage. Children that grow up with toys like this are destined save this planet when they grow up! All of PlanToys (& they have a lot!) are made from rubber trees that no longer produce rubber. The wood is dyed with water-based non toxic dyes and eco friendly glue (E-Zero glue).

Jane Goodall My Natural Plush Toys

The list goes on & on why these toys by animal lover, Jane Goodall are good for you, your child, the environment and the people who make the toys. Each plush animal is made from non-toxic cotton that hasn't been bleached or doused with harsh chemicals. Low eco impact dyes are used from natural minerals and soy. In addition the workers who make these toys are paid a fair wage, and enjoy the ethics and equality that most of us take for granted in the first world (as an aside, I couldn't find exactly where these toys are made). And of course the proceeds from the sale of each toy will go to the Jane Goodall Institute to support her research.

Bedol Water Clock

I love, love love this clock (I also posted it on my Facebook profile). No batteries required. This niffy clock runs on tap water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (the lemony water needs to be replaced every 8-12 weeks). Perfect for camping, travelling or just all around general tree hugging-ness!

UPDATE: Bedol has just launched a line of similar clocks that DO NOT need lemon added. Eco friendly time keeping just got easier.

Navitas Natural Cacao Lip Balm

Made from pure, cold-pressed cacao bean oil, I first found out about this chocolaty lip balm from Averie over at Love Veggies and Yoga. The balm is made from raw, vegan & certified organic cacao butter. It really leaves your smackers soft and velvety.

Plantable Holiday Greeting Cards from Botanical PaperWorks

I NEVER send out greeting cards because I think it's a waste of paper and a waste of resources to ship them ... but I know the majority of people out there do send cards for the holidays, and these plantable ones seem like a great alternative. The receiver of your holiday greeting can plant the card in soil, water and in a few short weeks watch it bloom. There's lots of designs to choose from, but the yogi in me is partial to this peace (in Sanskrit: om) design.

Rawganique Eco Slumber Masks (in hemp or organic cotton)

Don't you just hate those polyester slumber masks they give you on an airplane? Not very relaxing. Give the gift of natural rest & rejuvenation with these slumber masks made of natural fibres like hemp & organic cotton.

Dr. Alkaitis Travel Kit

Dr. Alkaitis' motto is "if you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin". Makes sense to me! Every one of these products are made with fresh ingredients that are raw, organic and plant derived. No trans-fats, no harsh chemicals and never tested on animals. The products also don't contain water (often used as a filler in lower quality products), so a little goes a long way. This travel kit contains: day creme, night creme, eye creme, facial cleanser, nourishing treatment oil, soothing gel, herbal toner and a mask. Don't eat it all at once ... I mean use it all at once :p The kit should last for 7-12 days.

Infrared Sauna

Okay, this one is a bit of a splurge (almost $1000), but if you can afford it, it's completely worth it! The place where I was teaching yoga this summer has a similar infrared sauna, and it was heaven (although hot as hell!!). Research shows that infrared saunas are good for cleaning out toxins, increasing circulation, speedy recovery from injuries, weight loss, improving the immune system and it's also incredibly relaxing! Great after a long day of karma yoga.

Sweet Sesame Sattvic Smoothie

I created this one late night when I had soaked a lot of dates and I just couldn't bring myself to dump the date soak water down the drain ...

Sweet Sesame Smoothie

• 1 handful of dates, soaked for a few hours in 1 cup of fresh filtered water
• 1/2 cup raw tahini (make sure there is only one ingredient listed on the label: sesame seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Combine everything (including the date soak water) in the blender and mix until frothy. Add more/less dates depending on the sweetness you like.

Enjoy the sweet sesame goodness!