Raw Cashews: Are They Really Really Raw?

There's a controversy about raw cashews in the raw food community.  The majority of cashews packaged and labelled as raw are in fact not raw when using the definition of heating below 116°C.  In order to get that little piece of heaven known as a cashew out of it's thick, hard shell, the entire nut must be heated.  Also the raw oil inside the cashew shell can burn your skin if you're unlucky enough to come in contact with it.
SoooOooo what's a raw food girl to do?

... well go to India of course and pick that cashew right off the tree & eat it raw!

Okay so you don't have to go to India, there are lots of other countries that grow cashews too, but this is my story of truly 100% RAW cashews.

The picture above are some of the cashews I picked.  The place where I was teaching had lots of trees with edibles growing on them - cashews, almond, mango, coconut, chikoo (sapodilla) and guava.  I didn't even realize what was growing on this tree until a local told me and showed me how to get the cashew out.

The large red-yellowish fruit is what they call a cashew apple.  It's sweet, juicy and astringent tasting, meaning it hits the back of your throat with a dry taste.  The apple was okay, but I lived for the flavourful cashews inside the shells.  I found lots of cashew nuts on the ground around the cashew trees.  Monkeys often eat the cashew apples and then throw away the nut.  Crazy monkeys!

Once the cashew's hard shell turns grey it can't be consumed raw.  It will have to be heated over a fire and then cracked open (we did that one night too!).  The green ones, however have a softer shell and can be split open with a knife.

As I mentioned before the oil inside the cashews can burn, so being completely new to opening up cashew shells, I wasn't about to get out my knife and go at it.  Another yoga teacher, a local to the area, did it for me.  He was always careful to wrap a cloth rag around the hand that was holding the cashew to make sure once the shell was open the raw oil wouldn't get onto his skin.  He removed the unripe cashew apple and sliced the nut right down the middle.

   

Isn't it just so cute?  Then using the tip of the knife, he carefully removed the cashew from the shell and placed it inside a napkin to remove the oil.  Once the oil was all soaked up we could eat the nut. 

When my friend first handed me a raw cashew to eat I didn't chow it down immediately.  I was a bit apprehensive because of the raw oil that he said could burn my skin and because the nuts still had a slightly greenish tinge (I know weird, me not wanting to eat something green).  But I decided to be adventurous.  So I took a deep yogic breath and popped it in my mouth. 

I liked the fresh taste immediately.  It was softer than the "raw" cashews you buy here in the stores and had a slightly sweet taste.  It tasted fresh and abundant with living energy.  I realized that what I previously considered a raw cashew was absolutely not raw, at least not as alive as this cashew. 

I would have loooooOooooooved to make a raw dish with these nuts.  Maybe a raw sattvic sauce to drench zuke noodles in or a raw mango cheesecake.  But alas that just wasn't possible.  It would have been too labour intensive to hand split enough cashews.  But also I didn't have access to a blender or food processor.  This was rural India!

After my raw cashew experience I got a lot more adventurous with picking things off the tree and eating it.  If it's good enough for the monkeys ... 

No pesticides, no artificial fertilizers, just living raw goodness!

This is an unripe green mango.  Love these!  You can even eat the skin.  I didn't even bother to wash it first LOL!  It has a much more tart taste than the ripe mangoes.  These green mangoes are used a lot in India to make hot sauce, called pickle.  I ate quite a bit of that too ;)

Now that I'm back home in Canada there will be no more truly raw cashews (or green mangoes for that matter), but I'm okay with that.  After all I'm a yogi, which means I'm flexible. 

Mint Chocolate Chia

This invigorating chia seed pudding is reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but better!  A few weeks ago I first tried soaking a tea bag in some raw nut milk to make a chai chia pudding.  The results were amazing, and it got me thinking about all the millions of other possibilities - there's a lot of teas out there.

I know some raw food makers use extracts, but that's just not my style.  With the exception of vanilla extract, they are hard to find and expen$sive, especially if you're making something raw and sattvic and therefore need an extract that is alcohol free.

So tea is the way for me! 

Mint Chocolate Chip Chia

First decide on the "milk" you will use.  I used a raw almond milk that was made by combining a few tablespoons of raw almond butter with water in the blender.  You could also make a sweet milk by combining a banana with water in the blender (then you don't need to add sweetener later).

I like a somewhat thick chia pudding, so I used 1 cup of liquid with 1/3 cup chia seeds.  Measure out the liquid and let two mint tea bags soak in the liquid for a few hours.  Store in the fridge.  When the liquid is good and minty remove the tea bags and add the chia seeds.  For the chocolate flavour you can use raw cacao powder, but that's not sattvic.  For a caffeine-free version use a few tablespoons of carob powder instead (or you can mix both carob & chocolate powder).  Sweeten as desired with either honey, stevia or agave.  Stir everything together well and put back in the fridge to thicken up.  I like to leave it in the fridge overnight.

The next morning when I got up this minty chocolatey bowl was waiting for me ...

I couldn't believe how good it was ... so minty with a creamy chocolately taste.

You could also add some raw cacao nibs for a real mint chocolate chip experience.

I didn't have cacao nibs, so I added a banana instead. 

It was mint chocolate bliss!!

Next up for my tea soaking adventures?  I think I'll try something with a fruity tea ...

Canada Organic Logo: Spreading Wide & Far

Remember my obsession with the Canada Organic logo and finding it on products in stores?  I remember years ago when I first heard about the plans to create this logo.  A few years later it was launched, and I couldn't wait to find the first one in my hometown.  Slowly, slowly I began seeing the logo on more and more products.

I was pleasantly surprised when I returned home from my trip to find that this logo is now everywhere!  I've seen it on everything from organic soymilk, chips, juice, snack bars, cereals and more.  No, I won't bore you with photos of the logo on all these products ;)

I also discovered that I'm not the only organic nerd that loves finding this logo.  This website created for Organic Week in Canada (which is October 15-22, 2011), apparently also loves finding that little green, white and red logo.  They've even created a Google map of places where it's been seen!  I can't wait to add all my sightings - I have LOTS!

With many companies green washing and tricking customers into believing their products are healthier than they really are, I'm so glad to see the organic logo proliferating.  When shoppers see this logo on food they know the product is 100% certified organic by a third party using Canadian standards.  In other words it makes your shopping an easy no-brainer.

Back to the new website I found .... I didn't realize that there was an Organic Week in Canada, but now that I do, I'll be sure to join in on the festivities.  I don't see anything in my hometown listed under the activities, but it's still a few months away.  Or maybe I could organize something myself ....

Sprouts From the Earth

I love fresh crunchy sprouts.  They're good to toss in a green smoothie, or salad or tomato-avocado sandwich.  But what's the fun in buying them when you can grow your own at home.  It only takes a few days.  I've been growing my own sprouts using a strainer for years now.  It's an easy and inexpensive way to grow your own sprouts, but you need to rinse the sprouts frequently with fresh water and pay careful attention to them to make sure they don't dry out.

But then last summer I saw a woman sprouting sunflower seeds in soil.  They grew very quickly, required little water and minimal supervision.  I wanna try!

I found an old shallow tin tray, dug up some soil from my mom's garden (sorry mom!) and planted some seeds.  I placed the tray next to a window and watered.   

The next day there was a tiny little sprout trying to pop out of the dirt to see the sun ...

And then before I knew it all the sprouts were popping their little heads out of the sand dirt.

Over the next 2-3 days the sprouts got taller ...

And taller ...

I love the little "caps" on the sprouts from the sunflower shell.

When I was ready to eat, I simply took some kitchen scissors and snipped off the sprouts just above the soil.  Rinse under cold water and they are ready to be blended or added to soups and salads. 

Next up is wheatgrass ...

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.