Crisp Baby Bok Choy Greens in Tangy-Sweet, Sesame Soy-Free Vinaigrette

Debbie sent us this recipe from http://thecozyapron.com/cozy-cameo-pass-the-bok-choy-greens-and-my-skinny-jeans-please/
She made a couple of changes "I added a tablespoon of tahini to the dressing and it was wonderful.  I used raw sesame seeds, added some ginger, and increased the garlic. " We put our changes below. The original recipe is on the link above.
Sesame is wonderful for some easy to absorb calcium.

Salad ingredients: (serves 4)

8 Baby Bok Choy, rinsed and dried then thinly sliced (including leafy greens)
½ cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon raw black sesame seeds, for garnish

Preparation:-Place sliced Bok Choy and carrot into a large bowl and into refrigerator while vinaigrette is prepared.

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette 
ingredients:
2 clove fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 TBS tahini
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut amino
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 TBS ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:-In a small bowl, add all of the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk together until well combined.-Pour the vinaigrette over the Bok Choy greens and carrot, toss together well to coat, and divide equally among plates, piling the greens high; sprinkle with about a teaspoon of the sesame seeds to garnish.

14 steps to cut processed foods

This is a wonderful place to start for those wanting to eat just real food!

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
  
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).

• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
  
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
  
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
  
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”

• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
  
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
  
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
  
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
  
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
  
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
  
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
  
• Week 14: No more than 5-indgredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/steps-to-cut-processed-food.html

Raw Pumpkin Pie from healthy self

Both of the previous pumpkin pies were wonderful, but i used them as a jump start for one of our own.
We loved how sweet and gooey pumpkin pie from FullyRaw and loved the cacao from RawGuru; however, FullyRaw was too sweet and RawGuru was too high in fat for us, plus i am not crazy about bananas or coconut. The texture of RawGuru was more like a baked pumpkin pie, but the FullyRaw had the flavor of a traditional pumpkin pie.
For ours we added the ground pumpkin seeds (we used a coffee/spice grinder) to give it the "whipped" texture, plus the benefits of zinc. We added the ginger to give it the traditional flavor. We used the whole spice instead of ground because the flavor is more intense.
The cacao powder in the crust and nib topping gave it our magnesium (chocolate) fix.

We also made the pie filling as a pumpkin pudding. Our son LOVES it!!!

Crust ingredients:
12-15 pitted medjool dates
1 1/2 cup walnuts, we soaked the nuts in salt water for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated*
1/2 cup almonds, we soaked the nuts in salt water for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated
2 TBS cacao powder
small piece of cinnamon stick (1/2 tsp ground)
Directions: place all the ingredients in the food processor, processing until "graham cracker crust-like". Press into a pie plate lined with parchment paper.

Pie filling ingredients:
3 cups raw pureed pumpkin **
a pinkie inch of ginger (1/2-1 tsp ground)
an inch of a cinnamon stick (1 tsp ground)
1 pound of medjool dates
an inch of a vanilla bean (1 tsp liquid)
1 cup ground pumpkin seeds (high in zinc and lower in fat than cashews)
Directions: place all the ingredients in a high speed bender until smooth. Pour into the pie crust, smoothing with a spatula.

Topping:
2 TBS cacao nibs
Directions: Sprinkle nibs over the top.  Freeze for at least 2 hours.

* soaking the nuts helps the phytic acid bind to  minerals and using salt water helps neutralize the enzymes allowing more nutrients to be utilized by one's body.

** We sliced, seeded, and peeled the pumpkin as if it was a cantaloupe. Then we diced the pumpkin and used a high speed blender to puree. We froze the pureed pumpkin in 2 or 3 cup portions.

Just the filling for 6 servings, we use it as a pumpkin pudding type dish

Nutrition Facts

6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

• Calories274.9
• Total Fat2.7 g
• Saturated Fat0.4 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat0.9 g
• Monounsaturated Fat0.6 g
• Cholesterol0.0 mg
• Sodium33.6 mg
• Potassium569.0 mg
• Total Carbohydrate65.5 g
• Dietary Fiber9.7 g
• Sugars48.7 g
• Protein5.2 g

• Vitamin A302.2 %
• Vitamin B-120.0 %
• Vitamin B-68.6 %
• Vitamin C2.3 %
• Vitamin D0.0 %
• Vitamin E4.0 %
• Calcium7.4 %
• Copper15.9 %
• Folate2.8 %
• Iron10.1 %
• Magnesium16.1 %
• Manganese15.8 %
• Niacin5.6 %
• Pantothenic Acid5.5 %
• Phosphorus5.2 %
• Riboflavin2.7 %
• Selenium0.0 %
• Thiamin2.5 %
• Zinc9.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Raw Pumpkin Pie from RawGuru

We wanted to make a raw pumpkin pie. We found two raw pumpkin pie recipes one from rawguru and one from fullyraw.  We are making them both and comparing them. Thanking Courtney again for assisting us with this pie!!!!
This one will be less sweet due to only using 15 dates plus a banana instead of 3 pounds of dates but  has more fat with the coconut, cashews, and cacao butter. We are using a white Cinderella pie pumpkin for both.
We made a few minor changes cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips and lucuma powder instead of mesquite.

Ingredients

At a glance

Cakes & Pies

Makes

1, 9

The crust:
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup cacao butter
1 cup walnuts
½ cup almonds
10 dates
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon carob powder

The cream:
2 cups raw pumpkin
1 cup cashews
1 banana
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons dried goji
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lucuma powder
5 dates
2 tablespoons cacao nibs

Methods/steps

1.Let soak the cashew overnight.
For the crust:
1. Melt the butter in a bain-marie.
2. Process the walnuts, the almonds and the coconut  in a mixer , separately, until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until the composition starts to hold together when squeezed.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a mold lined with parchment paper, and set aside in the fridge.
To make the cream:
1.Drain well the cashews.
2.Combine all ingredients in a food processor (except the chocolate chips)  and mix until everything is smooth. Add the chocolate. Pour the cream over the crust, smoothing out. Place it in the frigo to let it stiff. Decorate with some chocolate.

http://www.rawguru.com/raw-food-recipes/raw-pumpkin-pie.html.html

Raw Pumpkin Pie from FullyRaw

We wanted to make a raw pumpkin pie. We found two raw pumpkin pie recipes one from fullyraw and the other from rawguru.  We are making them both and comparing them.
This one will be sweet due 3 POUNDS of dates and other than the crust it is fat free. We are using a white Cinderella pie pumpkin for both.

This pumpkin pie is soooo sweet and gooey with all these dates. This is wonderful!!!
Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
crust:
1.5-2 cups pecans (we used walnuts due to a pecan allergy)
1 pound dates
pinch of cinnamon
Directions: place in a food processor and  pulse until crust like
press into pie pan

pie filling
2-3 cups sugar pie pumpkin
2 pounds dates
cinnamon (about an inch of 1 stick)
ginger (fresh pinkie size)
1 persimmon (we didn't have a persimmon, so we didn't add it)
1 vanilla bean scrape
Directions: put all the ingredients in the high speed blender until blended.
pour into the pie crust. Freeze for ~2 hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPD3b515T84

Raw Stuffed Peppers

We were able to purchase a bag of baby bell peppers at the farmers' market for $2 this week. We went searching for a raw pepper recipe.
We doubled the recipe below using 15 baby bell peppers instead of bell peppers or cubelles.
Courtney assisted us with making these stuffed peppers today!!!

Ingredients:

4 Peppers (I used cubanelle, see note above)
1 Mango – minced (pineapple could be used instead)
1 Avocado – diced
½ Lime – Juiced
2 green onions – minced
1 large Tomato – diced
1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro – chopped (optional)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Easy Instructions:

• Half and clean the peppers
• Combine the remaining ingredients
• Stir and taste for seasoning
• Add salt and pepper
• Fill the peppers with the mango mixture
• Eat and enjoy!!!

Detailed instructions:

• Cut the peppers in half
• Remove the ribs, seeds, and stem
• In a medium bowl combine the mango, avocado, lime juice, shallot, tomato, and cilantro
• Stir and taste for seasoning
• Add salt and pepper
• Fill the peppers with the mango mixture
• Eat and enjoy!!!

http://www.girlmakesfood.com/raw-vegan-stuffed-peppers/

Raw Sprouted Lentil burgers

We were able to find many sprouted lentil cooked burger recipes, but very few raw ones with ingredients we enjoy. We have created our own sprouted black lentils raw burgers . We served it on raw onion bread with avocado, tomato, lettuce and cashew mayo. We didn't add salt but 1/2 tsp of salt could be added.

Ingredients:
4 cups of sprouted lentils (quart mason jar filled)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 TBS fresh oregano
1 TBS fresh thyme
1 tsp dried cumin

Directions: Pulse in a food processor. Form patties (5-6). Place on dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate at 105 for 6-8 hours.

Berry Bomb Parfait

This is a beautiful snack or even breakfast.
The recipe is from http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/raw_vegan_berry_breakfast_bombs

Nut Mix

These ratios are just a guide. You can mix any nuts and seeds you like. It is matter of personal preference.

• 1 cup raw walnuts soaked and dehydrated (this is optional)
• 1 cup raw almonds soaked and dehydrated (this is optional)
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds soaked and dehydrated (this is optional)
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds soaked and dehydrated (this is optional)
• ½ cup raw linseeds/flaxseeds soaked and dehydrated (this is optional)

1. Put all the nuts and seeds in a food processor, and pulse for a second, just a couple of times to coarsely chop. You do not want to grind this mix too fine like flour. You want the wonderful crunchy texture and a combination of big pieces and little pieces.
2. You can mix in some sweetener and shredded coconut. But I don’t think it needs it.

The reason one would want to soak the nuts http://www.naturalhealth365.com/improve-digestion-phytic-acid-gastrointestinal-system-1382.html

Raw Vanilla Cashew Cream

• 1 cup raw cashews soaked for 2 hours (soaking is optional)
• 1/4-1/2 cup filtered water
• 1-2 Tbsp agave nectar (we used honey)
• 1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract
• a pinch Celtic sea salt

1. Place all the ingredients in your blender  and puree until smooth and creamy.

Berries

• 1 large double punnet of blueberries (2 small containers or 1 large)
• 1 large double punnet of raspberries (2 small containers or 1 large)

1. Start with a layer of berries in each glass. I like to alternate the layers in the different glasses. So if I start with raspberries on the bottom of one glass, I will use blueberries in the other. So when you top each glass with the other berry you will get the gorgeous contrast of color when you put them on the table.
2. Then place a layer of nut mix on the top. Spoon over a layer of cream. Add another layer of nut and seeds, and then top with the alternate berry.
3. This recipe makes about 2-4 glasses – depending on the size of the glasses and how generous you are with the cream.

Berry Impressive!

Orange Breakfast Crepes

We are always looking for breakfast foods.
We used honey instead of agave making 6 round crepes  spreading as we did making tortillas instead of cutting them out after dried. We used maple syrup for the creme filling.

The recipe is from
http://golubkakitchen.com/2011/02/welcome-home-brunch-celebrating.html

Orange-Cinnamon Crepes

3 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 orange – peeled and cut into large pieces
1/2 cup fresh coconut water
1 cup golden flaxseed – ground
2 tablespoons raw  honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a high speed blender, combine the coconut meat with the orange flesh, adding coconut water as needed to achieve a smooth, thick consistency. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients thoroughly. Spread the batter on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 6-8 hours. Flip them over, peel away the Teflex, and dehydrate for another 1-2 hours, or until the surface is dry, but the crepes are still pliable. 

Nutritional information: (1 of 6 crepes)
calories: 268.5
fat: 19.4 g
carbs: 20.1 g
fiber: 9.9 g
protein: 5.5 g

Earl Grey Orange Creme
1 1/2 cup very hot purified water
3-4 tablespoon good quality loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 cup cashews – soaked for 2 hours or more
flesh of 1 small orange
3/4 cup coconut oil – warmed to liquid form
1/2 cup maple syrup

Steep the tea leaves in hot water for about 5 minutes, drain and chill. In a high speed blender, mix the tea with the rest of ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate overnight to thicken.

Nutritional information: (2 TBS serving)
calories: 206.8

fat: 17.2 g

carbs: 11.8 g

fiber: 1.0 g

protein: 1.6 g

We sliced strawberries and oranges wrapping them in the creme filled crepes.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramel Candy

My husband loves chocolate caramel with sea salt. We were looking for an healthier alternative.  This is a winner!!! To use all the caramel, we doubled the chocolate candy portion from the original recipe, so it made 23 instead of 12.
We also use just the caramel recipe to spread on apple slices.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramel Candy

Ingredients
For the Caramel:

• ½ cup of soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped (soak them in warm water if needed)
• 2 tablespoons of almond butter
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon of vanilla powder)
• ¼ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt (optional, for flavor balance)

For the Chocolate Candy:

• 1 cup of cashews

• 1 cup of soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup of cacao powder, unsweetened
• 4 large pinches of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt

Preparation

1. For the caramel: combine dates, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt in a small food processor. Mix until smooth and well combined.

2. For the chocolate candy base: place your cashews in a small food processor and mix until finely ground. Add dates, cacao powder and salt. Mix until well combined (the dough will gather into a ball).

3. Roll the chocolate candy mixture into small balls. Press each ball into a round candy base with a hole in the middle. Fill each hole with date caramel. Garnish with goji berries and cacao nibs, sea salt, or use other toppings of your choice such as crushed pecans, dried cranberries or orange zest.

These Chocolate Caramel Candies will stay fresh for at least two weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you don’t have the time to make a batch of fresh caramel, replace it with soft Medjool dates and top it with a pinch of sea salt.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15555/how-to-make-caramel-without-using-sugar.html

Sweet Potato Black Bean Veggie Burger

Our plan is to eat 85% raw during the winter instead of 95%, so we looking for winter vegan foods and saw this recipe. We have altered it slightly. We will bake these instead of frying them. We will also serve them on raw onion bread instead of a bun, tortilla, pita or bread with a raw cream sauce. The Sweet Potato Black Bean Veggie Burger will be the only cooked portion of this meal.

INGREDIENTS

For the burgers:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 cup dry millet
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
1 tablespoons olive oil
8 raw onion bread slices

For the cream sauce:
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup cashew mayo
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Roma tomato, diced

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the sweet potato for 50-60 minutes or until soft.
• While the sweet potato is baking, cook the millet until soft, about 20-30 minutes.
• Once the sweet potato is baked and cooled, combine sweet potato, oats, one cup of black beans, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil in a food processor. Mix until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the sweet potato mixture with the remaining beans, the corn, and millet.
• Bake them for 20 minutes flip and bake another 10 minutes at 350.
• While the patties are cooking, mash the avocado with a fork. Mix in the cashew mayo, lime juice, and salt. Stir in the tomatoes, and set aside.
• Serve on a slice of raw onion bread with a dollop of avocado cream sauce lettuce, sliced tomatoes and red clover sprouts.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Sweet-Potato-Black-Bean-Veggie-Burger-31826317

Raw Mushroom Burgers

topped with lettuce, sprouts, cashew mayo, served on raw onion bread with bok choy slaw

This recipe is from Raw The Uncook Book by Juliano, page 137.
Ingredients:
1 beet (juiced, saving the pulp)
1/2 cup carrots (juiced, saving the pulp)
1 TBS miso
1/2 cup portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (1/8 tsp powder)
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup freshly juiced orange

Directions:
In a bowl combine the vegetable pulp and miso. Drink the juice.
In a high speed blender combine mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, and salt, and orange juice.
Combine the blender mixture with the vegetable mix, mashing together.
Form 2 4-inch patties and dehydrate for 4 hours, flipping after 2 hours.

topped with cashew mayo, clover sprouts, avocado, and cherry tomatoes served on raw onion bread

Vegetable Paella

This recipe is from "The Complete Book of Raw Food," Julie Rodwell, editor, page 240.
Marinated vegetables
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped young asparagus
2 while onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 lemons, juiced
4 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup filtered water
Combine all the ingredients to marinate for 1-3 days

Sprouted Quinoa
2 cups of quinoa, soaked for 6-12 hours. Rinse and drain. Repeat the rinse and drain until "tails" can be seen (1-2 days)

Tomatoes and spices
soak 4 sun-dried tomatoes for 2-6 hours in filtered water
4 ripe tomatoes diced
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/2 tsp saffron  powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon

Once the quinoa is sprouted and the vegetables are soft, combine all the ingredients and let rest for 12-24 hours. It can be served cold or at room temperature.

October Potluck

We made appetizers preparing for the holiday seasons. As always, everything was wonderful!!!

The "traditional" pinwheels were made with raw onion bread and herby almond spread.

The raw onion bread is from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/12/raw-onion-bread.html and the herby almond spread recipe is using almond feta as the base from http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/07/almond-feta.html
Herby Almond Spread
Ingredients:
1 cup of the almond feta
2 TBS of chopped herbs, parsley, basil, thyme....
sliced green onions
1 TBS chopped pine nuts
1 TBS nutritional yeast
1 TBS miso
2 TBS diced red onion
2 minced cloves of garlic
combine all the ingredients and refrigerate.
To make the pinwheels:
The herby spread is evenly placed on the onion bread. It is rolled and then using a serrated knife sliced into 3/4 inch slices.

Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Prep time 30 min  Wait time 1 hour  Yield 3 servings (4 each)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

1/2 teaspoon coconut nectar or sweetened of choice (I used maple syrup)

1 teaspoon crushed garlic (about 2 cloves), divided

12 grape leaves from a jar of brined grape leaves

2 medium zucchini, finely julienned

1/4 cup coarsely chopped raw pine nuts

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill weed (I used 1 TBLS dried)

1 tablespoon minced green onion

1 tablespoon cold-pressed flax oil (I used grape seed oil)

1 tablespoon dried currants or chopped unsulfured raisins

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.  In a small bowl, make a marinade by combining the orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nectar, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic.  Set aside.

2.  Trim the stem ends of the grape leaves (the jar I bought was already trimmed) and dip the leaves in the marinade so each is completely coated.  Put the leaves in a glass baking dish and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour (I let mine sit for an hour and a half).

3.  Use scissors or a knife to cut the julienned zucchini into pieces the size of rice.  Place the zucchini in a medium mixing bowl, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the zucchini, toss it, and wait 5 minutes.

4.  Gently squeeze out excess moisture from the zucchini using your hands.  Discard the zucchini liquid or keep it to use in a salad dressing or soup.

5.  combine the zucchini "rice" with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, pine nuts, parsley, dill weed, green onion, flax oil, currants, oregano, and black pepper in a medium bowl.  Toss gently to combine.  (Over-mixing will make the zucchini mushy).

6.  Place a grape leaf with the stem end closest to you, stem side up, on a flat surface.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center and draw the two sides of the leaf over toward the center.  Take hold of the edge of the leaf that is closest to you and roll it completely over the filling, tucking it under the filling slightly and pulling back gently to create a firm envelope.

7.  Place assembled dolmas seam-side down in a glass baking dish.  Continue assembling dolmas and placing them close together in the dish until all leaves are filled.

8.  Serve the dolmas warmed, chilled, or at room temperature.  To warm, cover the dolmas and put them in a dehydrator set at 125 degrees for 30 minutes to 2 hours, or in a warmed over (preheated to warm and turned off) for 30 minutes.

From Raw Food for Dummies by Cherie Soria

Coconut nut balls








Guacamole on cucumber discs
2 avocados
1 tomato, diced
diced red onion
lime juice
cucumbers, sliced into discs



Watermelon soup

3 cups chopped watermelon

1 cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

·         Put half the watermelon, cucumber, red pepper, onion in the blender. Add the jalapeno pepper, olive oil, and the lemon juice. Use the puree setting until the mixture is smooth.

·         Put the remaining watermelon, cucumber, red pepper, onion in a large bowl. Add the parsley and stir well.

·         Pour the blended mixture into the bowl. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

·         Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Stir before serving.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

1 cup corn kernels and milk from the cobs (about 2 cups or 3-4 ears)

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 avocado, diced

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tsp mustard seed

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.