TOFUNINJA

FATFREE VEGAN KITCHEN

3pm

How to Make Raw Food Taste HOT!

Yet another article from The Raw Food Coach. I especially like this one because not only do I LOVE  hot food, I NEED  hot food. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t think I could ever be 100% “Successfully Raw” - my body, according to numerous naturopaths, and my obvious always cold hands and feet, is too cold (or yin.) Even in the summer it is best for  me to eat hot foods (yang) and avoid cold (yin). Raw is typically rather cold and can be hard on my system to digest, so adding fire is always a good thing. Tastes great too!
~ Super healthy & Tastes great — that’s what this blog is all about. <3,M*

**”Well, there’s no doubt about it….It feels as if summer has now pretty much bid its final farewell and there has been a very real nip in the air for a week now that is decidedly cooler. With this in mind, it’s time to turn our attention to the more warming ingredients, recipes and meal ideas that can be incorporated successfully into a raw diet.

Today we’re looking at 5 ways to make your food taste hot - all very different. There’s bound to be at least one or two that will work for you. And over the weeks that follow I’ll be sharing more recipes, tips and ideas to help you stay raw (or as raw as you want to be) during the colder months.

1: Hot spices
There are many ingredients that can add warmth to your meal, despite the fact that they are consumed in their raw state. When your body is fed foods that are cooked or that are too cold (from the fridge or freezer), it uses up energy to balance the temperature. Save your energy for something more exciting and add these raw spices to your meals (and thus your body):
* Black & white pepper
* Ginger
* Garlic
* Cayenne
* Cloves
* Coriander
* Chives
* Cinnamon
* Caraway
* Parsley
* Turmeric

2: Eat your greens!
I know I go on about making sure you include enough greens in your diet, whether it be a hot sunny day or even a cold wintry day, but there is a reason for this! Dark, leafy greens are what our bodies need at all times but in particular in cold times. They hold an abundance of vitamins, chlorophyll and protein to boost our immune systems and what’s more, they are fresh all year round - even more encouragement to eat them every day! Sometimes people need a little guidance as to what they choose for their green consumption - celery, although a great food, is not a great source of “greens” in the truest sense of the word (they’re more of a pale green and not very high in chlorophyll). Below is a starter list of great greens that will make all the difference:
* Kale
* Spinach
* Swiss Chard
* Broccoli
* Rocket (arugula)
* Chicory
* Collard Greens
* Dandelion Greens
* Mustard Greens
* Bok Choy
* Watercress

3: Kale & avocado salad
This is one of my favourite raw dishes that has become a staple part of my diet, not only because it is delicious but also contains an incredible amount of nutrition. The added cayenne or chili pepper will certainly warm you up.

Serves 1 * 4-6 large handfuls of kale sliced very thinly * 1 avocado * 3 Tablespoon Oil * 1 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt * 5 baby tomatoes * 10 sun-dried tomatoes * ½ lemon * Large pinch cayenne pepper OR ½ - 1 jalapeno pepper finely sliced

Directions:
1. Chop kale into small pieces (this makes the fibrous cells break down and therefore more palatable, so the smaller you chop you better the taste).
2. Add oil and salt and massage into the kale until kale becomes wilted and soft.
3. Add avocado and massage again so each leaf is coated.
4. Chop tomatoes into quarters, add to kale.
5. Chop sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces and add to kale.
6. Squeeze lemon over entire dish
7. Add pinch of cayenne or your chopped chili and mix up well.
8. Serve and enjoy!

4: Warming foods
These are a list of foods to keep your body feeling warm. Ancient peoples believed that keeping the body warm came from within and found that certain foods could raise the body’s temperature:
* Legumes
* Carrots
* Squash
* Parsnips
* Beetroot
* Walnuts
* Coconut
* Dates
* Red pepper
* Pine Nuts
* Chilis

5: Drinking at room temperature (less about making raw food hot; more about keeping you from being too cold!)

This may sound obvious to many of you but the temperature of your liquids can affect the temperature of your body. Can you imagine being asleep and waking up to someone throwing an ice cold bucket of water over you? This is how your body reacts when you drink ice cold drinks that shock the system. As with cooked foods, the body’s enzymes and energy is used to try and control the temperature that you have just thrown at it. Try drinking your drinks at room temperature and notice how much easier they go down.

///////
This Week’s Recipe
Winter Cabbage Wraps with Garlic-Ginger Dip
Raw cabbage? Not necessarily my idea of fun - or at least it wasn’t until I tried this recipe! Cabbage doesn’t always “feel” right in summer, but at this time of year when lettuce loses some appeal, this is the perfect replacement.
I invite you to suspend disbelief long enough to make this and eat it… you’ll be very glad you did!

Ingredients

For the wraps:
* White cabbage leaves
* Avocado
* Tomatoes
* Black pitted olives
* Coriander (cilantro)

For the dip: * Olive oil
* Water
* Lemon juice
* Lime juice (optional)
* Coriander (cilantro)
* Garlic
* Fresh ginger

Directions

To make the wraps:
1) Open the cabbage leaf and make a thick column of avocado slices down the middle, leaving a fair amount of space either side.
2) Pile on slices of fresh tomato, pieces of black pitted olives and top with a generous amount of fresh coriander.

To make the dip:
1) Pour a small amount (about 3 tablespoons) of olive oil into a small bowl.
2) Add the juice of half a lemon, and, if you have one, the juice of a lime. 3) Add about 20 stalks of finely chopped fresh coriander, a small piece of ginger finely chopped, and half a bulb of garlic, finely chopped.
4) Add water to make the mixture less oily, but obviously do not water it down too much, or the taste will be spoiled.
5) Serve the dip in a tiny dipping bowl and your cabbage wraps laid open or secured with a cocktail stick.

Prepare for true winter decadence : )
Use this dip to give an oriental twist to the cabbage wraps.”

**Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at TheRawFoodCoach.com.

5am

Some (not all!) of the best food or nature or veggie Tumblrs :-)

veggieparadise:

Alphabetically, so no preferences:

• All Creatures: http://allcreatures.tumblr.com
• Banana Surprise: http://www.bananasurprise.com
• Caramel: http://potekichi.tumblr.com
• Cupcake Junkie: http://cupcakejunkie.tumblr.com
• Daily Bunny: http://dailybunny.org
• Daily Otter: http://dailyotter.org
• Everything Kitties: http://savethekitties.net
• Ffffood: http://ffffood.com
• Foodgasm: http://foodgasm.tumblr.com
• Gluttony is a Bliss: http://gluttonyisabliss.com
• GohanLog::tumblr: http://dining.tumblr.com
• Have a Beagle: http://haveabeagle.tumblr.com
• Hey-y-Owls: http://hey-y-owls.tumblr.com
• India: http://iindia.tumblr.com
• Jojochao: http://jojochao.tumblr.com
• KittensKittensKittens: http://kittenskittenskittens.tumblr.com
• L’annexe: http://camilleg.tumblr.com
• Lightly Caffeinated: http://lightlycaffeinated.com
• Lolcats: http://lolcat.tumblr.com
• Macchiato to Go: http://macchiatotogo.tumblr.com
• MameTum: http://omame.tumblr.com
• Miezekatzen: http://miezekatzen.tumblr.com
• Nomad Culture: http://nomad-culture.tumblr.com
• Noriyoshi: http://noriyoshi.tumblr.com
• Pretty Foods: http://prettyfoods.tumblr.com
• Revive with Food and Music: http://watermelonsorbet.tumblr.com
• Scanwiches: http://scanwiches.com
• Sunday Brunch: http://sundaybrunch.tumblr.com
• Superamit: http://superamit.tumblr.com
• Sweetumblr: http://mashimaro.tumblr.com
• Tabetan: http://tabetan.tumblr.com
• The Animal Blog: http://theanimalblog.tumblr.com
• The Chef in the Striped Apron: http://inmykitchen.tumblr.com
• This is my Cat: http://dillicious.tumblr.com
• This Little Life of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine: http://jewelinthelotus.tumblr.com
• Umaimon: http://umaimon.tumblr.com
• Urban Foodie: http://urbanfoodie.tumblr.com
• Urban Greenery: http://urbangreens.tumblr.com
• Whiteday Dreams: http://solemon.tumblr.com
• Wide Eyed Hippie Child: http://wideeyedhippiechild.tumblr.com

Via veggieparadise

5pm

Vegetarian Websites

found this list on a survey and since i hadn’t heard of most of them i thought i’d write the list for checking out later

Favorite Veg Forum
compassionatecooks.com
goneraw.com
happycow.net
theppk.com
veganbodybuilding.com
veganfreak.com
vegfamily.com
veggieboards.com

Favorite Website
chooseveg.com
compassionatecooks.com
goneraw.com
happycow.net
supervegan.com
thetravellingvegetarian.tv
tryveg.com
veg.ca
vegcooking.com

Favorite Blog
bittersweet.com
blog.fatfreevegan.com
blog.vegcooking.com
thediscerningbrute.com
theurbanhousewife.com
vegandad.blogspot.com
veganlunchbox.com
veganyumyum.com
vivelevegan.blogspot.com
welikeitraw.com

Favorite Podcast
go vegan (bob linden)
let’s get baked (mat & dave)
raw vegan radio (steve prussack)
vegan a go-go (jess celestino)
vegan radio (derek goodwin)
veganfreak radio (bob & jenna torres)
vegcast (vance lehmkuhl)
vegetarian food for thought (colleen patrick-godreau)

Favorite Online Vegan Store
alternative outfitters
cosmo’s vegan shoe shoppe
food fight! grocery
herbivore
humanitaire
matt & natt
moo shoes
pangea vegan store
the vegetarian site
vegan chic
vegan essentials
vegan etsy

12am

Raw Thai Curry Sauce + tips

Ingredients
* 2 avocados
* 2 (dried) lime leaves
* 1/4 - 1/2 fresh chili
* 1 teaspoon of lime juice
* 2 cm of lemon grass stem
* 1.5cm cube of fresh ginger
* 1/2 loosely packed cup of fresh coriander (cilantro)
* 1/2 - 1 cup of pure water (depends on how creamy and thick you like it)
* 1/2 Tablespoon of curry powder

Directions
1) Simply blend all ingredients together, either in a blender or food processor until everything is fully blended. Taste test. Add more water if you’d like it runnier. Add more lemon, a tomato and/or avocado if it’s too hot.

Makes enough sauce to accompany 2 large helpings of veggies

//

RAW COACH’S TOP TIPS:
* Great veggies (all finely chopped or cubed) to pour the sauce over include: Cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, peas, sugarsnap peas, courgette (zucchini), asparagus tips, tomatoes, cucumber.

* To improve/ soften texture of your veggies you can either marinade them for a while in olive oil, lemon juice and a little Himalayan salt and drain before coating with sauce, or, after marinating for a short while, dehydrate them at around 110 deg F for a few hours to get them soft, warm and slightly mushy!

* To make “rice” simply put in a couple of parsnips or some cauliflower into your food processor and process until rice-like pieces are formed. Even if you don’t like either on their own (I am *really* not a fan of raw parsnip!), by the time you have added your veggies and sauce, you won’t even be able to tell what the rice is and you’ll feel as if you’re eating a much “rounder” meal.

* source thanks to therawfoodcoach.com

10am

socially conscious, totally fabulous

just found this great blog, with a great name: bonzai aphrodite (!) and thought i’d share, lest i forget. enjoy!! i know i will.

xox

2pm