Rich Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake w/ Raspberry Filling

Please go HERE for this recipe. We have moved to a new location.


I made this cake for W's birthday last year. It came out super fabulous! I am not sure where this recipe came from, so I apologize. I think it was  a combination of 2-3 recipes and has been modified.

It was an awesome cake. Rich and chocolaty!! Ooooh! I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!!! My friends had never eaten raw desserts before and were literally moaning when they ate it. They even begged to take a piece home to have the next day.

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Green Mango Smoothie

Prepare nut mylk, using cashews or soaked almonds, or even a mixture of nuts and seeds, whatever you desire.  Pour nut mylk into blender and slowly add each of the following:

1 frozen banana, peeled  (Add banana first using ice crushing mode if you  don't have high speed blender)
1 mango, pitted
1 orange, skinned  
1/4 c shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 Tbsp flax seeds, ground (I mix with hemp seeds)
3 -4 kale leaves, stems removed

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"Peanut" Sauce With Veggies with Noodles

I am fighting a wicked cold today, but determined to be okay for tomorrow night. I have used the Neti pot several times today, and hoping for some big improvement.





 I wasn't in the mood to prepare anything intricate tonight and ended up throwing together a pretty tasty dinner, thanks to The Sunny Raw Kitchen. I was lazy wasn't about to clean the food processor yet again, so I made a few adjustments and came up with this dish.

In place of Medjool dates, I used agave nectar. (Yes, it isn't 100% raw).  I didn't have kelp noodles available, so I boiled up bean thread noodles. (Okay, so definitely not raw). But damn, those noodles are soooo delicious, and W really enjoys them and the sauce and veggies are all raw. I have also had this sauce on soba mugwart noodles, which is another tasty, but un-raw alternative. It's all about choice and tonight it was easier to make some alterations and still end up with a delicious meal.

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Brazil Nut Cookies/Bars - The Very Best Cookie Dough So Far!!!

I have not explored making raw cookies with Brazil nuts until today, and these were the best raw cookies I have ever tasted!!! I found this recipe on The Renegade Health Show.

  

Brazil Nut Cookie Dough Bars

2 cups hemp seeds, ground

2 cups Brazil nuts, ground

1/2  cup honey, raw

 1/4  cup coconut oil

2  tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract (or powder)

1/4  cup raisins or raw cacao bits (optional)

1 tsp  nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

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First Resolution for the New Year

It has been a rough ride this past  year. I was laid off over a year ago. I was Director of Customer Support. It was very stressful and I believe the stress and constant commuting contributed to the return of my IC, which slowly but surely has crept back into my life. It had been noticeable for over a year, but over the past 6 mos it has gotten progressively worse. At this point, I don't even venture out of the house too much. It hurts to walk and I am simply uncomfortable going places. Try to imagine the sensation of a football in your abdomen, well, not just any football, a football that looks and feels more like a porcupine! Seriously. Interstitial Cystitis is an awful disease and I will do whatever I need to do in order to eliminate it from my life.

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Soothing Red Lentil Soup

Go HERE - we have moved...

2 to 3T extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
 2t grated fresh ginger
2t mild curry powder (I used 1/2 t hot curry and 1t reg. curry))
2 cups red lentils, rinsed well
8 cups water or veggie stock (or a mixture of both)
4-6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups thinly sliced chard (or kale, spinach, collards)
2 to 3T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2t sea salt   

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Saute onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and saute for a minute or so.   

Add the red lentils and water or stock. Add the carrots, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour.   

Turn off heat, add greens, lemon, and salt. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to let the greens to soften. 

In spite of W's awful bout with food poisoning, our Christmas celebration turned out to be pretty wonderful. Christmas Eve was not so great and I was up with him in the middle of the night, but discovered that 2T of apple cider vinegar in water does wonders for the cramping and other side effects of food poisoning.

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Garbanzo Beans, Mushrooms, Zucchini and Rice

1 red, yellow or green bell pepper,  chopped

3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pint mushrooms, sliced

1 zucchini, diced

15-ounce can garbanzo (or white) beans, drained and rinsed well

1 tomato, chopped

¼ to ½ c snow peas (may also use broccoli, green beans, bok choy)

1/2 cup short grain brown rice, cooked

¼ to ½ cup vegetable broth

1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast (optional)

Fresh basil ( to taste)

1 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne  

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and peppers; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and increase heat to medium-high. Cook about 4 minutes. Add tomato and snow peas and cook for about 3 min. Taste for seasoning and serve over bed of rice.  

It's Christmas Eve and we have to get up very early and drive 2.5 hours to see my girlies & family. By girlies, I am of course referring to my two daughters, and my precious granddaughter.

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Raw Pecan Pie Cookies And Last Minute Wrapping Ideas

Merry Christmas Eve! If you are anything like me, you are still scrambling for the holiday. If you are organized enough to have finished shopping for gifts, you may not have finished wrapping them. 

I made some raw cookies last night and needed a way to package them.  This is what I came up with. I would have selected a different tissue paper, but had to go with what was available.

The cookies I selected were Ani Phyo's Raw Pecan Pie Cookies  and rolled them in ground, shredded coconut. They don't taste exactly like pecan pie, but they have that yummy pecan flavor and are delicious.    

 Raw Pecan Pie Cookies   

1c pecans

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t orange juice

1 c Medjool dates, pitted 

Combine the pecans, cinnamon, and orange juice in food processor and pulse into small chunks. Add the dates and process until well mixed. 

Roll about 1 1/2 T of dough into little balls and flatten to cookies. 

Press cookie in ground, shredded coconut (optional).  Place on a non-stick cookie tray. These will keep for a week in the fridge or several weeks in the freezer.

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Quinoa - Another Breakfast Favorite

So what do you do when you are sick and tired of smoothies? Here is a yummy and nutritious recipe idea adapted from an awesome Gone Raw recipe. This dish is made using sprouted quinoa, which is chock full of enzymes and protein. It does require some advanced preparation, but I actually found it fun and fulfilling to watch my little quinoa sprouts.

Sprouted Quinoa Breakfast Delight

1/3 cup sprouted quinoa

1 small, ripe banana

2 tsp agave or honey (according to taste)

1/2 apple, chopped

1 tsp organic shredded coconut (optional)

raisins or dried cherries, cranberries

raw walnuts, chopped  

Mash banana with a fork. Add to quinoa sprouts. Add remaining ingredients and sweeten with agave to taste.  You can warm this in the dehydrator if you like, but it is yummy just as is.  ENJOY!

 Directions For Sprouting

Rinse quinoa well and cover with water in a wide-mouth glass jar and lid. Let soak 8-12 hours. Drain water, rinse, and keep in a dark cool area, replacing jar lid with a screen or cheesecloth, (use the rim or a rubber band to hold  the cloth in place) to cover the opening. Rinse 2-3 times a day until tails form. Rinse well and return to jar with rim and cap. Refrigerate. Rinse daily to retain freshness. Give it a try! It is so easy, and they are great in salads, sandwiches, and garnishes for soup.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

1.5 Frozen Bananas (or any fruit, berries, mango, etc)

1 Tbsp Organic Peanut Butter (or any nut butter)

1 Tbsp Raw Tahini  or Fresh Raw Halvah

1 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds (I mix dark, golden and hemp)

* In order to receive the nutritional benefits from flax seeds, they must be ground. Ground flax seeds get rancid quickly, so only grind a small amount and keep refrigerated)

2-3 Organic kale leaves, stem removed (opt)

1-2 Dates soaked, to sweeten (opt)

1 tsp Organic Almond Extract (or any flavor you prefer) 

Combine water and nuts and grind in a high speed blender.

Pour through a strainer or nut mylk bag. 

Add Frozen banana and crush. Add all other ingredients, blend and enjoy! 

There are so many variations to this. Use your imagination. (Add shredded coconut, skip the cacao and peanut butter, and make a Very Berry shake.)  The combinations are endless.

What better way to start the morning than with a smoothie? Better yet, make your own nut mylk! What suits your fancy? Almond mylk, sunflower seed mylk, cashew mylk? I used to buy the boxes of almond milk until I discovered the joy of making it on own. It is therapeutic for me. Sometimes, I use a nut mylk bag to strain the  nuts and sometimes, I just leave the nut meat in.

Making Nut Mylk with a Nut Mylk Bag

Generally, I use about 1/2 cup of nuts to 1 1/2 cups of (RO) water. (Will keep in refrigerator 3-4 days).  Grind the nuts (or seeds) in a high speed blender. Place the nut mylk bag inside a bowl or pitcher. Pour the mylk into the bag, hold closed at top and gently squeeze the mylk thru the bag. Leftover nuts can be dehydrated and used in cracker or bread recipes.

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Introduction - About Me

This was taken Christmas Day 2009

 I am down 10 lbs. here.

I am 53 years old, mother of two daughters, grandmother to one granddaughter. I was married for over 20 years, divorced, single for 8 years, and currently living with W. He and I have been together for close to 4 years.

Ten  years ago, I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. I won't get into the nitty gritty details of this awful disease here, other than to say it sucks. I may refer on occasion to having a "bad IC day," and all that means is, I am in pain - more pain than usual! 
 
Several  years ago, I worked with a nutritional biochemist, used Sunrider products, and ate a strictly vegetarian diet. I also eliminated sugar, dairy and grains from my diet. During that period, my IC went into remission and while I was only vegetarian for 2 yrs, my IC remained in remission for at least double that. 

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