Yet another lasagna!

Last nights layered lasagna from Matthew Kenneys book "Raw Food, Real World". Very filling, and decided to lighten the load with more zucchini / less everything else when making lunch with the Ingredients today. Perfect!

Class scheduled for July 7th!

Finally-  I slapped a date on the calendar,  it seems to be a good date to not be in the way of my other family members, and in between important events. Gonna be fun!  I hope it works out for others as well.

It will be at my humble abode, 5pm to 7pm, and I will be teaching a basic raw class; Will it be hands-on?  Heck, I dunno!  Maybe it should, just for fun.  First class I will be charging only $15 to help cover food costs; keep in mind you'd be paying that anywhere you eat (Taco bell trash does NOT count!) and you'll get a 100% nutritional boost that is 100% beneficial to your body, rather than fast food or cooked & killed enzymes that will only drain you and leave your body still craving a real dose of living, healthy food.

Class 101 Raw:

Almond milk - How to make it, and how to use it
Nuts & seeds-  Soaking, sprouting, drying for crackers & cereals
Sushi Rolls, Miso Soup, Opening Thai Coconuts
Zucchini Pasta, sauces,
Salad dressings
Desserts


Call to reserve your spot: 805-423-3002

Or Follow me on Twitter: @JoDeGarimore

Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration comes from the least expected places. My father in law is diabetic and to make a long story short, my frustrations with his diet (or lack of) had brought me to contact a raw chef that I didn't realize was so famous for his culinary talents. I would blab on here about him if I knew I wouldn't sound like a schoolgirl, but honestly, for someone famous to hand out their phone number to you in order to help with a life or death situation is humbling. Maybe that's not quite the word I am looking for, but we all become on the same level of humanity when this situation presents itself. It's always a breath of fresh air to see someone of his caliber to not have the ugly ego that so many do.

Matthew Kenney is his name, and he has become a source of inspiration for me- he is a gentle spirit with wild raw culinary talent with vision to spare. He teaches at his restaurant in too-far-awayVille. I have signed up for just the beginnings of culinary school starting September and only dream of one day finishing at one like his. But is 45 too old? Hell no. Life is young. Never too late. I say. Enjoy the creative God-given talents and passions.

Look him up. He just may inspire you as well.

Raw Food Classes & Retreat

My recent raw food retreat was a hit-  minus one couple who showed up and then left, thinking it was a place where there would be room service at 3am and raw food being made 24/7.  No thanks!  Funny thing was, she said she'd stay if I was gonna be there 24/7...   and no she wasn't picking up on me HA!

I hooked them up with methods, recipes and inspiration- After all, I wanted to send them home feeling they could do this themselves;  it's really not that difficult after a little know-how. We did some dehydrating for chips, breads and crackers,  made some of the recipes here on my blog (raviolis, nutmilks, cheese, pasta) and had a Benriner mandoline sent to their homes (at their expense and their request).  Paula said the first day was worth the expense of the entire weeks stay, and keep in mind they can be spendy!

At the end of the week, they had pitched in and bought a massage certificate for all my hard work;  Although it was alot of work (carting my stuff back and forth to the venue is MUCH harder than just teaching at home!)  it was something that was an absolute joy to do;  I love seeing others catch the vision and want healing for themselves.  Some people will never "get it"-  the vision of true health through eating healthy and taking care of your body. 

I think I'm finished creating my introduction to Raw Foods 101 and am ready to put something on the calendar and make calls & emails to those awaiting for the big day.  I want my first class to be perfect, and alas, I am not perfect;  so I will just bite the bullet, say my prayers and trudge forward into teaching others how to make things that are healthy for you;   Ya know, things like ice cream, chocolate tarts, pasta sauce,  chips....    haha, but really, I'm serious.  Come and see.  ;-)

Sometimes the best dressings are the simplest; cut off both ends of an orange, and with a knife, cut off all the peel (including white) from end to end. Cut out segments over the salad, allowing juices to sprinkle on the salad and then drizzle with flax oil or olive oil. Bon Appetit!

Celiac Disease?

There are so many people out there with Celiac disease, and it's just stunning the damage it can do to people. My "Bonus Mom" has it so bad that she can't have one speck of it or it wreaks havoc on her.  We have many customers at Pier 46 Seafood who have it, and I am always so glad to be extra cautious for them, because it only takes once to eff that up for them- and if you do, guess what? They don't trust you enough to come back.

Going the raw food route eliminates that fear.  When you make everything yourself, and don't have to worry about reading the side of a box, it brings a sigh of relief to many.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I wanted to mention Celiac here, but it was just on my mind.  I just made a Facebook post on our Pier 46 page about it, and I guess I also wanted to post here in case anyone has Celiac Disease or knows someone who does.  I was a personal chef for seven months and loved it- and I'd love to do it again.  I love helping people get past health issues and teaching them about raw fooding.  It is obviously VERY different;  a different way of NOT cooking, a creative challenge for most, a change to the palate,  and the palate adjusts quickly & the body recovers from more issues than you probably know you even had.   Anyway....  I could go on.

But I won't.

www.centralcoastceliacs.com

Individual lasagnas. Doesn't get any fresher than this!


Mexican Taco Soup with marinated portabella and sweet corn chips below.

Guilt -free chocolate pudding tarts!

 

I have to tell you;  I made these little tarts, and keep in mind my husband and two kids have not warmed up to the raw food idea.  I encouraged my daughter to try one bite;  I handed her a clean spoon and walked away.  I could hear her in the kitchen, reluctantly puttering around and taking her sweet time about it.  About five minutes later, here comes a sweet voice over my shoulder saying "Mom?"  I replied 'Yes?"   ....  "Can I have one of those chocolate thingie-doos?"  

:-)

Raw Cheffing & Teaching at a retreat next month

I think I've made more raw food in the last three days than I have in the last three months. Reason being;

June 5-10th I'll be heading up a raw retreat-  I've been gearing up for it and I'm definitely looking forward to it.
I've once dreamed of opening a raw restaurant here in SLO County, and whether or not it becomes a reality, I still have the love of sharing with others about raw fooding and the benefits of doing so.  That being said, I have gathered my scattered recipe cards and scribblings on napkins and printouts of recipes, and I feel like I've come to a place in time where they gather in one place, the finest of them all rise to the top, and my fuzzy, faraway dream becomes a little more visible.

At least for June 5 thru the 10th.  Ha!

I've made the recent dishes you see photographed and more; I've made Sunflower Pate' today, put it in some sushi rolls, have several things soaking & sprouting; going to make Cashew Herb cheese tomorrow,  and I hope to make some kale chips (they sound terrible but I've had them before- addictive little suckers!) and I do believe that my kale seasoning will be even better than the purchased raw food kale chips I had.  So there!

Finished my night with an Almond milk smoothie of Blueberries, spinach and half a banana. My go-to smoothie; it hit the spot.

Corn Chips rock!!

MEXICAN CORN CHIPS

1 lb (3.5 cups) Fresh Corn
2 T ground flax
2 T Red onion, minced
2 T Red Bell, minced
1 T Cilantro, chopped
Mexican seasoning to taste- i used cumin, cumin seeds
Salt to taste, less is best- it’s easy to over season dehydrated items.

In blender, liquefy corn. Add other ingredients and blend, leaving some consistency.
Spread on dehydrator mats, score into chip size and Dehydrate.

That's Italian! Lasagna and Zucchini Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

Two recipes to share with you today- This is pretty easy Lasagna, I was pretty stoked on this one! (the bottom photo and recipe is Zucchini Pasta with Alfredo Sauce: see below)  I will add a little more salt or soy next time, looks fantastic but it could use more flavor; I went easy on things as to not overpower, so I'll post a slightly amended recipe here:  The recipe seems lengthy, but it is not if you have your ducks in a row.  It requires pre-soaked almonds, and if there's one thing I can recommend that I've learned from working in professional kitchens;  Work Fast...  and then BAM you're done!

Magazine Zucchini and Portabella Lasagnas with Almond Ricotta

Serves maybe 8ish; but you can amend and make just one like I did!

Mandolin is a MUST on this recipe.

3 large zucchinis, sliced from ends into perfect very thin rounds

2 lg carrots, sliced very thin

marinate the above at least an hour in:

Olive oil, Nama Shoyu and a splash of lemon.

16 Portabella mushroom slices, or diced, soaked in olive oil and nama shoyu. They will soak it up like a sponge.

1.5 cups almonds, soaked 8 hours, skinned if possible for a white result

3 cloves garlic

1 bunches kale, ribs removed, chopped fine

1 c  basil leaves, julienned

2 T nutritional yeast

3 c baby spinach, julienned

3 med tomates, sliced thin into rounds, remainder cored & chopped. Reserve liquids for plating.

Optional:1 med beet, candy striped or yellow, sliced paper thin

In food processor or blender, puree soaked almonds, garlic, and 2 T oil until smooth. Use some almond milk if necessary to facilitate blending. Set aside.

Chop by hand, or In the same unwashed processor, pulse kale, basil, and transfer to almond mixture. Add yeast, salt and pepper.  

Toss spinach in with reserved zucchini marinade, squeezing with hands to wilt it; wring dry and discard liquid.

Puree tomatoes in blender til smooth, season with s & p and set aside.

Individual plate assembly:  Tomato liquid, 3 Zucchini rounds to create one large platform, carrot, kale almond mixture, spinach, tomato, and repeat, ending with almond mixture and garnish of  chopped tomato.  Black truffle oil if you want to get really fancy  ;-) and Pier 46 Seafood happens to carry black truffle salt if you get the urge!

SECOND PHOTO:

Zucchini pasta with Alfredo sauce, served with  Marinated portabella mushroom

This is an easy recipe:

Alfredo Sauce with Zucchini Pasta and Mushrooms

Serves Four

sorry for the change in text; Ive cut it from my google docs!

Zucchini (2 small per person), shaved on mandolin in very thin strips;  Think Pasta!

For the Alfredo Sauce: 
3/4 c Pine Nuts, unsoaked

3/4 c Cashews soaked an hour or less

1 c coconut water

1 clove garlic, chopped

dash paprika

1/4 cup lemon, meyer is nice

Salt and white pepper

Mushrooms, preferably Portabella, as your side of "meat"

olive oil & Nama Shoyu

Directions:

Using mandoin, slice zucchinis very thin. Lightly  Salt and set aside.

Slice and chop mushrooms and place in nama shoyu and olive oil. Set aside.

In blender, blend nuts, garlic and spices, adding liquids slowly until smooth.

To serve:

Toss pasta with desired amount of sauce, serving with mushrooms on the side and a garnish of diced red pepper, carrot or microgreens, whatever garnish is in the fridge! Be creative :-)

This is fabulous sauce and keeps well in the fridge for days!

Corn chips in formation, ready to crisp up!

Chia!

Chia seeds!  Yes, the Chia Pet stuff.  No, I'm not crazy.
The Aztec Indians apparently ate the stuff and it gave them insane endurance- like running all day long kind of endurance.  I will have to agree, as I had this for breakfast with Buckwheat groats, almond milk and the two fruits you see here-   and I swear I was up until 2:15am when I realized what the frickin time it was.  Holy Schmoley.


Marathon Breakfast

 3 1/2 tablespoons Chia seeds
1/2 cup Buckwheat groats (soaked 8 hrs, rinsed like mad, and dehydrated.  Great crunch. Keeps forever.)
Fruit of choice (mine, of course, looked and tasted amAAAAzing)
Agave and Cinnamon if desired.   I didn't bother.

Chia also is reportedly great for those with diabetes, as is Cinnamon.  Chia is so old that it's become new to doctors who have discovered it.  Or re-discovered it.   Whatever.  ;-)

Raw food classes

I'm on the road to setting a date for my first raw food class. I am surprised at the feedback and excitement of those responding and I'm hopeful for a new road to forage for myself. I have three classes in mind; entry level raw, intermediate and advanced.

My qualifications stem from a testimony of being diagnosed about ten years ago with SLE, then discovering and fully immersing myself in the world of eating all raw in search of healing, and later becoming a raw food personal chef for seven months, and in doing so, being healed of all symptoms of my systemic lupus eurythmetosis. And the icing on the cake was being healed of annoying allergies. Woo hoo! I slept like a baby, woke up happy and even managed to cook for my non-raw family while i was at it. Can you say CHALLENGING? It can be done!

These little beet raviolis are really good- I mean like lick your plate good.  The paper-thin beet slices marinate and encase the Cashew herb cheese which I just can't get enough of. mmm!!!

Testing, testing... I'm sending this one via iPhone. Today I am using some of the herb cheese I made with a cashew nut base (addictive!!) and using it two ways; one, on beet chips that I sliced with my epic new slicer and then dehydrating (see photos) I've made these a few days befire and I swear they're like crack. Can't get enough. Not that I'd know....
Second, I will be using the cheese as a filling for beetroot raviolis. I made paper thin slices of beets (again, epic new slicer!!) and am marinating them in olive oil and a smidge of garlic and salt for at least an hour. Then sandwiching a bit of cheese in the center of one beet "paper", topping with another and finishing with balsamic and chives. Had it the other day and licked my plate.
No joke.  Now to call my customer from pier 46 who is dying to try my beet chips... ;-) anyone interested in a class? I'll be starting some soon! Comments welcomed!

Beet chips; an odd success

I received in the mail the other day my new mandolin; the true test was slicing raw beets paper-thin. My original plan was to (and still is) make beetroot ravioli stuffed with cashew nut herb-based cheese, and I'll save that for another blogpost. The slicer worked great and made some even too-thin! So I decided to toss some plain into the oven on low/dehydrate, and some more not plain- but rather tossed into a mixture of almond milk, salt and nutritional yeast to coat lightly. They turned out the best for sure- little crack morsels! Easy and will definitely make more.

April 7

Blogging is hit and miss with me. Obviously. However, I have been recently encouraged by the recent new readers that have mentioned they've been keeping up. Not hard, since I'm not exactly greased lightning, here. Besides, the blog is mostly for me anyway, keeping track of fave recipes and such. I'll read back on it someday with interest when I'm old, and who knows- grandkids may read it someday and think i was nuts. In that case, lemme tell ya now, kids- TRY to eat stuff that come fresh out of the ground. Animals and stuff in boxes is only gonna carry you so far.

Today I made more almond milk, as usual- but this time I took off the brown husk prior to blending, which I knew would create a whiter milk and easier straining. I also knew it would make a creamier and smoother pulp, which in the back of my mind I wanted to use for something... What, I didn't know yet. I looked up and decided on an Internet recipe of cookies. Seems easy enough.


Swiped and adapted from Rawguru


Cookie Dough
1 ½ cup cashews or almonds (soaked, then dehydrated) and ground to a flour (I just use wet left-over pulp from making almond milk)
5 tbs. coconut butter
2 tbs. agave nectar
½ vanilla bean (seeds only) or 1/2 tsp. extract
Pinch or three of celtic sea salt
1/4 t cinnamon or to taste
pinch of nutmeg
3 dates, chopped fine
Water or coconut water only if necessary

In a blender or food processor, process till it comes together and forms a dough, add more coconut water if it is too dry or more almond flour to make it more doughy. Then shape into cookie shapes and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 10 hrs or until nice and chewy.

I waited maybe four hours and got into these babies. Definitely needs more time, Maybe I'll put them in longer and see how they are, but at this point they're a great starter cookie, now they just need some sorta frosting... ;-)

Almond milk is catching on?

How cute.
I mean not like CUTE but..   

The guys over at Joebellas have caught on to the Almond Milk thang!   This isn't supposed to be public but they're making almond milk (fresh soaked raw organic of course) and it's AWESOME stuff...  I'm so stoked to have this in my morning coffee.   So yeah, if you want Raw Almond milk in your coffee or tea, you have to do the special wink-wink and turn around three times and tip your hat kind of dance in order for them to know you have the secret insider code.  ;-)  Leah and Jay have new mesh nut bags to strain the blended & soaked nuts (thanks to me and my 14yr old daughers sewing machine)  and I gave Jay a great big glass jar with a specialty lid to keep the Joebellas nutmilk fresh.