The Sunny Raw Kitchen

Voting Has Begun for the Best of Raw 2011 Awards!

2012-01-16T12:31:00.003-05:00

It's that time once again! You can now hop over to the Best of Raw website and vote for your favorites for 2011!

The Annual Best of Raw Awards shines the spotlight on People, Places, Products & Media who are helping the world add more raw, organic plant foods to our diets. Educators, Chefs, Authors, Celebrities, Athletes, Musicians, Websites, Products, and more are all being honored and celebrated for the magnanimous work they are doing! (See Categories for complete list.)

Again this year my raw babies and I have the great honor of being nominated in several categories. Woo hoo!

Best Raw Simple Chef: Carmella Soleil

Best Gourmet Raw Chef: Carmella Soleil

Best Raw Vegan Blog: Sunny Raw Kitchen

Best Raw Vegan Community Site: Raw Freedom Community

Best Raw Vegan Book or Ebook: Delightfully Raw (Yippee!!!)

New Voting Process
This year, they're doing things a little differently: voting takes place in TWO ROUNDS. The first round of voting will be an 'elimination round', leaving the top four candidates in each category to 'go for the gold'. This first phase of voting goes live NOW, and will end at midnight on February 1st. The FINAL ROUND of voting with the top four finalists in each category starts on February 3 and ends on February 15.

So have at it! Have fun with this!

Head to Best of Raw to VOTE Now!

NOTE: Internet Explorer users, we suggest using a different browser. Internet Explorer has issues that make it incompatible with a lot of web functions including this voting platform.

About Best of Raw
Founded in 2008 by Laura Fox with inspiration from Giselle Tarres, Best of Raw is here to catalyze the Raw Foods Movement forward through promotions, events, including online awards events, offline chef competitions, video events and prize give aways. Laura has carried on the event for the last three years solo and is excited that the team is expanding this year to keep Best of Raw sustainable and growing.

Giveaway of Russell James' New Homestudy Course and Extended Launch Period

2012-01-14T13:53:00.003-05:00

I just took a batch of fresh Garlic Bread out of the dehydrator (mmmm!) and can hardly wait to bite into it! (If you've missed Russell James' recipe and video, make sure to check it out here!)

I got some exciting news for you!

For one thing, Russell has decided to extend the launch period of his new "How to be Your Own Raw Chef" Homestudy Course until next Wednesday 18th January at 1pm eastern time, 6pm UK time.

And now for the really fun part, he will be giving away 2 full sets of his Homestudy Course, which includes both DVD and online access! Wowsers, what a special treat!!!

How it Works
In order to enter the contest all you have to do is hop over to his Garlic Bread video (look for it on the right) and in the comment section fill in the following blanks...

"The Raw Chef 10 week homestudy course is the perfect course to help me ________________ and _________________."

If you've bought the course, or are going to buy the course before he announces on Wednesday who the winners are, don't worry, you'll still be eligible - Russell will just refund the purchase.

Remember that you now have until Wednesday January 18th to take advantage of his special launch offer!

Now off to have a piece of that bread... ;-)

Russell James' New Homestudy DVD Course

2012-01-13T11:34:00.002-05:00

In case you missed out, The Raw Chef Russell James has been recently treating us to some awesome free videos about how to be creative with raw foods. To my utter delight, in one of them he even shared how to make amazing spongy dehydrated Garlic Bread like the one served at the famous Au Lac restaurant! *doing the happy dance*

This week Russell is also launching a brand new and improved version of his popular "How to be Your Own Raw Chef" Homestudy Course.

You can learn soooo much (and a lot faster too!) when you can observe a pro at work, but not everyone is able to travel and attend live food prep courses. This is where Russell's genius comes in; he has designed a super thorough (and convenient) 10 week course that can be taken online, on DVD, or both as part of a special launch offer.

Russell feels that this is the best package he has ever put together, both in terms of an offer, and also in terms of the quality of the product itself. In this Homestudy Course, among other things, he covers Salads & Dressings, Pasta & Noodles, Main Dishes, Fermented Foods, Raw Cheeses, Breads & Sandwiches, Elixirs, Wraps & Rolls and Truly Raw Sushi. (He sure got me drooling! ;-) )

You can find out more about Russell's new "How to be Your Own Raw Chef" Homestudy Course here or by clicking on the banner below.

PLEASE NOTE that the special launch offer has been extended until Wednesday 18th January at 1pm eastern time, 6pm UK time.

Special Discount on OMNI Blenders

2012-01-13T10:54:00.003-05:00

Due to high demand in light of the Post-Holiday Detox Promo, Omni Blenders have been flying off Thomas' shelves. There is currently just a few left in his inventory, but the good news is that a new blender shipment will be coming in around the end of January.

To make up for the inconvenience of having to wait longer than usual for delivery Omniblender.com is offering a $25 discount. (Please note that the discount will be discontinued once Thomas receives notification from the forwarder that the blender inventory has arrived at the port.)

You can learn more about this awesome high power blender that costs significantly less than comparable machines here.

Remember that when ordering an Omni V 3 HP Blender during the month of January you get a chance of receiving it for free as part of the Post-Holiday Detox Promo!

To place your order for an Omni Blender click on the banner below.

Winners of the Sunny Raw Kitchen Anniversary Giveaway

2012-01-12T10:28:00.005-05:00

Alrighty! Time to play Santa (it's never too late!) and name the winners of my Sunny Raw Kitchen Anniversary Giveaway! Woo hoo!

To enter the contest all you had to do was leave a comment on my blog or on my facebook pages telling us why you enjoy The Sunny Raw Kitchen blog and/or a favorite recipe that you have discovered here.

For some reason my post about the Giveaway and the resulting comments mysteriously vanished from my SRK facebook wall for a short while. I therefore didn't have all of the entries when I selected three names with the help of a random number generator. To be fair I decided to add an extra prize to be won among the comments that had been left out.

And the winners are...

Terry Mitchel

Autuhm Muntean

Aimee Bitt
and France Deguire

Congratulations!!! You will each receive a copy of one of my recipe ebooks of your choice. If you have sent your entry via the comment section, please make sure to drop me an email at sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com so that I can email you the book.

Thanks so much to everyone who has participated in the Giveaway and for all of your kind words!

Five Candles and Sunny Raw Kitchen Anniversary Giveaway

2012-01-03T11:36:00.006-05:00

All day yesterday the thought that something important happened on January 2nd kept nagging at me, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on it. You see, I was sure that my blog's anniversary was on the 3rd, and had therefore planned to post today. Well, I just realized that it was 'officially' on the 2nd after all! hehe. Ah well, so it goes... ;-)

Five years ago I was stepping into my virtual Sunny Raw Kitchen for the very first time. My intention was to share about my personal journey towards a healthier and more fulfilled lifestyle, including my culinary explorations with raw and living foods. I had no real sense at the time of where that initial tiny step would lead. In fact, starting a blog wasn't even my idea in the first place, it was Don's! lol We had recently gotten a dial up connection to our home on a secluded mountaintop and the thought of being able to reach out to the bigger world out there seemed so thrilling and incredible. In our case it has more than lived up to its promise.

I sometimes pause - not often enough! - in order to appreciate how truly amazing a technology the internet is. It has changed so many things! I know that there's the shadowy side of it, but I prefer to focus on how it has been instrumental in allowing the spreading of knowledge and light in a way that not so long ago would have been impossible and for many, even unfathomable.

Creating The Sunny Raw Kitchen has certainly changed our lives in wonderful and unexpected ways. It gradually led, without the slightest planning on our part, to my releasing several raw recipe books and making a living doing what I most love to do, which is to learn, share and grow. I feel such depth of gratitude for Life having presented me with this medium to reach out and connect with you, wherever you are! It is such a privilege to, even if only a little, assist you in your own health and growth journey!

So how about we celebrate this blog's fifth year anniversary with a fun giveaway?

Sunny Raw Kitchen Anniversary Giveaway
To enter the contest all you have to do is leave a comment telling us why you enjoy The Sunny Raw Kitchen blog and/or a favorite recipe that you have discovered here. Tell us also which of my 4 recipe ebooks, The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen, The Best of Raw Freedom Community, Delightfully Raw or Deliciously Raw, you would like to receive. I will be announcing 3 winners (selected with the help of a random number generator) on January 12th.

Extended Raw Recipe Book Sale
In keeping with the festivities, I'm extending my Mega Raw Recipe Book Sale by a few more days. Until January 9th, you can order all of my books, in both electronic format and hard copy, at a savings of 15 to 25%! Find out how here!

Join Chef Russell James Live in His Kitchen!
Oh, and just before I go. While on the topic of freebies, The Raw Chef Russell James will be releasing several free new great and inspiring videos within the next few days about how to be creative with raw foods. Among other things he'll be showing how to prepare a spontaneous Italian themed dish, make raw Macadamia Cheeze and Garlic Bread. Sounds mighty yummy!

Make sure to check them out here or by clicking on the banner below!

Post-Holiday Omni Blender Detox Promo

2012-01-01T17:51:00.020-05:00

2012. I've been hearing about this year for so long... you know, the end of the Mayan calendar and the world as we know it and all that. (You can read the clearest and most enlightening take I've come across about this here.) Now it's actually here and it fills me with both apprehension and excitement. We are always swimming in the great Sea of Unknowing, but where the current will lead us at this point in time promises to be even more awesome than ever before.

The holidays were super quiet for me here in lovely Santa Barbara. As it happened, I was alone, as my friend Diane is away traveling for a month. I know that to most of you this may sound like a sad deal but in actuality it's been really fine. Don and I haven't been celebrating Christmas for many years (for us it's a special, "Christmas" day every day - well, for the most part!) so I didn't mind being on my own. It gave me an opportunity to be completely in tune with the way I felt and what I'd truly like to do as opposed to being caught by a sense of obligation or someone else's momentum.

All day yesterday I was acutely aware of a profound sorrow swelling inside of me. This of course manifested as a strong discomfort. Thankfully I had enough energy to "stop the world" and just be with this feeling rather than going the easy route and attempting to escape from it some way. I was able to connect with how futile and, at best, temporary such relief would be. As Krishnamurti wisely points out in one of his journals: "You may run away from (sorrow) but it will be there to meet you again."

Exhausted in spite of my not "doing much" other than "feeling the pain", as Don calls it, I went to bed early. When I woke up this morning, the sorrow was no longer overwhelming and was replaced with a quiet sobriety; a familiar feeling that such intense encounters with pain always give me. I was moved to do some tidying up, something I rarely do, as it's normally Don's department. I suppose it had to do with wanting a clean start and making room for the new. Not a bad way to begin the new year. ;-)

And speaking of starting off on a good foot and cleaning up, Thomas Fox of Omniblender.com is having a special Post-Holiday Omni Blender Detox Promo. Hopefully you haven't been treating your body too badly these last few days, but whatever the case here's an incentive to whip up more wonderfully healthy smoothies, soups and other blended yummies.

Receive an Omni V 3 HP Blender for FREE!

Here's how this is going to work...

For the entire month of January every 15th purchase of an Omni V Blender with 1 jar or with 2 jars in either 110 or 220 volt ordered from among what Thomas refers to as his "Magnificent 7" (top 7 Omni Blender affiliates, which includes us) is going to be reimbursed for the full price to the customer within 2 days of the purchase. In other words, if you've been thinking about investing in an Omni Blender, this might be just the time to do it, as you have a chance of getting it for free! (Please note that other rebates, discounts, or offers cannot be applied.)

As you may remember, last winter we discovered the OMNI - a new high power blender that costs significantly less than comparable machines. At $250 it's clearly the 'value champ' and simply can't be beat at the 3 HP blender power level! (We've written a detailed post of our experience with the Omni V Blender here.) In fact I was so impressed with the OMNI that I accepted Thomas' offer to write a recipe book especially designed for it that is now included in each box. (You can find out more about Deliciously Raw here.)

You can place your order by email or phone (please make sure to mention that you've read about the promo on the Sunny Raw Kitchen blog so that it qualifies for the Post-Holiday Omni Blender Detox Promo!) or simply via the banner below.

My wish for you all, dear cyber friends, is that this year 2012 be a truly empowering, growth-full and abundant one in every way!

Welcome 2012 Mega Raw Recipe Book Sale

2011-12-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

To celebrate the upcoming holidays and the arrival of 2012, I'm offering all of my recipe books at very special prices! From now until January 9th, you can order The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen, The Best of Raw Freedom Community and my new Delightfully Raw and Deliciously Raw at a savings of 15 to 25%!

Festive Offer on the Printed Versions of Delightfully Raw and Deliciously Raw
Unlike my two previous recipe books, Delightfully Raw and Deliciously Raw are not only available in electronic format but also as hard copies. There truly is something different and special about holding an actual book in your hands. They are both so colorful, filled with gorgeous mouthwatering pictures and detailed recipes. (Find out more about Delightfully Raw here! Find out more about Deliciously Raw here!

Order a hard copy of my Deliciously Raw book and get 15% off!

Pay $12.70 instead of the regular ~~$14.95~~. (save $2.25)

Click on the button below to take advantage of this limited time offer!

To redeem your 15% off use the code: HOLIDAYS10

Note: During the check out process, you'll be given the option to pay either with Paypal or with any major credit card.

Order a single hard copy of my Delightfully Raw book and get 15% off!

Pay $27.15 instead of the regular ~~$31.95~~. (save $4.80)

Click on the button below to take advantage of this limited time offer!

To redeem your 15% off use the code: HOLIDAYS1

Remember that you can still take advantage of my Delightfully Raw Combo. If you would like to get uncooking right away while you wait for your copy of Delightfully Raw to arrive in the mail, you can immediately receive it in electronic format for an extra $5.00.

You will receive the download link for the Delightfully Raw ebook in your inbox as soon as your payment clears.

Pay $32.15 instead of the regular ~~$36.95~~. (save $4.80)

To order the Delightfully Raw Combo just click on the link below!

To receive 15% off your hard copy use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS12

Order two hard copies of my Delightfully Raw book and receive 20% off!

Pay $51.12 instead of the regular ~~$63.90~~ and save $12.78!

Click on the button below to take advantage of this limited time offer!

To redeem your 20% off use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS2

IMPORTANT: For technical reasons, S&H for physical books can only be calculated accurately for North America. For international orders, please send me an email!

Rawesome Ebook Sale
From now until January 9th I'm also offering all of my recipe books in electronic format at 25% off!

Deliciously Raw Ebook

Pay only $8.99 instead of the regular ~~$11.99~~ and save $3.00!

To order my Deliciously Raw ebook, click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS9

Delightfully Raw Ebook

Pay only $14.98 instead of the regular ~~$19.98~~ and save $5.00!

To order my Delightfully Raw ebook, click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS3

The Best of Raw Freedom Community

Pay only $9.75 instead of the regular ~~S12.99~~ and save $3.25!

For The Best of Raw Freedom Community ebook, click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS4

The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen

Pay only $8.24 instead of the regular ~~S10.99~~ and save $2.75!

For The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen ebook, click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS5

Ebook Package #1

My first two best sellers, The Best Of The Sunny Raw Kitchen and The Best of Raw Freedom Community, can be purchased together in one convenient package.

Pay only $16.50 instead of the regular ~~$22.00~~ and save 5.50!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS6

Ebook Package #2

You can also purchase my first three books, The Best Of The Sunny Raw Kitchen, The Best of Raw Freedom Community and Delightfully Raw in a single package.

Pay only $26.99 instead of the regular ~~$35.99~~ and save $9.00!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS7

Ebook Package #3

Purchase all four of my recipe books with just one click!

Pay only $31.50 instead of the regular ~~$41.99~~ and save $10.50!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS8

Ready or Not - Freegold: The Real New World Order

And last but not least, you can also purchase Don's new Ready or Not - Freegold at a discount until January 3rd. In this book he talks about how the global economy is destined to collapse into a hyper-inflationary depression and how best to prepare yourself for this.

Pay only $7.49 instead of the regular ~~$9.99~~ and save $2.50!

To order Don's Ready or Not - Freegold ebook, click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS11

Please Note:

The ebooks come in PDF format; if you don't already have 'Acrobat Reader' installed on your computer, you can download a free copy at www.adobe.com.

The downloading instructions for the ebook(s) will be sent to your inbox shortly after you've completed your payment. (If you don't receive it, you might want to make sure it hasn't been sent to your SPAM or junk folder!)

IMPORTANT: If you are having any difficulty ordering or using the above coupon codes, simply make your payment via the 'Donate' button on the right sidebar of my blog. Just make sure to mention what it's for in the appropriate box. ;-)

Please don't hesitate to contact me at:

sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com

Wishing you all a wonderfully healthy and vibrant Holiday Season and a positive start to the new year 2012!

Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

2011-12-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Don't know what to bring to holiday parties? Worried about ditching your healthy eating habits?

Healthy Holidays: A Survival Guide is here to help you make it through.

You’re not alone in overeating and giving in to temptation during the holidays. Parties offer trays of rich, cheesy hor’doeurves, family members remind you, “It’s your favorite!,” and grocery stores cram their shelves with processed sweets. Sometimes, your diet can be far from the front of your mind.

Healthy Holidays: A Survival Guide can help you navigate the rough holiday voyage so that you stay healthy and happy. Details here!

This book has so many solutions to your holiday needs. A few features are:

Over 50 healthy, raw recipes
Travel tips for what to pack and carry what you travel
Advice on discussing what you eat with friends and family
Thoughts on how to stay healthy and eat raw during the winter

This book includes recipes from:

Cherie Soria
Nomi Shannon
Elaina Love
Angela Stokes-Monarch
Russell James
And yours truly! *wink wink*

Don’t let your body take a beating this season. Instead, arm yourself with our guide for healthy success!

Check out all the details about Healthy Holidays: A Survival Guide here!

Roadtrip to LA: Better Life Cuisine and Cafe Gratitude

2011-12-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

Diane recently acquired a cute little hybrid car - a Honda Insight. It runs on both gas and electric and is incredibly fuel efficient (the previous owner managed to get a lifetime average of 86 miles/gallon!!!) Unfortunately she learned quickly that town driving is not the best way to keep the battery recharged. Therefore every so often Diane likes to take her new sweetie on the highway for a ride. You know, make her happy! ;-) And so a couple of weeks ago we took a little road trip to L.A.

As soon as we got the chance we left the Interstate in order to hop on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was a clear sunny day and the ocean was stunningly beautiful.

Our route took us right by the residences of many a Hollywood celebrity as we passed Malibu. Not surprisingly all you could see from the road were fancy gates and tall trees as they value their privacy. (I certainly can't blame them!) It was strange, though, to think that most of the famous movie stars have, at one point or another, driven down this very same road.

Feasting at Better Life Cuisine
Our first stop was Better Life Cuisine in Santa Monica - an awesome raw cafe that Don and I visited last spring. The food is phenomenal, the portions generous and the prices super reasonable. In other words, a raw enthusiast's heaven!

I ordered the same thing as before: the Curry Wrap. I know, I know, what a bore but it was so darn yummy! It consists of copious amounts of mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower, green tomato, 'grilled' onions, cucumbers, curry sauce, 3 croquettes and house dressing expertly tucked into a soft veggie tortilla.

The Wrap was still huge as ever! I thought that the flavor of the wrapper itself was a tad too strong, overriding the subtlety of the filling. No doubt something about that particular batch of tortillas. It was accompanied by a side of Kale Salad that was super tasty.

As it happens Diane went with the Lasagna (marinara sauce, zucchini, mushroom, 'grilled' onion, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese), which is what Don had ordered back then. So much for novelty I guess! She absolutely loved it, especially the marinara sauce which was flavorful and light. It came with a small serving of Tomato Basil Soup that was really very good, albeit cold. (We're so used to enjoying warm raw soups!)

Isn't the presentation sensational?

I was so full I only managed to eat half of my Wrap, but that's not to say we couldn't try their desserts! We left with a piece of Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Pie - both to live for! - and a Cinnamon Roll. Yum yum yum! (Sorry no pic as they had lost their firmness by the time we got home. boo hoo. Still tasted divine!)

A Walk on the Pier
Satiated, we headed to the famous Santa Monica Pier for a walk. I was vaguely aware that I might encounter a familiar face, something common here on star turf and all. Wouldn't you know it, as we were driving down Broadway on the sidewalk I caught sight of Carrie-Anne Moss who played Trinity in The Matrix. Wow! What are the odds that, of all people, I should see the lead actress from my favorite movie!?!

The pier was buzzing with activity; street performers, tourists, kids happily boasting ginormous balls of cotton-candy (yikes!), and locals enjoying a stroll with friends.

It was windy and cold - even for a Kanuck like me - so we stayed on the pier and didn't venture onto the beach.

The views from both sides of the pier.

The famous Ferris wheel at the amusement park.

Feasting at Cafe Gratitude

Just before we left that morning I was struck with a rather bold idea: since we were going to drive that far, why not continue a little further to Cafe Gratitude's new LA location for dessert? After all, according to Google Map it was only an extra 12 miles... Didn't sound too bad!

In reality it meant getting deeper into the mouth of the beast - the most populated city in the US. In spite of our intention to avoid the highway we ended up on it for a short stretch. It was of course packed and traffic was at a crawl. Sooooo stressful! Both Diane and I got headaches from the tension.

Thankfully, in spite of that, the GPS took us uneventfully to our destination through the beautiful residential streets of Beverly Hills. This latest addition to Cafe Gratitude's chain was opened earlier this year. Neither of us were overly impressed by the place. For one thing the restaurant is very spacious and in my opinion completely devoid of atmosphere. It felt slick and commercially oriented, lacking the warmth and heart that their San Francisco locations are renowned for. Perhaps because of all the hard edges, the combination of the customers' voices and the music was also so loud that we couldn't comfortably carry on a conversation.

The menu is designed to appeal to a wider clientele and range of taste buds by offering both cooked and raw vegan items. Not a bad idea as I know that the appeal of raw foods can reduce dramatically during the cold months. Although we came with the intention of just having dessert - their specialty in my opinion - we ended up ordering a couple of savory things.

While browsing through their take out menu a couple of years ago I noticed that they offered a raw rendition of bagels. I was anxious to finally try it. I AM PEACE, a live onion bagel with cashew crème cheese, nori “lox,” tomato, onion, capers and sprouts, is technically only served for breakfast but the server didn't make a fuss about it. I thought it was super yummy; a really nice combination of flavors.

The people next to us received their food while we were browsing through the menu and I couldn't help but gawk at their fare: tamale. Diane could hardly believe it when I told her that I'd never had a tamale before, so we decided to order that as well.

The server asked if we'd like Guacamole and Nacho Cheese like the lady at the next table and I said "Sure!" What she failed to mention, of course, was that these came at an additional cost. The dish was very good although we agreed that red tomatoes were lacking for both color and flavor. I honestly think that the dish would have been grossly incomplete with only the Zucchini-Mushroom Tamale, black beans and salsa verde it comes with. Why they put the guac and cheese as 'optional' borders on a cunning ploy if you ask me.

We were told that they were out of the daily Layered Cake and the choice of Cheesecake was Banana Chocolate. Since Diane is no big banana fan in the end we decided to go with a piece of Tiramisu. I've made it at least a couple of times at home but was curious to taste the original version. I thought it was excellent and that the texture was perfect, although as Diane pointed out, the coffee flavor wasn't very pronounced. But that was actually fine by me as I was concerned to get a caffeine buzz, sensitive as I am to that stuff.

We decided to head back via surface streets. It did take longer but then again I was glad to get a chance to get a feel for LA since I was there. Melrose Avenue with its funky and hip stores reminded me a little of Montreal.

We were exhausted by the time we got home, 2 1/2 hours later. The extra drive to Cafe Gratitude was indeed a bit much. On the other hand in light of last week's shocking news this was perhaps my last opportunity to ever partake of their food. As most of you may already know by now, the Engelharts announced (on facebook actually - What a way to learn that you've lost your job!) the closure of all of their Northern California restaurants due to several law suits from former employees. (You can read about this unexpected turn of event here and here.)

I still don't totally get their decision to shut down seven locations (eight including Gracias Madre) and put over 200 employees out of work rather than fight back since, as it has been suggested, "the lawsuit number is under $200,000." The whole thing just doesn't make any sense and leaves a bad taste in my mouth - no pun intended - especially since they intend to keep their LA outpost and open a new venue in Venice.

Anyhoo I'll let you decide for yourself...

P.S. I couldn't help but smile at the clever title of this article: "I Am Closing:" Cafe Gratitude Owners Will Shut Down Rather Than Fight Lawsuits.

In Diane's Sunny Kitchen - Part I

2011-11-23T10:08:00.004-05:00

Ok, it's official, my interest in food prep is back! Woo hoo! And oh the yummies that have been coming out of Diane's kitchen these past weeks!

When the idea of my visit to California started to take form, both Diane and I eagerly began to look forward to doing some uncooking together. Her diet had been less than ideal for the last few months and her body was paying the price. As for me, after this summer's miserable dry spell I was at last getting excited to be creative with food again. Yippee!

But first things first; we had to restock Diane's cupboards! I've already told you that we got lots of specialty raw products at The Raw Food World in Ojai. We also placed an order with Earth Shift Products, which is basically the buyer's club version of Ultimate Superfoods. They offer super high quality products at up to 70% market retail price. (By the way, you can now get a free membership. Simply use promotional code E511 while signing up!)

As for fresh produce, most of it comes from Diane's weekly CSA basket but we also like to go to one of the wonderful local Farmer's Markets. We are so blessed here as tons of fruits and veggies grow all year round. The Santa Barbara Markets are soooooo vibrant and abundant; it's always such a treat to wander through them!

Isn't this display just gorgeous?

A rainbow of flowers next to the sprout stand.

This has got to be the most beautiful heap of mixed greens I've ever laid eyes upon!

Let's Hit The Kitchie!
The kitchen is one place where Don's absence has been sorely felt. He's always so helpful with chopping, making fresh juice and smoothies, and not to forget doing the dishes! Every mama's dream, I tell ya! (You should have seen how mine fell in love with Don during our last visit! he he) In spite of Diane's attempts to will him to teleport over here a few times, we have had to resort to our own efforts. ;-)

We've almost instantly and comfortably fallen into the routine of Diane preparing our morning juice (carrot, apple, beet, ginger and a touch of lemon), while I whiz up a smoothie for our lunch. Beverages have never been my forte but a gal's gotta do what she's gotta do, and actually it hasn't been so bad at all. I just end up mostly throwing together the same blends over and over. That's all! *shrugs*

Ninety percent of the time I make a green smoothie, alternating between the Mango Spinach Smoothie from my Deliciously Raw book, and a pineapple, banana, apple, orange, lemon juice and fresh greens blend. But once in a while I whip up something special such as Heathy's Butterscotch Shake or my Strawberry Banana Shake, which I just adore!

The other day while looking for more scrumptious ways to use young coconut, I stumbled upon the recipe for the Coconutty served at Thrive - Seattle's awesome raw restaurant. No wonder it's their best selling drink; it is super simple and oh-so-luscious!

Thrive's Coconutty
Posted here

Serves 1 or 2

Meat from 1 young coconut
1 cup coconut water
1 cup ice
6 cashews (I used macadamias)
About 1 tbs of your sweetener of choice (dates, agave, maple syrup, etc)

Blend until smooth in a high power blender.

Close your eyes and pretend you're on a sun kissed beach somewhere tropical! ;-)

Depending on Diane's schedule, either me or the two of us work on dinner. When that happens it's always such a special and fun time! We usually do so with a glass of her home brewed kombucha - THE best I've ever tasted! At times we go all out and have an "aperitif". Ahhhhh, the good life! ;-)

We virtually always start off our evening meal with a raw soup, a habit that Don and I've had (and cherished!) for the last 10 years or so. What a wonderful and unsurpassed way to enjoy lots of fresh veggies with minimal fuss! There are soooo many outstanding recipes to choose from, several of which I have already posted on my blog. (Make sure to check out my Recipe Index here!)

I've been making some favorite lighter soups like Cream of Zucchini, Cucumber Avocado Dill and Popeye Gone Raw Cream of Spinach but also heartier comforting gems such as Corn Chowder, Cheezy Spinach Almond Soup and Cream of Celery.

Green Cucumber Soup from Delightfully Raw

As we found a huge watermelon at Costco, on the menu one evening was an exquisite and refreshing concoction I hadn't made in years: Alissa Cohen's Watermelon Soup. Sooooo good!

It's been such a delight to enjoy all kinds of different entrees, something I didn't have the energy to do all summer long. Here are some of the yummies we've treated ourselves to:

Broccoli in Hoisini Sauce with Parsnip "Rice"

Warm me Up' Chili

I could hardly believe Diane had never tried the outstanding Raw Vegan Crab Cake recipe that's been floating around the web a while. Now we HAD to do something about that! We served them with a simple Tartar Sauce made from a Cashew Sour Cream (cashews, water, lemon juice, salt) in which we tossed some chopped Bubbie's Pickles and fresh dill.

My Hemp Burgers, which we served on Onion Bread with Cashew Cream, and a thick slice of tomato and lettuce.

I also initiated Diane to the art of making Spring Rolls with rice paper. This is yet another awesome dish that is easy to prepare, color-full and absolutely delicious. We served them with a simple dipping sauce made from tamari, olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and finely grated ginger.

Zucchini Pasta with my variation of Basil Arugula Pesto. So very good! We sprinkled some Pine Nut Parmesan from my Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole on top. To live for!

As you've seen most of the time we serve our entrees accompanied with a salad tossed in a dressing such as my House Dressing (always a winner!), my Caesar Dressing or Cafe Gratitude's Fig-Balsamic from their I Am Grateful book). I had tried the latter a while back and decided it would be a perfect use for Diane's dried Black Mission figs. The recipe calls for soaked figs, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, jalapeno pepper, salt, lemon juice and black pepper. I haven't found the recipe posted online but I have come upon a variation of it that looks mighty good.

Fig-Balsamic Dressing
Posted here

5 fresh figs, stems removed
6 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Herbamare
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the figs, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a blender and blend on medium until combined and the figs are lightly pureed. With the motor running on a low speed, slowly pour in the olive oil. Add black pepper if desired and blend on low speed, slightly, to incorporate.

Pour dressing over your favorite salad. Transfer remaining dressing to a glass jar. Will last 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator.

In the sweet department, we've been keeping it simple but that's not to say that our treats haven't been decadent!

Cafe Gratitude's Chocolate Mousse, one of Diane's absolute faves.

I am Magnificent Raw Chocolate Mousse
From Cafe Gratitude's I Am Grateful

Posted here

½ ounce Irish Moss
½ cup water
2 cups almond milk
¼ cup well packed, finely chopped dates
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cacao powder
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lecithin
½ cup unscented coconut butter

Put Irish moss, cut into small pieces, into blender carafe with water and blend on high speed until dissolved and smooth and very thick.

Add milk, date, agave nectar, vanilla, salt, and cacao powder and blend until smooth.

Add lecithin and coconut butter until well incorporated.

Pour into cups and place in fridge/freezer until set.

We found some incredibly moist and sweet fresh honey dates sold by the DuVall Farm at the market. How could we resist such deliciousness!?! It gave me the idea of making Date Squares, an old family favorite, and something I had mysteriously forgotten about. I don't know what took me so long to recreate this recipe in the raw! I gave the traditional version an orange twist - wow! - but feel free to make the Date Squares with water instead of orange juice. We enjoyed ours warm right out of the dehydrator with a scoop of raw Vanilla Ice Cream. Beyond heavenly!

Orange Date Squares

Makes 6 large or 10 small squares

Filling
2 cups pitted soft dates
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (or you could use water if you prefer)
2 tsp vanilla extract or liquid vanilla*

* To make Liquid Vanilla: Blend 3 whole vanilla beans, roughly chopped, with 1 cup water in the blender until completely dissolved. Store in fridge for a month or so and use in place of vanilla extract.

Process dates, orange juice or water and vanilla in food processor until smooth.

Crumble
1 cup almonds, ground
1 cup cashews, ground
1 1/2 cups oat flakes
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 or 3 tsp water to help the ingredients stick

Place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand.

Fold in melted coconut oil. If desired add a little water, one tsp at a time, to help the mixture stick together.

Assembly
Press half of the Crumble mixture in a glass dish.

Top with an even layer of Date Filling.

Finish with the rest of the Crumble mixture.

Place in the fridge to set.

Carmella's Note: For extra decadence, warm these up in the dehydrator for an hour or so and serve with your favorite Raw Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream. To live for!

I received this next recipe in one of Sunfood.com's newsletters and was immediately intrigued. Mulberry Lucuma Cookies? Sounded mighty good to me! I ended up having to tweak it a little to suit my taste buds but the result was quite tasty. Diane loves loves the flavor; she could have sworn that there were spices in there but really, the mixture of mulberry, lucuma, orange zest and almond extract do the trick all on their own!

Mulberry Lucuma Cookies
Posted on Sunfood.com here

2 cups mulberries
1 cup cashews or almonds, soaked for two hours
2 Tbsp lucuma powder
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted in dehydrator
1 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup shredded raw coconut
2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp Kalahari Salt

Drain and rinse cashews or almonds well after soaking.

In food processor, add all ingredients. Process until well incorporated and sticks together.

Roll "dough" into 1 inch balls and set on a plate.

Get a dehydrator tray ready with a Paraflexx sheet on top. Place balls onto dehydrator sheet.

Press balls into flat cookies with a fork.

Dehydrate at 120 degrees overnight or to the consistency you would like.

Store in airtight container.

Will last for up to one month.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I found the batter quite dry and under-sweetened so I added an extra 1 tbs lucuma, 7 honey dates or 3 Medjhools and 1 tbs coconut nectar.

~ I didn't have coconut flakes so I used 1/4 cup coconut flour instead.

~ I also added 1 more tsp orange zest and 1/4 tsp almond extract for extra flavor.

~ Although the addition of dates did help to moisten the dough a little, it was still quite dry. Therefore I only dehydrated the cookies for about 4 hours total at 110 degrees.

Firing Up the D
As you've probably guessed by now, we've been giving Diane's dehydrator a good work out since I got here. We've dehydrated the above cookies as well as countless batches of persimmons (more about that coming up). We also had a savory D day during which we made the Hemp Burgers and Crab Cakes mentioned above. We were getting a little short on crackers so we each made one kind.

Diane usually likes to just throw things together when making crackers. With the help of yours truly we made sure to write the ingredients down this time.

Diane's Buckwheat Crackers
2 cups buckwheat, soaked and sprouted for a couple of days
1 cup carrot pulp
1 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/4 cup apricot kernels (optional)
About 1 cup water or veggie juice, as needed
---
2/3 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbs Nama Shoyu or tamari
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper

Garnish
Pumpkin seeds, roughly ground
Salt
Chipotle powder

Process first set of ingredients in food processor. Add water or juice as needed in order for the mixture to to process smoothly.

Add the next 6 ingredients and process until well incorporated. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spread batter evenly onto 3 non-stick dehydrator sheets.

Sprinkle with a mixture of ground pumpkin seeds, salt and chipotle powder.

Dehydrate at 120 degrees for 2 or 3 hours.

Flip onto mesh and turn temperature dial down to 110. Continue dehydrating until fully dry - about 8 hours total.

A ways back one of my readers, Nilgun, shared a Chia Cracker recipe that she particularly enjoys and I was glad to finally get an opportunity to try it out. It is indeed very good and super nutritious to boot! The recipe was created by Solla, a raw chef who comes from Iceland.

Chia Crackers
From Raw Solla's free ebook

1 c chia seeds, soaked in 10 c (?) water for 2 hrs
1 c flax seeds, soaked in 2 c water for 8 hrs
1 c sesame seeds
1 c hemp seeds
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
2 Tbsp spices (1/2 Tbsp of each: red paprika powder + onion powder + curry powder + oregano)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Himalayan crystal salt
Pinch of cayenne

Mix together in a large bowl:

Flax seeds + chia seeds + sesame seeds + hemp seeds + the soaking water from the chia and flax.

Blend in a food processor:

Celery + red onion + garlic + sun-dried tomatoes; when blended stir into the seed mixture, along with the rest of the recipe. If the resulting mixture is too thick, you can add some more water. It is especially magical to use the water leftover from soaking dates...

Place 3 c of the dough onto each Teflex sheet, spread it out evenly and dehydrate for 10-12 hrs at 105°. Then flip the crackers and remove the Teflex sheets, continue dehydrating for 6-8 hrs or until crispy.

Nilgun's Note: There seems to be a mistake in the cracker recipe. (I haven't seen any other mistakes in the booklet.) The water amount (for the chia) seems massive. I used one part seed to one part water for the soaking and then added water as needed to the batter.

Carmella's Notes:
~ On Nilgun's suggestion I used a lot less water with the chia seeds (more like 3 cups total).

~ I nearly doubled the amount of spices.

~ As I always do with most of my dehydrated goodies, I started off the D at 120 degrees for 2 or 3 hours, then turned it down to 110, flipping the crackers onto the mesh as soon as they feel dry to the touch and peel off relatively easily from the teflex sheet.

Persimmon Heaven
One of Diane's friends, Stan, has a persimmon tree growing in his yard. I was jumping up and down with excitement when I found out about it, as these are such a special (and expensive!) treat up in Canada. And so we ventured there one afternoon in order to relieve him of some of the tree's bounty. (Can't let all those lovely persimmons go to waste now, can we?) ;-)

We paused briefly on the way to admire sculptures that one of Stan's neighbors, an elderly gentleman, had in his garden. We discovered that they were in fact his work and he gladly gave us a colorful account of what they represent.

Look at those bright orange babies!

They were the biggest I'd ever seen!

We left with two bagfuls of persimmons that had already been picked. Definitely not as much fun as doing it yourself but I did get to actually pluck one or two.

Got one!

Our loot

We've been enjoying the persimmons on their own but found that dehydrating them was the best way to keep up, as they started ripening real fast.

They turn out such a gorgeous color and taste just like candy!

Persimmons have a wonderful thick consistency; all you have to do is blend them up in a food processor or blender to obtain the most decadent pudding! One day I made a batch of Whipped Cream and assembled Persimmon & Cream Parfaits.

Alrighty, on that sweet note I think I'll take a little breather.

Diane and I have volunteered to help at the Organic Soup Kitchen for Thanksgiving on Thursday. This is something Diane has been meaning to do for a long time and as for me, it will be a first too. (In Canada Thanksgiving isn't such a big deal.)

There's certainly so much for me to be thankful about in my life! What about you, what are you grateful for?

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

An Ode to Roses

2011-11-16T13:28:00.002-05:00

Whenever the sun is out, I've gotten into the routine of walking or cycling to a green expanse and soak up that liquid gold for a couple of hours. Every time I mutter a silent "thank you" for this blessing, as I know that I could very well be in the cold and grey in Canada instead. (Sorry Donnie!) :-)

My favorite place to go for this little ritual is the Historical Park across from the Old Mission, a famous Santa Barbara landmark.

The view of the Mission from where I sunbathe.

To my sheer delight I discovered that a large section of the park is in fact a stunning rose garden. In fact I learned that the A. C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden was "recognized in the past as the #2 municipal rose garden in the nation for the excellence of its maintenance and the beauty of its location." I had noticed the beds when we used to come here with Kylo last spring, but the season being over then, these had been empty.

And to think I live so close by!!! Woo hoo! *doing the happy dance*

Before I settle down in the sun I usually like to stroll among the roses and take in their sublime beauty and scent. It's so wonderful to be able to come here on such a regular basis; every visit offering a slightly different perspective as the roses go through their ongoing process of birth and death.

I hadn't realized how many varieties of roses exist. They come in seemingly countless shapes, sizes and shades of colors, and have such charming names as French Lace, Moondance, New Day, Pink Promise, Sheer Bliss and Sweet Surrender. As you may have noticed, amateur as I may be, I just love love photography. What a delight it's been to capture some of those roses on camera! I haven't had the discipline to write all their names down in order to correctly identify the shots, but I have memorized a few.

As always with Nature, photos are a very poor representation of the actual beauty. Still, I hope that these will manage to evoke a fraction of the privileged spectacle that has become the source of such joy for me.

Paradise

Perfect Moment

See the dew drop? Perfect moment indeed!

These are miniature rose bushes growing close to the ground.

This is one of my favorite pics!

Only just awakening...

I thought that all roses gave off perfume but while exploring the garden I've come to the conclusion that surprisingly few do. (Or perhaps is it just those hosted here?) All flowers are an unadulterated expression of beauty, still I couldn't help but be especially seduced by those that combine both lovely appearance and fragrance, such as these next two varieties.

Double Delight

Scentimental

Love that teeny cloud!

A mandala of rose petals...

Sisters ;-)

I hadn't noticed the tiny spider until I edited this pic.

Bright Pink Iceberg

And their close cousins, the white Iceberg.
I lost myself for a while in that bed... Sooo lovely!

Ahhhh, I could just go on and on, but I'll leave you with a last few gorgeous shots taken by Diane.

Coming up next: Part I of my adventures in Diane's sunny kitchen!

Rawcking in Sunny California

2011-11-15T15:05:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone!

I'm now in beautiful (and mostly sunny) Santa Barbara and I can't tell you how happy and grateful I am to be back here! Of the many wonderful places Don and I have been blessed to visit in the last couple of years, this area is one of our favorites. While we're not really metropolitan type folks, we couldn't resist Santa Barbara's quiet charm with its Spanish revival architecture, lush vegetation, proximity to the ocean and pleasant climate.

But as much as we enjoy this town the main draw has been our friend Diane. When she began dabbling into raw in January 2010, my blog is one of the first resources that she stumbled upon. Thanks to Diane's incredible generosity, during our Sunny Raw Kitchen Tour in 2010 a brief stop in SB was put together in record time. Little did we know that this was to spark up the blossoming of a powerful friendship!

From the moment we stepped out of the van and met Diane 'in the flesh' it just seemed to click right away. The three of us share a deep and unexplainable bond that, to this day, remains a mystery. While we haven't spent that much time together we feel like we're family.

This was taken during our second visit last March. Diane hand-dyed some beautiful shirts for Don and her... call them the 'Tie Dye Kids'. lol

Early this past fall, when the possibility of renting a cabin in Canada was presented to us, the prospect made me feel kind of uncertain and confused. I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was important that we go to the States in order to touch base with some of the friends we've made over the years, and more specifically with Diane. After working on it a while, we found a solution; while Don remained behind to look after the furries, I was to fly alone to spend part of the winter in California.

I've gone on short trips before on my own but this is the first time that the four of us are apart for such a long stretch. Miss DaPuss and I share a special connection so I was concerned about leaving her with the boys. She was of course highly aware that something was going on as my departure got closer.

Pu' keeping a watchful eye as I packed.

She was particularly curious about my suitcase and had to examine it first paw.

"Wanna come with, DaPu'?"

"I think not!" she would have replied if only she could talk! As I walked towards her when I was about to go she shot off the bed and went to hide, terrified that I intended to put her in the pet taxi. She's seen us go through the motions of getting ready to leave countless times before and clearly had no intention whatsoever of going for a ride. lol Still, I was a bit sad not to be able to say proper goodbyes, complete with fuzzy kusses.

Our friend Livina had plans of driving down to Spokane near the end of October - how perfect! - so I traveled with her. Both the journey and the crossing couldn't have gone smoother. Yay! (Lord knows we've had some interesting border experiences in the past! lol) I joined Livina and her friends for dinner that evening and she later took me to a motel nearer the airport, as I had an early flight.

Welcomed Back
After an uneventful trip I arrived at SB's new municipal airport where Diane was waiting for me. It felt wonderful to be together once again, yet also strange not to have the rest of the family with us. "It's like some part of you is missing," said Diane.

From the way everything flowed effortlessly to bring me to California I already had a strong sense that it was meant to be. This was further confirmed when something pretty darn mind blowing happened next. Outside, as we were walking towards Diane's car, I came face to face with Taylor, the Cherimoya Man himself! (I've introduced him to you in this post.) It was such a surprise that my initial thought was that he already knew about my arrival, but in fact he was coming to pick up his girlfriend, whose flight 'happened' to arrive on the very same day and time. I mean, what are the odds of that, eh!?!

Taylor and I know each other from our website, Raw Freedom Community forum, which he joined about 4 years ago. Last time we were in Santa Barbara we bumped into each other at the Saturday Farmer's Market on a number of occasions. We're still unclear as to why The Mystery keeps bringing us together serendipitously like that, but it certainly is startling. Perhaps we'll get a chance to find out since I'll be hanging around town for a while.

Land of Lushness
I learned that I left Canada just in the nick of time, as the temperature dropped to below freezing in the days following my departure. When my plane landed in Santa Barbara the sky was heavy with fog but I woke up to a gorgeous blue sky the next morning and a cozy 71 degrees. It's been mostly sunny ever since with temps ranging from the mid-60s to high-70s. In other words, I'm in sheer heaven! (A fact I try mighty hard not to rub into poor Donnie's face!)

I couldn't wait to walk around town and take in my new lush surroundings! It was a bit of a shocker to cover so much distance in such a short time and suddenly find myself among palm trees, agave plants and the odd cacti. For the first few days I kept exclaiming out loud "I'm here! I'm here!" with a big grin on my face. ;-)

Diane's apartment is conveniently located within walking distance from downtown and offers close access to two beautiful parks. I found Alice Keck Park, only a few blocks away, vibrant with flowers. What a treat!

Strange looking stems protruding from some of the agave plants.

The lovely view of mountains as peeked from the sun dial structure.

The pond...

... and some of its inhabitants.

Can you see the turtles hiding among the lily pads?

Love this next shot!

Gorgeous red maple trees, reminders that in spite of the pleasant weather we are still approaching winter.

A Day at the Beach
While I am quite content with soaking up the sunshine from one of the nearby parks (my favorite spot is the one in front of the Mission, but more about that in a later post), Diane and I have gone to the beach a couple of times. After checking out Arroyo Burro (or Hendry's Beach) - our usual hang out last time we were here because of its dog friendly section - she took me to More Mesa. This beach is considerably out of the way and requires walking a fair distance to reach it. On the other hand this makes it a quiet and natural setting. Sooooo much nicer than the busy-ness of Hendry's with its restaurant and people constantly walking by.

The beautiful view as we approached the descent to the water.

We had to pause several times to give Diane's complaining knees a break as we made our way down the steps. It allowed us a chance to admire views of the beach.

The sun was glittering like jewels on the ocean.

Keep heart Diane, you're almost there!

Yay, we made it!

More Mesa is the last optional clothes beach in the area. There used to be more but sadly these have been reclaimed as 'regular' over the years. While I usually don't wear a bathing suit when I'm sun worshiping at home, I had never been to a public nude beach and wasn't sure what to expect. It was a pleasant surprise! The atmosphere was so relaxed and the people very respectful, being careful not to infringe on anyone else's space. We had such a nice time!

The sun among the trees as we later climbed our way back.

Thrilling Santa Barbara
A few days after my arrival Diane's next door neighbor, Michelle, and some friends were busy getting dressed up for that evening's Thrill the World event. Each year, on the Saturday before Halloween, thousands of people in over 100 countries dance Michael Jackson's "Thriller" at exactly the same moment in a global attempt to break the record for "Largest Simultaneous Dance."

Arrrrgh!

Nice butt, eh? he he

Michelle confided that she'd been rehearsing at a dance studio for months for the occasion. I'm not one for large crowds but how could we miss out on this? And so after dinner we strolled down in the warm evening to the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens, where 197 local Zombies had gathered for this much awaited moment. By the time we got there, however, the Thriller performance was already happening and it wasn't easy to get a peek of the action. At least we were able to watch it here on utube the next day. I must say that it's weird to be on what is sort of Michael Jackson's turf (his Never Never Land ranch is located in the Santa Ynez Valley just north of SB.) Ironically, the one known as the "King of Pop" was actually tried at that very same courthouse in 2005 on counts of child molestation. Now THAT's what I call creepy!

Off to Ojai
On my 'to do' list was a trip to Ojai in order to stock up on raw specialty products at the Raw Food World warehouse. Don and I spent over 2 weeks in the Ojai area last spring and totally fell in love with it. As Diane so rightly pointed out, there's a sense of sacredness about it. It also feels so laid back and accepting. In fact we resonated with the area so much that if we'd come down in our new RV we were planning on going directly to Ojai and spending most of the winter there. Ah well... perhaps next year!

Mister Sun wasn't out for our road trip but we figured that was not so bad after all since we were going to be mostly indoors anyways. We took the more quiet 150 highway that took us along the beautiful Lake Casitas, a popular recreational destination.

Diane fell in love with those clouds!

We first went to the Raw Food World warehouse where the staff was welcoming and friendly. Some of the workers even remembered me from last time I was there. Steve, the guy that helped us find what we were looking for, warned us about the basket being magnetic. He was right: things seemed to be pulled from the shelves and fall right into it! lol In fact our basket got so full that we had to empty it half way through our shopping spree.

We'd made sure to come at the end of the month so that we could benefit from both of October and November 'At Cost Specials'. I was able to load up on chia seeds, unpasteurized almonds, macadamias and gogi berries to take back up north with me. There's also a discount rack where you can usually find some awesome deals at 50% off. We got several packs of kelp noodles, a big gallon jug of coconut nectar (what a deal!!!), dates, kale chips and Zesty Almond Bliss from Living Nutz. And to make things even better, when you pick up an order or buy directly at the warehouse you receive an additional 10% off on your purchases. Woo hoo! It's a rawbie's dream! I strongly recommend popping by if you're ever in the area!

After checking out the awesome and unique 'outdoor' Bart's Bookstore - a funky used bookstore that we discovered last spring, we then headed out of town to Krishnamurti's old residence, now the Krishnamurti Foundation of America headquarters. Pine Cottage was turned into a library and opened to the public 3 years ago. I was looking forward to visiting it again, as the energy is so very peaceful there.

These next two shots were taken by the ancient pepper tree at the entrance of the cottage. It is said that Krishnamurti had a profound mystical awakening in 1922 while sitting underneath it.

This gives you a better perspective of how huge that tree is now.

K's old bedroom has been transformed into a quiet meditative space, so we spent some time there doing Vipassana meditation - a technique I've been practicing since 2001 and that Diane first experienced last year. It's amazing how, after all this time (K passed away 25 years ago), the house still has an aura of tranquility from his presence. Just walking around I became aware of my entire body vibrating, a sensation that was much more pronounced once we began to meditate. It was also much easier than usual for my mind to grow quiet. I could have stayed there for hours, bathing in that wonderful feeling!

Carmella's Note: After writing the above paragraph, as I was doing research about Pine Cottage for this post, I stumbled upon a writing about another woman's experience of K's Quiet Room:

While Gabriele sat in the Quiet Room at Pine Cottage on October 11, 2009, she felt and saw energy hovering above the whole of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America’s property, energy that was consciously left behind by J. Krishnamurti. Above the Quiet Room the energy was denser, more concentrated, and alive with vibrations. There appeared to be a very fine screen holding and releasing vibrational energy. It is there waiting, available to the questioning mind, but will not be seen by the chattering mind, by people who pretend, people who are full of imagination or who use thought to explain everything.

The energy has been manifested from the Immensity to be available for the inquiring mind. When one sits very quietly in stillness, it enters the room as a blessing, and is available to connect with the questioner.

Wow! How thrilling to have someone else confirm the feelings I experienced there too!

When we walked out of Pine Cottage we noticed the offering of lovely bright petals that had been placed on this statue while we were inside.

We then took a stroll through the orange grove surrounding the residence, a venture that was cut short because of a rain shower. I paused underneath a tree, hoping that it would pass. When Diane saw me with my purse over my head, she laughed and said that I looked like I belonged in a different time and place. ;-)

Most of the oranges were still green so we didn't have the pleasure of picking any.

We were famished as we got back into town and I thought I knew just the place for us to refuel: a vegetarian cafe called Hip where Don and I had eaten before.

I ordered the Three Scoop platter: Garden salad with Miso Ginger Dressing surrounded by scoop each of Seed Pate, Spicy Jalapeno Almond Pate and Guacamole. Served with Onion Bread strips. The dish usually comes with a traditional garbanzo hummus but the waiter offered me an all-raw version with the guac. I thought that the Seed Pate was rather bland, but the Guacamole was ok and the Jalapeno Pate was the bomb! I opted for the large size platter and it was absolutely gigantic! I'm still not quite sure how I manage to eat it all!

Diane had the Hip Hip Hooraw Wrap: Spicy Jalapeno Almond Pate, Guacamole, lettuce mix and sprouts (although the resto stopped serving these due to a recent salmonella scare) wrapped in tender collard leaves. It came with a choice of salad or soup. She opted for a split pea soup that was super tasty. She also loved the wraps.

Ojai has a number of second hand stores and I checked a couple of them earlier that afternoon. When we came out of Hip we decided to go next door to yet another one: Vicki's Pink Thrift & Vintage Store. There was a lovely aroma in the air and we quickly learned that it came from the back of the store where Vicki keeps her fresh stock of hand-made soaps. She uses a base of local cold pressed coconut, palm and olive oils and essential oils. Vicki took the time to describe each one to us and oh my, the blends were so inspired! Diane chose a Frankincense soap while I was seduced by the Geranium & Lavender.

The store itself is adorable and the energy was so wonderfully relaxed and welcoming that neither of us wanted to leave.

Diane captured this interesting photo while I was browsing for some hidden treasure.

I did happen upon the most wonderful find: a delicate white lace stole knitted in what looks like some kind of mohair yarn. I was almost afraid to ask how much it cost as, having knitted lace myself, I know that such pieces are virtually priceless. Vicki candidly replied: "Hum, let's see... $3?" I could hardly believe it!!! I have always wanted a meditation shawl and this is turning out to be so perfect! Yippee!

Vicki and yours truly in front of her vintage store. I think that you can sense the connection between us although we had only just met. When examining these shots I realized that our mouths are almost identical. In fact, come to think of it, she could easily pass for an older version of me! he he

Vicki is like the ultimate grandmother, so nurturing and with love pouring out of her! Diane and I left promising to visit her again next time we're in Ojai, which will hopefully be very soon!

Alrighty! *catching her breath* I think I'll stop here for now. Be back real soon!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2011-10-19T10:52:00.003-04:00

Hi guys! I'm back with our big news!

We've recorded a short video in which I tell you about the unexpected possibility that we were presented with and our resulting change of plans for the winter months.

I thought I'd go into greater detail in writing about this major decision and how it came about...

Becoming Nomads
As most of you probably know, about 2 1/2 years ago we gave away most of our possessions in order to become nomadic. It clearly felt like everything pointed in this direction and in hindsight we can totally see how that was the right thing to do. I must admit that I was surprised by how quickly I adjusted to this new life 'on the road'. It felt sooooo darn good to lighten up and shed some of our accumulated stuff and become fluid. I also loved not having to worry about all the expenses related to a sedentary lifestyle.

In the last 26 months this adventure has taken us across Canada and all around the periphery of the US. It was thrilling to have wheels for the first time in several years, allowing us to explore some of the wondrous North American wilderness and meet beautiful fellow health and personal growth seekers as we went. More than ever, it seemed, we felt surrendered to Life, letting ourselves be guided and making as few fixed plans as possible. We learned how to feel our way along and have gotten pretty good at it.

We had no reason to believe that this nomadic lifestyle should change in the near future, and so this summer we worked towards setting into place the next stage of our winter travels. It was becoming apparent that life on the road in a small van, especially with our two furry friends, was beginning to seriously take its toll, so we undertook the project of upgrading to a used RV. After consideration we decided that while a camper might be more fun, a trailer or fifth wheel would be far more practical, allowing us to leave it behind when we needed to go shopping. Also we wouldn't be left on the street in the event of a mechanical breakdown.

We almost immediately found a buyer for our lovely van, although we were all sad to see it go. In spite of the starting troubles we had last year, it was such a sweet ride and had come to feel like our home for the past year and a half. In keeping with our plan we then purchased a used truck in order to pull our new RV. Not being a 4x4 or diesel it wasn't exactly what we had in mind, but we figured it would do just fine. After that the search for a suitable trailer began in earnest. We quickly realized that with the budget we had at our disposal the options were rather limited. To complicate matters even more we also discovered that the RV would have to be under a certain weight to avoid taxing the truck too much. The last thing we'd want is a blown transmission in the middle of nowhere! Keeping these criterias in mind, in spite of our combing ads daily in local papers and online for months, no trailer felt quite right for us.

When Life Throws a Curved One at Ya
Then around mid-September, as the pressure to find a trailer became increasingly palpable with the first signs of Autumn, a friend who was visiting the property where we were staying happened to mention that she'd be looking for renters for her family's cabin. Although I wasn't particularly keen on the idea of staying in Canada for the winter, I knew better than to ignore this piece of information thrown my way, and so I mentioned it to Don. Over the years we've learned to pay very close attention to what Life is trying to tell us. Remembering how difficult finding a place to rent for the four of us has sometimes been in the past, we had no choice but to acknowledge how this opportunity had been literally dropped in our laps. Don later confided the great sense of relief he felt as soon as he heard of the possibility. While he was prepared to meet whatever challenges Life presented on our path, he couldn't shake off a sense of apprehension at the idea of getting back on the road, with all the stress and energy demand that it implies, given all our circumstances.

We've witnessed over and over how when something is meant to happen it does so almost effortlessly, falling into place with only the slightest of interventions on our part. And so it was with the prospect of staying here for the winter at the cabin. Still, I felt torn for days, wanting to make sure that we were doing the right thing, what was for the highest good. I sensed a strong pull to go to the States in order to connect with some of the wonderful friends we've made during our past travels, our 'fammunity'. What if we were meant to cross paths with yet more people who needed to hear our message about health and how to prepare for the financial crisis?

Flight of the Single Snowbird
An idea occurred to me which I almost discarded at first: how about if I was to fly down there on my own and spend a few months? This still looked far from ideal, being away from Don and the furries for such a long stretch of time. While talking over the unexpected possibility of remaining in Canada with our friend Diane, pieces suddenly began to fall into place. Like us she could see that Life seemed to be pointing to our becoming sedentary for a while AND she was absolutely overjoyed at the idea of my visiting her. At last it felt like an ideal solution, one that we could both feel good about, was taking shape; we could go with the Flow and rent the cabin here for the cold months while I traveled south on my own for part of it.

"What about Raw Vee," you ask? This new development is not to say that we feel called to give up on our nomadic lifestyle altogether. We're looking at this as a short break from our travels and an opportunity to save more energy and money so that we can be better prepared for the next chapter of our life on the road. It will also undoubtedly open the possibility of acquiring a much nicer home on wheels than we could at this stage.

Living in a Palace
The move to our new home for now couldn't have gone smoother, with our truck certainly coming in handy. We don't have any furniture but thankfully there already were a few pieces at the cabin, and friends lent us the rest. The house is an old centurian home and is a bit funky but is suits us perfectly. All we really need, after all, is a roof over our heads. Old as it is the cabin has never been properly insulated, but we've done what we could to make it more comfortable, closing off the whole upstairs to save heat and covering the windows with plastic.

I can't tell you how strange it is to be in a house again after almost 2 1/2 years of near constant travels and camping! We are in awe at all the little comforts that can be so taken for granted: running water, hot water, shower, electricity, an indoor kitchen complete with counters and fridge, having so much space to live in, being able to do the Tibetan Rites indoors when it's cold and rainy outside, and having everything right here under a single roof. It all feels like such sheer luxury! It's also so nice to be able to be together with the animals for most of the day, something we haven't been able to do in months.

Speaking of the furries, they felt immediately at home. Sure didn't take long for them to lay claim to our bed. We have to keep reminding Kylo to wait at least until the wee hours of the morning before joining us or else he'd stretch and take over the entire thing! hehe

I remembered how much Puss loved to lie on our computer chairs, still warm from our presence.

As wonderful as it feels to be given a house of our own to live in for a few months, the real treat is its location. The cabin is on a super quiet road, yet still within walking distance from the small town. The area is breathtakingly beautiful!

The view from the cabin.

Snow has recently come to decorate the mountaintops.

We are just a few meters away from the entrance to a provincial park where we can enjoy our daily walks. Does it get any better than this? The trail goes along the lake and is in almost fairytale like surroundings.

These photos really don't do justice to how lush and bright the flora is - almost fluorescent green.

A lonely mini mushroom growing on a rock among the moss.

These remind us of miniature trees.

The furry boys enjoying their new walk.

Kyky, look at me!

One afternoon, the cloud formations were stunningly beautiful.

Back in the Kitchie!
I was surprised at the surge of energy and uplifting of spirit that took place within me almost as soon as we settled into our new residence. I hadn't realized how much energy was required in living out of doors, making the smallest of tasks more complicated. I was particularly delighted to observe how my interest in food prep came back virtually right away; suddenly inspired to whip up different dishes and, at last, some raw desserts! Woo hoo! Nothing too complicated and fancy but nonetheless a much welcomed digression from our usual fare. We've enjoyed some old favorites: Tostadas, Tuna Salad, Hemp Burgers and Kelp Noodles and Marinated Veggies with Satay Sauce.

And on the sweet side I was excited to work with Irish moss again. I made a simple but delightful Chocolate Mousse from Sweet Gratitude, and the Pecan Pie from the same book. I'd made the latter a couple of times before, and while it is real yummy it is also super sweet, so I tweaked it a little.

Pecan Pie
Adapted from a recipe from Sweet Gratitude
Posted on Amyitis Gardens here

Crust:
2 3/4 cup of macadamia nuts
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Process the macadamia nuts and salt to a dough-like consistency. (Do not over-process or the macadamias will release too much oil.) Press into a 9-inch pie pan.

Filling:
1 1/2 ounces of soaked Irish Moss*
1/2 cup of water
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 1/2 cups of pecans
9 ounces well-packed finely chopped dates
2 tablespoons yacon syrup
2 tablespoons liquid vanilla** (or vanilla extract)
1/8 teaspoon of salt

*For tips on how to work with Irish moss, see this post.
** To make liquid vanilla, blend 3 whole vanilla beans with 1 cup of water until completely dissolved. Will keep refrigerated for at least 1 month.

Topping
1 cup of pecans

Blend Irish moss with water and agave until smooth. Set aside. Food process pecans until a paste-like consistency is achieved. To this add your blended ingredients, as well as vanilla, yacon syrup, and salt; process again until smooth. While processing add the chopped dates in small amounts until smooth. Spoon mixture into crust. Top with pecans. Chill in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I didn't have macadamias so I made a simple walnut crust instead: 2 cups walnuts, 1/4 cup dates, 2 tsps liquid vanilla, pinch of salt. I food processed the ingredients until crumbly. (If the crust doesn't stick when pressed between your fingers, add a little water - 1 tsp at a time - and process again.)

~ From having made this pie in the past I knew that it is way too sweet for my taste. This time I used 1/4 cup + 2 tbs coconut nectar and 2 tbs agave instead of the 3/4 cup agave called for, 7 ounces soft dates and I kept the 2 tbs yacon syrup for the deeper color.

~ I couldn't bring myself to pay $32/kg for pecans at my local HFS so I used a mixture of wild pecans I still had around the kitchen and walnuts.

~ Chilling time for the pie is more like an hour or so.

I decorated the pie with lovely wild pecans that were given to us by a farmer in Arizona. Sure was a meditation to crack those little guys open but definitely worth it. To help further cut down on the sweetness I served it drizzled with a Cashew Cream. Mmmmm!

Still in dessert mode - no doubt wanting to make up for the summer's long dry stretch - next I tackled the Spiced Pineapple Cake from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts.

It's one of those giant size cakes like in Cafe Gratitude's books, calling for something crazy like 8 cups of nut flour (Eeek!), so I halved the recipe. I didn't have enough Brazil nut flour so I substituted with part almond flour that I already had dehydrated. Otherwise I pretty much followed the recipe to the T. For the cake batter I don't have a standing mixer so I just used a food processor, being careful just to pulse the mixture, as suggested, so that it stays on the light side rather than heavy and dense. That seemed to work quite well.

I opted to make only 1/4 of the Banana Cream for the middle layer and to frost the top of the cake with Elaina Love's mucho yummy and light Whipped Topping. For the finishing touch I sprinkled on a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Spiced Pineapple Cake with Banana Cream
From Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts
Posted on Living Rawesome here

Makes one 9 inch cake

Wet Ingredients
Mashed bananas
Chopped pineapple
Date paste- Which is 1 cup dates, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice
Almond milk
Vanilla
Salt

Dry Ingredients
Brazil nut flour
Coconut flakes (powdered in vita-mix)
Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg
Cloves
Vanilla bean
Sea salt

*¼ C Irish Moss Paste can be used with wet ingredients or ¼ C flax meal with the dry. This is optional and creates a fluffier mixture.

Wet Ingredients
In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined.

To make Cake Batter
In a mixer or food processor mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients. It is better to use a standing mixture as this will keep the mixture lighter and more fluffy, but if you do not have a standing mixer it can be done in the food processor if you lightly pulse the wet ingredients in. You do not want a dense heavily blended mixture.

Assembly
Divide cake batter into two. Press one layer of batter in a 9 inch spring form pan and alternate with 1/3 of frosting. Add second cake layer. Refrigerate just before serving, remove from spring form, and frost with remaining frosting.

Veggiegirl's Note: I made the dry mixture and the wet mixture separately and placed them in bowls. I do not have a mixer and my food processor was too small to fit all of the mixture. I think the mixture turned out fine, just by adding the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

Carmella's Final Thoughts:
I thought that the overall texture was good, very much along the lines of Cafe Gratitude cakes I've tried. Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed by its lack of flavor. I had used fresh pineapple in cakes before and had found that the flavor was almost completely lost. It proved to be the case again in this particular cake. If I was to make it again I would use dried pineapple that has been rehydrated or perhaps fold by hand whole pieces of pineapple, fresh or dried, into the batter. I would also add extra spices.

Now the countdown is on! Woo hoo! I'm leaving for Southern California in less than a week and there's all these things I have to do: greens and parsley to dehydrate, root veggies to store, and whip up at least one more decadent raw dessert! ;-)

Wishing you all a wonderful Autumn! I promise to keep in touch!

Our Summer at a Glance

2011-10-11T13:03:00.005-04:00

My gosh, it feels like forever since I last blogged! (Bad, bad Carmi!)

With hardly anything exciting going on in our lives or in our kitchen for weeks, I've resorted to remaining silent, hence my being MIA from the blogosphere for so long.

Things have recently taken a sudden and unexpected turn for us, though, which is now encouraging me to resurface and write at last. But before I share this new development with you all I figured I better first tell you a little about our summer, as uneventful as it was.

My Internal Battle
It's certainly been a strange and difficult last few months for me; my internal landscape being one of almost constant psychological discomfort and disheartedness. For one thing, the warm weather and sunshine didn't arrive until the very end of July. The pleasant summer season being already short as it is here in Canada, it was hard not to lose morale after a while. (Especially when you're a sun lovin' girl like me!)

When we settled on some friends' property in June, the initial thrill of "having nowhere to go" and "nothing to do" - compared to our busy months on the road - soon gave way to a painful lethargic limbo. I felt miserable and depressed, every day blending into the next in a sort of dull blur. At first I blamed the inclement weather but later had to acknowledge that the cause had to be much deeper than that, as my foul mood prevailed even after the sun showed up in earnest.

There was nothing particularly challenging going on to account for my funk, yet I knew that my energy had to be going SOMEwhere. I eventually came to conclude that it had to be connected to what's happening in the collective unconscious during these stressful times of economic upheaval, when the very fabric of society and life as we know it is being alarmingly threatened. In time I discovered that I wasn't alone in my plight; several others seemed to be experiencing something very similar; the tiredness, the lack of energy and purpose. One friend was told by his M.D. that his symptoms were attributable to 'environment stress', which points out towards the same general direction.

Not that this knowing made my discomfort any more bearable, but it helped me remember that this was something outside myself and beyond my control. All I could do was continue to watch it unfold and feel it, without judgment or condemnation.

And so the months went by while I waged my inner battle, going about the quiet motions of the days, sunning, walking, exercising... I hardly spent any time on the internet, preferring instead to enjoy the precious sunshine and read novels.

Super Raw Puss

On a positive note, the furries have been doing really well, no doubt happy to enjoy the same surroundings for more than a few days. While Kylo is gradually turning into an ol' man, Miss DaPuss, who is years younger, has never been better! She's absolutely thriving on her raw diet; her fur is silky soft, her eyes clear, she's got heaps of energy and is also very calm and affectionate. And as a bonus she's lost 2 whole pounds which has been a much welcome side effect of her new eating habits and increased level of exercise, busy as she's been exploring every corner of the property.

Which isn't to say she didn't still value her rest, as you can see.

The Corn Craze
While preparing food has been my favorite creative outlet for the last 5 years, I helplessly watched myself losing interest. The fact that this was one of the worst mosquito years in at least a decade certainly didn't help motivate me to spend time in our outdoor kitchen. We were mostly keen to get something ready asap before we got eaten alive. And so Don and I virtually ate the same things every day; our usual morning juice and smoothie, nice and juicy watermelon, followed later by a raw soup, salad and corn on the cob for dinner. I know, sounds kinda boring, but strangely I came to feel quite content with our simple fare and not to mention grateful not to have to orchestrate anything more complicated.

Actually the whole family ended up on a major corn kick! Kylo and his sweetheart Angel anxiously awaited for us to finish our meal before getting their turn at the cobs.

Kylo methodically and expertly cleaning up every row.

Angel thinking "To heck with it!" and wolfing down the whole darn thing! lol She's such a funny girl!

After a while, even Puss started to develop a keen interest in corn. Being small and agile as she is, she was able to get real close and pester us while we ate (much to the dogs' dismay, of course!)

Pu' patiently waiting for us to finish our soup before the 'corn action' began.

Alright, there she comes...

"Why wait when you can just lean over and go for it?" has been her motto. hehe

It speaks to the sad state of affairs that I could hardly muster the energy to whip up raw desserts which are normally such a source of joy for both of us. Thankfully Donnie didn't complain too much about his plight in spite of his obvious DDD (Dessert Deficit Disorder) as we've come to call it. ;-)

Playing House (Almost) By Myself
The quiet summer routine was broken twice as I left the boys behind and house sat for friends. I've already told you about the time I looked after Camille and George's lovely home by the river for most of July in this post. They asked me to do the same again in September for a few days. This time I wasn't alone, as they left their wonderful furry girls with me. Calla and Daisy are two of the loveliest dogs I have ever encountered! They are so sweet, affectionate and playful; it was such a joy to get to spend time with them and know them better.

The girls having their meal. I couldn't help having a huge grin cross my face as I watched Calla flop on the floor next to her bowl and contentedly dine.

For all the cool temperatures and rain we had this spring and summer, August and September scarcely saw a spot of cloud. (Yay!) And so I took advantage of the bliss-full weather and the house's ideal location to go tubing down the river every day.

The serene Slocan River

The girls accompanied me, not wanting to miss out on the adventure, and excitedly explored the river banks.

Cute little Daisy.

Her mother Calla.

No doubt smelling something VERY interesting in the air.

I thought Calla looks as though she's winking at me in this next pic. hehe

The Magical Bear Encounter

One day, as I leisurely allowed myself to be carried down the river, I caught sight of a blur of black fur in the water at the exact spot where I'd been just a couple of minutes earlier. It turned out to be a great big black bear happily splashing in the river! I held in place for a few minutes so as to better look at him, then continued to drift on while the bear made its way along the bank. At some point I stood up from the other side of the water to watch him snacking at something in a bush. He also noticed me, then stood on his hind legs and watched me for a few seconds. What a powerful and thrilling moment that was! I was highly aware of how quickly he could cover the mere dozen meters separating us if he decided that I was a threat, yet I did not move, willing my mind to remain quiet and still. Then, just like that, the moment was gone... He fell forward on his paws and proceeded to climb up the gully and cross the road.

I was filled with such gratitude and awe for this close encounter with one of Nature's wild inhabitants. In spite of us living in the boonies, surrounded by mountains and forest, it's so easy to forget that they are so nearby.

Garden of Eden
For all my lethargy at least I did muster the energy to get involved for the second year with the local community garden. Of that I am so very grateful!!! The location is amazing, overlooking mountains in the distance, and the soil is fantastic. It was such a joy to spend a few hours each week in the healing company of veggies and plants.

The sheer abundance coming out of this garden was incredible! You can tell that plants are so loving it there and desperately wanting to grow. There were several kinds of peas, onions, carrots, beets, different types of kale, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, collards, tomatoes, beans, parsley, cilantro, Jerusalem artichokes, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchinis, cucumber, potatoes, corn and squashes. And I'm sure my list must be incomplete!

Several people were involved in this communal venture this season. Here you can see Shanoon and Tyson thinning carrot beds.

Camille and Livina happily showing off their loot of onions and beets.

Even Don came a few times to give us a hand with the harvest. Being the potato lover that he is, he certainly got to pick them to his heart's content among the some 15 different varieties growing in the garden.

And actually I learned that I also love digging 'tatoes... It brings up the child in me. Something about discovering buried treasures I guess.

Selecting beautiful red leaf kale.

One of my favorite crops, Swiss chard, which we use generously in our daily green smoothies. I also dehydrated lots of greens which I then blended into a powder. I'm sure this will come in handy in the future, especially as the price of greens (and produce in general) keeps rising.

The bed of Italian parsley - seen in the front - was so prolific and full! The stems were fat and oh-so-juicy! What a treat to munch on these as I played in the dirt.

There were several varieties of squashes, including two kinds of pumpkins specially prized for their seeds. We were forced to pick them sooner than we expected due to an early frost.

Some wheat managed to sneak in among the potato beds. A beautiful golden sight!

Part of the space had been set aside for little piggies. They are such a joyous bunch; rolling in the dirt and chasing each other around. Sadly, a gloomy future is lying in wait for them. Last time I went there were only four of them left. ;-(

Presenting Deliciously Raw: Quick 'n Easy Recipes from The Sunny Raw Kitchen

2011-09-22T11:28:00.005-04:00

I am delighted to present you with my fourth and latest recipe book, Deliciously Raw: Quick 'n Easy Recipes from The Sunny Raw Kitchen. This small book focuses on simple recipes that can be prepared mostly with the help of a good - preferably high power - blender.

As a chef, I’m always on the lookout for new gadgets and appliances to work with in my raw kitchen. During a stay at the Foxes near Salt Lake City earlier this year we were introduced to the Omniblend V blender; a powerful 3 HP blender that costs significantly less than comparable machines.

Needless to say I was excited to put the OMNI to the test. We used the OMNI for all of our food prep for almost 3 weeks and were positively surprised by its consistent performance. (I have given a detailed account of our experience and opinion with the OMNI here.) In fact I was so impressed with it that I accepted Thomas’ offer to write a recipe book to be included in each of the OMNI boxes.

The recipes contained in Deliciously Raw are all real easy, quick to prepare and utterly delicious! While the book was especially tailored for the OMNI, the recipes can be made with any blender. Due to its minimal need for other appliances, Deliciously Raw is therefore the perfect beginner's guide for anyone interested in introducing more raw foods into their diet.

Here are some of the yummies you can expect to find in Deliciously Raw:

Chia Fruit Smoothie

Super Chocolate Shake

Pina Colada Smoothie

Cream of Celery

So Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup

Creamy Sweet Pea Soup

Hemp Avocado Dressing

Ranch Dressing

Herbed Avocado Spread

Garlic & Dill Cheeze

Cheezy Cannelloni

Raw Tostada

‘Pasta’ in Alfredo Sauce

Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Dazzling Hazelnut Cream Pie

Persimmon & Coconut Cream Parfait

Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Creams

Other recipes include:

Apricot Blueberry Ambrosia

Anything Goes Green Smoothie

Winter Green Smoothie

Carobanana Shake

Strawberry Banana Shake

Chia Garden Soup

Tomato & Herb Soup

Cream of Leek

Cheezy Spinach Almond Soup

Creamy Sweet Pea Soup

Carmella’s House Dressing

Dill-icious Dressing

Curried Dressing

French Dressing

Tomato Basil Dressing

Cheddar Cheeze Spread or Dip

Nacho Cheeze

Simple Cream Cheeze

Creamy Spinach Spread

Cultured Cashew or Macadamia Cheeze

Herb & Green Onion Cheeze

Cheezy Cannelloni

‘Peanut’ Sauce

Ginger Dipping Sauce or Marinade

Pad Thai Sauce

Cauliflower Curry

Chocolate Mousse

Mango Pudding With Vanilla Coconut Custard

Cashew Whipped Cream

Chocolate Sauce

Bliss-full Blueberry Cheesecake

For a peek at the back cover, click on the image below in order to enlarge it.

Deliciously Raw: Quick 'n Easy Recipes from The Sunny Raw Kitchen is available in both hard copy and electronic formats.

Ebook
In order to make the ebook version accessible to as many as possible, rather than setting a fixed price I'm offering it on a sliding-scale basis of $7.99 to $11.99. It just seemed right to allow people to give according to what they feel it's worth to them.

To order your electronic copy of Deliciously Raw, just click on the link below and make your donation via Paypal or debit/credit card (an option will appear for the latter on the lower left side of the window once you click on the 'Fast Check Out With Paypal' button)

Printed Version of Deliciously Raw
There is something different and special about holding an actual book in your hands. And let me tell you, we feel this one is a real beauty!

Click on the button below to order your copy of Deliciously Raw for $14.95

Note: During the check out process, you'll be given the option to pay either with Paypal or with a credit card.

IMPORTANT: For technical reasons, S&H during the check out process only apply to North America. For international orders, please send me an email!

Ebook Packages

Please note that you can also purchase my various ebooks together as convenient packages!

Ebook Package #1

My first two best sellers, The Best Of The Sunny Raw Kitchen and The Best of Raw Freedom Community, can be purchased for a sliding scale starting at $19.98. To order this package, simply click on the link below and make your donation via Paypal or debit/credit card (an option will appear for the latter on the lower left side of the window once you click on the 'Fast Check Out With Paypal' button).

Ebook Package #2

Purchase my first three books, The Best Of The Sunny Raw Kitchen and The Best of Raw Freedom Community and Delightfully Raw in electronic format for a sliding scale starting at $33.99. To order this package, simply click on the link below and make your donation via Paypal or debit/credit card.

Ebook Package #3

Purchase all four of my recipe books in electronic format for a sliding scale starting at $39.99. To order this package, simply click on the link below and make your donation via Paypal or debit/credit card.

If you have any difficulty with the download(s), please don't hesitate to contact me at:

sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: The ebooks come in PDF format; if you don't already have 'Acrobat Reader' installed on your computer, you can download a free copy at www.adobe.com.

My heart-felt thanks to all of you, the readers of my Sunny Raw Kitchen blog; you have inspired me to open my kitchen to the bigger cyber world and take you all along on our rawesome life adventures!

I hope you enjoy these ‘works of heart’ and their celebration of how delectable raw food can be!

In radiance and health,

Carmella

Winners of the Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway

2011-09-17T12:41:00.001-04:00

Hi guys! *waving*

I know I've been awfully quiet lately, but what can I say? There hasn't been much happening at our end and I can almost count on the fingers of one hand the number of new dishes - mostly Russell James' desserts - that I've whipped up this summer. Nothing to do but rest up and watch all this uneventfulness unfold, eh?

Having said that, I do have something very exciting to share with you today!

If you remember, several weeks ago I told you about our "fun'raiser" to help us raise some money in order to purchase a used RV. Several friends and members of the health and raw community have generously donated a number of products that we offered as part of our Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway; from books to raw bars and even a brand new Omni blender!

Everyone who purchased one of Don's or my books from then until September 15th at midnight PST automatically received a free entry into our Giveaway. The winners were randomly selected by yours truly this morning, and oh-what-fun it was! Made me feel like Mother Christmas! ;-)

So without further ado, here are their names... *drum rolls please*

Susan Gava
Isabelle Martin
Life with Nature.com
Chris Cornutt
Brenda J Atwater
Joelle Garfinkel
Whole Life Coach
Beth Duncan
Diane McCann Matthews
Jessica Cappucci
Nick Skedgel
Camille Roberts
Jean Miller
Theodora Wallace
Brooke Smith
Suzanne Velie
Sharon Good
Alice Marsh
Coshana Fairhurst
George Demers
Faye Ketola

Congrats everyone! I will be contacting you shortly by email with the list of gifts to choose from, so please keep an eye on your inbox!

Don and I would also like to extend our heart felt thanks to all of you who have supported our Raw Vee venture via donations or by purchasing one of our products! You guys rawk!

Get a Chance to Receive Russell James' Recipe Series Binder for Free!

2011-08-26T11:10:00.009-04:00

I just got the fabulous news that Russell James, aka The Raw Chef, is donating a copy of his Recipe Series Binder for our Sunny Raw Vee Fun'Raiser Giveaway. (Woo hoo!)

It includes more than 100 delicious raw food recipes printed out with full-color photos and bound in a high-quality binder, as well as 2 hours of instructional video showing you how to make several of Russell's favorite recipes.

This Recipe Series Binder normally retails for $147, but you could receive it for free as part of our Giveaway.

To learn more about this product click on the image below!

In that light, I've decided to extend the Giveaway by another 2 weeks until September 15th at midnight PST in order to give everyone a chance to participate. Find out how you could receive for free one of some 21 items and almost $700 worth of gifts here!

Sunny Raw Sweet Kitchen
And while on the topic of Russell James, I thought I'd share a few of his yummilicious sweet creations that I've been whipping up these last few weeks.

Sadly, I've been feeling mostly uninspired to prep food this summer, munching pretty much exclusively on juices, smoothies, watermelon, freshly picked veggies from the garden, raw soups, big salads and corn on the cob. BUT last month I decided to treat myself to an extra special luxury... I took the plunge and purchased Russell's new Raw Dessert Homestudy Course as he had a sale on that was just too good to be missed. (I wrote a post telling you more about his latest product here.)

I participated in his free Dessert Webinar first and realized that since I learned several new tips and tricks just from watching those few short videos the complete Dessert Course would be a wise investment. I was so right!

It's been really nice to finally get a chance to see him work 'live' after having tried so many of his recipes. He's just as I imagined him to be; genuine, precise, super creative and even funny to boot! Plus I get to ask any questions I may have about his recipes on The Raw Chef Academy website and he answers them personally.

Anyhoo, I'm about to begin Week 5 now and learn all of the secrets of Raw Chocolate Making (including an easy way to temper chocolate). Mmmmm... I can hardly wait!

So far I've made...

Marbled Raspberry Vanilla Tart

This recipe was actually part of the free Webinar and demonstrated how to create beautiful swirling designs. It was absolutely to live for and oh-so pretty too!!!

Toffee Coffee Panna Cotta

This was the very first recipe I tried from the Raw Dessert Homestudy Course and it was delightful! The Panna Cotta uses Irish moss paste - one of my favorite ingredients for lighter melt-in-your-mouth desserts - and was topped with Chocolate Sauce and a few freshly picked huckleberries. Yum!

I recently cheated and jumped ahead a few weeks in order to make a recipe from one of the weekly topics that interested me the most: Nut Free Desserts.

Red Velvet Cake

In his raw version of the famous Red Velvet Cake Russell ingeniously uses a combination of oat flour, coconut flour and ground flax seeds in the cake layer instead of the more common nuts. I didn't have any young coconut for the Icing/Cream layer so I subbed with cashews instead. It still turned out super well, and of course was very visually stunning. I thought that the result was rather heavy due to the flours, but that just meant that we enjoyed smaller pieces. I'm looking forward to playing with that concept some more in creating other types of desserts.

Got you drooling all over your keyboard? (Ooops, sorry!)

You can find out more about by clicking on the image below.

Last Chance for my Book Sale
And lastly just a reminder that there's only a few days left for my Sunny Raw Vee Book Sale. For the entire month of August I'm offering ALL of my recipe books - including the hard copy of Delightfully Raw!!! - at a 20% discount.

To take advantage of this offer, all you need to do is hop over to my Recipe Book Page Page and use the coupon code "RAWVEE" while checking out.

Introducing Don's First Book: Ready or Not Freegold

2011-08-18T09:53:00.009-04:00

IMPORTANT NOTE: Until September 15th at midnight PST, when you purchase any of Don's and my books you will be automatically given a FREE ENTRY into our Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway!!!

Find out how you could receive one of some 21 items and almost $700 worth of gifts here!

******

I am pleased to present Don's first book, Ready or Not - Freegold: The Real New World Order.

While one of my main passions and creative outlets these last several years has been raw food prep, Don likes to keep a close eye on what all is going on in the world's finances. In fact his interest in macro economics goes way back to when he used to be an army officer in the 70s. (Yep, you read right! Talk about 'past life'! lol)

Shortly after we met in the early 2000s he began talking about an imminent financial crisis worse than anything we have ever known before, including The Great Depression. He just didn't know exactly when it would begin to unfold. Well, now it's clear that time has come.

In Ready or Not - Freegold Don talks about how the global economy is destined to collapse into a hyper-inflationary depression and why the new currency system will have gold as its foundation. He wants to put it out there to help people prepare. After it happens the transition will be terribly difficult for those who aren't ready. Don says that would be unfortunate because it isn't hard to understand what to do if you have the proper information about what is coming (and sooner rather than later, he is sure).

One of the difficulties about this affair is that we naturally doubt that anything so serious could be actually happening. Dealing with that doubt was one of the aims Don had for his book. Most people aren't even a little ready for the turmoil that is already baked into the cake. Are you?

Don's book will guide you to easily prepare, and he is sure that those few who do will be big winners when all is said and done, after something new and better emerges from the ashes. It has always been thus. Ready Or Not - Freegold includes some funnies (and even a few raw recipes too!)

Ready Or Not - Freegold is available for immediate download for a sliding scale of $8.99 to $12.99.

To order your copy,
click on the 'Add to Cart' button below!

Here's a peek into Ready Or Not - Freegold...

Dear readers,
There is a critical difference between what may be the ideal, perfect monetary system and what are the real monetary changes we are currently heading directly into.

My purpose for writing this book was to share my own discovery and understanding of what is actually coming at us all, 'ready or not', like a freight train in a tunnel. Many perhaps see the light but few really know what it means and what to do about it. If we can determine where we are heading financially and economically, and why we are heading there, then perhaps we can discover, in advance, how the global economy will unfold in the coming weeks, months and years.

And with this understanding, hopefully we can take appropriate action and thereby gain a certain peace of mind with regard to our own personal finances as we head into what are sure to be very stormy waters. I know from my own experience that peace of mind is a priceless asset and therefore one worth whatever it takes, in time and energy, to acquire.

WHO DO YOU TRUST?
I feel it is extremely important for everyone in this time of severe financial upheaval, to re-examine the question of trust. This is another one of those difficult situations because we all have a long history where things financial worked a particular way, and we are very entrenched in our long-standing views and positions. It is extremely difficult to change these established ways of thinking because we have a great deal of energy invested and have many parts of our lives set up based on them.

However, there are times, rare though they may be, that the situation demands that we take the time and energy to take a hard re-examination. To accomplish this challenge we must be prepared to be ruthlessly objective, let the cards fall where they may, and be prepared to do whatever it takes to adjust to the new reality if the conclusions demand it.

The present financial crisis is far from over. In fact, it is getting worse. It can be described as a debt crisis, but its true nature is a monetary crisis. At its roots, it is a belated gold crisis. It is a punishment for discarding the honest unit measuring value…

The landmark year was 1971, when the United States defaulted on its international gold obligations under the Bretton Woods Agreement (to be the worlds reserve currency). There have been many defaults in history, but the one forty years ago was unique in that it exiled gold internationally and without recourse to the Courts from the global monetary system; thereby gold has been prevented from discharging its natural function as the ultimate extinguisher of debt ever since.

There is a direct cause and effect relationship between that decision in 1971 and the present global financial crisis. We are about to pay the price for our collective delusion as participants in this insane monetary experiment. Our monetary system today did not grow naturally, nor was it the result of careful study and planning by competent financial scientists. It has no inherent stable foundation because it is a ponzi scheme. In fact, it was imposed through bribe and blackmail on the worlds people.

The powers have, from the beginning of this crisis, lied and misled we, the people. They first declared that there was nothing to worry about. Then that yes, there is a problem but it is minor and contained. Then, oops, sorry but it is seriously systemically dangerous and will need massive bailouts of major banks and institutions, which will fix everything and get the economy growing again. The result – more than two years later and we have whole countries in trouble!

So if we can’t trust Them, what/who can we trust and what can the average citizen do to deal with this world of finance gone mad?

That is the question which this book, Ready Or Not - Freegold attempts to answer.

A few short important questions for you. Are you personally confident you really know...

- if the global economy and financial system has been fixed and recovered after its near death experience in 08?

- if we are stabilized and on a path of sustainable growth?

- what financial derivatives are, the central role they played in the systemic near meltdown that occurred in the recent past, and whether they are still a serious issue?

- the difference between fiat currency and real Money and why it is vitally important?

- that fiat currency is only created by debt and that therefore all the so called money 'printing' (QE's) has created much More DEBT to attempt to solve a DEBT crisis and why this is a serious issue?

- whether the world can look forward to price stability or will there be major deflation and/or inflation?

- whether your savings/pensions are safe?

- whether you are financially positioned properly to thrive and prosper however it all works out, for you and your loved ones?

If you couldn't answer YES to these critically important questions, then we can say with confidence you will greatly benefit from reading this book, 'Ready Or Not - Freegold'.

To order your copy of 'Ready Or Not - Freegold',
click on the 'Add to Cart' button below!

The Awesome Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway and Book Sale

2011-08-09T10:34:00.006-04:00

IMPORTANT: Please note that the Sunny Raw Vee Draw has been replaced with a Giveaway. Read on for more details!
***

Rough Canyon, Texas

If you've been hanging around my virtual Sunny Raw Kitchen a while then you probably already know that Don and I and our two furries, Kylo and DaPuss, have spent the last couple of years on the road. We've been loving our nomadic lifestyle which The Mystery has for us these days, and feel blessed by the breathtaking beauty it has allowed us to witness and the wonderful people we met. Yet, we've also found that our months on the road do take their toll. We attribute this in part to the increased level of stress brought by constantly being on the move and all that it entails. Another huge factor has been the fact that we have been rather 'roughing it', living in a van/tent.

Given this new 'gypsy' phase, it would make our lives a LOT easier if we had a vehicle more suitable for living 'on the road'. So we've been thinking of acquiring a new 'home on wheels': a used RV - or Raw Vee as we've come to refer to it! ;-) It would certainly take our nomadic experience to a whole new level!

Raw Prizes Galore!
We only have about two months to save up before we are likely needing to head back south. In that light, we thought of holding a "fun'raiser" and see if some of you guys might be willing to support the project with us. As a first step we therefore recently put it out to friends and members of the health and raw community, asking for product donations that we could offer as draw prizes.

We received several enthusiastic responses and set the draw in motion last week. What we didn't realize, however, is that for some reason Paypal doesn't condone this sort of thing. ;-( Therefore we just HAD TO find something else to do with all those cool raw products, didn't we?

So instead we've decided to offer these goodies as part of a Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway!

When you purchase any of Don's and my books from now until September 15th at midnight PST you will be automatically given a FREE ENTRY into our Giveaway!!!

Thanks to all of our generous contributors - you guys rawck! - you could receive one of the following:

~ 5 copies of Travel in the Raw ebook by Heather Haxo Philips, courtesy of Heather of Raw Bay Area (each a $12.95 value)

~ 5 copies of Don's new Ready or Not - Freegold ebook (each a $9.99 value)

~ 3 copies of the Uncooking with Raw Rose ebook by Rose Vasile (each a $16.95 value), courtesy of Rose of RawRose.com

~ 3 copies of my soon to be released Deliciously Raw: Quick 'n Easy Recipes from The Sunny Raw Kitchen ebook (each a $9.99 value)

~ One copy of the Pure Pleasures ebook by Natalia, courtesy of Natalia of NataliaKW.com (a $18.95 value)

~ One copy of the Just Desserts ebook by Heather Pace, courtesy of Heather of SweetlyRaw.com (a $14.97 value)

~ One box of Hallelujah Acres yummy raw Survival Bars*, courtesy of Gayle and Rick Asche (a $40 value)

~ One of The Raw Chef's Recipe Series Binder, courtesy of Russell James (a $147 value)

And last but certainly not least...

*droll roll please*

~ A brand new Black Omni V 3 HP blender**, courtesy of Thomas Fox of 3blenders.com (a $265.00 value).

We discovered the Omni during our travels this past winter and were very impressed with its performance, which is right up there with other comparable 3 HP blenders. In fact, so much so that I have written a blender recipe book (Deliciously Raw) that is now included in each box! (Woo hoo!)

If you'd like to learn more about the Omni blender, we've written a review of it here.

* For North American residents only
** For US residents only

That's 21 items to choose from and nearly $700 worth of gifts!!! Woo hoo!

And all without you having to do anything more!

Starting September 16th, we'll be picking names via a random number generator, then emailing them with the updated list of gifts to choose from. We'll keep doing that until everything is accounted for. (In other words, you'll get an opportunity to pick your gift rather than be assigned a specific one.)

The giveaway recipients will be announced here and on Raw Freedom Community's Forum Announcement section.

But wait, that's not all...

Sunny Raw Vee Book Sale

For the entire month of August I'm offering ALL of my recipe books - including the hard copy of Delightfully Raw!!! - at a 20% discount.

To take advantage of this offer, all you need to do is hop over to this page and use the coupon code "RAWVEE" while checking out.

There are also other ways that you can support us in our Raw Vee venture...

~ By making a donation via the 'Donate' button in the right sidebar. (This will also give you a FREE ENTRY into our Sunny Raw Vee Giveaway!)

~ By purchasing products via the banners and links in the right sidebar.

~ By telling a friend about our Sunny Raw Vee Book Sale and Giveaway!

Thanks in advance for purchasing our products and helping us out in our Raw Vee project!

Oh, and for those of you not yet in the loop, here's a quick overview of our life on the road.

Tomoka State Park, Florida

The Call of the Road
In the summer of 2007, after having moved 3 times in twelve months and with yet another one on the horizon, we decided to listen to what Life was telling us and take the Big Jump. We liquidated most of our belongings except for our raw kitchen paraphernalia, packed our furry friends, and headed east. We had no clear idea at the time what was awaiting us next, we were just gonna go with what we call 'The Flow'.

A few months later, when confronted with the possibility of renting and setting up house again, we instead continued to travel to the southern US for the cold winter months. What followed was the most incredible journey down the east coast to Florida, across to California and back up to Washington state. It was made largely possible by the generosity of my Sunny Raw Kitchen readers and members of Raw Freedom Community forum who invited us to visit in their homes along the way. We spent the rest of the time tent camping in the American wilderness; an amazing, but of course at times, challenging experience, especially when hauling around everything you own in the whole world, and furry critters to boot.

McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Fountain Hills, Arizona

After spending the warmer months with friends in British Columbia, we once again headed south in the fall. While we did our first trip in a minivan and a tent, last year we traveled in a small semi-camperized van, which made things a great deal easier. It was still far from being ideal, however, as with all of our kitchen equipment, raw supplies and our few belongings it meant emptying most of the van's contents in order to be able to sleep in it. Thankfully we didn't cover as much ground this time, sticking mostly to the west coast, except for a detour inland via Utah and Arizona.

I did my best to blog from the road and keep my readers up to date on our adventures. You can read all about them here:

The Sunny Raw Kitchen Tour

The Delightfully Raw Tour

I'll leave you with a few pics taken during our two years of travels...

Palmetto State Park, Texas

Kyky at the wheel; we were in good paws! ;-)

Scraping the ice off the tent on a cold morning in Fort Davis, Texas.

Our camping paradise at Wheeler Gorge in Ojai, California.

Chilling out at Rocky Point Resort on the shore of Klamath Lake, Oregon.

Blogging on the road

Our outdoor kitchen at Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, Florida.

Making chocolate truffles on New Year's Eve at Shepard State Park in Gautier, Mississippi. I got so many comments about this enterprise! lol Someone told me she even printed the photo out and put it on her wall as a reminder that, with a little determination, you can uncook anywhere.

Uncooking up a storm in Palmetto State Park, Texas.

Making Coconut Joys in the Santa Ynez Valley, north of Santa Barbara, California.

The Smoothie Man in action.

Raw feasting in our canvas home.

An Entire House to Myself!

2011-08-01T14:41:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone! *waving*

I hope you guys have been enjoying something resembling summer! It feels like it only really got here in British Columbia a few days ago. Eeek! The whole month of June was rainy and miserable and most of July wasn't a great deal better. ;-(

Playing House
I was given an opportunity to look after my friends, Camille and George's, lovely home for 3 weeks; a rustic haven by the river with a veggie garden and several fruit trees.

It was my first time being 'on my own' in what must be at least 3 or 4 years (the boyz were staying with other friends.) It felt strange and also nice to be able to attune myself to my own internal rhythm. As it turns out I ended up not doing much at all, still enveloped in the after-trip daze. I spent the days chilling out; doing the Tibetan Rites, meditating, luxuriating in the (very!) occasional sun, walking and reading.

Actually I wasn't completely alone as I had brought Miss Puss with me. She liked to hang outside on the deck, hidden among the plant pots.

I hopped on one of their bikes a few times over the weeks in order to go play in the community garden, located just a couple of miles away. It was such a sweet ride along the Slocan river, which has been the highest in years, what with the insane amount of rain we've been getting in recent months.

I got to become buddies with the resident cows in a nearby field.

One of my favorite views on the way back.

A still snow covered mountain top in the distance.

Not Home Alone
While most days it was just the two of us gals, we did get the occasional wildlife visitor. The most notorious was a small brown bear who took a keen interest in a great big old cherry tree. Oh the feast that he had, I tell ya!

He's a real cutie, isn't he?

I even captured Mr. Bear on video!

Donnie and Kylo paid me a short visit at some point. While Don was doing the dishes after dinner he yelled at me to look out the window, as a young moose was leisurely strolling across the yard. I barely had time to grab my camera and get a couple of shots.

In Camille's Sunny Kitchen
Without my precious kitchen assistant and someone to share food with, I found myself simplifying my diet quite a bit. I mean, it's a lot of trouble to whip up fancy dishes when it's just for one. It certainly made me appreciate what it must be like when your partner isn't on the raw wagon with you! Since Camille doesn't have a juicer, instead of my usual morning carrot apple beet drink I started my day off by gathering fresh fruit for breakfast; strawberries (THE most succulent I have ever tasted!) and later blueberries and raspberries. To my delight, the cherries also ripened around mid-July, so I got to pick and eat them to my heart's content. Unfortunately with all the rain, they started to split quickly which is such a shame.

Look at those dark red jewels!

Unlike Don, who could eat chia pudding every single day, I find it so filling that I don't really feel like drinking my usual smoothie. Having said that, I did whip up one on a couple of occasions.

Chia Pudding with Berries

Yields one serving

1 tbs chia seeds
About 1 cup almond milk
Sweetener of choice (I prefer honey or maple syrup), to taste
1 tbs raisins
1 tsp liquid vanilla or vanilla extract
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg

With a fork, spoon or whisk, mix chia seeds with a small amount of almond milk in a bowl - about 1/4 cup. I find that putting the entire amount of liquid at once tends to create lumps. Allow to sit for 5 mins or so.

Incorporate the rest of the milk, being careful to completely dissolve the little chia clumps. Fold in raisins.

Allow to sit for at least another 15 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

Just before serving, mix in your sweetener of choice, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, then top with fresh berries and slivered almonds.

For lunch I enjoyed a smoothie made with fresh greens picked from the garden. Dinner was usually just soup and a no-brainer main course such as zucchini pasta, kelp noodles or quinoa with marinated veggies, or good ol' crackers with a spread or avocado and tomato.

Oh-oh! Guess I'm a Big Girl Now!
I changed decade and turned 40 towards the beginning of my stay. I didn't really celebrate per se, being on my own and all, but I did spend this special day munching on yummy simple raw foods and happily bathing in the sun, which had thankfully joined me. The best birthday gift ever in my book! ;-)

A few days later I went to spend the afternoon with Don and our friends, John & Livina, in order to mark the occasion in earnest. We enjoyed Chive Rangoons from Natalia's beautiful Pure Pleasures ebook with a salad, and a quinoa and marinated veggie dish Livina had prepared. The Rangoons were very very yummy! Livina just raved about them! The wrappers' main ingredients were dried coconut, zucchini and flax seeds, and were first dehydrated, then filled with a Chive Cream made of cashews (I used macs instead). They were served with a Ginger Dipping Sauce.

I was envisioning making a Strawberry Shortcake for dessert in light of the wonderful strawberries I picked daily from Camille's garden, but Livina had something quite different in mind. She'd recently returned from the city with a durian and was drooling at the idea of my Durian Chocolate Mousse Cake. Since I had already made a large batch of Whipped Cream, I opted for something somewhere in between... A Durian Cream Cake topped with strawberries.

The Whipped Cream was different than the one I usually make and I loved loved it! It was based on a recipe by Elaine Love that uses Irish moss paste. The Durian Layer was also with moss, so the finished result was very light and creamy. I was quite pleased with the cake, although I must admit that I've started to grow out of my durian phase.

Durian Cream Cake

Coconut Crust
2 cups dry coconut
1/2 cup dates
1 tsp liquid vanilla or vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Process the ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. The mixture should stick when pressed together between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a little water or agave if it isn’t quite sweet enough (1 teaspoon or so at a time.)

Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.

Durian Mousse
1 1/2 cups durian flesh
1/4 cup Irish moss paste*
1/4 cup agave nectar (or more, depending on how sweet your durian is)
3/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
---
1/4 cup + 2 tbs melted coconut oil
1 tbs lecithin powder

Blend first set of ingredients until smooth in high-speed blender.

Add coconut oil and lecithin and blend again, just to incorporate.

Pour mixture onto the crust.

To make Irish Moss Paste:
Blend 1.5 oz (or ½ cup packed) soaked Irish moss with 1 cup water in a high-speed blender until completely dissolved.

Whipped Topping
Adapted from a recipe by Elaine Love

1/4 cup soaked Irish moss (measure after soaking in cold water for 3+ hours)
1 cup water

1. Blend moss and water until smooth

1 cup + 2 tbs water
1/2 cup raw agave nectar or raw honey
3/4 cup coconut oil
3 Tbs. soy lecithin powder (non GMO)
1/2 cup young coconut meat
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs liquid vanilla or vanilla extract

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

2. Let set up in the refrigerator overnight if possible.

3. Spread a nice thick layer on top of the Durian Layer. You'll need only about half of the Whipped Cream, but I'm sure you'll find a way to use the rest, it's soooo yummy! It's totally decadent served with fresh fruit.

Elaina's Note: This whipped topping will last for 1 week refrigerated. May be frozen after the first day of setting up in refrigerator but for best results, do not try to freeze while it is setting up.

Don had made a batch of Berry Ice Cream which complemented the cake beautifully.

And on this sweet note, I shall leave you and make the most of Mister Sun, who has been gratifying us with his presence for the last 5 days in a row; a record thus far!

Sending some sunshine your way!

Russell James' Raw Dessert Homestudy Course is Now Available!

2011-07-20T12:22:00.006-04:00

After several weeks of anticipation, I want to give you all a heads up that "The Raw Chef" Russell James' Dessert Homestudy Course is now completed and available to purchase! Yippee! *doing the happy dance*

When I started to play with creating more complex and gourmet raw foods, about 5 years ago or so, Russell's blog/site was one of the first I stumbled upon. I was completely blown away by his clearly professional approach and the utter deliciousness of his creations and delighted by his readiness to so generously share some of these online.

Since then I've been following Russell's career closely and haven't been the least bit surprised to watch it flourish and establish him as one of the world's most talented and respected raw chefs. Among other things, he has worked closely alongside well known raw personalities such as Karen Knowler and Matthew Kenney. In fact he has just completed a 1 year guest instructor in residence position at The Matthew Kenney Academy - formerly known as 105degrees - in Oklahoma City, USA.

A couple of years ago Russell had the brilliant idea to release a Chef Homestudy DVD Course, allowing you to watch and learn from a pro in the comfort of your own home. The course has been a great success.

He has now applied the same concept to desserts; his newly released Raw Dessert Homestudy Course focuses solely on how to create scrumptious and decadent sweet treats. The course looks a-ma-zing and very thorough, covering every angle imaginable! From an in-depth look at ingredients to Quick & Easy desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Ice Creams, Chocolate, Nut-Free desserts, Tarts & Cakes, and Pastries and Treats. Phfew, that's quite a curriculum! That's a total of 13 hours of training, structured in a way that is easily manageable and that you can keep coming back to again and again. As Russell points out, it would be almost impossible to go into as much detail in a live class as he does in these DVDs.

But wait, it gets even better! Those familiar with my Sunny Raw Kitchen might already know that I like to work with sliding scales, allowing people to pay according to their financial situation. I was stoked to discover that Russell is now using a similar principle, letting you choose from 3 different prices for the course. Woo hoo!

Anyhoo, to find out more about the Raw Dessert Homestudy Course hop over to this page!

And in any case, make sure to take advantage of the free Raw Desserts Course Webinar that Russell is offering every Monday and Wednesday!

To register for the free Dessert Webinar, click here.

What's Uncookin' Good Lookin'? Freegold, Mac & Cheese, Mocha Cake and Other Yummies

2011-07-18T10:35:00.007-04:00

It's almost been 6 weeks since we've become stationary again. Summer sure was a loooooong time coming but it looks like it's finally here at last.Yippee!

Here's what's been uncooking for us lately...

Freegold Anyone?
Don's been busy working on his first book called Ready Or Not - Freegold. It's all about how the global economy is destined to collapse into a hyper-inflationary depression and why the new currency system will have gold as its foundation. He wants to put it out there to help people prepare. After it happens the transition will be terribly difficult for those who aren't ready. Don says that would be unfortunate because it isn't hard to understand what to do if you have the proper information about what is coming (and sooner rather than later, he is sure).

One of the difficulties about this affair is that we naturally doubt that anything so serious could be actually happening. Dealing with that doubt was one of the aims Don had for his book. Most people aren't even a little ready for the turmoil that is already baked into the cake. Are you?

Don's book will guide you to easily prepare, and he is sure that those few who do will be big winners when all is said and done, after something new and better emerges from the ashes. It has always been thus.

Ready Or Not - Freegold also includes some funnies (and even a few raw recipes too!) It is now available for immediate download for a sliding scale of $8.99 to $12.99. (To learn more about it go here.)

To order your copy,
click on the 'Add to Cart' button below!

Back in the Kitchen
As for me, well, I've been mostly resting. Once again after such a long trip I find myself needing to recharge my batteries and relishing what we call "not doing". It's sooooooo nice not to have anything to do and nowhere to be! ;-)

I haven't had a great deal of energy to be creative in the kitchie but I did whip up a few yummy things that I'd like to share with you guys.

I've been going through a bit of a Matthew Kenney kick, one of my favorite raw chefs. I made his version of Mac & Cheese and it turned out super delicious. However, I did find it to be a very rich dish but that just meant enjoying small portions at a time. ;-)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
From Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw book

Posted on Rawfully Tempting here

Serves 4 (as a main course)

Cashew Cheese Sauce
1 3/4 cups cashews, soaked 1 - 2 hours
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 medium shallot (or 1/2 scallion)
1/2 tsp chili powder ( I used much less)
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of turmeric
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
Black pepper to taste

Assembly
4 - 5 yellow squashes, peeled with ends cut off
Sea salt
1 - 2 cups kelp noodles, soaked in lemon water to soften (These are optional. I like the added texture.)
1 recipe Cashew Cheese Sauce
Walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
Chili powder (optional)
Paprika (optional)

Cashew Cheese Sauce
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until completely smooth.

Assembly
Spiralize squash, or cut into thin noodle-like strips using a peeler.

Roughly chop the noodles and toss with a bit of salt. Let sit for 30-45 minutes.

If using kelp noodles, use 1 less squash. Soak kelp noodles in warm water and lemon juice for 30 - 60 minutes to soften.

Mix all noodles and Cashew Cheese Sauce in a bowl and spread into a casserole dish.

Optional: Top with finely chopped walnuts and extra chili powder or paprika.

Place in bottom of dehydrator at 115 degrees for 1-2 hours to warm before serving.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I made only half the recipe and it was enough for the both of us for two meals.

~ I used a mixture of spiralized zucchini and kelp noodles.

I was particularly excited to finally get around to trying some of the scrumptious looking recipes from Matthew's Everyday Raw Desserts book which I'd bought during our trip.

The Maple Cheesecake was excellent, although next time I make it I'll omit the lemon juice altogether as, to me, it clashed slightly with the other flavors.

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Oh my, these were really excellent! The texture of the raspberry filling was a little wetter than it was supposed to be but that's because I used a slightly different ratio for the Irish moss paste. The recipe calls for 2 cups moss to 1/2 cup water or less, but no matter how hard I try, my Vitamix refuses to produce a smooth gel at that ratio. I find that I need to use at least 3/4 to 1 cup water.

Next came a mega choccie phase...

My first creation was an adaptation of a Mocha Mousse Cake I found online. The mousse layer uses Irish moss which gives it a melt-in-your-mouth factor. I opted to leave the latter on the not-too-sweet side and to compliment it with a Chocolate Glaze.

Marvelous Mocha Cake

I used a 8 1/2" pan but you could also use smaller sizes which would yield a slightly taller cake.

Crust
1/2 cup Brazil nuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
4 medjhool dates
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Process all of the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture just starts to stick together.

Mocha Mousse
1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
1/4 cup + 2 tbs Irish moss paste*
1/4 cup coconut nectar (see note)
3 tbs maple syrup
3 medjhool dates
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cacao powder
3 drops Medicine Flower Dark Chocolate Extract (or 1/2 tsp of chocolate extract)
3 drops Medicine Flower Coffee Extract (or 2 tsp cereal coffee substitute such as Inka)
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup melted cacao butter
2 tbs melted coconut oil

*To make Irish moss paste, blend 1/2 cup soaked Irish moss (packed) with 1 cup water until completely dissolve and gel like.

Blend all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Glaze
2 tbs cacao powder
2 tbs carob powder
1/4 cup coconut nectar, raw honey or agave
1 tbs melted coconut oil
Pinch salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor or by hand.

Carmella's Note: For the Mousse and the Glaze I used coconut nectar which I find isn't as sweet as other types of sweetener. You could substitute with raw honey or agave nectar but make sure to cut down on the amount a little.

I then played around with making truffles based on a couple of recipes that I came upon, one from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts and one from Russell James' Chocolate Recipe ebook. I made two variations of the same basic recipe and I thought that they both turned out really good.

Chocolate Truffles - Two Ways

Makes about 20 truffles

2 cups cashews, finely ground
3/4 cup cacao powder
1 cup grated or chopped cacao butter which has then been melted
1/4 cup coconut sugar powder
1/4 cup raw honey, agave nectar or maple syrup
3/4 cup water (or more if needed to blend)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Variation 1: Superfood Truffles
Add:
2 tbs lucuma
2 tsp maca

Garnish:
1/4 cup lucuma
About 1 tbs maca

Variation 2: Cinnamon Truffles
Add:
2 tsps cinammon

Garnish:
3 or 4 tbs cacao nibs or 1 or 2 tbs cacao powder

Blend all ingredients except garnish in a high-speed blender until smooth, then place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to firm up.

Remove from the fridge and form into balls with a cookie scoop or with your hands.

Roll into the appropriate garnish depending on which variation you make.

Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

And lastly I tried a decadent chocolate candy recipe that I found on The Live Green Smoothie Diet's site. I decided to go with the gogi berry/macadamia nut suggestion and it was to live for! I poured the mixture into cute mini silicon cups and also simply in a glass dish in order to make bars. Delish!

Angela’s “Super-Chocolate” Raw Chocolate Truffle-Bar Recipe
Posted here

    •    1 cup raw nuts (I used 1/2 chopped pecans, 1/2 pine nuts…use whatever combination you like)
    •    1/3 cup Goji Berries
    •    1/4 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne)
    •    1/3 cup cold-pressed coconut oil (best quality you can find or afford — it does make a difference in taste & texture)
    •    1/2 cup raw Cacao butter (I slice off about an inch length of a brick of the Navitas Naturals cacao butter and that hits the measurement closely)
    •    1-1/2 cups raw Cacao powder
    •    1/2 cup raw honey (heaping)
    •    1/2 cup Rapadura sugar (whole, unprocessed cane sugar from the dehydrated juice)
    •    a good dash of quality salt (I use “himmy” salt — Himalayan Crystal Salt — but there are other good salts, such as Celtic Sea salt)

Measure the nuts and chili powder into a bowl and mix.

Gently melt the coconut oil. Unlike the cacao butter, it’s generally soft enough to measure first. When melting the fats, just get it melting good and then remove from the heat. We are not raising the temperature to cook it — we only want to liquify it. Pour the coconut oil back into the 1/3 cup container.

Gently melt the cacao butter the same way. It reveals a lovely sunny golden color as it melts, like butter. Remove from heat to finish the melting — we only want to liquify the fat, not cook it. Now we’re done with the heat. Turn if off and work somewhere cool.

Add the coconut oil into the pan. Add the cacao powder, nuts, raw honey, rapadura sugar, salt and the vanilla bean if you have it and mix it well.

I then pour the chocolate out into a ceramic dish — it’s oval but roughly 8X8. A glass one would work well. Avoid non-stick chemically treated pans. Just pour into a shallow medium-sized glass or ceramic container that will allow it to set with a thickness about 3/4-1″. Don’t sweat the dish… you can’t screw this recipe up.

Pop it into the fridge. It sets pretty quickly. Then cut into small pieces and slip out of the container with a metal spatula. If you’re a bit sloppy with the cutting process, no worries — just mold the leftover chocolate bits into little bite-size truffles! I store the chocolate in a large glass jar between layers of waxed or parchment paper and keep it in the fridge (just for firmness, not to prevent spoilage…this stuff is not going to spoil on you. You’re going to eat it years before it would ever go rancid!)

Angela's Note: I made this recipe with raw Macadamia Nuts… Wow! I *love* the texture of the macadamia crunch! Don’t leave the nut chunks too big, as the macadamias are quite hard. Delicious!!!!

Carmella's Notes:
~ I used only 1/8 tsp cayenne.

~ It wasn't clear whether the coconut oil was to be measured before or after being melted. I decided to go with the former and the consistency was fine. (It yielded a little less than 1/3 cup once melted.)

~ The 1/2 cup cacao butter called for in the recipe is once it's been melted.

~ For sweetener I used a mixture of raw honey and maple syrup.

~ I used coconut sugar that I had powdered up in the blender instead of rapadura.

Well, I guess that's it for now, folks! I hope there's sunshine wherever you are!

Vote for the Veghealth Awards and Get Free Bonuses!

2011-07-11T13:27:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that my second ebook, The Best Of Raw Freedom Community, is a contender in the category for best raw food recipe book in this year's Veghealth Awards. Yay!

This 1st annual Veghealth Awards is being held by the Vegetarian Health Institute and gives you a chance to vote for your favorite veg people, books, blogs, eateries, foods, films, stores, supplements, and more. By doing so you’ll receive a 10-day course on veg health secrets and be automatically entered to win $247 worth of online education from The Vegetarian Health Institute.

The first round of voting ends on July 31st so make sure to drop by The Veghealth Awards' page and cast your vote!

Vote Here!

Last Chance for my Birthday Ebook Sale

There's only a few hours left for my Sunny Raw Birthday Ebook Sale. If you've been coveting one of my recipe books in electronic format, you can purchase them right now until midnight at a discount of 30%!

Find out all the juicy details here!

Sunny Raw Birthday Ebook Sale

2011-06-29T12:23:00.001-04:00

I'll be turning 40 next week - eeek! - although, thanks mostly to raw foods, I certainly don't feel like it! Sure I've noticed a few white hair popping here and there and new lines on my face, but otherwise I feel so much more energetic and alive than I did in my 20s!

To celebrate the occasion I'm offering all of my recipe books in electronic format at very special prices! From now until July 12th, you can order The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen, The Best of Raw Freedom Community and my new Delightfully Raw at a savings of 30%!

Pay only $7.70 for The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen ebook instead of the regular ~~S10.99~~ and save $3.30!

To place your order, click on the link below!

To redeem your 30% off, use the coupon code: BIRTHDAY1

Pay only $9.10 for The Best of Raw Freedom Community ebook instead of the regular ~~S12.99~~ and save $3.90!

To place your order, click on the link below!

To redeem your 30% off, use the coupon code: BIRTHDAY2

Pay only $14.70 for my Delightfully Raw ebook instead of the regular ~~$21.00~~ and save $6.30!

To place your order, click on the link below!

To redeem your 30% off, use the coupon code: BIRTHDAY3

Ebook Package #1

My first two best sellers, The Best Of The Sunny Raw Kitchen and The Best of Raw Freedom Community, can be purchased together in one convenient package.

Pay only $15.40 instead of the regular ~~$21.99~~ and save 6.60!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 30% off, use the coupon code: BIRTHDAY4

Ebook Package #2

You can also purchase all three of my books in electronic format in a single package.

Pay only $25.20 instead of the regular ~~$35.99~~ and save $10.80!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 30% off, use the coupon code: BIRTHDAY5

IMPORTANT: If you are having any difficulty ordering or using the above coupon codes, simply make your payment via the 'Donate' button on the right sidebar of my blog. Just make sure to mention what it's for in the appropriate box. ;-)

Please Note:
The ebooks come in PDF format; if you don't already have 'Acrobat Reader' installed on your computer, you can download a free copy at www.adobe.com.

The downloading instructions for the ebook(s) will be sent to your inbox shortly after you've completed your payment. (If you don't receive it, you might want to make sure it hasn't been sent to your SPAM or junk folder!)

If you have any difficulty with the download(s), please don't hesitate to contact me at:

sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com

Happy Uncooking!

Recipes Galore!

2011-06-28T13:47:00.002-04:00

Regulars of The Sunny Raw Kitchen probably already know that I've put together a Recipe Index to make it easier to find at a glance all the delicious yummies that have been posted on this site. With all our travels in the last couple of years I hadn't been able to keep it up to date - bad, bad Carmi! - but the good news is that it is now done! Woo hoo! Every single recipe that I have EVER shared with you since the start of my cyber kitchen is now listed here.

The recipes are organized in 2 sections: dehydrator-free and dehydrator-friendly, and include some 19 dressings, 26 dips and spreads, 58 soups, 64 main courses and over 130 desserts. Wow! I had a sense that I'd posted a bunch but not quite so many! ;-)

Anyhoo make sure to check out This Blog's Recipe Index here!

Oh and please note that you can also access the index quickly anytime via the right sidebar, just below the Google Search Box.

Enjoy!

Raw Restaurant Review: Rawthentic Eatery in Qualicum Beach, BC

2011-06-28T13:44:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!

I know I haven't written in a while... I've been 'busy' chilling now that we're back in sedentary mode. The weather has been rather miserable - cold and rainy - for weeks which has also been having its effects on me. What can I say, I'm a sun gal in case you haven't figured that one out yet! ;-)

Anyhoo, as promised, here's my review of our experience at Rawthentic Eatery in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. As you may recall we decided to stop there on our way to the Comox Valley. That was over a month ago, so the memories aren't so fresh anymore - ooops! My bad! - but I'll still do my best to recapture the highlights.

When we first walked into Rawthentic I was immediately impressed by the spaciousness of the place. I mean, Qualicum Beach is after all only a small and pretty isolated town. I'm always amazed to see how the interest in the raw lifestyle has been spreading e-ve-ry-where in the last few years. Woo hoo!

Besides the eating area the restaurant also has a small store where raw enthusiasts can purchase some handy kitchen essentials. The owner, Bill, happened to be around that day so we chatted for a while as we savored our meal. He's a super nice guy with a vision; his next project is to open a second location in Nanaimo, a larger community that sees a lot of visitors due to its having a couple of ferry terminals.

Their menu was a little less varied than what was advertised on their website but still offered 5 or 6 different entrees. I learned that they serve special dishes a few times a month in addition to their 'regular' menu - a nice touch. We opted for a piece of Super Melt Pizza which we were told was a popular item: a thin veggie flax seed crust topped with marinara sauce, marinated mushrooms, tomato slices, crumbled "meat balls", caramelized onions, and their house dressing, all topped off with a nut cheese. Whoa! This was sooooo flavorful! Don and I both loved it!

We also shared a wrap which was the second largest we'd ever seen! (We enjoyed a ginormous one at Better Life cuisine in Santa Monica a few months ago). The wrapper itself was made from flax seeds, veggies and spices and was much thicker than other veggie wraps I've had in the past. It was packed with mixed greens, sprouts, red and yellow peppers, Cashew Hummus, Falafel Balls, grated carrot, their house dressing and a special sauce. It was very good and super filling. At Rawthentic they give you the option to order any of the dishes with or without a side salad, depending on how hungry you are. We decided to go with their Caesar Salad: romaine Lettuce, wheat free garlic bread croutons, and sprouts with a cashew based Caesar Dressing. It didn't look like much at first glance but was excellent!

Once we worked our way through both of these I was quite full, but being Donnie's birthday and all, we couldn't skip dessert, could we? I let the birthday boy pick (for a change! hehe)

We had a piece of Qualicum Beach Bar, Rawthentic's raw take on the famous Nanaimo Bars. The traditional version consists of a wafer crumb base, topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavored butter icing, which is then covered with a thick layer of melted chocolate. I only tried it once before when I first came to Vancouver Island and didn't care for it much - that stuff is real sweet. I found the QB Bar still a wee bit too sweet for my taste buds but otherwise very yummy.

Lastly, we enjoyed a bowl of Strawberry Pudding which is basically the filling of their Strawberry Cheesecake sans the nut crust. This was also very tasty and had a lovely swirl decoration.

We were hoping to stop by again at Rawthentic on the way back down the island but that unfortunately didn't work out. Ah well, I'm glad we at least got to check it out!

I often get the comment that I should open my own restaurant, but I know deep down that that is not my path. I enjoy being able to be totally creative in the kitchen without having to be concerned with costs and overheads and all those numbers that come into play with the business aspect of things. I am so grateful that others do have that calling, though! I think that Rawthentic Eatery might have been the 19th or 20th raw restaurant we've had the good fortune to visit in the last 3 years, and it's always such a treat to be able to sit back and partake in the food that someone else has prepared. Kuddos go out to Bill for his rawthentic endeavors!

Delightfully Raw on Vancouver Island: Part II

2011-06-11T12:50:00.008-04:00

A few days ago I began to tell you about our time on Vancouver Island. Here are some more tidbits of our adventures there...

Raw Potluck
Pat and other raw enthusiasts meet every single Wednesday night at Zen Zero in downtown Courtenay for a raw potluck. Now, that is no small feat! We, of course, joined them while we were there. The food was absolutely delicious and a good crowd turned up.

Pat had made a whole bunch of stuff! She brought her Banana Pudding, a great big bowl of Salsa, and delicious Banana Crackers with a simple Tahini Date Spread.

Pat's Banana Crackers
Start the crackers the day before. Prepare to soak seeds for 4 hours or perhaps overnight.

1/3 Cup each of Flax, Sunﬂower & Sesame seeds in 3 Cups of Water

Soak a minimum of 4 hours, perhaps overnight.

4-5 Ripe Bananas, broken into pieces
1/4 Cup Agave Syrup (optional)
Vanilla - if using a VitaMix, put in one whole bean, cut into pieces - or use 2 Tbsp vanilla ﬂavouring or 1 Tbsp vanilla powder
1/2 tsp full spectrum Salt (optional)
1 Tbsp Lemon juice

Add to soaked seed mix, stir.

1/8-1/4 Cup Flax seeds
1/8-1/4 Cup Sesame seeds

Process well & add to seed mix, stir.

1/4 Cup Sunﬂower seeds (optional)

Process only until fairly chunky.

Add to mix, stir. Your mix should be not too runny, not too thick.

If too runny, add a bit more ground ﬂax &/or sesame seeds. If too thick, add enough water to make spreadable batter.

Spread onto Teﬂex dehydrator sheets (do not score into crackers yet). Dehydrate at 125 degrees F. for approximately 4 hours, then reduce to 105 degrees & dehydrate for approximately 8 more hours (or overnight).

Turn each cracker mix onto a cutting board & cut - pizza cutter works well - into cracker shapes. Put each cracker back onto mesh dehydrator trays & dehydrate for a further 4 hours, depending on whether you want chewy or crispy. To test, remove a cracker & let sit in open air for a few minutes - decide if that is the hardness or chewiness you desire.

Store crackers in a tightly sealed container. Will keep well for about 2-3 weeks. If kept too long, they will lose ﬂavour.

Tahini Date Spread
Begin preparations the day before you want the jam.

Simply soaked dates - agh, about 1 cup, processed with tahini, approximately 1/3 of a cup.

Pat told me they're also very delicious served with:

Cranberry Orange Jam
2 Cups dates, soaked (see below)
1 Cup cranberries (fresh or frozen; dried cranberries are boiled in sugar)
1 Whole orange, organic, with skin, cut into pieces

Soak dates in enough water to cover for several hours to overnight (if I am making ʻjamʼ for banana crackers, I put the dates to soak at the same time I put the ﬂax, sesame & sunﬂower seeds to soak; at the same time I will put the frozen cranberries in container in fridge to thaw).

Drain the dates (I save the sweet date water in fridge & use to sweeten other things or save to soak dates in next time I make ʻjamʼ).

Add dates, cranberries & orange to a food processor & process until very smooth. Done! Yum!

Lastly, like us Pat loves durian and had also brought Durian Pudding.

My Blueberry Pie was such a success at the dinner some nights before that I decided to make it again for the potluck.

Marussia, one of the owners of Zen Zero, had brought kelp noodles in a peanut style sauce. It turns out that she has been following my blog for years so it was nice to finally meet.

Zucchini noodles in a balsamic marinade topped with black olives.

During our travels I've come upon a recipe book published by another woman from BC called Rose. She actually lives in the area and was able to make it to the potluck. Yay! She is such a kind and gentle lady! It was also neat to meet another raw author; as you can imagine we had lots to talk about!

Showing each other's culinary babies. ;-)

Rose contributed a really yummy Egg Salad from her book, Uncooking With RawRose – Your Guide to Raw Foods, which she graciously accepted to share with you, my readers. Enjoy!

Not Egg Salad
From “Uncooking With RawRose – Your Guide to Raw Foods” by Rose Vasile

Quantity: 3 1/2 cups + 4 cups greens or sprouts to serve it on

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- dash of cayenne
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 date
- 1 medium zucchini (grated, then chopped a bit = 2 cups)
- 2 cups green cabbage (finely grated)
- 1 stalk celery (finely diced = 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (to mince)
- 1 green onion (finely chopped)
- 4 cups leafy greens and/or sprouts (optional)

⇒    Put cashews, water, oregano, salt, turmeric, mustard, cayenne, vinegar and date in a blender, but don’t blend yet (so cashews can soften slightly while preparing the other ingredients).

⇒    Put zucchini, cabbage, celery, parsley and green onion in a bowl.

⇒    Blend ingredients that have been soaking in blender, until smooth, then pour over the zucchini, etc. Combine well.

⇒    Nice served on leafy greens and/or sprouts because the greens/sprouts get coated with excess sauce (besides tasting good and adding nutrients).

After the meal I gave a talk highlighting our approach to successfully transitioning to and maintaining the raw diet, which I outline in detail in my Delightfully Raw book. One of our messages is to look at it from the perspective of adding more raw foods into your diet rather that trying to stop eating cooked. As you include some raw recipes on your menu then there naturally will be less and less room for the cooked stuff.

Spreading The Raw Buzz
We'd planned to give a food prep workshop a couple of days later and debated whether we should cancel it as there were so few participants. In the end we decided to go ahead anyways and I'm so glad we did; it turned out to be a fun and informal affair.

On the menu was Green Cucumber Soup, Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole, Tuna Salad, Blueberry variation of my Strawberry Shortcake and my Fruit & Nut Chocolate Candy.

Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole before the Pine Nut Parmesan and going in the D.

And after about 1 hour at 110 degrees.

Ready to munch!

At Stephen's Gardens
The day before we left Comox Pat took us to see her friend Stephen Cochrane's gardens. Stephen is the director of Raw BC Society - an organization whose mission is to promote the health benefits of an unprocessed raw food diet and to connect the resources of existing raw food advocating communities around British Columbia. Stephen has been eating raw for the last 20 years and dedicates a great deal of his energy to gardening and self-sustainability. He is also very involved with the Comox Valley Growers and Seed Savers. Stephen took some time from his busy schedule in order to give us a little tour of his family's property, share some gardening tips and exchange ideas. To my delight, he gave us several types of seeds for our own future gardening ventures. Yay!

A hothouse ingeniously rigged with a wood stove with an extra long pipe to prevent plants from freezing during the winter months.

Glorious pink rhododendrons

After spending a little over a week in the Comox Valley it was time to get back on the road. Pat came over to see us off and took this photo as we were getting ready to roll.

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Before leaving the island we decided to spend a couple of days at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, just south of Parksville and about half an hour north of Nanaimo. After being in a town environment for a while we figured we could use some time in Nature, plus it would lighten up our journey back to the mainland.

The park is huge, covering some 347 hectares and the campground has over 175 sites. While it doesn't have hook ups there's access to water and several outhouses around the facility. There's also a couple of shower buildings which felt like such a luxury after all the rough camping we've been doing of late. Being on a weekday and out of season the place was virtually empty and we found a great quiet spot.

The park offers 5.5 km of trails through forests and along the ocean so we got to walk to our feet's content.

Back to the Mainland
The next morning we woke up early and got on the 10:40 ferry from Nanaimo to northwest Vancouver. In spite of the predicted rain the weather held off throughout the ride, offering a beautiful view of the gulf islands.

Once on the mainland we were soon met with intermittent showers. The drive was uneventful and since with the rain and all there wasn't much to see, it gave me a chance to catch up on my blogging.

We had planned to stop for the night a few miles passed Princeton but we were getting concerned that we might have to keep going as the rain was falling pretty fiercely; definitely not good camping weather. Thankfully by the time we made it to Stemwinder Provincial Park the sky had cleared up. Phfew!

The campground is right by highway 3 but we found a site along the Similkameen River which was running so strongly that we could barely hear the nearby traffic.

There she is in the last rays of sunshine.

The boys chilling out after the long day's drive. Notice Puss next to the coolers?

She was just then getting ready to explore our surroundings in earnest.

The Last Leg of Our Journey
We repacked the van the following morning and continued our travels towards the interior. To my great delight the further we went the more the sky cleared up, offering a stunning spectacle of the most amazing cloud formations. The province is referred to as 'Beautiful British Columbia' and that it truly is. It had been a while since we'd traveled this road and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We drove through the Okanagan, the area that supplies the bulk of the fruit that is grown in Canada. We encountered many fields, orchards and vineyards, testifying to the abundance of the region.

Shortly before we reached Osoyoos we passed by Spotted Lake. I learned some fascinating stuff about this unique phenomenon on Wikipedia. The "lake is very highly concentrated with numerous different minerals. It contains some of the highest quantities (in the world) of magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulphates. It also contains extremely high concentrations of 8 other minerals as well as some small doses of four others such as silver and titanium."

"Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. In the summer only the minerals in the lake remain, and they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots."

A view of Osoyoos Lake which is located in the heart of town.

As highway 3 leaves Osoyoos towards the east it quickly climbs steeply up with a number of hairpin turns, offering a stunning overview of the town and its surroundings.

More beautiful cloud formations as we continued eastward.

The Poo Saga
When doing research about border crossing I learned that while Miss daPuss (aka Puss, Miss daPu or just Pu for short) didn't need papers to cross into the US, Canada does require her to have a rabbies shot. As a general rule we like to stay way clear of hospitals and conventional medicine, but it seemed like we didn't have much choice. We found an animal hospital in Anacortes that had raving reviews online and the fee was ridiculously cheap so we took her in one afternoon. The lady vet was super friendly and even looked her over without any additional charge. Yay! She confirmed that our furry friend was in perfect health and was surprised to learn that Puss had been on the road for several months and showed no sign of stress or anxiety. (I mean, beside not being too happy to be at the doctor's! lol Who wouldn't, eh?)

So far so good, right? It wasn't long before it became clear, however, that we had unwittingly initiated a veritable poo/Pu drama...

The next evening Don pointed out that she had pooped three times during the day - an unusual occurrence for sure - but neither of us thought anything of it at first. I also noticed that she was drinking a lot more water than usual. But what really set off the alarm was when I heard Pu cry in pain and later discovered that her stools were unformed and contained mucus and blood. Eeek! She was otherwise looking fine so I only really delved into the matter once back in Canada.

While researching online I discovered that others had noticed similar side effects in their cats after vaccination. In fact in a few cases it had turned into an horror story; their beloved furries becoming unexplainably sick and even some dying within a short time! One woman took her dead kitten to the vet to be autopsied and the cause was determined to be panleukopenia; a feline type of leukemia. Somehow the rabbies vaccine had infected the cat with this extremely rare but very serious condition that attacks the pet's white blood cells. I read that with a deficiency of those defensive blood cells and an ulcerated intestinal lining, diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, dehydration and susceptibility to bacterial infections are the end results. Puss seemed to be suffering from some of these symptoms so I became increasingly concerned and braced myself for the worst.

While Kylo is very close to Don, Miss DaPu is my special companion. We are super bonded energetically and she usually ends up on my lap or curled up against me at night. She has been doing so marvelously well during this trip and has been getting sweeter and closer to me than ever. If it turned out that I had in effect unknowingly signed her death warrant! ;-(

I immediately contacted the vet in Anacortes to explain the situation and he said that he'd never seen such a reaction in his 40 some years of practice. He would have gladly had a look at her but that wasn't an option since we had already left the country. And so we booked an appointment at a local animal hospital for the following morning. According to my internet findings the prognosis wasn't encouraging as very little could be done to neutralize the panleukopenia virus other than to have the animal hospitalized in an attempt to fight off the dehydration stage of the sickness. In other words: mega bucks which we weren't sure we could afford.

The next morning, though, Puss had stopped drinking excessively and her condition didn't look like it had worsened, so we thought best to hold off on seeing the vet. Instead we decided to monitor her as closely as we could and take her in if other symptoms appeared. Over the following days she continued to have lots of energy and seemed otherwise back to normal. I was keeping my fingers crossed that she was on the other side of whatever it was that she had. Since we were camping and she spent a lot of time exploring our surroundings, it took a whole week before she finally pooped in her litter box again. Upon examination her stools didn't show any sign of her bowels being irritated so I thought we were out of the woods... until I found more loose stools and a small amount of blood a few days later. ;-(

By that time it had been 3 weeks since the infamous shot, and I thought that panleukopenia could be safely ruled out as it usually manifests very quickly. Yet more research revealed that she might be suffering from irritated bowels as an allergic reaction to the nasty chemicals her body had been invaded with. That sounded right to me. At best it was just a minor condition that can be easily treated by giving the digestive tract a little rest. At worst it could have been that she had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which would mean changing and closely monitoring her diet for the rest of her life. In any case from what I read I felt that a short 24 hour fast followed by a few days of a bland diet was a good place to start.

Feasting on durian

Being the food lover that she is, Puss of course loudly protested during the fast, pestering us through the night, but we firmly held our ground. While she is normally quite fussy about what she eats she adjusted surprisingly well to her new fare consisting of white rice, boiled chicken and pureed butternut squash (to help absorb extra moisture in her gut and solidify her stools). I also blended in a slippery elm mixture (1 tbs slippery elm powder whisked with 12 oz hot water) - an old herbal remedy for digestive issues that coats and soothes the intestines.

On the fourth day I began to introduce 'regular' food again (more about that later). I was anxiously awaiting her bowel movements to see how her body was responding to the fast and change of diet. Every time I checked her litter box, however, I saw that she hadn't pooped yet. As the days went by I became more and more concerned. Ironically she had gone from having diarrhea to constipation! Don's approach was to wait it off and let her body heal itself. I thought I'd do what I could to assist the process and tried a number of holistic remedies: adding more fiber (chia seeds and squash), olive oil and yet more slippery elm. But after 5 days of that and without result I called a vet.

He assured me that there was no cause for alarm just yet as she was still eating and keeping the food in. Things would take a different turn once she would start vomiting it back, an indicator that her colons were completely full. As a last resort I had thought of giving her feline laxative and he confirmed that it was a good idea. Thankfully, Pu actually really loved the stuff which made matters a great deal simpler than having to sneak it in her food or force her to lick it off herself.

In the meantime it also occurred to me that Pu had been cooped up in the van for over a week, as Arabella's house is located on a busy road which made it a little tricky to let her out. I felt that some exercise would no doubt do her a world of good and perhaps help to get her intestines going. On the down side it meant that I wouldn't be able to monitor her bowel movements. Still, I thought it was worth the chance so I took her in my arms and relocated her in the back yard, which she happily explored for a few hours. When we left Comox the following afternoon we also let her wander around our site for the two days that we spent at Rathtrevor Beach.

I stopped giving Puss the laxative after 3 days; if she wasn't pooping within the next 24 to 48 hours we'd have to go to the vet in order for her to get enemas; a procedure she would hardly enjoy. We were leaving the island and started the trip towards the interior. As usually happens when we're on the move, Puss spent several hours in her pet taxi - she feels safer that way than if we'd let her roam around freely. Once we reached our destination I suggested to Don that we keep her inside the van until the next morning to assess the situation. To my HUGE relief, a half hour or so after our arrival the deed had finally been done! Woo hoo! Her stool was also back to normal which was more fantastic news. It's not uncommon that bowel movements are associated with relief, but man, I can assure you that this one sure brought joy; I was literally jumping up and down and dancing around our site! ;-) "Pu finally lived up to her name," Don remarked. hehe

Puss Goes Raw
Over the past several years Puss' diet has consisted mainly of dry kibbles. The only bit of raw that she's been getting is an egg yolk when she's in the mood - like I said she tends to be a fussy eater. Don and I decided to take this opportunity to switch her to a mostly raw meat diet which is what cats are really designed to eat anyways.

Not up to handling raw flesh (ewww!) we went instead with Prowl, a dehydrated human-grade whole foods preparation that we found at a specialty pet store. I started off by mixing it with a high quality grain-free canned food, crossing my fingers that she would like it. She was a little hesitant at first but remarkably soon chowed the whole thing down. Yay! A few days ago I've switched her to fully raw, giving her Prowl along with a mixture made by Pets Go Raw (comes frozen).

Pu also took to our new routine of my feeding her every 5 or 6 hours instead of her having access to food whenever she wants. The only downside is that she's been waking me up in the wee hours of the morning demanding her breakfast. lol This new approach should take care of the emotional eating that we'd notice her doing from time to time. And who knows, perhaps she'll even shed a few pounds which she could definitely afford!

While the whole vaccine incident was a good reminder that Puss isn't immortal and that one day she will leave us, I am grateful that that time hasn't come just yet. On the positive side it has turned out to be an indirect trigger to improving the quality of the food that we feed her, which she is bound to reap health benefits from.

That's it, folks! This post concludes this latest phase of our adventures on the road. We don't have any major projects lying ahead of us, so we're hoping to be able to take it easy for the coming summer months. I yearn to languorously relax in the sun, play in the garden and being creative in the kitchen again! Yippee! Naturally, I'll be keeping you posted on my latest culinary experiments. ;-)

Raw Restaurant Review: Cafe Bliss in Victoria, British Columbia

2011-06-07T17:43:00.008-04:00

To our delight we learned that a raw restaurant, Cafe Bliss, opened its doors two years ago right in downtown Victoria. Yay! The cafe is small and charming and was totally packed; I could not believe how many people kept buzzing in and out of the place! So nice to see in these times when so many little niche businesses are struggling. The server could hardly catch his breath but seemed otherwise to be having a good time, literally hopping from one end of the counter to the other.

They had a specials board which I thought was a smart move, as we find that fixed menus can quickly get boring, especially when it features a small amount of items. At Cafe Bliss they keep changing their soups, pizzas and what they call the 'Hearty Bliss' entree in order to feature seasonal ingredients. In fact, I was told that starting the following week their entire menu would be seasonal. Sounds promising!

We started off with a daily special drink: a Lucuma Creamcicle. It was made with orange, lucuma, banana, vanilla and almond milk. I thought it sounded like an interesting mix but found it a little bland and under-sweetened to my taste.

Next came a Cream of Cauliflower with Mango, Cashews and Curry served with Bliss Crackers and 'Butter'. The soup was warm which was a pleasant surprise, the consistency was nice and creamy and the cauliflower flavor not overwhelming. We were particularly impressed with the butter which was super tasty. We were told is made with olive oil, garlic and sundried tomatoes. Hum, sounds simple enough; I should try recreating it at home sometime!

We then went with the Hearty Bliss Burrito: Pumpkin Seed Refried Beans, Fresh Salsa, Avocado, Sprouts and Cashew Sour Cream served in a cabbage leaf with a Yam Cracker.

The Burrito was to live for! It was super flavorful and the spicing was just right. Yum! Too bad it was so small, I would have gladly devoured two of those babies! The Yam Cracker was slightly sweet and very crunchy. Double yum!

We would have liked to try their Burger but sadly they were out, so we opted for the daily pizza made with Fresh Herb Pesto, Spinach, Green Olives, Red Pear and Red Onion topped with Smoked Black Pepper Sauce.

The pizza however was a disappointment. The buckwheat crust, contrary to what the menu said, was not thin at all but nearly 1/2" thick and hard to the point of being difficult to eat. It was actually so thick that, as can easily happen with buckwheat, it tasted slightly fermented. As a result it was challenging to appreciate the toppings' flavors which were already quite subtle. I must admit that it was a bit of a strange combo, though.

By that point we were quite full but they had such a beautiful and appealing sweet display that we just HAD to somehow make space in our tummies. We took one glance at that Chocolate Cake with Cashew Vanilla Cream and simply couldn't resist a piece!

It was everything a raw cake should be; light, not too sweet and the almond pulp gave the cake layer a perfect texture. It was decorated with cacao nibs which not only made it pleasing to the eye but also gave the dessert a nice crunch.

We found the food at Cafe Bliss rather pricey considering the size of the servings, but all and all it was a very positive experience. We would gladly eat here again!

Delightfully Raw on Vancouver Island: Part I

2011-06-06T16:09:00.005-04:00

Sorry guys if I haven't been too talkative lately... We were hanging on Vancouver Island and I was waiting for this phase of our travels to be over before telling you all about it.

Returning to Victoria
We left Anacortes, weaving our way through the gulf islands, (you can peruse pictures of our journey here) and got off the ferry in Sidney, British Columbia about 3 hours later. We then proceeded to what turned out to be our smoothest border crossing yet.

I'd tried to determine what fresh produce we could bring with us on the official Canadian Food Inspection Agency website but they sure don't make it very clear. In the end we decided to play it safe and hardly took anything with us. Having said that I did push the envelope a wee bit and marinated a huge container full of veggies the night before, figuring that if they were ever to check they'd think they were cooked. ;-) We also transformed the last of our avos into guacamole and tomatoes into salsa. As it turned out the border guy was super friendly and didn't give us any trouble whatsoever.

And so we headed south on highway 17 towards Victoria where Don and I used to live. It's actually where we met when I first relocated from Quebec to British Columbia in 2000. We drove right by Elk/Beaver Lake park just across the road from where we shared a house. To our surprise, Kylo started scratching at the van's door, obviously recognizing the place. You see, we used to walk there with him pretty much every day. We decided that some fresh air indeed sounded like a mighty good idea so we stopped for a stroll.

It was strange to return after over 10 years. I couldn't help but think of the person I was back in those days; so excited at the prospect of a new life opening to me. It's also during that period that I first started dabbling into raw. While I was doing a master cleanse the people next door had a yard sale. Browsing through their books I found one about raw foods. I've forgotten the name of it now but it was a small thing. About half of it was devoted to explaining the premise behind the raw lifestyle and the other was some simple recipes. Anyhoo it totally spoke to me and I took it home. A few months later I was beginning my raw journey in earnest.

Our next stop was a health food store called Lifestyle where we used to shop. I was rather dismayed at the price of their organics and how sad these looked, especially after the wonderful farmers markets we visited in California. While browsing around I noticed that they had a book section so on the spur of the moment I thought I'd talk to somebody to see if they'd be willing to carry my Delightfully Raw. The man that I approached happened to be the one in charge of that kind of stuff and was immediately interested. In fact he bought 9 books right on the spot! Woo hoo! What a positive note to begin our Canadian travels on, I thought!

One of the main incentives for us to come to the island was to spend time with Don's daughter, Amber. She lives in Victoria and we hadn't seen her since 2008 so we arranged to drop by before going camping. As we usually do, we had no fixed idea of how long we'd be staying, waiting to see how things would unfold. I must admit that neither of us had foreseen, though, that our time with Am would turn out to be so short! She's going to a private massage therapy school that is demanding virtually all of her focus and energy and, as a result, she wasn't feeling up to entertaining guests. At least we got to hang out with her and her roommate Lindsay the next day. We'd lived with both of them for several months prior to moving to the Slocan Valley. We hadn't seen Linds since 2002, yet we picked things up right where we had left off, as if it was only yesterday!

Off to the Boondocks
Before getting out of Victoria we drove to Chinatown to buy some seaweed and to eat at Cafe Bliss, a raw restaurant that opened its doors a couple of years ago. (More about our experience there in this post!) We then headed out of the city and kept following the coast in the hope of finding a quiet spot to bushwhack for a few days. After about an hour or so we were almost ready to turn back and settle for an official campground when I noticed an old RV emerging from a small gravel road. Of course it could have been that they were coming out of their own driveway but we had nothing to loose by checking it out. Sure enough, we soon noticed a few other campers along what turned out to be a service road. We found a space to park further down and away from the others. Wow, were we being guided or what!?! I mean if it wasn't for that camper coming out at the exact moment that we passed by we would have no doubt missed it altogether!

As soon as we got out of the van we were welcomed by the sound of hummingbirds zooming around; a good omen in our books. Unfortunately we soon found out that the next road over led to an active gravel pit and could hear the trucks working on weekdays, but at least we were in Nature and the price was right.

Shortly before leaving the US we invested in an inverter and a deep cell battery that would allow us to use our appliances wherever we go. We could have thought of it earlier and it would have certainly been handy on this trip, but what can you do? It only makes us appreciate it the more! We put our new system to the test for the first time and it worked like a charm! Woo hoo! It feels like such a luxury to be able to enjoy fresh fruit and veggie juices, smoothies and other blended yummies while being surrounded by, well, nothing but trees and birds! ;-)

Puss had a wonderful time exploring the area. She was out and about during most of the day, then would snuggle in with us at night. I love this shot of her; I think it really captures the wild nature that awakens in her whenever she's in the woods.

As we often do when we find ourselves surrounded by wilderness we completely slowed down our pace, spending our waking hours doing exercises, walking, meditating, resting and reading. We had a couple of really miserable rainy days while we were there, forcing us to stay cooped up in the van. It gave us no choice but to chill out which is actually a very good thing. In spite of how much more laid back this trip has been, I felt some accumulated tiredness catch up with me and was glad for the excuse to not do much.

French Beach Provincial Park
After about a week or so we decided to change location and move a little closer to civilization as we had to get online every 3 or 4 days. And so we set up camp at French Beach Provincial Park, about a 20 minute drive west of Sooke. It was one of the better campgrounds we've been to; it offers only water and pit toilets but has nice, mostly private sites among lots of trees. As a bonus we discovered that at this time of year seniors only pay half price. Yippee!

There were various paths leading from the campsites to the beach. I love the rain forest; everything is always soooooo lush and vibrant!

Our site was only a short walk away from the ocean. In fact we were so close that we could hear the soothing sound of the waves crashing rhythmically against the shore. The forecast had been predicting rain but to our surprise (and delight!) Mr. Sun joined us instead! Woo hoo!

Kyky at the beach

There was a great big fallen tree right behind our site and it quickly became Puss' most favorite place to explore and hang out.

Bamberton Provincial Park

We'd planned to go back to Victoria to spend a couple of days, but that wasn't meant to be so instead we just picked up the stuff we'd left at Amber's and headed further up island. The Victoria Day long weekend was coming and we had no intention of being anywhere near campgrounds as these would undoubtedly be totally packed and buzzing with activity. We figured we could still get away with spending the Thursday night at Bamberton Park before the long weekend craziness hit.

We had a quiet spot right next to a trail that led to the lake shore.

On the Move Again
When we left the next morning, the campground was full by 10am!!! Eeek! We were sure glad that we were out of there! We continued north, pausing briefly in Duncan to buy some groceries. Later in the afternoon we made a little detour through Qualicum Beach as we wanted to go to Rawthentic Eatery (review coming up!) Don was turning 63 years young that day, so it proved to be the perfect birthday treat since I couldn't whip him up some wicked raw dessert.

The drive to the Comox Valley was absolutely beautiful! We saw glimpses of the Pacific and the Gulf Islands, brand new ultra bright green leaves and snowy mountaintops.

We'd made arrangements to meet our host Pat at Zen Zero - a vegan cafe in Courtenay that offers some raw options. From there we followed her to the nearby community of Comox where she lives. The town is right on the water and offers a lovely view of yet more snowy mountaintops.

When we first talked about the possibility of our visiting the area Pat had offered us to stay at her mother in law's house, as Margaret is now living in a retirement home. Once again, Life seemed to have another idea as at the last possible minute something came up and the space was no longer available. For a while we thought that we wouldn't have a roof over our heads but Pat was determined to find a solution. She invited us to stay at her house which she shares with her hubby, Doug, and her two beloved doggies, Skeena and Maggi-May. The place is real teeny and has no spare bedroom, but since we were prepared to sleep in the van that wasn't an insurmountable obstacle. After emptying the van we had a late dinner of a simple salad and Pat's famous Banana Pudding, a staple of hers. It's super easy to prepare, is full of goodness and oh-so-colorful!

Pat's Banana Chia Pudding

A few hours or overnight I soak 1 Tablespoon each of chia, flax, sesame & sunflower seeds in 1/2 cup of water.

In a food processor I pulse chop the following ingredients, one at a time, & put each into a mixing bowl (each ingredient is optional - do any or all):

blueberries
raspberries
apple
mango
bananas (for a single portion use 1 or 2 bananas - more to make a larger pudding)

Sometimes all I do is the banana with apple & perhaps one other fruit - raspberries or blueberries - whatever! & that still tastes fabulous - has a bit of texture.

A House to Ourselves

When we got up the next morning we learned that another possible accommodation had turned up. Her friend Arabella has a house for sale that is empty at the moment and she graciously offered us to stay there. The only hick up was that our animals wouldn't be welcome inside. It was an offer that we couldn't refuse, though, and we quickly found an answer to the furry situation. Kylo stayed on the patio and Puss in the van during the day, then in the evening we all hung out and slept together in the van. And so we had this great big house all to ourselves for an entire week! Woo hoo! What a blessing!

Walkies

Pat is such a sweet heart! She came over every day, bringing us bottles of delicious green smoothie and treats for Kylo and Puss. We'd then drive to one of her two favorite parks in order to walk with our four legged friends.

We mostly went to what Pat calls the 'Mack&Mac' - officially the Mack Laign Park that joins with MacDonald Wood - in Comox. It's a lovely lovely park by the water with lots of trails among the lush green forest. Kylo and Maggi-May (poor Skeena the great Dane had to stay home as her back end has gone) just adored their walks there!

Pat caught me taking the above pics.

More rain forest lushness.

Posing in front of an old growth. Don pointed out that these look like teenagers compared to the Giant Sequoias that we saw in California.

Meet Pat!

We also went to the horse trail in Courtenay a couple of times, which meanders through the woods...

... then takes us along a river.

Kyky, who's no big water lover, even went for a little dip!

Raw Feasting at Arabella's
One evening the owners of the house where we stayed, Arabella and Fraser, came over for dinner. They have attended retreats at Tree of Life in Arizona and have experienced the health benefits of including more raw in their diet. We started off the meal with a Smokey Tomato Soup that turned out to have a little more of a bite that I would have liked. (I guess not all chipotle peppers are equal, eh?) I thought I'd remedy to the situation by adding more tomato and zucchini, but Arabella likes spicy and wanted to try the original version. She loved it! It was still quite hot even after I doctored it but it was still a hit. Phfew! *wiping her brow*

Pat had thoughtfully brought Don the perfect birthday gift: an absolutely gorgeous wooden bowl that she found at the thrift store. We truly couldn't think of a better pick as Don has been eating out of wood plates and bowls for over 30 years.

Next we had a Mexican style entree. Pat brought dehydrated crackers, guacamole, salsa and cashew sour cream and I contributed Not 'Refried' Beans and Corn Chips.

At last I was able to make a special birthday sweet treat for Don: a slight variation of my Blueberry Dream Pie with fresh blueberries and raspberries folded in. Yummy!

I think I'll stop here for now or this will turn out to be waaaaaaay too long of a post. Part 2 of our adventures on Vancouver Island coming right up!