Superhero Activation

Introducing: Enlightened Eats

Hello there everyone!

I've been taking a break from blogging to focus on making food in real life, and it's been a blast. Since I've returned from Living LIght I've been a personal chef, given my first Why Raw Foods talk, booked some post-holidays personal consultations, and most exciting to me, been working on all stages of development for my very own bike-drawn vegan fast food cart which should be hitting the Burlington streets this April! You can check out my business webpage over at Enlightened Eats!

Now that things have started to settle into a routine I plan on getting back to sharing my ideas, recipes & tips with you. For today, here's my recipe for one of my holiday favorites; Raw Pumpkin (really butternut squash) pie!


Crust:

• 8 medjool dates- pitted
• 1/2 cup medium shred coconut
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  Process together until  all ingredients hold together when pressed. Press into 9" pie pan and shape crust to your liking!

Pie filling:

• 1 medium butternut squash, shredded
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted in the dehydrator
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed cream
• flesh of one young thai coconut
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tbls cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp agar agar (use as directed on the package!)
• 1/2 tsp soy lechitin
• 3 dates
• 2 tbls yacon syrup
  Mix together all ingredients except agar agar & coconut oil in blender until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust immediately. Let set in fridge for at least 3 hours.
  
  So delicious! Enjoy!

Be well & be bright!

Jill

Goodbye Dinner

I'm on way way to Living Light, for real! To celebrate, I made a raw dinner for my friends and was lucky enough to have the very talented Aaron Maurico of Vegan Vermonter come and take photos of the food!

Baby Portobella Mushrooms stuffed with Butternut Squash, Pine Nuts, Fresh Sage and Garlic
I gave these their cooked appearance by dehydrating them on a plate with wheat free tamari, water & lemon juice to keep the mushrooms from drying out.

Zucchini Angel Hair Pasta with Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Sauce and Fresh Spinach
My amazing friend Kate put over 15 zucchini through my spirializer to make these angel hair noodles, and the sauce gets its creaminess from pine nuts and nutritional yeast. 


 My famous Indian Summer Rolls with Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
These are becoming a party staple for me, and I already blogged about the recipe here. 


Green Soup with Spinach, Celery, Sunflower Seeds, Mandarin Oranges and Pumpkin Seeds
My favorite shot of the night, I was delighted how many of my guests were adventurous enough to try this super-chlorophyll packed soup.

Mango Lime Cheesecake with Nectarines and a Date-Walnut Crust
I didn't even get to try this it went so fast, but I heard it was fantastic. The key to the lime flavor is dehydrated lime peels that I ground to a fine dust in my spice (coffee) grinder and sprinkled over the top of the cake.

I am so blessed to have such amazing friends who came, played music, asked questions (of course Aaron who took the pictures!) and made sure I knew I had an incredible community to come home to when I return from Living Light Culinary Institute! 

 

Indian Summer Rolls

Life has been zipping by of late: I gave my notice at work, and I'm starting to get my ducks in a row to head to California and start classes at Living Light Culinary Institute on October 1. I have enough money to pay for the Associate Chef Instructor certificate, but if I'm going to fly all the way across the country, leave my job, my dog (temporarily!) and my home to do this, I'm hoping to raise a little more money in the next month so I can do some additional coursework while I'm there. I'm putting together a raw food benefit dinner in the next month, and I'm very excited to post as I perfect the menu for this event. Wish me luck in finding the funds to make the most out of my trip!

When life is busy, I remind myself to amble when I'm walking somewhere, and let myself make little stops; overall just try to take it easy during my transit time. There is a wonderful Asian market in Burlington, Thai Phat. I occasionally stop in and wander around, tempted by all the pretty packaging and labels that don't have English translations on them. Overwhelmed by the packed, colorful shelves I rarely walk out with any purchases. Last week I wandered in out of an attempt to slow myself down on my way home from work, and found myself drawn to the Vietnamese rice paper, and for $1.69 I was excited to head home and try out some almost-raw rolls. 

Spring rolls are generally fried. Vietnamese summer rolls are rice wrappers filled with raw veggies and eaten as is. A very bright friend of mine deemed these "Indian Summer Rolls" both for the time of year, and the fact that they don't fit firmly into either previously mentioned category.

Before we get to the recipe, here's a little information about these Vietnamese rice paper wrappers: The wrappers are made of ground, raw rice mixed into a slurry with water. The slurry is then spread on a cloth over a pot of boiling water. After about 30-40 seconds of steaming, the resulting rice paper is set to dry on woven sheets that give the wraps their distinctive basket-weave pattern. If you want to see pictures of this pretty neat process, you can check this out. So, while these wraps aren't raw, they are fun to work with, and I used them to wrap up some delicious raw veggies.

I decided I wanted my rolls to have a filling similar to a traditional cooked spring roll, so I marinated the following in the dehydrator (set to 118) for a few hours before rolling them.  (This is what makes them "Indian Summer Rolls"; the filling has the texture of being cooked, but the roll as a whole remains uncooked. )

Filling:

• 2 mangoes, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 a head of napa cabbage, shredded
•  3 medium carrots, grated
• 1 kafir lime leaf (remove after marinating)
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut, ground to a flour in the spice/coffee grinder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 stalks lemongrass (remove after marinating)
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
• 3 Tbs ume plum vinegar
• 3 Tbs Braggs Aminos (or other soy sauce sort of liquid, whatever you like)
• 1/4 cup orange juice

I massaged this a bit until everything was well combined and the cabbage started to break down.  Then I let it sit in a bowl in the dehydrator for around 2 hours and really soak in. 

The rice paper is easy to use. Soak each one for a few seconds in warm water to soften, put what seems like a reasonable amount of filling ( I used about 1/3 of a cup for each, but it was a lot of trial and error.) Folding in each side first, then roll as tight as you can without ripping the paper. I then refrigerated the rolls. I tried them fresh with the warm-from-the-dehydrator filling, but really preferred them cold.

I also made a dipping sauce for the rolls:

• 1 avocado
• 2 dried red chilies, ground
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp kelp granules

I brought these with me to a party, and the next day had friends telling me they wished for more. It's almost my lunch time, and now I wish I had more! I've seen some recipes for raw spring roll wrappers, but I think for now, the convenience of the pre-made rice paper, and the super-healthiness of the filling feel like an acceptable balance to me. 

Try these out at home, or try them with one of the suggestions on this message board discussion about raw rice paper alternatives. These are going to be a new favorite of mine, since I can just keep them in the fridge ready to grab whenever. Even my not-so-keen-on-raw-food sister loved these!

 Be well and be bright!

Jill 

 

 

Raw Snickers

I made a raw Snickers bar. I'm not sure if I'm ready to share the recipe, but I will tell you it's amazing. I just want to encourage you to experiment and push the limits of what you can do with raw food! 

Blueberry Shortbread Cookies

I tend to improvise and not write down what I put in my food when I experiment with raw recipes. I just bought a moleskine recipe journal to try to combat his habit. Recently I've been getting lots of requests for easy raw desserts, so here's one I actually documented the recipe for. Based on the classic thumbprint cookie, I used blueberries for these because seasonal eating makes tons of sense, and here in Vermont we have tons of blueberries to eat right now!

Blueberry Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread:

• 1 1/2 cups almonds soaked overnight and peeled (peeling soaked almonds is easy- they shoot out of their skins when you squeeze them!)

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut buzzed into flour in the food processor
• 3/4 cup agave or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon alcohol free almond extract
• pinch salt

Pulse all of the above into a dough. Roll into 1" balls and smush to 1/2" rounds on teflex sheet

Blueberry Topping:

• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 5 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp alcohol free vanilla extract

Blend the above until nearly smooth. Spoon onto centers of rounds. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 130 degrees (it takes the food itself longer than that to heat up, don't worry, they'll still be raw). Then transfer to the mesh dehydrator sheet to alow the bottoms of the cookies to dry for another 2 hours at 115 degrees.

Mine are in the dehydrator now and the house smells divine! Here they are before drying:
You could use any seasonal fruit available in your area. Let me know how yours turn out!  

 

 

Be well and be bright!

 

Jill

A Hearty Day of Raw Eating

A few days ago I asked fans of Superhero Activation on facebook to let me know what their perceived barriers are to eating as healthy as they would like to in their everyday lives. One of the responses was this: 

Honestly, my job and my body ...I know that sounds like a lame excuse but fasting and raw/vegan foods aren't substantial enough to sustain me. I DO supplement with nuts, avocados, olive oil on everything and at the end of the day ...like, if I don't at least do sushi or something like that, I will be passing out or it will take away from my PT. I'd love if I could break away for a month and just do yoga and take it down a notch!!!

I've heard this complaint many times before; raw food just isn't hearty enough. I work from 8-5, five days a week. In addition to working I walk everywhere I go (an average of over 3 miles a day), walk my dog, and practice ballet. My life doesn't actually leave a lot of time for food preparation, and it can be pretty physically demanding.  My friend who fasted with me often works 10-12 hour shifts on his feet as a waiter, and while not taking time off for the fast was a strain on his body, he is able to happily sustain himself through long days of work on raw foods. Now that I eat mostly raw foods, I really notice how cooked foods slow me down and decrease my energy level when I do have them. I had all the same perceptions of eating raw before I started, so I totally understand your hesitation! Here's an example of a day of 100% raw eating that is nutritionally complete and totally satisfying!

Breakfast: Mango-Avocado-Kiwi Salad with Cashew Dressing 
I changed this recipe a little to bulk it up a bit by including one whole kiwi.

Another possibility for breakfast are smoothies, which you can bulk up with almost as much protein as you'd like with either chia seeds or RAW Protein powder. Along with a handful of sunflower seeds, a well-crafted smoothie is definitely enough to keep you going for the morning. I like to bring mine with me to work in a thermos or travel cup and sip on it throughout the morning. 

Lunch: Pesto-Chia Wraps with Cashew-Garlic "Cheese", Tomatoes and Greens 

One of the foods I thought I'd have to live without when I started eating raw was sandwiches. This was something I could not abide.  I actually assembled these yesterday on my desk on a napkin.  I brought all the components with me and just made them when I had three minutes to snag a bite.

Wraps (makes 8 small wraps):

• 1/2 cup ground chia
• 3 tablespoons pesto 
• 1/2 small tomato, diced
• enough water to form a gel 

Let the mixture sit until the gel forms around the chia, and then spread over a teflex sheet. Dehydrate  4 hours, flipping them over once halfway through, on 115 degrees. Cut into rectangles and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge. If you don't have a dehydrator, try a collard wrap instead.

Cashew-Garlic "Cheese"

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
• water as needed

Blend in food processor. Add water as needed until a spreadable "cheese" forms. 
Assemble wraps!

 (the nutrition value listed is for 1 snack wrap sized wrap, I had two of these for lunch yesterday) If you get peckish in between lunch and dinner, try a Larabar- they are raw, delicious, and available at most grocery stores.
For dinner, since the comment mentioned sushi, you could have cauliflower nori or any of the other raw entrees I recommend. For more everyday raw ideas, check out my post on a sample day of raw eating.

I hope this helps give you some ideas of how to make filling, raw foods that can sustain you through the workday!

 

Be well and be bright!

Jill 

 

The Best Break-Fast

This morning I had my first solid food in 8 days! I had to eat slow, but it was fabulous. Though I've never eaten this dish before, a picture of it formed in my mind a few days ago as the first thing I should eat. For the rest of today I'll be back to delicious liquids; depending on how I feel I might nibble on some fruit around dinner time, but I've got to let my body take this transition slowly. Here's the recipe for my amazing breakfast (This certainly won't be the last time I eat this; it may become a favorite.)

  Mango-Avocado Break-Fast Salad

• 1/3 of a mango, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 of an avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon raw cashews
  
  I mixed the avocado and mango together, and then dumped the cashews into the blender on their own. I slowly added water until it made a creamy dressing, and drizzled a tiny bit of this dressing over the salad (I had leftover dressing, I really want to go easy on the nuts for now!). 

I'm also slowly sipping some fantastic raw mangokombucha this morning, which feels and tastes great. I'm going to see how closely I can listen to my body, and how nutritionally complete of a diet it leads me to eat, and this breakfast is my first step!

 

Be well and be bright!

Jill 

 

 

Why I Fast

Each time I fast people get nervous. There are so many misconceptions about fasting out there; people assume I'm doing something unhealthy, they also inevitably say "I could never do that!" (completely untrue!) I first time I fasted my parents were extremely concerned- now, years and years later, my mom is starting her own juice feast today (and it's not her first)!  Here's a few of the reasons I fast at least once, optimally twice a year:

• I used to get migraines; all of the medicines they gave me to treat the migraines made me very ill. Once the reaction was so quick and extreme my mom had to pull the car over for me to throw up on the way home from the doctor's office. I heard that some people had cured their migraines through fasting, and I thought I'd give it a try. Lo and behold, no more migraines for all the years I've been fasting.
• I'm not always as amazing about my dietary choices as I'd like to be. I'm hoping to get better at letting my body guide me to healthy choices and fasting is a great way to recalibrate my systems. I always find that each time I fast I come out of it very in tune with my body and its nutritional needs. 
• I love a challenge. For me the mental challenge of fasting is far greater than any physical challenge it poses. Being confronted with how addictive my relationship with food (still) is; how disconnected my choices are from any real nutritional need was difficult for me. On days 2 and 3 of my fast I nearly broke several times and came close to seeking out solid food. My saving grace? The fasting was already reorienting my body toward the healthiest choices: I only wanted amazing raw meals, meals that would have taken preparation and time. Had I craved a Snickers bar it might have all been over; the few seconds it takes to decide to find and eat a convenience food doesn't  allow for the for thought needed to make careful, healthy choices. I have incredible respect for my friend who has been fasting with me who does continue to crave these convenience foods. His resolve may be greater than mine and I truly admire his dedication to his decision to fast. Living in a culture where meeting our daily needs is rarely a struggle, where near instant gratification is the norm I think it is incredibly valuable to set and meet difficult challenges like fasting.  
•   I love the way I feel once I get over the day 2 and 3 detox misery. Once the headaches, muscle-aches and crabbiness fade away I begin to feel my body in a whole new way. I spent over an hour just stretching, flexing and exploring different muscles on the evening of the 4th day of my fast. My muscles feel strong and clean; movement is a joy. In addition to the physical benefits my mind feels clear and uncluttered. Though I know it will slip away from me again soon (I'm going to try my best to maintain!) this quote comes to mind: 

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life. - Wu-Men

I am so grateful to the universe and the strength I'm never quite sure I have that I've once again made it to this point. I've decided to go for two more days, making a total of 8 days without solid food. I would go longer but my passion and enthusiasm for creating new raw foods is getting the best of me. I want to be back to eating at least one solid meal a day by the weekend so I can get back to experimenting. I can't wait to share all the recipes buzzing around in my head with all of you!

Be well and be bright!

Jill 

Fast Feasting

For a yet-to-be-determined amount of time I'll be fasting. There are more types of fasts that I care to count, so I'll outline precisely what my fast will consist of.  According to Merriam Webster, to fast is:

1: to abstain from food
2: to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods

I will be abstaining from all solid foods, and all but a few specific beverages. Below is an overview of what I will be drinking each day.

Throughout the day I'll be sipping on:

• 1.5 cup Lemon Juice
• Raw Agave Nectar to taste- no more than ½ cup
• Aloe Vera Juice – 10 ounces 
• 3 scoops Amazing Grass Super Energy powdered greens
• 1/2 tablespoon of chlorophyll from alfalfa
• Contents of 1 caplet of my usual RAW multivitamin
• all of the above mixed in 1 gallon water

Here's the logic behind this beverage:
Lemon Juice: Lemons alkalize the body, kill intestinal worms (ew), and they are a powerful antibacterial agent
Agave: The calories will help keep me going, but agave has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners and will keep me from crashing like I might with other sources of sugar. 
Aloe Vera Juice: Aloe is well known for it's healing abilities and will help soothe and lubricate the inside of my body.
Amazing Grass: Amazing Grass is a great source of varied greens, full of vital minerals & vitamins.
Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll will help oxygenate my blood and remove heavy metals.

3 times a day I'll be having my ginger-chia meals:

• 20 oz of ginger tea
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 500 mg of niacin
• 1 teaspoon of agave

I mix all of this ahead of time to allow the chia to soak up lots of liquid and form a gel. 

Here's the logic behind my "meals"
Chia: Chia seeds are an ancient endurance food. They will keep my body hydrated while maintaining insulin levels. The chia seeds will help clean my intestines and colon, and keep the wastes and toxins moving out!  
Ginger: Will help soothe my stomach through this food-less time.

Niacin: Niacin will serve a similar role to the cayenne in the popular master cleanse.  Niacin is a B vitamin and will dilate all my blood vessels and little capillaries, getting everything in my body moving. 
Agave: is mostly for taste. 

 

In total, this is about a gallon and a half of very nourishing liquid a day! In addition I will be drinking water and herbal teas whenever I'd like. I would love to do a traditional juice fast, but I have no juicer! I'll be treating myself to some fresh veggie juice when i get a chance to go to the one place in Burlington that makes it!

I stopped eating solid food yesterday at 3pm, and in the evening did a salt-water flush to get the cleansing started. If you are considering trying this fast, ease onto it by taking a few days to just eat vegetables and fruits before you begin the liquid regimen. 

I have gotten to know my body very well over the last few months, and in addition to that I consulted with a naturopath to help create this fasting regimen. I have done different fasts before (the master cleanse, juice fasts, water fasts) and fasting is hard, especially the first three days, but you can get into dangerous territory if you don't know your body and its limits. Talk to an alternative health professional that you trust if you try fasting and are worried about any symptoms you have. Also, if you do a fast with lots of citrus juice like this one or the Master Cleanse, you're going to want to brush your teeth at least three times a day, if not more. The citric acid is hard on your teeth otherwise. You also might want to get a brush to scrub your skin with, as your body will be expelling toxins and your skin might feel a little gross. 

And, because I need to say it: In no way have the statements written been evaluated and/or approved by the FDA, AMA and/or other such agencies. And this is by no means for the purpose of diagnosing, treating, alleviating, mitigating, curing, preventing, or caring for "disease" in any way or manner whatsoever. 

Be well and be bright!

Jill

Fennelslaw!

Each year there are a few veggies in my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture- amazing stuff- we get a share of produce from a local farm each week!) I'm not quite sure what to do with.  One of the best side effects of the raw food diet is that unlike past years, none of these veggies are wasting away or headed for the compost bin!

Last night's challenge was a gigantic fennel bulb. Most people are familiar with fennel (also known as anise) for its seeds. The bulb has a similar spicy, licorice-like flavor. This one was bigger than a softball, and we had no idea what to do with it. Luckily, I recently went to The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, where my friend's meal had come with a side of fennelslaw. (The Farmhouse is one of the gems of Burlington; formerly a McDonalds which couldn't sustain itself here, the restaurant serves amazing beers from around the world, but what is really impressive is their commitment to sourcing their food from local farms.) 

Here's the recipe for the fennelslaw I tried out last night. We had it with veggie (not soy!) burgers, and some watermelon for a nice, light summery meal.

Fennelslaw 

• 1 large bulb fennel
• 5 medium/small carrots
• 1/3 cup raw mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons sweetener of your choice (agave or tubinado sugar would be your best bet)
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except fennel and carrots into a dressing, and set aside. Either chop the fennel and the carrots into matchstick sized pieces by hand, or use the shredding blade on your food processor or mandoline. Cover veggies with dressing, enjoy!

I can't wait to get home and have more of this. The carrots add some sweetness, and the dill adds a flavor other than fennel. I thought the fennel might be overpowering (I'm personally not a huge fan!) but it was subtle and a welcome change from your average cabbage slaw. 

 

Be well and be bright!

Jill