Amazing Young Coconut Water

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For the past year and a half or so, I have been trying to drink young coconut water as often as I can get it. I have noticed amazing benefits from this refreshing drink. The first time I had it, I wasn't too sure about it's taste, but now I crave it whenever I get away from it for awhile.

Young coconut water is teeming with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and good fats. It's very hydrating. It also is a good weight loss food, because though it is high in fat, as long as it's raw, it also has proportionately high amounts of the enzymes needed to break down fats.

To open a young coconut, start by shaving the husk off the top (the pointed area) with a sharp knife. Then take a butcher knife and use the corner near the handle to make a crack in the shell. This will take a litte force, so be careful (adults only, please!)

Then use the corner of the butcher knife to pry open the shell, and pour that lovely water into a bowl first, so as to catch all of it, and then into a glass. Enjoy!

I break open a young coconut every morning that I possibly can, and I save the soft meat in a large ziploc bag in the freezer. When I get a bagful, I thaw them out, blend them up, and mix them with raw nut meals and a raw sweetener to make cakes, bars, and cookies. More on those later.

Delightful Dried Pineapple

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I've always loved dried pineapple, but never as much as the stuff I make in my own kitchen.

Many people may not know that much of the dried pineapple they find in the stores may not be raw at all. You know those amazing-looking big round pineapple rings in the bulk section of many grocery stores? Nothing but sugar-coated cooked pineapple rings of the canned food variety.

But you can make your own dried pineapple that is truly raw!

I recently got a good buy on pineapples, so I dehydrated a bunch. I like to do them like this: Thin-slice the pineapple all the way through without removing the center core and then cut away the outer skin with a kitchen scissors. After slicing, you may, if you like, sprinkle lightly with organic, unbleached sugar, but there is no need because these pineapple rings are delightful just as nature intended.

Arrange on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate for anywhere between 12 and 36 hours, depending on how dry you want them, checking often to remove the ones that are dry first.

I love the way it shrinks up in the dehydrator and comes out looking like a nice, yellow flower. You can eat the center, if you like. It's just a little more chewy. I like them best right out of the dehydrator, nice and warm, but for those you want to keep longer, just lay them out on a flat surface until cooled down and then put in plastic bags. If you are drying them for long-term storage, make sure that you have all the moisture out, or you may find a breeding ground for mold and such.

Enjoy!!!
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Raw Apple Cranberry Bars

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These were wonderful! Mmmm....Okay, I started with the pulp from my raw apple juice, threw that in the food processor with some cranberries, almond meal, a little raw sugar, and some cinnamon. (I probably would have used raw honey or agave nectar, but I was out.)

After blending, I put that in a bowl with some chopped up walnuts, mixed it all together, and spread it out in a 9 x 13 glass pan. I ran some more walnuts and raw sugar together in the food processor, and spread this on top of the mixture for a crumb topping. Then I let it set up a bit overnight in the fridge. This also gives it a chance to let the flavors mingle.

The next morning, I cut the bars into serving sizes and carefully placed the bars on the racks of my dehydrator. I let them dehydrate throughout the day and enjoyed warm apple cranberry bars that evening. The bars kept well throughout the week, and they were a great on-the-go raw snack.

Whole Raw Apple Juice

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Yum! One of the best things about fall is fresh apples! And one of the ways I love apples best is just the whole, raw apple juice--no refined, pasteurized stuff. Mmmm! The flavor is awesome!

Reported health benefits from apples include improved kidney and liver function, help with arthritis and rheumatism, improved cholesterol levels, and improvement in brain function and memory, due to increased levels of acetylcholine. And don't worry that you are missing out on the fiber--You will still get a fair amount of fiber in the juice. For even more fiber, use the pulp in my next suggested snack--raw apple cranberry bars.

Raw Corn Chowder

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This is my favorite raw soup - Corn Chowder. Corn is one of my biggest food sensitivities. I have to try to stay away from cooked corn and corn products like cornstarch, corn syrup, citric acid, and xanthan gum. But raw corn is a different story. I have long felt that if I have senstivities to a food it is because I lack the enzymes to break down that food. Where can I find those enzymes? In the raw form of that food. I know this doesn't necessarily go for all sensitivities - I'm not telling someone who blows up from a little bit of some food to try it raw. But if the sensitivities produce mild reactions, you may want to give it a try. It seems to be working for me.

Anyway, on to the soup...I start the night before by putting a cup or so of raw cashews to soak. The next morning I start making the soup by making corn milk. Corn milk? Well, I make it just like nut milks, so I call it corn milk. I take 2 or 3 cups of corn cut right off the cob, throw it in the blender, add water until it is about an inch or two over the corn, and blend, blend, blend. Then I take a bowl with a colander inside and line the colander with a clean loose-weave cloth that I only use for making nut milks. I take the blended corn and water and pour it into the lined colander, wait a minute or two for most of the milk to drain through, and then squeeze out the excess.

I rinse my blender and then rinse and add the soaked cashews. I add enough corn milk to cover, and blend until smooth. I add more corn milk and an avocado or two, depending on the size and your taste, and blend again until smooth. I add a little red pepper paste and/or some sweet red pepper juice (just a little) and just a little onion. Then add the rest of the corn milk and blend. Now I add some sea salt to taste and throw in some finely-diced onion and some corn just cut off the cob. Throw on a dash a chili powder if you like, and ENJOY!!!

The yellow from the corn milk, the green from the avocado, and the red from the peppers will make your cream base a lovely beige color, much like a conventionally-made cream-based soup. (You can adjust the color and taste by adjusting the amounts of  corn milk, avocado, and peppers.) If you like, you can leave out the soaked cashews and just go with an extra avocado for thickening. You can also make your corn chowder from almond milk rather than corn milk if you like, and you can add in other veggies and herbs, like diced red and green peppers, diced jicama, chopped green onion, cilantro - whatever.

My Summer Favorite

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This past summer I would have to say that my dominant craving was for cherries. I always try to give in to healthy cravings as much as possible, and I am never surprised, but still amazed, to find that when I crave something, there is always a reason for it.

In this case, there are a few reasons that pop out at me. First of all, cherries are full of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Cherries are also a good source of melatonin, which promotes good circadian rythyms and good sleep. Cherries are high in many nutrients that support the immune system. All these are good indicators that raw cherries should be helpful to anyone with chemical sensitivities, which often involves a systemic inflammatory condition and a damaged immune system. And of course, cherries are also great for kidney and bladder problems, which seem to go hand in hand with chemical sensitivities.

I also took note of the fact that cherries are high in vitamin C, boron, and other nutrients that support bone health. Two years ago I broke the bone just above my ankle and six months later the doctors called it a non-healing bone. There was virtually no difference from when I first broke the bone. At that time, I turned to kelp as a source of bone-healing nutrients and my pain disappeared within a few weeks, but it didn't surprise me to find that I am still craving raw foods that support bone health, especially at my age.

Anyway, I ate LOTS of cherries this summer. Time after time they would be my entire meal. It really kind of spoiled me, as I rarely prepared food at all. Now, as the seasons are changing, I sense that my cravings are changing, too. But I still LOVE cherries!

Peaches 'n' Cream Smoothee

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It's time for fresh peaches! All the orchards have their signs out, beckoning me. One of my favorite fruit smoothees is peaches 'n cream. I use fresh or frozen peaches, frozen banana, and macadamia nut milk, which is like a super-rich cream! If you want it a little sweeter, you can add a little raw agave nectar or raw honey, and I sometimes throw in a little almond or vanilla extract. Play around with it until you get the sweetness and consistency you want.

Raw Cashew - Vegetable Dip

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Here is a good vegetable dip - It's good with dippers like celery or carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, etc. Take some soaked cashews, some sea salt, and onion and blend with about one-and-a-half to twice as much water or nut milk. You want it to be a bit thin because you are going to add dehydrated vegetable bits (I use Frontier's deluxe vegetable soup mix), and leave it in the fridge for a day or so. The dried veggies will absorb the water and the flavors will all combine. 

Sometimes I also add some dried onion powder that I make by dehydrating onions 'til they are just turning a bit brown and then running them through a coffee grinder. It adds a really nice flavor!

Raw Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Here is one of my favorites--It will probably be one of yours, too, if you love mushrooms. It really satisfies my hunger and seems to take away my food cravings. I take some soaked cashews and cover them in a blender with one-and-a-half to two times as much water (or for a super creamy variety, make it macadamia nut milk, raw, of course) and add some sea salt and onion to taste. (I once added some dehydrated, powdered onion that I made myself, and it added an awesome flavor!) Then throw in some raw mushrooms and blend it all, add some sliced mushrooms, and enjoy! YUM!!!

Raw Sun-dried Tomato Soup

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Here is a nice and easy tomato-based soup recipe that I just eat at room temperature, as I eat most of my raw soups. Several hours before making it, I put some cashews and sun-dried tomatoes in separate bowls, and cover with water to soak. Then I drain and rinse, cut off any stem areas from the tomatoes (they don't blend well), and throw the tomatoes in the blender with some water, sea salt, onion, and a few herbs, maybe a little red pepper - whatever sounds good. I make it thin for a soup - thicker for a sauce. It's quite versatile, and tasty, too.