FYI: My site is going through some back-end updates — a WordPress upgrade and some technical changes to enable the newsletter I normally use to send out daily updates to work again, after recent changes I made to my site somehow disabled it.

So… stay tuned for more recipes & posts, but for the moment technical support has their tootsies in my back-end and I’m tied up til they finish.

Er… that didn’t sound quite right, haha.

I ordered two proof copies this evening of my first recipe book, Bare-Naked Cuisine: Cooking In The Raw, which will be available in both softcover and hardcover color photo-book copies via Blurb.com, as well as in e-book format.

So… although I’m not ready to release it yet, am getting closer to a release date!

I will have some layout and font adjustments to make, I am sure, as this is the first that I will be seeing the Blurb product. But once I have those pieces tweaked, my subsequent books will follow quickly, including my unique “Jack Up The Raw” book, which I am extremely excited about!

Bare-Naked Cuisine will include 30 of some of my favorite recipes, with hopefully beautiful color photos (I have my fingers crossed that Blurb lives up to its reputation for this), including:

*Raw Smoothies

*Salads, Salsas, and Dips

*Raw Chocolate Treats, and

*Raw Cocktails

This is just an introductory book with a variety of recipes, but subsequent recipe books will zero in on specific recipes types, such as Meaty & Savory Dishes and “Warm Live” recipes.

But… just thought I’d give my readers a wee peek into what I’ve been working on!

I’m re-publishing this recipe, which I first posted back in March of 2009, because it is just AMAZINGly delish.

One of my readers, Sue, mentioned that she frequently turns to this Banana with Hempseed Milk recipe (quick & easy, no straining required), and it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite recipes, this Vanilla, Macadamia, Hemp Seed Topping, which would be fabulous on top of those bananas… or any other kind of fruit… or the raw oatmeal which I just posted!

This topping is easy to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge, too, so… it’ll be there when you need it, another layer to the convenience that’s required in order to make a high-raw lifestyle workable.

This topping is just so good, I have never had any leftovers unless I make a large batch, because if I don’t scarf it all down, the kids will.

Between the fact that I just used my last young coconut and I haven’t bought raw macadamias in months… I think I feel another trip to Whole Foods coming on!

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This Fruit Topping is wonderful, nutritious, addictive, quick-to-make, and hard to keep on hand because everybody wants some!

The recipe portions are small because I used to make it in one of those mini-food processors, but I’ve since realized that I should at least double (or quadruple) the portion and use a larger machine… otherwise I’m liable to try to bogart the whole batch!

You could just sprinkle on sliced or chopped fruit and go, but the way I normally eat it is to sprinkle it on fruit in a bowl, pour some fresh pecan or almond milk over it (or other fresh nut or seed milk), sprinkle with hemp seeds, and then dig in. Exactly as it looks in the photo:

Try Different Kinds of Honey

It’s fun to experiment with the type of honey you use because different honeys lend different nuances of taste. One of my fave honeys for this recipe is the organic Hawaiian Lehua honey by Garden of Life – it’s one of the tastiest I’ve tried. Quite floral… delicious with vanilla.

Try Different Kinds of Nut and Seed Milks

Most people quickly become familiar with how to make fresh Almond Milk when they begin exploring a raw foods lifestyle, but there are other kinds of nut and seed milks which are wonderful!

I love Pecan Milk (shown in the picture above). It’s rich, warm, and nutty tasting, it’s full of healthy zinc (great for men and their prostates and for pregnant women… and well, everyone needs zinc for healthy growth, cell development, and DNA synthesis).

Also, in my house Sunflower Seed milk rules because you get a tremendous nutritional bang for your hard-earned buck! Much cheaper than almonds or any of the other nuts, you can buy a huge bag of them and not break the bank. And they are high in fiber, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B complex, C, potassium, and magnesium! They’re also GREEN, and make a very pretty creamy-green milk. So… bring on the Sunflower Seeds, I say!

Vanilla-Macadamia-Hempseed Fruit Topping Recipe

• 1/4 C. raw Macadamia nuts
• 1 t. raw Honey
• dash “Himmy” salt (Himalayan Crystal Salt)
• 2 T. Hemp seeds
• 1/8 t. Vanilla extract (or a snippet of Vanilla Bean if you have some on hand)

Blend in small food processor, or just chop the nuts & mix by hand.
Serve on fresh fruit with fresh nut milk. Sprinkle with extra hemp seeds, if you like.

This is an excellent breakfast recipe, but I’ve also had it as a snack, and for a light dinner many times. It really satisfies on a number of levels — sweet, crunchy, creamy, tart, and belly-filling!

When I was first exploring the raw foods lifestyle and culinary realm back in April/May 2005, raw oatmeal factored into my daily routine quite regularly. I was blown away by how delicious it was, and even preferred it to the cooked version. It was one of those dishes that strongly conveyed to me, “If this is possible and I never knew… what else?” Simple oatmeal became a symbol for adventure, pleasure, and comfort in the raw world.

Back then, I would soak steel-cut oats overnight, drain them, top with freshly made almond milk and various nuts & dried fruits, and I had a rib-sticking breakfast that could see me through even the longest corporate day.

But this recipe here is, for me, a vast improvement. “I wish I had known then what I know now…”

Here, I’ve soaked oat groats — the whole oat that hasn’t been cut or pressed in any way — in spring water overnight (how easy is that… you just pop into a bowl after dinner or before you go to bed, and it’s waiting for you in the morning). Then I’ve drained the groats and added a skooch of fresh liquid (I used fresh coconut milk but almond or another nut or seed milk would work, and even more spring water or fresh juice, or a bit of fresh apple). Quality vanilla, himmy salt, and cold-pressed coconut oil come into play for texture and flavor, and the result is outstanding!

Smooth, rich, filling, oatmeal-y but reminiscent of rice pudding as well. You could then put some fresh almond, pumpkin seed or hemp seed milk over top, and add nuts & dried fruit, but I just sprinkled some cinnamon on and tucked it. Delicious!

And all made from Utterly Pedestrian ingredients… plus whatever liquid you choose to add!

A Trick To Make Salted Raw Nuts

My fave nut for raw oatmeal has always been salted raw pistachios. I buy the raw shelled pistachios (when I can find them ), to which I add a few drop of water and a generous sprinkling of himmy salt. I shake it all up to disperse the salt, and then store in a glass jar. YUM.

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Recipe for: The Best Ever Raw Oatmeal For Everyday

• 1/2 cup oat groats (the whole, uncut, unrolled oat)
• 1 cup spring water

The night before, put these two to soak together overnight, uncovered. In the morning, drain, put in blender, and add:

• 2 tablespoons fresh coconut milk, fresh almond milk (or another fresh nut or seed milk), or fresh juice — even more spring water will do
• 1 heaping teaspoon raw honey
• 1 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil (use a heaping teaspoon if you want this to be “lite”)
• 1/2 teaspoon quality vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon quality natural salt, such as Himalayan Crystal salt

Blend on “puree” until smooth (or the consistency you want). Top with your preferred combination of: cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruits (sour cherries are amazing in raw oatmeal), and various nuts.

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I drew a long espresso for the start of my day this morning but… never got to it because this great day-starter came along and afterwards the espresso had no appeal! And this lovely fresh beverage was quicker to make than most pots of coffee can brew!

Although I drink espresso more for the dark flavor than any energetic rush (I seek out dark beans with less caffeine because, frankly, I don’t care for the rush of caffeine at all), this Lemon-Coconut Milk drink had me vibing with some truly wonderful craving-for-productivity energy. It’s that  metabolism-stimulating effect of the coconut working its magic…

The inspiration for this drink was to present a recipe for what to do with fresh coconut milk when you want to use the meat for something else. True, you could always just pop the milk into whatever smoothie you’re making. It will go with anything. But I had a vision of it with lemon (which is wonderfully alkalizing in the body, and provides a burst of Vitamin C that’s great for skin, liver, and beauty), and I’m so glad I went with it. It’s the kind of drink I’d love to wake up to every day.

Though there isn’t any coconut meat in it – just fresh coconut milk, fresh lemon juice, raw honey, and cold-pressed coconut oil –, that little bit of oil gives the drink such nice body, and contributes heartily to the energy it provides.

Coconut Oil Will Make You Fat, Right? Think Again…

With raw coconut oil that hasn’t been heat-treated, I strongly encourage you to set aside your years of training about fats. Granted, each person’s constitution is different, and some people are balanced and energized by fats better than others, so gauge your needs on your own experience. But coconut oil is not like the other fats we use.

It is a medium-chain fatty acid, which the body can break down and use directly for energy, similar to a carbohydrate. It’s also a metabolic stimulant, and has wonderful immune system-supporting, anti-viral properties. And it has been used by many people (including myself) for weight loss for a number of years, now. In my world, it is a valuable food not to be afraid of, and certainly not if you want to lose weight (or maintain a hard-earned weight loss).

If you’ve been intimated by the thought of picking up your first young coconut because you didn’t know what-all you were doing to do with it… I hope this recipe is an incentive to get going with that!

And for options with what to do with a whole young coconut, here are two smoothies, one with Clementines (or Oranges) and Goji Berries, and another with Cherries and Goji Berries, which are like rocket fuel, energetically speaking!

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Recipe for: Lemon-Coconut Milk Energizer-Refresher

• the fresh milk from one just-opened young coconut
• juice squeezed fresh from 1juicy lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1-2 cups ice

Blend in blender until smooth and frothy, pour out, and drink up! You’ll wish you had more…

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The inspiration for this simple recipe is to create something creamy to put over top fruit, a warm live breakfast cereal, or a raw dessert… something akin to a Chantilly whipped cream, but healthful, quick, and easy.

Made from the meat of a young coconut, with a few Utterly Pedestrian ingredients added, it whips up in minutes without a lot of fuss, and tastes great.

I used a mini food processor because of the small quantity, and therefore the texture is slightly “natural” rather than refined. (Yah, I know… it looks more like oatmeal in these shots!) If I were going to do this for company, or just to feel fancy, I would double the quantity (crack open 2 coconuts) so that it would “catch” in the blades of my Blendtec better, and I’d whip it up into a much finer Chantilly-cream texture, the way a gourmet raw foodie or a raw restaurant would. But for a daily purpose, this works just fine in my view.

The amount it produces is perfect for two people, or as a garnish for four. And if you have anything left over… pop it into a smoothie, your fresh almond (or other nut/seed) milk, make a warm cacao beverage with it, or even use it with a raw cocktail! There’s a lot you can do with it.

I just spooned it over some cherries for a late-morning snack!

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Recipe for:  Fresh Young Coconut “Whipped Chantilly Cream”

(For instructions on opening a young coconut, see here.)

• flesh scooped out of one coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon quality vanilla
• 1 teaspoon raw honey

Combine the ingredients in very small food processor until smooth, or double the batch and make it in your blender. If you use your blender, you will have to scrape it down several times until it gets to the right texture, and obviously, the more high-powered your blender, the fluffier this is going to get! [/private]

(The Floridian view above my laptop whilst working on the lanai...)

I’m picking up where I left off with documenting my own Live Green Smoothie 85% Challenge activities, including what I’m eating, my estimated cost, and any exercise or other commentary that seems relevant to the experience.

Last told, I documented through Day 17, but I stayed with it for about a month, at which point funds and some other personal matters became restrictive and I had to ease off. But… not one to back off forever from something I care about, here we go again!

I’ll start with tomorrow’s activities.

I don’t know to what extent anyone is benefiting from this information, but I imagine that ultimately it provides a sense of what how regular people — not just 100% raw “rawkstar” types — can fit living foods in greater quantities into their very real lives. And as I am tracking cost estimates and averages, that’s a decent point of reference as well, I’d say.

For anyone who’s doing the LGS 85% Challenge as well… feel free to comment! I’d love to see some discussion happening on the site!

New Jack La Lanne “Powerjuicer Elite” Juicer!

My new juicer arrived this week, so you’ll be seeing a lot of fresh juices included in my 85% Challenge for the time being. The juicing isn’t formally part of the challenge — I find that the smoothies are better, generally speaking, primarily because they are far more convenient, which means that someone has a greater chance of staying with the routine of adding raw & living foods to their diet.

But I’ve been wanting to do a “juice feast” for a couple years, and am quite keen on adding as much fresh juice as I can right now. Juicing was my first “raw love”, going back to the late 80s, and it’s just tops for rejuvenation and revitalization.

100% “juice feasting”, however, requires a financial commitment I’m not currently able to make, so I’ll just be including as much fresh juice as I can.

My first batch of juice: a “Purple Gingerade”, made with the following:

* Two large chunks of fresh ginger root

* Large bunch kale

* Big stack of carrots

*  2 large beets

* pile of red grapes

* large handful cherries (didn’t even have to de-stone them — the juicer did the work for me!)

* a couple apples

Made about 3/4 gallon, which I drank over two days. Finished off the last of it tonight, topped with some “premium”, super-gingery ginger ale. Yummm.

Take two Utterly Pedestrian produce ingredients, add a wee bit of many of the most common superfoods raw foodie types tend to keep in their pantries, and you’ve got a rich, tasty, uber-nutritious Live Green Smoothie!

Starting with apples and fresh cilantro (which lends a rather floral-herbal quality here), we add small amounts each of:

* Raw Cacao powder, which is rich in magnesium, antioxidants, and iron, and famed for its appetite suppressant and heart-strengthening qualities.

* Raw Maca powder, which is a potent adaptogen, excellent for stamina, energy, and hormone-balancing, and quite famously for fertility.

* Raw Almonds, for calcium (and they’re great for soft, velvety skin).

* Goji Berries, rich in antioxidants and polysaccharides (which keep our tissues young and “juicy”), with a natural probiotic and the Traditional Chinese Medicine reputation of being the #1 food/herb for longevity.

* Golden Incaberries (also called cape gooseberries), flavor-packed (they are nature’s “sweet tarts”) and full of B-complex vitamins, high in protein, and rich in antioxidants, with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

* Chia Seeds, which turn out are not just great for Chia Pets but are a bonafide superfood, rich in protein, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and other good things.

* MSM (an organic, crystallized form of sulfur), which is a potent anti-inflammatory, ideal for athletes and anyone suffering from arthritis because it builds flexible, healthy connective tissue and helps bodies recuperate quickly without post-exercise pain.

* Nascent iodine, an atomic rather than molecular form of iodine for enhanced bioavailability, which pretty much instantly increases energy, aids metabolism, and can actually remove heavy metals (i.e., mercury) and halides (such as fluoride, chlorine, and bromine) from the body.

Excellent Smoothie for both Weight Watchers & Athletes…

There’s no added sugar, honey, or fat in this smoothie, so it is low-sugar, low-fat, wildly rich in amino acids (read: “protein”)… a dieter’s dream loaded with nutrients without overdoing the calories.

But it’s sweet, flavorful, and rich-tasting. The raw cacao in it, even tho there is very little, serves to bring everything together so nicely and give a mellow undertone. Cacao has that special ability wherever it is used, you will find.

Pour this smoothie over ice in your smoothie bottle and use it for an afternoon pickup!

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Recipe for:  ”Superfood Power” Live Green Smoothie with Apples and Cilantro

• 2 apples
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed (rinse after measuring)

Pop those ingredients in your blender, then add the following special ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (measure heavy)
• 1 teaspoon raw maca powder
• 1 tablespoon raw almonds
• 1 tablespoon goji berries
• 1 tablespoon golden incaberries
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon MSM
• 5+ drops nascent iodine (I added 10 drops for my batch)
• spring water to 32 oz.
• 1 cup ice

Blend til smooth. You will have to go a few times to start breaking down the incaberries — even my Blendtec doesn’t get them after a couple rounds, which cracks me up for such a powerful machine. The berries are soft and chewy, and will leave tasty little bits at the bottom of your glass!

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Superfoods vs. Utterly Pedestrian Ingredients

In recent months, I have focused primarily on Utterly Pedestrian ingredients, and now I plan on bringing in some of the special amazingly nutrient-rich superfoods which can be added to smoothies and other raw recipes.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years since beginning to explore the raw and superfood world… it’s one thing to fill your cupboards with Really Cool Raw Stuff, but then… what all do you do with them so that they don’t languish, get stale, and get tossed into some very expensive trash?

Making Your Food Investments Work For You

The reality is, superfoods tend to be more expensive than regular grocery items. So knowing how to use these special ingredients with Utterly Pedestrian foods picked up at the grocery store is important. It’s a way to put your hard-earned cash to work for you in a way that makes a difference — better health, more energy, improved well-being.

So, be prepared for recipes now to include (not all the time, but in spurts for sure) some not Utterly Pedestrian ingredients.

If you want to be ahead of the game, these are some of the goodies currently in my pantry and fridge which will be finding their way into recipes in coming days. Mostly everything was purchased at Whole Foods.

More exotic items you may need to buy online, especially if you live in an area remote to the raw/living/superfood culture. (I will add to this list as it my recipe library evolves.)

Superfoods and Other Special Ingredients To Add To Your Pantry & Nutritional Cabinet

(Click the links below to read about the health benefits of each item, or to shop online)

Raw Cacao Powder

Hemp Seeds Goji Berries

Golden/Peruvian Incaberries

Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil

Chia Seeds

Maca Powder

MSM (crystallized sulfur)

Galangal root (Kaempferia galanga)

Nascent Iodine

Himalayan Crystal Salt

Cordyceps (a powdered medicinal mushroom)

The LGS Raw Foods Superstore

Many of these ingredients you can also purchase through links in my LGS Raw Foods Superstore, which is a collection of affiliate links which you can use to browse the catalogs of some of the best online raw and superfood stores, and even compare their specific categories side-by-side. If you can’t find these things near to home, online shopping is certainly a handy option. I do benefit if you make a purchase through the use of these links, and I am grateful for your support!

How To Open A Young Coconut

(The Safest Way I Know How)

Here is a video with another great young coconut smoothie recipe on my site, but the following is how I open my young coconuts, as I regard it as the safest way to get those lovelies open:

1. Buy a meat cleaver. If you own one already, make sure it’s sharp.

2. Take the plastic wrap off of the young coconut and set onto hard surface. I generally use the floor. Select a place that can take a few splashes without ruining anything.

3. Imagine a pentagon shaped hole cut into the top of the coconut – this is what you will now create.

4. Rest the blade of the meat cleaver at an angle on the coconut, with the point closest to you resting securley on the nut and the point furthest from you slightly raised.

5. Now pick the coconut up and crack it back down on the hard surface without lifting the knife from the coconut. If you do it hard enough and your knife is good, it will take just one whack, but if you have been tentative or your knife has seen better days, it may take a few more to break through the shell of the nut beneath the white outer layer.

6. Once you have the first line of the pentagon cracked, proceed around the nut (turning the coconut a bit each time) to cut the remaining lines into the shell. This is speedy business if your knife & technique are good. Never remove the knife from the nut — it’s the force coming down that does the work, without risking the safety of your fingers.

7. Once you have the whole pentagon cut, slide the edge of the meat cleaver into one of the cuts and pop up the top and take it off. Then pour out the water and scoop out the flesh!

As simple as that.