This superfood “Power-Shot” is made with fresh coconut water and uses goji berries and golden incaberries for protein, antioxidants, and other phyto-nutritional goodness, with raw cold-pressed coconut oil for texture and even more energy-giving power. Juice from freshly squeezed oranges (Valencia is you have them) gives the perfect amount of mild sweetness.

End product: a gorgeous,  insouciantly cheerful, energizing, electrolyte-replacing orange froth!

If you’ve yet to tackle The Young Coconut, here is some serious incentive to overcome any trepidation around opening those lovelies, because the reward is a delicious day-starter or post-workout electrolyte replacer that only takes a few minutes to whip up! Even my son has become quite good at making quick work of opening them — I have no doubt you can as well!

THis is also the PERFECT completely non-alcoholic raw cocktail, absolutely gorgeous served chilled in a lovely glass,  and with a satisfyingly exotic appeal. And if you don’t have the golden incaberries on hand, use dried cherries. Just get into the habit of keeping all of these non-perishables on-hand in your pantry.

Forget the Coffee and the Red Bull…

In the time that I’ve been sorting out website glitches that delayed my recipe and blog posting, I have made this recipe so many times and I just love it! It’s zingy and mellow at the same time, wonderfully energizing, and the kind of thing that — espresso-lover though I may be — can satisfy me without even a whiff of coffee! It’s just That Good.

The first time I made the Power-Shot, my son Auden and I went crazy over it. I had just fired up the espresso machine, and after we drank this down, I just turned the machine off and poured myself another shot!

This tasty drink leaves Red Bull and Gatorade in the dust, and it’s all natural, richly mineralized, genuinely metabolically igniting (rather than damaging…) and antioxidant heaven!

And to jack up the energy even more, you can several drops (5-10) of nascent iodine and  a couple ounces of Tahitian Noni juice (any one of their bioactive juices will work great).

What To Do With Leftover Young Coconut Flesh

The Power-Shot is a great way to use coconut water when you need to use the coconut meat for a recipe. But if you’re working the other way around and don’t know what to do with the flesh…without the flesh…

• You can chop it up and add it to your salads (of any sort, savory, green, or fruit).
• Add it for texture and more rib-sticking meatiness to your guacamole and salad sandwich recipes.
• Use it to make raw chocolate and Tahitian vanilla or vanilla bean smoothies more luscious and meal-replacing.
• Blend into your Warm Live Soups for more richness (and add Thai or Indian seasonings for an authentic ethnic treat).
• Whip up into a “chantilly whipped cream“, or add to whatever your raw dessert du jour is!

And that’s just for starters. I have a feeling we’ve only begun to consider the ways we can incorporate young coconuts into our daily diet. I hope one day soon they become far easier to come by, as more of us start using them on a regular basis!

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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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Upon recently making my first trip to Whole Foods in Tampa (oof — the bill!) I was Christmas-morning squealy-happy to find gorgeously white young coconuts tucked into a corner of the produce department, obviously just waiting for me to take them home. It had been ages since I”d come across any on my shopping forays and was tempted to grab the whole haul!

Instead, I made the conservative choice to start with just two. Little did I know this Coconut-Cherry-Goji LGS lay in wait, creatively speaking, or I would’ve bunged a few more in my bag!

Of course… all the more reason to return to Mecca!

I had a good giggle when I tried to get the first one open, though. I am temporarily ensconced with family here in Florida, without the regular conveniences of my own kitchen, and this kitchen — like most — was not equipped with the appropriate young-coconut-opening devices. So, I dug my machete out of my bedroom closet (purchased last year from Home Depot  in another young coconut-related adventure), took my quarry out onto the lanai, and let’er rip on the big white nut.

No go.

Eventually, I opened the coconut by taking a hammer and banging into the machete, which banged into the nut. I mean… this was not a graceful operation. But I did get it open. And realized I was going to have to take a trip to Target for the proper equipment for all future coconut recipes.

I hesitated to fork over $40 for the meat cleaver I wanted at Target, but… this smoothie persuaded me to splurge, and I”m so glad I did! Now, just 5 quick, easy whacks with the bottom edge of the cleaver and I”m in. Takes all of 60 seconds with a lovely, graceful edge. Which is more than I can say for the work of that machete. Clearly, I will not be taking that dull blade into the jungle with me!

DELICIOUS Live Green Smoothie… With Loads of Energy When You Need It

This smoothie on the other hand… a definite keeper, a new big-time fave. It’s creamy, with a mellow sweetness, and massively energizing. Seriously, if you’re an athlete or low on energy, this is a great recipe for you! And between the ridiculous healthfulness of the delicate young coconut, the coconut water, the kale, and the goji berries, this drink is awesome for  general immune system-boosting and overall vitality. Give to someone who’s been under the weather and they’ll thank you!

Just get a meat cleaver, first. And maybe a cherry-stoner. Which I have yet to find. William Sonoma, maybe? I’ll report back on that.

And for those of you who don’t care much for cherries (you know who you are…), use peaches or nectarines for this. Will turn out smashingly fabulous either way!

Click here for directions on How To Open A Young Coconut (The Safest Way Possible).

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(Before chocolate is completely set.)

Chocolate is set here, but much darker than shows up in the photo.

Frankly, this is a great chocolate to make when you just want chocolate… forget the nuts & nibs.

Honestly, when you make a raw chocolate treat like this for the first time and experience and fast and easy it is to make something so satisfyingly delicious, you’ll wonder why you ever made those Peanut M&M runs to 7-11.

This particular chocolate is a little different from my other raw cacao recipes… it highlights some awesome Mexican vanilla a friend so graciously gifted me recently (a gigantic quart-sized bottle… can you imagine???), and is nicely salted to offset the sweet. For best results, definitely use the best quality vanilla and naturally mineralized salt you can get your hands on.

And if you have all these good-but-simple things already in your kitchen as staples, this is a no-brainer to whip up on-the-fly. If you don’t have macadamia nuts or nibs, you can use any other nut or seed — and don’t forget Goji Berries. Or you could just eat the stuff off a spoon as soon as it’s mixed up.

I swear to you, it takes probably just two minutes to get to that point. That’s how quick a chocolate-fix this really is. Heh.

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Here is a “blended salad” type of Live Green Smoothie, loaded with salad vegetables, but it’s very mild… not at all like a V-8 cocktail. Goji berries, cold-pressed coconut oil, and a bit of agave nectar (or raw honey) softens and melds the flavors into a gently-flavored smoothie that’s chock-full of good things.

With some humor, I noticed that it also had the same coloration as my parents’ granite countertop.

 [private]

Recipe for: Mild “Goji-Veggie” LGS

A Live Green Smoothie/Blended Salad With Goji Berries

• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 tablespoon goji berries
• 1 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or raw honey
• 1/4 teaspoon quality natural salt, such as Himalayan Crystal salt
• water to 32 oz. (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup ice (optional)

Blend everything up and drink!

This is an excellent base recipe for other additions. As the flavor is quite mild, you can intensify it by adding just a wee bit of red onion, scallions, and/or garlic, and a splash of raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. Add chile or jalapeno for heat, or some fresh grapes for a bit more sweetness. [/quote]

After a couple days of over-doing the holiday feasting, this is a great refresher and digestif to help repair some of the damage and get things moving in the right direction again!

Goji berries, cold-pressed coconut oil, and either agave nectar or raw honey help mellow out the boldness and bitterness of the grapefruit. After drinking a tall glass of this, you’ll feel invigorated and refreshed… I promise.

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Two exotic flavors combine luxuriously into a fragrant concoction… for romance, rejuvenation, and longevity. Take your pick for what you need: A whole-food raw, Live Green Smoothie whipped up quickly in your blender, a virgin superfood cocktail made with fresh juice and the healthful power of goji berries… or a full-on cocktail to “get your intox and your detox on at the same time”.

The Martini: One of my new faves. So pretty, so exotic… like drinking perfume, but refreshing and not cloying. Lovely.

The Virgin Cocktail: A treat for non-drinkers.

The Live Green Smoothie: Exquisite. Creamy. Aromatic. A new favorite. Make this one, for sure!

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My son Auden is the Carrot-Goji Smoothie King, regularly combining these two into smoothies for himself and his friends. I can’t say I was ever much into carrot-based smoothies until I tried his concoctions, so let it be known he’s the official inspiration for this very yummy ginger-goji smoothie recipe!

If you like ginger ale, you’re gonna dig this raw smoothie. It would be hard to pack more beta carotene into a drink, and this one also has the antioxidant, adaptogenic power of goji berries to get you cranking smoothly for the day.

And a nice feature: the ingredients are utterly pedestrian… provided, of course, that goji berries are staples in your kitchen. As they very well should be.

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The Dream Team

Galangal tastes something like ginger, but with a more pungent flavor and with perhaps more heat. Paired with Goji berry, the King of health in Traditional Chinese Medicine (considered its #1 food/herb), the two are like the Dream Team if your energy is lagging. Mango joins them beautifully together. There’s a lot to recommend the taking of this Raw Smoothie on a daily basis!

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What the heck is “Galangal”?

Until recently, the only experience I had with Galangal was fishing it out of my Tom Ka Gai soup because it was such a surprising flavor I wasn’t too keen on biting into again. But after my youngest son purchased some dried Galangal and brewed up some tea, I did some research and was so impressed with what I read that I began to drink the stuff quite frequently to acquaint myself first-hand with its effects and benefits.

Turns out, my favorite visionary chantress Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) was also an accomplished herbalist, and to her Galangal was “The Spice of Life”. About this wonderful root, not unlike ginger but more potent, she said “If there would be a herb to wake up the dead, then galangal would be the first choice.”

After my experience of it, I would not argue.

Hildegard von Bingen was partial to using Galangal for its beneficial affects on the heart (she recommended it for heart pain for instant relief, akin to nitroglycerine today). But she also used it for deafness, to tonify the liver, as an aid to digestion, and a dispeller of nervous energy and worry.

A notable effect I experience when I drink a strong tea of Galangal is that not only does it seem to open up my heart area, as I can readily feel more oxygen moving throughout my body, but it appears to affect my central nervous system with a relaxed kind of calm. It’s *not* a sedative. In fact, my energy goes through the roof. But it’s not a stimulant, either, as I feel completely relaxed and at ease… just full of life.

“Spice of Life” indeed.

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To Purchase Galangal

There are four different types of Galangal. The spice (a root) is commonly used in Thai cuisine, so if you can find a local source for Asian cooking you are likely to find Galangal. Failing that, just purchase online. But honestly, in my experience, most local grocers are very happy to provide whatever you request… if you are enthusiastically persuasive enough.

In my kitchen, we have a dried Galangal root of the type Kaempferia galanga, which was purchased online.

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And As Always, Add Fresh Greens…or Even Some Micro-Algae!

I’ll be adding some of my “RevitaPhi” super-greens/super-herb powder (from Elements for Life) to my next batch of Dream Team, but you could add fresh greens, spirulina, blue-green algae, or whatever your own super-green powder is. Use this recipe as a base for whatever kind of “super-hero” smoothie you’re in the mood to make. 

It just has that vibe — super vitalizing, but with a mild (though spicy!) flavor that will make many additions taste wonderful.

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Lemon juice made by running whole organic lemons through the juicer... rich, tart, and very lemony!

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I picked up a beautiful bunch of organic lemons this week and thought they’d make a great lemonade…which I incorporated into this extremely wakifying Live Green Smoothie recipe!

I juiced the lemons whole through the juicer, which allows me to get all those scrumptiously healthful bioflavanoids in the peel and pith, but you can bypass that step if you’re in a rush or feeling lazy and just squeeze the lemons by hand. Won’t taste the same, though… it’ll lack the flavor and energetic “zing” that comes from juicing them whole. But, well… it’s good to know one can take shortcuts when the day requires it. 

I used collard greens here, but if you don’t have collards on hand certainly you can substitute another mild-tasting dark leafy green instead. Parsley would taste great, spinach of course, and kale or baby romaine would also work.

As for the Goji Berries… hey, they’re the King of Health in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and any way you can slip some into your smoothies and other raw recipes is a great investment in your health, especially your immune system during these tricky times.

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