Now mind you this year it’s only for me  so the amounts are much smaller, but others will be curious and there’s enough to share.

Here’s my plan:

Turkeyless Turkey – adapted from Theresa

3/4 c almonds

1 c walnuts

1/2 lb carrots, grated

1/4 c or less chopped sweet onion

1/4 c raisins

2-3 t freshly grated ginger

1 t Italian Seasonings

1/2 – 1 t salt

2 T red wine

pepper

This is fab ground up in food processor – continue to blend and scrape down till moist and fluffy.

I’m going to shape it into a funky turkey leg as T suggests and place on small platter with colorful veggies and fruits.  What’s going to make this killer is the gravy.

Gravy – adapted from Juliano

2 miso soup packets

1 T red wine

2 t dried minced onion

4 T orange juice

5 T light olive oil

1/2 – 1 T minced garlic

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1 diced Medjool date

1 T Nama Shoyu – opt

1 T freshly grated ginger

1 t apple cider vinegar

Put all ingredients in a small Bullet blender, etc and whiz till thick and smooth.

Apple Salad -  from Pat

2 apples

1-2 T Veganaise

lemon juice

5 spice blend

1/2 -1 c pecans

1/2 c raisins

dash of living salt

Chop apples in processor to desired consistency. Place in bowl. Chop nuts the same. Place in bowl along with rest of ingredients – may choose to add raisins just before serving – they get soggy.

Sweet Potato Pie – from the Raw Ladies

CRUST:

1/2 lb pitted dates

1/2 c almonds

Pulse nuts first – add dates till ball forms. Press into bottom of 8 inch pie plate.

FILLING:

Peel and chop 1 1/2 sweet potatoes, toss in processor along with

3 dates

1/6 c honey

1/6 c unsweetened coconut

1/2  nutmeg

1/2 t lemon juice

3/4 t cinnamon or 5 spice blend

Process till very smooth and thick. Spoon over crust.

TOPPING:

chopped walnuts

Scatter on top. Refrigerate. This was served as a treat on my birthday to a dozen non raw food enthusiasts and it was consumed with delight by all .

Whatever your holiday entails enjoy it to it’s fullest – food is nice and we are blessed to have it. But the Love, enjoy the Love. Blessings to you all!

Why invest in an expensive juicer? It’s a valid thing to consider once you’re hooked.  A machine (like the Green Star) extracts more out of your produce, giving you drier pulp, cooler juice plus more liquid in your cup. . . .  and . . .

Tightly sealed mason jars,  filled to the top, in back of fridge  are  still enzyme intact and tasting fresh (unlike most juice extracted by other means) 4 days later – brilliant reminder Kathy D 

After I juice green concoction of spinach, cucumbers, celery, apples and ginger or pineapple for myself, a few more jars get tucked away away for hubby of primarily carrots, celery and apples.  His sweet tooth goes down along with caffeine consumption, when these are available. . . . I get beautiful nails

Next to that goes four days worth of green smoothies  (a favorite recipe is posted here in “Plan AHEed”)

Usually the kids enjoy some, too,  at their own pace without  fear of juice going bad.  Better for everyone.

There are many tricks of the trade – just this one is enough for some to say, “Hey, I can do THAT” !

All right, it’s your turn -

Let’s see what you’ve got – tell us how you K.I.S.S. !!!

So, I put this out to you who are travelers on a similar road.  What do you have on hand, as an inquiry recently came my way posed?  What helps you pull off this raw adventure with ease?  Ultimately, what we have on hand helps us pull off frequent favorites, last minute fill-ins and the ability to adapt.  All is good again.

What’s in My Pantry for . . . ????

Raw Pasta Sauce = fresh and dried tomatoes, fresh basil (growing out back) olive oil

Fresh Tomato Salad= great tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, celery,etc

Apple Salad = crisp apples, nuts or celery, veganaise(vegan mayo), lemon juice

Broccoli Salad= raw broccoli, raisins, fresh onion, honey, veganaise

Carrotuna=carrots!, celery and seeds,lemon juice,veganaise

Mock tuna= nuts, seeds, celery, spices, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil

Cashew Dip or Whipped Cream= raw cashews, spices, extract, fruit juice

Tabouli=Fresh parsley, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil

Green smoothies=spinach or kale, dates, frozen fruits, nuts, crisp apples

Fast food=bananas, papayas, avocados, apples, seasonal fruits, nuts, dehydrator leftovers in form of nutloaves, flaxseed crackers, “burgers”, fruit/veggie strips plain or loaded with nut butter or dip

Avocado Salsa= ripe haas, tomatoes, corn, olives, lime juice and spices

Guacamole=ripe haas, fresh or dried tomatoes, lime juice, onion, garlic, olive oil

Desserts= dates, nuts, raisins, maple syrup, fresh and frozen fruit

romaine lettuce for wraps instead of bread

beets to juice or roast

living salt and interesting spices

mixed greens and homemade dressings

sesame and sunflower seeds for interest and nutritional pop

juicing many of the above ingredients = alternative use

GREEN SMOOTHIE FOR DUMMIES :

It’s just that good and easy. Ingredients are proportioned for 8 cup high speed blender, you do the math.  Refer to Math for Dummies

Fill blender halfway with spinach or kale, somewhat packed (approx. 8 or 9 oz)

add 20 pitted dates, not sugared

less than 1/2 banana

1+ c frozen peaches or mango

1/4 c (ground in coffee mill) almonds

2 crisp apples

touch of apple juice concentrate,opt

pure water to liquefy – about up to the 5 cup line on mine:)

Blend till very smooth. Taste and tweak to your liking.

Keeps well in fridge for days in airtight container/s.

Google “green smoothies” for fun reading. See what clever concoctions people are devising with their greens

This how-raw-can-I-go experiment in awesome dining has levels of perfection beginning with a primarily green juice each morning.  Light eating, if at all, would be fruits till noon.  Digestive tract has had nice long overnite chill - often till noon.  Blood enriched by awesome chloryphil goodness from fiber free greens and cleansed by fruits. Gentle on the bod/gentle into the day.

Lunch perfection would be raw and vegan.  In the back of my mind lurks 30/70 ratio knowledge of concentrated foods to water based ones.  If  I wanted to lose weight here would be the place.  But, hunger rules.  Anything raw with substance will do.  Bring on dehydrator goodies, nut pates and nutrient dense desserts.  Maybe later I’ll return to “the ratio”  with interesting salad combos and a truffle or two. . . .

Drinking pure water upon rising and not too close to dining, allowing digestion to excel throughout my days.  This is an easy one for me.

Then, loving the big green thing for dinner by way of massive salad , topped with home made dressing or dark, rich olive oil and real salt – always a fave.  Here usually not going raw, but enjoying something cooked, something warm, something filling, something comforting, something vegan.  So many choises, so little time. . . .

I’m not sure if I’ve had an evening yet where I didn’t cheat by glass of wine with baked/bagged/snack  but should I get to THAT perfection, rest asured, you’ll be the first to know – sorry,  it’s what I do:)   So Good-to-be-Me.   I’m happy with less than, allowing myself to find my own groove.   By my own standards, just a month ago I’d be drooling to get to this place!

My present rule of thumb is:  raw vegan first, vegan second – raw prefered over cooked, vegetarian third – If I can’t reasonably do raw vegan then I try for vegan – if I can’t successsfully do that, then I opt for vegetarian.  So far, this has been working for me.  I hope somehow it’s helpful to you!

CURRY DRESSING

2/3 c olive oil

1/2 c lemon juice

4 large, pitted dates (medjool nice)

1 1/2 T curry powder

In blender on high till creamy and smooth

MOCK TUNA

3/4 c soaked sunfloer seeds (1/2 c raw seeds overnite in pure water)

1/2 c soaked almonds ( 1/3 c raw almonds overnite in pure water)

2 stalks diced celery

1 minced garlic clove

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t dry dill weed

1/4 t Herbamare seasoning

1-2 T olive oil

Process celery first – remove.  Process rest till consistancy of tuna.  Stir together. Real lemon juice and not omitting Herbamare seasoning makes all the difference in this easly little favorite.  Nice on Belgian endive leaves. Thanks  Jean at ezhealthydiet.com:) It’s a winner!

BWAAA

Last minute cleaning attempts to Hollywood Shine house succeed

YEAH

Aromatic goodness

Mingles with Italian zucchini strips , fruity crackers, onion crackers

Slowly shrink in dehydrator

Dinner anyone?

Spicy gazpacho,  creamy cashew dill dip,  green smoothies and more await . . . .

PS:

Julia Child’s example of using only the best and freshest ingredients in her recipes rings true.  Tragically, you just can’t deliver WOW results with fruits and vegetables of lesser quality. The taste/texture isn’t there and no amount of tweaking will ever make you as happy as the real deal:)  This cake is awesome and adapted from Juliano’s Uncook book:

CARROT CAKE

1/2 c almonds

1 cup soft dates

Process till forms a chunky or creamy ball – your choice

Press into bottom of pan with sides

Process till v smooth and spread evenly over crust:

1 c soft dates

1 lb of peeled, chunked carrots

1/2 c dried unsweetened coconut

up to 1/4 c fresh ginger pieces

up to 1/3 c soft raisins

Stir in to blend:

1 c walnuts

3/4 t cinnamon

1 t freshly grated nutmeg

Combine all in high speed blender and pour over:

1/2 c fresh orange juice

1/2 T grated orange rind (or dried)

1/2 T grated lemon rind (or dried)

6 soft dates

2 T or more fresh lemon juice (fresh here is best)

2 T cashews

Chill.  Keeps well.

Debraintheraw, if you’re still checking these posts I’ve been thinking for you….. the apple cobbler can be made v successfully without nuts as can this carrot cake recipe. Google Eric Rifkin, raw gourmet chef, for more substitution ideas / his presentations are terrific.

To some, my solution would still be perfection, to others – you know who you are – a great respect for the dilemma….. The chaser I hastened to make was with soymilk happily poured into awaiting blender followed quickly by several ripe bananas, freshly grated nutmeg and a dash of vanilla.  There I go again, practicing awesomeness!

Amazingly taken from Nigella:

Avocado and Green Pea Hummus

1 ripe Haas avocado

2 T lime juice

10 oz bag of frozen peas, thawed and drained

1/2 t real salt

Puree all in processor.

S & A

Well, in MY house it IS the norm. . . .  brandied bacon chicken, roasting alongside veggie crackers, warming in nearby dehydrator

Ahhhh

Such a life!

Today I couldn’t resist making a batch of raw pasta sauce for myself and indulging:) I guess I’m a bit like Nigella in a raw -  foodist – freakish sort of way.  A yummy batch of anything superbly made in it’s uncooked state does sort of make me a bit weak in the knees and I tend to slobber on about it . . .

Beat this English Girl:

Truffles

2 c walnuts

2 T peanut butter

1/4 c dark cocoa powder

1/4 c xylitol crystals

1/3 c maple syrup or more

1 T vanilla

1/2 t or more 5 spice blend

1 t Bragg’s

Process nuts into fine meal,  add rest till rolls around in processor like the  lovely, big, brown ball which it is

Form into truffles and roll in mixture of xylitol, cocoa powder and 5 spice.

Keep in container – most flavorful at room temp

Drool, drool, drool

Right!

The salad we share, being:

Crispy hunks of romaine/baby arugula/roasted beet julienne slices/ brown sesame seeds

topped with a lovely(there’s that word again) orange vinaigrette

Apple Cobbler

4 apples, 3 sliced thinly, 1 chopped

1/2 c raisins

1 T cinnamon or 5 spice blend

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t real salt

2 c pecans or walnuts

1 c pitted dates

In blender/processor,  zap all  but sliced apples, nuts and dates – till smooth.

Pour over sliced apples in pan with sides.

Pulse nuts till fine, add dates till evenly mixed.

Crumble over sauce.

May dehydrate 105 a few hours to warm or not

Great with “whipped cream”

Whipped Cream

1 1/2 c cashews

1/2 c fresh orange juice

2 T maple syrup

a few drops of almond or rum extract

There are many variations on this – all are great.

Whir in blender till forms thick puree – may need more liquid – water is fine -

Check flavor to suit your tastebuds

Also good on:

Puddin’:

2 ripe haas avocados

1/2 c cocoa powder or carob powder

almost 3/4 c maple syrup

1/2 t almond extract

pinch of real salt

Process all till very smooth – great as parfaits layered with “whipped” you-know-what.

Chill,  really

Puddin’ is my very favorite, “You’ll never guess what’s in this . . . ,”  recipe

It’s fantastic to partake of nutrient rich, fiber-filled, digestable protein diguised as dessert foods like this for lunch – isn’t it????

Today

The green drink was bland

The lasagna too sweet

However,  I reminded myself that – of course there would be days like this – and puttered on

As part of my raw regime, I am opting for cooked vegan entrees in evening

MICHELLE’S PEA CURRY

Saute one sliced sweet onion till soft in light olive oil

Season with Penzy’s Singapore seasoning (shop www.penzys.com) if you have it and curry.  Heavily.

Add 1-2 t minced garlic

one lg bag defrosted frozen peas

S&P

crumbled tofu

Heat through – serve over hot brown rice and savor.

simple & awesome

Carnivores can saute onions with butter and oil, use cottage cheese instead of tofu and opt to add grilled chicken:D

Penzy’s Spices though not organic are terrific.  Worth checking out online – I love visiting their little store in St Paul.