Thursday, December 31, 2009

So I have been thinking about what to leave in 2009 as we enter a wonderful new year full of possibilities. I will leave anger and negative feeling that I can't seem to shake against some family members and so called "friends". This is a beautiful time. It ushers in newness. That makes me happy. This is the year I intend for us to conquer stage IV metastic pancreatic cancer once & for all. This will happen. I intend to have a year of positive changes, experiences & knowledge. All of the craziness of 2009 stays in 2009. I visualize it like standing at the water's eadge on a beach with the waves rolling in, seagulls chattering & salt air wisping around me. This to me is paradise it is also how I choose to see this brand new year! It is the end of a decade. The beginning of everything..a turning point. How do youchoose to visualize this new year? Remember that the universe listens so manifest something positive! Happy Healthy new Year!

Monday, December 21, 2009

vegan sweet potato salad

I made up a yummy recipe. It was influenced by a wonderful sweet potato salad I had last week while eating out at our favorite organic vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurant. It was Sweet potato salad and I just couldn't get enough of it so I tried to replicate it.

2 cups small purple/blue potatoes boiled and sliced
2 medium sweet potatoes boiled and sliced
2 stalks celery chopped
3 tbs. veganaise
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
walnuts to taste..I used about 1/3 cup

Boil all of the potatoes for about 30 minutes or until you can poke them easily with a knife. The tiny purple/blue potatoes boil faster. No need to peel the purple/blue potatoes but do peel the sweet potatoes and slice them all. Chop the celery and combine it with the potatoes in a bowl. Add the veganaise, mustard & walnuts and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and continue mixing. Enjoy. I love veganaise and walnuts and think I probably could have used a bit more of both but it like the nutmeg is to your personal preference. This is a healthy tasty alternative to the regular potato salad offerings and it has a great flavor. Good for the holidays. It is pretty too!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Walnut tacos/tortillas

The idea and walnut mixture recipe came from the raw foods book Rawvolution.

Walnut Mixture

1 1/2 cups walnuts- finely ground in a food processor
1 1/2 tsp. cumin & chilli pepper
3/4 tsp. ground corriander
2 tbs. Nama Shoyu

Mix all together or put it all in a food processor together.

Salsa

2-3 Roma tomatoes, sliced or chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. ground corriander
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
yellow onion to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor and process into a salsa

lettuce leaves shredded or torn (I like butter or red lettuces)
black olives
1 avocado sliced
sprouted corn torillas (I like Food for Life brand)

Arrange lettuce ,black olives & avocado slices on the tortilla and top with walnut mixture & salsa.
If you want it 100% raw omit the tortilla and serve on a whole lettuce leaf or cabbage leaf. Serve! This should make 4-5 servings

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Easy dinner of Zucchini Hummus

Zucchini Hummus recipe from Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people by Jennifer Cornbleet

1 zucchini chopped & peeled (I do not peel it)
2 tbs. raw tahini
2tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. crushed garlic (1 clove) (I use 2)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt

I add a dash of chili pepper flakes and extra lemon juice

Put it all in a food processor with the S blade and process until smooth. The mini food processors work well for this but if you are needed to make enough for more than 2 people don't use a mini and remember that this recipe makes 2 servings. The mini food processors or mini choppers as my sisters call them can be found at Target for around $10.
I serve this with Whole Wheat Pita bread for dipping, a butter lettuce leaf, tomato slices, black olives and 1/2 of an avocado split between my husband and myself. It is a filling yummy lunch or dinner. Now Garbanzo bean hummus instead with whole wheat pita would make a complete protein but also a cooked meal. If you want a completely raw meal from this omit the pita and use the lettuce leaf or a cabbage leaf to dip & eat this hummus. Yum!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Power of Intention

I have been bad about posting. We are simply busy right now. Lots of new and wonderful stuff going on in our lives. I am constantly amazed by the fact that we always seem to have what we need and things just kinda fall right into place for us. Now, we are big believers in the power of intention and manifestation. Lately so many things that we set our intentions on are coming into our lives. A big example is this...We have taken different forms of meditation in the past but my work schedule changed which meant I couldn't go to class any more. My husband still goes and I know enough to practice on my own but it never felt the same on my own. I was longing for a group to sit in silence with. I missed that shared feeling and positive energy. We also have been exploring spiritual paths. In order to properly heal, I believe that a spiritual path is necessary. So a few weeks ago we found it all in one group. It is amazing. I am growing my practice of mindful meditation and living. I am getting the shared community feeling and unbelievable positivity that I was longing for as well as a new spiritual pathway that seems to fit our new lifestyle. One of the members of this group is hosting a New Year's Eve party and the group is invited. I don't know this person but I am looking very forward to meeting him b/c he studied with Gabrielle Cousens I am told. We are starting out on a new dietary path of raw foods and here this man studied with one of the gurus of this diet. What are the odds? We needed a place to go on New Year's eve too. One great manifestation leads right into another. It is amazing. Ask,Believe, Receive..wiser words have never been spoken. We learned this by watching The Secret. Some people might think it is woo woo crap but an open mind knows better. Are we blessed...yes! Do we bless ourselves....yes!
"courage-specifically the courage to be, just as we are, right here, right now, with all our doubts and uncertainties. Facing experience directly opens us to the possibility of recognizing that whatever we experience-love, loneliness, hate, jealousy, joy, greed, grief and so on-is, in essence, an expression of the fundamentally unlimited potential of our buddha nature." Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche from Joyful Wisdom.
Have a positive day!