Thursday, January 29, 2009

big snow, warm food



we had our big snow yesterday
and it was very exciting to see it fall and fall and fall...
the children were all gleeful as the schools closed down
and they had a wonderful snow day, even moe
the yorkie, had lots of fun bounding in the fluff...
coming in shaking off and begging to go back out again
i can't tell you how i felt about the poor kitchen, sigh.
well at least moe was a happy boy- thru & thru.

so, full of winter giddiness, i decided to make some pot pies
raw food extraordinaire to keep warm and full and happy.
here is the before:


i still had pie crust toppers to add to two bowls
and i popped them in the dehydrator for another 2 hrs
it looked like this finished:



and tasted divine!
THIS is a comfort food, to be sure.
the crust was buttery and flaky tho raw vegan,
and the filling was creamy and tasty. oh yum!
a perfect way to eat winter vegetables.

alas, i just put it together without measuring or writing anything down
(i know, i know, baaad snowdrop!!)
but i intend to make this again real soon-
and this time with documentation
because it really is too good to be missed.

this morning i saw the sun sparkling across the landscape and just for a moment i was in that dr zhivago scene where they wake up in that country place in mid winter. just beautiful!!!!

well that photo looks colder than i remember feeling
when i watched that movie!! :)
i thought i remembered the sun shining ...

enough rambling. i need to get some stuff done here today
else i will never get my book to you!
have a wonderful happy and sparkly day everyone!
xo
snowdrop

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Beauty of Color


who says you must wait for spring to get some color?
aren't pomegranates just lovely to behold (and eat)?

when raw fooders blend all their food together it looks kinda like ... mud.
so just leave things as they come out of the 'package' sometimes,
it's soooo pretty!

i did do a few recipes up this week tho-
a pleasant sweet tortilla for lunch (actually 2 :) )



some spicy chili:

with cashew sour cream, nacho cheese, and salsa on top
i didn't take the time to make this one real pretty
as i was too hungry to play with my food... just chow it down.
oh yummo! this was just the thing on a cold, cold day!

and vanilla lavender ice cream with a teff brownie:

the brownie recipe that i found online was a bit problematic
for me but in the end it turned out all right. especially with
some special treat ice cream.
it was funny- after i made the ice cream, i washed out the drum
and put it out on the deck to re-freeze. it was -5 F last nite.

time for some more spicy chili, hahahaha :)

i was looking at some photos of warmer days yesterday
and was thinking what a wonderful thing photography is, really.
so much quicker than painting :)



and the colors stay fresh long after the flowers have faded and died.












enjoy today <3
stay well and happy!
xo
snowdrop

Thursday, January 15, 2009

it's here!!!


the new issue of purely delicious

and my article within, including such recipes as
miso soup
porcini ravioli in cream sauce
rosemary olive bread
pomegranate & cream cupcakes
photos and all!


yippeeee!
if you want to subscribe to this magazine it comes out 4x a year.
i don't publish it but i know the wonderful girl who does.

i have been working on finishing the detail work
to get my book 'raw delights' ready for the publisher,
and i have been making good progress.
soon baby soon!!!!

it is the coldest week we have had all winter
and i am so glad to be warm by the wood stove.
the seed catalogs are beginning to arrive in my mailbox
and thoughts of gentle spring are tantalizing me.
i am looking forward to getting the garden ready
as soon as the weather allows for it.
meanwhile i will leaf thru these booklets
sighing at the the organic seed photos beckoning to me.
i have saved a goodly amount of seed from the plants i have grown
by saving 2-3 fruits or seed heads. as long as i keep the seed
free of humidity they grow even years later.
it makes sense doesn't it... pharaohs tomb had seeds that
were viable many many years after being picked.
just keep 'em dry!

well i suppose i need to get back to the editing work.
i just had to share my joyful news of the article...
stay well and stay warm! dream of happy things.
xo
snowdrop

Monday, January 12, 2009

do you like peanut butter crackers?

i found this in my recipe storehouse
and cannot remember where i first saw it-
but it combines the crisp and the creamy
for an undeniably delightful combo
like peanut butter crackers............... but chocolate!

Chocolate Chia Crackers
Yield 1 tray

1 cup chia seeds
2 cups water
Juice of 1 orange
1 apple, cored & chopped
1/4 cup raw chocolate powder
2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
6 dates, pitted
dash Himalayan crystal salt

Soak your chia seeds for 30 minutes in a large bowl with 1 1/2 cups of the water. Blend the remaining ingredients (including the remaining 1/2 cup of water) together. Add the blended mixture to the bowl with soaked chia seeds and stir to mix. Break up any chia seed clumps with your rubber spatula or spoon. Let the mixture sit (as is) for 15-30 minutes.

Spread the mixture on a dehydrator tray lined with a non-stick paraflex sheet and score to desired size. (For a thinner cracker, divide between two trays.) Dehydrate at 135 degrees for 60 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 105 degrees and dehydrate another 6-8 hours. Flip crackers onto another tray without a paraflex sheet and peel off the paraflex sheet being used. Dehydrate another 6-10 hours, or until you reach your desired dryness.


Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Spread

Yield 1 1/4 cups

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
3 tablespoons raw chocolate powder
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 cup cashews
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
pinch Himalayan crystal salt

Process all of the ingredients in a food processor, fitted with the "S" blade, until creamy.

hope you enjoy this easy duo
xo
snowdrop

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

smile! it's validation!

oh, this made me so happy when i viewed it.
i simply must post it for my blogger friends.
what a delight! enjoy!



"Validation" is a fable about the magic of free parking. Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis. Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne. Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.


have a great day all!
xo
snowdrop

Thursday, January 1, 2009

cleanse anyone?


i never can find my master cleanse directions when i need them...
so i decided to post it here on my blog so i can find it
hahahahaa!

i found i grew to really love this drink
i call it my lemon drop martini cleanse. :)


The Master Cleanser
Stanley Burrough's Lemonade Diet

I'm not sure why, but there's been a growing interest in The Lemonade Diet lately. Maybe people are curious, or maybe they've heard how well it actually works, so let's take a closer look at this so-called "diet." We'll explain what it is, how it works, and some cautions you should know about too.

First, this is not technically a diet in the traditional sense of the word. The Lemonade Diet is more of a juice fast or a body cleanse or detox since you're living on lemonade for the entire time. You're not eating food of any kind -- not even soup.

The Lemonade Diet is also known as The Master Cleanser. It was originally created by the now deceased naturopath Stanley Burroughs. The diet was created to help rid your body of toxins that build up when you don't exercise or eat right. It's designed to help clear and clean your body's digestive tract, kidneys, and liver, while carrying out all the bad stuff that's settled in over time.

Some say this diet works so well that most people can lose up to two pounds of fat each day without any harmful side effects. In fact, one of the reasons it might be gaining in popularity is because of the success a few celebrities have had with it.

Below is the central recipe for the diet, which you'll find to be simple but specific.


1. Two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. This is approximately 1/2 of a lemon, and it should be freshly squeezed.

2. Two tablespoons grade B maple syrup. If you're diabetic and/or you're wanting lose some serious weight, you may need to reduce the amount of syrup.

3. A pinch of cayenne pepper, approximately 1/10 of a teaspoon. You can skip putting this in your lemonade and take a capsule three or four times a day instead. I'll warn you, though: Taking cayenne capsules on an empty stomach burns.

Mix the above ingredients into a 10 ounce glass with distilled or spring water. The water can be hot or cold. Next step is drinking it!

Do this six to ten times each day (6-10 glasses of lemonade each day).

This is the basis of The Lemonade Diet. But there's more to it, of course. Namely, you want to eliminate waste from your body, so you're supposed to use natural laxatives. Drink a laxative herbal tea in the morning and evening.

You can drink as much water or unsweetened herbal tea as you'd like throughout the day on top of your lemonade. According to Burroughs, the lemon juice and maple syrup have all the nutrients your body needs for this temporary fasting period, and the cayenne pepper will help boost your metabolism so the fat is burned faster.

Most people try this cleanse for three to ten days.

Warning: Like most low-calorie detox programs, the weight will come off like crazy, but it'll also go right back on again if you resume your pre-Lemonade Diet eating habits.

If you decide to try The Lemonade Diet, it's important to follow the steps and it's very important to come off the diet properly. When you go for extended periods of time without solid food, you have to slowly introduce solid foods back into your system.

Usually you start with soups and other liquids first, like freshly made juices and smoothies, then gradually move back into normal eating from there. Trying to eat "normally" after having been on the fast for a while will make you very sick.


the thing i found out later, much later
is that there is a salt water flush that is supposed to be used in conjunction with the lemon drink.
ok here is how that goes...
upon waking first thing in the morning
drink 1 quart (yes, 4 cups) of water with 2 level tsp of sea salt (non iodized!) stirred in well.
drink all at once or as close to it as possible
yes it's yucky.
[ i add a little bit of nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) to flavor it and find it tastes like weak miso soup that is how i was able to get it down.]

do not drink any lemon drink for at least 1/2 hour after drinking the salt water.

note!
approx 1/2 - 1 hour after drinking the salt water
you will have to RUN to eliminate
the urge is strong and quick so stay near a toilet for 1-1/2 hrs.
then you will be safe to carry on with your day.
so plan accordingly.

they also recommend to take a cup of laxative tea at night before going to bed.
sometimes i did ...and sometimes i wanted to sleep in a bit more than the tea would let me... so i didn't take it. my bad!

shopping list:

about 40 large lemons or 80 limes or any combination
(buy 1/2 batch at a time as they spoil)

80 oz maple syrup (grade b is best)

1/2 pound celtic sea salt

2.5 oz cayenne pepper powder

box herbal laxative tea bags

5 gallons or more of spring water (NO fluoride added) for lemonade

3 gallons 1 pint spring water (NO fluoride added) for salt water flush and cup of lax tea


i have a pdf on the MC for you that i might actually be able to successfully link here.

here is the recipe i use to make a day's worth:

3 or 4 lemons (depending on size), peeled
12 tablespoons Maple Syrup - (=3/4 cup)
1/2 to 3 heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
You can always increase the amount on your next batch if it is not "hot' enough for you
2 cups spring water

Put all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend away for about 45 seconds.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart container.

Top the container with additional spring water until you get exactly 60 oz. Please be reminded that each lemonade drink is equivalent to 10 oz (water - 8 oz, maple syrup and lemon juice - 1 oz, respectively for a total of 10 oz).

Now you have a total of 6 drinks available in the container. This is the minimum number of drinks you must have on the Master Cleanse.
~~~~~


it's a new year!
make it your best year ever-
xo
snowdrop