40:100 swine flu, eek!

40:100 swine flu, eek!



yesterday we got a report that a 40 yr old woman died in our
small local hospital from the swine flu.
on wednesday i came across 3 people at their homes who
had been diagnosed for h1n1. (i didn't go in- left asap)
i was rubbing my 4 thieves oil on my hands every few hours!!

then this morning i woke to the report that 19 more children
had perished from the same last week.
how important it is for us all to maintain proper hygiene during this time.
eat well with lots of fresh fruits & veggies, get rest, sunshine, pure water,
plenty of cleaning & hand washing, etc...
health seems to be on everyone's mind these days.

we just got back from a weekend of spiritual encouragement
and learned how not to neglect our spiritual health.
so many of the same principles apply when it comes to our minds and hearts
keeping proper spiritual hygiene. how important that is also!

today the sun shines here brilliantly
and i intend to get my full 15 minutes of vitamin d
perhaps i will do my Bible reading out on the deck
before i get to scrubbing my house
on this wonderful monday morning.

stay safe & healthy my friends,
making sure of the more important things!
xoxo
snowdrop

20:100 where do vegans get their calcium?

are 100 days 1/5th complete already???
funny thing, perspective...
1/5th sounds so much farther along than 80 days to go :)
how are YOU doing?

it is cold & wet
summer is soooo over :(
but we have some beautiful leaves to look at
while shivering in our sweaters.


here is a quickie answer to
one of the questions that vegans get asked alot:

where do vegans get their calcium?

Vegetables vs. Dairy

(Calcium in Milligrams per 100 Calories)

arugula - 1300

spinach - 450

broccoli - 387

romaine lettuce - 257

cucumber - 108

vs

milk (2 percent) - 245

whole milk - 190

cheddar cheese - 179

american cheese - 160

interesting, huh?
thought you'd like that :)



ok, many things to do- see you soon!
xoxo
snowdrop

Raw Porcini Ravioli in Cream Sauce: recipe!!

i am sharing a recipe from my new book "raw delights" today.
i'm still working on making the perfect cover, so no, it's not published yet...
i am accepting cover ideas at this time :)



Raw Porcini Ravioli in Cream Sauce
Makes approx. 12 ravioli serves 2

If you cannot find dried porcini mushrooms, use a grocery store dried mushroom medley.

Wrapper:
Ingredients:
1-2 turnips

Directions:
Peel the turnips if you wish, or just scrub them well. Slice the turnips into very thin slices, by using a spiral slicer, mandolin or other vegetable slicer to make thin round disks. These will be used as the wrapper, which would normally be the pasta dough.


Porcini filling:
Ingredients:
1/2 oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms (or a medley: porcini, shitake, oyster, bolet) looks like about 1/2 cup dry in volume.

Flavored Soaking liquid:
1/4 cup Spring Water
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Raw Tamari
1 tablespoon White Wine
1/8 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Veggie puree:
1 Parsnip
1 tablespoon Onion, minced
1 small clove Garlic
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions:
1. Rinse the dried mushrooms, discarding the rinse water, drain.
2. Soak mushrooms in flavored soaking liquid let stand an hour, stirring a few times until softened.
3. Drain mushrooms lightly, saving any leftover liquid for later.
4. Chop drained mushrooms in food processor until a fine chop achieved.
5. In a small bowl add chopped mushrooms.
6. Process parsnip, garlic, and onion in food processor until fine puree is achieved, put in a separate small bowl.
7. Add 1 teaspoon of the cream sauce to the puree, stirring to make it stick together a little.

Directions for assembling the ravioli:
1. Remove a single turnip slice from the batch.
2. Place about a half teaspoon of parsnip puree filling in one side of the turnip slice.
3. Then add a half teaspoon of the mushroom mixture on top of the puree.
4. Brush the other side with the soaking liquid and fold the turnip over until all the sides meet. Squeeze the edges together. If you don't have enough filling in them they will not stick together.
5. Place them in a single layer on a teflex sheet.
6. Dehydrate set to 105 degrees until warmed through and softened.

Cream Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Cashews, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, and drained
1/2 cup Spring Water
1 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Agave Nectar
1 teaspoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon light Miso
1/2 teaspoon Onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Nutmeg
Pinch of White Pepper

Directions:
1. Blend and blend until smooth. If you need to -thin it with a few drops of water until the perfect sauce consistency is achieved.

2. To serve: Puddle the cream sauce on the plate, gently lay ravioli on top and garnish with tiny parsley mincing around the edge of the plate.
Serving suggestion: A bowl of deep green spinach salad polka dotted with black sundry olives and dehydrator "roasted" red pepper strips.


i hope you enjoy this recipe, it is one of the more fancy raw food dishes
that i use on special occasions, i do not eat fancy meals every day.
but every now and then it is so nice to have a gourmet dish,
especially when you are trying to impress a "not-raw" loved one.

have lots of fun today and eat plenty of yummy raw foods :)
xo
snowdrop

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

organic or not?

$$

too bad it is costly to eat foods that are not genetically modified or drenched in poisons.
many times i ponder in the produce aisle, which to buy, especially when the price margin is large
and i have been given a little help in deciding whether it is in the budget this week or not.
you may have seen the 'dirty dozen' floating around on the internet. i have also seen it, benefited by it, and thought i would incorporate it into today's blog.
of course in the sweet sweet summer it is so much easier to grow your own or go to the farmers markets, but as the days get shorter and the nights more frigid, it seems anything fresh and green and juicy- costs alot more.
so here is the list of the dirty dozen- the bad guys to avoid when your $$'s allow.

The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic

If you have budget constraints, your money is doing more for your health when you put it towards organic varieties of the following fruits and vegetables (listed in descending order, starting with greatest levels pesticide contamination):

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Imported grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes

The Cleanest 12: Save Your Money & Buy Conventional

If going totally organic is too difficult or pricey, play it safe and eat the following conventional produce items to minimize your exposure. These ,are known to have the least amount of pesticide residue (listed in ascending order, starting with of lowest levels of pesticide contamination):

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas (frozen)
8. Kiwis
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Papaya

good eats to you!!
:)
snowdrop

creamy dreamy ranch dressing & dip recipe

"so if you only eat raw foods, that means you just eat salads, right?"

that is a huuuge misunderstanding that i have been presented with often.
one of the reasons i am putting together a recipe book is to make
raw eating a delight to the palate, to have exciting meals, and to avoid monotony.
hence, i have been re-creating many cooked food recipes into the raw genre.
i have had a call for recreating dairy based recipes especially from
those who are lactose intolerant but miss it dreadfully. is it even possible?



this brings me back to the salad question
even though i eat a large variety of foods prepared in an even larger array-
i still do like my salads. but if you are eating out you can't always
make the salad as interesting as you can when you are at home.
so when i travel or eat out i usually bring along my salad excitement in a jar....
the dressing.
a creamy dressing can satisfy a need that just greens alone cannot,
and to answer the question... how can i have my ranch and eat it too-
i joyfully present my:

creamy dreamy ranch dressing & dip

for those missing that hidden valley feeling. soak time 1-2 hrs
5 Minutes to Prepare

Ingredients

1-1/2 c nuts (cashew or mac or combo)
soak them for a creamier dressing (1-2 hr is fine, then drain)
3/4 - 1 c filtered water for blending
3 T lemon juice
(translates into approx 1/2 lemon)
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T agave ( or 3 soaked dates)
2 cloves garlic
1 t garlic pwd
3 t onion powder
1 t dill
1 T sea salt
1/2 t basil
and to add after it's done:
1/4 c finely minced parsley
additionally, 1/2 t dill, minced

Directions
makes 3 cups
serving size 2 T
high speed blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth except the last 2 (parsley & dill)
then once blended, stir in the last 2 ingredients.
thickens in fridge.
thin to desired consistency if using as a dressing- or toss into wet lettuce leaves as is.

Number of Servings: 24

Variations
Add a few drops of natural smoke flavor for that ‘bacon ranch’ flavor
Grind lots of pepper & add 2 T nutritional yeast for’ peppercorn Parmesan ranch’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

enjoy a happy salad
or dipping your veggies!




till next time!
snowdrop