34:100 goals

34:100 goals

so we are 1/3 into the 100 day challenge...
have you challenged yourself to be a better person, live a better life?
if you have challenged yourself i heartily congratulate you!!
you have also been stepping outside your comfort zone then.
how's that feeling for you?
are you like me, and finding that the momentary discomfort
leads to great satisfaction and joy?
it's great to have attainable goals.



keeping a journal is very helpful in being able to go back and seeing
all the positive results that may slip by the wayside
with all the flurry of daily activity... go back and read it
you will suddenly remember why all the changes you have chosen
to pursue were so important to you
and help strengthen your resolve to continue.
if you make bite sized goals they are easier to accomplish
and soon you have done a bunch of them, leading to great feelings
and then you seem to zoom ahead happily.
if your goal is too large, it is easy to give up overwhelmed.
so have do-able goals and feel confident- because you can do it!



i think i may have perfected the raw vegan salmon recipe

now i will have an outside source test it out and see if it works as well for them too.
if so, i will be putting it into my book "raw delights".
i am still searching for some great cover ideas
since i am still stuck on this and really need it to move forward.
suggestions welcome! :)

on yesterday's blog i mentioned korean fermented black garlic
in hindsight i was thinking perhaps it was regular garlic
and turned black during the fermentation process.
if anybody has any knowledge on this please pipe up
and let me know :)

ok, time to get moving again
have a wonderful healthy day
xoxo
snowdrop

33:100 darth garlic

33:100
on my weekly shopping excursion i came across
something brand new to me.

black garlic

so i bought it ($$) and figured i would eat one head
and plant the other (it's garlic planting time here.)
should've had my glasses on.
blind i am without them, the older i get the more mr. magoo. :(
so long story short- it is fermented for 1 month (totally unplantable)
but fermented is good, no? fermented is ok in raw-world.
so i took a pic for you- it comes from korea (hence the $$)

it feels to the touch like roasted garlic. i have yet to taste it.
but it's a new discovery to me and if it's any good
i will search the seed catalogs to find it to plant myself.
i have a book on fermenting, so i'll figure it out.

then i made a quick dinner

zucchini in cream sauce (some cashew sour cream from the fridge)
some D roasted mushrooms, garlic, fresh peas, red pepper...
and something i have been working on this week
raw vegan salmon. it tastes so much like fish i did a double take.
i am not completely satisfied with the texture but think i can adjust it.
i have been thinking about the better lox choice
and do have a smoked lox for bagels in my book "raw delights"
but this may just replace that recipe. stay tuned :)

my week on really intensely raw has not only shown in my 5# weight loss
yaay!
but also in my loose jeans
and that my constant headaches have been cut in half.
:)
i have more stamina
and have been in a better mood.
and except for that one night of crazy cravings
i have been able to do this without going nuts. :)
...i know that the addition of more greens
would have allayed the cravings, and i am keeping all full
of green smoothie, and as soon as my baby wheatgrass is tall enough..
wheatgrass juice.

so off i go now to clean the kitchen
type some proposals and iron some laundry.
have a good rest of the day all
xoxo
snowdrop

21:100 a few good lunches

21:100 a few good lunches


veggie pasta with peso & pine nuts


tiffin container lunch on the go-
bottom: fiesta flax bread, garlic almond mayo, red baby bell pepper, cole slaw
top:ginger snap cookie, strawberries, granola, peach compote


cole slaw, "blt" flax bread, garlic almond mayo,
tomato slices, eggplant bacon


dehydrator pot pie


raw veggie chili, nacho cheese, macadamia sour creme, salsa


another tiffin lunch: salad, strawberry macaroons, fruit bites, marzipan
(that day i was in a sweets mood mostly)


choccie wrap, almond butter, agave, sliced bananas, cacao powder
(ok, i ate 2)


collard wrap filled with carrot beet salad


another tiffin lunch: salad, strawberry macaroons, fruit bites, marzipan
(so, i was in a sweets mood, is that so wrong???)


spinach risotto stuffed tomatoes

here are just a few lunch ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

and remember, there is no set "lunch" food, and any foods can be
for lunch, if it pleases you. :) yummy it up some!
eat well!

xoxo
snowdrop

13:100 creating

apron on and in the kitchen creating....



funny how the ideas just keep coming

i was always afraid i only had one recipe in me

not so!

it cuts both ways though-

just when i think i am done with adding recipes

to publish my book 'raw delights'...

i get a day like today

and can't stop myself!




*maybe i can team up with somebody
to do the publishing part
and get this thing done already!

off to the kitchen then :)

have a good one-
xoxo
snowdrop

7:100 ...like candy from a baby

7:100
just got done making 4 batches of candy... caramels with pecans folded in, coconut creams, maple creams, and orange creams. all hand dipped in chocolate. (the candy is not for me you silly-heads) 2x a year i make it as gifts for people who have sworn to me they cannot live without them. haha! i think they are lying. but...

(a batch of strawberrry truffles from a candymaking past...)

the caramels went to my fave local restaurant chef & staff that caters to my vegan-ness and preps special dishes just for me when i come in... outrageous!
it is a beef house no less.
my dh's fave place to go whenever he wants to eat out or take some friends out.
they have a fantastic salad bar.
i just put my creamy garlic dressing into a little candy-making squeeze bottle w/cap, which fits nicely into my purse, and have a great salad... better than anyone else's for sure!

alas, those candies were not raw products,
so i had better make a 5th and raw batch of candy . suggestions?
(yes, this one is for meeee ...& whoever visits me that eats raw too....)

(raw chocolate mint truffles & raw orange confection...)

(mixed raw candies, raw marzipan...)


here i am a week into the 100 day challenge
and i am loving those spring rolls and all things portabella.
i have a batch of mixed grain bagels just finishing up in the D,
and am thinking a nice creamy cashew cheese topper would be
a fine thing to make for when they come out all warm and yummy.
i also have made a batch of granola with undertones of almond,
which was especially wonderful over a sliced fresh
peach w/agave drizzled and nutmeg sprinkled that i let soften in the D
and snorked down one chilly evening.
the granola with almond milk is my breakfast these days

almond milk recipe
from my upcoming book "raw delights"

1 cup almonds, soaked
1/4 vanilla bean
pinch of sea salt

in blender, add ingredients & fill blender to 4 cup mark w/water
blend well, strain thru a nutmilk bag.
add a squirt of agave and a few ice cubes,
stir and pour into a 1 qt glass bottle.


life's good.

gotta blitz the house as this weekend i have company coming.
off i go!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxoxo
snow

100:100

1:100
good morning!
i started off the 100 day kick-off with a bang!
i had made my dh some sausage w/onions & peppers for dinner
and the next day's lunch from an organic raised pig raised by his brother (thanks!)
so i decided to make the counterpart in raw vegan
and was very happy with the way it turned out.
my first task was to make it TASTE good
then to make it LOOK good too.
i succeed in both arenas :) yaaay!

i used pecans mostly as the base and then added some onion & apple
with spices and garden grown herbs. i was so happy with it!
now i am going back in my mind to recall the amounts of the ingredients
so i can make it again very soon.
i will be adding this recipe to the book "raw delights" for certain!
i found some wonderful fruit at the market and now my fruit bowl looks just bursting with goodness & overflowing- i had to eat the top nectarine cause it kept rolling off the top of the heap ;)
99 days to go!

2:100
that was yesterday, this is today
on my to do list :
make flax tortillas in the D
start sprouting some rye berries (craving some of alyssa's bagels)
make some cashew "cheese"

i still have 1 serving of the pecan sausage left
i have been rolling up a couple of spoonfuls in my garden grown romaine lettuce leaves.
they grew plentifully this year in my garden, and i am so glad!
i am still all bent out of shape that all my tomatoes were touched with the blight and rotted before ripening. grrrrr! i also need to get out to the garden & get it fall ready. i have a few enormous sunflowers growing in one corner who's stems are as thick as my arm, no kidding- they are at least 11 feet tall!!!

off to start some raw yummies for this week.
it always helps to have a plan- it boosts your success rate in a large way.
have a good one!
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

marzipan!!!

see how quickly i got your attention with that one word?
:)
i am on the prowl for some good chocolate
and was remembering back when my oma would bring some incredibly delicious chocolates from germany
with the almond-y marzipan inside... makes my knees weak just thinking...
i decided to give it a whirl in the raw arena
and so far so good-
i am now waiting for the cacao butter to liquefy in the D
to mix the coating, the little squares of raw marzipan are cooling their jets in the freezer while i wait.
they look darling and i would have had more than 2 dozen if i had left the batter alone
instead of taste taste taste mmmmmm!
if it works out as good as i think it will be one of the recipe latecomers in the new book 'raw delights'

the rain is melting all my beautiful white snow away and down to the stream,
the mud begins.
but not for real i don't think- because it isn't even march yet, and all the good snowmobile trips get done in march.
so it's a 'false labor' kind of spring.
meanwhile my little yorkie moe needs a good rinse down every time he goes outside.

ok this was just a quickie post
i hope to get a better one in shortly.
xo
snowdrop



post script..
the marzipan was a little too dry and i need to adjust the recipe for a bit more moisture...
but i am not going to be leaving any on the plate to rot :) yummy!

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

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

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

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

new things

feeling a little at odds with yourself?

everywhere around me people are focusing on the new year
and a new way of life to improve their own physical,
mental, and spiritual beings.
health... well being... happiness... and plenty other goals
yearned for and yet rarely reached.
it's not as easy as putting it on your to-do list.

it kind of reminds me of the i'll start the diet monday' way of thinking.
resolutions rarely stick. how many people have stopped smoking
every jan 1...
only to need to again by the next day, week, month, year.
real change comes from a deeper place.


i have found a nice little freebie dealing with successfully making changes,
here is a link for a free pdf that may help.
i found some useful info in it. it's called:
The Power Of Me 5 steps to personal success

here are a few more new things i have found this week:

today, i came across a new website the all raw directory,
that helps people searching all things raw,
and it looks really useful! i even signed up my blog & website.


new issue of purely delicious!
with a surprise from me inside ;)

with all the things you look forward to in this coming new year
i wish you all health and happiness!
xo
snowdrop

raw reviews

thinking that i should pull out my favorite raw reading materials and let you know which ones i found the most helpful. as big reader, i do have quite the bookshelf of raw things read.
so as the day goes on i will add to the blog
hope to see you back!
:)
snowdrop

edited 12/25/08
remember when you were a kid... and your eyes were bigger than your stomach
and you couldn't possible eat everything you wanted to pick out at the candy shoppe?...
well, i modestly have to admit, i did just that with this great idea for reviewing all the raw books on my shelf...
what was i thinking?
i need to finish all this typing for the new book to go into publishing next month!!!
so i need to reign myself in and be the adult and not the kid in the candy shoppe.
first things first.
:)
but i will get back to this too.
have a great day-
xo
snowdrop

chocolate orange confection recipe

someone reminded me about this recipe
and even tho it will be in "raw delights" soon
i thought i would post it here too.
fast... easy... delicious!

chocolate orange confection
1 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c dates (since i didn't have enough raisins in the pantry, & i think it worked better with the dates creaminess)
1/3- 1/2 c cacao powder (i made it very dark with chocolate yummm)
1 T maca powder (why for energy of course!)
1 T orange extract/flavor
1/2 t cinnamon powder
1/2 t vanilla extract/flavor or some seeds
1/3 c (6T) coconut oil melted
pinch salt

food process as smooth as possible
roll a scant tsp full into a small ball shaped candy and dip one side
into sprinkles. plate, seal and refrigerate till firm.
place on a lovely candy dish sprinkle sides up,
and watch them disappear!
i hope you enjoy them as much as i did.

sprinkles
1 T raw sugar crystals (or anything like that)
1 T orange peel (dried & ground into a powder w/coffee grinder)

stir & use to dip one side of candy into

it's pretty fast to make & alot cheaper than the marbled chocolate orange whatever that takes 1-1/2 c of cacao butter $$$ holy schnikie!!!
my inspiration (but not my budget ) i couldn't find
his recipe this morning tho. oh, here it is!
though i really want to taste that too. mmmm
some have added some grand marnier to flavor this recipe
instead of the orange extract, with great results.
if you make this - please let me know how they turn out for you!
comment away on any of these posts.... i'd love to hear from you.

now that i have shoveled for days, i have the sore muscles to prove it.
the snow is at least a few times deeper than moe, my yorkie, is tall.
it is a winter wonderland and the sun shines brilliantly.
time to bundle up, grab my camera and go outside!
have a great day all-
xo
snowdrop