A Delicious, Nutritious Day!

It's a little slow at work today, so I have a moment to create a post!  

I think about food a lot, not constantly, but quite often, when I'm not eating and when I am!   Sometimes, even while in the middle of a delicious, satisfying meal, I start contemplating the next one!  I'm not proud of that, but it's the truth.  :)

So as you may have guessed, I'm thinking about food right now.  :)  I am hungry.  (The organic grapefruit I had at 7 a.m. is long gone now!)  But I'm also looking forward to certain edible plans I made for the rest of the day...  Marcy and I are going out to eat for lunch!  Yay!  I love spending time with my sister.  But a Cutler's veggie sandwich is also a treat in it's own right!

classic Cutler's goodness...

Later, for dinner, I think I'll whip up Fantastic brand's falafel mix and a large kale salad.  I've been craving leafy greens lately, and for this I am grateful.  It's rather refreshing!  But this will be my first time trying falafel.  I'm excited!
 

I just peeled an organic banana and am now typing one-handed so I can hold it with the other and munch...  mmmm...  nom-nom...  This makes for extremely inefficient blogging, but it's a setback I'm willing to take!  :)

(These apricots look like a sunset!)

I also brought along some local, hand-picked-by-me, apricots and plums.  The apricots are from my generous neighbors, Blake and Nancy.  The plums, a gift from my dear childhood friend, Marinda, and her husband, Jamey.  (Thank you!  Thank you!)  I'll make a dent in these morsels when I get done with my banana.  Even though my breakfast is sort-of spread out, it is filling nonetheless.

Straight from the tree...

...a polished plum...

...is now a bitten plum!  :D

Looks like it's turning out to be a delicious, even nutritious, day, if I may say so myself, and I can't help but feel giddy about it!   

Yum-YUM!  :D

My New Mantra!

1. Rinse

2. Eat

3. Repeat!

It's my new mantra!  :D

 Lately, at the grocery store, I stock up on plenty of fresh, organic fruits and veggies for a change. It's also that time of year to stop off at a friendly farmer's market for some amazing local taste treats! Even my neighbors and family have offered to share their garden bounty with me!  It's a beautiful thing--the love, simplicity, and common sense of healthy eating.   

Now you be sure and get out there and "rinse, eat, repeat" for yourself!  I wish you health and happiness along the way!

Sprouting Mung Beans

I like to sprout!  

I have had delicious success with Alfalfa seeds.  So I thought it was time to branch out and give another variety of sprouts a try.  Enter organic Mung beans.  So I purchased some and gave it my best.  How did it go??

My Mung beans grew like weeds!  Even when I failed to water them as frequently as I should have, they still turned out amazing--crisp and juicy!  With their mild flavor, I can see why they would make an ideal snack, a lively addition to salads, or a perfect choice in any Asian dish.  Plus, these sprouts were giants compared to the Alfalfa shoots!  But of course, the Mung beans were much larger than the Alfalfa seeds to begin with, so it makes sense.  Most importantly they were refreshing and healthy!  You can order exactly what I purchased at this Handy Pantry Distributors link, as well as read a brief summary of Mung bean nutrition.  It's rather impressive actually! 

 I did miss my "day five" photograph.  Boo.  So if you notice a huge difference between my sprout's growth in a couple of the pics, you'll know why.


I really do hope you give sprouting a try!  If you want lots of how-to details, check out my "I Can Sprout!" blog post, where I chronicle my experience with Alfalfa seeds.  Simply treat the Mung beans with the same kind of care.  The only difference I noticed was that the Mung growing cycle seems to be about 48 hours less than the Alfalfa; I'm not certain to what length these sprouts are supposed to get, but I think I gave my batch a day too many.  Also, be sure not to over fill your jar with beans initially--they need room to grow!  One to two tablespoons will do the trick.

Just remember, sprouting is much easier than it appears to be, so take heart!  I know you can do it!

 Day Two- Mung emergence!

Day Three- Just look at those cute little tails!

  

Day Four- The Mung sprouts are casting off their hulls!

Day Five (No Photo)- 

I remember the jar was three-quarters full. They were probably ready to eat on this day, but for what ever reason, I neglected them. How sad.

Day Six- Jam packed! These babies are just begging to be released from captivity!

Now it's your turn to grow a batch of sprouts!  I wish you the very best of luck!

Simple Carrot-Celery Juice

Last week, I was craving some fresh vegetable juice.  So I got in the cupboard and pulled out the old "Champion".  Even though, technically, this heavy duty juicer belongs to my parents, I'm the only one who ever uses it.  And even I don't use it as often as I should.  But I do love the machine!  After all these years it still appears to work like a champ!  

This recipe is super simple, yet deceptively refreshing!  I like it very much!  I hope you do too!

Oh, and if you have any awesome ideas of what to do with the leftover veggie pulp instead of simply discarding it, I'm all ears!  Mayhaps this generally cast away fiber can find a second life with just a little creative thinking.  Let me know!

Simple Carrot-Celery Juice
Makes approx. 2 cups

Organic Ingredients:
5 large carrots
5 celery ribs
1 lemon, halved

Instructions:
Rinse veggies well and trim away old/wilted ends if needed.  Save aside one attractive celery stalk as well as the lemon halves.  Run the carrots and the rest of the celery through the juicer.  Maximize your quantity of juice by running the damp pulp by-product through the machine at least once.  If you like, strain the top layer of foam off your juice by pouring it through a fine mesh strainer.  Pour into a favorite glass.  Now grab that half a lemon and add a generous squeeze to your juice.  Garnish with the remaining lovely celery rib!  Enjoy!

Strawberries!

I recently bought these organic strawberries at the Super Target just down the street from me.  I rinsed them well and then enjoyed them, all on their own, fresh, for breakfast.  Oh rapture!  I have to admit, I had nearly as much fun taking sunny, window-sill pictures of them as I did eating them!  Is that wrong?  I suppose a valid aspect of the joy of fruit is simply their beauty of color, shape, and variety.  They feed the soul, as well as the body! 

Strawberries are packed with nutrition, especially Vitamin C and the mineral manganese.  They're also low in calories and high in water content.  They even supply dietary fiber.  Cool! 

Of course, if you can purchase organic, do so.  Doctor Oz reports that pesticides stick to strawberries more so than to other fruits and veggies, and we certainly don't want any pesticides in our tummies, no sir.  Better to support organic farming operations anyway--better for the field workers, better for Mother Earth, and better for us!  It's good karma!

The only thing that could have possibly enhanced my fruit meal further was if the strawberries were in-season, local, and ripe-from-the-garden!  But Summer will be here soon...  Oh, I can hardly wait! 


Well, what are you waiting for?  Go on!  Go get some organic strawberries and enjoy them!  :)

My New Favorite Snack!

While perusing the shelves at Good Earth Natural Foods, they caught my eye...   I know that vegan athlete, Brendan Brazier, touts them for their superior nutrition...   I've even noticed that many vegan bloggers toss them into their smoothies and over top green salads...  What am I referring to?  

Raw Organic Hempseeds!  

Oh Boy, are they good!  What soft, chewy, earthy, tiny morsels of deliciousness!  Their flavor reminds me a little bit of sunflower seeds, but they're nowhere near the same size.  Measured in tablespoons, these seeds are minute, yet jam-packed with natural goodness: protein, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, and omega-3's!  They are also super convenient--they are already shelled, ready to eat straight out of the bag, which is what I like to do!

I'm going to be sad when these babies are all gone.  They were a bit expensive, but the cost was totally worth it!  Besides, they are too yummy not to buy again!  

Raw organic hempseeds are my new favorite snack!  If you haven't already, you should give them a try!  I'm sure you'll like them as much as I do!

Raspberries!

Raw food is an important part of my vegan diet.  So, last week at the local Super Target, I splurged and bought a teensy container of organic raspberries.  They were $3.50 of pure berry goodness!  A real treat: low in calories, and high in vitamin C, fiber, and flavor! 

Over a couple of day's time, these raspberries were my breakfast.  I rinsed them off and then simply popped them in my mouth!  Heavenly!  Typically, I don't combine sweet fruits into recipes, unless it's an all raw, all fruit one.  I have learned that fruit digests and is assimilated by the body best when eaten alone, on an empty stomach.  For some, this might seem like too limiting a "rule" to follow.  But for me, it fits just right.  I always feel so uncomfortable when I eat foods of every kind all in one meal.  Simple is better for me.  My body concurs. 

You can learn more about the principles of proper food combining and Natural Hygiene by reading these classics, Fit For Life or Fit For Life II, both by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.  They are fun, funny, and so informative!  They changed my life!  (Even the authors in the popular book, Skinny Bitch, gave 'Fit For Life' a brief shout-out!)  Or, you can check out this website: RawFoodExplained.com.  The delivery is a little more utilitarian and textbook-ish, but still very accurate. 

Until then, just buy (or better yet, grow your own) organic raspberries!  They are healthy and delicious... all by themselves! 

Happy Vegan Valentine's Dinner!

It was a very enjoyable Valentine's Day!  Jordan and I didn't have the funds available to go out to a restaurant or fundraiser this year.  But we more than made up for any imagined loss. 

Before stuffing our bellies we went on a four mile walk together.  It was such a nice day; it seemed a pity to spend all of it being indoors!  And I must say, it was a good thing we did burn a few extra calories, because we ate far too much later on!  :)

It took us hours to get our holiday dinner on the table; we went all out, tonight!  But it finally came together beautifully... 

I prepared an organic tossed salad of red leaf, red kale, and baby spinach, and all the organic trimmings: tomatoes, avocados, red cabbage, cucumber, carrots.  Oh and I can't forget the dressing of equal parts organic flaxseed oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, with a dash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  It was a dense salad, yet so sweet, flavorful, and refreshing! 

Days before, we concluded that a whole-wheat spaghetti dish would be dinner's main course.  But what kind of sauce would we choose? While cruising the blogosphere many weeks earlier, I chanced upon a tantalizing Alfredo recipe, courtesy of Matt at "My Veggie Kitchen".  And tonight seemed like the perfect setting for Pasta Alfredo!  The only problem was I'd never made this before!  We decided to give it a try anyway.  I quickly pulled up the recipe for easy reference.  It was then I belatedly realized that we didn't have half of the listed ingredients.  Oh well.  We forged ahead without them, forced to make some adjustments on the journey.  Matt's recipe called for cashews, but all we had was walnuts or hazelnuts.  We picked walnuts.  We didn't have shallots, but we an ordinary onion, which we utilized.  We didn't have unsweetened soymilk, but we did have the "original" variety, so we used that.  Lastly, we didn't have the wine.  We didn't sub anything for that.  After all our changes to the actual recipe, it's doubtful that our version tasted anything like Matt's!  But we still liked it!  We did note that it was missing something in it's flavor and texture.  But it WAS missing something--a lot of somethings!  :)  Yet it was warm, creamy, and fun to eat; a buttery, saucy dish, completely out of the ordinary for us! 

We hardly ever bake breadsticks.  But tonight was special so we did!  We followed my sister, Marcy's recipe.  It was fun!  We took turns kneading the dough, and stood at the counter together rolling it into traditional snakelike shapes.  But then I had a brilliant idea...  Bend the breadsticks into hearts!  I pinched them in just the right places and Voila! Breadstick Hearts!  They looked so cute!  Unfortunately, that's about as great as they got.  The recipe originally called for white flour and we used all whole-wheat.  And since we don't bake bread very often, we have little understanding of the repercussions of swapping one flour for another.  In hindsight, we probably should have added more liquid to the dough and slightly shortened the cooking time.  Maybe the yeast never activated.  Still, I'm still not sure that any of these ideas would have been the correct solutions.  Sadly, the end result turned out to be quite heavy instead of light and fluffy; they never really did rise properly.  And they were much drier than we'd have liked.  But we managed to enjoy them.  I remarked to Jordan that they would have made far better pretzels than breadsticks!  At least they looked appealing!  :)

We also added "Wagon Wheels" to the fare!  Jordan peeled and cut the carrots, and set them on the stove to cook.  They almost met a sorry demise, as we did not add adequate water to steam them for the allotted ten minutes; the "wheels" started scalding to the sides of the pan!  Luckily, Jordan smelled smoke and we managed to rescue them before the whole pot of carrots turned black!  Gratefully they still tasted yummy, even after that extra dash of drama! 

To top everything off, with no help from me, Jordan whipped up his specialty dessert, "Jordan's Chocolate Cake"!  Yummy!  He actually baked the cake before our walk.  He frosted it after we got back.  He works so efficiently!  (Unlike me!) 

After working in the kitchen for nearly three hours, the meal was at last ready!  I took pictures, Jordan lit candles, we said a prayer, and then finally,

...we stuffed ourselves silly!  

It was a long time coming, but it was worth it!  Good food and good company!  What more could we ask for?! 

I was so happy to be spending the evening with my very own Valentine!  Jordan always works on Sunday night, so it was extra special of him to take work off to be home with me!  And even though he didn't buy me a sparkly Hallmark card or boxes of chocolates or even flowers, none of that was what I really wanted--just him.  His presence made the very best present!  With Jordan by my side, walking and talking, cooking and eating, my evening was complete! Thank you, My Goo! I love you! 

I hope your holiday, at home or abroad, was just as grand, or more so, than ours! 

 Happy Vegan Valentine's Dinner! 

Wagon Wheels!

As a child, I remember many of Mom's dinners sporting a side of wagon wheels.  No, not the kind you find on the Oregon Trail, :)  but simply, carrots, chopped into thin little rounds and steamed on the stove top or served up raw.  It's a surprisingly simple dish!  And its fun, distracting title makes it easier to sneak a serving or two of veggies into any kid's meal. 

When I was young, I recall that if the carrots were not cooked, Mom provided ranch dip to daub them in.  But if they were, she always dressed my warmed "wheels" with butter, salt, and pepper, to taste--a very delicious memory!  Nowadays, as a vegan pioneer in my family, I eat a little differently than I used to.  You'll probably find me using organic flaxseed oil, dill weed, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos on my steamed roots instead.  And I no longer require dips and sauces to enjoy a crunchy raw veggie, although I'm not averse to the idea. :) 

But most importantly, I am grateful for my mom and her strong maternal effort to feed quality food to her growing children in any creative way she could.  What a good Mommy!  :)  She told me that her mother prepared this carrot recipe for her when she was small.  Later, as a mom herself, she served it to me.  And maybe someday, I'll do the same, and carry on this tradition with my own little ones.  I don't see why not! 

Enjoy your Wagon Wheels, everybody!

I Can Sprout!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn how to grow sprouts.  I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to do it.  It seemed like it would be so difficult.  But to my surprise, it wasn't.  In fact, it was EASY!  I couldn't believe how easy it was!  I have had great success with simple organic alfalfa seeds!  And I have enjoyed eating the "fruits of my labors" on all sorts of things: salads, sandwiches, tacos, and even all by themselves!  They are a perfect raw food, full of life and high nutrition.  And they taste so refreshing!  Plus, it's far more economical to grow your own than to purchase them at the market!  I hope maybe you'll be inspired by my small measure of achievement and give sprouting a try yourself!  I'll share with you all the tips I used to make my little dream a reality.  Don't be scared!  I can sprout and so can you!  Let's get started!  

My instructions are taken from a photocopy of excerpts from the booklet, "Sprouting For Health in the New Millennium" by Handy Pantry Distributors.  Feel free to follow the links for more information or to order products and seeds.  For clarity, I will put any personal thoughts into parentheses.  And of course, all the photos are my own. 

The Six Rules of Sprouting:

Rinse Often.

Keep them moist, not wet. 

Keep them at room temperature.

Give them plenty of room to breathe.

Don't put too many in any one container.

Keep them covered--no light. 

How To Grow Sprouts -- The Jar Method:

Good sprouting technique doesn't take a "green thumb", just paying attention to four factors: the right amount of moisture, the correct temperature, the free circulation of air, and minimal light.  By rinsing them a couple of times daily, you keep them moist.  You also wash away carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes that could cause souring or spoiling.  Using cool water when rinsing ventilates and cools the sprouts to prevent overheating.  Proper draining prevents excessive moisture that can cause mold and rot.  The ideal sprouting temperature depends on the seed, but generally lies between 70 and 85 degrees.  To protect the tiny growing things, keep sprouting containers away from cold drafts, direct heat, or any light.  For free air circulation, at least one-third of the container must be empty.  Sprouts expand 6 to 10 times over a few days, so give them plenty of room to grow.  Sprouts are very light sensitive and need to be covered during the early stages of the growing cycle. (Distilled water is the best choice for all soaking and rinsing.  Use it if you can.  The entire cycle will probably take five or six days, from soak to harvest.)

The Seed's Packaging

Step One: Soaking
For a quart-sized (glass canning) jar, start with 1 1/2 tablespoons seeds inside the jar, screw on the fine mesh lid (or just an old nylon stocking and rubber band.  Even having no cover can work! More on that later...) and partially fill the jar with warm water, not hot.  Swirl it around to clean the seeds, then pour out.  Refill with warm water to cover at about 3 times their depth and let soak overnight, away from light.  (I put my jar in the pantry.)

Day 2

Step Two: Draining and Starting
Pour off the soak water.  Find a location that is not exposed to direct sunlight.  Place drained jar propped at an angle (about 45 degrees) to allow any extra water to drain out.  (The mouth of the jar should face down.)  Turn the jar to spread out the seeds.  (The seeds will stick to the jar when they are wet.)  Cover the jar with a dishtowel and leave for 3 to 4 hours. (I often use the dishdrainer on my countertop to prop the jar at the recommend angle, or else a small rolled up towel under the jar's bottom end.  Sometimes I put another washcloth under the lip of the jar to catch the excess moisture that drips out.  Don't forget to cover.)

Day 3

Step Three: Rinsing
Rinse sprouts with cool, fresh water 2 or 3 times each day until they are ready to eat or refrigerate.  (I thought this step would keep me babysitting my sprouts all day long; a very annoying proposition.  Then I realized I usually eat something with about the same frequency.  Now I just make sure that before I sit down to any meal, I first water my sprouts!  Easy peasy!)  When they begin to throw off the seed hulls, let the jar over flow with water and the hulls will float out the top through the screen.  Turn the jar to spread out the seeds each time you rinse.  (Here's a cool tip:  You don't really need a cover for your jar and this is why.  Just fill a clean spray bottle with distilled water and give your sprouts a bunch of gentle squirts, instead of dousing them from the faucet and then having to drain off all that excess water without losing your seedlings down the drain.  You won't need the mesh cover at all, as long as you have a spray bottle on hand.  Also, keep your sprayer in the fridge and you'll always have cool water ready for rinsing!)

Day 4

Step Four: Harvesting
Pour the sprouts into a pan or sink of clean water.  Skim off any remaining hulls that float to the surface.  Other hulls will fall to the bottom of the container.  (All hulls are discarded.)  Pull out the sprouts, gently shake off excess moisture and drain in a colander.  (Rinse the sprouts very well; spend a few minutes doing it.  They will last longer if you do.)

Day 5

Step Five: Greening
Clean the jar and lid.  Place sprouts for greening back into the jar.  Place in indirect sunlight.  Near a kitchen window is fine.  After the sprouts have greened with chlorophyll and carotene's for a day or so, rinse, drain, and eat or refrigerate.

Day 6

Step Six: Refrigerating
Sprouts will stay fresh and hearty for a week or more when refrigerated, if you rinse them every day or two.  You can even give the green sprouts an extra hour of sunlight after rinsing to keep them at their nutritional peak.  Caution: Since sprouts are frost sensitive, don't place sprouts near the freezer compartment. 

Congratulations!  Now enjoy your living harvest!

The Simple Citrus Juicer

As a health-conscious vegan, one of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment is...

The Simple Citrus Juicer!  

It's a cinch to assemble, quick to use, and easy to clean!  The collection cup even has measurements printed on the side so you know exactly how much juice you've got, which really comes in handy with some recipes.  And as far as tools or accessories are concerned, it is probably the most inexpensive investment in your well being that you could possibly make.  I mean, mine only cost me ten dollars, new, at Target!  If that's still too pricey, I'll bet you could find one at your local thrift store for a couple of bucks.  Of course, with the model pictured above, you have to wring out the juice manually.  But there are electric models if you wish to eliminate the labor.  Shop around.  But do seriously consider purchasing a citrus juicer to have on hand at home.  After a tall morning glass of unpasteurized, raw, living, freshly-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, you won't have to ask why!  :)

my typical breakfast

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"  

I take this old mantra to heart every morning.  Thus, a very typical breakfast for me consists of a raw apple, pure and simple.  I always choose organic, so I feel safe about eating the fiber-dense skin.  Sometimes I bite right into my selection.  But usually, I opt to cut it into thin slices, just for ease of eating.  On the rare, but joyful occasion, I might even make fresh apple juice!  But my budget doesn't always allow for this kind of fun, except when my neighbors share their seasonal harvest with me in Autumn.

The variety pictured here is Fuji.  I like Fuji.  But I enjoy Gala and Golden Delicious, as well.  And I'd pick a sweet apple over a sour apple any day.  That's just me.  But no matter which type you choose, all apples appear to be good sources of Vitamin C, fiber, low calories, and lots of pure water content.

I like starting out my day with an apple.  I feel full for hours and well nourished.  And for those of you who are also interested in proper food combining, it's nice to know that the fruit is digested cleanly, on an empty stomach.  The apple is my regular breakfast choice, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Simple Sushi

I actually made sushi!  And it was simple!  Hence, the title--not very original, but very true!  This dish was inspired by Minh Nguyen from her DVD "Going Raw! with Ronnie and Minh".  She explains how to make sushi free of any cooked ingredients.  So that's what I did!  Minh suggests a final dipping sauce of nama shoyu (raw soy sauce), but since I had none, I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which is raw, too.  I also got some personal help from my blogger friend, Raw Oz Gal, who told me how to make cauliflower "rice"!  Ingenious!  And don't forget to use chopsticks; it's actually easier to eat sushi traditionally than it is to use a fork.  You really should give this recipe a try!  Seriously!  It's fun to prepare and fun to eat!  Makes approximately 32 servings or enough for three to four people.

Simple Sushi


Organic Ingredients: 

a small bowl of water
four sheets of raw nori
half head of cauliflower, minced
half a cucumber, thinly sliced
half a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 or 2 avocados, thinly sliced
spinach (optional)
red leaf lettuce (optional)
alfalfa sprouts (optional)
Use any favorite veggies!  Be creative!
Nama Shoyu or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
raw wasabi (optional)



Instructions:

Rinse all your vegetables; set aside.  Cut the cauliflower into florets that will fit comfortably into your food processor and let the machine do all the work!  When the cauliflower is well pulverized and grainy, like rice, set aside.  Remove the curved ends of the pepper, and cut into thin strips.  Peel and core the avocado(s) and cut thinly.  Peel and thinly cut the cucumber, as well.  Now you're ready to build!  Make sure your work area is dry.  Place a sheet of nori down flat and spread the cauliflower "rice" on first, staying mostly in the center but extending all the way to the opposite ends of the paper.  (Leave the nori's other two ends free for rolling.)  Layer in some bell pepper now; use those short strips to make a long strip down the center that follows the "rice".  You can add more ingredients if you want to, like the lettuce, etc., layering in the same way.  Now, let's roll this serving!  Put that small bowl of water nearby.  Dab your fingers into the liquid and then run them along one of the free ends of the nori.  Begin rolling up all the ingredients, tucking the dry nori end under.  Seal the sushi roll with the wet end.  Use a large sharp knife to cut the roll into bite sized pieces. (Chances are your nori already came with pre-drawn cutting lines that you can use as a guide!)  Slice gently, sawing with very little pressure, so the sushi doesn't get squashed down or pushed out of the open ends.  Serve these round little bites on their sides so they don't roll away!  (It's also easier to appreciate their beauty turned that way!)  Now repeat the instructions until all the ingredients are used up!  Don't worry if your sushi doesn't look like mine, or looks different every time--it's okay!  Sushi is a work of art-- always fresh and exciting!  Using individual bowls, pour an appropriate amount of Bragg's for dipping; add wasabi carefully because it's hot; a little goes a long way!  If any ingredients are left over, store them in the fridge for more sushi tomorrow, or simply toss them into a salad for later.  Enjoy!

Veggie Burritos

There are no beans in this burrito--vegetables only!  This fine meal was inspired by Minh Nguyen, from her 30 minute recipe DVD "Going Raw! with Ronnie and Minh".  I'd never considered placing my typical veggie sandwich ingredients on anything other than bread, and maybe into the occasional pita pocket.  But wrapping it up in a leaf of collard greens?  I didn't know raw food could taste this good or look so beautiful!  It wasn't even difficult to do!  Minh makes a special pate to spread on the leaf, but I simply used Follow Your Heart's Vegenaise and mustard.  It's not 100% raw with these condiments, but it's pretty close.  I specifically listed the ingredients pictured in my photos, (Thank you, Jordan, for holding my creation!) but you can use any assortment of veggies you want--whatever makes you happy!  Fresh food is healthy and fun!  I hope you give this raw recipe a try!  Makes enough for two large wraps.

Veggie Burritos 

Organic Ingredients:
4 collard green leaves, whole
1/2 head of red leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 head of red cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, diced
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
Vegenaise (optional)
mustard (optional)
dash of cayenne pepper (optional) 

Instructions:
Rinse and prepare all the vegetables.  Set aside.  Evenly cut off the stems and very bottoms of the collard greens.  Be sure to shave off any tough parts of the leaves' remaining center stems.  Note: the cut ends will be the top of the wrap and the rounded edges will be folded in, like a burrito, to keep the ingredients from falling out.  So when you begin building your wrap, be sure not to cover the leaves' curved edges so you can tuck them in at the end.  Now, place two collard greens onto the counter, one leaf overlapping the other a little bit.  If you want condiments, spread them on the leaves first.  It's finally time to layer in the veggies!  Pile them however you see fit, just remember not to cover the collard green's edges, excepting the cut edge.  When you are done building, tuck the bottom up first, then pull one side in, then the other.  You should have a cute little collard green wrap in your hands--a veggie burrito!  Set aside on a plate, folded edges facing down, and make the second serving.  Enjoy!  (If you have any left-over ingredients, throw them into a bowl together for a side salad at your next meal, or simply rinse off some more collard greens and keep wrapping!)

Pomegranates

I adore pomegranates! 

But I don't get to buy these delicious delicacies as often as I'd like because they are a little pricier than other more common fruits.  Yet when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it!  Pomegranates have a round red exterior and an interior completely packed with individual juicy, nutty, ruby seeds, called arils.  It is a fun food to eat and it's good for you!  Many people like to mix the seeds into recipes, but I haven't done that.  I usually eat mine as a stand-alone breakfast.  It fills me up quite nicely with its rich and refreshing flavor and texture!  I hope you come to love this exotic fruit as much as I do! 

Pomegranates are a little tricky to prepare, but with some good tips, it's no problem at all.  Here's what I like to do:

First, make sure you wear an apron.  Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, those little seeds will squirt you with dark red juice.  We don't want any shirt stains, people, so clad thyself with thine apron armor!  :) 

Next, I take a serrated knife and slice a shallow X into the top of the fruit.  The cut should be about an inch down, but you can go deeper if you want.  Now use those scored edges to begin breaking into the pomegranate.  Simply use your hands to break the fruit into smaller pieces, exposing the tasty seeds, held in place by brittle, white, sponge-like walls.

The best tools to use to dislodge the arils are your very own fingers; any other implement will just leave you unnecessarily squirted with juice.  Using the pads of your fingers, spend a few minutes and gently rub the seeds out of their cubbies.  Some people like to do this step in a shallow bowl of water because the seeds sink to the bottom while the inedible pomegranate walls float to the top for easy discarding.  I don't think the bowl of water is necessary, but everyone is a little different about their preferences.  So if it helps you, go ahead and utilize it!  In the end, throw out the white stuff and save only the seeds.

Finally, rinse the arils in a small colander.  That's it!  Be prepared for a taste-treat--the juicy little seeds are ready to munch!  Enjoy!