Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Another great recipe from "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen", man I love this book. At first when I made it and didn't use the toppings, I thought it was gross. But toppings made all the difference. I didn't even stop to take a picture of it, it was that good. I love soup and the thought of cold soup just seems ridiculous, but this is so yummy and healthy I think I've changed my views.

3 tomatoes, heirloom if possible
1 T. honey or pitted dates
1/2 c. brazil nuts, soaked (I used soaked almonds because that's what I had)
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 t. black pepper
1 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos, (if you don't have this, you can just use soy sauce, it's just not raw)
4 c. water

Toppings:
tomato, diced
cucumber, diced
cilantro leaves
avocado, diced

1. Blend all the soup ingredients together in a blender.
2. Put some soup in a bowl and load on the toppings! So good, I think I'll make it again this week!
This will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

I LOVE raw cooking because it's sooooo easy, just chop and mix and you're done!

Chicken Salad Wraps with curry dressing

Just made this combo up myself and I really enjoyed it!

2 c. chopped cooked chicken breast or 1-13oz. can chicken breast
1 baby kosher dill pickle, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
about 2 T. red onion, chopped
1/4 c. almond pulp from almond milk or 1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 c. mayo, approx.
1/4 c. plain fat free yogurt, approx.
dash of red pepper
pinch of sea salt
1/2 apple, grated

Toppings:
tomatoes
cucumbers
avocados
peeled carrot
curry dressing (recipe in post below)

1. Mix the first 10 ingredients together and spread out in romaine lettuce leaves. Top with your choice of toppings and dressing and enjoy!

Creamy Curry Dressing

I found this recipe in "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". I did change a few things though. It called for more curry. I like curry okay, but it's not my favorite. I ate it on just a regular sald and it was very tasty.

1 t. curry powder
1/2 apple, cored and diced
1 clove garlic
1/2 T. grated fresh ginger
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 t. sea salt

Just throw it all in a blender and you're done!

Sprouting

I tried sprouting this last week for the first time. Sprouts are so easy to grow and packed full of nutrients. They're also really cheap to do. I sprouted green lentils and alfalfa seeds. I read this great book, "The Sprouting Book" by Ann Wigmore. It gave really simple instructions on how to sprout. I purchased the seeds and lentils at Whole Foods. I put them on my sandwiches and salads. They will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, after sprouting.

Alfalfa Seeds

1 T. alfalfa seeds

1 quart size ball jar

screen or clean pantyhose

rubberband

1. Put the seeds in the jar and cover with filtered water. Soak for 4-6 hours. Cover with a screen or pantyhose and a tightly fitted rubberband.

2. Drain the water and run water over the seeds through the screen. Drain and set upside down at a 45 degree angle on a drying rack.

3. Let drain and put in a dark cupboard.

4. Rinse once in the morning and once in the evening.

5. Seeds will be at desired length of 1"-1 1/2" in 3-5 days.

6. The last day, put in indirect sun.

Lentils

1/3 c. lentils

1 quart size jar

screen or clean pantyhose

rubberband

1. Pick through the lentils for any broken or split ones and discard them.

2. Put them in a jar and fill with filtered water. Soak for 10-12 hours.

3. Drain and follow the same rinsing directions for alfalfa seeds. But do not put in the sun on the last day.

4. Will sprout to 1/4"-3/4" in 3-5 days.

A Salad to go with the dressings

Lately I've been just throwing together a salad everyday for lunch. I just throw a whole bunch of things that are in my fridge into a bowl and top with a homemade dressing. The other day I put this one together and topped it with the honey lime dressing below.

1/2 apple, chopped
handful of shredded coconut
handful of sunflower seeds
handful of chopped strawberries
handful of soaked almonds, chopped
1/2 head of romaine, chopped

Dressings

Here are two dressings that I just whipped up the other day. They are pretty similar.

Honey Lime Dressing
1/2 lime, juiced
1 T. honey
3-4 T. olive oil
pinch of sea salt
a few dashes of oregano

1. Mix well.

Lime Cumin Dressing with chopped Apricots
1/2 lime, juiced
1 T. honey
3-4 T. olive oil
dashes of cumin
pinch of sea salt
4-5 chopped, dried, apricots

1. Mix well and let soak overnight in the fridge so that the apricots can soak it up.

Another grain for breakfast

Yesterday morning I had millet for breakfast. When I told Martin I bought millet, he looked at me like I was crazy and said "We fed millet to the birds when I worked at the pet store." My response was "My mom fed it to us when we were younger and I liked it." It's a small yellow, ball shaped grain. You cook it with twice as much water as grain for about 20 minutes. Just bring the cereal and water to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender.

I added a little agave nectar, chopped almonds, and shredded coconut to mine. It was yummy!

It's good to try a variety of different grains. There are so many out there. I think wheat is definitely important, but it's important to try other kinds too. They all have different nutritional content and fiber amounts.

I love the bulk section at Whole Foods. That's where I buy most things. It's perfect because you can get a little amount to see if you like it. I buy my steel cut oats, millet, sea salt, shredded coconut, and sesame seeds in bulk. It's not very expensive. There are suggested directions on how to cook the grains on all the bins in the store.

I also purchased the agave nectar at Whole Foods. It's kind of pricey, but I bought a small container for about $5 and it has lasted me about 2 months so far. I don't use it for everything, mostly for shakes or for granola breakfasts. It is actually 25% sweeter than sugar, but doesn't cause a spike in your blood sugar, so that's a better choice in my opinion. If you don't have agave nectar, you could certainly substitute honey.

I love the steel cut oats! They are just the whole grain groats sliced up into 2 or 3 pieces. It's nice to have a little texture, as opposed to mushy oatmeal.