Rawk Starz Preview

It's been awhile since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been in the kitchen! I've been rawkin' out in there and plan to be sharing a lot more with you. This fall, Rawk Starz plans to release a cookbook full of amazing dishes. And just to tease, here are a couple you'll find:

Raw Ice Kream Sandwhich (made with pineapple, raw strawberry ice kream, and cacao nibs)

Ginger Cheesecake

I loved this ginger cheesecake! I haven't perfected it yet, so I don't want to share the recipe. Once I tweek it just a bit, I will post how to make it.

Rawk Your Life!

Raw Dessert Pizza

I created this Raw Dessert Pizza from a recipe that I used to make years ago. This raw version is even better than the baked original!

Crust

1 cup raw pecan

5 pitted dates

1 tsp coconut oil

Grind in food processor and press into a circle on a pizza plate.

Filling 

1 1/2 cups raw, soaked cashews

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey

1 tsp real vanilla

1/2 cup raw almond milk

juice from one lemon

Mix in Vitamix

Spread over crust. 

Chocolate Swirl

1 Tbls raw cacao powder

2 Tbl raw agave

1 tsp olive oil

mix with wisk and dollop onto filling. 

Swirl in with a knife.

Top with banana slices, berries or whatever other fruit that you have on hand. 

ENJOY!!

Tiff's Raw Birthday!

My daughter Tiffany, is turning 11 today! Tiff is vegetarian and about 50% raw vegan. She asked me if I would make her a raw birthday cake, and specifically asked to Raw Vanilla-Chocolate Cheesecake. I created this recipe for her cake and I wanted to share it with you all! Tiff LOVES Justin Beiber and her party is a JB theme.

Tiff's Raw Chocolate - Vanilla Cheesecake. 

Filling Ingredients:

2 cups raw, soaked cashews

Juice of 4 lemons

1/2 cup Raw Honey

1/2 cup Coconut oil

1 Tbls. real vanilla

2 Tbl cacao poweder

little bit of water

Crust:

1 1/2 cups raw pecans

4 dates, pitted. 

Place in food processor and mix until crumbly. Press into the bottom of springform pan.

Blend everything but the cacao powder in a Vitamix or other powerful blender. Pour half of filling onto crust. Place in freezer for 2 hours until hardens. Blend remaining filling with the raw cacao powder. Pour it over the vanilla later and place back in freezer.

Vanilla frosting:

meat from one young cocout

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 tsp. real vanilla

little water - enough to help blend.

Blend together in Vitamix

place in plastic bag and put in freezer for an hour to harden.

Pipe over raw cheesecake and decorate with fruit. 

Remove from freezer and place in the fridge 2-4 hour before serving to soften.

A note to my daughter:

Eleven years ago today, I gave birth in my own bed, to the most amazing human being that I have ever met. Daddy whispered in my ear, "It's a girl," and I sobbed tears of joy. You didn't even cry when you came into this world, instead you just gazed at me like, "Now what?!" I can still remember how round your little head was and how warm your naked body was against mine. We stayed in bed together for a month - just you and I - connecting, nursing and basking in love.

No person on Earth has taught me more about life than you have. You were born Dakota Leigh and changed your name at age three to Tiffany Rose, because you said *that* was your name. Thank you for choosing me as your Mom. Having you as a daughter, friend and partner through life has been an experience beyond words. You are the most powerful creator I know, and you have shown me that I can be, do or have *anything* I want in life!

Happy Birthday Tiff! May you continue to rock the earth more powerfully and joyfully every year!

I love you, Mama

Wheat Berry Love!

I love sprouted wheat berries! They are so versatile and incredibly good for you!

Sprouted wheat bread is an ancient food with modern-day benefits. The flour made from sprouted grains provides more protein, vitamins and minerals than refined flours, thanks to specific biochemical changes during germination that increase the accessibility of vitamins and capture proteins and carbohydrates in enhanced states. Incorporating sprouts into bread flour or dough brings potent flavors and nutrients into old-world breads that can be called today's health food.

(Thank you to www.livestrong.com for the above information)


Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage that is inexpensive, easy to make, refreshing to drink and FULL of wonderful nutrients for your body. A healthy probiotic, it also has vitamins B, K and E, proteins, and enzymes. It is beneficial to your digestive system, promoting a healthy intestinal environment. It is also a great starter for raw nut cheese!

How to make Rejuvelac:

1. Start with one cup soft wheat berries (pictured). You can also use rye, quinoa, buckwheat, or other grains. Wheat, rye and quinoa seem to make the best rejuvelac.

2. Soak the grain for 24 hours. Drain off water and rinse two to three times a day until little sprout tails appear.

3. Place sprouted grain in large jar. Add 4 cups water and let sit on the counter for 2-3 days.

4. You will notice that the water will get cloudy and little bubbles will start forming.

5. Taste…it should taste clean and fresh with a hint of lemon. Strain the rejuvelac off of the wheat berries and store in covered glass container in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a week, just make sure it still smells and tastes fresh. You can reuse the wheat berries to make a second batch. It will only take a day. (Thanks to Rawmazing.com for this recipe!)

I regularly made Rejuvelac and with this particular batch, I added fresh, grated ginger. I am anxious to see how it tastes!

Simple Raw Bread

The bread recipe, I created myself. You take 2 cups of soaked and sprouted wheat berries and and add them to the food processor, along with:

1 Cup pitted dates
pinch of pink salt and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Process these ingredients together until it forms a soft dough. Form a circle on your dehydrators non-stick sheet and dehydrate for 6 hours, on 105 degrees. Flip and dehydrate another 6-8 hours. 

Enjoy with raw honey and fresh fruit! 

I hope you enjoy these two recipes for sprouted wheat berries!

Raw on the Road

I recently returned from a speaking trip to Australia. This is my second time traveling there since becoming a raw foodist. It is getting so much easier to eat raw on the road. Although not 100%, what I ate during the entire trip was high-raw and it felt SO good to eat clean while traveling. I never suffered from jet-lag, despite the 14 hour time difference and season change. (it was winter there.)

Raw Cheesy-Zucchini chips and Raw Cheeze-It's, apple, raw almonds and coconut water.
The perfect, high-vibe snacks for traveling!

When I arrived in Australia, I visited the supermarket where I bought nuts, pineapple, tomatoes, avocados, and water. I snacked on those foods at night and ate salads and fruit pretty much the rest of the time. Oh, the coconut water and raw chocolate before my talks really gave me an edge! My presentations were so high energy and flowed effortlessly. I truly believe that eating living, high energy foods gave my public speaking an upgrade! 

The times when I did not eat raw, I made the conscious choice to eat the food, usually because the experience of something new or culture related was more important for me than eating raw. I tried steamed broccoli with peanut butter, because my friend was eating it and wanted me to try it. It was SO good! I also enjoyed some cooked, warm lentil soup at the food tent one freezing cold day at the conference. It was available and calling to me. I have tried to be in tune with what foods feel right to eat and experience, even if they are not raw. I still end up eating raw foods most of the time on the road, just because it is what  eat now. After 14 months, it has really becoming second nature. 

You can eat raw and travel! It will not only give you an edge, but it is easier and cheaper than dining out on the road. Eating living foods while flying will help eliminate jet-lag and will keep your immune system strong when surrounded by others for hours on a plane. High-energy foods are available everywhere! The airport has fruit cups and salads in abundance! Times are changing and more and more people are beginning to understand and value the many benefits of raw, living foods. The more people know, the more options that will open up for raw foodists out in the world. I am grateful for the awareness growing.

Eating clean is the new "go-green," campaign!

Raw Strawberry-Chia Swirl

Ingredients:

2/3 cup chia seeds

2 cups raw almond milk

4 Tbl. maple syrup pr raw agave

1 mashed banana

2 tsp real vanilla

Mix alll ingredients in a bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir again

Strawberry layer

1 cup fresh strawberries

2 Tbl Maple Syrup

blend in food processor

Coconut Cream

meat from 4 young coconuts

1/4 Cup coconut oil

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Blend in Vitamix Blender

Layer chia pudding with strawberry puree in tall glass.

Top with coconut cream and enjoy!

Raw Plum Soup

This simple, little dessert soup is as beautiful as it is delicious! I have never come across Prune Plums before, and when I saw them, I filled the bad, excited to go home and try some new raw recipes! My children loved this and they added their own raw topping, such as crushed pecans and coconut. It is also delicious with coconut cream mixed in!

Ingredients

2 bananas
1/2 cup mixed berries
1 Tbl real maple syrup
3 peeled oranges

Blend all ingredients together

Chop and cube plums, (discarding pits.)

Mix into soup and enjoy!

Announcing my newest adventure!
My dear friend, Christina Cretella and I have started a raw food catering, instruction and personal chef business! Last night we had our premier event! It was a smashing success and we loved every minute of is.

Chrstina and I are both passionate women making a difference in the world in our own way. 

We wanted to spend our time together as friends bringing awareness, health and happiness to others! 

Our dream came true last night and it is the beginning of amazing new opportunities for both of us!

I am very exicted about the future of Rawk Starz!

Here we are preparing delicious raw foods for our group last night!

Here is just one of the appetizers we put our for our class last night
These are Raw Walnut and Zucchini Crackers with Raw Pub Cheese and Raw Dill Cheese. SO delicious! Everyone loved it!

If you live in New England and have an event you need catered with the healthiest, most high-vibe food on Earth, contact us! www.RawkStarz.com

Kickin' Key Lime Pie!

I created this recipe because of my incredible love for limes! 
I did a blog entry a few years ago about my search for Lime Starburst candy. They used to be part of the selection when I was a kid, but they got rid of them in 1978. Here is the blog entry that I wrote when I was pregnant with my son, Orion.


I have since had them gifted and mailed to me from all over the country. 
This pie totally gives me my lime fix. It is tart, creamy and delicious! I know it will rock your world too

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups soaked cashews

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tsp. organic vanilla extract

Juice from 6 -7 key limes

Mix in VItamix blender until creamy and smooth!

I did grate a little bit of lime zest into the batter after it was blended to give it a little color. The texture is like coconut, so if you don't like that, you can leave it out.

Crust:

1 1/2 cup raw pecans

6 pitted medjool dates 

process in food processor and push into bottom of pie plate.

Pour Key Lime filling over crust

Set in freezer for two hours, then move to refrigerator. 

Prepare to be rawked! 

Side note: I made this trivet after an epic fail at making a bowl in pottery class. I never knew how much I'd use it! Sometimes what you think is a failure is a gift.

Sexy, Raw Lasagna

I love making raw recipes with my friends. It is so much fun to all get together and while our kids play we create and enjoy delicious raw meals together. There is a circle of us who are all on the raw path and we all support one another and share tips and ideas. I love being together as women and connecting in this way.

This week my friend Josha brought over a raw lasagna recipe that we all tweaked to make it our own. 

The result was simply amazing! This was by far one of the best raw dishes that I have ever tasted. It was good the next day too, but not as good as when it was fresh.

We served this with a salad with my friend Jen's Raw Chipotle salad dressing. So delish!!

Ingredients
Lemon-Cashew “Ricotta”
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional; available in health food stores)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Tomato Sauce
2 cups good-quality sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed), soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
1⁄4 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch hot-pepper flakes

Basil-Walnut Pesto
2 cups packed basil leaves
1⁄2 cup raw walnuts
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Lasagna
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
3 medium tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Garnish: whole basil leaves

UnCooking Instructions
Lemon-Cashew “Ricotta”

Place the cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times, until thoroughly combined. Gradually add 6 tablespoons water, and pulse until the texture becomes fluffy, like ricotta. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Tomato Sauce
Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Basil-Walnut Pesto
Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Lasagne
Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices, then cut in half crosswise. Cut the tomatoes in half, and each half into thin slices. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with two layers of zucchini slices. Brush the zucchini lightly with olive oil, spread 1⁄3 of the tomato sauce over it, and top with small dollops of “ricotta” and pesto, using 1⁄3 of each. Layer on 1⁄3 of the tomato slices, and sprinkle with 1⁄3 of the oregano and thyme. Add another double layer of zucchini and repeat twice more with the tomato sauce, pesto, ricotta, tomato slices, and herbs. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Garnish with basil.

Josha and Jen building the lasagna

Bonding with friends with our combined passion for raw food is one of my favorite things to do, especially if the recipe is intensive like this one is. Enjoy time with your loved ones too and rawk your way to health and happiness together!!