january

When we go raw we are giving the body an inner vacation.

Enzyme-rich, raw foods aid digestion giving internal organs a rest.

When we talk raw we talk enzymes, we talk life.

Enzymes are supplied naturally via two sources:

our bodies produce and store them,

and we get an abundance of enzymes from raw and living foods.

Our goal for optimum health and longevity is to conserve the body’s own enzymes for use in repairing and rebuilding rather than to deplete them during the process of digestion.

We cannot see enzymes with our naked eyes,

but we can see the life and energy that is result of enzymes:

for example,

take two tablespoons of lentils,

one tablespoon raw and one tablespoon cooked,

place them in soil,

within a few days the raw lentil will sprout and the cooked lentils will disintegrate into the soil. This illustration shows the difference between the raw and the cooked lentil is life and death. One has enzymes and the other does not.

One carries the potential of life;

the other has had life cooked out.

You bite into a sweet baked apple,

and stimulate your taste buds creating a pleasant sensation.

You finish eating then go lie down.

You are feeling sluggish and tired.

Inside your body your own enzymes have to leave their work,

maybe cleaning the liver,

to come digest the cooked apple that does not have any enzymes of its own.

When this apple finally leaves your body,

into the toilet,

it is filled with your own enzymes.

These enzymes are gone forever.

Cooked food does not contain live enzymes and so takes enzymes from your body to digest food. These enzymes are gone forever,

leaving your body with fewer enzymes than you started out with.

A raw diet lets the body purify itself,

protecting you from tumors,

by evacuating toxins.

Every year starting January first we go totally raw to get rid of long standing problems like arthritis,

skin rashes,

body odor and other stubborn toxic wastes that’s been sitting in our system for years.

A raw food diet helps us lose wastes and gain health.

Avocado Shish Kebab

1 firm avocados, peeled and cut into chunks

5 small mushroom caps

1 carrot cut in round, thin slices

5 radishes

½ red pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1/2 head iceberg lettuce cut in chunks

Wooden shish kebab sticks

Dressing of your choice

Sprouts

Skewer vegetables in rotation on a wooden stick and serve on a bed of sprouts with dressing on the side.

Guacamole

2 avocados, ripe

Juice of 3 small limes

1 stalk celery

1 red onion

1 cucumber, peeled

1 red pepper, seeded

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

Braggs to taste

1 tsp. cumin

½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Peel and mash avocados adding lime juice.

Mince all the vegetables and mix together.

Add cumin, cilantro and Braggs.

Mix all ingredients and chill.

Substitute dill for the cilantro for a variation.

Leafy Avocado Salad

2 avocados, ripe but firm

½ bunch spinach

½ bunch watercress

1 head Bibb lettuce

1 bunch scallions, green part only

1 sprig fresh mint, minced

2 red radishes, minced

Juice of ½ lemon

Braggs to taste

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and cut into balls with a melon ball cutter. Use a firm avocado! Clean and chop greens. Mince scallions. Combine all ingredients together, tossing with lemon juice and Braggs.

Avocado Salad

2 avocados, ripe but firm

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 cup snow peas, stemmed

2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced

3 red radishes, sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

Braggs to taste

½ tsp. cayenne

Peel and slice avocados.

Gently mix in remaining ingredients and adjust seasonings.

Hot Chickpeas with Tahini Sauce

2 cups sprouted chickpeas

½ lb. spinach

1 jalapeno peppers, minced

1 red peppers, chopped

½ green peppers, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 scallions, minced

Tahini dressing

Wash and finely chop spinach.

Combine all ingredients and coat with tahini dressing.

Be sure to remove all seeds from jalapeno peppers.

Italian Style Chickpea Hummus

3 cups sprouted chickpeas

¾ cup tahini

½ cup lemon juice

3 scallions, sliced

¼ cup fresh parsley

½ cup fresh basil

6 stalks celery, chopped

¼ tsp. cayenne

Braggs to taste

Combine chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice in food processor to a paste consistency,

adding a little water if necessary.

Set aside.

Then process the garlic, scallions, parsley and basil together.

Combine with chickpeas mixture.

Next process celery with cayenne until very finely minced.

This is all done with the S blade.

Combine all ingredients together and add Braggs.

Chill and serve.

Sprouted Chickpeas Hummus

3 cups sprouted chickpeas

½ cup tahii

½ cup lemon juice

2 large cloves garlic

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Braggs to taste

Process all ingredients with the S blade,

adding water only if necessary to make a thick paste.

Serve with fresh vegetable slices.

Depending on the size of your processor, you may need to do this in steps.

Zesty Sprouted Lentils

1 cup lentil sprouts

½ red pepper, diced

½ bunch fresh oregano, minced

1 carrot, shredded

4 scallions, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Braggs to taste

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 cup basic tahini dressing

Remove tough stems from fresh oregano before mincing.

Combine all ingredients.

Toss well and serve.

Basic Seed Cheese

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 cup pignoli nuts (cashew)

1 inch piece ginger peeled

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

¼ cup fresh basil

Braggs to taste

Combine all in a blender with enough water to cover.

Start blender, adding more water to produce a very thick creamy liquid.

Pour into a sprout bag and squeeze out liquid.

You are left with the cheese.

(The remaining liquid becomes a dressing with the addition of fresh minced herbs and a little more Braggs amino.

To thicken dressing blend in some tahini.)

The yield varies, so double or triple the recipe to meet your needs.

Use this cheese as stuffing for celery, mushrooms, cucumber boats, etc…

If you have a small blender, cut recipe in half to accommodate its size.

Make this into a sweet cheese by eliminating last five ingredients and adding dates with cinnamon instead.

Pumpkin Seed Cheese

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 cup pignoli nuts (cashew)

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 shallots or garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh basil

Braggs to taste