Loving Superfoods

Travel Size Chocolate Bliss Recipe

When we travel to hotels we usually make smaller, “daily” batches of Chocolate Bliss. We have found that a 24 ounce water bottle full of Bliss (and ice) will keep one person satisfied and energized for a full-on day of workshops and events (we have successfully proven this in several situations).

Here’s how we make this smaller travel size portion of Chocolate Bliss:

Bring a small portable blender, like this Hamilton Beach blender we use.

Pour 8 ounces of water into the blender (seems to be the perfect amount for blending). Add

2 Tbsp of Chocolate Bliss

2 Tbsp of Vanilla Agave Nectar

Blend well (this will take longer than a Vitamix since it’s so small).

Then put this blended mixture in a BPA-free 24oz water bottles and fill it up with water to about the 20 ounce mark and the rest with ice to chill it and help keep it cold all day long (adding more ice as the day progresses and you drink down the Bliss).

Enjoy!

Sprouted Lentil Falafel

Lentil Falafels & Cucumber Dill Sauce

Falafel is a traditional middle eastern food that is typically made from garbanzo beans and fried. It’s often served in a pita bread or on a salad with a tzatziki sauce (cucumber-yogurt sauce). This raw version I created completely satisfies my greek food cravings and I can taste the aliveness in every bite.

Falafel Patties

1/2 Medium Onion (about 1 cup once shredded in the food processor)

2-4 Carrots (about 1 cup once shredded in the food processor)

1 Garlic clove

1 Cup Sprouted Lentils (1/2 Cup dry lentils)

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seeds

1/4-1/2 of an avocado

3 Tbsp Parsley or Cilantro (dried or fresh)

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Coriander (seeds or powder)

1.5 tsp SunFire Salt

1/4 tsp Turmeric

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How To Make Raw Sauerkraut

Red & Green Sauerkraut

Making your own sauerkraut is one of the easiest things to do and much more economical than buying Bubbie’s sauerkraut (my favorite) from the store.

Sauerkraut is an excellent source for probiotics and one of my go-to foods when I crave cheese. It’s tangy like cheese, more probiotic than cheese, and tastes particularly excellent on salads and mixed with avocados.

Here’s the process I use to make my own which I got from this delightful video by Lauren Amerson (ShaktiGoddess1 on youtube):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gObQR5Vm4M

Raw Sauerkraut Recipe

1 head cabbage (green or red)

2 Tbsp SunFire Salt

1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds (optional – I prefer my sauerkraut without this rye flavor)

Leftover brine if you have it (from your last batch or from a store-bought Bubbie’s sauerkraut)

Remove a few outer layer cabbage leaves (1-3) for later
Cut the core out of the cabbage and then shred cabbage with food processor or knife (smaller pieces are better for fermenting faster and getting more water out for the brine)
Put shredded cabbage in a large bowl and add salt (and optionally the caraway) and massage it in with your hands. Let this sit for 30-60 min until the cabbage wilts.
Massage the cabbage again, squeezing so that even more liquid is released. Massage for probably 5-10 minutes until the cabbage is very wilted and there’s enough liquid to cover the top of the cabbage.
Transfer the cabbage and then the resulting liquid (brine) into a quart size mason jar. (depending on the size of the cabbage head you may require more than one quart size jar). Press down on the cabbage so the brine rises to the top and there are no air bubbles.
Add a piece of the outer layer cabbage leaf to the top and press down so that the brine is above it. This keeps the shredded pieces below the brine level. (optional: add a weight on top of the cabbage leaf to make sure it all stays below the liquid)
Leave about 1 inch of air space at the top of the jar for the fermentation gases to escape and secure the lid tightly.
Label the jar with the date the jar was closed. Keep on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Check the taste of the sauerkraut to make sure it tastes tangy and like sauerkraut, then store it in the fridge (indefinitely).

Enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse Pudding with Irish Moss

Chocolate Mousse Pudding

I’ve never been a fan of the raw chocolate mousse like recipes that combine an avocado with a sweetener and chocolate. They taste alright, but my body doesn’t seem to like avocados mixed with sweet things. (translation: I get really stinky farts).

Thankfully I’ve found a just-as-good-or-better alternative that uses a fun and nutritive seaweed called Irish Moss.

Irish Moss has many awesome superfood properties. As a seaweed it’s high in iodine which is really good for your thyroid. When you soak Irish Moss in water it forms into a mucilaginous gel (much like soaked flax seeds, soaked chia seeds and aloe leaf insides). This gel is really good for your digestion as it helps to bind together any toxins and push them out. To further benefit from all the superfood properties of Irish Moss, consider making a bit extra gel (see directions below) and adding a heaping Tablespoon to your daily smoothies.

Irish Moss Gel
To make 1 cup of Irish Moss gel start with 1/4 Cup dry Irish Moss seaweed or flakes (not the powdered form). First rinse the Irish moss seaweed or flakes very well. Pick out any bits of sand. As you rinse and rinse and rinse the Iris moss, it will expand to about 1/2 cup of re-hydrated seaweed. Soak this rinsed Irish moss in 2x the amount of water overnight (1 Cup of water). The Irish moss will expand further and form a sort of gel. Blend this gelatinous mixture in a blender until smooth. You are now ready to make the mousse using 1 Cup of this blended, smooth gel. (I get my Irish Moss from Mountain Rose Herbs).

Chocolate Mousse Pudding

1 Cup Irish Moss gel (see instructions above)

1 tsp Ground Vanilla Bean

1/2 tsp Lecithin (if you’re out, you can also use Tocos, though it might not set as thick)

1/2 Cup Cacao Powder

1.5 Cup pure water (or a fresh nut milk like coconut milk)

1/2 Cup Vanilla Agave Nectar

1 Tbsp Coconut Butter

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

Blend all ingredients except the coconut oil until smooth. Add the coconut oil and blend again. Pour this thick liquid into a serving container and refrigerate (or freeze for faster cooling) for about 30 minutes. The irish moss gel, lecithin and coconut oil all help this mousse to set into a solid pudding that you can then scoop out for serving or eat directly with a spoon.

Enjoy!

Blood Pressure, Caffeine & Getting Off Medications: An Interview With David Favor

Here’s another awesome interview I had with David Favor (creator of Chocolate Bliss and all-around wise raw superfood being).

In addressing the scenario of a specific client’s health concerns we talked extensively about the real issues behind high blood pressure, the truth about caffeine, and how one might go about getting off of medications and more onto raw superfoods.

[watch on youtube]

Primal Digest Enzymes For Sinus Infections, Heartburn and Food Comas

Primal Digest Enzymes

One of our long-time superfood customers has been telling her digestive enzyme stories at our Raw Superfood Dinners for a while now and we finally sat down to record her experiences to share with those of you who aren’t able to show up in person at our events.

Here’s what Katherine had to say as I interviewed her about her journey of upgrading with Primal Digest Enzymes …

What do you like most about the Primal Digest Enzymes?

I think what I like most about the Primal Digest Enzymes is how good I feel after I eat a heavy meal, or if I’m just tired. If I take the enzymes I feel better – it gets rid of the lethargy and sleepiness.

It’s really evident for my mom who has MS. Anytime she eats she gets really tired afterwards. She lost a lot of weight because she wasn’t eating because she didn’t want to get tired (and have to take a nap). So anytime we have a meal together – a cooked meal or a big meal – I’ll give her some enzymes and she’ll take them and a half hour later she’ll say “I feel pretty good!” and she’s not tired.

I also notice that if I take the enzymes as David Favor described – taking 2, 4, 6 a day – taking the enzymes with and between meals, that it clears me out. I poop more, I don’t get an upset stomach, and I don’t get heartburn.

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