A Special Friend returned from Arizona

Hsiao Kee is a special friend and mum just returned from Arizona with her son. They had a good time there with Our Place International and have learnt an important, lifetime and valuable lesson. You can read more from this link : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150407090745643&set=a.323023685642.331443.149785450642&theater

We got a good catch up from each other yesterday and our sons are having FUN on their own. I have learnt from her good sharing and she is a brave lady I can say, no joke... This is the first time I see my son munching half of a stick of cucumber and half of a prune without spitting out. Having peers together does makes a different. Watching Reyes eating his salad and vege happily, I hope that my son would also enjoy salad as his main meal one day. Thanks to Hsiao Kee for sharing her raw carrot cake and cashew dip with me. They are DELICIOUS!!! With the leftover, it add on flavours to my salad today....

Zucchini Noddle

Zucchini Strips --- make from 2 way peeler, idea from Simple Vegetarian by Wong Kee Yew

Raw Mushroom cubes --- can buy from NTUC, PESTICIDE FREE

Parsley

Cashew Dip --- from Hsiao Kee

Salad

Organic Alafafa Sprout --- from NTUC

Purple Cabbage --- shredded

Jap Cucumber --- cubed

Corn

Red Pepper Bell Dip --- recipes from Our Place International

see link : http://rawhealthyfood.blogspot.com/2010/09/red-pepper-bell-dip.html

Carrot Cake with dip --- from Hsiao Kee

Yummy!

For the book, Simple Vegetarian by Wong Kee Yew, you can buy it from Awareness Place. Thanks to my friend, Linda who gave me a copy, it has quite a number of simple recipes who is suitable for busy friends. My son enjoyed the raw walnut brownie very much.

Follow the Flow --- Raw Strawberry Almond Cake

Life seems easier to go along with the flow than against the flow. You may seems to get what you want in your life after some determination and struggle but if it is not yours, you will suffer along the process.

I wanted very much to become a teacher as a full time job after volunteering as a Dharma teacher for a few years. I quit my smooth sailing engineering job and join MOE in despite of some

objections. I don't want to regret, for it is my dream. But in the end, I suffered from depression and had phobia going into the classroom every morning. I cried when I talked to

my friends about my situation. I am lucky that my previous company took me back after 3 months in MOE. But my luck go down in my career after that.....

For this hobby or raw food preparation, it is just like a flow to me. My son push me to work on his food. My friend, Siok Khoon, kicked my ass to conduct food preparation class at her house. I am reluctant when she suggested this to me. It took me a lot of courage to do it. What if I speak the wrong thing? What if the participant don't like my dishes? blah blah.... But after I started my first lesson, I have the satisfaction and whenever I have new dishes, I a

m eager to share with people.

I came across this book, Living in the Raw Gourmet written by

Rose Lee Calabro by incident. While I am reading another book, it recommend some raw book with easy recipes. Without knowing what is inside, it is risky to buy them. So I intended to borrow from the library. Instead of getting the recommended book, I saw this and find that the cover page is quite old fashioned or unique. So I borrowed it. The recipes inside are very easy and simple, short and sweet. I hate recipes that needs a lot of ingredients especially the uncommon ones. I w

ill not use them after trying out the recipes and will go into the dustbin after it expires or wither.... What a waste!

I leave the book aside after I have it until my friend asked for raw cake for her daughter's birthday. I quickly flip through and go for a simple one. In this situation, if I have negative thoughts, I will be complaining, have fouling mood and rushing to make one out. If I stay positive and do it willingly, I will be a more happy person. Our thinking can change our environment or our world into a hell or heaven.

It is a blessing to be able to give and in return, you will benefit more. After her party, I have free reviews on my cake, with new recipes to write and share and best of all, I have fulfilment. With all the shitty things in our life, the more we should be positive and happy. Everything shits and obstacles can be treated as a test to us. We get wiser each time we pull through an obstacles. They are there for a reason.... Without any difficulties, how can we help other with the same problem? Without much nagging, below are the RAW cake recipe.

Strawberry Almond Cake

First Layer

2 cups Almonds --- soaked overnight, blanched and remove skin

2 cups Dates --- remove seeds

2 teaspoons vanilla extract --- best if you can find from organic stall

Process almond in food processor with S blade into fine meal

Add in dates and vanilla gradually

Process until mixture is smooth and form a ball

Mould into your favourite shape

Second Layer

2 cups Almonds --- soaked overnight, blanched and remove skin

2 cups raisins

2 teaspoons vanilla extract --- best if you can find from organic stall

Process almond in food processor with S blade into fine meal

Add in raisin and vanilla gradually

Process until mixture is smooth and form a ball

Mould into your favourite shape

Icing

2 cups Cashew --- soaked for 1 hour

1 cup Strawberries

1/4 cup Dates --- remove seeds and soaked for 1 hour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract --- best if you can find from organic stall

Process all ingredient in blender or food processor with S blade until smooth and creamy

Filling

1/2 cup Strawberries --- thinly sliced

Decoration

Blueberries

Strawberries

or any fruits

Assemble

Ice the first layer of cake

Layer the sliced strawberries on top

Place the second layer over the sliced strawberries

Ice the top and sides of the cake with remaining icing

Decorate with fruits

FIRST LAYER with Icing and Strawberries SECOND LAYER placed on top

Add Carob powder to your first and second layer if you want a carob cake as shown below:

Raw Tart

Tarts tarts tarts, we see them everywhere especially during Chinese New Year. People loves them so much that we have Egg Tart in all pastry shops and get to eat them fresh everyday. During CNY, people are busy making, selling and buying Pineapple Tarts. In the high class restaurant, we have bird nest tart or maybe Shark Fin Tarts???? But have you heard or seen any Raw Tart before????

I am so excited over raw pastry and have the urge to make them right away when I saw any recipes. I loves pastry but restraint from eating them from the pastry shop because of the refined sugar, salt, wheat and dairy products(they call them the 4 evil white).... They are highly refined and processed that they can no longer considered as real food. And the pastry may contain Margarine which I would not know... margarine is a No No for me, it is a synthetic, man-made chemical, do you know that it is only one molecule away from being plastic??!!

I am lacking of processor and I am searched through books on recipes that does not need one. So this recipe is a combination from 2 books....

Crust (from Light Eating For Survival, Marcia Madhuri Acciardo)

9 tbsp of Sunflower Seed Flour --- Grind sunflower seed into powder

Coconut Oil --- use cold pressed, I bought mine in Organic Shop, costed about $20 per bottle...

Agave Nectar --- Bought from Organic Shop, a better replacement for sugar

Add Agave Nectar into Sunflower Seed Flour, how much? Depend on your liking on sweetness, remember that the tart will be sweet because of the filling too. Then add coconut oil until it can form a dough and mould it onto your tart cups. If the dough stick on to your hand and difficult to handle, wet your hand with coconut oil. I like the crust thin, so I will not feel too heavy with too much seeds...

Filling (from Raw Living, Kat Wood)

4 Banana

1 large Apple --- Pacific Rose or any Sweet version, peel off skin and chop into small pieces

80g Tahini --- I used Melrose brand

120g Dates --- remove seeds and soak them before hand if possible

1 small Lemon, Juiced

1.5 tbsp Psyllium Husk

2 tsp Vanilla --- optional, unless you can find a good one from Organic shop else omit

Put all the ingredients in the blender except Psyllium Husk and blend them up. After blending, mix in the Psyllium Husk and pour the filling in the crust immediately.

Topping

Pine Nut or Coconut Flakes or Cashew or even cutted fruits for colours --- depend on your tart size

Decorate your tart according to your choice and place in the fridge for a few hours for it to set.

This recipes can make up to 10 to 15 tarts, depending on the size of your tart mould. Reduce the measurements accordingly if you want a smaller serving. Enjoy!

Carob Chocolate Creation

I always had my Cadbury almond chocolate in my bag during my poly time. I would pop some in my mouth and pass around when we were sleepy in class. Or when we studied for exam, we would buy a few packs of chocolate and tibits to eat while we study. Those were the days..... People will brag about the goodness of chocolate, saying that it will help to de stress. Until one day, I know that it contain caffeine and lots of fats and sugar, I reduce my intake to occasional treats. I only started to learn to read the product ingredient when I am in my 20's. I hardly care when I am in my teens.

Until now I still cannot get over the chocolate thingy... I screw my head into using Carob powder to replace. The taste is not so appealing for my husband, it is quite powdery and dry with carob alone and the taste is REALLY Carob only loh... One night, after feeding my son night feed, something came in my mind. Why not use up the almond powder I had? Anyway my son does not like it and I am trying to finish it up. I wake up in the middle of the night, making the carob chocolate at 3am!!! And it works. I am so excited and start making other creation for the next few days and weeks. Here they are as presented below:

1) Carob Nut Egg

2 tbp carob powder

2 tbp almond powder

(may not be healthy for your version, you may process your own nut powder instead)

agave nectar (estimate to your own sweetness)

a few drops of rice milk/any liquid

coconut oil

macadamia nuts

Mix the dry ingredient up first then stir in agave nectar, you will left with a bit of powder stick to the side, add liquid to mix well. Not too much liquid, add enough to have all the powder stirred into the mixture. It will be very thick and hard to stir. Wet your hand with coconut oil, grab some mixture and add one nut in and roll it into a ball and that's it. Do the same with the rest until all done. Place in frezzer / fridge to set.

2) Chocolate Fonte

Same ingredient as above without the nuts. But you need to add more rice milk to make a more watery consistency. My son took the kiwi which he usually don't take them. Thanks to the dip that cover the sour taste of the kiwi.

3) Use the leftover from nut milk

I make nut milk for my son everyday. After blending almonds with dates and water, I will filter and feed my son with the milk. The leftover will be throw away to the drain, I find it wasteful sometimes. Now I try to collect it in a bowl and at the end of the day, I will make my nutty carob snacks.

3a) Golden Pillow

Dry your leftover as much as possible. Add in 1:1 carob powder and almond powder until it has thick consistency then add in the coarsely chopped brazil nuts/macadamia nuts. Roll them into pillow shape and coat it with sesame seeds. Place in frezzer / fridge to set.

3b) Carob version of Nutella

Just mix 1:1 carob powder and almond powder into the leftover until it has creamy consistency. Place in fridge to set.

3c) Carob chocolaty melt

Just mix 1:1 carob powder and almond powder into the leftover until the mixture cannot take in any more powder. Mold them up and drizzle Agave Nectar+Almond powder sauce on it. Place in frezzer / fridge to set.

Accident Discovery - Vegetarian Otak Burger

I have been a 99% vegetarian for 2 years and now still is with no regrets. My 1% non vegetarian is when I eat vegetables that are cooked with meat. Sometimes we don't have a choice when someone cook for us. I still have craving for the junk food and this gets my head thinking on how to make some vegan ones.

This recipe is an ACCIDENT. I would not have do this dish if my sister Kat had not suggested a walk at Upper Pierre Reservoir. We planned to have a morning walk with our sons and guessing that they may not have any food stall there; I have to prepare some in case they are hungry.

Having Bread or Biscuit alone are not that healthy for me and my dehydrated snacks are out of stock. At least I need something good to go with the bread. Flipping through the pages of Raw Living from Kat Wood, why not try the burgers to goes with the bread??!! The ingredients that I have on hand and easiest to make is Love Burger so I give it a try. I blend all the ingredients and dehydrate for 8 hours, only to dry the outer layer of the burger with internal still soft and nice. For Bread, I used FIVE LOAVES bread, it is a healthier version as compared to others as suggested by Siok Khoon.

The smell of familiar food linger around my nose in the morning. It just taste something like OTAK when I took a bite. It is even better with bread. I just love it alone with BREAD and nothing else! What a discovery! My sister and mother in law tried it and they are convinced too. You can try them too! No dehydrator? No problem. You can place the burger under a low grill for a few minutes on each side, make sure that the food is lightly toasted on both sides without being cooked through. Or you can lightly fry them in coconut oil, just a few minutes on each sides to warm them up and help them stick together. (suggestions by Kat Wood)

Ingredients:

250g soaked Cashews

2 big Red Pepper Bells / 4 small Red Pepper Bells

1 small Cauliflower

1 small Onion (do not store up cutted onion)

2 tsp white miso

Thin Seaweed Cracker

I find this recipe much better than the conventional seaweed snacks that we see on the store shelf, it does not have any oil or salt included. The only ingredient are TOMATO, CUCUMBER and KELP FLAKES. It does not need salt as kelp itself is a bit salty. The tomato gives a Tangy taste. The proportion I usually used is 1 medium tomato and 1 large jap cucumber, blend them up. There after, add in Kelp Flakes, it help to absorb the water a little as it expand.

Kelp are full of mineral and tomato are best to eaten raw as it turns acidic after cooked. And cucumber are very alkaline and cleansing. The ingredients are easily available and they are easy to make.

Recipe from Raw Living, Kate Wood

Curry Fever

Recipe from Raw Living, Kate Wood

Yummy yum, curry curry, I love curry. Just tried out some curry snacks after getting hold of my curry powder from Organic Shop. I soaked the Buckwheat around 3 to 4 hours, drained it then coat it with sesame oil and curry powder, leave them in the dehydrator to dry overnight. It turned out to be light and crispy. I add them to my salad and my salad become more tasty than ever.

Another type of snack is to use sweet potato. Slice the sweet potato as thin as possible, just like potato chip or else it will be woody. Coat it with the same seasoning as mentioned above and dehydrate it. The sweet potato I used is purple in colour but the flesh is orange, if you bake them, it become very soft like pumpkin. It become my favourite chip but not too much, you will have sore throat the next day. :( More juice, please!

For kids, curry is too hot for them. I tried with the Kelp seasoning and olive oil, it turns out great too!