for some reason i always thought that oranges were a summer fruit, but much to my surprise they are at the peak of their season right now! i haven’t gone this bonkers over a harvest since july when the juicy white donut peaches were like nothing i had ever tasted. like the peaches, i have been toting home upwards of ten pounds of these seedless mandarin oranges every week. mostly i enjoy squeezing them into a tall glass of the best orange juice i’ve ever had in my life. but they’re also super easy to peal and pop in your mouth. i even made a pot of orange spice and red wine marmalade for christmas presents.
enjoy oranges now, while they taste the best. in fact keep your eye on all citrus, because lemons and grapefruits are amazing right now too.
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you’re probably asking yourself how it can be both raw and hot at the same time. without actually cooking, if blended on high for a few minutes anything will warm up. it’s a tip often used by raw foodists to make raw soups more appetizing.
after a few minutes of blending the combination of fresh homemade buckwheat milk, raw chocolate powder and agave syrup gather a froth just like the real thing. but this treat is much lighter, raw and free of most allergens, like dairy, gluten, soy, nuts and refined sugar.
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ginger has been used for thousands of years in chinese medicine to treat stomach disorders like persistent nausea, motion sickness, morning sickness, loss of appetite or anorexia. but it also treats mild lung disorders, like upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis or a simple cold and cough. it reduces toxicity which means it is anti-bacterial, and explains why ginger is always served with sushi – to battle the bacteria in the raw fish. and because of it’s warm nature it is used to treat pain caused by cold, as seen in most cases of menstrual cramps, stiff muscles and indigestion caused by cold.
but western medicine prizes the rhizome just as much, labeling it with words like anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antioxidant and anti-cancer. reduction of inflammation explains it’s ability to reduce muscle and joint pain – such as gout or arthritis – as well as topical swelling. while anticoagulant means that it reduces clotting thereby helping to prevent strokes. it’s anti-oxidizing properties reinforce it’s anti-cancer properties since cancer can be caused by DNA mutations caused by oxidative stress.
since i got a juicer i have been drinking large quantities of ginger juice and loving the way it makes me feel. read on for lots of ways to introduce a little, or a lot, of ginger into your diet.
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Also posted in tips | Tagged anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anticoagulant, antioxidant, cinnamon, ginger, herbs, immunity, juice, natural remedies, organic, tea, turmeric |
this drink remedies two problems i have with processed grape drinks. first, i think grape flavoring is gross – tasting nothing like natural goodness of grape juice – because the “grape flavor” is simply a chemical compound that is synthesized in a laboratory.
secondly, most drinks you buy in a supermarket are loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup, which can give you a sugar rush and subsequent sugar coma like nothing else. i usually sweeten lemonade with organic sugar, maple syrup or agave, but i enjoy it so much more when i can sweeten it naturally with fruit.
apples, pineapple and grapes are so sweet that they can completely replace sugar. plus, drinks that are naturally sweetened with fresh juice have more vitamins, minerals and active enzymes. they are light tasting and make you feel refreshed. but the best part is that you don’t even need a juicer to enjoy this fresh juice drink. you just need a blender and strainer.
enjoy this lemonade with friends, because it’s so fresh it won’t keep long. and because it’s so tasty, that shouldn’t be a problem.
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summer is the season of iced tea. and what better than a naturally sweet, caffeine-free tea that’s easy to make on the cheap. all you need is a few sticks of cinnamon, some water and some time on the stove.
depending on how much sap the cinnamon bark contains, the tea will vary in sweetness. experiment yourself and see what you come up with.
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Posted in drink | Tagged cinnamon, tea |
last year when i went to san francisco to visit my friends rose and kim, rose made sweet basil and mint iced tea for a picnic we had in golden gate park. it was simply wonderful and refreshing to drink while spending a beautiful summer day outdoors.
you may not think of basil as an herb you would use for tea, but being in the mint family it shares many of its sweet, cooling properties. and they go very nicely together. pick up some fresh herbs at the farmers’ market and it will only cost you a few dollars to whip up a batch!
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Posted in drink | Tagged basil, mint, tea |
i’ve been working at my local juice bar for a few months now where we make all the milk for our smoothies fresh daily. we make coconut milk by blending the meat and the water – we make almond, oat and buckwheat milks by simply soaking, blending and straining the grains or nuts.
the pulp that’s left over after straining is a shame to throw away as it’s just as nutritious as the milk but is loaded with all the fiber. as such, we use the almond paste in smoothies as a lighter almond butter substitute. unfortunately the buckwheat pulp is a little bland, but we often make the oat paste into raw oatmeal. there are lots of ways to prepare it – yacon syrup, fresh berries, nuts – but i’ve tried out a simple combination of banana, a little agave and cinnamon here so i can share the technique, but leave the specifics of the recipe a little open to interpretation. leave a comment with the way you love your raw oatmeal!
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valentine’s day is all about red and pink things, but to me it doesn’t make sense to use nasty old food coloring when there are plenty of tasty and natural sources to create beautiful color.
after months of working at a juice bar i developed a love for beet juice. it’s sweet and detoxifying and tastes great with lemon or apple juice (but be careful, it stains!) i paired it with cranberry juice to even out the intense flavor and added some soda water to help lighten it’s thick consistency. this drink is perfect for a romantic homemade valentine’s dinner with your sweetie.
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nothing makes me think of christmas more than eggnog. but the idea of a tall glass of milk and eggs doesn’t appeal to me much anymore – thankfully, a little soy milk and tofu does the trick just fine. season with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and just a pinch of turmeric to give it a yellow tint.
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you can make milk out of nearly any seed or nut. i decided to use sunflower seeds for this recipe, but you can use almonds, cashews, oats, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, rice or buckwheat – it just requires a little soaking, blending and straining.
the result might not taste exactly like milk but makes a good substitute for the lactose intolerant, soy intolerant, raw foodist or those with nut allergies alike.
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