Loaf Crackers (raw)

The recipe here is sensibly the same as my previous cracker recipes. Pick one of these two as your base (ingredients AND mixing instructions):
Raw Vegetable Crackers - Yes! There is a use for juice pulp
Rooster's pizza crust

I used less walnuts than in the recipes above because I ran out but substituted with more pine nuts as well as more milled flax. I also used some raw veg juice pulp which had been frozen for a couple of days so I was able to make a bigger batch of crackers.

As you can see, I made two loaves. One is seasoned with Italian spices and the other with a curry spice mix. My curry loaf was dehydrated separately because my trays were full with the first loaf slices. The juice pulp contains carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli stem, apple, lemon and grapefruit. No beets this time! To the nut and seed mixture, I added chopped onion and radicchio (looks like a small red and white cabbage) as well as some agave nectar.

The difference for THIS recipe is that it saves time. The process of forming loaves is quicker than flattening the dough and cutting out shapes.

I'm glad I tried this because it is definitely quicker!

Slice the loaves as thinly as possible, using a wide blade knife or a straight spatula like the one pictured. I found that having both tools was very useful. Pull out any chunky pulp pieces that were not removed during mixing. I discarded apple peel and fibrous grapefruit pieces.

The curry loaf was in the fridge overnight in a covered container. I woke up with the idea that it would be cool to add a spot of colour in the center.

Here's how to do it:

• mix together milled flax, carrot juice and carrot pulp 
• add chopped red pepper
• slice loaf lengthwise and remove some dough from sides, inside, to create a cavity
• spoon in the new mixture, even it out
• close the loaf with the dough which was removed

Slice and transfer to trays. These slices will be chunkier because it is challenge to keep it all pretty if you flatten them. If you have some of the second mixture left, you can spoon it onto the middle of each cracker and press it lightly so the contrast is more evident. Dehydrate for 20 to 24 hours at 105F, until crispy.

After one to two hours that they have been in the dehydrator, turn the crackers over, their own weight will help them achieve a flatter shape and you can also flatten them gently between your hands.

Keep in a covered container in the fridge, if after a couple of days the crackers become softer, you can dehydrate again. I haven't kept them longer than one week because they are consumed in less time than that here.

We had Italian herb crackers for lunch today with a bean salad (the curry crackers are still in the machine and smelling divine). Eric said that he would like to build a big dehydrator so I can make bigger batches. Stay tuned for news on that!

Rooster's Raw Pizza Crusts

The difference between this raw "pizza" crust recipe and my raw cracker recipe is that this is sweetened with agave, there are pine nuts and chunkier vegetables are added to the pulp. I'm still juicing beets and cabbage so this is why my crusts are purple. The rest of my leftover juicing pulp used in this crust contains lemon, broccoli stems and apple. I'm having lots of cabbage lately and you can read more about that in yesterday's blog post.

Don't expect a doughy experience. This is going to be a hard crust with a Italian onion flavor.

Vegetable and seed mixture

 

Mix together in a large bowl:

• 3 to 4 cups leftover juice pulp
• chopped chives or other herb
• chopped onion; you can keep pieces thin and long
• 2 to 3 Tbsp agave nertar
• dried Italian herbs
• 1/2 Tbsp of sea salt
• dash of cayenne
• the equicalent of 1/2 cup of:
• --whole or milled chia seed
• --hemp seed
• --milled flax seed

Nut mixture
Process together in a food Processor until soft, smooth texture is obtained.:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• a huge chunk of coconut oil (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 cloves garlic

Fold the nut mixture into the vegetable and seed mixture. Form cracker shapes on your work surface such as a smooth cutting board.

 

You might need to grease up your tools with olive oil. I actually experimented with a cookie cutter here.

  If you're not sure how to shape your dough, go biscotti style. Where you shape the dough into a loaf and slice it, flattening each piece with your fingers and then transferring it onto the tray.

 

Depending on the thickness, dehydrate for 24 hours at 105F.

Enjoy with hummus and friends!

Cabbage = detox (Simple Sesame Slaw)

Raw green cabbage is inexpensive and healthy. Here is a nutrition chart for you to consult. I recently decided to either juice or eat raw cabbage daily as I continue serious detoxification efforts.

This cruciferous vegetable contains fiber, sulphur and vitamin C which are antioxidants. It also holds considerable amounts of minerals. various vitamins and electrolytes. Although it doesn't seem to contain sugar, it gives me energy. It can cause gas and uncomfortable bloating for some people. I have been told that it is beneficial for celiacs and people with skin conditions as it helps to rebuild our damaged intestinal tracts. Read about other benefits of cabbage on this page. Since then, I've been mixing it in with my spinach salads, juicing and dehydrating it (see my vegetable pulp cracker recipe). The time has come for some serious cabbage PAZZAZ!

So here is my Seriously Simple Sesame Slaw recipe. It's lemony, with a curry twist.

Mix together:

• 1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
• Chopped chives
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1Tbsp soy sauce (Nama Shoyu is raw but expensive and hard to find)
• 4 to 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1Tbsp curry powder
• pinch sea salt

Recommended method:

Place all ingredients in a large container, cover, shake and refrigerate, allowing flavours cohabitate and mingle for an hour or so before serving.

Optional toppings:

• sesame seeds
• hemp hearts
• Vietnamese coriander or other fine herb

Meal idea: serve with a bunch of red grapes and beet cracker bakes or with your favorite rice paper or nori julienne vegetable wrap.

For this photographed meal, the crackers are topped with raw onion, raw sweet yellow bell pepper, sliced cooked chicken breast, leftover stir fry (fiddle heads, red bell pepper, garlic, onion, portobello mushroom and balsamic vinegar) and finely grated old cheddar cheese before being baked in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt.

Raw Fruit Cookies - Two Recipes for protein packed treats

Ahhh hurray for the long weekend, this has been a relaxing Saturday, allowing my experimenting to continue with really fabulous results! I've been 90% raw for the past 5 days. My crackers are good but I'm ready for something different for my work lunches this week. Here's what's in my dehydrator tonight. Anyone up for some healthy fruity sweet confections?!



This is the nut mixture used for both of these raw cookie recipes:

1. Coarsly ground 1 cup almonds in a food processor
2. Ground 2 cups walnuts in a food processor until buttery consistency reached. 

This also applies to both recipes: Dehydrate these goodies at 105F for 6 to 12 hours, depending on the level of crunch you are seeking. I like the carrot cookies to be as crispy as possible and the berry cookies are nice with some moisture. When desired texture is achieved, store in an airtight container in the fridge. If they are kept slightly soft, it is best to consume within 2 to 3 days. They will keep longer when they are fully dehydrated.

Berry Chia Balls 

• 1/2 Nut mixture described above (1 cup ground walnuts and 1/2 cup ground almonds) 
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup whole chia seeds
• 1/2 cup hemp and milled flax
• 3/4 cup raisins (or dates)
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
• 4 Tbsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetner (not raw but delicious!)
• 1 to 2 Tbsp maca (optional)

Blend the berries in a blender or food processor. I used frozen berries and the texture was terrific for mixing, better than if they had been fully thawed. Mix with other ingredients. Roll into balls, place on dehydrator as is or press down lightly to make 1 inch thick cookie shapes. This recipe is inspired by Matt Amsden's recipe for Berry and Nut Breakfast Bars detailed in his Rawvolution book.

Variations:

1. If you are adventurous, add a few spoonfuls of plain or berry yogurt. Might need to adjust sweetener quantity and note that probiotic yogurt likely does not keep those properties... something to be verified.
2. I will try sometime with shredded apple and add some cinnamon and perhaps switch the raisins for dried cranberries.
3. You could also do this with strawberries or blackberries or any mix. 

 Carrot, Pineapple, Coconut and Ginger Nut Cookies

• Pulp from juicing a few large carrots, a thick ring of pineapple and a big peeled chunk of ginger

• 1/2 Nut mixture described above (1 cup ground walnuts and 1/2 cup ground almonds) 
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup hemp, flax, chia seeds
• 3 tbsp agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp total: mix ground cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of ground clove
• 1 to 2 Tbsp maca (optional)

 

 

After mixing thoroughly, form balls in your hands and flatten to create thin rounds., placing them on dehydrator tray as you progress. 

 

Press a raisin, dried cranberry or goji berry at the center of each cookie. After an hour in the dehydrator, turn them over with the fruit side down.

To my surprise, I left the carrot pineapple cookies in the dehydrator much longer than the berry chia balls. They need to be crispy otherwise the ginger tastes funky.

 

With raw cookies, it seems the possibilities are endless since you can use different nuts, sweeteners, yogurt, spices, etc!

 

Raw vegetable crackers - YES there is a use for juice pulp!

If you've ever juiced, you've asked but what about the pulp? I've put some in soup but never the whole quantity leftover from juicing. I can't live with the guilt of throwing it out, even when it is to become compost, anymore.

 

I needed to try something and my experiment turned out to be a tasty one. I ate my first batch of crackers in one day. Well I gave a few away to coworkers and they wanted more!

 

We all crave crunch other than celery when on a mostly raw diet so here it is, my very own raw cracker recipe:

 

Super adaptable, ingredients for this recipe can vary greatly, I've done this twice so far with similar results so now feel ready to post the recipe. You can use sprouted seeds, different nuts and seeds like pepitas and sunflower, add some tahini, perhaps even pulses like cooked lentils or chick peas (then they wouldn't be 100% raw but it's an idea). Stay away from overly sweet fruit, melon, grapes. You can use one kind of vegetable pulp or a mix as I did.  

 

As a sidenote, you can follow a similar process to make cookies with carrot and pineapple pulp, blend with raisins or dates, coconut, walnuts, flax, hemp, agave or honey and use a bite size cookie cutter (try a spice jar lid!).

 

My crackers have such an intriguing colour cuz they're made with beets!

I would consider the pictures here to represent a double batch of crackers. They turned out thicker the second time I made them but I was working with a bigger quantity of mixture and wanted it all to fit in my dehydrator in one batch.

 

Here's how:

 

My vegetable pulp leftover from juicing was beet, cabbage, lemon and carrot.

 

In a large bowl, place the pulp, seasoning (I used cayenne and a mix of Italian dried herbs, sea salt) I added a bit of olive oil and tahini too.

 

In a food processor, place 1 cup walnuts, blend until the texture is buttery. Add 1/2 red pepper, 1 clove garlic (or 2!), a chunk of coconut oil - it has amazing health properties - and 1/2 cup flax seeds (whole or milled). Blend that together.

walnut mixture goes from food processor to bowl

 

Add the blended nut mixture to the bowl of pulp and add 1/2 cup of whole seeds such as hemp, chia, flax or others.

 

It is critical for the texture to be uniform so mix, mix, mix until you can form a ball. It will soon feel like doughy paste. Sometime during the mixing, give it a taste and you can add a touch of agave nectar to sweeten or sea salt or your spices.

 

Now the work begins. spread the paste onto your work surface, I used a large flexible cutting board. Flatten the dough to then cut out squares. Lift them with a flipper/spatula onto your dehydrator trays. If you use a rolling pin - something I don't own - you may need to grease it up.

I tried flattening with a second cutting board with mixed results since I hadn't greased it. 

Most of the flattening was  done with the spatula.

 

I sprinkled hemp hearts over my cracker shapes but they didn't stick well, I would have needed to press them in a little for more to stay on.

 

Dehydrate at 105F for several hours and flip the pieces over so they dry with a more even texture on both sides.  It can take as long as 24 hours to dehydrate them fully.

 

 

 

Place in an airtight container. If condensation forms, they need to be dehydrated longer. You can keep in the cupboard if you plan on eating promptly. Otherwise, it is best to refrigerate your veggie pulp raw crackers. I might surprise you with this comment and picture below but there is no rule against cooking them later!

 

These ham, old cheddar and chive bakes are supreme culinary delicacies: The oil they contain makes them taste spectacular. Crumbled, the raw crackers can top salads, stir fries or other hot dishes. Let me know how you like 'em!

 

Childhood affects adulthood: This is my take on what it takes to help children feel whole

Whew! That was exciting! I was just interviewed for a radio show called The Incredible Breakthrough Show. Bob Miller from San Diego, California is the host. We talked about my book "Why am I Perfect?" and about my new Forensic Healing venture. I had prepared notes on stuff I wanted to talk about but we didn't really get to go there so as a follow-up to the interview, here is my take on what it takes to help children feel whole and yes, I do talk about whole foods:

I’ll start with two words: healthy habits. I like natural approaches to dealing with stress and challenging situations. Breathing is miraculous, so is exercise. Our bodies are incredible machines doing incredible things at every incredible moment! We need to fuel them with clean fuel. That means clean wholesome food, air and water.

I often remind myself to breathe more deeply. It is an amazing tool and there are all sorts of breathing techniques that you can mix with yoga, meditation and so on. Children should be told all the time that water is good for them because it helps their cells talk to each other, which helps their brain talk to their heart, their eyes talk to their legs, etc. My spouse teaches martial arts and I love watching him explain to six year olds the importance of breathing, he explains it like putting gas in the car. You need it to survive and you need a good supply of oxygen to feel good.

Avoiding sugar, artificial ingredients and even colorings can help keep emotions remain stable and real. There is more scientific research now linking things like autism, ADHD , allergies and depression to diets high in sweetners, chemicals and genetically modified organisms, this includes all wheat and most of the corn and soy available, unfortunately. There is no doubt in my mind that we all need to get away from eating processed foods. Whole foods like raw colourful bell peppers and dark green vegetables and raw nuts like almonds should really be at the base of everyone’s diet. That being said, I also believe that we need to, as responsible adults and parents especially, stop believing what everybody tells us and feel free to make our own health related decisions without always running to the doctor’s for drugs. Bob and I know a gentleman in Utah, he calls himself Dr. Gramps who relies on natural, good quality essential oils as his pharmacy to keep himself and his family healthy. We literally have so much information available at our fingertips to make decisions.  Instant cereal we call pablum here, I think is not the ideal starter food for a baby but people will look at you cross-eyed when you say you don’t give it to your child. Avocado, hemp, chia seeds, pears and bananas are way healthier, in my opinion.  

When I go grocery shopping with my children sitting in the cart, I have them name the fruits and veggies as I select them, I teach my sons that these are the most important foods, I repeat it to them every time we go and we have fun! Just like any other belief that will be drilled into their heads, I aim to give them helpful information that will serve them in the long run. This education can start very early and it’s never too late to change some non-productive beliefs either. 

Another tool we can all play with is visualization. If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to watch Dr. WayneDyer’s PBS special on you tube, it lasts about one hour. He explains why the imagination is the greatest gift we have. I only started recently trying to imagine, before I go to sleep, trying to imagine people I love being in bubbles of white light, to send them blessings and strength to get through whatever challenges they are experiencing and every time, it is different, I start with the same intention but I see different colors, textures, shapes depending who I am trying to visualize. I find it fascinating and it feels good to send blessings this way.  

I want to raise my children so they feel grateful too, and generally cared for. When we eat eggs, I’ll tell them they come from chickens so we’ll say thank you out loud to the chickens and to the farmers. With older children you can make it a game to name all of the people involved in making your meal possible. You’ll be surprised to hear what they can come out with. You’re eating homemade pizza but you’ll thank the tomato growers and those who put the sauce in the can, and the people who invented machines for the cans and truck drivers. You can even bring the conversation to the point of saying that people everywhere produce things to help us, for us to be healthy, and that it is done out of love even if we don’t know each other. This can help children to feel secure in the world. 

I’m a strong believer in leading by example so obviously if I don’t want my children to use foul language, I don’t use it around them. But this is true also when it comes to relationships; I want to show them what harmonious relationships are, by making sure I speak respectfully of other people. If you want yours to have high feelings of self worth and self esteem, be positive and only offer constructive criticism. Show them that you have healthy boundaries by saying no when you have to, to them AND to other people.

Coming back to language for a moment, we have a 11 year old boy, my step son Benjamin, who lives with us. We encourage him to speak well, in French and in English, to articulate, to ask questions properly, because we want him to have the capacity to express himself clearly, ask for what he needs and be confident. I’m certain this has a positive impact on the language development of my toddler and 1 year old as well.

Another thing to do so they grow up confident is allowing them to make choices. Lucas recently regressed with his potty training. We were at a point where we could travel to the daycare without him wearing a diaper but after a couple of weeks, he started to pee as soon as I left the daycare and wet his clothes. It seems to me that this regression is due to some separation anxiety. I decided to give him the choice in the morning, diaper or underwear and he’s been choosing the diaper consistently. I respect his choice and I think that by doing this, he feels respected and less anxious. When he uses the potty, which is most of the time, we applaud him with nice words and gestures so he is happy with himself.

During the interview we talked about Forensic Healing a lot but I didn't take the time to explain how Forensic Healing can help children:

Healing occurs when we set crystal clear intentions; this is true for healing ourselves and healing others. To heal, we have to want to heal. Babies want to feel better when they are sick so that willingness is there. Parents do it all of the time when they address a fear by talking about it truthfully and not ignoring or dismissing it. Like Lucas' example illustrates above, many physical symptoms can arise from stress. Often children can't tell you that they are stressed and something like bed wetting or chronic ear infections shows up. The Forensic Healing protocol allows me to tap into the source of the problem, even with children too young to speak.

Forensic Healing sessions last about 60 minutes, my current rate is $70. E-mail me to learn more or to book an appointment: healthy_active@live.com

Listen to the interview to benefit from the meditation and to learn how to access my special offers:

• $20 off Forensic Healing sessions 
• Obtain a dedicated copy of Why Am I Perfect? signed, dedicated and with shipping paid for by... me!

Love & Light

Nathalie

xox

Raw Baby? That's Nuts!

Nuts are nutritious. Some people are allergic so extra caution in that regard is needed. In their untouched form, they need to be chewed... so use common sense!  

Ground nuts are easily added to many, many foods. Parents can begin introducing them to children 6 months and over. Definitely start with non-allergenic nuts such as almonds, walnuts and hemp. I love hemp hearts. My toddler will eat them with a spoon and I blend them into purees for the baby and in smoothies for the whole family. 

Check out these dehydrated cracker and cookie recipes!

Raw nuts and whole grains all contain varying amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein. Here is the best comparison chart I have found online: http://www.health-alternatives.com/nut-seed-nutrition-chart.html

 So how much protein does baby need?

“Ideally, between 15 and 20 percent of the daily calories an adult consumes should be in the form of protein. For babies, this amount if much higher. About 40 percent of a baby's daily calories should be in the form of protein…  Babies from birth to six months of age need 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Babies between the age of six months and one year need 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.” The source of this information is at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/536864-do-babies-need-protein/

Oh hempry balls

Ever wonder what to do with small quantities of nuts or leftover trailmix? Try this gluten free recipe: raw walnuts and hemp hearts are ground together to form a buttery base. Add some agave nectar, peanut butter, a touch of carob powder or cinnamon, raisins, sunflower seeds or whatever you have on hand and mix well. Then add puffed millet, rice or quinoa to give these treats their special texture. Roll into balls using your hands and store in the freezer. 

  

My toddler, Lucas, has discovered that when he takes them from the freezer, chances of mom letting him have another snack are better when he brings me one too! Then it is hard for me to say "no!"