120 Days 100% Raw

Peace!

So I've decided to stop b.s'ing b/c Spring is right around the corner and I would like to ring in the New Year (not the Gregorian New Year, b.u.t the Asiatic one) as in tune with myself (Earth) as possible. I've fluctuated in degrees of Raw for about a month, so on March 1st, I'm going 120 days of 100% Raw. The whole household will be partaking in this, especially since I'm the one preparing the meals!

At one point, I missed cooking. I missed the satisfaction of throwin' down and gettin' props on a bomb ass dish. To be honest now, I'm tired of it. I remembered how much time I spent in the kitchen (too much!). I'd rather use that time to build with my family or do something for myself.

I may actually cave in and get a video cam, and if I do, I will be documenting my journey on YouTube. Werd.

You may even come with me to Bed Bath and Beyond while I re-stock my culinary supplies (b/c they're still in Florida).

Peace!

Back on the Scene

Peace!!!!!!!

I needed some time off to attend to other things and get back on my Raw grind.

So I'm back!

I think what I've been missing are my lil' supplemental goodies that I coveted so much. You know, goji berries, coconut butter, all that good stuff. It made Raw more exciting. So I think this weekend I'll be placing an order, b.u.t for what, I'm not sure yet. Whatever it is though, it has to last, b/c if my sweetie gets his hands on some gojis or cashews, it's game over. They'll be gone in a few days. lol

So on Sunday my sweetie, babies and I went to Mecca (Harlem) to attend Parliament for Father Allah's physical Day. I was able to meet my buddy finally C'BS Alife Allah, who blogs on Black to Nature: Adventures of an Urban Raw Foodist. We go back to the GI2MR and SoulVegFolk days (which I'm hopping back on Give it to Me Raw woot!) so it was really peace to build with him and his alikes. Gave me more motivation to stand on my square and keep it raw!

Purple Powder all day Son. LOL

Peace!

Tamarind!

Peace!

I'll be the first to say it's taken me a longggggggggggg time to try this fruit. I had seen the frozen version in the grocery store in the Goya section mingling with the other fruits such as guayabana, morada and such that I would snag on occasion to throw in my smoothies; b.u.t something kept me from trying this fruit.

My sweetie brought a box home a few days ago and I was now face to face with either my new obsession or worst nightmare. How long was it going to take for me to buckle down and just try one? I mean, it's not like I'm about dig into a Durian**; how bad could it be? It says right on the box 'dulce'...

So I opened the box, and inspected the pods.

Cracked the outer shell and wondered just how the hell I was supposed to eat these...do I eat the whole thing or just scrape my teeth along the exterior?

Well, my method was to try the latter and I realized after eating the first one, it's like nature's caramel. I also realized I've had that taste before; when I've eaten authentic Indian food (like Samosas) they provide a dipping sauce (that is to die for) with tamarind in it (correct me if I'm wrong).

Ok so now I'm hooked on tamarind. Next step is to figure out what to do with it. I'm tasting a chutney or something....*creative spark*

mmmmm....

**(and for the record no I won't be trying Durian!)

Pineapple Cream Smoothie

Peace!

Had a really delicious smoothie this morning, and like always I have to share:

Pineapple Cream

• almond milk or vanilla rice milk (still haven't tried to make my own)
• pineapple (and lots of it!)
• orange juice (2:1 ratio of 'milk' to OJ)
• honey or sweetner of choice

Blend.

I didn't have any banana, and would usually add the banana to thicken it up, but I liked how this turned out with the flavors. Almost like a spin on the Creamsicle (aka Orange Julius) smoothie/popsicles I used to have back in the day. If you really want it thick, you can add the banana, or just add more pineapple.

Pretty soon I will be venturing out to a couple of health food spots like Linda's Organic Market in Kew Gardens. I've heard about that spot for a while now and I'm really in need of some flax seeds.

Hope you enjoy on this Superbowl Sunday!

Peace

Here's a tip...

Peace!!

Just passing a quick tip along today.

When at Sam's Club/Costco (which hasn't been in a while), or even the grocery store on occasion I tend to purchase the big plastic containers of salad. I hate having to dispose (recycle of course!) those containers so what I like to do is next time I'm at the store, I'll buy ingredients for a base salad (carrots, red cabbage and mixture of greens and herbs) and devote a half hour or so when I get home to washing/chopping all the veggies and putting them back into the salad container. That way if later in the week I'm on a time crunch, I can just go to the fridge, scoop out what I need from my base salad mix, and add on whatever other ingredients I'd like to use for that particular day. This also saves money from not having to go to the store every other day for more greens.

I keep my ingredients for the base salad very simple as well and don't include cucumbers, avocado, tomato, etc because I don't want them to wilt the greens and/or die off themselves while waiting to be eaten. Those I add later depending on what I'm craving. *wink*

Peace!

mmm...Hummus!

Peace Fam!!

I had the biggest craving the other day for some falafel (mmmmmmm) and Hummus, so today I'm soaking my chickpeas for some delicious raw hummus. I made it once before with canned chickpeas many moons ago and it was so delicious.

We eat a lot of veggie wraps here in the Kingdom, so I'm hoping my sweetie will like this alternate take on veggie flavor.

The version I'm in the process of making will be lemon/dill.

Normally I freestyle my recipes but I'll share with you how I intend to make it.

Lemon/Dill Hummus

• 1 cup soaked chickpeas
• extra virgin olive oil
• dill
• fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• water to help with consistency

Soak the chickpeas for about 24 hrs and let sit for 2 to 3 days to sprout. (I added a garlic clove to the water to infuse the flavor but that's optional) Add to the blender/food processor the chickpeas, garlic clove and freshly squeezed lemon juice. (no exact measurement, do it to taste but start with about a tablespoon). Turn on appliance then slowly add the olive oil and a little bit of water until it becomes the consistency of paste. Lastly add the dill (about 2 pinches of the fresh variety), salt and pepper. Adjust flavor to taste.

And enjoy!!

For those familiar with hummus, you can really take the creativity to the next level. You can add bell peppers (or even roasted bell peppers for an even better flavor), sundried tomato, curry, cilantro/lime...the choice is yours!

If you're on a time crunch, you can just throw in the blender the canned version but rinse off the peas first.

As for the falafel....mmmmm...I can't guarantee a raw version just yet but I will make good on that craving very soon!

Peace!

Creative Energies

Peace!

Just droppin' a lil' early morning gem on a delicious smoothie I enjoyed about an hour ago.

Yesterday while I was at the store, I picked up some Goya guava juice and figured it may be a nice lil' twist to a smoothie. Indeed it was. Normally though, I will use frozen fruit but was busy with a lot of errands and didn't have time to encompass the entire store.

Guavananaberry Smoothie:

• Guava juice or nectar
• Coconut water
• 2 bananas
• Strawberries

I have yet to venture out to the other boroughs to peep out any future addictions of mine b.u.t soon I will; it's too cold to be wandering aimlessly around Brooklyn and such with the Seed. Best believe when I do, I'll have pics to post.

**For all my Vegan alikes I will be adding a recipe blog to my Cipher. I've gotten quite a few inquiries on how I get down in the kitchen so look for that in the next day or two**

Peace!!