Sunday, June 8, 2008

How to Make Chocolate Coconut Truffles

I've been trying SO hard to not have too much cacao, but alas, I had the urge to splurge and ordered some coconut truffles from Alissa Cohen. It was so tough waiting for them to arrive, then I ate the whole darn $13.95-plus-shipping (with FedEx of course) container in a single day.

My gracious -- They were GOOD!

But then I was out and wanted MORE!

In a frenzy, I figured out how to make them. And it was so easy!

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Makes 10-15 truffles

6 T cacao powder
5 T cacao butter (also equal to 2.5 fl. oz.)
4 T agave
3/4 t vanilla
1/8 t sea salt (I prefer the Himalayan pink or Celtic gray salts)
1 T coconut flakes

1. Melt the cacao butter in the dehydrator at 105 degrees until it is completely liquified.

2. Grind cacao nibs to a powder (or use already ground cacao if that is not an option).

3. Combine all ingredients except coconut flakes in a small bowl. Mix with a fork or whisk until smooth. Put in the freezer for just a couple minutes so it hardens slightly.

4. Quickly roll balls in one-inch diameter. If you are not quick, the mix will be too hard.

5. Dip the balls in a separate container, which has the coconut flakes in it. Roll them around until they're covered.

6. Put the finished balls in the fridge to set. You can then store them in the fridge or in an airtight container for up to 30 days if they are not in a heated area.


You can find all of the ingredients except the vanilla in my storefront on Alissa Cohen's web site (along with the truffles that inspired this process!). I have found a few of the products less expensive (in bulk) elsewhere, but her store is the only one I trust for truly raw coconut flakes. My affiliate link is at http://www.alissacohen.com/shop/home.php?partner=eva

Here are some more pictures of the process. Enjoy!


Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Basic Green Smoothie

The Drink of Champions


In the raw food circles, green smoothies are pretty well known. For the rest of the world, green + smoothie = Whaaat?!

Anyways, Victoria Boutenko has a book called "Green for Life" that talks about nothing BUT green smoothies and their benefits: www.rawfamily.com. I'll do a quickie of summarizing the whole book. Green smoothies are GREAT to add into your diet. Tossing your greens into a blender does all the chewing we do not have time to do (and more) so that the body is ready to use it. And mixing it with fruit tricks our taste buds into not minding all the greens.

This isn't just about getting big muscles like Popeye, either. The minerals in green smoothies can help rebuild our whole bodies so that we are strong from the inside out. And also --- well --- erm -- our bowels become much healthier to boot (it's like a healthy Drain-o for the body).

So here is the basic recipe:
--1-3 frozen bananas
--Some greens
--Maybe some water
--Maybe some ice

Other options:

For a fresh taste: basil, mint, parsley
The greens: spinach, kale, ANY green leaf... Use less in the beginning, more as you get used to it. Heck, you can even start with ONE LEAF if you hate greens and want to get into it slooooowwwwwwly.
Other great fruits to add: All of 'em
To make it like a mylkshake: Use almond (or another nut/seed) mylk, some soaked dates
To make it "savory": Instead of sweet fruit, use tomatoes, a couple soaked dates and some herbs.

Recipe for the smoothie in my picture:
-1.5 frozen bananas
-5-6 strawberries
-a few sprigs of mint
-6 oz. (about 2-3 c) spinach
-.5 c water
And BLEND!

Happy Blending!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Oil Pulling -- How and Why

The first thing I do when I start my day is head for the kitchen pantry and take a swig of sesame oil. Yup, sesame oil. But I don't swallow it; instead, I swish it around in my mouth until I can't stand it anymore.

I read about this last year, and I figured, "Hey, Why not?" I do some crazy things sometimes, and this is the least of them. The first time I tried it, I almost spit it out. After that, it's been no big deal.

This morning, I've already cleaned downstairs, made my bed, done a few work tasks so they would be DONE right away. I've been oil pulling for an hour, and it's 8:15. Not bad.

Time to spit it out really quickly, swish some salt water, brush my teeth. Then I'll be back to explain...

Why Did I Start Oil Pulling?


I started oil pulling because I had already been eating raw food for a few months, and I still didn't have perfect skin. I thought that raw food should perfectly cure me of all ailments immediately. It did a lot, but it did not make my skin dewy and spotless. Hmph.

So, I saw this girl's blog who is/was a model in Copenhagen (and a raw foodist). She had the "same" situation -- eating raw food for awhile and hoping for perfectly perfect skin. She found out about oil pulling and documented her journey. I saw the pictures of her dewy, amazing skin after she did this for awhile.

Sooo, why not?!

Why Oil Pull (according to me)

When I oil pull, my skin feels softer, including on my body. My feet are as soft as they could possibly be. It's really remarkable. I've always had to do these treatments with scrubs and lotions and whathaveyou just to have okay feet -- but even doing NO treatments when I'm oil pulling consistently, they're so ridiculously soft.

My blemishes disappear.

My teeth are whiter, and they feel clean.

All of the mucous is removed so that I breathe perfectly clearly. Even now -- the pollen is EVERYwhere, but I have no sign of mucous in my nose or lungs, except in the morning when I spit it out after oil pulling. Ick.

Why Oil Pull (according to "them" that agree)
(I'm paraphrasing and jumbling up info from several sources for simplicity.)

In alternative medicine, including in old Ayurvedic texts, oil pulling is an oral and systemic remedy that is said to cure about 30 systemic diseases ranging from headaches to diabetes and asthma.

One theory: Just as the skin is an organ that removes toxins from our body, the tongue is also a key organ for the elimination of toxins. Sort of how the foot is mapped out for reflexology, the tongue is also a map. Oil swishing eliminates toxins from every organ.

Another theory: There is lots of not-so-good (and in fact, really gross) bacteria hiding in our mouth. This effectively helps to remove that quickly and "easily."

Why Not to Oil Pull (according to "them" that don't agree)

There is no hard scientific evidence that oil pulling forcibly removes anything from the body.

Yes, You Can Try This At Home

1. Get some sesame or sunflower seed oil that is not roasted or heated. It should say "cold pressed" or "expeller pressed." If it's organic, great! If not, great!

2. Put one tablespoon of oil in your mouth without swallowing it. Ideally, you'll swish this in your mouth for 20 minutes or longer. If not, no sweat.

3. When you're almost finished, put some salt in a jar with hot water and shake it until the salt melts.

4. Spit out the oil, then immediately swish with the salt water. This will get the oily taste out of your mouth and kill some bad guys in one fell swoop.

5. Brush your teeth!

Notes:
-Really try not to swallow it, but if you do, the world won't end.
-There will be more liquid in your mouth as you do this (from saliva and mucous), so if you need to use less than a tablespoon, it's no big deal.
-Ideally, this would be done 1-2 times every single day to start noticing major benefits.
-This should really be done on an empty stomach, perhaps in the morning upon rising and just before bed.

If you're out there swishing while you read, Happy Pulling!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Starting the Adventures Right NOW!

Today has been a magical day. I figured out how to use my pretty inexpensive camera to create a video, uploaded it to my computer, then created an account on YouTube and uploaded it there.

I edited some photos Carlos and I took out and about on the island.

I created some email addresses to go along with some web sites I've been toying with lately.

Wowee, the magic of the internet still astounds me!

But, that's not why I'm writing here. I'm writing because I'd like to share my journey and record it. My journey is not about raw food or travel, but it will include a lot of both. I will be lucky enough to move from Martha's Vineyard to Budapest in just one month, and I plan to use these fun toys of modern day to record my adventures.

So, Cheers! -- Here's to Adventures and Good Health!