One of my all-time favorite events is coming up this August 7-9th, The Northeast Organic Farmers’ Association Summer Conference! Organic farming and gardening has been a passion of mine since I was a teen and this event is Mecca for gardeners, farmers and wannabe farmers as well as anyone interested in sustainable living!
There will be literally hundreds of different workshops with topics ranging from gardening and farming to herbalism and yoga. A lil’ something for everyone! I’ve attended 4 or 5 of these annual conferences myself since I discovered NOFA CT back when I was in high school. It has always left me brimming with new ideas, inspiration, and hope for the state of our planet after being surrounded by and attending workshops presented by such enlightened and motivated people doing hard work in an effort to cultivate not only plants but, peace, community and knowledge!
After attending many of these conferences I’m really freakin’ geeked up to be a workshop presenter at this year’s conference! In my workshop entitled “Getting Into Raw Foods” I’m gonna talk about the transforming effects raw foods have had on me and the potential benefits they can have for you, explain some basics of a healthy raw diet and (of course) gonna crank out some yummy recipes and give out samples!!
There will be a couple of great keynote speakers this year! ~
Will Allen the CEO of the non-profit foundation Growing Power. This awesome organization supports community food systems all over the US and now internationally!! Check out this quick video to hear from the man himself! I can’t wait to hear his talk!
Paul Stamets, a Mycologist on a mission, will be talking about mushrooms, other fungi and their many uses and applications! He is also author of the book Mycellium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World. Here’s a video of him explaining 6 of the ways these awesome fungi can do it!
This fun and educational conference, held at the University of Massachusetts, will also be loaded with activities such as craft workshops, dancing and live music! Vendors selling everything from farm fresh goods to handcrafted natural soaps are gonna be setting up shop! I’ve picked up a good chunk of my sustainable living library at this annual event for great prices! If any of this stuff sounds good to you I strongly encourage you to check out the NOFA Summer Conference website and I hope to see ya there!! :0)
Hey Everyone! On Raw-Fu this week Bunny Berrys’ been focusing on the eyes and how raw foods can not only support your vision but, leave you with a set of shining peepers! Some people might wonder how much raw-foods have done for my vision considering that I’m still wearing glasses. Well, my vision hasn’t been totally restored *…yet! Hey I like to keep an open mind. :0) * but, about a year and a 1/2 into my raw foods adventure I went to pick up a new pair of glasses. After doing my exam the eye-doctor remarked that she was surprised that my lens prescription didn’t need an upgrade (!!). Awesome! So although I didn’t notice an improvement, the fact that I didn’t need stronger lenses after five years of using the same glasses was surprising, as the trend usually goes that your vision degrades over-time when your eyes are dependant on glasses!
Another benefit of eating raw I’ve noticed is that my eyes are a lot clearer than ever before. The red-lines that used to adorn them so frequently have faded to near-nill! The whites of my eyes are whiter and overall look and feel quite a bit better than they had prior to adding more raw-eats to my diet!
In my video contribution to the FU I’ve concocted a Raw vegan Burrito using some powerful foods that keep your eyes shinin’! Check it out below :0)
Heres a break-down of some other goodies that are good for your eyes~
Foods rich in sulfur such as garlic, radish, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, and cayenne to name a few. Our bodies use sulfur to produce Glutathione which is a powerful antioxidant that keeps your lenses strong and healthy. Sulfur is also said to have cleansing powers that can help clear out the junk in your fine capillaries!
Un-cooked raw-fats are a great stand in for cooked fats whenever possible in your diet (especially as a replacement for animal based ones) because cooked fats are missing the lipase enzymes necessary to break them down. These undigested fats float around our bloodstream and can settle in the capillaries of your eyes causing harmful blockages. Some ways you can reduce your cooked fats intake could be: using blended nuts and seeds in the bases of your dips and creamy salad dressings, making nut or seed based milks in place of pasteurized milk, and also making flax crackers and or raw chips to replace cooked tortillias and crackers. These stand-ins also have a butt-ton of additional benefits besides containing their own digestive enzymes!
Heres’ my Ranch Dressing Recipe Using sunflower seeds in place of dairy!
Silicon rich foods promote moist flexible joints and connective tissues, this also includes the ones in your eyes! Such helpful edibles include radish, hemp, romaine lettuce, marjoram, young salad greens, and the skins of cukes*, bell peppers* and tomatoes* ( *if using non-organic ones I give them a thorough scrubbing of the skins using either a pre-packaged veggie wash, all natural dish soap, or vinegar, and rinse thoroughly to remove that waxy coating because it’s not digestible :0P ).
Zinc laden eats are a must for eyesight (and many other internal happenings!). Zinc supports retinal function by allowing your body to release vitamin A from the liver and balance it’s optimal levels in the bloodstream! Zinc can be eaten in the tasty form of pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, and sesame seeds, pecans, coconuts and spinach. Sounds like a good salad recipe to me!
Eating lots of antioxidant rich fruits and veggies are another way to give your vision a boost. Blueberries and all other berries, grapes, dark leafy greens and cacao (oh yessss!) are all awesome sources.
Green smoothies!! Green smoothies are another awesome way to roll all this ocular nutrition into a delicious drinkable. Greens contain lutein which helps prevent cataracts. Also the nitrates in many leafy greens appears to be converted into nitric oxide in our bodies which it uses to regulate the vascular system and possibly lowering blood pressure! Well that sounds awesome right, but what does blood pressure have to do with eyesight? Well high-blood pressure puts excessive pressure on the tiny capillaries of our eyes, so the more you can do to maintain a healthy blood pressure , the better!
Here’s to healthy happy ocular orbs! Peace and love~ Rory :0)
When I first went raw-vegan many people asked “Where do you get your protein?” This was an easy answer “Greens!” but, recently someone brought up b12 and this inspired me to check into my sources. This was a fun but, complicated quest! I’ll try to share a condensed version of what I discovered about this important and often elusive complex vitamin. So be vewy vewy quiet we’re hunting cobalamin.
B12 is is the most complex of all vitamins. It is not created by plants or animals butby bacteria because only they posess the power (err enzymes) to synthesize it. The commercial sources of b12 are made by culturing and fermenting these lil’ guys.
We need b12 for many important internal goings on such as moving proteins, fats and carbs throughout our system and aiding in their absorption. B12 is also crucial for proper red-blood cell production. Without it the cells created are misshapen and this can lead to serious conditions such as pernicious anemia.
So where to find this good stuff? Well I’ve found that a lot of suspected vegan sources of b12 may not be as reliable as I thought! Lets check them out~
Seaweeds and other sea-veggies are thought to be good sources of b12 but, they actually contain the analog forms of b12. Unlike “human active” b12 the analog form is not absorbable and actually bonds to receptor sites preventing further b12 absorption. Although it’s not a great source of available b12, seaweeds do contain a bunch of healthy goodies! Not trying to discredit any foods here, just striving to find reliable sources of b12. :0)
Honey and pollen. Although they contain small amounts of b12 (and in the raw-form, a lot of awesome enzymes and other goodies! – Check out my agave nectar post for more honey info!) they shouldn’t be relied upon for your daily requirements.
Showing off the SCOBY (kombucha "mushroom" at Catch
Kombucha does contain a small amount of b12 but, more importantly it (and other living cultured foods) help create a healthy crew of good stomach bacteria. This lil’ ecosystem within us helps us to assimilate b12 and other important nutrients from the foods we eat. Whether you’re vegan, raw or omnivore these lil’ mamajamas are essential! (kombucha also has many other health benefits!)
Speaking of helpful microbes. Many raw food nutrition experts suggest that you don’t wash your organically homegrown veggies before you eat them! This makes sense as the dirt clinging to them is teeming with microbes that may contain b12. In nature eating dirt was probably our primary source for probiotics. (Yummy) I’m actually gonna be doing this when we get our garden started. :0)
I don’t recommend doing this with any store-bought produce though because of potential contamination from manures etc., and the many un-washed hands involved in picking and packing them as well as customers picking through them. I also wash farmstand produce for the same reason. If you decide to eat your own unwashed garden goodies make sure you don’t have any cats using your garden as a litterbox (as kitty poo contamination can cause toxoplasmosis). Not trying to gross you out, just making sure I’m not encouraging any unsafe veggie munching!
Some studies show that plants can also absorb b12 from compost enriched biologically active soil. This is good news but, I’ve found conflicting info on this being a good source. Check it out for yourself!
Where do we get b12 from in nature? Well when raw food health experts talk about how raw vegan is a natural diet for humans they’re usually using the example of either anthropoid apes or chimpanzees because they’re closest to us biologically. Which is a logical way to go but, if you look at their diet compared to ours there’s some things that may be missing…….bugs!
I bet he's not pondering where he gets his b12 from.
Primates consume a decent amount of bugaboos in their day-to-day routine. Whether they’re picking ‘em offa their friends, munching the occasional one that peaks their interest, or they probably get their greatest numbers from larvae in the wild fruits they eat! Insects are a decent source of B12 , that is, the bacteria in them are producing b12. There have been instances of vegan communities in India who had no deficiency issues and it was found that the grains they were eating were contaminated (or supplemented, depending on how you look at it) with insect parts and poops. Back before my vegetarian adventure began I attended an edible insect fair at the Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT and got to sample cricket fricassee, ant cookies and even nacho cheese flavored beetle larvae, so I’m no stranger to the idea of eating bugs! lol
So maybe finding the half a worm in your apple is actually the better scenario! Just kiddin’ kinda. I’m not proposing we should eat bugs for b12…unless you’re into that sorta thing.
Speaking of eeewy stuff, I have to mention that there is b12 produced by our stomach bacteria, but unfortunately many believe it is produced too low in the intestinal tract to be re-absorbed and used by us. So unless ya wanna eat poo (which many primates do, due to the fact they don’t wash their hands) that option is outta here too! I mean c’mon many may be interested in becoming a raw-foodist but, few are interested in becoming a “raw-poopist”. :0P
So where does this leave the average person (omnivorous, vegetarian, vegan, or raw-vegan)? Well it seems that unless you’re eating unwashed homegrown organic produce, have a healthy colony of stomach bacteria and all your digestive functions are top notch and not hindered by an excess of fats (including raw ones according to 80-10-10), the occasional bug is getting into your produce and or you’re not washing your hands properly, then there’s a good chance you can be having some b12 deficiencies! I told you this lil’ bugger was elusive!!
Now I’m not a nutritionist or dietitian so I wanna recommend that you read up on these topics more to make up your own mind and also consult with a health expert and/or maybe get testing done if you have concerns. For me, even though I eat raw, mostly organic, and consume living foods (such as kombucha) I’m going to begin taking some additional b12 just to be certain!
Lemme talk briefly about b12 supplements. Not all of them are created equally and some may be detrimental from what I’ve read. B12 in a formulated multivitamin supplement may interact with either vitamin c, iron or copper to create those darned inabsorbable analogues!Also the common cyanocobalamin found in many supplements may be difficult for our bodies to access if we are suffering any of a multitude of digestive issues. Hang in there *lol* I know this may seem daunting!! It daunted me a bit at first! From what I’ve read the sub lingual forms of b12 supplements are the easiest to absorb and the sprays are even better. Also, the most absorbable form of cobalamin is methylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is the most popular in supplements but, it is not easy for your body to access. More good news is that the body can stockpile b12 so if you’re taking a high dose b12 supplement you probably don’t need to be taking it every day which saves $!
This VegLife Methyl B-12 Lozenge is a form that I have found to work for me and my family. There are others out there as well.
Peace everyone! Happy and healthy and fun wishes! :0)
Kevin and Annmarie Gianni stopped by Catch this past Tuesday for Cinco De Mayo! Kevin did a fun impromptu live video direct from his phone to twitter! Gotta love technology :0)
Click the above pic to check out the video!
Annmarie rockin' the food prep and Kevin talkin' about all things fun and healthy!
The evening was a blast! Kev and Annmarie did an awesome talk/food prep demo! The food was Mexican inspired, in honor of the holiday. An awesome taco “meat” made with sunflower seeds, carrots and spices that could easily win over any carnivore or raw foodies taste buds! This mix was served on romaine leaves with a dallop of spicy mole sauce (featuring raw-cacao powder) , a mix of avocados and tomatoes and generous topping of cashew cheese. Muy Bueno!!
Viva la live foods!!
During Annmarie’s demo Kevin gave a great talk about all things health! The main topics were the principles of his new book “High Raw”. The book is awesome for the average person getting started with raw-foods. Its focus is not setting a goal of 100% strict raw but, rather goin’ for a high percentage of raw-foods and the awesome health benefits that go along with it! I agree whole-heartedly with this approach to raw-eating as goin’ “100%” may seem too lofty a goal to start out with. When I first got into raw my goal was 70% and it just went on from there gradually and naturally winding up where I’m at now!
Kevin also got into many other subjects regarding health, from not gettin’ caught up in health protocols without stopping to check and see if they’re necessary, and the importance of not over complicating the simple truth that eating more fresh fruits and veggies is good for you! Great advice and a lot of fun anecdotes from their fun travels in the Kale Whale exploring the many venues and people in the world of healthy living!
After the talk ended and the crowd headed home Kevin and Annmarie hung out for a while chatting with Paul. Glen and myself. I told Annmarie how jealous Isabel was that Amanda and I had got to tour the Kale Whale at their send off party and she suggested right away that I invite them to come down so she could show her around it! Amanda and Isabel arrived and we all had a great time shooting the breeze and goofing off. We love what Kevin and Annmarie are all about with their mission of spreading healthy info through their work and they felt the same way about what Amanda and I are up to with our videos and my raw food classes, they even loved the smoothie jar bags we had given them for their trip! Annmarie hooked us up with a bottle of the Tooth Soap that they’re selling (amongst a slew of other healthy and raw-living goodies they’ve discovered during their travels!) and it’s awesome stuff! Check out Amanda’s post about it.
For an incredible wealth of fun, informative videos and drool worthy recipes I suggest you check out Kevin and Annmaries’ site www.renegadehealth.com and look into Kevins’ book at www.GoHighRaw.com ! Peace and happy healthy wishes everyone! :0)
This past Tuesday hangin’ at Catch was amazing! I spent the day working (if you can call putting together awesome raw-eats, taste testing them and kickin’ it with some of the nicest peeps ever “work”) I’ll refer to it as “hanging out”! The crew consisting of Glen, Lisa, Violet, AJ Wentorth, Frank Gigglio and myself, were goin’ full throttle getting the place geared up and stocked up with an amazing supply of delicious and ridiculously healthy eats! Wolfe and his crew we’re hanging out and gettin’ their stuff in order and there was a buzz in the air of positive energy!
The day began with an Elements for Life dinner with David for people interested in joining the Elements crew. Frankie G blended up an amazing concoction, containing everything from raw cacao, to cayenne pepper to nutmeg! It was one potent elixir and a heck of a way to kick off the amazing spread Lisa, Violet and AJ put togther! Burgers on onion bread with a mango/cayenne sauce , salad with ceaser dressing, and for desert a chocolate gnocche on an awesome crust drizzled with goji berry/strawberry sauce! WOWSAS! After serving up the dinner guests Lisa had reserved a bunch of goodies for the crew and I. The eats were amazing, and in honor of the event all were infused with various superfoods!
After the dinner I got a chance to chat with David and hooked him up with one of our smoothie jar bags as a thanks for all the inspiration and knowledge he’s shared through his lectures and books. His passion for this stuff can get anyone excited about eating raw! You’ve never found yourself craving a handful of pumpkin seeds as much as you will after hearing him describe their health benefits! It’s a trip listening to him!
Before the talk and during the intermission the crew and I were whipping up all sorts of goodies for the crowd. AJ and I were tag teaming the smoothie dept and having a ball joking about the “torment” of having to taste our creations before serving them *lol* Oh the agony of another cacao smoothie shot. *haha* I’ve never been more sarcastic. :0P There was singin’, blender boogieing and jokes galore much to the delight of the many awesome people who came together for the event! An amazing time!!
Rockin' the smoothie bar!
Now I know a lot of people are doggin’ David Wolfe about everything from cacao to superfoods. Calling him a modern snake oil hocker or worse. But, my vibe about him has always been that his passion is eating the best foods ever and relying on what nature produces to sustain oneself in the best health. And not even so much in the pre-packaged exotic stuff but, to look in one’s own backyard, forest, and garden for the best foods ever! His passion for gardening shined through during the last part of his talk. He and his gardening friends do it all and more when it comes to growing organically, from biodynamic preparations to playing music for the plants, 31 different rock powders and encouraging a natural balance among the garden life. This stuck with me being a passionate organic gardening nerd myself! He even talked quite a bit about guerrilla gardening and sowing Goji berries everywhere including Disney World! LOL
Setting up a healthy kitchen was also a good portion of his talk. His philosophy was to get all the stuff outta your cabinets and check it out. What do you have to work with? Get all the good stuff out in the open, and make your kitchen into your healthy laboratory where you whip up your own delicious creations! This struck a chord with me BIG time, because I’m all about having a pimped out kitchen that inspires me to hang for a bit and throw together my fave raw-eats!! It’s a tip I may or may not have brought up before so I did a piece about it for my Raw-Fu video this past Friday.
Another point he brought up was that when you delve into this healthy way of eating and people notice your results they’re gonna want to start comin’ to your place for eats! He says this works well because you can have them clean the juicer! lol I myself share my eats and know how with all my friends and family who take an interest in it.I love not only the positive reactions to my raw-creations but, takin’ good care of the people I love!
One last brief vid here of Glen checking out Wolfes’ talk . My fave part is where DW describes how no matter what you’re craving we have the technology to make a delicious raw-equivalent! It’s one of the things that inspired me sooo much about raw-foods , that you can have the healthiest foods ever and have them taste great!!
Hey everyone! Long time no see! Things have been goin’ good and goin’ full steam since the big move here to CT! It’s been a transition for me and my family but, a very cool one. Lotsa fun stuff to catch you all up on, ain’t that the way it goes? When you have a whole buncha stuff to write about …you don’t seem to have the time to sit down (get in writing mode) and write about it! More of this jabbering to come but, first I wanna get it out there that this Friday April 24th I’m reaching the 3 decade mark! :0)
Now if you asked me what I thought about turning 30 back when I was around 20 I’d probably have been like “blah” or worse, but after all the changes I’ve went through since gettin’ with the raw-foods and exercising I’m actually looking forward to it! Heck I feel waaaaay better now than I did back then! Besides the weight loss (which was a big change!) I have so much more energy, less aches, pains and stuffiness, and I rarely get sick! It’s been an interesting and sometimes challenging journey to where I’m at now, but it was always fun (as any raw-food journey should be. Keep it fun and you’ll keep with it!). If you want to check out why I went raw, here’s a link to an older post. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing where I’ll go from here and sharing some of my adventures, misadventures and things I learn along the way with everyone in hopes that it’ll inspire others to give this tao of munching a chance and seeing where it leads them!
This was me at 20 years old
This is me at 30!
Who says getting older has to be a bad thing?
I’ve got a lot of other stuff to report and catch everyone up on, but until then I’ll leave ya this fun lil’ video showing some of the cool synchronicities that have been popping up since I’ve landed in CT. What we’re the odds of running into Phil and Shazzie at the same time? I don’t know but, it was a lotta fun! They both have an awesome energy about them and it was kick-@$$ shootin’ the breeze and hangin’ at the cafe.
Now offering in-your-home raw foods classes! Invite the Dawg to your house!
I can explain to you what raw foods are and all about their awesome health benefits! Weight-loss, more energy, clearer thinking, clearer skin, and improved over-all health just to name a few! I want to show you how the terms “healthy” and “yummy” can actually co-exist peacefully!
Being a raw foodist myself, I can share with you some of my personal tips and help you avoid many of the typical mistakes made when starting on a raw foods diet (because I’ve already been there and done that!) so that you can get the benefits you’re looking for and have a better chance of sticking with it!
If you’re looking to go 100% raw, do a cleanse with them, or simply incorporate more fresh whole foods into your diet, I’d like to help you get started, show you quick, easy and tasty recipes, give you some info and inspiration about eating raw and help you to fall in love with fruits and veggies!
In my class I’ll go through these topics with you and allow plenty of time for questions and answers! ~
What are raw and living foods?
Why are they so awesome for your health?
How to incorporate your goals, lifestyle and personality into your raw food diet.
What you’ll need to get started, from equipment (a LOT less than you might be fearing!) to foods, recommended books and even online resources that are free for anyone to access and get support from.
Pimping out your kitchen to encourage healthy eating and fun food prep!
You’ll get to learn through demonstration and hands on experience (at your preference…it’s not raw boot camp!) how to mince, chop, slice, process, dehydrate, blend and juice up your own tasty creations!
Fast, simple and delicious recipes! As well as some “gourmet” ones to experience all the awesome flavors you can savor while still eating whole and living foods!
Experience foods, preparation techniques, and tastes that work best for starting your raw foods adventure.
Fun and simple techniques for making concoctions that would otherwise be costly if bought pre-made. Including juices, smoothies, and other goodies!
Buying healthy foods the affordable way. Also, proper food handling, washing and storing for maximum taste and freshness.
Basic raw nutrition guidelines and recommended reading to maintain a healthy diet.
My goal is a fun and flexible class structure that allows you to gain the most benefits in the topics you want to learn the more about and to fit your experience level.
Pick my brain and ask whatever you’re looking to learn more about and if I don’t have the answer I shall find it and give you sources to learn even more.
Keep in touch! Email Me or drop me a comment on my blog or via my other online hang-outs for any follow up questions that you may have or to share your experiences dabbling in the un-cooked culinary world!
Class details~ This 6 hour, one-on-one, in your home class price is $275.00 This fee includes the cost of food and travel expenses (of up to 50 miles from Derby, CT, additional travel costs for areas outside this range will be added accordingly). Wanna add a guest, spouse, or friend? Bring in 1-2 people (this limit is to allow me to maintain a more personalized and detailed learning experience) at the discounted price of $75 per person! On a budget? We can also do a shorter class at a lower rate, contact me for more info!
If you’re interested in adopting the Dawg for a day, email me with any questions or to set up a time and date! rawdawgrory@yahoo.com
The information contained on this website and in the classes are for educational purposes only and are not meant to help treat or diagnose illness. The information shared is based on Rawdawg Rory’s knowledge and personal experience. You should always seek the advice of a health care professional before making any changes to your diet. Stay safe and healthy :0)
It’s actually an 8″ chef-knife but, you know we guys like to exaggerate.
I’m not gonna show ya how to throw ‘em …although that would be fun! I want to briefly talk about one of the most important kitchen tools I own, my chef knife. Sooooo many food prep tasks can be accomplished with one good sharp knife and a good cutting board. The knife is a non-serrated 8″ chef knife with a nice solid construction (aka the inner portion of the handle is actually part of the blade making it verrry sturdy). If you’ve ever had the mispleasure of using a knife with one of those bolted on wooden grips that actually wobbles a slight bit while you’re attempting to slice your food, you know how important this is! I prefer a straight edge to a serrated blade for two reasons, one it’s a lot easier to sharpen and two, it doesn’t tear up the produce as much. I use this bad-boy for everything from peeling watermelons to mincing herbs and smushing garlic. It handles about 95% of my cutting work. The cutting board is made of bamboo, which rocks because not only is bamboo beautiful, durable, and naturally water resistant but, it’s also a more sustainable choice than wood! I like the feel of a bamboo (or wood) cutting board over plastic because the cuts feel much more stable. The blade seems to grip the surface more securely (especially for mincing) with less slipping and the blade sinks into the board a bit going clean through the produce; whereas I’ve had many incomplete slices with plastic.
My weapon of choice
For the other 5% of my cutting tasks~
First, a few inexpensive paring knives. These are great for intricate cutting tasks like making garnishes, or slicing yucky bits off of produce. I always have one handy when I’m prepping a bunch of bananas for the freezer.
Gotta love frozen bananas! Awesome to have on hand for smoothies, shakes and ice-creams.
Lastly, a relic from my former meat eating days is this massive cleaver. This mamajama gets used verrrry infrequently, but it is worth having on hand because it’s perfect for opening young Thai coconuts! I simply set the coconut butt side down with the pointed tip up and make chops using the bottom corner of the blade in a square pattern around the tip. Since the base of the coconut is flat, you needn’t hold onto it as your chopping which could save your fingers! Rotate and repeat after each chop until the cuts get through the fiberous outercoating and the shell. Then you can just pop off the squarish cap you’ve created and and pour out the coconut water. To get the meat out try this technique I learned from Glen Colello; using a flexible rubber spatula begin to work it’s edge in between the meat and the shell and slowly go down and around in a sort of spiraling pattern and if done correctly the coconut meat will just fall out intact! Awesome time saving technique! I don’t usually do a whole lot with Thai coconuts, for cost and convenience reasons, but they are a fun treat and a great base for smoothies and raw ice creams!
Here's the coconut cut being demonstrated on a cantaloupe.
These 3 knives and a nice lil’ ceramic peeler (mentioned in my last post) are about all the hand-held cutting tools I need. I’m a kitchen gizmo fan at heart but in retrospect there’s been quite a few purchases I’ve regretted! I’ve since given many impulsively bought items away because I found that they barely got used and were cluttering up my kitchen draws. Just a lil’ advice for those (like me) who get lost in the kitchen section of the dept store for hours on end. Most people may already have an awesome set of knives on hand, but if not, a collection like mine wouldn’t set you back too much. The cleaver was about $12, my favorite chef knifey-knife was $10 and a set of the lil’ paring knives was about $3. One last important thing to invest in right away would be a knife sharpener. Maintaining a sharp edge not only makes your cutting tasks a lot easier, precise, and enjoyable but, it’s also a lot safer.
A lot of people get anxious around a really sharp knife but it’s actually the safest way to go. A dull knife can easily roll off produce during an attempted cut and get a finger instead! So keep it sharp and keep it safe!Haha. Sounded like a knife safety spokesperson for a moment there, maybe a I should draw up a lil’ mascot. Maybe a shiny chef knife with a sharpener in one hand and a box of band-aids in the other, posing the question “Which do you prefer?” *lol* I digress!
Peace everyone and fun slicin’, dicin’, mincing and choppin’! :0)
Now thats what a pre-packaged fruit salad should look like!
I’m not only a certifiable raw-food nut but, I also love meandering around health food stores gawking at all the different products and goodies like a kid in Willy Wonkas’ chocolate factory. This started looong before I got into raw-foods and has only steadily worsened since. Although now I don’t take much interest in pre-packaged eats or vitamin fortified thing-amabobs (considering the amount that whole vitamins and minerals I’m ingesting in my current diet I don’t feel the need for them ….except for b12 but, that’s another post!). I still enjoy smelling all the essential oil laden products, trying to figure out the latest tongue-scraping technology and drooling over the latest eco-friendly kitchen gizmos. So I thought it’d be fun to share some of the neat stuff I picked up during my travels this past weekend as Amanda and I found ourselves lost in Whole Foods…again. *note; I’m not receiving any $ for the products or places I’m discussing here just sharing some of my fun-finds*
First off is this nifty product for all the germaphobes out there (like myself and many people I know!). The hand sanitizing products have met their green match! Instead of using alcohol to nuetralize noxious microbes, Clean Well All Natural Hand Sanitizer uses a blend of essential oils to kill 99.99% of germs. We thought this would come in real-handy after our experiences with , forgive the pun, crappy public restroom experiences during our ride up to CT. I like the smell of it and it doesn’t leave my hands feeling dry after using it It did get a lot of use on our ride home!
I’ve been meaning to pick up one of these ceramic veggie peelers for ages and I’m glad I finally did! This mamajama ,made by kyocera, cut like a razor blade and quickly turned a hapless cucumber into a pile of thin fettuccine-like noodles which I seasoned up with some hemp-oil, minced garlic, red-pepper flakes and sea-salt in what I like to refer to as “Cucumber aioli”. De-freakin’-licious!! One of the benefits of ceramic blades over steel is that it doesn’t impart a metallic flavor or smell to your food, it resists rusting, holds its sharpness 10x longer than regular blades, and because it’s chemically inert it doesn’t cause browning of your foods in the way that steel can. Neat stuff!
Last but not least is this delicious kombucha creation, High Country’s “Wild Root”. I do brew/grow kombucha myself but, can’t resist sampling new flavors of the pre-made creations that are out there! This pro-biotic, naturally carbonated living beverage is cleverly flavored with sarsparilla, licorice, yellow dock, burdock and dandelion root amongst other natural flavors to give it an almost birch-beery taste. Nice!! I discovered this refreshing brew at Catch a Healthy Habit.
Take care everyone and happy health-ware hunting! :0)
Hey everyone! Been going hardcore with the moving preparations lately as the countdown is closing in! This past weekend we did a lil’ pre-moving, loaded up the Honda Fit (as much as you can load up a Fit) with some of our store-able possessions, packed up the vita-mix and some munchies and headed up for the weekend. March 26th is the big move and my family and I are very excited about our new adventure!
The Kale Whale!
Speaking of new adventures…We had the opportunity to attend Kevin and Anne Marie Giannis’ send off party/pot-luck last Friday. We had a kick a$$ time, sampled and shared some yummy eats. Our “salsa non queso” dip was a big hit! We used the taco sauce recipe from the previous post, reduced the amount of water though and stirred in some Zukay living salsa. The resemblance to the original cheezy tortilla dip was uncanny! We served it with cauliflower florets, carrots and my flax/sunflower tortilla chips! We also got to meet some awesome people, including Kevin and Anne Marie, and were able to take a tour of their veggie oil fueled RV “The Kale Whale”! I’m really geeked up for them to not only be embarking on their tour but, also to be fueling their travel with this eco-friendly technology! Back in the day, while working at the Fulton Farm of Wilson College I had the chance to produce Bio-diesel from recycled veggie oil and love the concept of transforming a waste product into a low-emission alternative to fossil fuels! Best wishes to Kevin and Anne Marie on their crusade of spreading their wealth of healthy living information throughout their tour. Rawk on!!
From left: Amanda, Me, Bette, Barbara, Kevin Gianni, and Me again!
Saturday we checked out Health in a Hurry in Fairfield, CT. This awesome lil’ fast healthy food restaurant run by Sue Cadwell offers vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan eats made fresh and packed grab-n-go style for people looking for a healthy (and delicious) alternative to fast food!
I sampled Sues’ raw spinach soup and enjoyed it thoroughly!! Wonderful spice and texture to it! :0D Definitely recommend stopping in there if you’re in the area and also giving her website a look!
reboundin'
On our way home Sunday afternoon Amanda and I made a pit stop at Catch a Healthy Habit. We picked up a bunch of raw-goodies! Raw-cacao butter, maca, and mesquite …yeah I’m gonna be whipping up some raw chocolate concoctions soon! While there, couldn’t pass up the chance to grab some of Glens’ delicious snacks; chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies and nutmeg infused chocolates (WOW is all I can say about those) good stuff! Also sampled a shot of the infamous and powerful “Island Fire”, a noni-berry juice based superfood elixir with one heck of a bite to it! The lingering warm feeling it imparts was really nice on a cold day!
Certified raw food chef in Derby CT! -
Offering in-your-home raw food preparation classes! Also offering info on healthy living ideas/tips. Contact me at rawdawgrory@yahoo.com for more info! Also, please take a moment to check out my recipe videos! Peace :0)
Hi everyone! Welcome to my page! Here I hope to further share some of what I’m all about. Share ideas and hopefully inspiration for everyone interested in improving their health and enjoying life to the fullest by re-thinking our most important connection to the world around us and within us …our food! I hope to connect, inspire or at least make you laugh! Peace! :0)
The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not meant to help treat or diagnose illness. The information shared through this blog is based on Rawdawg Rory's knowledge and personal experience. You should always seek the advice of a health care professional before making any changes to your diet. Stay safe and healthy :0)
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