Spring up and Go Smoothie!

Blessed Be!

The sun is shining!
I am so blissed out that Spring has truly sprung! That means less time in the barn chopping wood for the fire and more time out in the garden growing my veggies, so I can again be self sufficient this Summer and Autumn. The lettuce are doing really well and all my herb pots are growing a treat. I think its even warm enough to be reunited with my sun lounger for an hour or so, with a good book.....
I have my kitchen door open all day now, the Spring breeze and scent of blossoms wafting gently in, as I look out to my lush beautiful garden, potager veggie plots and valley. I feel realy blessed I have chosen to live half of my life in the french countryside. This gives me the time to devote to writing raw living books, researching, painting composing and working out daily with a schedule of Yoga, Pilates and cycling. The rest of the time I spend in England. Working, seeing clients, catching up with friends, and painting in my studio. Along with lots of other travel my days are really flat out.

Grow your own even in pots!

Over the last few days I have been helping a friend to regain her health and it has really put into perspective for me how I need to simplify a programme of cleansing, so anyone who is just beginning can easily follow. Sometimes I assume that everyone should know the information I know, then I look back and realise it has taken me many years of study and practice to know what I do! So this Blog is not only for the seasoned Raw Foodist. It is for those just starting out. For those that really want to get well. To purify the body and wake up feeling alive with a spring in their step.

I will post on another page an overview of the importance of alkalising the diet to cleanse the blood, but for today, I'm just going to post some info of a few quick recipes to help my friend and anyone who reads this with some basic Gourmet Raw culinary delights to help with immediate hunger cravings. These recipes are really quick to do. My friend quit smoking yesterday, along with quitting Cola drinks, meat, most dairy and wheat (she can have goats cheese/yoghurt as a transition food for now!). I am helping her along Online to encourage her to move to a more vitality filled life with Raw living foods.... It all takes time but it is so rewarding when I see people blossom... Skin glowing, eyes clear and sparkling, aches and pains dissapearing, health problems melting away... It means this person can then help their friends in the way I helped them. To become empowered in their own health, To take responsibility for their process of healing and daily wellbeing maintenance, so that as one becomes older each day one feels younger with every step!

I live a Raw food lifestlye because I have to. Without this lifestlye I would probably be bedridden or even dead, so I am so grateful to everyone in the Raw health movement for spreading the word, helping others to heal and bringing this message to the masses. We are only teaching what nature intended. Our crazy modern lifestyles have taken us so far away from our true nature, so transitioning , then maintaining a mostly raw diet could give you so much to look forward to each day.

I'm not going to write info on this blog other than my kitchen adventures. If you want more indepth information you can go to my website (still under construction) for more detail.....Updates on this blog about its progress.

Bombay Munchies:
Wow, I just remembered I had something in the dehydrator from yesterday. I just went and got it out and now I am eating some delicious Raw Bombay Mix! I was thinking of my friend who, as long as I have known him always had a bowl of Bombay Mix in his studio whenever guests come over... He munches on it all the time. So I wanted to develop something that he would like that is a healthy version. Bombay mix is deep fried processed, spicy snack with peanuts, and although delicious is not healthy at all... So I soaked some Almonds overnight then rinsed them, shredded carrots and sweet potato in a food processor and made a spice/marinade mix. Garam Masala, sesame seeds, tamari, chilli spice & 1 tbsp olive oil. Add to carrot and sweet potato and mix in well with your hands... then I added a spoon of Gomasio (sesame seeds and salt), to give it a coating.. You could also blend some flax seeds in the coffee grinder, then add this to a food processor and add some garlic, tamari, water until it makes a smooth paste... then mix this into the veggies to coat them also... Then you put it in the dehydrator for 12 hours, on a teflex sheet... turn over half way if necessary to make sure it all gets dried... And there you have it. Delicious RAW Bombay mix. Store it in an airtight container and it will last for weeks unless you eat it all first! You can ONLY make this is you have a dehydrator.

Anyway, typical of me, I never measure anything when I food prep! I just throw things in and taste, then throw in a bit more, so I promise next time I make this and ANYTHING else I want to post here for you, I'll take measurements to make it easier for you to follow...

So here goes. This is what I am making for breakfast. This will give you energy for hours!
Almond Milk Raspberry Ripple:
You will Need:













1 peeled Banana
1 cup of Almond (soaked in water overnight, then rinsed).
1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries ( you can use a mixture of berries if you like).
1 tsp Agave Syrup (if you dont have any the banana will do).
1/4 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon (optional according to taste).
4 cups of pure water.

Step 1:
Add the soaked almonds to the blender, then add the 4 cups of water.

Blend until the almonds are completely pulverised.



Take your nut milk bag and place it over a bowl. (if you dont have a nut milk bag, use unbleached muslin cloth). Pour in the mixture then Squeeze the milk out of the bag leaving the nut pulp inside:

You will be left with a delicious cream almond milk which is alkalising and filling.
Add the Almond milk back into the washed blender. If you have a dehydrator, the pulp can be put in the freezer to be used for dehydrated Raw Almond and Vanilla biscuits or Raw Nut Burgers at another stage.

Add the Berries and chopped Banana then blend:

Add a touch of Agave Syrup if you have it and a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon if you like it. You can even add some vanilla essence or fresh vanilla pods.

I serve mine with crushed ice on very warm days:



Smoothie for Three....

Tips to keep off the hunger pangs and your Blood Sugar balanced:

Once I have made my smoothie I grind 1/2 a dessert spoon of Golden Linseeds (aka: flax seeds) in a coffee grinder. Hold the lid of the coffee grinder and shake it as you grind to make sure you get all the seeds into the blade.

Do NOT add the flax seeds to the smoothie mix in the blender. ONLY add it to the smoothie you have in a glass. You can either add 1 or 2 teaspoons into your glass. Stir with a fork really well, until it has all blended in. You need to drink this smoothie fairly quickly otherwise the flax seeds will make the drink go like jelly.... By grinding the flax seeds first you help to make the Omega 3 oils in the seed more absorbable in the body. Golden Flax seeds contain, fiber, lignans and Omega 3 fatty acids. They help to clean your intestinal tract and promote regular bowels. Lignans support the immune system and cellular health. I make a big batch of flax crackers in the dehydrator every week, all with different flavours. They are a staple for me.

Keep any unused Raspberry Milk Ripple in the fridge to be used throughout the day. Alternatively, if you are working, take it in a flask. Give it a shake before pouring. Also if you prefer, once blended, pour through a sieve to eliminate all the little seeds from the raspberries, otherwise they get stuck in your teeth!

As always, whenever you consume any fruit, wash your mouth out with water once finished, to help protect your teeth.

Oh and if you have a garden, no matter how small, devote an area of veggies instead of flowers they taste so much better and will save you a fortune at the organic store.

My luscious Veggie garden:

Thats it for now. I'm off to do Yoga in the sun. Hopefully I'll have time to post my RawFry and Raw Spring Rolls tonight. If not I'll catch up with you soon.

Spring Blessings

Kate x