Thai Summer Salad
Serves 8

2 cucumbers, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
2 Thai peppers, finely diced
1 small bunch Thai basil leaves
1 small bunch mint leaves
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
1 small bunch scallions, sliced on the diagonal
1 small head of Napa cabbage, shredded

Hot and Sweet Dressing

2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
¼ cup agave nectar
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoons sesame seeds

Toss the cucumbers, carrots, peppers, basil, mint, cilantro, scallions and cabbage into a large bowl until mixed well.

To make dressing, combine ingredients in a jar. Give a quick shake before pouring the dressing onto the Thai salad just before serving.

Almond Milk

1 cup soaked* almonds
4 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup agave nectar (optional)

Combine soaked almonds water in a blender until almonds break down.

Strain the milk through a nut bag into a large bowl.

Rinse the blender cup and pour strained milk back into the blender cup. Add sea salt and agave nectar. Process until you achieve a frothy milk.

Save the almond pulp to make cookies or nut meat.

*To soak almonds, place a cup of almonds in 2 cups of filtered water and soak overnight.

Chai
1 ½ cup almond milk
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon clove
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in a blender.

Due to Salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004, the USDA has undergone a mandatory pasteurization of raw almonds. The almonds go through a sterilization process that includes chemicals and/or high-temperature treatments. Organic raw almonds have undergone only the steam-heat treatment. Finding truly raw almonds can be a bit of challenge, but surprisingly they still do exist. Here are a few sources that still provide raw, unpasterizated almonds.

Raw From the Farm
Living Nutz
D & S Ranches

“Even a fool can fast, but only a wise man knows how to break the fast properly and to build up properly after the fast!” - Dr. Otto F.H. Buchinger

Today, let’s celebrate my 83rd day of drinking only juices. Yeah! Okay, enough of that, let’s move on. The most common question I have been asked — after How much weight have you lost? — is What is the first thing you’re going to eat? Two words…soaked prunes. Yum. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I have around nine days left on my juice feast and it’s about the time to start asking myself a few important questions. First, how do you know when it’s time to break a juice feast? You would think that when I reach 92 days it would be easy to figure out. Not so for me. I am enjoying the process very much and I am not sure if I am ready to stop at 92 days. Of course, I don’t want to endanger my health so I was thinking about extending a day or two longer, nothing more than that.

According to Juicefeasting.com, there are a few things you should keep in my mind when deciding to break a juice feast. One, it might be a good time to end your juice feast when you’re ready to move back into eating solid foods. That’s a no-brainer. Two, you’re not drinking enough juice to provide your body with enough calories. I’m keeping the body stocked with a constant flow of juices and my caloric intake is good. How long I will juice feast is to be determined. Stay tuned.

JuiceFeasting.com provides detailed information about breaking a feast in a safe and effective way. I am using its protocol to break mine. When I do start eating solids, my first foods will be approximately eight ounces of soaked prunes. I will eat those for two days while still drinking my diet of juices, the third and fourth days will be filled with juicy fruits, such as watermelon, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers and the like. My final fifth and sixth transition days to solids, I will consume leafy vegetables, sprouts, microgreens, flax seed oil, avocados and Kalamata olives and lemon juice.

“Once you have completed a disciplined and successful Feast-Breaking, you may enjoy eating the wide array of nutrient dense raw and living foods available to you. Your “clock” has been reset—even at the cellular level. You have achieved a health reality that is most aptly maintained through the use of raw foods,” said David Rainoshek.

The second question I have pondered is… how am I going to eat after this is over? You would naturally think I’m shooting for a 100 percent raw foods diet all the way. But believe it or not I’m a bit more open to a vegan cooked diet. I know for sure I won’t be eating anymore animal proteins. During this feast I read The China Study and I’m scared meatless.

I have a family that I want to move into the direction of raw foods, but it’s not fair of me to place that pressure on them overnight. I’m happy to cook tasty vegan dishes for them but where does that leave me?

After this wonderful experience juice feasting, I am content with the knowledge that my diet will be mostly fresh fruits and vegetables with a rare cooked food in the mix. Does it sound impossible to think I can eat a 100 percent raw foods diet with a family of five? Maybe, but after taking a break from solid foods for three months, nothing seems impossible.

You can keep track of my daily progress during this juice feast at Inspiration:Life.

“So many good things are happening for me during this juice feast, it is very exciting. I truly love my life and more important, I love myself.” - Melissa Gilbert, of Love Raw Life, Day 64

Juice Feasting is spreading through the raw foods community at a fever pitch. My fellow bloggers and juice feasters were gracious enough to share their “juicy” experiences.

Santi, Individualized Superfood Juice Feast, Day 44
Kelly, Raw in Montana, Day 42
Neens, Power of Raw, Day 38
Jack and Jill completed their feast at Day 32
Philip, Loving Raw, Day 17

When did you first hear about juice feasting?
Melissa: It has been awhile already, I think it was when my friend Angela Stokes was doing her 92 day juice feast. I have always fasted on a regular basis, but I have not personally done a juice feast. It is much easier than a fast. I am enjoying the process.

Santi: I first heard about juice feasting through a friend, Jimmy Braskett, who had decided to do a juice feast with his friend, Angela Stokes. So, the three of us juice feasted at the same time in 2006/2007. The concept of juice feasting was further reinforced for me during the time in which I was living with David and Katrina Rainoshek (of juicefeasting.com). It was wonderful experience to be in the energy of those two, who are radiant and beautiful lights.

Neens: I came across juicefeasting.com on Angela Stokes’ blog Raw Reform in November last year. It didn’t take long before I decided this was something I wanted to do as well, and I started my feast on 31 December 2007.

Jack and Jill: We’ve done long fasts before (Jill: 30 days, Jack: 54 days) but we discovered “feasting” from the News Target website.

Philip: I saw Angela Stoke’s video on rawreform a while back before I met her.

Author’s note: Angela Stokes put juice feasting on the map when she blogged about her Juice feasting experiences in 2006-2007 and produced an eight-minute video eating her first solid, a soaked prune.

How long do you plan on juice feasting?
Melissa: Officially I will be feasting for 92 days. I may take it a little longer. I will make that decision when I get to the 92 day mark. I always listen to what my body has to tell me and if says stop then I will, but if it wants more then I will do that too. My 92 days are up in the month of March, when typically I would begin a fast. It is the perfect time of year for feasting or fasting.

Santi: I plan on juice feasting for as long as my body tells me to. This could be anywhere from 60-92 days.

Kelly: 60 days. I was full on Juice Feasting for the first 30 days, then modified Juice Feast for the last 30 days (which is simply still the fresh juices, while adding green smoothies and green blended soups). Initially, I thought 60-92 days, but since I have no illness and have already attained the lowest weight I want to go, David Rainoshek has coached me to choose this program I stated above.

Neens: I’m hoping to go all 92 days, but I am taking it one day at the time to avoid putting any pressure on myself - that way I can’t “fail”!

Jack and Jill: We are staying very open about this. As long as it feels good and right, we are going to try to stay with it. We aspire to going all the way (92 days), but will stop sooner if that makes sense to us.

Philip: 92 days

What do you hope to accomplish by juice feasting?
Melissa: The best, healthiest me possible. I am concentrating on healing my body and also taking myself to a higher level of spirituality during this feast.

Santi: This time I am doing it for a very specific reason, which is to assist Gabriel Cousens in generating an individualized juice feasting protocol for the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. What I am doing is called “individualized Superfood Juice Feasting”. What this means is that I have determined both my metabolic type as well as my unique constitution, as outlined specifically in the book, “Conscious Eating” by Gabriel Cousens. I am then taking specific supplements and juice intake based on this information.

Kelly: I have several goals…to cleanse my body to prepare for pregnancy in the next few years, to cleanse heavy metals out of my body as I just had all the mercury removed from my dentistry, to move into raw foods in a
very healthy and appropriate way, to move away from addictive
food and social patterns such as tortilla chips, popcorn and eating simply because others are. Last, but certainly not least, I am Juice Feasting for spiritual clarity and enlightened intuition, which has been a wonderful gift on my journey thus far!

Neens: I want to detox on as deep a level as possible, and lose excess weight. I’m also hoping that after three months on fresh juices the cravings for cooked food will have disappeared entirely, making it easier to stay 100% raw. I am already noticing that my tastebuds are changing… store-bought juice tastes awful to me now!

Jack and Jill: The primary goal is deep cleaning. For Jill, who is an artist, there has been a history of work with toxic substances and some fear about what poisons are lurking in body tissues. For Jack, the main goal is to lose weight, which is really just part and parcel of feeling more healthy. We would both like to fast for long enough to clear out some of the cravings for cooked and unhealthy food.

Philip: Weight loss, cleaner body, vibrant skin and eyes, additional clarity, new place spiritually, breaking overeating habits.

What are some of the challenges that you are encountering with your juice feast?
Melissa: Humm, Not really anything that is major. My husband is helping to prepare raw dishes for himself and Alex (with my help), so that is a big thing for me, not having to prepare any meals, which sometimes that can be hard for me. I like to feed my men. I went through a one week period that I was detoxing pretty heavily and that was a challenge as far as being the mom and tending to Alex, but I got over it and all is well.

Melissa also runs the blog Raw Baby Alex, which documents feeding her toddler an all-raw vegan diet.

Santi: Making time for a morning enema each day, staying warm at times (ginger and cayenne help a lot in a warm to the touch “soup”)

Kelly: The mental challenges have really been the only real challenges. I have gone through two major mental challenges-the first being day two and three when I questioned myself if this was really the appropriate time and part of my psyche tried to talk me into waiting until March for the Global Juice Feast! Another time was around day 13 and 14
when my mother-in-law broke her Juice Feast and two weeks was feeling like quite an accomplishment. Luckily, my routine was established by then and I just kept making my juices and sticking to the program.

Neens: In my case, it’s getting enough juice in. I’m not very good at juicing in the morning, so now I try to do it in the evening instead. It seems to work! I’m also really craving spicy foods!

Jack and Jill: Cravings, but they have faded a lot. For Jack, the most irritating thing has been relinquishing a morning routine of music practice and meditation before work
in order to make the juice.

Philip: Making one gallon of juice takes a long time!

What are some of the benefits that you are experiencing thus far in your feast?
Melissa: Wow, there are many. I feel much lighter as a human (I know everyone says this) but it is true, I am lighter in weight and I am lighter spiritually as well. I feel better than I have ever felt before. My mind is clear, My ability to concentrate has become greater. I can meditate for longer periods of time. I get all my work completed in a timely manner, I am so much more organized in my home and business. My intuition has become greater.

Santi: Tremendous energy, mental clarity, weight loss, it’s an all-inclusive transformational process if you allow it to be!

Kelly: I am really enjoying the meditative space I find myself in. Even in the midst of a mental struggle or when old habits and smells arouse me, I feel like I am observing the processes in myself rather than being emotionally engaged. My mind and skin are clear, my physical body is slim, strong and sexy and I have all the energy to work, exercise and tend to all of life’s joys! I have also been engaged by an amazing community via the internet of fellow Juice Feasters and raw foodies which is really fun and very inspiring!

Neens: Inchloss! Major inchloss… My jeans that were tight just a month ago are now falling off me! Also my Candida really seems to be clearing up, and I keep getting complements on my skin - people say I glow! I’ve also noticed that I’m more flexible these days, I’m guessing that is thanks to the MSM.

MSM, Methylsulfonylmethanem, is a sulfur compound that helps to rebuild tissue, increases flexibility and supports the joints, nails, hair, and skin.

Jack and Jill: Feelings of lightness and clarity. We are both glowing and looking younger than we have in years. Also, feeling really fresh and healthy, not phlegmy, not sluggish, not moody.

Philip: New levels of thinking already, great energy. Clarity of mind, able to multitask projects easier, higher levels of thinking… thinking in new creative ways I hadn’t thought before, feeling more at peace and in the moment.

What’s your favorite juice combination?
Melissa: It always has been and always will be Green apple, Parsley juice. It is the best ever! Two large bunches of parsley and four green apples. Try it! Second favorite, 1 head of celery, 1 cucumber, ½ bunch of collards, 4 carrots, ½ inch ginger root and 1 large handful of spinach.

Santi: Favorite juices are going to have to come from last year’s endeavor as this one is all green juice, which I love, but I definitely have some not so “phase 1″ favorites:
-beet, apple, ginger
-apple, grape, mint
-carrot, romaine, spinach

Kelly: My mainstay is celery, cucumber, chard, pink lady apple, sprouts and ginger. My favorite tasting juice is actually grapefruit, garlic, ginger, but I realize that it
feels good in my body only in moderation.

Neens: Uhm, watermelon… Not technically a combination, I guess! My second favourite is coconut water, In third place; pineapple with lots and lots of spinach!

Jack and Jill: Kale, romaine, apple, lime, ginger. We have one of these every day.

Philip: Beet, pineapple, pear, ginger… my fav!

As of today I am on Day 69 of my Juice Feast. My final progress report will run Feb. 21. You can keep track of my daily progress during this juice feast at Inspiration:Life.

Wow! Day 55 of my juice feast and I have been living with headaches, insomnia, stomach ache, acne, canker sores, irritability and a bit more unpleasant symptoms. Ahh, the joys of detoxing!

To be fair, I haven’t experienced all that at once. I have a little here, a little there. Just enough to make me feel not so hot on some days but not enough for me to call it quits. Believe it or not, I am actually enjoying taking a hiatus from solids. I drink plenty of juices to keep my tummy and taste buds satisfied.

My energy level is still through the roof and with the exceptions of few days of being emotionally psychotic, I feel really great. My goal has always been to “clean house” and everything I go through isn’t any different than if I was eating solid foods.

Juice feasting is an excellent way to give your digestive system a rest and to remove waste matter from the colon. I want to share a few of the things that aid my feast in the elimination process.

Drink extra water. I drink at least 3-4 quarts of pure water per day in addition to my 3-4 quarts of fresh juices. Water flushes the toxins from your system.

Bentonite Shake. Bentonite clay and psyllium husks absorbs the poisons off the walls of the intestines and allow it to come loose and be excreted from your body. It isn’t the most tasty shake, but it’s very effective for elimination.

Exercise is especially helpful if your mood isn’t the best. There’s nothing like getting the endorphins going. Yoga and rebounding are excellent choices.

Take an enema. Sometimes, toxins haven’t fully exited the body and could be re-assimilating through the wall of your colon. It is recommended to get at least one colon hydrotherapy session during a juice feast.

Daily dry skin brushing removes the top layer of dead skin and lets the clean new layer come to the surface, thus ridding the body of toxic waste material. It feels like getting a massage and leaves your skin dewy soft and smooth.

On your dry skin, use a long handled brush with natural bristles and gently brush in circular motions. Start at your feet and work upwards, brushing the legs, then buttocks, then on to the chest and stomach, back and arms. Never brush your face.

Thinking about juice feasting but don’t want to venture alone? You won’t have to. In March, Juicefeasting.com will host Global Juice Feast 2008. You can feast for a week, 30, 60 or the full 92 days. It’s up to you. Happy Juice Feasting!

Juicefeasting.com offers detailed explanations on the program, tips, personal stories, inspiration and consultants to help get you started and maintain the feast. For more information on juice feasting, visit JuiceFeasting.com.

My next progress report will run Feb. 7. You can keep track of my daily progress during this juice feast at Inspiration:Life.

Bentonite Shake
16-20 oz of pure water
1 tablespoon Psyllium Husk
1 tablespoon Bentonite Clay

1 Pour water in a mason jar. Add Psyllium and Bentonite Clay.

2 Place lid on the jar and shake.

3 Drink immediately. Chase with a quart of water.

My breakfast was spinach, celery and apple juice with a touch of ginger. As a matter of fact, it has been all I have consumed for the past 41 days. Some meals I drink collard greens, cucumber and carrot juice, pineapple juice or coconut water. The point is, I have not had any solid foods in the last month and a half.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Juice Feasting!

Juice feasting, a 92-day program created by David Rainoshek, MA, isn’t about abstinence of solids. It’s about abundance of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and protein in liquid form. On any given day I consume at least one gallon of fresh vegetable and fruit juices daily, along with supplements, such as, royal jelly, hemp oil, green powders or MSM.

Traditionally, juicing is a tool for healing and detoxing the body. According to Juicefeasting.com, ” the purpose of juice feasting is “to cleanse, rehydrate, rebuild and alkalize” the body.

Years in the making, Rainoshek used his studies in juicing, supplementation, fasting, and live food nutrition to develop juice feasting, which is used as a detoxifying cleanse tool at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center.

Some of the things that I will accomplish during this time is physiological rest, removing waste from the colon, renewal of metabolism and digestive system and much more. But most of all, I want a whole new body. Not necessarily a new physical one, but a fresh clean internal palate to work with for optimal health.

“You are turning back the hands of time by turning on the anti-aging genes. You are also reversing the progression through the Seven Stages of Disease,” says Rainoshek.

Some may consider it extreme. Maybe. It’s not easy. But, if you had the opportunity to go on an remarkable journey for your health (and folks, I’m not kidding it is remarkable) and come out of it a new person with a new outlook on life, why not?

“Healing does not occur in a vacuum, and dietary changes happen most successfully in the context of a greater shift in ones life direction towards abundance, health, and self-actualization,” says Rainoshek.

Juicefeasting.com offers detailed explanations on the program, tips, personal stories, inspiration and consultants to help get you started and maintain the feast. For more information on juice feasting, visit JuiceFeasting.com.

My next progress report will run Jan. 24. You can keep track of my daily progress during this juice feast at Inspiration:Life.

Green-Ginger-Apple Juice
makes 2 quarts

1 bunch spinach (or your favorite leafy green), chopped
4 apples, chopped
1 head celery, chopped
thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
1 quart water

Place spinach, apples, celery, ginger and water into blender. Process until ingredients become a thick smoothie mixture.

Strain mixture through a painter’s straining bag (or sprouting bag) into a large bowl.

Pour juice into two quart-size Mason Jars.

It’s the New Year. Perhaps you’ve decided to give the raw lifestyle a try? That’s great! You have your fresh fruits, vegetables nuts and seeds in the frig, now what? Preparing delicious, raw gourmet cuisine is easy when you have the right kitchen tools. Here are some basic items (with recipes) to get you started.

A sharp knife is worth its weight in gold in raw food preparation. You can cut, mince, chop, slice, dice and more with a good knife.

Avocado slices with lemon
1 avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Cut the avocado in half. In the shell cut avocado into slices. Place ½ avocado slices on a plate.
Squeeze lemon juice over the slices. Sprinkle on ½ teaspoon flax seeds, pepper and sea salt.
Garnish with a lemon wedge. Repeat with other half.

The food processor is handy for preparing pesto, grinding nuts and root vegetables.

Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and process until well chopped.
Add the nuts and garlic, process again until if forms a thick smooth paste. Slowly stream in olive oil. Stopping the food processor to scrape down sides of container.
Process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

A nut milk bag is useful for straining nuts for nut milks or sprouting sprouts. *Insider Tip* Nut bags can be a bit pricy; to cut costs go to Home Depot and buy a paint straining bag. It works just the same but a fraction of the cost of nut milk bags.

A standard household blender is great for making the green smoothies, but if you want to turn almonds into almond butter or coconut meat into cream, a high-speed blender is the ticket.

Coconut milk
Meat from 1 Thai Young coconut
1 cup coconut water or pure water
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, plus extra

Blend coconut meat and water in a blender until smooth.
Add raw agave nectar, almond extract and nutmeg.
Garnish with extra nutmeg

To turn zucchini into various pasta noodles in no time flat, a spiralizer is a great addition to the raw kitchen.

A dehydrator could be considered a raw foodist’s “oven.” It creates raw breads, crackers, cakes, fruit leather and nut burgers at very low temperatures, therefore keeping the precious enzymes intact.

Sun-dried tomato bread
Adapted from Ani Phyo’s Black Sesame Sunflower Bread
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked until soft; save water
1 cup walnuts, soaked
1 cup flax seeds, ground
⅓ cup flax seeds, whole, unsoaked
¼ cup black sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1⅓ cups sun-dried tomato water, saved from soaked sun-dried tomatoes

In food processor, mix flax seeds, salt, garlic and sun-dried tomato water. Add walnuts and sesame seeds.

Divide the mixture into two and spread them on two dehydrator trays about 1/4-inch high.

Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 4 hours. Flip and score (use a pizza cutter) the bread into 9 slices. Dehydrate another 4-6 hours.

So, what is a quick and easy way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need with minimal effort, yet in a satisfying way?

A green smoothie, of course.

The green smoothie is the brain-child of raw foodist Victoria Boutenko. In her book, Green For Life, Boutenko discusses the healing potential of the simple mixture of fresh leafy greens, fruit and banana. “I was consuming plenty of greens every day. I began to feel lighter and my energy increased. My tastes started to change. I discovered that my body was so starved for greens that for several weeks, I lived almost entirely on green smoothies,” Boutenko writes.
It’s easy to add more greens in your diet, just follow this basic formula: Greens + fresh (or frozen) fruit + very ripe banana + ice = yummy and nutritious drink. If you use a really ripe banana there’s no need for any sweetener but feel free to add a tablespoon or two of raw agave nectar.

Green smoothie resources
On Dec. 17 The Raw Divas are having a 3-day Green Smoothie challenge.
The Green Smoothie Experiment – Valerie Winters lost 125 pounds drinking only green smoothies for 25 weeks.
eMaxHealth - Offers a variety of green smoothie recipes.

My favorite green smoothie
(makes 2 quarts)

2 cup spinach
2 cup water
2 peach
2 ripe bananas
1-2 tablespoon raw agave nectar (optional)
1 cup ice

Place spinach and water in blender and combine until spinach is thoroughly blended.

Add the peach, banana, agave nectar and ice one ingredient at a time, giving each its time in blender spotlight.

• In ancient Egypt, fruit cake was considered an essential food for the afterlife, demonstrating both wealth and respect.
• In the 1700s, Europeans baked a ceremonial fruitcake at the end of the nut harvest. It was saved and eaten the following year, in hopes of another succesfful crop.
• Considered “sinfully rich” in the early 18th century, fruitcakes were outlawed throughout Continental Europe.
• It was the custom in England for unmarried wedding guests to put a slice of the cake, traditionally a dark fruitcake, under their pillow so they will dream of the person they will marry.
• Johnny Carson once joked, “There’s only one fruitcake in the U.S., and it’s passed around year after year from family to family.
• On January 5, 2008, Manitou Springs Colorado hosts its 13th annual Great Fruitcake Toss.

Happy Holidays!

Raw Fruitcake
serves 4-6

Dried Fruit
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup dried pineapples, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup golden raisins

Cake
4 cups walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dates

In a large bowl, whisk agave nectar and water together. Add all of dried fruit into bowl. Let set for one-two hours or until the fruit softens.

In a food processor, combine walnuts, seasonings and sea salt. Add dates and continue to mix until you acheive a sticky dough.

Transfer the walnut dough to a large bowl. Fold in the soaked fruit until distributed throughout the dough.

Shape the fruitcake in a 5-inch round or square or however you choose. Have fun with it!

There’s no need to worry. I’m not the raw fanatic (you might have heard about) who goes around chanting “Cooked food is poison,” while dancing in sacred mud. To prove this, I decided to make a few promises.

First, so I don’t perpetrate the myth that raw foodist eat only salads, I will not include any salad recipes. None. Except for the one listed below and maybe a few more from time to time. But only because I eat a huge salad, with fresh dressings, every day and I have all these recipes. You understand.

Second, I won’t make anyone feel guilty because they eat cooked foods instead of raw. I realize it’s a personal decision, whether someone wants to live to be 178 eating raw foods or perish young due to a cooked food-related death. No guilt trips here.

There will not be long-winded lectures on how cooking your food over 116 degrees destroys precious food enzymes, causing your body to use its own enzyme resources, thus ripping away your vitality. Nope, I won’t go there.

No discussion on how chlorophyll increases cell growth, as a result helping the body to heal. If you could do me one favor though, when I write about the benefits of wheatgrass, just ignore it.

And finally, I promise I won’t use the book Nature’s First Law’s mantra “Cooked food is poison,” once in my writing. Well, excluding using it above - twice. But no more.

You know, maybe the promises-thing isn’t going so well. How’s this? I will relay information about raw food cuisine to the best of my abilities. Sounds good? Great. Let’s eat.

Pear Salad with Tangy Cranberry Vinaigrette
serves 4

4 cups spring mix
2 pears, cut in slices

Place spring mix lettuce on plate, top with pear slices.

1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup olive oil

Combine balsamic vinegar, cranberries, agave nectar and sea salt in a blender. Slowly stream in olive oil.

Drizzle vinaigrette on salad.