Wednesday 30 June 2010

I am Blessed!

I am Blessed!

I appreciated a scrummy kale salad(I adore kale and determined to grow it in my garden forest when circumstances allow:) with the most deliciously-juicy sweet cherry tomatoes on the vine, garlic, pink salt, lime juice, rocket, red bell pepper, chili and olive oil dressing. It has to be one's favourite balanced meal in the Universe!

Monday 28 June 2010

Positive News!

Inspired by this month's Yoga and Health magazine, one took advantage of the glorious sunny weather we've been blessed with lately, here in Blighty and took myself to the local park to for some restorative healing in the form of the Tibetan Rites and ancient asanas. I got over one's self-consciousness and just got on with it!

Just like to share with you a inspiring corporate business story that one read in the UK press recently(I loved it soo much I had to share with you all:):

Grocer's Organic Rooftop Allotment

'A London supermarket is sourcing organic vegetables - from it's roof. Lettuce, Curly Kale, Beets and Tomatoes are sprouting at Budgens in the Broadway, Crouch End, in what is believed to be the first supermarket garden. Food in the Sky was devised by store owner Andrew Thornton and designer Azul-Valerie Thome'.

Source: ES June 2010

It was soo refreshing to read that supermarket employees can really make a difference(Good work, Guys:) to the community and may this be a start of many supermarket / corporate rooftop gardens!

Saturday 26 June 2010

Hemp Power!

Why Hemp?

The humble hemp seed is the most sustainable crop on earth! It's versatility is just mind-blowing! Unlike cotton production which poisons agriculture workers, uses up resources and contaminates water supplies, hemp grows abundantly without the use of fertilises and vast amounts of water.

*As a food it's a complete protein source as well as being a powerhouse of omega 3 essential fatty acids(essential for a healthy brain and heart:). These good fats help you to release excess weight unlike the undesirable trans fats in processed foods.

* As a clean fuel source unlike fossil fuels(oils, coal, tar etc.) that pollute and contaminate land and rivers significantly contributing to global warming and the mess we're in now.

* Hemp makes an excellent and durable fabric for clothes(bags, diapers etc.) and has far superior tensell strengh to cotton and repels more ultra violet rays then any other fabric.

*Hemp makes excellent ethical, skincare preparations(moisturizers etc.) it must be down to all the nourishing omega 3 essential fatty acids(I especially love the UK-made Yeoh brand:)

* Hemp makes a ethically-sourced paper unlike tree paper!

*The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a disaster waiting to happen Oil is far from ethical and ultimate kills many lives on land and sea. People go to war over oil, fueling the ego and greed mentality. It plays a huge contribution to the deforestation of the rainforests(whether for animal production, industry or paper production) is wide-spread pollution and environmental degradation on a global scale. We can't plant enough trees, they're our lifeblood! I'm scared for our children's future. Ultimately, all this is down to is unnecessary irresponsible human behaviour. Time to mend our ways perhaps?

* Reuse, Recycle, Reduce

* Eat and wear Hemp(Go vegan, eat a plant-based high-water fuelled diet:)!

* Pratise Yoga / Meditation

Friday 25 June 2010

Sunny Daze!

I appreciated a lovely, light and hydrating breakfast of organic cucumbers, Granny Smith / green apple and fresh strawberries making us feel wonderfully-light and energetically-vibrant like a child!

Eating high-water foods will change your life. Your eyes will sparkle, your skin will clear, your elimination will be easy, in fact, most everything will change, including how many times a day you need to go pee! :)
That's okay! Getting to know the nearest bathrooms is not always a bad thing.

If you are already a intuitive eater, then you are probably ahead of the pack in this area provided you are avoiding salt that will cause us to retain water. Salt (sodium chloride) is a poison that the body needs to dilute with retaining water to keep it away from the delicate tissues of the body.

We need natural sodium found in coconuts, celery, greens and some melons to keep us hydrated. Normal Walker, author of the book "What's Missing in Your Body" about Vegetable and fruit juices said that celery juice is the perfect solution to hot weather and keeps us cool. Intuitive eaters in general have body temperatures about 5degrees less than SAD eaters due to the fact that the body does not have to create a fever to "burn" up the heavier concentrated foods like starches, proteins and fats. These foods "sludge up" the circulation of the body and make it have to work harder.

Juicy fruits and veggies are the best for weight-loss. The reason for this is their cleansing ability. Also, in the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" it tells us that many cravings we get are because we are mistake thirst for hunger(If in doubt drink some water:0).

I'm no physician but in my humble opinion the best hydration natural drink solution to consume is pure coconut water(Perfect balance of hydrating electrolytes for the human body and therefore perfect for sports enthusiasts, mums-to-be, children and elderly alike:). Closely followed by awesome combo of organic celery and bananas. This is also great after a workout or strenuous activity. Let's no forget the humble fruit tomato, full of lycopene makes it a natural sun preventative measure too! This does not mean to disregard the slip, slop, slap(slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat)mantra. Common sense still prevails!

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Oops!

I forgot to mention...... some excellent ethical personal care brands that put people and planet prior to profit that are definitely worth mentioning(I love them:)

* Dr. Bronner's castille soap all-purpose cleanser is utterly-delightful!

*Tom's of Maine toothpaste(You can make your own from baking soda, dried orange / lemon peel:)

* Kingfisher Toothpaste(UK)

*Oliva(sp) The pure olive oil soap that's all saponified olive oil(biodegradable:) from Greece!

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Saf Treat!

For my birthday I decided to push the boat out a little and sample the raw, vegan culinary delights that's housed within Wholefoods in London's Kensington.

Just to confirm I've survived and the sister, SAF is a bit hit and miss. For a start not all food is raw.

With a little help from the lovely US-raised waitress I chose the starter, vegetable maki and the main, raw pad thai; both dishes was delightful and even more delicious then the actual cooked dishes!

The raw cheese plate(never been a big fan of cheese) was okay thanks to the flax??? crackers. I guess you would have to appreciate dairy cheese to appreciate this.

The raw berry cheesecake was as expected very rich and would satisfy a sweet palate. Nice and pleasant enough, but I've made a nicer raw cheesecake!

So if you are in the area do pop in for a healthy bite(But be warned it's not cheap)!

Recommendations:

* Raw Pad Thai
*Vegetable Maki
*Sea vegetable Salad with beetroot(created this dish before with avocado:)
* Cocktail / Juices / Non-alcoholic coctails

No Poo!

I just like to share a no frills recipe for cleansing and conditioning hair. It also confirms that the mass-produced personal care products on sell on the market today are not only harmful to humans, mammals and the environment; they use up valuable vital resources and therefore unnecessary. These products are often full of toxic chemicals that destroy life. ie eco-systems, human and marine alike.

One way to change things is to 1, make your own 2, only support ethical companies that care:

*Jason US

*Green People UK

*Faith in Nature UK

* Avalon US / CAN

Remember! Good(Ethical)business thrives on supply and demand like any business, the more people that support good business the natural health industry will thrive and we all be healthy as a result, relying innately on our intuitive healing powers then 'big pharma'.

No poo: mix a little baking soda with water(simple:)

Rinse: diluted apple cider vinegar

DIY alternative: Indian soap nuts or a mixture of gram flour and water(mix, strain through muslin / stocking use the liquid part for washing hair:) You can also cleanse your body with this. As a rule of thumb(Human body is the largest organ)if you can't eat it, forget it!

An alternative to overpowering scent of the toxic fragrances / perfumes try a few drops of pure essential oil instead ie Jasmine, ylang Ylang, lemongrass etc.

Friday 18 June 2010

Food for Thought!

Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

~ Albert Einstein

We get old because we stop playing?

Sub-atomically we are one. We are all particles. Under a microscope you are a vibrating string theory, energy!

The soul never dies.

There is only one book: the book of nature

There is only one caste:the caste of humanity

There is only one religion: the religion of love

Thursday 17 June 2010

Intelligent, wondrous Orangutans!

Orangutans communicate intelligently using an unspoken language of gestures, new research has shown.
British scientists who spent nine months observing the great apes in three European zoos identified 40 frequently-used body language signals.
These were employed repeatedly to send messages such as 'I want to play', 'give it to me', 'go away', 'follow me', or 'stop doing that'.
'Play' gestures involved a range of clowning antics, including back rolls, placing objects on the head, and blowing raspberries.
'Nudge and shoo' movements meant an ape wanted to be left alone, while a hand to mouth 'begging' gesture requested food.
Other gestures included hitting the ground, hair pulling, biting the air, swatting, grabbing, and walking in tandem with another individual.
Although studies of great ape body language have been carried out before, none have focused on the intentional meanings of specific gestures.
Two scientists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland observed 28 orangutans at Twycross Zoo in the UK, Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Jersey.
In each case, video recordings were made over a period of three months.
A total of 64 gesture types were identified, 40 of which were used frequently enough for their meaning to be analysed.
The gestures were used to achieve one of six social goals, to initiate contact, grooming or play, request objects, share objects, instigate joint movement or 'co-locomotion', cause a partner to move back, or halt an action.
The intention of gestures was tested with a 'goal-outcome matching' technique by looking at what an ape did when its signals were ignored or misunderstood.
Apes were found to be more persistent when the response to their gestures was not what they expected.
Professor Richard Byrne and Dr Erica Cartmill reported their findings in the journal Animal Cognition.
They wrote: 'Orangutan gestures are made with the expectation of specific behavioural responses, and thus have intentional meaning as well as functional consequences.
'The level of specificity we were able to identify in the intentional meanings of orangutan gestures resulted from our novel use of goal-outcome matching as a means of incorporating signaller intentions into the analysis of signal meaning.
'When paired with a high frequency of intentional use, goal-outcome matching is a strong tool for identifying intentional meaning.'

On a more serious note our intelligent, cute, orange and furry friends are still on the endangered species list, they are cutting down vast acres of their natural habitat(The rainforests surrounding Borne) for the commodity palm oil(Check labels when you get groceries).

Wednesday 16 June 2010

God's Pharmacy(Raw food as Medicine:)!

Do check this short video via YouTube!

Tuesday 8 June 2010

June 8th Peace

June 8th Peace

Be honest with yourself. The world is not honest with you. The world loves hypocrisy. When you are honest with yourself you find the road to inner peace.
—Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, Lecture

Friday 4 June 2010

Tomato Tart Inspiration!

Makes 8, 11cm tarts.

For the base

2c cashews
½c pine nuts
2T flax meal
2t Italian seasoning
1 clove crushed garlic
1T nutritional yeast
1T olive oil
1t balsamic vinegar
½t salt
3T water

-Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed, leaving some texture to the nuts.

-Press into plastic film lined individual tart cases so you have a thin crust. You will find that regularly dipping your fingers in a bowl of water helps with this.

-Place bases onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 2 hours. They should now be firm enough to remove from the tart cases so you can continue to dehydrate them for a further 6 hours.

For the tomatoes

3c cherry tomatoes on the vine
3T olive oil
2T basil
½t salt

-Slice the tomatoes and marinade in the olive oil and salt for at least an hour, or overnight.

-Transfer to Paraflexx dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 1 hour.

For the macadamia cheese

1c macadamias
1T lemon juice
1T nutritional yeast
2T onion
½t salt

-Process all ingredients in a food processor until fluffy.

For the fennel

1c fennel
3T olive oil
1T nama shoyu
2T agave nectar

-Thinly slice fennel on a mandoline and marinade in remaining ingredients for at least an hour, or overnight.

-Transfer to Paraflexx sheet and dehydrate for 1 hour.

Assembly

-Arrange a layer of fennel in the bottom of the tart case. Top this with the tomatoes and crumbles of cheese.



I made this for lunch today... It was amazing!!!!!! Even my 2 year old and my 3 year old loved it! It was rich eating it on it's own. I think next time I will make it with a rice dish and some veggies. I can't wait to try some more of your recipes!



I made it tonight and was delicious!
I have to admit I'm not a great fan of fennel, but the texture of the thin slices with that marinate made the taste so delicate!
Thank you for sharing your creativity with us!

I used to do a lot of raw foods, never seen anything like this. Looks so great, you have quite a talent.


Oh, and fabulous job, by the way. Your creations never fail to amaze me!

From Russell: Thanks, Carmella. Try leaving them in the shells for longer than 2 hours, that should sort the issue with holding the shape when turning them out, that way they'll be firmer.


Russell James's Italiano Recipe!







Makes 8, 11cm tarts.

For the base

2c cashews
½c pine nuts
2T flax meal
2t Italian seasoning
1 clove crushed garlic
1T nutritional yeast
1T olive oil
1t balsamic vinegar
½t salt
3T water

-Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed, leaving some texture to the nuts.

-Press into plastic film lined individual tart cases so you have a thin crust. You will find that regularly dipping your fingers in a bowl of water helps with this.

-Place bases onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 2 hours. They should now be firm enough to remove from the tart cases so you can continue to dehydrate them for a further 6 hours.

For the tomatoes

3c cherry tomatoes on the vine
3T olive oil
2T basil
½t salt

-Slice the tomatoes and marinade in the olive oil and salt for at least an hour, or overnight.

-Transfer to Paraflexx dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 1 hour.

For the macadamia cheese

1c macadamias
1T lemon juice
1T nutritional yeast
2T onion
½t salt

-Process all ingredients in a food processor until fluffy.

For the fennel

1c fennel
3T olive oil
1T nama shoyu
2T agave nectar

-Thinly slice fennel on a mandoline and marinade in remaining ingredients for at least an hour, or overnight.

-Transfer to Paraflexx sheet and dehydrate for 1 hour.

Assembly

-Arrange a layer of fennel in the bottom of the tart case. Top this with the tomatoes and crumbles of cheese.






I made this for lunch today... It was amazing!!!!!! Even my 2 year old and my 3 year old loved it! It was rich eating it on it's own. I think next time I will make it with a rice dish and some veggies. I can't wait to try some more of your recipes!
Hhhmmmm.... those look divine :)


I made it tonight and was delicious!
I have to admit I'm not a great fan of fennel, but the texture of the thin slices with that marinate made the taste so delicate!
Thank you for sharing your creativity with us!


I used to do a lot of raw foods, never seen anything like this. Looks so great, you have quite a talent.


I've made these a few times (sooooo delicious!) but have been having trouble with the crusts. They turn out VERY oily and don't hold their shape when I turn them onto the mesh. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Oh, and fabulous job, by the way. Your creations never fail to amaze me!

From Russell: Thanks, Carmella. Try leaving them in the shells for longer than 2 hours, that should sort the issue with holding the shape when turning them out, that way they'll be firmer.