Raw Vegan Gingerbread

If you can't make it through the holidays without gingerbread and you want to keep it raw, try this recipe.  It does contain blackstrap molasses, which is not raw.  If you want to omit the molasses, you can try substituting with palm sugar.

Raw Vegan Gingerbread Slathered with Ginger Apple Butter

For the bread

8 cups raw pumpkin puree
3 cups almond flour
2 1/2 cups dates, soaked in water
3/4 cups coursely chopped ginger
1 tsp coconut oil
 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (not raw)
1 tbsp of powdered ginger
1 tsp clove
 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup flax meal

To make raw pumpkin puree:  wash and peel pumpkin, slice it into strips.  Run the strips through the shredding blade of the food processor.  Switch to the S-blade, and process the shredded pumpkin again until it is smooth.

For the almond flour, I used about 1/2 almond pulp from making almond milk, and 1/2 almond flour purchased from a store.  The Raw Chef Russell James says that you can dehydrate your almond pulp to make almond flour.  I haven't tried it yet.

Drain the dates, and place them in the food processor with the ginger.  I used some of the the coconut oil to grease the measuring cup for the molasses.  Add the coconut oil and molasses to the food processor, and process until it is a smooth puree.  Stir it into the pumpkin mixture.

Stir together the flax meal and dried spices, and then stir that into the pumpkin mixture.  Divide the batter into four portions.  One at a time, place each portion in the food processor, whipping it until light, then gently spread it on a teflex dehydrator sheet.  It should look like a large pancake.

Dehydrate on low, about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, for eight hours.  Then flip each "bread" over so that the other side can dry.  Before you put it back in the dehydrator, use a pizza cutter to score each sheet into about nine pieces.  Dehydrate until it has reached the desired texture.  This particular batch required another 24 hours.

The apple butter slather was so simple it's ridiculous.  Simply take about 6 sweet apples, wash and core them, (don't bother peeling them,) and toss them in the food processor with about 3 dates, a tbsp of dried ginger, and a tsp each of cinnamon and clove.  Puree until smooth and creamy.  Adjust the sweetening and spices to taste.

If you want, you can sculpt the gingerbread dough.  My husband made a Ninja Turtle for our kids:

Vegas Is A Great Place To Be Raw

Last night my husband and I attended another talk given by John Kohler at the Pure Health Store here in Las Vegas.  It was terrific and every bit as good as his talks on YouTube.

Last night he talked about how to save money on a raw vegan diet.  He mentioned several resources, and there was one in particular that we haven't investigated, the Master Gardeners Orchard at 4600 Horse Drive in North Las Vegas.  They are currently open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.  We already visit the Gilcrease and Cowboy Trails farms for local produce, so it's nice to have another one to add to the list.

He said one very interesting thing that caught my ear.  I believe he referred to himself as a "nutrientarian."   What a great word for a lifestyle where the food is chosen and prepared for optimal nutrition, rather than simply finding food that is fast, cheap, filling and tasty.

Unfortunately I needed to leave the talk early, but hopefully he'll post it to YouTube and it will be possible to watch the rest of it online.

So why is it great to be raw in Las Vegas?  Because we have a huge, terrific raw community!  There are over 1,000 people in the very-active Las Vegas Raw Food meetup group.  There are three raw vegan restaurants, and I am aware of a couple more that offer raw options on the menu.

At one of those restaurants, the Go Raw Cafe Westside, Chef Areeya continues to offer a terrific monthly raw prep classes.  The fee for the monthly workshop, $30.00, is a bit of a splurge for a family on a tight budget, but my husband and I feel it's important.  Food is central to our family culture.  After decades of cooking food the conventional way, I find it helpful to find support for our new lifestyle.  Chef Areeya comes up with amazing recipes that evoke the flavors and textures of old fashioned comfort food.  It's so delicious that it's easy to forget that it's good for you.

Anyone who is interested in the raw food lifestyle is very lucky to live in Las Vegas.  If you are one of those people, I highly recommend that you join the meetup group.  There are interesting events offered regularly and you are sure to find one that suits you.

Even if you don't live in Las Vegas, it seems like most cities in the USA have at least one raw vegan cafe or restaurant.  If you happen to live somewhere that doesn't have thriving raw vegan community, you might just be the catalyst to get one started!

Tools and Equipment for the Raw Vegan Kitchen

This is the third installment in the series on information for going raw.  Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.
  
Early on in our decision to go raw for the summer, we recognized that the small appliances we had been using to cook food were obsolete, at least for the time being.

Consider the toaster, the microwave oven, the coffee maker, the crockpot, and the countertop electric grill.  In our home, most of these items are wrapped up and put away in the back of a closet.   The electric grill was donated to charity.  The rest may follow - we aren't completely sure we won't need them at some point.  When we cleared the counters of these things, we  made room for the new equipment that eventually followed.

It's not absolutely necessary to have each piece of equipment listed below to get into raw food, although many of these items will make it easier.

Please note:  I do not receive any type of revenue or gifts for mentioning products here, and I can't make any guarantees that anyone will be satisfied with the products.  These are simply observations and suggestions.

1.  High Speed Blender

The differences between a high speed blender and a conventional kitchen blender are the power of the motor and the speed at which the blades turn.  Advocates of the high speed blender say that the blade speed is necessary to break down raw fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts, increasing digestibility and making the nutrients accessible.  It's a terrific tool for making green smoothies which is a staple in the diet of many raw foodists.

These are a big investment, however the better ones will last a very long time, and a high speed blender is useful for any kitchen, not just for raw food.   Vita-Mix advertizes that it will take the place of your juicer and your food processor, and for those who eat cooked food, it even heats soups.  The Vita-Mix comes with a seven year warranty and certain parts like the blade bearing assembly and the drive socket can be easily replaced by the consumer.  Since we use our blender several times each day and depend on it fairly heavily, we keep spare parts on hand.  We've had to replace a part only once in the last 8 or 9 years.
 
How to put in a new blade bearing assembly

How to put in a new drive socket

The Blendtec and the Vitamix comparison

A Vita Mix demonstration

If you can't afford a high speed blender right now, you can make many of the foods using a regular blender.  For example, most salads do not require a blender, but it may help with the salad dressing.

In order to make smoothies with a conventional kitchen blender you may need to add water to the blender and run the blender longer.  You may find that it won't completely liquify all raw foods, especially raw greens.  If you have a good food processor and a conventional kitchen blender, you might want to try a two-step process, by first pureeing your more fibrous foods in the food processor and then transferring it to your blender with softer foods and liquids to make a smoothie.  In this way you won't be as likely to burn up your blender.

Here's a comparison of a Blendtec and a Ninja 

2.  Food Processor

Some VitaMix advocates claim that they don't need a food processor because their Vita-Mix will do the job of a food processor.  However, in our home we often run both machines simultaneously, and I can't imagine getting by without both.  I particularly like the food processor for shredding, grating and slicing vegetables and fruits.

Here is a comparison between a high speed blender and a food processor. 

It's possible to do most of the jobs that a food processor will do with a knife, cutting board, grater and a large mortar and pestle.  However, a food processor will save time.   

3.  Juicer

Many raw foodists are into drinking fresh raw juice, particularly green juice.  There are a few different tools that can be used for this.  If you already have a high speed blender, it can be used to make juice simply by placing the blended produce in a nut milk bag and straining it.  Here's a video showing how. 

There are different types of juicers for different jobs:

Masticating Juicer:  This type slowly grinds and presses the fruits and vegetables, pushing juice out in the end.  These are great for greens, however some brands are criticized for not separating more juice from the pulp.
Centrifugal Juicer:  This type rapidly grinds the produce with a spinning blade, then spins the juice of out of the pulp, similar to the way a salad spinner works.  They are liked for getting more juice out of the pulp, but don't do a great job of breaking down stringy greens and wheat grass.
Triturating Juicer:  Also called a twin gear juicer.  It slowly pushes the produce between two interlocking gears.  It's widely considered the best type of juicer because it extracts the most juice and works on more types of produce such as stringy greens, however it's also the most expensive.
Citrus Juicer:  These are nice to have on hand when you need some lemon juice for a recipe or want to make orange juice for breakfast.

4.  Mandolin

Some raw food recipes call for thin slices of vegetables, such as long thin slices of zucchini to be used as a substitute for lasagne noodles, or thin round slices of jicama as a substitute for a crispy corn tortilla.  A food processor slices vegetables thinly, but doesn't make large thin slices.  For larger items, a mandolin can make even, paper thin slices.

There are a couple of concerns about these types of slicers.  One is that it's very important to use the safety guard when slicing with them, to avoid slicing fingers.  At the same time, the guard won't easily hold larger pieces of vegetables.  For this reason, it's a good idea to use it with a kitchen cut-protection glove.

Another concern about mandolin slicers is quality and durability.  A low cost mandolin will be made of plastic with cheap blades that cannot be sharpened.  The professional grade stainless steel mandolins are more durable and some of them can be dismantled and sharpened.


If you are unsure whether a mandolin will be something you will use regularly in your kitchen, it might be a good idea to purchase a cheap one and see how you like it.  If you soon wear it out, then consider whether to purchase a more expensive model.

5.  Knives, cutting boards and other hand tools

Young Thai coconuts are frequently mentioned in raw vegan recipes, but they can be tough to open.  You'll need a really good strong knife.  We have a nice heavy cleaver which works well for that.  It was an investment but it should last a long time.  At first we purchased a cheaper one, but we bent the blade the first time we struck the coconut with it.

Some raw foodists recommend ceramic knives for chopping and mincing produce.  We have one, and it's terrific, but I don't notice much difference in how it performs over other knives.  Some raw foodists say that ceramic knives help prevent oxidation of fruits and vegetables.

Your cutting board should be a type that is easy to clean and will not dull your knife blades.  Additionally you'll need at least one vegetable peeler.  We find we need a vegetable  peeler and cutting board for each member of the family, because we often prepare our meals together as a family.

Additional hand tools that are helpful:  knife sharpening tools, a lemon squeezer for those times when you just want to quickly squeeze one lemon or lime, cherry pitter, apple corer, citrus zester, nut milk bag, coconut demeater,  and Cai Bao.

6.  Spiral Vegetable Slicer

One of the secrets to a great raw meal is to take a nice firm vegetable and turn the flesh into noodles.  Put some sauce over it, and you have healthy, gluten free pasta that you can make before a SAD (Standard American Diet) cook can boil water.  There are many brands of spiral slicers available, including the Saladacco, the Spiralizer or the Benriner Turning Slicer.  If you don't have one, you can just use a vegetable peeler to create long flat strips.  A good low tech option is the noodle tool available here. 

7. Dehydrator

A good dehydrator has a thermostat and temperature control, so you never heat your food above the recommended temperature.  This is important because one of the main ideas behind raw food is preserving the nutrients in the food that are damaged by heat.  Raw foodists differ, but the recommended maximum temperature range is normally between 112 and 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dehydrators soften some fruits and vegetables without cooking, which is really terrific for foods like broccoli, green beans and Brussels sprouts.  They are also used to make cookies, crackers and breads without high heat.  They are even used to warm casseroles and soups.  And of course, they are used to dehydrate fresh fruits and vegetables so that they can be stored longer.

Some say it's possible to manage with a regular oven at the lowest setting with the oven door open.  It didn't work for me.  Another option might be to use the sun to dry and warm foods.  I have had some success with a sun-fry recipe by Storm Talifero of the Garden Diet.  Simply warm and wilt your food by placing it a glass casserole dish with a clear glass lid, and place it in the sun for a few hours.  If you live in a place with strong sunshine you might try drying food outside. You can find information for building a solar dehydrator here and here.

We have an Excalibur dehydrator and we absolutely love it.  We use it to dry tomatoes, which saves money on sun-dried tomatoes, and I use it to dry extra produce so that it doesn't go to waste.  Once it is dried, the vegetables can be used to intensify the flavor of your dishes.  We also use it to make snacks and breads.  Some raw foodists think that dehydrated foods are not as healthy as fresh, ripe, raw food, largely because the water content is removed.  We think that dehydrated raw snacks and ingredients are fine as long as we are taking in enough fluids and nutrition overall. 


8. Food Storage Containers

If a person decides they want to purchase a dehydrator, then they are probably going to need somewhere to put to put all that chewy, crispy dehydrated goodness.  We found that when I stopped buying bottled, canned and packaged foods, we ended up packaging all the fresh delicious food we made with the raw produce.  My pantry is currently filled with containers of dried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers, herbs, etc.  The fridge contains an assortment of fresh raw dips, spreads and salad dressings.  Salad greens and other fruits and vegetables are also placed in food storage containers.

Out of concern for the environment, we prefer reusable containers.  While we aren't big fans of plastic, it is sometimes practical when it is reusable, recyclable and  BPA free.  If it's made from recycled materials, that's a plus.

Canning jars are a great option for most food storage.  Since the seals and rings that come with conventional canning jars tend to rust, I have my eye on these reusable canning jar lids.

We also like large flat glass dishes with resealable lids, such as Pyrex or Snapware.  These are great for refrigerated leftovers as well as pantry items.

Here's a great YouTube video about storing raw food.

9.  Sprouting Devices

One really great way to obtain high protein greens is to sprout seeds.  If you decide to grow sprouts, you'll need some sprouting devices.  This website has several available in different sizes. 

Now we mainly prepare our food with a high speed blender, a dehydrator, a food processor, 3 juicers and 4 sprouting jars.  Occasionally I use an electric kettle to boil water.  My husband uses a small personal blender at work.  We found that the best tool to beat a raw cake frosting was still an old fashioned electric egg beater, just like any other frosting.  We store ripening fruit in our oven, and extra pyrex dishes in the microwave.  My son still occasionally cooks something on the stove, but usually we put a cutting board on it and use it as an extra counter top.

10.  More ideas:  a yogurt maker to make coconut yogurt, an ice cream maker to make raw nut ice creams, a small grinder for grinding seeds and nuts.

Raw Vegan Pan de Muerto and Cacao Carob Cookies

Each year around Halloween and Dia de los Muertos one of my favorite traditions is to visit a Mexican bakery and bring home warm, fresh Pan de Muerto.  Sometimes I'll even make it from scratch.

This year I set about finding a raw recipe to keep up the tradition.  Pan de Muerto is normally a sweet yeast bread made with white flour.  Many of the recipes include orange zest and anise seed, and some contain orange flower water.  Next year, I'll experiment with raw bread recipes that include these ingredients, but this year I simply used a raw pumpkin bread recipe found here.

Here's my adaptation: 

2 cups nut pulp

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp golden flax meal

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups packed dates

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp.cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp salt

The nut pulp was made by making various nut milks and then adding the pulp to a storage container in the freezer.  It was thawed for the recipe. 

The pumpkin puree was made by placing fresh shredded pumpkin flesh in a high speed blender.  Add the dates to the pumpkin puree in the blender and blend again until smooth.

Place the pureed pumpkin and dates in a bowl and add the additional ingredients, stirring by hand.

The dough will have a very thick, batter-like texture, close to the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Because of the flax meal, it will continue to thicken if you let it sit for a bit.  Form it into the desired shape on a Teflex sheet placed on a dehydrator screen.  Basically I laid spoonfuls of the batter on the screen to form an outline of a man, then built it up until it was 1/1/2 inches thick.  I used my hands to smooth the top and edges the best I could, then used the last of the batter to built up the features of a face on the head.

Dehydrate for at least 8 hours at 105 degrees, or until it's firm enough to peel off the Teflex and flip over onto the screen.  After 8 hours I flipped him over again, used the handle of a spoon to deepen the man's "eyesockets," and pushed in raisins.  After 8 hours, I flipped him over again, and continue to dehydrate him for a total of 2 days.

We had it for breakfast, slathered with this Quick Raw Apple Butter: 

3 apples, cored
about 28 deglet noor dates
1 tbsp cinammon

Blend in a high speed blender and serve.

Cacao Carob Cookies

Original recipe found here.  My adaptation:

2 cups mixed carrot and beet pulp
1 cup raisins
1 medium zucchini, peeled
2 tbsp coconut oil

2/3 cup flax meal 

1/3 cup raw cacao powder

1/3 cup carob powder
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
organic chocolate chunks for garnish, (raw if you can find it)

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients together except the flax meal.  Turn out into a bowl, and stir in the flax meal until the mixture thickens into a dough like consistency.

Roll the dough into balls and flatten slightly, making an indentation in the top center.  Fill each center with garnish.  Place on a dehydrator screen, and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 24 hours.

Raw Fatigue and Mock Tuna with Hemp Mayo

After being high-to-100% raw for four over months, last week I hit a wall.  Raw veganism was starting to seem dull and was no longer appealing, attractive, or fun.  I started munching on roasted peanuts, cooked vegetarian Indian food, telling myself, "at least it's not KFC or GMO corn chips."  A new repertoire of easy fall recipes is in order, one that uses the produce that arrives in the CSA each week. 

Of course with the cooked food the inflammation returned, and with it the achy joints and fatigue, and it seemed like I started to gain a lb a day.  I still weigh considerably less than when we started this, but lost a little ground.

I feel fine about it emotionally.  Not like a failure, or a loser or anything bad like that.  Rather than giving up, I just took a little detour.  Even while eating this wonderful fresh authentic Indian food, I was thinking how much better it would be if it were raw.

I'm back on track now.  Recently, we did make some really awesome meals, like a pumpkin pesto and a cauliflower "couscous."  The pumpkin pesto was made by using a vegetable peeler to make long pieces pf pumpkin "pasta," and using the raw seeds and stringy bits with basil, pine nuts, olive oil and nutritional yeast to make a pesto.  Not only was the pesto excellent, but we had leftovers, and on the second day they had somehow thickened into a savory pate.  Sorry I can't provide an exact recipe, but if you know how to make raw squash noodles and raw pesto, you are halfway there.  Next time I might soften the pumpkin pasta a bit by tossing it in a smidgeon of olive oil and sea salt, and putting it the dehydrator for a while.  Raw pumpkin can be a bit crunchy.

The couscous was made by processing a head of cauliflower in the food processor until it was broken down into pieces the size of cooked couscous.  The same was done with a head of broccoli. The recipe link is at the bottom of this paragraph, but I didn't follow it religiously.  I just used what I had on hand, ommitting the mushrooms, corn and fava beans, and adding broccoli and chopped red pepper.

http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/matthew_kenneys_raw_vegan_veggie_medley_couscous/

I don't normally care for fishy flavors, so I'm not a big fan of most seaweed.  But I'd like to get seaweed in our diet at least once a week, for the iodine.  Yesterday I filled large tomatoes with raw mock tuna salad, and it turned out terrific.  I'll try to recreate the recipe down below.  It's one of those you really can't mess up.

A note on ingredients:  This time I used roasted seaweed and prepared mustard, because it was on hand.  A person who is 100% raw would probably skip these or find 100% raw replacements.  We are "high raw," meaning we strive for at least 75% raw overall, and I find that using some non-raw condiments and flavorings helps to prevent cravings for familiar cooked comfort foods.  Besides, if someone wants me to give up my smoked paprika, they'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

Mock Tuna

This made a HUGE bowl of mock tuna salad. 

2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked 2 hours, rinsed and drained
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours, rinsed and drained
1 .23 oz package roasted seaweed (raw dried seaweed would have been better)
3 cups fresh raw carrot juice pulp
1/4 cup fresh raw beet juice pulp (for color)
1 red onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, slice thinly
1/2 English cucumber, chopped finely
dulce flakes to taste
1 tsp prepared mustard (mustard powder would be better)
1 tsp smoked paprika
hemp mayonnaise, (recipe below)

Pulse the seeds in one cup batches, until they start to resemble the texture of flaked tuna. Place in a large bowl.  Pulse the carrot and beet pulp with the roasted seaweed, and combine with the seeds.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

 Hemp Mayonaise

1 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup young Thai coconut water and flesh, blended
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey or to taste
1 cup olive oil
sea salt to tast

I didn't include the salt when I made this, because in the mock tuna recipe there is salt in the seaweed.  Start by grinding the hemp seeds in the coconut water.  If you don't have a young coconut, you could substitute with coconut milk, coconut water, or plain water.  When the hemp is smooth, add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil, and blend until smooth.  Last, add the olive oil in a thin stream, while running the blender.
 
On Saturday, we put in some plants from the nursery:  some arugula and chard, and one each of dill, sage, purple basil, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, peppers, and a producing tomato.  All this went into some self-watering planters and a smallish planter box.  Yes, it's October, but winters tend to be mild here, and the hope is that we'll have a bit of fresh produce until January.  Unfortunately, the chard is already fading, but everything else is holding up okay.  We are learning about square foot gardening, edible landscaping and companion planting.

Our Current Raw Strategy

Here's our current way of doing things. It's in a constant state of evolution, and what is working for us to day might not be what we are doing tomorrow.

Every Saturday, we pick up produce from Bountiful Baskets, then we go to the local "pick your own" farm and pick whatever is in season.  (This weekend will be pumpkins, yay.)  Then we go pick up produce from a community supported agriculture program we are signed up with.  On the way home, we pick up extra supplies from Costco and Winco. 

So on Saturdays, with the kitchen overflowing with fresh produce, I try to figure out how we are going to use it all up by the following Saturday.  It's a good day to wash everything so that it will keep longer, and start making decisions about what should be consumed first.  I may start hunting for recipes, and making a list of additional items that will be needed.  Most meals are high-raw vegan, and what I mean by that is that we sparingly use non-raw flavorings and condiments like maple syrup, agave nectar, smoked paprika, tamari, etc. 

Thanks to what we learned on The Garden Diet, my husband and I are attempting a three day mini cleanse nearly every week until the rest of our excess weight comes off.  The three day cleanse mostly consists of juices and smoothies on Thursday, mostly water or herbal tea with lemon on Friday, and more juices and smoothies on Saturday.  The idea will be to rest our digestive systems during that time.  On water fast day, we can add a bit of fruit to the water and blend it if it gets too difficult.  We avoid spices and non raw condiments during the three days.  However, this is not a succeed or fail type thing.  Each week we try it, and if it doesn't work out that's okay.  If it conflicts with a special occasion or an event with food, we won't stress if we break the fast.  Of course, the kids will eat as usual while the grownups are on their mini-cleanse.  After my husband and I reach our ideal weight, we will fast less often, and increase our overall caloric intake.


While most of our meals are as simple as possible, once a week or so I may try to do something a bit more fancy.  That is, if I feel like it and have time.  For example, I keep thinking that one day I'm going to attempt a raw vegan Indian meal, complete with samosas.

My 12 year old still enjoys making pizza and other cooked foods, so perhaps once a week or so we enjoy a cooked vegan or vegetarian meal.  However, I find that the more adept we are at prepping raw meals, the less I enjoy cooked food.  When we do eat cooked vegan food, I can feel the difference in my body as well.  I have less energy and more soreness and stiffness in my body the next morning.  The feeling is similar to that of a hangover.

Once in a great while, we may partake in a typical SAD meal, either because of social circumstances or because of family traditions.  It's not something that I necessarily think is a great idea for myself, but for us I feel this lifestyle should not be too rigid or difficult.  So at times we may decide to "go with the flow."

One thing that does complicate things a bit is that one of our children was born with a disabling medical condition which caused a problem called oral praxis, and is in ongoing occupational therapy to work on his ability to process food in his mouth.  He is progressing nicely, but has difficulty eating sufficient quantities of food to grow and sustain life.  The process of chewing and swallowing causes fatigue for him.  At one meal, he can only manage about half the amount of food a young man his age should eat.  As a result, he is fed a supplemental liquid nutritional formula via gastrostomy tube.  The formula is dairy based.  Because learning to eat food is critical to his long term health, anything that we can get him to eat is better than nothing.  For years, one of our goals was for him to be able to chew and swallow meat, and he began to approach this goal just as my husband and switched to the raw vegan lifestyle.  Also, because of his feeding difficulties, he needs to eat high fat, calorie dense food so that he can consume as many calories in as few bites as possible.  In his case, processed foods are better than nothing at all.  He doesn't have a problem with weight, and he is in public school where he is exposed every day to the Standard American Diet.  Of course we encourage him to eat as much raw food with us as he can, but we also allow him to choose foods from the Standard American diet, including animal products.  As a result of this, our home is not 100% raw or even vegan.  But it's okay, and I suspect that many raw foodists share their kitchens with family members or roommates with different diets.

John Kohler lecture at Pure Healh Foods

The other night I attended a lecture by John Kohler at a shop called Pure Health Foods.  It's a friendly store with great deals on health products and a helpful staff.  It was advertized by the local Las Vegas Raw Food Meetup, and he spoke to a full room of raw food enthusiasts.

John Kohler is a raw food coach who has two great channels on Youtube and is probably one of the busiest guys in the raw food world. 

He started the lecture by telling his story.  Here's a place where he tells it.  The cleanse he mentions, "Arise and Shine," can be found here.  We haven't tried it yet, but perhaps one day we will.

He made a couple of really great points.  One point was that a lot of the raw recipe books include too much oil and salt in their recipes.  I have to admit that many of the recipes I've tried and posted here included oil and salt, and the meals with more oil and salt felt heavy.  We aren't ready to cut all oil and salt from our diet, but each week we try to set aside three days where we do not consume anything but fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds with no salt, oil, or cooked condiments such as tamari, agave or maple syrup.  However, I do occasionally enjoy making a "gourmet" raw meal with these ingredients.

Another point he made was that we only really need one or maybe two handfuls of nuts per day.  I have experienced the truth in this.  When we consumed more nuts than that, it did affect my energy.

He gave some great tips on where to find certain raw foods here in Las Vegas.  He mentioned Mariana's as a great place to find coconut because their turnover is high.  Vons is a good place to find decent organic produce.  Cowboy Trails Farm is a great local organic farm that offers a variety of fresh heirloom produce.  One big surprise was the 99 Cents Only stores, which he said sells bags of organic spring mix for 99 cents.  I can't wait to look into that!

He also said we should chew our food 200 times!  He's right when you think about it.  The nutrition in raw veggies, particularly greens, is contained within the cell walls of the plant.  Most people probably just chew long enough to turn the food into a bolus that can be swallowed, trusting stomach digestion to do the rest.  Unfortunately any nutrition still locked in the insoluble plant fibers will pass out of the body undigested.  Victoria Boutenko, in her book, "Green For Life," says that we should chew our greens until they are of a creamy consistency in our mouths.  John Kohler said that it can take him up to two hours to finish a meal. 

One of the most useful tips he mentioned was about vitamin K2.   K1 is found in leafy vegetables, so as raw vegans we are getting plenty of that.  K2 however, is different.  It's a bit harder to get that on a vegan diet.  We produce it in our gut from bacteria, but the problem is that if you've taken antibiotics or if you are older, you might be at risk of deficiency. He mentioned natto as a good source of vitamin K2.  He said that fresh organic natto is best, but if that's unavailable, then the next best thing would be in supplement form.

He also demo'd a great tool for getting coconut meat out of mature coconuts.  He called it a coconut demeater. 

He had a few copies of his recipe book available, but I didn't get one because there weren't enough there for all the interested people to get one.  When I asked if they were available online, he said yes but he it can take a while for him to fill the order because he travels so much.

A shout out to John Kohler:  It was a great lecture!  Thank you!  Maybe someday you'll have time to make your recipes available in a PDF download with a Paypal transaction?  Please?