Bringing Back The 'Booch

Photo by Bellingham Hippie

I miss kombucha the way it used to be. Bubbly, dry dragon pee. Since the kombucha recall last year and the brouhaha over it's minuscule alcohol content, kombucha manufacturer's have been selling us an expensive flat, sweet 'beverage' that is about as enjoyable as, well, nothing. It's a total bummer. I might as well shove $4 down my sink every day because that's exactly what I've been doing with the last few bottles I've bought. I was complaining to my friend about this sad state of affairs when she told me all I had to do was put it in a warm environment for a month and let it ferment to its full potential. Well duh! Why didn't I think of that? Has anyone tried fermenting their GT or High Country 'booch? I'll give it a shot and report back. Fingers crossed my GT Divine Grape will taste like grape champagne again.

P.S. I know I can make my own. I've got a scobie in my fridge. Just looking for the perfect container.

Update 10/8/11

I didn't realize that I forgot to update my results. Right after I posted this, I bought two bottles of GT and left them by the heater for two weeks. When I opened them they were highly pressurized and poured out like well shaken champagne. They were perfectly fermented and incredibly delicious!

Is The Raw Food Diet Ruining My Health?

Last week I got blood work to see where I stood nutritionally. I've been eating a high raw and mostly vegan diet (FYI I occasionally eat eggs and raw goat and sheep cheese) for over 3 1/2 years and wanted to make sure all my levels were where they needed to be. So the results are in and there is good news and some bad news. First the good. My B12 is optimal! I've been so paranoid about being low that I use three different supplements. A sublingual tablet, a sublingual mouth spray and a transdermal patch. I use them once a week, not every day, mind you. Each dose contains about a weeks worth but I'm not taking any chances. B12 deficiencies can cause irreparable nerve damage so it's important to stay on top of it. Other good news, my vitamin D levels are great as are my lipids and white blood cells.

Now for the bad news... I'm borderline anemic. My red blood cells and ferritin levels are a bit low. A holistic health counselor who reviewed my results recommended red meat, more sodium and good cholesterol. Apparently, he says he sees this in all of his vegetarian clients. The cholesterol part sort of threw me off as my lipids were perfect but I guess it was more precautionary. I did hear Gabriel Cousins say he gives coconut oil to his patients that have low cholesterol so I'm going to take a couple teaspoons a day just to see what happens. It's fast becoming my favorite supplement of the day. Yum!

As for eating red meat for iron, I'd rather try to correct this using a plant based approach first. What prompted me to get a blood test in the first place was that I had been feeling tired last month. I kept needing naps a few times a day. I figured it had to be either my thyroid, adrenals or anemia. I became anemic in high school when I tried to go vegetarian so I was pretty certain that's what it was. I believe the problem was that I had been drinking New Chapter Berry Greens every morning this past month and skipping my usual green juice (because I'm lazy). Vegetarians need a lot of chlorophyll to build the blood, so now I'm juicing loads of kale, parsley and Romaine lettuce along with 2 bunches of celery (for sodium) and a lemon (for vitamin C to help absorb the iron). I can already tell I'm doing much better by my energy levels.

I'm also adding more pumpkin seeds to my diet. They're rich in iron as well as zinc and magnesium. I made a delicious pate from soaked seeds, herbs and sea salt. I'll post the recipe in a few days. Also, sesame seeds are rich in iron as well, so I'm getting crazy with the tahini dressing. I noticed the Sun Warrior protein I've been taking has 20% of my DV so I have to be on the right track.

And just to seal the deal I'm going to pick up a bottle of Floradix. It's a vegetarian iron supplement. Anyone use it before? And are any other raw foodies out there suffering from anemia? What did you do to correct it? Would love to hear your experience.

Superpower Pecan Granola

Lately I've been gaga over mulberries and wanted to find a recipe I could incorporate them into. What better way to use them than in a sweet and nutty high protein granola. Mulberries are kind of new to the superfood scene but have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic herb for the blood, liver and kidneys. They're high in vitamin C and contain resveratrol, the same cancer fighting antioxidant found in grapes and red wine. They have been used to help relieve fatigue, weakness, constipation, anemia and in reversing gray hair. If you can't find mulberries in your area feel free to substitute with your favorite dried fruit like raisins, cranberries or goldenberries. I also included some other superfoods like goji berries, chia seeds, and hemp seeds along with some high protein buckwheat and rolled oats.

Superpower Pecan Granola
Makes about 10 1/2 cups

Soaking time: 4 hours
Prep time: 20 minutes
Dehydrator time: 20-22 hours

3 cups pecans, soaked 4 hours, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chia seeds, soaked in 2 cups water for 4 hours
2 cups hulled buckwheat groats, soaked 1 hour
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
2/3 cup dried mulberries
2/3 cup goji berries
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and divide among 3 dehydrator trays lined with non stick sheets. Dehydrate at 110 for 12 hours. Flip granola onto mesh screens and continue drying for another 8-10 hours or until crispy.

Store in an airtight container for one month. If it gets soft, dehydrate again until crisp.

Ayurvedic Self Care

Vietnamese Cabbage Salad

'Tis the season for sweaters, scarves, merriment and cabbage. Yes, cabbage. The rotund, boring relative of the cruciferous family. Snubbed by children and adults alike and often found banished at the end of the dinner buffet with the other side dishes. Always a bridesmaid never a bride. Well today is your time to shine, cabbage. Time to take center stage dressed in lime, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs. Welcome to flavor country! If you, dear readers, like a good kick in the taste buds, you will love this. I made this after my cousin, Margaret, took me to Number One Pho in Cleveland last October. The place is fantastic. We both went nuts for their cabbage salad so I promised her I would duplicate it in my kitchen so she could make it at home. Enjoy!

Vietnamese Cabbage Salad
Makes 2 servings

Salad
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded purple cabbage or additional green cabbage
1/4 cup sliced chives or scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon palm sugar or agave nectar
1/2 tablespoon ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons crushed wild jungle peanuts* or roasted peanuts

Step 1 Combine salad ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Step 2 Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over salad. Toss well and garnish with crushed peanuts.

*Wild jungle peanuts are raw peanuts from the Amazon jungle that do not contain Aflatoxin, a carcinogenic toxin produced by fungus found in common peanuts. You can find them at some health food stores and online.

Blessed Herbs Internal Cleanse

A couple months ago I embarked on a cleanse I've never tried before. I've been a big fan of the Blessed Herbs Colon Cleanse for a couple of years so I decided to try their ultra cleansing program, the Internal Cleansing Kit. It's a 3 week program that addresses all the major organs, utilizing a combination of herbal capsules and tinctures. It includes lung, kidney, blood, lymph, skin, colon and liver supporting herbs as well as 3 different parasite formulas. While on the cleanse, it's helpful to eat a light raw diet (juicing is ideal) but you may eat your normal diet if you want though results may be less noticeable. I ate raw, but, only half as much as I usually do in a day: basically a small smoothie and a light, low fat, salad. My cleanse was 5 weeks as I did a one week all raw pre-cleanse, the 3 week cleanse followed by an additional one week colon cleanse.

Everyone who knew I was on a cleanse asked, "Aren't you clean enough? You've been raw for three years." Well yes, and no. I did get clean changing from an Atkins diet to an organic, raw, vegan diet but after a while you accumulate other toxins. From the air, water, beauty products (I have a few vices...such as my hair products) and from life in general, especially urban living . Originally, I discovered the raw diet while looking for a natural solution to my acne. It ended up clearing up my skin as well as changing the complete course of my life, but I won't get into that now. Thing is, the past several weeks I started breaking out again and for someone who spends a lot of time in front of the camera, this was completely unacceptable. My body was telling me (just as it did 3 1/2 years ago) that it was out of balance. From studying David Wolfe, Donna Gates and Truth Caulkins, I learned the main issues were poor gut flora/digestion, excess estrogen and an overburdened liver. So in addition to taking all the Internal Cleanse herbs I also took New Chapter Probiotic Immunity 4 times a day (upon rising, before lunch, dinner and before bed) and New Chapter WholeMega fish oil 2 times a day (which helps remove excess estrogen). I also cut out foods that could cause hormonal imbalance:

Soy - contains phytoestrogens
Flax - contains phytoestrogens
Cacao - mimics sex hormones (it's arguable if it actually causes breakouts but I eliminated it just in case)
Caffeine (I like tea) - affects stress hormones which shuts down DHEA production, the mother hormone of all sex hormones

As soon as I started the Internal Cleanse my skin got very oily and started breaking out with cystic type acne on my chin, forehead, back and chest. It could have been a coincidence since it was around the time of my period but I also got a cold sore which is rare for me (usually only when I'm stressed or in very cold environments). I felt moody and sick for the first 4 days and then started feeling amazing. By the end of the cleanse I had lost 5 pounds (that's a lot as I'm 5'7" and went from 115 to 110) and I've been getting lots of compliments on my glowing skin. It's not perfect, still some little pimples here and there, but I've been using the Isun blemish products with great results.

I had to order an additional parasite kit from Blessed Herbs after I was done. It's recommended to do a parasite cleanse 3 times with 3 weeks in between to truly eradicate any critters. I'm continuing to take liver herbs (from New Chapter) until the end of the year and probiotics and Wholemega indefinitely. I'm also going to do an additional 10 day cleanse in a few days to see if I can truly eliminate my skin problems and help reduce cellulite that had shown up out of nowhere 2 years ago. I just bought a far infrared sauna to help my detox program and am so excited to see how much better my results will be. I plan on blogging my results so check back to see how I did.

For those interested in trying the Blessed Herbs kits, I highly recommend them (FYI, I don't work for them). I wait until they have sales to stock up which happen about 2-3 times a year. Sign up for their emails and you'll be the first to know when they're on sale. Good luck!

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

The early autumn continues to bring us gorgeous watermelons and heirloom tomatoes in southern California. The perfect ingredients to create a soup that is as tasty as it is healing. Perfect if you're on a raw food cleanse. It's very high in cancer preventing lycopene and the flavor is simply fantastic. I taught this at my Brooklyn Kitchen classes and everyone raved about how much they loved it. If you're cleansing you can skip the sea salt and if you want a richer soup add a tablespoon or two of good quality extra virgin olive oil to the base.

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Makes 6-8 servings

Base
4 cups watermelon, chopped
1 small red heirloom or Roma tomato, seeded, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh spearmint
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Add ins
1 1/2 cups multi colored heirloom or Roma tomatoes, seeded, diced
1 1/2 cups watermelon, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
1/2 cup white onions, diced

Place 4 cups of the watermelon in a blender along with the tomato, spearmint, basil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic and sea salt and blend until smooth.

Transfer the puree to a large bowl. Add diced tomatoes, watermelon cucumbers and onions and stir to combine.

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Will last two days in the refrigerator.

ISUN Product Review

Like many women in their 30's, I am forever on the hunt for new and better facial products to help correct my previous two decades of poor lifestyle and dietary choices. My SPF free years of my youth are haunting me in a way that no amount of green juice or raw food is going to help. I need some serious skincare. I've actually been a really big fan of DeVita products for the past three years but find that it's just not emollient enough for living in the dryness of southern California. I recently stumbled upon ISUN, an all natural, organic, ethical, eco friendly, wildcrafted line of skincare. I was overwhelmed with the amount of products in their line so I decided to just start out with one of their introductory packs to see what it was all about. Since I have acne prone skin I ordered the Blemished Skin Care set that comes with a cleanser, toner mist, clarifying serum, spot treatment, neem and blue green masks and an exfoliant. They even threw in a bonus lip balm (which is my favorite lip balm EVER now).


I have to say this is the most effective acne skincare product I've ever tried. It has antimicrobial and deep poor cleansing that doesn't dry your skin out like other acne kits. The star of the show is the clarifying serum that contains essential oils, neem, MSM and salicylic acid (from willow bark) that gently exfoliates without the harsh dryness. The spot treatment is very effective too as is the neem mask. I have really sensitive skin so I like that I can keep it on long enough without the itchiness I get from other masks. The only thing I would have liked in this set was a sample of the moisturizer of which there are about a dozen to choose from. I'm currently using Dr. Alkaitis for night time moisturizing but when I run out I'll try one from ISUN. You can find the products at Living Earth Beauty which also features some other really great brands of natural beauty products including products from Living Libations which create my favorite tooth product, Yogi Tooth Serum. Right now they have free shipping on all orders over $99 so get on it!

Summer Detox

Since I spent the first half of the year writing my book, I didn't have the time to do my usual maintenance juice fasts or cleanses. Now that I have some downtime I figured it's time to do some late spring cleaning. Thing is, I still had to work on new recipes so I needed something less painful than a juice fast. I had bought the book "Clean" by Dr. Junger and thought that might be a doable program to follow while I continue working in the kitchen. The basic plan is as follows:

Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: raw or cooked meal
Dinner: smoothie
Portions should be small (2 cups for smoothies) avoiding nightshades and allowing at least 12 hours between dinner and the following breakfast.

This was not that much different than what I already ate so I decided to follow the plan completely raw and see how it goes. After 6 days I didn't feel or see results. I guess I believe there has to be a certain degree of torture for it to be a successful detox. I've been raw for 3 years so this wasn't much of a challenge except for the portions were smaller and I couldn't have tomatoes. This would be an excellent plan for someone coming from the Standard American Diet though. The book has great information about why to detox and the plan is simple to follow. It allows one cooked meal a day if you choose and that includes some animal products.

I wanted to continue my cleanse so I modified it by skipping the lunch meal and instead having:
-1 quart fruit based green smoothie with superfoods and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil or tahini paste for the first half of the day
-1 quart vegetable green smoothie with 1/2 avocado for the second half of the day.

I can't believe I hadn't tried this before. I feel amazing and yet I can tell I'm detoxing. My sense of smell always becomes more acute when I detox. I also start to breakout and this time around I had the unpleasantness of hives on my upper chest, thighs and around my temples. Thankfully it was only temporary. I've had loads of energy which is what I needed, not a detox that makes me crabby and fatigued. I've been able to workout as well but I do get crazy cravings. Often for food I haven't eaten in ages like In n Out burgers. I have 5 days to go but I think I can go much longer. With the summer heat and the abundance of local produce this is a plan I could follow for a while.

Has anyone else tried a smoothie cleanse? How were your results? I've done Frederick Patneaude's smoothie cleanse but it excluded fats and salt all together. THAT was hard. That little bit of fat is the difference between me being hungry in 3 to 4 hours or starving in 1 hour. I've only been using a pinch of salt in my one smoothie. I've lost a lot of water weight and my arms look toned again just by cutting down the sodium.

If anyone feels like trying this plan let me know your results. I'd love to hear your experience with it. If you're looking for a good book on detox plans I also highly recommend checking out "Raw Food Cleanse" by Penni Shelton. Do you have a favorite detox book? Let me know!

Rawkin' Raw Vegan Interview

Check out my lastest interview! Great blog with great info.
Rawkin' Raw Vegan