Raw H'orderves de Provence

This recipe is fairly labor intensive, yet I think it ultimately is worth the time. It makes enough for a small party crowd or just for one's own personal consumption :). Trust me: it looks much more vibrant when you actually see it (my camera is a bit dark-tinted!)

1 cup flax seeds, soaked in 1 1/4 cups of water for about 12 hrs.
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into tiny red flecks
1 tsp herbs de provence, or more or less to taste
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the soaked flax with the remaining ingredients in a bowl, then stir everything until it is uniform. Spread onto a dehydrator tray approx. 1/4-inch thick and dry @ 110 for 18-24 hrs., flipping the cracker sheet and scoring it into sixteen even crackers about half way through. Once finished, allow to cool briefly and then break off the crackers. Voila!


1 small avocado
1/2 tsp herbs de provence
dash of cayenne
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Mash all of the ingredients together until very smooth, almost like a lime-green cream cheese.

1 small heirloom (or regular, if you can't find heirloom) tomato, chopped into 1-inch diameter
(give or take 1/2 inch) rounds
1/2 of a zucchini, thinly slice lengthwise on a mandolin
heavy sprinkle of dulse flakes

Make sure both the zucchini and tomatoes are sized to fit the crackers. Mix them with the dulse and let them sit and marinate in their own juices for a few hours to get tender. Then, separate the tomatoes from the zucchini.

ASSEMBLY
Spread a thin layer of the avocado spread on top of each cracker. Top each cracker then with a piece of two of zucchini followed by a piece of tomato. There you have it! Enjoy!!

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Freshness

So... where do you find your freshness? Is it in the feeling of a new beginning when you unravel those covers and rise, stretching out your arms and waiting for them to pop? How about on the hike along a trail where you suddenly pause and simply... be? Or is it the vibrance hidden beneath the innocent smirk of a toddler who just "wants to play." There are many ways to find and discover freshness in our own lives, but perhaps the most overlooked one is food. In my ideal world, I wouldn't come home day after day to a family-pantry full of aluminum cans, a hodgepodge of plastic and boxes of powdered starch that claim that their contents are "homemade." I wouldn't open my refrigerator only to be somewhat disgusted by styrofoam trays brimming with the muscles that a cow or chicken or salmon once rightfully possessed. Perhaps it's these things that inhibit freshness or prevent freshness from existing that are more valueable to identify. In reality, freshness doesn't occur in the cafeteria of corporate confines or with the self-entralling, introverting, time-consuming gizmos of the technologically-"intelligent" world of today. Freshness occurs with a plant. Plants, which take our breath away yet give it to us at the same time, are the source of true re-fresh-ment on our planet. Raw foods help one take advantage of every single refreshing quality, and the life and rejuvenation that ensue from such a lifestyle highlight the "fresh" in every facet of your life.

A Simple Breakfast Mix...

I throw things like this together whenever I am in a rush or simply needing to make something nutritious with little stomach patience to spare! Feel free to change up the amount or to use a different dried fruit (I like raisins because of their uniform, small size).

Serves 1

1/3 cup really raw rolled oats (i.e. old-fashioned, not instant)
handful almonds or sunflower seeds (they can be presoaked and dehydrated if you have the time)
handful raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Thhis makes a great breakfast or snack. The cinnamon will balance your blood sugar so that the carbs from the oats and raisins will provide lasting energy.

Hemp Crunch Bars

Hemp might just be my favorite food on the planet. I am repeatedly amazed by its flavor and nutritional profile, and I truly cannot get enough of it. As a growing teenager and an avid runner, the high-calorie, nutrient-dense qualities of this bar, as well as it’s simplicity to make, are why this is probably my favorite raw recipe that I have created. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have, especially since it’s my first electricity-free recipe!

Ingredients
4½ tablespoons hemp seed butter
¼ cup millet pops, (they're made with the same process as buckwheaties)
3 tablespoons unhulled (much higher calcium content) sesame seeds, coarsely ground
1 tablespoon raw, local, humanely harvested honey, (I like wildflower or sourwood honey for this recipe)
4 teaspoons ,or so, agave nectar
5 small dates, I LOVE Barhi dates
½ packet green foods powder, I use either Vega or Amazing Grass Green Superfood
3 tablespoons hemp protein powder
3 tablespoons sun-dried goji berries
¼ cup chopped walnuts, soaked 6 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 6 hours
any other pinches and dashes of supplements, I added some dolomite calcium powder and some peruvian maca root
¼ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg

Preparation
With a fork, mash the dates, honey, and agave into a rich, thick paste in a large mixing bowl.

Add remaining ingredients, saving the dehydrated walnuts and gojis for last. Stir really well with each ingredient being added.
Spread onto perforated sheet of some sort (I just used my dehyrator tray) into four equal bars or eight equal squares and leave on the counter, covered, for 3-4 hours to dry. It could also be done in the sun if you live in SoCal (unlike me… argg…). Eat any time you need a boost of energy.

These are perfect for runners, as the millet and dates provide high-quality carbs while the protein and fiber content stabilize glycogen levels.

Nutmylk: A Raw Staple

Nutmylks are dairy analogues made with simple ingredients like almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.; a sweetener (usually) and/or some sort of spice or flavoring; and water. They can be just as nutritious, protein-and-calcium-rich, and delicious as dairy milk if not more so. Here is a basic recipe for this standard raw beverage, done up almond style (almonds can be replaced with any preferred nut or seed):

Basic Almond Mylk

1.5 cups filtered water
1/3-1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 6-8 hrs.
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar, or 2-4 dates (optional)
dashes of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, peppermint, and/or vanilla (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until completely smooth. If desired, one can strain the mylk through a fine mesh sieve. Enjoy with breakfast, over cereal, or as a key ingredient in raw "baked" goods.

Hello!

I am Zach, a teenager from North Carolina interested in spreading the gospel--okay it's not that profound, but--of raw, vegan, and live foods to as many people as are willing to listen. Raw foods are, to me, a resurgent wave of long past that is making a comeback, but this time in a fresh, enlightened, and feasible manner. With organic and local farming booming at the moment, what better time to take advantage of the healthful, flavorful, diverse, and safe (when purchased locally and organically) produce that there is out there. We can lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, improve physical and mental issues, and truly become "one with nature". Please enjoy the forthcoming recipes, ideas, questions, etc. regarding this truly unique subject.