Craving Some Light

Not sure about all of you, but after several days of holiday dining my body is craving light, fresh foods like nobody’s business! Not that I haven’t enjoyed our family traditional fare like Great Grama Anderson’s chocolate peppermint crème cookies… Maybe a little too much, but not enough to start making resolutions about it. Especially with all of the snow and cold in the northeast this Christmas (currently still stranded in North Carolina with the cookies close at hand), it’s been a treat for my taste buds to succumb to the delights of this season.

Hendersonville, NC. 8 inches of snow Christmas day. Photo is of what is normally the road running by the pond. As you can see; no road.

That said! One of our raw food students described to me and Denise at our last seminar a deliciously fresh-sounding salad that would make my cells very happy right now. Quick, easy, and very tasty, here it is…

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad
- 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
- 2 small cucumbers unpeeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Dressing
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 2T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper

Mix the dressing ingredients and toss veggies with dressing to coat.

This time of year is also about family for many of us, and this is certainly true for me. Traditionally, I travel home to Vermont to celebrate with my parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and siblings. Over the years however, we’ve spread far and wide, and this year we are particularly scattered around the globe: Turkey, China, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Sweden, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont. Although not quite the same, we connected by phone, email, instant message, and Skype. Gotta love Skype! Connecting with loved ones helps bring light to this dark time of year, and this year was no exception.

To all of you celebrating near of far from those you love, may you find some light in your heart as we turn the calendar on another year and the days begin to grow longer again.

Augusta

Holy HOT Batman!

Last night Denise and I presented the Raw Living Snacks Seminar at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, NH, to rave reviews (especially the Cheesy Kale Chips), with the exception that the first batch of Cauliflower Popcorn was a little too hot for about half the audience of 50 people. There’s good reason for this! The recipe calls for cayenne pepper, but instead of 1 t (teaspoon), the sheet of notes and recipes we handed out says T (tablespoon). Whoa! Here’s the correct recipe:

Cauliflower Popcorn
- 1 head cauliflower, florets only (can process in a food processor)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon (or less!) cayenne pepper*
- 1 tablespoon paprika*
- 1 teaspoon black pepper*

*OPTIONAL. Or, use Zesty Sea Shakes instead. Shake up the seasonings (all dry ingredients) in a zip lock bag. Add the processed cauliflower and shake until coated.

I think people were relieved when the second batch was nice and mild. Ending with the oh-so-popular Cheesy Kale Chips didn’t hurt either!

Another recipe note from last night is regarding the Zucchini Hummus. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt, but I find that’s a little too salty for me. I start with 1 1/2 teaspoons and then add more if needed.

Zucchini Hummus
- 2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup raw tahini
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (more if needed)
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- dash of paprika (for garnish)

Blend all ingredients until  creamy. Serve with veggie sticks… Or onion bread, yum!

The third recipe we shared was for the Cheesy Kale Chips, which you can find in the post dated December 2, 2010. This is by far my favorite raw snack, Denise’s too, and it’s so HEALTHY! You literally can eat an entire batch in one sitting and feel great about it.

The truth is, we all love to snack. For many of us, it’s our downfall when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle… Especially through the holidays with parties and family gatherings galore. If you find a healthy, raw snack you love, chances are the people you love will love it too. Bring it with you to share! Make the transition into 2011 a smooth one without the needless holiday snacking guilt. Who has time for guilt anyway? I’d like my New Year’s resolution to be something like “take 15 minutes every day to sit quietly and contemplate”, instead of “lose the 5, 10, 15 pounds I’ve gained since last year.” I firmly believe resolutions should not be a chore (because they won’t last if they are), and should be something that adds quality to life in a way that’s enjoyable and maintainable.

Our next seminar is Wednesday, January 26th from 6:30-7:30 at Amoskeag Chiropractic, and is dedicated to the almighty COCONUT! I was talking with my mom the other day and she commented that she thinks coconut oil is over-touted as this great thing, like soy was in the 90’s, and that she’s not so sure it really is the cure-all that so many (including Dr. Mercola) claim it to be. The fundamental difference between coconut oil and other “healthy” items like soy, is that there are indigenous cultures who have for centuries, and still do now, use the coconut daily for all sorts of things. Soy, which primarily originates from Asian populations, was always used very sparingly. We’ve completely bastardized soy into products that truly are not healthy, and as a population consume far more soy than should ever be consumed. And let’s not forget: somewhere in the realm of 90% of all soy in the United States is GENETICALLY MODIFIED! Just saying. Denise and I will address all of this and more at the seminar in January. Contact Amoskeag Chiropractic to reserve your place, as seating is limited! 603-624-8000.

A special offer from Amoskeag Chiropractic, which they announced last night at the seminar, is that next Wednesday they are holding a Customer Appreciation day. this includes potential future customers as well! If you are not currently seeing a chiropractor, or think you might like to change practices, they are providing the initial exam (and films if needed) for FREE. They only have 10 spaces left on that day for initial examinations, so call them and schedule yours right away. Talk about the perfect gift to yourself (and your whole family!) for the holidays.

Augusta

A Date with Kale

Last night Denise hosted our monthly post-cleanse pot luck at her house, to which I brought the Free Range Chickenless salad from Alissa's latest book Raw Food for Everyone. It's delicious! And easy to make. And was a huge hit. At the pot luck, we also be prepared lots of cheesy kale chips! Of course, they weren’t done and ready to be munched on last night... but oh how delightful they'll be after a day or so of dehydrating.

The Kale Chip "Cheese"
- 1 C cashews (pre-soak for 4-5 hours)
- 1 1/2 lemons (juice from)
- 2 T water
- 2 T nutritional yeast (or more!)
- 1 T paprika
- 1/2 red pepper
- salt to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Rub the "cheese" all over broken up kale leaves until coated. Dehydrate 24 hours or longer. I don't know how long they'll stay crunchy after they're removed from the dehydrator, because they've never lasted long enough to find out! So, so yummy. Kale chips going into the dehydrator pictured below:

An update on the progression of Each Peach Cafe smoothie bar... We are unable to come to an agreement about the terms for the space we like at the moment, so our negotiations continue and our search resumes! There is so much real estate available right now, I don't foresee any problem finding the right space AND the right offer. In the meantime, Lori and I have some fabulous things in the works to make our delicious, healthy smoothies available sooner than later... Stay tuned.

Free Range Chickenless Salad
- 1 small zucchini, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 C Quick Cheese (1/4 C macadamia nuts, 1/4 C cashews, 1 t nama shoyu or Braggs, 1 t lemon juice. Combine ingredients in food processor and add water as necessary)
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 t Salad Seasoning (celery seeds, cumin seeds, dash of red pepper flakes)
- 1 shallot minced
- 10 to 12 grapes, halved
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- sea salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Whisk together the cheese, vinegar, salad seasoning, and other seasonings. Add zucchini, celery, shallot, grapes and apple, and toss to coat. Arrange with radicchio, romaine, or other leaf of your choice. Serve!

Enjoy!
Augusta

Join Us for Ladies’ Night!

The holidays are upon us… Black Friday is only days away… I have decided to do what I can this year to not only shop for locally grown produce when possible, but also to support local small businesses over the holidays. And the perfect opportunity to do just this is to join us at Nicole’s Salon and Day Spa Friday, December 3rd from 7-10pm for their Night of Shopping and Fun!

For one night only, Nicole’s is offering 15% off gift certificates and products, and will feature other local businesses including Aine’s Boutique of Reading, Designz by Jackie, Simple Pleasures Fashion Jewelry, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Avon, Roots, and us (Each Peach Café)! I’ll serve a raw dessert, and Lori will mix up our special house smoothie for everyone to sample. Definitely stop by if you can!

Last Sunday, Lori and I attended ZuZu’s Healing Arts annual Holiday New Age Expo in Peabody, MA, where different health experts and vendors of all kinds participated. We especially enjoyed meeting Carolyn Kelley, owner of In Joy Organics, and learning more about the thyroid. Lori was super brave and did the iodine test along with the rest of the group (she’s severely allergic), and both of us discovered to no surprise that we both need more iodine in our diet. I purchased the In Joy Sea Shakes, both original and zesty flavors, which combine sea salt and seaweeds. I highly recommend both! We will definitely carry this product at Each Peach Café once we open for business.

Last night I got a call from one of our raw and living food students who met me and Denise through our raw living foods seminars at Amoskeag Chiropractic, and has already taken both Level I and the Desserts class. She was looking for a little help with recipes she’s preparing for Thanksgiving, which I thought was fabulous! Talk about putting your new food prep skills to the test… The ultimate test. I asked her to share with me how everything is received at the BIG MEAL. Stay tuned…

So, whether in MA or NH, join us at Nicole’s Salon & Day Spa in Stoneham, MA, Friday, December 3rd for Ladies’ Night, or at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, NH, Wednesday, December 15th for the Raw Living Snack Seminar. Both are FREE!

Augusta

Welcome to the Each Peach Cafe blog!

This is the weekend, when Humbaba World will officially be reborn into Each Peach. Purely educational in the form of Humbaba World, Each Peach Cafe will provide a physical space for the health-conscious to come and play... Eat, drink, and be healthy! Denise and I will continue to teach raw food classes both in people's homes and now at Each Peach Cafe as well, and Lori and I will add in health and wellness classes at Each Peach Cafe throughout 2011. This is a very exciting time for us! Stay tuned, as I will be documenting the transformation of the Each Peach Cafe until our grand opening in 2011. Psst... You're all invited!

Last night, Denise and I gave out raw food samples of the walnut pate, chocolate ganache cake, and maple pecan cheesecake at the Just Naturals Girls' Night Out event. This event was held at their new location in Bedford, NH, on South River Road. The night also featured a complimentary makeover (loved mine!), chair massage (awesome!), astrology reading, reiki, and wine tasting! The new Just Naturals store is absolutely stunning (pictured), and truly inspires a clean, happy, healthy feeling.

Missed Girls' Night Out??? Do not despair. December 15th from 6:30-7:30 we have another free raw food demonstration at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, this time featuring delicious raw snacks like cauliflower popcorn and cheesy kale chips. Call their office to RSVP, 603-624-8000. We have another event planned at Amoskeag Chiropractic January 26th, dedicated entirely to the coconut!

In case you missed the recipe for the Maple Pecan Cheesecake, here it is again. TRULY delicious. For anyone new to raw food preparation, Denise and I will be teaching how to prepare this recipe and several others at our Just Desserts class scheduled for February 4th.

MAPLE PECAN CHEESECAKE
The Crust...
- 1 C walnuts
- 1 C pecans
- 2 T coconut sugar crystals
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 T maple syrup
- 1 t vanilla
Process nuts, sugar crystals, and salt in food processor to a fine meal. Add remaining ingredients, but do not over process; should be crumbly. Press into spring form pan (or ring molds).


The Filling...
- 3 C cashew flour
- 2 C cashew milk (unstrained)
- 1 C maple syrup
- 4 T lemon juice
- 2 T vanilla
- 1/4 t salt
- 1 C coconut oil, melted
Blend all ingredients except coconut oil until smooth. Add coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined. Pour filling on top of crust and chill for an hour in the freezer before serving.

Augusta