This recipe makes an INTENSELY rich BLISS milk…….adjust water level up or down to suit you…….

Ingredients

I cup of very finely ground RAW cashew meal (best achieved in a good quality coffee grinder)

1/4 cup of cacao powder

1 1/2 cups of filtered water

good pinch of Himalayan salt (important)

Agave nectar or organic honey to sweeten to taste (go easy)

1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla essence

2 dessert spoons of  PURE coconut oil in liquid form (optional but highly recommended)

Method

Using a high speed blender combine the works for at least one minute pulsing from time to time. Taste as you go and adjust sweet and salt to taste……. continue to blend until mixture looses any grittiness from the nut meal. A fast blender should produce an ultra smooth finish.

Bliss milk can be consumed……ANYWHERE…….ANYTIME……WITH ANYONE….. no rules just BLISS

Be the change you want to see in the world…… low impact on planet earth …… max positive impact for the human machine

Ingredients

2/3 cup of very fine mixed RAW nut meal…… I used walnuts, almonds, macadamias and cashews

Agave nectar (vegan) or organic honey to taste

1/2 cup of water

2 large frozen bananas (peel and chop into smaller sections and bag and freeze the night before composing)

1/4 teaspoon of Garam Masala

Method

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend at very high speed to incorporate the frozen banana fully into the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a suitable container and freeze overnight.

RAW consciousness……. feeding your body and your mind the bliss you ARE……..

WE…..need to be………the change we want to see………..

This beautifully simple no fuss ice cream is dedicated to my very dear friend Tom…… Ice Cream connoisseur

BASIC no fuss…….plain….. no trimmings….. no extra’s…… RAW nut milk…..

I like to PRE grind my preferred nuts…. grind to a very fine texture……….. coffee grinder (the best method)…..blender (only very high speed blenders)….. food processor. Choose your preferred method. Transfer nut meal to blender if you used a grinder or processor and blend with enough chilled filtered water to make to YOUR desired strength.

Ingredients

I cup of your preferred RAW nuts

3 cups of water

Pinch of himalayan or celtic salt

Blend at the highest speed for one minute or more……. now you decide if you want the milk to be strained or un-strained……. this will mostly depend on what you will be using the milk for…….. strain it through a sieve (fine) or nut milk bag or piece of muslin to remove the fiber. You can save the fiber to use in other recipes.

I only make enough nut milk for current usage. It will store well in the fridge but I like it ULTRA FRESH……to preserve the vital life forces……I don’t use nut milk every day as some people use animal milks. The body does not need it every day.

ICEREAM is a great way of storing nut milk for an instant RAW nut milk hit……..

There are many uses for RAW nut milk……..fruit smoothies……RAW chocolate smoothies……sweet milk….confectionary (treats)….RAW chocolate……… sauces….. creams……

I will follow up with more RAW nut milk blogs……..we will cover……. sauces and creams……. salad dressings…… ices……. cakes……… biscuits (cookies) …… and a stack MORE RAW

Its RAWesome…… tapping into RAW consciousness…..the planet gives it to us RAW….. the body wants it RAW……. the mind thrives on it RAW…….

GIVE it to me RAW …..:)

FOCUS : Stuff to avoid in transitioning to a significantly RAW oriented diet from a mixed food meat eating diet

OK, the first thing to keep in mind is that a majority of RAW food practitioners follow a RAW diet which is basically VEGAN with a few MAJOR twists….it all depends on your point of view.

Going basically VEGAN represents a pretty massive leap from a meat eating diet for most people

What is VEGAN anyway?

Here is a basic definition of Vegan from WikipedIa.

” Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.^[1][2] Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind.^[3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights or welfare, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns.^[2][4][5] Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.”

Now having steered you in the Vegan direction it now needs to be said that there can be some some significant DIFFERENCES between a VEGAN and a RAW diet……. depending on personal CHOICE.

A major difference of course is that Vegan diets are COOKED in addition to some raw food. RAW is not cooked…… logical, otherwise it wouldn’t be RAW. Now just to totally confuse you….here is an excerpt of Wikipedia’s rave on RAW foodism that spells it out.

“Raw foodism (or rawism) is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. Raw foodism or a raw diet is usually equated withraw veganism in which only raw plant foods are eaten,^[1] but other raw foodists emphasize raw meat and other raw animal products.^[2] Depending on the type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include a selection of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds (including sprouted whole grains such as gaba rice), eggs, fish (such as sashimi), meat (such as carpaccio), and non-pasteurized/non-homogenized dairy products (such as raw milk, raw milk cheese, and raw milk yogurt). Raw foodists can be divided between those that advocate raw vegetarianism or raw veganism, and those that advocate a raw omnivorous diet.

Really VERY different stuff……. some folks are both VEGAN and RAW…… stay with me….:)

While some folk may feel that RAW has chosen them, RAW is said to be and believed by many to be a spiritual choice and a significant element in their spiritual journey 

Many go to RAW for health reason’s initially while others describe their RAW practice as a LIFESTYLE choice.

OK here we go with some stuff to avoid, if not entirely give up in transitioning to a RAW food diet.

‘starter’ list (including some non-vegan items)

• Alcohol, recreational drugs and nicotine
• Caffeine
• Refined sugar in ANY form
• Food additives (chemicals) in ANY form
• Flavor enhancers
• Preservatives (chemicals)
• Artificial protein alternatives (synthesized meat substitutes)
• Un-filtered tap water
• De-mineralized salt (refined processed salt)
• Pasturized and processed dairy products
• Meat from land dwelling animals
• Cooked fish (non-vegan)

Perhaps your thinking ‘what the …. that doesn’t leave much!’ From the point of view of someone who has basiclly followed an un-restricted meat eating diet this list could be very daunting indeed. BUT believe it or not once you start taking this basic stuff OUT of your diet nature offers an astounding amount of edible stuff that is incredibly good for your body and mind. It all boils down to personal choice in the end. The above list is a suggestion only and EVERYTHING on the list is an OPTIONAL choice.  Make your own decisions based upon common sense, research, intuition and personal goals.

A common question: How do you handle family and social events without appearing rude or fussy or both?

My answer: If invited to share a meal or beverage in a social or family situation, I choose to share the meal and beverage, regardless of culture or content. This may be viewed as a controversial choice by some…… it’s a whole new topic.

As the saying goes the only place to start is at the beginning. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step……. so start at the beginning…. wherever that is for you are right NOW. One step at a time and one day at a time. You don’t need to eliminate all this stuff at once if you don’t feel up to it. Having said that though some people jump in and take a giant leap forward…… there is no rule book on how to adopt a RAW lifestyle…. ITS A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY…. ITS YOUR JOURNEY

It basically comes down to your motivation, your imagination and your determination…. and most importantly your willingness to EXPERIMENT

Feel free to post questions…..:)

This blog does not represent or constitute medical advice. The author is not a professional nutritionist or medical practitioner. The author is a RAW food practitioner and food researcher. If you are suffering from a serious medical condition please seek the appropriate medical advise.

A RAW green smoothie is a great way to kick start the afternoon. You will feel like you have done an awesome thing for your body and your mind…..:) I aim to do one green smoothie a day if the schedule permits.

Silky Green Smoothie #1

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups of filtered and chilled water
• 2 handfuls of your favorite greens ( I used baby spinach leaves)
• 1 small tomato
• 1/2  cup cucumber
• 1/2 cup zucchini
• 1/2 avocado
• Small amount of brown onion or shallot (to taste, go easy)
• I tablespoon of nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup of almond meal (optional)
• Fresh ground himalayan or celtic salt

Method

Rough chop the harder vegetables prior to blending. Blend all ingredients at high speed until silky smooth. Test thickness, add more water if required. Makes enough for two or a large serving for one.

Fiendishly yummy RAW chocolate treats

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (80ml) of fresh cacao powder
• 1/2 cup (125ml) of fresh ground RAW almond or cashew meal
• Stevia or blue agave nectar (to taste) for the vegan version or 1/4 cup (60 ml) organic honey
• Shortening agent  - 2 tablespoons of liquified cacao butter or coconut oil (depending on availability and or budget).
• 2  tablespoons of chia seed or your preferred RAW soft edible seed
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground Himalayan or Celtic salt
• Additional cacao powder or shredded coconut for coating the treats

Method

In a large bowl (lots of room to hand mix), mix dry ingredients together. Add sweetener and shortening agent. and with clean hands roll into a ball and coat with cacao powder or shredded coconut by rolling the ball in a bed of the powder or coconut. Place balls on a ceramic plate and place into the freezer until nicely firm. When firm store in a glass screw topped container in the freezer or fridge for best keeping.

1 1/2 cups (375ml) of filtered and chilled water

I tablespoon of nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons of cacao powder (adjust to taste)

1/2 cup ( 125 ml ) of  RAW cashew or almond meal (fresh ground daily)

1 tablespoon of chia seed

4  sun-dried dates (optional sweetener)

I large banana

Method

Blend all ingredients at high speed (pulse occasionally) until silky smooth.