Archive for the ‘food’ Category

jónsi and alex

ok, so i already knew this, craig told me, but rediscovering that the lead singer from sigur rós is a raw foodist is very, very exciting.  it may be old news to some, but i don’t care because sigur rós is one of my favorite bands of all time, and on some days they ARE my favorite band of all time and you all know how excited i am about raw food.  jónsi and his partner alex are both certified raw food chefs and they’ve created the most adorable and endearing downloadable recipe book called the Good Heart Recipe Book as well as their own recipe show.

as i type this, craig is flipping through the recipe book and we’re both giggling with delight at the DIY artwork and the luscious photos and recipes, as we’re drooling and wishing that we could eat now.  but alas, it’s past midnight, we’ve already had our raw hot cacao (with carob substituted because we’d stay up all night).

jónsi and alex are living the life that we aspire to, we’re so close, believe it, we will also be travelling the world, playing our music, making delicious raw food and teaching people how to make delicious raw food, making art and exhibiting art and generally having lots of fun and making lots of magick.  yay for jónsi and alex!  they get the raw magick superhero stamp of deLIGHT!  check out their website at jonsiandalex.com

the simple and esoteric definition of the word “magick” is basically turning nothing into something, and turning something into something else.  it’s simply alchemy!  and if you think about it, magick is going on all the time in kitchens everywhere, especially in ours!

this afternoon, we had raw butternut soup.  we had a bit left over, but it wasn’t really enough to put away for later. we were both stuffed from the spinach, arugula, watercress and orange salad, and neither of us could possibly eat anymore.  i thought to myself, “if i were a bowl of raw butternut soup, how would i want to be reincarnated?”  as a burger!

so i threw some carrots and oats in the vita-mix, mixed it in with the soup, which was already seasoned with lots of cayenne, turmeric, garlic, braggs, coconut oil and himalayan salt, and then added some additional salt, cumin and curry powder.  i slapped the concoction onto the dehydrator, formed some cute little patties (for the baby cabbage buns) and there was the soup… magickally transformed into burgers.  presto chango.  dinner! ~blessings, v

curry butternut burgers on cabbage "buns" w/ sun dried tomato & radish sprouts

craig under kwalapa's gathering tree

we heard from beryn @ superfoods that there is now a raw food buffet lunch in town on wednesdays and thought it would be a perfect date, since we rarely go out to eat these days, due to the lack of anything raw and vegan or remotely alive at local restaurants.  we made our way there today after a lovely and powerful 11/11 meditation.  when we arrived at kwalapa in newlands we were disappointed to find out that due to their launch party there was no buffet today, but we were delighted to be personally invited by patrick, one of kwalapa’s co-founders, to today’s festivities which included food tasting, live music, and talks.

in addition to having a raw food buffet every wednesday created by annie, kwalapa is a wholistic concept in itself, housing an organic wholefoods store and deli centered around organic, local, and seasonal farming and building an eco-conscious community.  we were quite impressed, not only by the food itself, but by the vision and passion with which it was presented.

yum yum nasturtium

though the weather could have been much better for cape town going into summer, we enjoyed sitting outside under beautiful fairy lights and stylish lanterns, under the arms of a giant ancient tree as platters of food were brought around for tasting and guests treated themselves to a number of delights.  we enjoyed a passionate and inspiring talk about the importance of organic farming called “growing happy food” given by liz eglington, who has been running a  magical organic olive farm in the klein karoo since 2001.

stuffed mushies

and despite no raw food buffet today, after “tasting” cucumber rolls, some absolutely divine olives, fresh juices, flax cracker bites, dehydrated stuffed mushrooms, dehydrated apples and pears with nut butter, and raw chocolates (!) we were satisfied and stuffed with raw food by the time we headed home in the rain.

raw chocolate, oh my! yes please!

so we had our raw food buffet date after all!  yay for 11/11 synchroncity.  we were in the right place at the right time, for sure.  and we’ll definitely be back next wednesday for the raw food buffet.

craig:

1. to have lots of energy

2. because it’s delicious!

3. i like being creative with my food

4. i prefer eating food that is as close to its natural state as possible

5. it’s better for the environment

vanessa:

1. i want to eat food that’s alive not dead

2. i want to be healthy and vibrant into old age

3. i love desserts, have a sweet tooth, and sugar is evil

4. i suspect i’m allergic to wheat and dairy, and replacing it with delicious things is the way to go

5. i want to make the conscious choice and eat delicious things at the same time

since craig did peter and beryn’s elements of health course in 2007, he’s been inspired to eat raw vegan but often reverted back to cooked foods.  i decided to go raw around july of this year, and i was making delicious magick in the kitchen when i arrived in cape town with my vita-mix and craig’s dehydrator.  things got a little busy for us and we got lazy. i started craving hot food and cooked grains.  we fell off the wagon a bit, so to speak.

thankfully, we’ve recently been inspired to stick to 100% raw food after going back and forth between raw vegan food and cooked vegan food for the last 2 months.  but with the help of a couple raw food teachers you may or may not know of, we are diving in head first to stay 100% raw.* these are all worth checking out if you find yourself needing a little support, inspiration, or encouragement.

*maybe 99.5% would be more accurate.  certain things like nori aren’t available here raw, that we know of.  we use technically un-raw spices and seasonings (braggs, nutritional yeast, himalayan salt) from time to time, but try to find cold-pressed oils and any other raw ingredients that we can find

boutenko raw family

*victoria boutenko and her documentary “12 steps to raw foods”

i love victoria boutenko, because she sees cooked food as an addiction and gives you a plan for overcoming that addiction and eating raw food instead!  she is one of the early pioneers of raw food and has so many amazing stories to tell from her 15+ years of being raw with her husband, daughter, and son.

karen knowler

*karen knowler and her “7 Simple Secrets to Going & Staying Successfully Raw”

karen has 16 years of experience living raw and is a raw food personal coach.  she presents some very valuable information on 10 different types of eaters and their behavior when making food choices.  her website has tons of free resources and her free tele-seminars are packed with info, tips, and support.  her emphasis on the transformation that the raw food lifestyle affords is truly inspirational.

talifero family

*and “breakthrough” a documentary made by storm talifero, about his beautiful raw vegan family… very DIY, home movie, but with lots of heart and very inspirational.

hope things are delicious and delightful in your world!

cheers,

vanessa + craig

craig and i have discovered the rumours are true and young green coconuts are here in SA from mozambique! you can get yours at  sage organic cafe in town, at the saturday market at the old biscuit mill, and also peter & beryn are running a special for the month of october offering a free coconut when you spend a minimum of R70 at their store in newlands.

a-bashed young coconut (a little messy) & our new machete

if you haven’t yet experienced young coconuts, their deliciously creamy flesh, and nutrient and electrolyte dense water, you’re in for a treat! we got ourselves a nice hefty machete from the hardware store and are busy hacking away at coconuts in our garden. our fruit and veg are now threatened to be overtaken in our fridge by these buggers.

raw cacao pistachio ice cream with chocolate sauce!

while at woolies today we were inspired by the raw pistachios glaring at us from the snack aisle and we decided to concoct a delectable raw chocolate-young coconut-pistachio treat for dessert.  so i popped some bananas in the freezer, soaked some of the pistachios and some dates, and got busy hacking coconuts.  after what seemed like hours waiting for things to soak/freeze, i whirred up young coconut water and flesh, soaked dates, soaked pistachios, frozen bananas, and raw cacao powder and put the mixture in the freezer in a bowl.  then more waiting.  hmpfh.  finally craig whipped up his trusty raw cacao, cacao butter, coconut butter, agave chocolate sauce, and we drizzled that over the ice cream and sprinkled it all with chopped pistachios.  oh my goodness.  thank you, mozambique.

love,

v + c

while on my trip to seattle, i was happy to discover a new raw food establishment in the 65th/ravenna neighborhood.  the day we visited was disgustingly hot, surely over 100 degrees, and my sister and i could barely function. it was a perfect day for raw food!  to my bliss, all of the items we ordered were outstanding and exactly what we needed.

i started off with an amazing smoothie called “celestial sea,” brimming with delicious superfoods.

young coconut meat and water, almond butter, cacao, vitamineral green, agave, mint

my friend jon hines ordered a suprisingly delightful raw chili, which we all shared along with a soup and taco salad.  we enjoyed the “oh my sombrero,” a taco salad with spicy sunflower seed pate, guac, salsa, and onion cashew cream.  the “sweet surrender” soup was a refreshing organic tomato soup blended with basil, onion, celery and spices.  there’s nothing like tasty cold soup and a fresh salad on a hot hot day…

richly spiced raw chili made with fresh veggies, nuts, herbs and topped with onion cashew cream and crackers!

thrive is a welcome addition to the raw food choices available in seattle.  their menu is vegan, extensive, and predominantly raw.  their staff is amazing and sweet.

they have a great selection of superfoods and bulk items and they even offer community events and workshops about raw food!  if i lived in seattle, i would go there all the time.  if you live in seattle, i highly recommend stopping in and supporting thrive!

peace,

vanessa

when it comes to making magick in the kitchen, rather than being a recipe kind of girl, i’ve always been the type to whip up something amazing and random with whatever i happen to have sitting around. that was the case with this quick and easy meal i made.

craig has made me acutely aware of how blessed i’ve been to live in california, where i’ve been able to find an abundance of raw-friendly, vegan-friendly pre-packaged foods and snacks to make my raw food transition much more convenient and also delicious! so before i make the move to cape town, i’ve been making a concerted effort to consume my share of my favorite delicacies while i still can. don’t be surprised if i continue to post more and more of these precious gems.

also, it’s summer here in the northern hemisphere, and it’s been HOT. it’s been in the 90s here, while craig was bundling up in cape town in the low 50s at times during the week. that’s fahrenheit, of course. summer here means yummy produce, and part of that harvest is corn, a plant food i’ve immediately fallen in love with eating raw!

the scrumptious dinner above, dinner for one, was made with the following ingredients, chopped roughly, and again i don’t use recipes, so here goes:

1 ear of fresh white corn
1/2 of a yellow bell pepper
handful of cilantro/coriander
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
piece of red onion
drizzled with olive oil
juice of half a lime
sprinkled with sea salt

and the crowning ingredients:

pesto pumpkin seed crackers from livin’ spoonful in portland, oregon
some of the best raw crackers i’ve ever tasted, they are raw, sprouted, and contain organic pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, basil, olive oil, dates, lemon juice, garlic, celtic sea salt, jalapeno pepper

a big happy glob of sundried tomato jalapeno garlic paste from majestic garlic, a california-based company that makes the most deliciously creamy raw vegan garlic pastes around. my raw foodie sister cassandra got me hooked on this stuff, and we eat it with everything, as a condiment, and as a food in general, by the spoonful–er, by the tub actually. i will have to experiment with craig in duplicating this product. wish me luck.

and last but not least, a generous handful of rainbow microgreens, from sungrown organics, a san diego based company that offers the most amazing array of microgreens, microherbs, sprouts, micro mixes, specialty greens and shoots, and edible blossoms. adding sprouts and micro greens to any soup, salad, or even in your smoothie is an easy way to make any meal super gourmet and super nutritious. ha! superfoods!

it will be hard to leave the convenience and availability of these things behind when i make the leap to south africa, but it only gives me more inspiration to make creatively delicious and amazing things with craig. no doubt, we’ll be busy whipping up some tasty delights in our cape town kitchen, and we’ll be sure to let you know what we come up with. but until then, i’m gonna savor the local delights i’ve come to know and love!

much love,

vanessa