Cruda Cafe: Raw Vegan Restaurant Review

Gnocchi Carbonara + Flourless Sundried Tomato Wrap + Green Drink (Kale Chipotle healing soup not shown, WAS INSTANT TELEPORTATION TO SHPICY LAND)

Claudia, the owner, and Veronica, employee!

Waiting for my epic food..

Where the magic happens!

Cruda Cafe

92 Front Street East, Toronto

905-477-6501

Price: $5 - $12

Open: Tues-Fri: 9 AM to 5PM, Sat: 8 AM-5PM. Closed Sunday, Monday.

RAW FOODISTS/VEGANS/CARNIVORES/AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

Cruda Cafe, another petit restaurant, this time in the glorious city of Toronto, ON is my new favourite eatery. This little hidden gem can be found in the lower level of the St. Lawrence Market on Front Street. Owned by the beautiful Claudia Gaviria, she makes everything from scratch, and with love. A completely raw vegan experience, you will be able to choose from a huge variety of entrees like gnocchi, pizza, nut burgers, quiches to delishhh wraps made with raw vegan pate, and flourless "tortillas", fresh salads, warm soups, and best of all desserts! My favourite is the Gnocchi Carbonara: house made dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with pea shoots and crispy eggplant, over zucchini pasta, and the Green Smoothie: kale, banana, sprouts, udo's oil, raw vegan protein, and E3 Live. Students and Toronto citizens alike, this place is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. GO. DISCOVER IT!

David Wolfe's Longevity Conference.

I took some notes from Wolfe's conference, the main points are listed below. As you can see I immediately took them to heart, I'm eating more pomegranate..

He basically said, if your body is out of whack in any way it is most likely caused by a hormonal imbalance between, the growth hormone, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

To rejuvenate your system the following were consistently mentioned:

-Eat cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale (my fave!), radishes, and brussels sprouts

-Include wholesome saturated fats: olive oil, coconut oil: ingested OR rub it on your skin.

-Remove any sources of RANCID oils and fats, these come from shelf items, including safflower oil, sunflower oil, hydrogenated anything, trans fats, etc.

-Use peels of lemon, lime, which break down bad estrogen in your body

-Eat steel cut oats

-Eat less, live longer, and include regular fasts

-Great sources of protein: spirulina, chlorella, hemp seeds (unaltered sources)

-Omega 3's from marine phytoplankton, fish, crill

-STOP ALL FORMS OF SOY, 2 products are equivalent to 3 birth control pills, and can significantly change levels of estrogen in your body negatively (there are 30 types of estrogen in your body btw)

-Include pomegranate, goji berries (UGHHHH delish) and flax (make sure you grind this up, or it will go right through you)

Hope this helps, incorporate one thing at a time, experiment. I am starting with pomegranates, and raw coconut oil.

pretty and red, (natural phytoestrogen)!

Seasons Greetings.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

I hope you enjoy this special time with friends and family!!

We just had xmas dinner, and are following up on one specific family tradition--Watching Home Alone 2 as a family! What are your holiday traditions??

Love,

Amy :)

Orange rindz.

Tip #3: Never, EVER. underestimate the power of grated orange rind.

ok..i'm kidding, that's not the REAL tip of the day, but I guarantee it will spruce up anything you make during the holidays.Chocolate log cake? Add orange rind! Cranberry squares? Add orange rind! Mushroom risotto? Add orange rind! (It's the answer to EVERYTHING).

Real tip of the day: Keep your environment clean. It seems simple enough but having a clean room, kitchen or house really does clear your mind. My parents always say, "Your room is an exact representation of your mind!" They're usually saying that with irritation because my room is not always clean, HOWEVER. Now that I'm on winter break, I have time to de-clutter my life, thoughts and surroundings.

Recipe: SALAD with figs and apple slices and citrus ginger vinaigrette.

-spring mix (pre-boxed leaves) or spinach/romaine

-dried figs cut into pieces with kitchen scissors

-one apple sliced thinly

-raw cashews

-one carrot made into ribbons with peeler

-olives

Dressing

-grated ginger

-grated carrot

-grated orange rind

-red wine vinegar

-a tiny bit of olive oil

-2T water or more (to your desired consistency)

-half an orange juiced or one (add less water)

-grapefruit sliced (optional)

Don't be fooled. This is a big salad bowl..that might be an understatement even.

festive snow truffles.

Tip #2: To avoid unnecessary weight gain from fluid retention/poundage, decide for yourself a nice time during the day that you will make your green drink (preferably more green than fruit). Another helpful point is to avoid eating once you have eaten devoured err' thang. Let's say it's 4PM, and you are stuffed..do not eat till the next day. Trust me, you've provided your body enough fuel most likely to last more than a day or two, give it a rest. The final point of this tip is to do exercises at home, anything you do is better than lazying around. A great walk outside in the snow will help diverge your thoughts to more serene things.

Recipe: Festive Clementine and Ginger Snow Truffles!

-2-3 small juicy clementines

-rind from two juicy clementines

-cloves (grind these separately)

-raw ginger grated

-1.5-2T raw carob powder

-2-3T raw coconut grated

-3T raw almonds, soaked

-4-5 giant medjool dates (remove pit!)

Blend in food processor (or magic bullet), freeze, then roll in coconut powder. The result will be a delicious, christmas truffle, moist, chewy, and chocolaty with a hint of spice.

Santa wants a snow truffle..

i have a slight obsession with nutcrackers.

If you are reading this you may or may not be under the stress of holiday dinners, guests arriving and leaving, tree hauling and decorating and are maybe even finishing exams slash fall semester!

Every few days I will be posting a tip that will help you emerge from Christmas 2010 more or less raw. There will be some holiday recipes as well.

Today's tip: Yes, it's only December 15th, but this is a perfect day to pull out an old notebook, and write down your goals for the new year. If you start now, you will have had a a good 2 week head start than others and if not a physical head start, definitely a mental head start. To make these goals, you need to be specific with what you want. There has to be a destination, so that you take the journey.

Vague: "I want to spend more time with my family and friends this year"

Better: "I want to spend one hour a week with a different friend or family member"

To make your goal go from Better to Best, you need to think about how you're going to measure that goal. Can you measure the vague goal? No, not as easily as the Better goal.

Best: "I want to schedule in weekly times for family members and friends" There's a reference in this goal, and proof, that yes! you are accomplishing that goal.

The Recipe

Understanding that most of us are under stress, MOST of the time, either from schoolwork, work in general, and or life, reaching this relaxing time of the year may be the moment your body decides to get sick. It's been putting it off for approximately 365 days, so when you're snuggled in front of the fire with some tea, and you feel a tickle in your throat...don't freak out! Drink this instead. [I woke up feeling congested, and wheezy after wearing a peacoat on the coldest day of winter so far<---foolish: symptoms were gone in two hours after drinking this]

1 large grapefruit

3-4 leaves of romaine

1 large handful of cilantro

1 large handful of parsley

grated ginger, amount to your liking

BLEND. DRINK. REFUEL.

*a woman on the subway asked me what I was drinking, I had to explain...everyone was watching. Maybe opaque jars would work better for drinking this in public..

only a mere third of my nutcracker collection.

going overboard with sprouts.

im going to start taking pics of sprouts i grow.

i will also provide a step by step, super simple way to grow your own.

what are your fave types?? mine's pea and alfalfa.

soup and salad lunch; raw stylez.

-large handful of organic baby spinach

-large handful of spring mix

-handful of cilantro

-2 tsp red wine wine vinegar

-2 tablespoons evoo (hills of lebanon pressed in a bottle)

-1 medium tomato

Blend. POUR. Garnish. **sprouts works great, it's almost like raw pasta with sauce**

endives and raw ginger for breakfast.

I was going to ask if it's weird to eat endives raw, in salad form, but I've been doing it for two days and am still alive, so I'm assuming it's perfectly fine. They're tasty, with a hint of shpiciness, and I have been enjoying them with evoo from the hills of Lebanon (contact me, I'll hook you up), and a little balsamic vinegar with a HUGEEEEEE TON of grated ginger.

Don't ask why, but I have been sneaking chunks of ginger from the fridge. Literally, just biting them off. Okay..not that savagely, but chewing them raw, and they taste epic! They burn, sting, then turn sweet in my mouth..I LOVE IT.

Please scroll down to admit your weird habits, akin to eating raw ginger, in the comment section below.

KELP VIRGIN.

I made seaweed salad for the first time today. It was insane. I bought a pack from china town the other day, and thought I'd give it a try. I soaked it for about thirty minutes, and yes...I played around with it. It had such a WEIRD texture. It was slimy, and rubbery. I felt like I actually resurrected a giant sea monster in my kitchen. I kept pulling and lifting and these long kelp strands were just taking over my sink. It didn't smell as bad as I thought it would, and taste-wise I have to get used to it but with the list of benefits running through my mind, it wasn't so hard to eat!

Recipe

about 2 arm's length kelp strands (PEOPLE, this was one pre-packaged strand cut in half lol)

cucumber + carrot julienned or made into ribbons with a carrot peeler

1-2T maple syrup/honey/agave/molasses

1 tsp. ginger powder

2T sesame oil

2-3T soy sauce/Nama Shoyu

sesame seeds for garnish

Soak the seaweed, make sure it is rinsed from its salt, sand, and grit. Snip off tougher parts, found usually on the ends. Pat strands dry, take kitchen scissors and cut into strips, or try rolling a strand and cutting in chiffonade way with a big kitchen knife (DON'T. cut yourself)

Benefits (a smidge from the long list of benefits)

• trace minerals
• protein
• rich source of iron, iodine
• helps to detoxify and clear mind and body

SO. Bottom line, buy your seaweed, soak, snip it, (GROW A MONSTER), then show it whose boss and eat it!

IT'S PERSIMMON SEASONNNNN.

My FAVOURITE fruit ever. has now. officially launched its season. How do I know this? Simply, because chinatown near Spadina and College has amazing deals.

Try, 12 for $5, or 7 for $2.

I went crazy, and of course I only have a few to take pictures of now..they've been eaten devoured. Also, I should mention that I made a new name for this fruit a few years ago, because I felt that persimmon didn't fully encompass the true textures and tastes of this fruit.

Pelatunia-singular (Can't you just taste the fruit in your mouth after saying that word??)

Kale Salad part 2.

Here's another salad, I made it this morning with some things lying around.

-1 avocado (small)

-smoked sea salt

-cumin

-2T lemon juice

-optional knob of ginger

(blend these then pour over kale)

I took the kale, de-stemmed, washed leaves, then cut them in a haphazard "chiffonade" way, for ease of chewing! The smoky flavour was great in this, and if you like shpiceyness, you could add some cayenne pepper.

don't forget to massage these babies.

sprouts are crunchy.

eating these like chips in the library is not such a good idea due to a high level of noise production..i've learned my lesson.

ps. a benefit for all students and people, eating raw WILL keep you awake. When I study I make sure to have fruits/vegetables and a ton of water. I've noticed that anything else, specifically grain or wheat based will cause me to fall flat on my face and go into deep sleep mode. Firstly, it freaks out other scholarly individuals in the library and second, it is NOT conducive to productive studying.

eat me.

Kale-cium Salad.

Found kale in my fridge this morning, and after making an ultra healthy (aka gross) smoothie for breakfast I washed, cut and left the leaves to marinate for lunch time.

[massaged with sea salt and olive oil from Lebanon]

-raisins

-tomatoes

-tahini drizzled

-paprika

-garlic minced

November Goals [relate indirectly to this salad]: I stopped making goals for a few months, I'm not sure why BUT they're back. Goal making is a part of my life.

1) Get healthier. To elaborate, I got some blood test results and found that I am low in Iron, HOWEVER, before you start freaking out I have to explain that I haven't been on top in terms of nutrition. I realized in the past two months (since my other blood test which showed things were balanced) I stopped eating sprouts, focused only on spinach as my green source, and forgot about lentils and beans. SILLY, right? Don't mess with your health. This was a wake up call for me, (Kale is a good source of calcium).

a) These are sub-goals from number 1. Follow a prescribed meal plan. I am making a few for myself for the coming months and will post them up. It's best to do them in shorter weeks vs. longer ones. 3-5 days is good.

b) Focusing on grains/legumes that are soaked, sprouted and occasionally cooked. Quinoa, Red rice, millet, amaranth and black eyed beans, garbanzo beans, alfalfa, and flax.

c) Removal of all extra sugar sources. One of my IDOLS in the raw food world recently added animal products back into her diet. I was devastated when I found out, however I have to attribute these symptoms that her as well as others experience to excess sugar, and cacao. I love desserts, and fruit, and cookies, and cakes, and muffins, and tarts, and everything that includes sugar but I know it does have a negative affect on your system. My goal is to focus on fruit sources for any sugary desires my heart screams to have.

FESTIVE. Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie.

light, creamy, nutty, PUMPKIN-Y, CINNAMON-Y, WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT!

okay, I'm calm. Here's the recipe.

Filling:

2-3 cups pumpkin pieces (flesh, with some slimy bits too)

1 cup almond milk, a little lemon juice and water

soaked dates (1 cup)

nutmeg grated

cinnamon (tons, i love this magic dust)

dash of all spice

2 handfuls of tiny chopped apple pieces

BLENDDDDDDD.

Crust:

2 big handfuls walnuts

6 dates

2.5T water with lemon

Chill the whole pie overnight and, there WILL be extra filling from the pumpkin. Luscious...spoonfuls.

Tell me what you think. It was actually difficult to get the rawness of the pumpkin out of the flavour.

WOOOO. WOO. yah..UGHH. SO. GOOD.

look who else drinks green smoothies!

CHEER UP NICOLE. You're drinking liquid energy!

Fruit Obsessions.

Experiencing raspberry overdose right now. I need to justify my actions by telling you how nutritionally explosive these tiny pink things are. They contain:

-lutein (important for healthy vision)

-Vit C

-fiber

-manganese

-vitamin B2

-folate

-niacin

-magnesium

-potassium

-copper

ANDDD ellagic acid, a polyphenol antioxidant, basically fights cancer and aging. yum.

tropical flavaaa.

okay, i'm sorry for the disappearance, food just hasn't been exciting enough to blog about. BUT from now on it will be.

Read this, or make this, or DRINK THIS while listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfiAsWR4qU

1-2 cups pineapple chunks

2 huge handfuls spinach

water 3/4 cup

1 ripey ripe banana

ehhh, voila.

Coconut Cream Pie

Crust (food processor from Coconut Strawberry Tart-March) Filling

A big handful of almonds, soaked for only 20-25 minutes

6-7 prunes, soaked for only 5 minutes

2 bigger slices of pear peeled

2 tbsn of cinnamon (I LOVE CINNAMON)

1 tbsn of raw carob powder

1 tsp liquid vanilla extract

a small drizzle of maple syrup

Filling

3 bananas

meat from 1 large coconut

1T coconut oil

This was super easy to make, one difference would be to not freeze it overnight, it tastes better when the filling is creamy and not frozen. If you know it will be eaten for guests in one night, after making it place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

sneaky cooked food.

I had to blog about this, but lately the amount of raw food I've been eating has been slowly decreasing while my cooked food intake has been increasing. It's been about two weeks, but it all started when I went out for sushi (veggie, obviously so not actually sushi), and had inari which is tofu pockets of rice.

I'm going to be frank about what I'm experiencing, some of it may be directly related, others not, or it could all just be a combo of stress + diet. I am tense all the time, my shoulders hunch even in my sleeping position, so I've had to be conscious about that. My skin is FREAKING out at me, and I don't like it one bit. My hair is drier, my thighs are bigger--wtf. and I haven't been feeling my usual happy self.

HOWEVER. this will all change, I mean since I have been attentive I've been changing certain things. I know now one thing, that to sustain a raw food lifestyle you need to give yourself grains. Soaked buckwheat, soaked wild rice, soaked millet and quinoa, even cooked during your dinner meals will benefit you.

Usually when I feel nonchalant about eating cooked food it means I need to reduce my fruit intake because the excess sugar gives me cravings for junk. Including sprouts have helped me reverse this fruit dependence. So buy a jar, put some mesh over the top and start soaking those flax seeds and mung beans! Also, drinking unbelievable amounts of water really start re-cleansing your system. If you feel you've been dragging behind the raw food wagon, jump up, dust yourself off and introduce these things back in: water, sprouts, and cooked/soaked grains.

+ +

=

lol, this baby's face is jokes.

NIFTY to the extreme.

Just found this item online, called Seedballz. They are a special mixture of herbs and quality humus. Plant them in pots, or in the backyard and you have an herb garden just like that! I know, not food related but for people in dorms or rooms keeping a few of these make the place look nicer and keep for a tastier meal.

http://www.catchingfireflies.com/products/-seedballz-herb-mix-seedballs-mix-%2AON-SALE%2A.html

they're on sale now at the website posted above.

New Raw Vegan Website! With Recipes!

http://www.justgreenerrecipes.com/cranberry%20maple%20granola

That's my favourite recipe so far, I can't wait to try them all. Also, how are all my student friends doing, packing your lunches?? I hope so!

don't forget to make your lunches beautiful, and add some grains too!

QUESTION TIME.

Spirulina or E3 Live?

Also in terms of minerals from seaweeds like dulse, nori, hijiki, kelp, arame, kombu, and wakame. Would you choose one over the other, or eat all of them?

YUHMMM.

disgusting juices will actually change your life.

i repeat, disgusting juices will change your life.

let me explain. This past week I have made approximately 3 and a half disgusting juices, and not on purpose. I was just experimenting because I was a) bored and b) peckish, so instead of eating something wrong I just kept whipping out the blender. The first juice was a giant FAIL, mostly green with less fruit than my usual green smoothies. It had tons of romaine, cilantro, a few strawberries, and one peach. It was absolutely disgusting but I shoved my little dharma straw in there, closed my eyes and drank it.

The second unappealing beverage had the same kind of ingredients but with a carrot, gross. Today's disgusting juice however made me realize something I HAD to share with all of you. It had a big handful of cilantro, and parsley and huge amounts of spinach, a squeeze of lime juice and 2 cups of water. My realization after drinking this juice was that all three of these juices as unpleasant to the mouth as they were provided me with a different sense of satisfaction. They halted cravings in their tracks, and helped me stay full for hours.

One of the reasons this is huge for me is because I realized the parallel between a non-vegan converting to veganism. In the beginning people are usually told to go ahead and have those processed soy products, and meat substitutes when the true base to your diet should be raw produce. The same is when anyone converts to raw veganism, in the transition phase one of the things people are attracted to are the green smoothies that TASTE sweet but have greens in them, as well as the gourmet snacks. I think the lesson to learn is that the more raw you eat you have to balance out the greens with the sweets. If you find yourself always reaching for a banana or an apple, go for a red pepper, or a few leaves of romaine and some cherry tomatoes. ALSO. don't be afraid to rummage through your fridge and go crazy with your blender, either way whatever you make will be good for you!

Here's the other half disgusting juice recipe, it looks gross, but tastes epic..so it's only half gross!

-2-3 pieces small watermelon chunks

-one banana small

-handful spinach

-a big handful of blueberries

-ICE ICE BABY.

Lemon Coconut Mousse and Green Juice.

Breakfast: mango + spinach + 2 cups water + banana

Dessert Experimentation: My goal was to make some sort of tart with the coconut filling, but it changed forms after I chilled it. The picture taken was right after I blended it, it was less dense so I felt it had taken on a yogurt-y, creamy texture. HOWEVER, after refrigerating it, it was like a heavenly little mousse that just melted in my mouth. It took two seconds to make, so try it and see how you like it, I'm sure with the refrigerated version it would make a perfect tart centre.

-meat from 1 coconut

-juice from half a lemon

-some lemon rind

-1T agave nectar

-vanilla extract, two drops

-a little coconut water to blend

-two teaspoons coconut oil

chill or eat over fruit as is.

*ALSO, this time I did not cut my finger while opening this beaut!

lemon thyme as garnish, enhanced the existing lemon flavours.

HOME FOR GOOD.

I'm back from Ottawa and here to stay in Toronto for the rest of the school year. This morning was smoothie paradise with delicious ontario peaches!

-four ripened ontario peaches

-1 ripe banana

-3 ice cubes

-2 cups water

-2 big handfuls of spinach

-2 drops of vanilla extract

BLEND. and drink. It has the greatest after taste of peach and with 2 cups of water tastes more like a sweet juice than a thick green smoothie. Tip: If you have an old blender blend the water and spinach first so it's finer in texture and then add fruits one by one.

BEST 2.5 DAYS OF MY LIFE.

SOOO. My happiness levels are soaring hrough the roof even though I'm slightly exhausted, and I have to wake up in a few hours for work. I just want to share this story because it shows how easy it is to get people to just TRY the raw food diet. EX out diet. make that lifestyle.

I was up in cottage country near Westport in Kingston for 2.5 days it was absolutely gorgeous, even though it rained it was just nature everywhere. I was reunited with a couple that my family has known for a while, where the woman was my kindergarten teacher. I used their blender to make green smoothies and after having to chew my leaves for the past few months, let me tell ya. It was a treat and a half. It was so funny to make these, I would serve mine in a tall glass, next to it place a smaller glass and next to that place a shot glass. AND they loved it.

Here's three pieces of advice if you are starting the raw food diet. Mimi Kirk was right when she said, you need to find the motivation that just clicks with you. You know you want to eat this way, but there has to be something about the diet that puts you in the right mindset.

1) Find a few good recipes you feel you could eat or include regularly and start incorporating them at your own speed into your daily diet. (**key: green smoothies, salad rolls, gazpacho)

2) Take a step back before diving in and do your research, and ask questions.

3) ALWAYS. ALWAYS. have an emergency, back up, back up, crisis snack box. Fill it with nori sheets, flax crackers, fruits, dried fruit belts, raw bread, sprouted buckwheat, nuts, seeds, juices, and water. You'll feel better and won't give in to temptation when you start feeling like your stomach is eating itself. Omm..nomm..nom..om?

Actually what the view from the dock looked like in the morning, but with rain.

new school year fast approaching!!

I know as sad as it is for me to type this, I have to come to grips with reality. Summer is so over. I mean in t-2 weeks, but still, soon I will be writing blog posts in between essays and music practices, and running from class to class forgetting to be as healthy as I can be.

SO I HAVE A PLAN. A plan that will terminate and annihilate all chances of unhealthy snacking, and irregular meal eating, etc. I want to have three week meal rotations where on Sunday night I plan out what I need for the week, either freeze it, or store it in the fridge. I commute to my downtown university campus and sometimes I just can't be bothered with bringing lunch and dinner, and extra snacks. Which always ends up screwing me over, where I end up eating my biggest meal before bed when I get back home. Lamesauce.

I will post the meal plans here and for all you students going back to university, now's the time to exchange tips, and ideas so we can be super organized and set for September! My goal is to be about 75-80% raw. I'm estimating that to be all meals and snacks raw except dinner which can include steamed vegetables, or "Stew", including some cooked grain; amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa.

Here's my rule of thumb for packing a satisfying meal:

1) FRUITS; either cut up in a container or on their own, 3-4

2) VEGGIES; either cut up in a container or on their own, 2-3

3) BIG SALAD; add some fats to this, quinoa, nuts, strawberries/orange slices

4) RAW SOUP; in a jar cold, with avocado and some spices

5) GREEN JUICE; 2 fruits: 1 veg ratio

6) RAW GOURMET SNACKS (optional); cookie/tart/crackers/dried eggplant bacon/buckwheat coco crispies/dried fruit/coconut water

ANSWERS TO MA Q'S.

Thank you for all the people that helped me come to an answer about this! (Heidi from HiHoRosie, whitecosmicwizard, Jay, and Charlene.

The sodium in the dressing would explain the puffiness in my hands, I just thought this is helping me down two platefuls of greens, what could be so bad?

I used what the cafeteria here offers, balsamic vineagar, OLIVIOLA (get this: 1 part olive oil, 2 parts canola oil mixed...) and orange wedges, I ripped off the slices and put then on top of my salad. DIDN'T feel as gross, and also felt fuller with one salad..surprising.

Jay, the monomeal question is so applicable to even non vegans/raw people in determining good and bad things.

Thanks for your help, another question will be posted later on :)

QUESTION!!

I need to know your opinions!

Do you think eating a KRAFT balsamic dressing with my huge salads daily affects the positive EFFECTS of eating raw? The answer I thought was initially no. considering how colossal my plates of greens are (two per meal) it has to be counteracted somehow. Then I read somewhere that strong spices, and things like onion/garlic irritate your insides and cause you to think you are not full.

What do you think??

Thanks :)

lime water. fedoras. and the month of august.

i bought a new hat.

it had to be in the picture.

the POINT of the picture is to show how delicious my lime water is: mint leaves, and lime slices.

just biked a crap ton..from North York to downtown past the waterfront to Etobicoke. and all I could think about was how the six peaches blended with a banana and a head of romaine was giving me pure energy! I'm going to make some mango salad, a raw soup and some rolls.

wait out for pictures!

Mango Salad

-sliced mango

-lime juice

-cashews

Raw Vegan Soup

-one long sprig of rosemary

-one long sprig of mint

-one small tomato

-one medium sized apple peeled and cored

-2.5-3 inch cucumber

-handful of mushrooms

-handful of parsley

-tablespoon of cashews

-pinch or two of sea salt

-one slice of lime

-lime water/juice

-dash of cayenne pepper

-pinch of paprika

-pinch of thyme

-sesame seeds sprinkled on top

YUMMM.

peachy goodness.

three ripe peaches

one ripe banana

1 ripe pear

1.5 cups water

1 ice cube

BLEND.

This is probably the most beautifully coloured breakfast smoothie/juice I've ever made. It looks like a melted orange creamsicle in a cup. OBVS without the loaded sugar. It's also thinner in texture, more juice like, change that depending on your amount of water used.

pictures are best taken on the hardwood floor of my room haha..

Watermelon Slushi

Perfect for a super smokin, humidity heat wave like day. OR. just for breakfast when there's left over watermelon. Camille from http://rawcandy.wordpress.com/ made this a few weeks ago, I just added a few pineapple pieces for sweetness.

just think of all the flavours of slushies you could make..an infinite amount!

Post Overload. KRAZY SALAD.

Take A Gander..

-avocado

-purple cabbage

-carrots shredded

-romaine lettuce

-baby spinach

-tomatoes from the garden

-cucumbers

-lemon, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt

-garden herbs: oregano, thyme, mint

BAM!

Mint Mango.

I don't know why I haven't thought of this flavour combo before but it's pretty amazing.

-6 mint leaves

-almost 2 cups of water

-1 big ataulfo mango

-1 banana

-1 entire small head of romaine

*turned into a light juice like drink, add less water for smoothie effect and experiment with less mint OR spinach instead of romaine lettuce.

look at that straw. what a beaut.

drinks of the day.

I'm home in Toronto now, feels amazing now that I can finally blend some things!

Morning Smoothie: spinach, strawberries, water, banana

note: lack of glass straw

Afternoon Water: mint leaves, lemon juice

note: GLASS STRAW!!

ps. note about water, forget equations just know that you should be peeing 10x daily..CLEAR.

PEACHES!

bought these from a fruit stand, ONTARIO PEACHES!!

yummayy.

Glass Dharma.

I finally bought one of these straws! I kept hearing about them, and thought they looked cool. It's not the greatest reason to buy it but it seems like the obvious reason is that it doesn't waste plastic or pass my pure green juice through a toxic pipe.

so beautiful..

La Belle Verte: Raw Vegan Restaurant Review

La Belle Verte

166 rue Eddy, Gatineau,

819-778-6363

Price: $5 - $12

Open: Mon-Tues: 11AM to 6PM, Wed-Sat: 11AM-9PM

RAW FOODISTS/VEGANS/CARNIVORES/AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

La Belle Verte, a petit restaurant in Gatineau, QC is possibly the cutest and most delightful place I've been too. The interior is painted shades of bright green, and as you walk in you are welcomed by the thoughtful decor, a home-y antique looking piano, high chairs, and wooden tables. Their menu boasts of both vegan and raw vegan items. Pizzas, sandwiches, sampler plates, burgers, soups and salads that come in regular and deluxe sizes, as well as a full array of desserts. I ordered a soup and salad combo that came with a choice of any soup du jour: Vietnamese Veg, La Cru: Tomato, avocado, cilantro, and Dahl: Indian Lentil with coconut milk. Choices for salads were Ceasar, Greek, something Cleopatra which included "caramelized onions", and another salad including seaweed. In addition to the combo, I ordered a green juice, which they improvised and whipped up on the spot. I'm serious, watching this juice being made, there were at least half a dozen fresh ingredients: beets, carrots, kale, parsley, ginger, cilantro, and apple. It was a bomb of tasty greenness.

For a green juice, giant salad, raw crackers, creamy avocado soup the total was $16. If you're in the Ottawa area this is definitely a place to make a trip to. Also, of importance, on a scale of 1-10 in hunger levels, 10 being starved, at the end of the meal I was definitely around 1-2, I'll call it stuffed, but not disturbed in terms of digestion!

you'd be this happy too if you ate delicious food like this..

July Goals.

I KNOW I KNOW. I'm SO late with these goals. but here they are.

(Every month I make a set of goals altered from the previous months goals: don't forget to write these down and stick them somewhere where you can see them)

1) Ride on the back of a motorcycle

2) Continue eating two salads per meal

3) Sugar only from fruit + no excess grains apart from morning flax/oats

4) 3.0L of water a day: take your wait / 2 = ____ oz. needed to live/day

What are your goals? Also, don't forget to make a silly one..like riding on the back of a motorcycle, or burping the alphabet, or trying a new recipe a week, etc.

scratchy throat remedies

Felt dry/itchy throat, last night, I attempted to eat this entire lemon, I only made it through about 3/4 before giving up from tooth sensitivity.

What do you eat when you feel a cold coming on?

people make fun of my giant salads.

I've been eating two dinner plate sizes piled high with dark green spinach/spring mix or romaine with tomatoes cucumbers, and olives, with some dressing, and sometimes kidney beans or chickpeas per meal. I actually crave it when I'm hungry! If someone comments at the enormity of your salad, take it with pride, the benefits of eating greens increase with each comment.

Also, the secret to eating copious amounts of salads without a blender and fruit, is to find a dressing you like and stick with it, or rotate between a few favourites, AND don't forget toppings.

-onions: red, white, green

-olives

-sundried tomatoes

-sweet potato

-almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc.

-dried fruit: crans, apricots, etc.

-dehydrated vegetables

-dehydrated flax crackers

-fruits: strawberries, apple slices

-other lightly steamed vegetables.

What have you been eating too much of lately, good or bad?

more horrific events involving non-raw food.

AGHHH.

My body aches!

It's screaming out loud, and violently harassing me with pain at the moment. There's some weird guilt thrown in there too, but actually. Tonight a bunch of my friends and I went to the Ottawa Jazz Festival to see Herbie Hancock perform. When you first enter the entire grounds for the festival there is this giant truck, a complete mobile bakery on wheels. I could sense it was vegan and sure enough it was. I will take a picture of this truck, and you will burn it into your brains that you do NOT want the desserts. No, my friends. We are beyond processed sugars, sweet fumes, and floured cakes. We crave fresh fruit, sliced and diced, filled with colours that are natural and organic.

Don't get me wrong, the desserts I tried: carrot cake, and cinnamon coffee cake were absolutely delightful. However, two seconds after I swallowed bites out of these, familiar sensations of sugar highs and former addictions came rushing back. The carrot cake by the way, weighed at least a ton. It felt like I was holding a dumbell..

So yah, verdict on non-raw sugar. Don't overdo it, and if you feel you can't have it in balance, avoid it at all costs. I feel like there is an artificial buzz in my body, it's slightly frightening, and I am WAY too wired to sleep..ughh.

Looked just like this, but without snow, duh.