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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style

Neapolitan Nice-Cream Banana Split with Hot Fudge & Caramel

Raw Vegan Neapolitan Nice-Cream Banana Split with Hot Fudge & Caramel

I'm not gonna lie, it's virtually impossible to not feel guilty eating such an insanely delicious Neapolitan Nice-Cream Banana Split with Hot Fudge & Caramel! Our brains are just conditioned to believe anything this utterly divine can't be good for us. And yet…

I'm enjoying this over-the-top decadence for breakfast, lunch, dinner – whenever I want -because this irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth lusciousness is actually completely amazing for us!

Dairy Free, Sugar Free Vegan Hot Fudge & Caramel Sauces in all their glory – Oh My Yum!

Whoever came up with the "You can't have your cake and eat it too" phrase definitely did not know what they were talking about! In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize the complete and utter falsity of that statement. It really appears as though the simpler we live – far, far and away from unnecessary chemicals, processing, faux scents, unnatural flavorings and animal derived products… and the closer we get to the flavor of REAL strawberries, REAL chocolate, REAL sweetness, with a REAL cherry on top, all of which have isn't it obvious SO much better flavor than some man-made replica… the closer we get to authenticity and the healthier and happier we make our bodies. The more living foods we eat, the more alive we become. Life force is that magic scientists still haven't been able to distinguish or identify! It's who we are. What makes us us. When we feed our cells fresh, beautiful, LIVING high-vibrational fruits, vegetables and plant based foods, we're putting that magic into our bodies, enabling us to operate on a higher level.

But hey, even if we're not interested in feeling, looking and living up to our absolute highest level – this sundae is so darn delicious, that's worth it alone 🙂

Complete with Chunks of Raw Vegan Fudge Brownies, Sprouted Walnuts & toppings galore!

So as if looking & feeling our best and sublime flavor weren't enough, I feel compelled to single out one more (super impressive) health benefit from the myriad we'll derive eating bananas, strawberries, coconut nectar, cacao, walnuts, almonds, dates and all the other healthifying/beautifying ingredients in this deceptively sublime dish of yum:

Banana Nice-Cream requires REALLY ripe nanas. I'm talking the kind covered in brown spots – in fact a fully brown banana is excellent because it means the banana is SUPER sweet and will make incredibly CREAMY Nice-Cream. Japanese scientists researching fruits and vegetables and their affects on health have discovered a substance in ripe (brown spotted) bananas called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), which increases immune capacity; leading to the conclusion that eating ripe bananas has the potential to help prevent lifestyle-related diseases and carcinogenesis.[1] TNF acts as an anti-cancer agent by stimulating the production of white blood cells helping to fight abnormal tumor cells in the body… Making a Neapolitan Nice-Cream Banana Split with Hot Fudge & Caramel an anti-cancer powerhouse!! Kaboom!

Of course by now you're used to hearing all about all the other hair/skin/nail boosting phytonutrients, antioxidants & vitamins, bone/teeth building minerals, heart healthy omega-3's, and all the protein, fiber and etc. etc. fabulosity found in living plant-based recipes such as this one – and yes ALL of those things are in this dish too! So, rather than write a book here, I'll close it on that. However, should you have any questions or want further details on anything do post your fine question in the comments below.

[1] “Differences in Biological Response Modifier-like Activities According to the Strain and Maturity of Bananas” – Department of Medical Life Chemistry, Japan, 2008.

This is my submission to Ren & Elizabeth at Simple and in Season!

Recipe for Neapolitan Nice-Cream Banana Split w/ Hot Fudge & Caramel

(Makes at least 2 large Sundaes with leftovers)

Ingredients

Neapolitan Nice Cream

12 frozen, super ripe bananas (PEEL your super ripe bananas first! Then freeze overnight. I peel & pack all of mine into a large BPA free plastic box, smoosh the lid on, then freeze. Each day I dump the whole block out on my cutting board cutting off the size chunk I need since frozen bananas are always sliceable. *PS. Super ripe doesn't mean you want to eat any nanas with cuts, scrapes or mold of course, as they would be harboring bacteria!)
10 ounces strawberries, frozen or fresh
2 Tbsp cacao (or sub carob powder)
your favorite healthy sweetener to taste (stevia, raw coconut nectar, raw honey, raw maple syrup, raw coconut sugar)
optional: himalayan sea salt, CEYLON cinnamon (Cassia is toxic), vanilla powder

Hot Fudge

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil (click to read the amazing benefits!)
1/4 cup cacao
your favorite healthy sweetener to taste (I love raw coconut nectar & stevia)
optional: sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla powder

Caramel Sauce

3/4 cup raw coconut nectar (raw coconut nectar is low glycemic, non-toxic, low in fructose, improves digestion, boasts medium chain fatty acids which improve heart health, contains 17 amino acids, a host of minerals & vitamins B & C and is hypoallergenic, antiviral/antifungal/antiseptic/antibacterial & antiparasitic!)

Toppings

Raw Fudge Brownie Chunks (click link for recipe)
1 banana per sundae, sliced in 1/2 – choose firmer nice-looking ones as these are for garnishing the split
walnuts, chopped (ideally sprouted)
1 cherry per sundae
optional: Whipped Cashew Cream (click link for recipe)

Method

Neapolitan Nice Cream

Blend all the bananas using the tamper with your high speed blender (I recommend a Vitamix) until smooth and creamy, similar to softserve, but no where near totally melted like a smoothie. Alternatively, use a food processor. Dump 2/3 of the Nice-Cream out into a container and reserve in freezer for a moment.
Vanilla: You're done with the vanilla! If you want to add a bit of vanilla powder or sweetener to amp it up, go ahead. Dump into it's own container and place in freezer.
Strawberry: Dump 1/2 the reserved (2/3) mixture from step #1 into the vitamix. Add 10 ounces of strawberries and blend until creamy. Add sweetener to taste if necessary. Dump into its own container & place in freezer.
Chocolate: Without bothering to rinse your Vitamix, dump remaining 1/2 of the reserved mixture from step #1 into the vitamix and add 2 Tbsp cacao (or more if you like), a touch of sea salt, pinch of cinnamon if desired, and sweetener to taste. Blend until creamy. Place in a 3rd container in the freezer.

Hot Fudge

If your 1/2 cup coconut oil isn't already liquified (which it will be if your home is over 76F) place it in a glass mixing bowl over a barely steaming pot of water (creating a double boiler affect) and stir til just liquified. Remove promptly to keep raw.
Mix in the 1/4 cup cacao, sweetener of choice, sea salt and cinnamon to taste. Taste to adjust flavorings to your desired affect.
Pour into a lovely pourable container and set aside. *Store at room temperature to keep liquified. If solidification occurs just use the method above to liquify again- tho this won't be an issue unless you have leftovers.

Caramel Sauce

Coconut nectar is your amazing caramel sauce. Simply pour it into your lovely container of choice to serve alonside your Banana Split Sundae!

Assembly

Scoop 1 ball of each the 3 Nice-Creams into a sundae dish.
Slice a pretty banana in 1/2 and place halves on either side of the Nice-Creams.
Place 4 or 5 Raw Brownie Chunks around the dish.
Drizzle with Hot Fudge and Caramel Sauce
Sprinkle with a handful of chopped walnuts.
Add a dallop of Whipped Cashew Cream.
Top it with a REAL cherry and…

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite sweet or savory recipe you'd like transormed into a beautiful raw vegan version?

Share in the comments below and I'll recreate it for you!

All Love,

Juliane

Thank YOU for visiting 🙂

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style

Gourmet Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Bark (for Glowing Skin!)

Yes, it's Dairy Free, Sugar Free & totally tastes SO much better!

Gourmet Raw Dark Chocolate Bark (for Glowing Skin!)

Gourmet Raw Dark Chocolate Bark proves once again that delicious treats can and should be amazing for you! This absolutely delectable confection elevates indulgence to a whole new level. Rich, smooth chocolate in its freshest, most flavorful form packed with your favorite raw, sprouted nuts and divinely sweet, dried fruit… hey we've even tossed in some fabulous chia for an omega-3 boasting over-the-top crunch!

And Psssst… this recipe takes all of 5 minutes hands-on time 🙂

All this flavor, texture, creaminess and chocolate bliss stands on it's own – trust me, ours have barely lasted 2 days they're THAT GOOD – and yet these babies are ALSO going to make you GLOW! These little chocolate bars are packed with the power of cacao and all it's skintastic flavanols to fight free radicals keeping skin dewy, hydrated, thickened and protected from UV rays to boot! The addition of chia adds omega-3's, protein, calcium, iron, magnesium and antioxidants. Coconut oil has it's own share of amazing benefits which you can read about here. And, as if that wern't enough to get excited about, your choice of sprouted nuts and dried fruits add even more superfood enzymes and antioxidant oomph to this veritable cocktail of beauty in a bar!

Who says we can't have our candy bars AND glow too… not us!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, these divine chocolates will put you into a great mood as well! Raw cacao contains the feel good chemical called PEA (phenylethylamine) which is the same chemical our brain produces when we fall in love. PEA acts similar to amphetamines such as dopamine or norepinephrine producing feelings of euphoria, happiness and love! It really doesn't get any better than this 🙂

Recipe for Gourmet Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

1/4 cup cacao (or sub carob powder)
1/2 cup coconut oil
raw honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut nectar or stevia to taste (I used around 1 1/2 tsp liquid stevia & it was perfectly "dark chocolate" sweet. Use more for "milk chocolate" sweet.)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts (preferrably sprouted more on that here) and dried fruit (I used sprouted walnuts & almonds and chopped apricots, dates & cranberries plus a sprinkling of chia)
optional: vanilla powder, cinnamon, maca, espresso powder, ginger, cayenne, raw flaked coconut or citrus zest ~ get creative!

Method

If your coconut oil is above 76F and not already liquified, place it in your mixing bowl over a pot of barely steaming water and stir just til melted. Remove immediately to keep raw.
Whisk in cacao, sweetener and optional add-ons until smooth. I used stevia which whisks right in, combining easily. If using maple syrup or coconut nectar you may want to use your food processer or blender to ensure emulsification & prevent separation of ingredients. However, as long as you pop this in the freezer immediately, you can probably get away with just whisking.
Stir in nuts and dried fruit.
Line an 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper leaving enough overhang to create "handles" on the sides for lifting out the chocolate once it's set. Pour chocolate mixture into parchment lined dish. Spread around distributing nuts & fruit evenly.
Let set in freezer for an hour. Remove and lift out of dish using parchment paper overhang "handles".
Break into pieces or cut into 8 or 12 uniform squares for your daily dark chocolate fix! Store your chocolates in the freezer and not in the cupboard where it will melt!

Enjoy 🙂

Stay tuned … Salted Caramel Chocolate Mini's coming soon!

Do you have a favorite chocolate treat you'd like upgraded into a beautiful raw vegan confection?

Share in the comments below and I'll recreate it for you!

All Love,

Juliane

You may also enjoy: Fiery Onion Rings w Creamy Aioli Dipping Sauce (Vegan, Raw, GF)

Thank YOU for visiting 🙂

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Philosophy/Meditation/Spirituality, Style

July Inspiration Wall

If we love, we have and feel love. If we’re kind, we have and feel kindness. Contrary
to what conditioning tells us, we only ever have our own experience—people,
places, and circumstances truly are irrelevant. Any of it can be icing on the cake,
but they’re never the cake!
– Cheri Huber

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.

– Richard Bach

The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.
– Caroline Myss

“Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.”

— Mark Twain

The ultimate freedom for the nonexistent ego is to see that it is actually irrelevant.
– Adyashanti

The correct attitude to our “possessions” is gratitude, not ownership.

— B.K.S. Iyengar

Things don’t change. You change your way of looking, that’s all.
– Carlos Castaneda

We shall see but a little way if we are required to understand what we see. How few things can one measure with the tape of understanding! How many greater things might one be seeing in the meanwhile?
– Henry David Thoreau

Success is not measured by what we accomplish or what we purchase. Our success is measured by the moments of joy we experience during our life. We become rich by restricting and adjusting our desires, not by letting them loose and chasing after them.

-Unknown

All things in moderation and Know thyself.

-Apollo, The Greek Sun God & The God of Medicine

“He who, forgetting self, makes the object of his life service, helpfulness and kindness to others, finds his whole nature growing and expanding, himself becoming large-hearted, magnanimous, kind, sympathetic, joyous, and happy; his life becoming rich and beautiful.”

— Ralph Waldo Trine

Forget safety.

Live where you fear to live.

Destroy your reputation.

Be notorious.

— Rumi

Once you have established yourself as a center of love and kindness radiating throughout your being, which amounts to a cradling of yourself in loving kindness and acceptance, you can dwell here indefinitely, drinking at this fount, bathing in it, renewing yourself, nourishing yourself, enlivening yourself. This can be a profoundly healing practice for body and soul.
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Which quote was your favorite?

Who is/are your inspirational hero/s?

Share your own favorite quote/s in the comments.

All Love,

Juliane

Thank YOU for visiting 🙂

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style

Summer Salad w Fresh Vegan Baby “Mozzarella” Balls (Bocconcini)

OMG I just had this Summer Salad with Raw Vegan Fresh Mozzarella Balls – and it was the BEST lunch ever!

Summer Salad with Fresh Vegan Baby “Mozzarella” (Bocconcini) is pure, over-the-top deliciousness! Perfectly ripe nectarines, multi-colored cherry tomatoes, golden corn and a punchy garden chive & cilantro vinaigrette whisked up with fresh lemon & olive oil are a perfect compliment to creamy, fresh baby “Mozzarella” aka Bocconcini.

I’m telling you, this is such heaven on a plate… and the best part is it’s actually dairy free!

And just like that, as if summer couldn’t get any better, it just has 🙂

I’d looked far and wide to no avail for a delicious raw vegan fresh mozzarella ball recipe and I finally created my own. It’s SO simple and incredibly worth it for delicious, versatile, healthifying, dairy free, hormone free amazingness. This pure, creamy goodness is made from raw cashews packed with copper (98% RDV per serving of cashews) phosphorus, manganese, bone-building magnesium, heart-protective monounsaturated fats, fiber and flavor galore!

And, though I tend always to think of my food as my medicine, what we eat is also the primary contributor to our external wellness as well. Nectarines, tomatoes, corn, fresh herbs, lemon & EVOO are all packed with concentrated sources of beautifying phytonutrients such as anti-aging antioxidants, lots of vitamin A for clear glowing skin, vitamin C for collagen building power, skin plumping healthy fats, hydrating, living water, plus minerals, fiber and tons of life force power we get from beautiful, living foods. Summer Salad with Baby Bocconcini is just as much a boon to our outward appearance as it is feast for the eyes, our internal health and tastebuds too!

This is my submission to The Vegetable Pallette for the Mellow Yellow challenge, to Sarah at Maison Cupcake, Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle at Utterly Scrummy, and to Ren & Elizabeth at Simple and in Season!

Recipe for Summer Salad with Raw Vegan Fresh Mozzarella Balls

(serves 4)

Ingredients

Raw Vegan Fresh Mozzarella Balls (Bocconcini)

1 cup raw cashews, soaked 6 hours, drained & rinsed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juiced (aprox 1/2 lemon)
1/2 tsp sea salt (or more to taste up to 1 tsp)
a touch of stevia (I used about 1/4 tsp)
1/2 to 1 tbsp (depends on humidity/seasons) filtered water

Salad

2 ears fresh corn, sliced off the cob
1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 ripe nectarines, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped (save a few for garnish)
handful fresh cilantro, chopped (save a bit for garnish)
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 cup raw vegan mozzarella balls (below)

Method

Mozzarella Balls

Blend 1 cup soaked cashews, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sea salt (or up to 1 tsp to taste) and 1/2 to 1 full Tbsp filtered water (start with less as you can always add more) in a food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
Dump mozzarella cheese mixture into a container and place in freezer for 10 or 15 minutes to firm up or in fridge for a couple of hours.
Once the cheese has firmed up, use a small melon ball sized spring-handled scooper to easily create tiny balls. Place all the mozzarella balls on a plate and put back into the freezer or fridge to keep firm while creating your salad.

Salad

Gently toss corn, tomatoes and nectarines together.
 Stir together chopped scallion, cilantro & lemon juice . Next, whisk in olive oil.
Season dressing with sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste .
Pour 3/4 of dressing over corn/tomato/nectarine mixture and gently toss.
Top salad with fresh mozzarella balls and drizzle remaining dressing over mozzarella balls.
Garnish with a bit of leftover chives & cilantro.

Enjoy!

What is your favorite raw vegan swapout?

Do you have a recipe you’d like made over/upgraded to raw vegan? Leave it in the comments below… I’m ready to take on the challenge!

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style

Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad w Pecans, Cranberries & Zippy Citrus Dressing

Bloomed Wild Rice Salad w Cranberries, Pecans & Citrus Dressing

Every so often, I'll stumble upon a game changer smack dab in the middle of writing a post on the very subject. Today was just one of those moments as I have just completely erased this entire post, to start over from scratch after making not one, but two new discoveries! A bit of background…

This week's Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans incorporated an amazing and simple sprouting technique I've been excited to share with you for some time. Sprouting or "blooming" rice is a fascinating way to achieve a beautifully soft, fluffy textured rice without ever having to turn on the hot stove! This super cool (haha) process wherein each rice granual splits open and unfolds from the inside out, similar to a flower blooming and unfurling it's petals, to reveal the white, pillowy interior of each piece of rice.

I had made two versions of this delicious Sprouted Rice Salad, one using Wild Rice, the other using an organic Forbidden Black Rice. The Forbidden Rice produced perfectly consistent, soft kernals in only 12 hours of overnight soaking while the Wild Rice, a mixture of several different types, sprouted unevenly. Despite these differences, I'd felt both turned out absolutely delicious Raw recipes incorporating insignificantly different swapouts – NOT SO! While the organic Forbidden Black Rice I'd used is indeed a Raw Living Foods product, it turns out the Wild Rice is actually not raw at all- in fact it's not even rice! Here's the scoop…

Wild Rice is not rice, but the seed of a grass that grows in shallow lake waters and streams around North America. The seeds obviously start out raw at which point they're plump and green. However, Wild Rice is harvested according to traditional methods practiced by First Nations peoples which involves parching the rice, rendering the seeds into dark grained "rice" which is no longer raw. Thus, the term "blooming" is best for Wild Rice, since parching destroys the rice germ preventing it from ever "sprouting". This probably explains the MUCH better results I had blooming/sprouting the living Forbidden Black Rice. As far as I can tell, it's virtually impossible to purchase Wild Rice raw, as there are laws in place to protect the traditional techniques used to harvest & parch it.

Forbidden Black Rice, on the other hand, is indeed rice and can be purchased raw (I used the Lotus Foods brand). Legend has it this ancient grain got it's name because it was so nutritionally beneficial only the Emperors of China were permitted to eat it. Considered a superfood worldwide, Forbidden Black Rice is a gluten and wheat free whole grain rich in iron, protein, mangenese, vitamin E and complex carbohydrates as well as the minerals magnesium, molybdenum and phosphorus. According to Chinese herbal medicine, Forbidden Rice is also considered to be a blood tonifier. The striking black color of Forbidden Rice is due to its high concentratin of anthoycyanins, the highly potent antioxidants also found in blackberries and blueberries!

Personally, going forward, I'll be sticking with sprouting raw organic Forbidden Black Rice as the results were consistently fluffy and it's a living foods product filled with enzymes and life force! That said, Wild Rice is also a nutritional powerhouse boasting high amounts of protein, folate, manganese, zinc and fiber, and if eating raw isn't crucial to you it's a fine & delicious substitute.

Sprouted Forbidden Wild Rice – raw & full of living foods power!

Blooming is as easy as soaking 1 cup of rice overnight in a jar topped with 4 additional inches of filtered water, placed in a dehydrator at 105F. If you don't have a dehydrator simply soak for up to 48 hours or until all the grains have split open, rinsing every 12 hours.

Sprouted Forbidden Rice can be incorporated anywhere cooked grains are used, from salads to pilafs, wraps, raw vegan sushi rolls or even as a delicious breakfast with sprouted nuts, dried fruit, creamy nut milk & honey.

This colorful Sprouted Rice Salad with Cranberries, Pecans & Zippy Citrus Dressing can be enjoyed all year round as a colorful summer picnic dish or as a beautiful addition to a winter holiday table. Sprouted pecans (simply soak pecans overnight then dehydrate til dry - see more on sprouting nuts in this post.) provide a meaty crunch while dried cranberries offer a sweet contrast to the rich depth of the Forbidden Rice. A zippy citrus dressing adds a fresh twist with a note of ginger to make everything sing!

The Zippy Citrus Dressing adds a fresh twist with a note of ginger to make everything sing!

Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Cranberries, Pecans and Zippy Citrus Dressing

Recipe inspiration:Becoming Raw, Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina

This is my submission to Shaheen at A2K – A Seasonal Veg Table Eat Your Greens Round Up.

Recipe for Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Pecans, Cranberries & Zippy Citrus Dressing (Plan ahead to account for sprouting)

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Sprouted Forbidden Black Rice Salad

1 cup Sprouted Raw Black Forbidden Rice or Bloomed Wild Rice. (Soak 1 cup of rice in a jar topped with 4 additional inches of filtered water in a dehydrator at 105F for 12 hours/overnight. If you don't have a dehydrator simply soak for up to 48 hours or until all the granules have split open, rinsing thoroughly every 12 hours. *See additional freshness note below.)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sprouted pecans, chopped
Himalayan salt to taste

Zippy Citrus Dressing

2 medium oranges, peeled & halved
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
raw honey to taste
Himalayan salt to taste

Method

Gently toss together rice, red bell, chives, cranberries & pecans in a large bowl. Season with Himalayan salt to taste.
Toss all the dressing ingredients into a vitamix and blend til creamy.
Pour dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently til well incorporated.

*If using Wild Rice rather than Forbidden Black Rice, take extra care to use freshly purchased Wild Rice that hasn't expired or it may not bloom! However, if this does happen, do not despair, simply add water, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes on the stove since it's not raw to begin with anyway 🙂 Personally, I found the Forbidden Black Rice bloomed beautifully and with incredible ease plus it's actually RAW so it's filled with living enzymes and life force power!

Have you ever tried blooming rice? What type did you use?

What's your latest holistic or raw food discovery?

All Love,

Juliane

Thank YOU for visiting 🙂

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Philosophy/Meditation/Spirituality, Style

Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick

& a vintage letter from Mark Twain…

Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick… + a side of my secret recipe Raw Vegan Onion Rings!

Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick is a celebration of summer in a bowl!

This simple and delicious recipe takes full advantage of local farmers' markets, currently overflowing with the plumpest, juiciest ears of succulent corn. Golden jewels so honey-sweet and tender they're best fresh off the cob. If you've ever eaten corn fresh, standing in the middle of (an organic) corn field you understand perfectly why subjecting these pale golden delicacies to steaming kettles of boiling water or smoking hot grills is a practical crime. Besides, who seriously wants to deal with hot steam or smoking grills on a beautiful summer day?!

**Do you spot my napkin (below) on which a vintage letter from Mark Twain is printed? More on this in my personal comments after the recipe 🙂

Beautiful, fresh foods brimming with life force have taken me to physical, mental & spiritual levels I never imagined possible!

This cool, creamy bowl of goodness boasts a wonderfully thick chowder texture, the freshest, sublime corn flavor and a perfect kick of smoked paprika & tabasco. I've paired it here with my Raw Vegan Onion Rings (the recipe for which I'm equally excited to share with you soon!). As with all StyleNectar raw vegan dishes, Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder is incredibly nutritious. Sweet corn is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that promote healthy vision. Corn also contains significant amounts of vitamin B1, Folate, Vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Of course, this fantastic chowder needn't be relegated to summer months only. Simply substitute organic, frozen corn, which has been frozen at the peak of ripe flavor, retaining all it's amazing enzymes and nutrients, and warm up to 105F (the temperature of a baby bottle) to keep it raw.

Eating a Raw Vegan diet tastes and makes me feel so amazing, I could never go back. This is my submission to the lovely Jacqueline at No Croutons Required and Lisa of FoodandSpice.

Recipe for Fresh Cream of Corn Chowder with a Kick

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

6 ears organic, sweet corn on the cob (make sure it's fresh, no more than 24 hours out of the field)
1/2 + cup almond milk (click here for nut milk instructions) or sub filtered water which is just as tasty (add additional liquid beyond 1/2 c, slowly, til reach desired consistency, I'll guide you thru this below)
a dash or two of your favorite hot red pepper (I used a tiny dried tabasco from last year's garden)
frehly snipped chives, chopped & reserved for garnish
smoked paprika, reserved for garnish (if you're a stickler for 100% raw use unsmoked)

Method

Place a kitchen towel over your cutting board and slice the corn off the cob with a sharp knife. The towel is a great trick to prevent the kernels from bouncing all over the kitchen 🙂
Reserve 2 ears worth of kernels and set aside.
Place remaining 4 ears worth of kernels into high speed blender along with 1/2 cup almond milk (or filtered water depending on what you're using) and a dash or two of your favorite hot, red pepper. Buzz it up til thoroughly combined. Taste to check & adjust seasoning/consistency. You'll probably need to add a touch more liquid til you reach your exact consistency. I start with 1/2 cup so as to not add too much too soon. This is a cream of corn chowder after all :)
Mound the reserved kernels from 2 ears of corn into each of the two serving bowls.
Ladle the blended chowder mixture carefully around the mounds.
Garnish with freshly snipped chives and a dusting of smoked paprika.

Enjoy!

~

An update on my summer adventures… living without air conditioning is still a dream come true. I simply won't tire of feeling the fresh breeze on my skin, the scent of nectar and rich soil deep in the lungs, twittering baby robins caressing my ear… The closer we are to nature the more abundance we experience. magical life force. that which scientists are still unable to discern. the mystery of life. and great unknown.

the challenge of uncertainty. in a perfectly, beautiful, big Adventure.

So what are my tricks to stay sane during these last few days of high humidity in the mid 90's? A couple well placed (and pretty) fans are key. Also, taking advantage of when it's cool… It's truly remarkable how much the temperature dips at night, so letting in all that fresh, clean goodness overnight creates a fantastic cooling affect in the home. Of course this nocturnal cooling creates for gorgeous mornings, so I take full advantage of the shady 6:45 am calm on a long walk serenaded by birds. After that, a refreshing cool shower. During the day… Fresh juices on the rocks, frosty smoothies, cool crisp salads, juicy fruits, chilled soups and creamy Nice-creams. So delicious and perfectly designed to keep body temperature balanced, hydrated and comfortable. (check out the StyleNectar Recipe Index for 50+ Juice, Smoothie, Chilled Soups & Salad Recipes!) The body grows responsive and adapts to the fluctuations of nature if we let it. We're part of nature after all – it's not as though there's the universe, earth and then MAN. No, we're all life, part of a cycle that works in harmony. By resisting the wisdom of life, in our futile attempts to control it, we cause ourselves much unecessary suffering. Conversely, letting go of all our conditioned (no pun intended) beliefs and assumptions allows us the spaciousness to tune into a much higher vibration of wisdom, an intuitive knowing with which we're all equipped. A peace and all-encompassing love in which all is perfect just as it is.

We have so many friends around us. The tiniest of spotted baby deer wobbles zig-zagging about after Mama. Black and white woodpeckers wearing great red beaks slide up & down tree trunks in stacatto calling out tropical cackles. A few days ago, Jim found a huge, slow turtle the size of a tire crossing the drive to reach the other side of the small brook that winds about our property.

love

this life.

PS. Did you happen to spot the napkin in my photos on which a letter from Mark Twain is printed? It's one from a vintage set by great authors including D.H. Lawrence, Jack London & Emily Dickenson. How fun to read correspondence with my lunch, trasported to London in the mid 1800's, via beautiful words from Mark Twain in New York. It's the sweetest of love notes. Here it is in entirety (click image to enlarge text & read):

A letter from Mark Twain with my lunch – what a treat! (click image to enlarge text & read)

Have you ever eaten corn fresh off the cob?

What's one of your favorite moments from summer so far?

All Love,
Juliane

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Philosophy/Meditation/Spirituality, Style

Southwestern Cauliflower Couscous

Southwestern Cauliflower Couscous

Southwestern Cauliflower Couscous is a delicious, light and lively dish. Fabulously complex in flavor, yet incredibly simple to prepare, this gluten-free delight is everything we're looking for on a hot, summer day!

Fluffy cauliflower couscous is tossed with bright, red tomato and buttery, lime-green avocado all dressed up in a punchy-sweet Honey-Cumin-Lime vinaigrette.

Refreshing.

Summery.

&

Bright!

Eating Raw provides an amazing boost in energy.

And, as always, brimming with Rawsome, enzyme rich, living foods power!

Check it out…

Raw live foods are much easier to digest or assimilate putting less burden on our digestive system and more time into cleaning or repairing our body.

Cauliflower, like its fellow cruciferous members is full of nutrients including minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and antioxidants. It's rich in vitamins C (one serving containing 77% RDA), K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, and folic acid. Cauliflower contains a compound called glucoraphanin, a precursor of sulforaphene found to have protective effect on the lining of the stomach wall. Sulforaphene also prevents the growth of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori which can cause gastroenteritis.

Live, raw food does not spoil or decompose quickly. It's packed with energy, minerals, vitamins, and everything we need to stay healthy.

Cauliflower is also rich in antioxidant phytochemicals like quercetin, caffeic acid and kaempferol which prevent development of cancer by destroying free radicals directly attacking the DNA of cells. And that's just a fraction of the power of the cauliflower alone! We've yet to delve into the realm of the vitamin C and lycopene rich tomatoes, the bone building, protein rich avocados, and the all other powerhouse ingredients in this superfood recipe!

Suffice it to say, Southwestern Cauliflower Couscous is as delicious to eat as it is at creating our healthy bodies, vitality and joy:)

Eating Raw provides an amazing boost in energy. I have more energy now than I've ever experienced in my life.

Living, plant based Raw Food is incredibly delicious to eat, beautiful to look at and amazing for our bodies, minds and spirits.

Eat Clean. Feel Rawsome. & Live Beautifully!

Eating freshly picked food just feels different. There's a connection to the earth and a feeling of being grounded.

This recipe has been submitted to Tinned Tomatoes for July's Recipe Bookmark as well as to July's, No Crouton's Required at Lisa's Kitchen.

Recipe for Southwestern Cauliflower Couscous(serves 2-3)

Ingredients

1/2 medium head of cauliflower, cut into flourettes
1 firm, medium vine ripened tomato, chopped
1/2 medium avocado, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp ground cumin
fresh cilantro for garnish

Method

Zest lime, then juice it. Whisk lime juice, zest, olive oil, honey & cumin together and set aside.
Pulse cauliflower flowerettes in food processor until fluffy like couscous. Add to a mixing bowl.
Gently stir in chopped tomatoes, avocado and red onion.
Pour dressing over cauliflower couscous and stir gently to combine.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Do you have a favorite wheat/grain/gluten swapout dish?

How do you like to prepare cauliflower?

All Love,

Juliane

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Art, Portraits, Style

Cool Treats on the Butterfly Bench

Please enjoy my most recent commissioned oil painting..

(Click image for better, larger view)

16 x 20 Oil on Canvas by Juliane Porter

Ah…

days of simplicity

on a beautiful butterfly bench

nothing else exists

only cool, icy treats in the company of siblings, doing our own thing.

no explanations of why.

nothing to do next.

no expectations.

just being.

wondering if we might all be whisked

up,

up

and away

on this gorgeous butterfly in the very next breeze.

~

Have you ever had a portrait painted of you or your loved ones?

What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style, Videos

Green Dream Smoothie with Superfood Toppings

Enjoy this delicious smoothie recipe complete with yummy superfood toppings!!

What's your favorite superfood?

Love All,

Juliane

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style, Videos

Spring Garden Tour Featuring Wild Edibles

Tired of shelling out big bucks for wheat grass & dandelion greens? Join our Spring Garden tour featuring organic Wild Edibles, the most delicious nourishing food Mother Nature has to offer. It's almost too easy! And SO fun!

Question of the Day:

Do you prefer blending or juicing?

Which greens are you incorporating into your green drinks these days?

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for watching 🙂

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