The Winner of Easy Raw Holidays

The winner of a print copy of Kristen Suzanne's Easy Raw Holidays is......

Laquita!

Email me your address to mochaangels@aol.com. I will forward to Kristen so you can get your book!


Congratulations!

Up next: A delectable anniversary giveaway (it's food this time)!

Love,

Althea

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The Winner of Easy Raw Holidays

My Unconventional Thanksgiving

Shanelle and Ayoluwa at The Yabba Pot

For Thanksgiving last year, I made six entrees and two desserts, all from scratch (what was I thinking?). You can read all about it here:
http://therawmochaangel.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-i-made-for-thanksgiving-dinner.html

This year, I had NO desire to make a Thanksgiving meal from scratch. I do want to do a raw Christmas, and I'm planning that dinner now. But I was not feeling cooking, raw or not, on Turkey Day. Instead, I ordered a platter from the Yabba Pot in Baltimore. My family got to enjoy:

Vegan Turkee with Mushroom Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing Queens Greens
Mashed Sweet Potatoes…with crushed Pineapples and Coconut milk
Orange Mint Cranberry Sauce – from scratch!
Vegan Mac and Cheese
String Beans Almondine

And Ayoluwa and Shanelle looked so pretty that I had to take a picture of them. They were kind enough to say "cheese" even while the place was busy! Thanks, ladies!

This is Raymond at the restaurant with me. He could not WAIT to eat, so I let him try the food before we left to come back home.

Cilantro Sparkle and Basic Balance from Green Smoothie Revolution

So what did I eat? I mostly drank during the day. I wanted to keep my body light. I've been drinking smoothies from Green Smoothie Revolution. I asked Victoria Boutenko if it was okay to blog about my working through that book, as I am doing with Light Eating for Survival. She said "sure." But unlike LEFS, I won't be posting the recipes. I'll be sharing my experiences in terms of how I'm feeling, weight loss, etc., as I drink the smoothies. My favorite so far is Cilantro Sparkle. It's supposed to be a green pudding of cilantro, mango, and orange. Mine was more like a smoothie and it was fan-tas-tic. I like anything with cilantro in it anyway. Another hit is the Applesauce. I got Raymond to eat it, and that's his new breakfast.

One thing I've noticed is that I crave green drinks. Even if a smoothie or juice does not call for greens, I'll drop a few in there anyway.

Vegetable Elixir, Green Glow, and Waldorf Salad from Light Eating for Survival

Here's the recipes: (just put all the veggies and fruits through your juicer)

Vegetable Elixir
4 oz carrot
2 oz celery
1 oz beet
1 oz wheatgrass

Green Glow
4 oz comfrey leaves, parsley, spinach, celery
6 oz apple
mint to taste

Waldorf Salad
2 stalks celery
2 apples

More awesome, beautiful juices

I made more the next day. Rom's favorite was the Alfalfa-Pineapple Juice. He asked me for more, twice, and then said, "You got a future in juice." Alfalfa sprouts and pineapple juice may not sound tasty, but it is. I'd also thrown in a handful of romaine-parsley-cilantro-beet greens into the juicer. It's a refreshing, light drink that leaves you wanting more.

Simple Alfalfa Sprout Cocktail
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

High Iron Smoothie
2 cups apple juice
2 bananas
1/2 cup raisins soaked in apple juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lecithin (optional)
1/2 sesame seeds (optional)
Blend in a blender!

Alfalfa Smoothie
1 cup alfalfa sprouts1

1/2 cups pineapple juice
1 banana
Blend in a blender!

Liquid Light
1 part carrot
1 part apple
1/4 part beet
1/8 part wheatgrass
3 comfrey leaves

Green Blood
1 quart carrot juice
8 oz any green juice
1 oz celery
1 fresh tomato
handful of parsley
kelp and cayenne to taste (optional)

Rejuvenator
2 oz wheatgrass
2 oz rejuvelac

Sweet Grass
1 oz wheatgrass
3 oz pineapple

Up next: the winner of Easy Raw Holidays!

Love,
Althea

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My Unconventional Thanksgiving

Win a Copy of Easy Raw Holidays!

As I continue to celebrate my blog's two-year anniversary, I offer the chance for one person to win a copy of Kristen Suzanne's Easy Raw Holidays! November and December are full of holidays to celebrate with family and friends. But let's be honest, it's also about eating too much food. Temptations are everywhere. If you're not prepared, you could eat too much, gain weight, and feel bloated. Come January, you'll promise yourself to hit the gym. Why not learn how to prepare awesome raw food you can eat?

Ginger Snap Ice Cream

German Chocolate Brownies

Harvest Soup
(All photos copyright www.KristensRaw.com)

Kristen Suzanne is an accomplished Raw food chef and former competitive bodybuilder. Through radio, television, books, classes, and her blog, http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/, and email newsletter, Chef Kristen Suzanne helps people live life to the fullest with the healthiest cuisine in the world. Kristen is also loving, encouraging, and awesome.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

One lucky person wins a copy of EASY Raw Holidays!!

- If the winner lives in the continental US, that person receives the print version. If the winner lives outside of that area, that person wins the ebook version.
- Leave a comment at the end of this post. Answer the question: “What is your favorite holiday food (raw or not)?"
- Leave a workable email address (important)
- Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Sunday, November 29, 2009.
- I will pick the winner at random. The winner will receive an email from me on Monday, November 30, 2009. I will announce the winner on The Raw Mocha Angel blog on that same day.

- If I don't hear back from the winner in seven days, by 11:59pm December 6, another name will be drawn to win the book.

Love,

Althea

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Win a Copy of Easy Raw Holidays!

And The Winner is.........

......Anastazia!!

You've won a free copy of Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I had 36 entrants, which is a record for my blog. The Raw Mocha Angel's 2-year anniversary celebration continues with another giveaway tomorrow.

Love,
Althea ◦

And The Winner is.........

The Raw Mocha Angel's 2nd Anniversary!

Today my blog turns two-years-old. I just wanted to write a quick note to everyone to say "thank you" for reading my blog. The growth of The Raw Mocha Angel continues to amaze me. It has readers in 97 countries, and thousands of loyal visitors every month. For a blog that began as a public journal of my raw journey, it's become inspiration for a lot of people.

You all inspire me. I read all of your emails and posts. I feel all love coming from my readers and I truly, truly appreciate every one of you. As thanks, more awesome giveaways are coming in November and December. Check back often. If you're a subscriber, be sure to open the emails, because you never know what you might win :-).

Thank you all.
Love,
Althea ◦

The Raw Mocha Angel's 2nd Anniversary!

Green Smoothie Revolution: Book Review + Giveaway!

My mom called me one day last year and exclaimed, “Iron Man drank a green smoothie in the movie!” “Are you serious?” I said. When I finally watched the movie on DVD, there was Robert Downey Jr. as uber-genius Tony Stark drinking a green smoothie as he feverishly perfected the design for his Iron Man costume. I thought, “Wow, green smoothies are going mainstream. That is too cool.”

The popularity of green smoothies can be credited to one woman: Victoria Boutenko.

She, her husband, and two of their children all became raw vegans in 1994 because of their serious health challenges. Since then, Boutenko has chronicled her family’s experiences, and helped millions of people (I’m one of them) in the process in books like Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening, Raw Family Signature Dishes, 12 Steps to Raw Foods, and Green for Life.

Anyone who is suffering medically, from anything, should read Raw Family. It is a powerful testament to a mother’s love and determination to heal her family. (www.rawfamily.com)

Green Smoothie Revolution is a follow-up to Green for Life, a serious scholarly effort heavy on research and science, short on recipes. Anyone skeptical about green smoothie benefits should read that one first.

In fifty-six pages of Part One of Green Smoothie Revolution, Boutenko takes the reader by the hand. Boutenko brings the ample research she is known for. She pulls in a chemist and a chemical engineer in the Smoothie vs. Juicing chapter, but keeps the tone conversational. You may not think that reading about how humans and chimps share 99.4% of the same genes is exciting, but it is! Boutenko has unlocked the missing component in human nutrition, and figured out a way to make greens, edible weeds, herbs, and sprouts palatable.

Her passion for healing is clear. In the chapter, Greens, the Key Ingredient in Human Nutrition, she writes: “Today, as we continue to increase the amount of processed foods in our diets, the level of public health is falling so quickly we can observe the dramatic plunge even in the course of one generation.” Boutenko compares the health of her generation of middle schoolers (she’s 54 now) and the health of middle school-age children now. The comparison was stark. It made me think about my own children, their peers, and their health. And there is a chapter dedicated to smoothies for children. (Make them a little sweeter!) Children get 23 recipes just for them!

In Part Two, the reader gets 200 recipes, cultivated from green smoothie drinkers around the world. I just wanted to dive in. So I did! I made Favorite Green Smoothie and Red Smoothie right away. And I’m drinking an apple, kale, lemon smoothie right now. How’s that for enthusiasm for this book?

There’s Smoothies for Beginners (for the new palate); Supergreen Smoothies (lots of wild edibles); Green Smoothies for Adventurous Souls (exotic, luscious smoothies); Savory Green Smoothies and Soups; Green Puddings, and Green Smoothies for Children, Pets, and Body Care.


In the Appendix, the amazing weight loss story of Clent Manich is documented by Clent and his doctor, Miven Donato, PT, DC. Clent came to Dr. Donato weighing 391 pounds, suffering from Type -2 diabetes, lower back pain, and sciatica. Clent is honest about his weight loss stops and starts. His transformation truly began when he added green smoothies and cut out animal products. You can’t help but be inspired by Clent Manich's testimony.

Victoria is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Her solution to great health is a simple one. With all the back-and-forth about Health Care Reform, all you need is a blender, greens, fruits, and water. Blend them up to create your own Health Care Reform. Go buy your copy of Green Smoothie Revolution TODAY.

10+ out of 10 Mocha Angels.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

One lucky person wins a copy of Green Smoothie Revolution!!

- Leave a comment at the end of this post. Answer the question: “What is your favorite smoothie?”
- Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Monday, November 23, 2009.
- I will pick the winner at random. The winner will receive an email from me on Tuesday, November 24, 2009. I will announce the winner on The Raw Mocha Angel blog on that same day.
- Good luck!

Love,
Althea

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Green Smoothie Revolution: Book Review + Giveaway!

Five Raw Vegan Dishes

Raw Apple Crisp

Here's some things I've made or tried recently. There's no rhyme nor reason. Just sharing because they were all delicious!

Raw Apple Crisp Redux 2
From my Raw Mocha Angel Class: I've shared this on the blog before. Winners must be shared often :-).

8 apples cubed & peeled
½ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch to ¼ teaspoon cardamom
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix the spices together and pour over the apples. Let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Icing
4 cups of cashews
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons agave nectar
Water JUST TO THE TOP of the cashews.
Blend until smooth. You want it creamy and THICK.
Top the apples with your favorite raw granola. Put the icing on top of that and you've got one heck of a dessert.

Shredded Beet, Apple, and Currant Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

This is from Byrant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen, which I will review this month. What I loved was the apple vinaigrette. I'd never tasted one before. It's a versatile salad dressing that can also go with an leafy green. Will share more along with the review!

Blood

From Juliano’s RAW, I give you BLOOD. Even if you don’t like beets, I think you should give this a try.

2 lbs apples (about 5-6 apples)

1 piece of ginger, about 2 tablespoons, unpeeled

½ cup beet

¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used lemon juice)

Juice all ingredients.

Juliano says to let it chill in the fridge. I couldn’t wait that long. It’s fabulous.

Apple Maple Crepes

These are adapted from Monique Bastien's Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

In the book they are Apple Filled Hazelnut Crepes, but I didn't have hazelnuts. Here is my version:

Crêpes
5 bananas

Peel bananas and blend in a food processor until smooth. Pour onto teflex sheet and place in your dehydrator at 105°F for 12-14 hrs. Flip half way through. When crêpes are done remove from dehydrator. Place on cutting board and cut into three long trips. Take each of these strips and cut them each in half. You should have 6 strips.

Apple Maple Filling
½ cup raw coconut butter
8 cups peeled, cored and sliced
Granny Smith apples
½ cup organic maple syrup
cinnamon for dusting

Place coconut butter and maple syrup in your food processor and process until smooth. Add apples and pulse chop 6-7 times. Place filling inside and roll up. Dust with cinnamon.

Applesauce

2 apples, peeled and chopped

maple syrup

water

I made this up on the fly. I didn't measure the maple syrup. I added enough until the sauce was sweet enough to me. Add enough water to make it thinner than applesauce. Make it more like a syrup. Top the crepes with this sauce, and ENJOY!

Chocolate Truffles

I wish I could say I made these lovely dark chocolate beauties. The truth is I bought them from my friend Michael. He sold me ten truffles for $1 each. If you are in the Baltimore area, and would like his contact info, send me an email at mochaangels@aol.com.

Up next: Book review + giveaway!

Love,

Althea

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Five Raw Vegan Dishes

Sushi!

Sushi

This sushi is one I adapted from Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose. I used to eat traditional sushi at least twice a week before I had my children. It was the closest food to Heaven, in my opinion.

When I was eating fish, my favorite was the California Roll with cream cheese. Last year, I had a sweet potato roll, strictly vegan, that was the best bite of sushi I've ever eaten. I have no idea how that roll was made, but if I ever figure it out, I will share it!


The base of the roll is parsnip. It's a root vegetable that looks like a carrot, minus the orange color. It holds together far better than cauliflower, my former rice substitute. I'll be using parsnip from now on.

I mixed the parsnip, ground in a food processor, with a blend of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and maple syrup. I don't have the exact measurement down yet, but will share when I do.
Above the parsnip are avocado, carrot, cucumber, and cilantro.

The "cheese" on top is from Recipes Made with Love by Jodi Allen.
I cut the recipe in half. Below is the original recipe.
3 1/2 cups soaked (for at least 6 hrs) cashews
1 cup diced onions
almond milk (enough to moisten)
splash of apple cider vinegar
sea salt to taste
Blend in food processor until creamy
Place a wide piece of lettuce on top to hold everything together as you roll up the sheet of nori. That's the easiest way to roll up your sushi if you don't have a sushi mat. Slice, and enjoy with your favorite dip! They are delicious!

Love,
Althea ◦

Sushi!