Raw "Pasta"

 
Sometimes I get a craving for a "pasta" dish without the grains and carbs.  
Pasta itself is not really all that flavorful....   It is the sauces, the add ins, and the heaviness that most of us *Crave*!

Zucchini is an excellent "pasta"  when it is sliced into thin pieces with a mandolin.  
I like to toss with olive oil, fresh veggies, black olives, red pepper, salt and pepper and - of course-  fresh herbs.  (the herbs can really take it up a notch)   Try basil, parsley, cilantro - whatever you favor. 

I usually experiment with whatever is in my fridge or at the farmer's market.  no need for a recipe... just follow your growling tummy to create your own  raw "pasta" dish.   Toss it all in a bowl and serve it up room temperature to bring out the flavors.

Enjoy !
you can do Raw -  it is easy.

~ xoox ~ leslie 

Add a lil KiCK to your meals this Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day Weekend has me longing for big batches of food to share with friends!  
I am going to be making up a few salads to take to a friend's river house this weekend. 

Here's one of my new favorites : 
Black Eyed Pea Salad

You can use whatever you have on hand, but I love to add in jalapenos and lots of cilantro

• 15 oz black eyed peas (i like to buy them dried)  soak overnight and simmer on the stove until they are cooked to your preference
• 1 chopped green bell pepper
• 1 -2 chopped red/yellow bell peppers
• cilantro... lots and lots of cilantro.   
• jalapenos !  for some heat 

toss it all in a big bowl & then whip up this dressing to pour over the top

• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Let the salad marinate for a few hours so that all the flavors soak in.  Enjoy!
you can do this one.  easy breezy.   

   

Making Flaxseed Crackers

 
Making another batch of flaxseed crackers this morning & trying a new "parmesan cheese"made from pumpkin seeds!

Quick Kitchen : Buffalo Salmon Wrap

Prepare Meals as INSPIRED- lavish or simple - have more FUN!

 

Gather up what you need for a recipe on the counter, early in the day....
when you walk through the kitchen, you will be more easily inspired to prepare the meal.

Create your meals when INSPIRED and you will have more fun in the kitchen!

if you aren't inspired to prepare a lavish meal, just eat SIMPLE!

Cooking with Coconut Oil

I recently discovered Coconut Oil.    I have been learning more about which oils are best for high temp cooking. I've heard that many golden oils found on the shelves at the grocery are already rancid.   Heating almost all oils starts to hydrogenate the oil.    

There's a lot of great information online and I encourage you to search it out and make your own choices.   
Here's an article I read about it on the New York Times blog :

Whether coconut oil is good or bad for you remains a topic of debate in the nutrition community. But as Melissa Clark reports on Wednesday in the Dining section, coconut oil is winning some fans.

Two groups have helped give coconut oil its sparkly new makeover. One is made up of scientists, many of whom are backtracking on the worst accusations against coconut oil. And the other is the growing number of vegans, who rely on it as a sweet vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature and can create flaky pie crusts, crumbly scones and fluffy cupcake icings, all without butter.

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

Raw Flaxseed Crackers for Munchin & Crunchin!

I've been piddling with Raw "Cooking" for years now. 
If you know me well, you have heard me say "no rules, just right."     What's "just 'right"  is usually balanced.

I don't eat strictly any type of diet.   Often I eat vegan, gluten free, or sugar free.   I'm not strict, though.  I just bring in more and more recipes and habits to my life that will support me living a long and vibrant life from the inside out!   And you will see me eat french fries and an occasional steak too, people!

Lately I have been removing more and more grains from my diet.    I decided to start playing around with dehydrated flaxseed "crackers."    I read a few recipes and then tried using what I already had in the kitchen. 
Here's my first batch.  I only have golden flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and cumin in this batch.    I will keep trying new batches though, because it was super simple and they were YUM!

They lasted me about a week.   They were great in avocado dips and with greek yogart on top.  
I'll keep you posted on my future recipes as I tweak this one.

The Definitive Guide to Grains - What do you think??

Grains.... are they really the base of our food pyramid?     Interesting article  via marksdailyapple.com
What do you think?    food for thought!

Amber Waves of Pain