So, I've been hearing about all of the amazing health benefits of eating 'Raw' so I thought I'd try to make a few things and see how they turn out.  For those not familiar with what 'Raw' means - in a nutshell, it's a manner of eating that uses mainly uncooked, unprocessed and largely organic foods.  The logic behind it is that the process of cooking destroys the natural enzymes found in many foods and often creates undesirable compounds that are not optimal for good health.  To clear up a common misconception, uncooked doesn't mean 'cold' - foods can be warmed to temperatures not to exceed 104-115 degrees F.  If you've ever been in a hot tub, which are typically kept around 104 degrees, you will know that this is not 'cold' by any means....

To avoid absolute mutiny with my family, I figured I'd take some baby steps and start by slowly incorporating some raw food components into our meals.  Since it's February and the cold grey days have me wanting for comfort food, I decided to try a modification to a common comfort food - Alfredo Sauce...

Here's my version of a raw Alfredo - or 'Rawlfredo':

2 cups organic raw cashews (unsoaked)
1/2 cup walnuts (you can also use any other soft nut with a mild flavor - like pine nuts, macadamia, brazil, etc. - or just use more cashews)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon good quality salt
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup fresh basil (you can also use a couple teaspoons of dried but the fresh gives it much more of a pesto-like flavor - it will also give it a greenish cast if you mix it in, so you may want to finely chop this separately and then mix into the sauce by hand)

I let the mixture sit for an hour or so to allow the flavors time to meld then warm slightly to serve.  To make this dish completely raw, you can serve over veggie 'noodles' - spaghetti squash works great or use strips of zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. - if you have a spiral cutter you can use that to make the noodles or a veggie peeler works great too - make long strips...  You can also use rice noodles or store bought veggie noodles - whatever.  I chose to use run of the mill fettuccine because as I said before... baby steps....

Just another note before you go eating the entire batch in one sitting - this is a 'healthier' version of standard Alfredo because it has higher quality fats from the nuts and doesn't have all that heart-clogging butter, cream and cheese.  Nuts have fat in them, lots - and because we're using 2.5 cups of them, you're not going to want to pour the entire batch of sauce on your plate.  I used a tablespoon or two of sauce per serving and it was more than enough to make a satisfying meal.  I recommend halving this recipe if you're only making it to serve a few people.  I fed a family of four with hearty portions and have enough sauce left over to feed us all 3 more times....

This recipe is a great alternative for anyone who's avoiding dairy, but not so great for anyone with a nut allergy, obviously.

Some health benefits of cashews:  http://organiccashewnuts.com/health/

These rye muffins are so good, super-healthy and make a great whole-grain complement to soups and stews.  They're also a snap to make and bake up light and fluffy in 15 minutes!  I prefer to use organic ingredients when available.

1 Cup Rye Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Chia Seed
1/3 Cup Hemp Protein Powder
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tblsp Raw or Brown Sugar
1 Cup Soy, Almond or Coconut milk
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Caraway Seed
1 Large Egg

Combine all the dry ingredients, mix well then blend in all of the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.  Batter should be somewhat fluid, similar to pancake batter - you may need to add a bit more milk or water to get the proper consistency.  Bake in lightly oiled muffin tins (or papered tins) for approximately 15 minutes at 400 Degrees F (or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean).  These will keep well in a sealed container for a few days and do freeze well, but are best when served warm and fresh out of the oven.  Yum!!

Ingredients:
1 C Onion - Diced
1 C Green Pepper - Diced
1-2 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
2 Large Stalks Celery - Chopped
1 Large Carrot - sliced 1/4 in thick pieces
3-4 Tomatoes, Diced
3-4 Red Potatoes, Diced
1 (14 oz) Can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 Bay Leaves
1/2 C Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 Cup Chopped Kale
1.5-2 lbs Fish (Pollock, Cod, Tilapia, etc.)
4 Cups of Clam Juice
2-3 Cups of Water
                                                                                    Tabasco Sauce (to taste)
                                                                                    1 Tsp Turmeric
                                                                                    1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
                                                                                    1/4 Cup Dark Rum
                                                                                    Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Directions:                                                                                                       
Saute the onions in 1-2 Tablespoons of Olive or other vegetable oil for about 1-2 minutes.  Add in Celery, Carrots and Peppers, continue sauteing for 4-5 minutes, add chopped tomatoes and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Add Clam Juice and Water, stir well, then add all remaining ingredients except the fish and kale.  Stir well and bring up to a simmer.  Stir in Rum, then add fish and allow mixture to simmer partially covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally to break up the chunks of fish.  Add in chopped Kale and turn off the heat - allow to sit, covered for at least 10 minutes to allow the Kale to cook and the flavors to meld.  Serve with crusty bread. 

In a large measuring cup, mix:

1.5 Cups Buckwheat flour
1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients well and then add in:
1 Large egg
2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Pureed Pumpkin
1 Cup Almond or Soy Milk (Can also use coconut or Buttermilk)

Mix well, you might need to add more milk to get the desired consistency - you want the batter thick but pourable.
I like to add chocolate chips and walnuts and then cook over medium heat on a lightly oiled cast iron pan or griddle.

These are sooooo good and my kids love them!  Hemp nut is the most nutritious and easily digestible food on the planet, the only complete source of all the following: protein, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. Hemp is the only food which supplies all man's dietary needs in one source -- the only food which can sustain human life without any other source of nutrition.  Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds and also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.  The Aztecs used chia medicinally to stimulate saliva flow and to relieve joint pain and sore skin.

Ingredients:
2/3 C Turbinado Sugar
1/2 C Butter, softened
2 Eggs
4 Mashed Bananas (best to use brown/overripe ones)
1/4 C Plain Greek Yogurt/Kefir (Can also use Sour Cream if necessary)
1/4 C Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 Oats
1.5 C Whole Grain Flour (I like to use a mix of a couple different kinds of flours (buckwheat, spelt, triticale, graham, whole wheat, etc.)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 C Hemp Seed
1/2 C Chia Seed
1/3 C Hemp Protein Powder
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 Cup of Chopped Walnuts (Optional)
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and bananas.  Mix well and then add the yogurt and almond milk.  Mix well until smooth.  Slowly add in the dry mixture and combine until smooth.  Add in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips, mix well.  Spoon into muffin tins lined with muffin cups (you can also grease and flour the tins if you don't want to use paper liners).  Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean.  Can also be made into loaves (grease and flour pans) - bake approximately 50 minutes.