Tehuti’s Café

Proprietor Tehuti Maat started cleaning up his lifestyle at an early age. He wasn’t even 20 when his doctor said his blood pressure would keep getting higher and higher, and soon would be as dangerously high as the rest of his family. So he quit eating meat. “Then I transcended to another type of vegetarian, then another, and here I am.” Here being a lovely raw vegan café run out of his home in Kingston, Jamaica. An offshoot of his lifestyle and nutrition consulting business, the café has only a few tables. It’s not a place to come if you’re in a hurry. But if you like fresh, natural food, and want to meet other health-conscious people, don’t miss Tehuti’s when you visit Kingston.

Menu

The day I visited, menu choices were a salad plate, pizza, cheesecake, fresh juices and turmeric dessert balls. I chose salads and cheesecake. Some of my dining companions ordered pizza, so I got to try that, too.

As is the case with raw pizza, you can’t really expect it to taste like regular pizza, but it’s good in a raw, salady way. Instead of a crisp crust, or even a doughy crust, the raw crust was a mushy mixture of zucchini and walnuts. The marinara sauce combined sundried with fresh tomatoes and herbs from the garden. Cashew cheese, diced tomatoes, peppers, pineapple and olives completed the pizza.

The salad plate included a half dozen different cold salads, including beets, curried coconut, green salad, hummus and plantains. I washed it down with a circulation booster juice, which contained lots of ginger and cayenne.

Food as Medicine

“It’s great that it turns out tasting okay, but it’s really about medicine,” Tehuti says. He designs juice and raw food detox programs for people with medical conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular trouble, obesity and diabetes. Tehuti has a reciprocal arrangement with some doctors in Kingston. He sends his clients to doctors when he thinks they need medical attention. They in turn refer patients to Tehuti. “Doctors send me people who aren’t into medication.”

Tehuti used to write recipes for people, but many said they were too busy to prepare healthful food themselves. When he started juicing for clients, his business immediately grew. Now he offers meal delivery service in addition to running Tehuti’s Café.

Your family medical history is not your destiny, Tehuti says. When a doctor asks what diseases your relatives died from, “that doesn’t mean you have to have it.” Instead, now is the time to clean up your lifestyle and give yourself the best chance possible at health and longevity. For that, Tehuti recommends raw vegan food.

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I’ve used raw foods as a healing tool, a palate reset, and most importantly, as inspiration for sustaining lifelong healthy habits. Concern over purity and perfection – whether with food, one’s body, or both – in a raw food lifestyle is a fairly common but misguided preoccupation. I was so pleased to see my sentiments echoed in the newly-penned book by mother-daughter team Mimi Kirk and Mia Kirk White entitled Raw-Vitalize: The Easy 21-Day Raw Food Recharge.

“We don’t believe diets work, so please don’t consider this a diet. Losing weight should not be your objective – being healthy should. This 21-day plan is not a quick detox or a cleanse. This style of eating will rekindle your health and wellbeing, and will start you on a radiant path for the rest of your life.”

So much yes!

The book begins with the inspiring yet also relatably down-to-earth stories of both authors. There’s nothing like reading through a book and thinking, “Hey, I can do this, too!”. Their stories transition into a chapter in which they answer (and assuage) common concerns such as, “Will I be hungry?”, and they also provide helpful tips for busy people – which everyone seems to identify as these days! I also love that they include a few holistic tips that make the 21-day recharge even more effective.

As with many programs like this one, they lay out all of the preparation details such as pantry staples, grocery lists, required equipment, and meal plans for all 3 weeks. They make it really easy and also leave wiggle room for customization from day to day. In addition, the recipes I made were quite versatile and flexible to substitutions.

What I loved most about the collection of recipes is that they range from the very creative to the super simple. From the raw food basics like green smoothies, guacamole, and banana ice cream to the more nuanced dishes like mushroom caps stuffed with basil pesto, tapas salad, and street tacos, there are a plethora of meals just waiting to become staples in your kitchen.

While there are so many creative recipes within Raw-Vitalize, they’re not difficult or time-consuming. They also require minimum equipment (no dehydrators here). The more artful recipes are great for those who love gourmet raw but are intimidated by the usual time investment or skill level. They’re packed with flavor and present beautifully, but they’re deceptively uncomplicated.

I’m glad they don’t shy away from sharing simple ideas for meals and snacks, too. A pet peeve of mine is when someone gets upset that something is presented as a recipe, but it’s too easy to be designated as such. Honestly though, sometimes incredible food really is just snacking on an avocado that’s sprinkled with salt and pepper or blending up frozen bananas. You’d be surprised how many times I share easy ideas like this and people excitedly say, “I never thought of that before!”. I’ve found that people are much less intimidated by dietary changes when they realize they can riff off of simple ideas sometimes instead of always making elaborate preparations.

The Raw-Vitalize 21-day recharge is perfect for:

• People who want to take a cue from the approaching spring season, renewing and setting a foundation for healthier habits,
• Those in need of extra healing in their lives,
• Beginners who are interested in learning how to effortlessly incorporate more raw foods in their diets,
• Cooks who are interested in delving into raw foods but aren’t ready to invest in expensive appliances like a juicer or a dehydrator, and
• Those with an appreciation for simple, beautiful food.

The folks at Countryman Press were kind enough to let me share one of my favorite recipes that I’ve tried, Creamy Thai Soup. I hope you enjoy this sneak peak into Raw-Vitalize!

Creamy Thai Soup

 

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You won’t be disappointed with this creamy soup. In fact, this might become one of your favorite go-to meals when looking for an abundance of Thai flavor in one single spoonful. The extra crunch brings it all together, supplying additional nutrition. If you like a little extra spice, a pinch of chili pepper will do the trick.

Author: Mimi Kirk and Mia Kirk White

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup almond milk
• 2-inch shallot
• 1 celery rib
• 1 green onion
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ apple
• ⅛ teaspoon curry powder
• ⅛ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon peeled and chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 handful unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1–2 pinches sea salt, or to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Chopped basil, cilantro, green onion, and a dash of paprika, for topping (any or all)

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients except for the optional toppings to a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if necessary. This soup likes to be a tad salty.

Notes

Try this Tip
Try this as a noodle soup! Spiralize zucchini noodles and cut them into 1-inch pieces to add to the soup.

From Raw-Vitalize: The Easy 21-Day Raw Food Recharge by Mimi Kirk and Mia Kirk White, printed with permission from Countryman Press.

3.5.3226

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I had just gotten hired at a raw and vegan cafe. I had been vegan for five years and had a fairly good understanding of vegan cooking, but I knew very little about raw cuisine. Despite my unfamiliarity, I jumped headfirst into learning everything I could. My mentor not only taught me how to make foods like gourmet raw pizza, raw hummus, and raw pies, but he also introduced me to the simpler things like how to open a Thai young coconut (I swear, it’s not that hard!) and how to make amazing dressings out of just a few fruit and vegetable ingredients. One of the best lessons I learned at that cafe was that raw foods can be as complex as you’d like, but the simple preparations could be every bit as delicious as the more nuanced ones.

On one of my first days there, I was unpacking the morning delivery from our sister cafe, and I began stocking the case with a stack of plastic clamshell containers, each holding 6 chocolatey orbs rolled in coconut flakes. “Raw Chocolate Bliss Balls” was scribbled on the label. The chef insisted I try one. It tasted like a cross between a fudgy, dense brownie and the creamy rich ganache inside a truffle. All I could think was, “Wow, this really is bliss!”

Soon I learned how to make them, and I was intrigued by the simplicity of the ingredients. It’s virtually impossible to mess up. The base of a bliss ball is dried fruit + nuts or seeds. Dates are the preferred fruit of choice, but I’ve made them with other dried fruits like raisins or mulberries. With nuts or seeds, choose one (or more) with a taste that best complements your desired outcome. Cashews and sunflower seeds will be more neutral than nuts like pecans, walnuts, or pistachios.

Once you have the base, the fun part comes in. Add in any spices or other flavors that you’d like. Some of my favorites – not together! – are cacao powder, pie spice, maca, peanut butter, lucuma, vanilla, rose water and protein powder. You can also choose something to roll the bliss balls in such as coconut flakes, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, freeze-dried fruit, or crushed almonds to make them more eye-catching.

I love stashing a few batches of bliss balls in my freezer to grab on the go or to swiftly satiate a dessert craving. I also make them for events, parties, and gatherings, and they are always a hit. These are the perfect bite for people who love to indulge in sweets but also want to feel good afterward, and they’re filling and nutritious enough that you’ll only need 1 or 2 to feel satisfied!

Berry-Studded Chocolate Bliss Balls

makes 15-20 bliss balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 15 medjool dates (approx. 1 ½ cups), pitted
• 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut nectar or liquid sweetener of choice
• ¼ tsp vanilla powder, opt.
• pinch of salt
• 1 bag of freeze-dried berries of choice

Preparation

In a food processor, pulse the cashews until they form a coarse meal.

Add in the dates and process to incorporate with the cashews.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, and process until the mixture sticks together when you press it between your fingers. If it needs more moisture, add more liquid sweetener.

Roll tablespoon-sized amounts of the dough into balls and set them on a plate.

Crush the berries either with your hands or in a spice grinder. Put the berries into a small bowl and roll the bliss balls in the bowl one at a time to coat them. Roll lightly in your hands once more to help the berries adhere to the bliss ball.

Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for the perfect bite-sized treat!

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Sous vide is French for “under vacuum.” The cooking method was first used by physicist Sir Benjamin Thompson in 1799, although he used air rather than water. The technique didn’t become popular until the mid 1960s, when engineers began to use it as a method of food preservation. Indeed, I have cooked sous vide in the past, sort of, without knowing it. Back in the early 1980s, before we had a microwave, I “cooked” many a vacuum-sealed frozen dinner in hot water on the stovetop, although the water temperate wasn’t as controlled as it would be in traditional sous vide cooking.

There are many benefits of sous vide cooking. Foods keep the juices and nutrients that might otherwise be cooked off in the oven or on a stove-top. Spices and marinades transfer to the food easily, making their flavor more intense. It allows for a cooked meal on a hot day when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. Cooking experience isn’t really needed to prepare food sous vide, since all you need to do is chop, season, and seal food in order to “cook” it. Clean-up after cooking sous vide is a breeze, because there are no pots and pans to wash.

The temperatures used in sous vide cooking are lower than they are in stove-top cooking, so dinner might take a while, but it will be worth the wait. Raw foodists can enjoy sous vide cooking, because the water can be heated to exactly 118° F. Food can easily be hot and raw at the same time, without being depleted of nutrients.

I will admit that since it’s totally new to me, I was a little nervous about cooking sous vide, but the Tribest Sousvant is super easy to use, taking all of the guess-work out of it. You just fill it with water, add your pouches of food, and set the temperature. It has a powerful 1000 watt, built-in circulation system to rapidly heat water to the desired cooking temperature within 0.1° F. Its digital, user-friendly display is fool-proof and allows for the same, perfect results, every time you cook with it. The Sousvant has extra-large, three gallon capacity and can handle large cooking jobs without taking up much counter space. In my research of sous vide cooking, I found YouTube videos my many people who had rigged sous vide cookers with slow cookers and temperature gauges, but with the Sousvant, no rigging is needed, since this one appliance does everything for you.

While looking for recipes, I found many meat dishes, but vegan recipes were scarce, despite the fact that vegetables really benefit from being cooked this way. The one dish that kept coming up in my searching was a cauliflower steak originally posted on What the Hell Do Vegans Eat Anyway? To make it, I brushed sliced cauliflower with lemon juice and then sprinkled the “steaks” with red pepper flakes, garam masala, turmeric, and sea salt. I don’t have a vacuum sealer, so I placed the cauliflower steaks, along with a few sprigs of cilantro, in ziplock bags, doing my best to squeeze all of the water out. I cooked the cauliflower in the Sousvant for 90 minutes at 185°. Afterward, I pan-seared them for a few minutes on each side, to brown them a bit. They were tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful. I also cooked kale sous vide by tossing it with a little olive oil and cooking it for 7 minutes at 194° F. It was firm, yet chewy and delicious.

I recommend the Tribest Sousvant for raw foodists, new cooks, and anyone who wants to make dinner without heating up the kitchen.

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Many of you may already be familiar with Emily von Euw’s incredibly delicious recipes ready. She shares many of them, along with her amazing lick-your-screen photography, on her popular blog This Rawsome Vegan Life. She’s also written two cookbooks – Rawsome Vegan Baking and 100 Best Juices, Smoothies, and Healthy Snacks. Emily is back, and this time it’s with The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook: A Balance of Raw and Lightly Cooked, Gluten-Free Plant-Based Meals for Healthy Living.

As the name suggests, The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook contains a mix of both raw and cooked recipes. Raw food may seem daunting to some, but Emily removes the scare-factor and shows how simple and easy preparing raw food really is. No fancy equipment is needed to make these recipes except for a blender and a mandolin slicer. Although she gives instructions for dehydrators, Emily admits that she herself uses the lowest temperature on her oven when preparing “dehydrated” foods. Recipes in the raw chapter range from salads and soups to noodle bowls and tacos, and they all look amazing. I really can’t wait to sink my teeth into an Epic Portobello Yam Burger!

Even raw foodists can’t deny that there’s a certain type of comfort that comes with a cooked meal that raw food just can’t recreate. The dishes in the The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook’s cooked chapter are both comforting and healthy, and they’re also made from foods that are more nutritious when lightly cooked. Most of the dishes are either baked, sautéed, or steamed, such as I Love You Choy, which is a mix of steamed Asian greens, brown rice, and black beans with ginger almond sauce. The chapter also contains some warm and cozy soup recipes, like Pumpkin Soup with Potatoes, Pumpkin Seeds, Leeks and Coconut Milk, and Warming Miso Soup with Leeks and Ginger. There are a few healthy versions of comfort food classics, too, such as Mac and Cheese The Healthy Way.

If you follow Emily on social media, you’ve probably noticed that she has infectious energy and a great sense of humor, and those both shine through in The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook. The book is also filled with Emily’s gorgeous food photography. The book’s dishes will please any palate, whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, or just looking for new healthy and delicious meals to add to your recipe collection.

Beet Ravioli with Almond Thyme Pâté + Basil

One of my favorite recipes in here for REAL. These are decadent and beautiful, but secretly so easy to make. They’re more of an appetizer than a main course, so I’d suggest serving them with a large salad (or whatever else you want—I’m not your boss).

Ingredients

• 1 cup (170 g) almonds, soaked for 8 hours
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• ⅛ tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 to 3 tsp (2 to 3 g) fresh thyme leaves (or more, as desired)
• 1 peeled beet
• 3 tbsp (8 g) chopped basil leaves
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

To make the pâté: blend everything together until smooth and thick. Adjust according to taste, adding more salt or thyme or whatever you desire. Scoop onto a cheesecloth (or parchment paper) and roll up into a cylinder shape. I like to add extra thyme leaves here to coat the outside of the pâté; it just looks pretty. Put in the fridge overnight, or if you REALLY want ravioli, for at least a couple hours.

Slice the beet as thin as possible on a mandolin slicer. Scoop 1 teaspoon or so of the pâté onto half of a beet slice and fold the other half over the pâté. It will hold itself in place. Taste this one and see if you want more or less pâté and assemble the rest of the raviolis accordingly. You should have leftover pâté, unless you want to make a ton of raviolis (by all means, go for it). Sprinkle with basil and thyme and enjoy!

Recipe reprinted with permission from The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook by Emily von Euw (19.99, Page Street Publishing, December 8, 2015). Photography by Emily von Euw.

We have a copy of The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook for one lucky reader! Follow the instructions below to enter. U.S. residents only, please. Contest ends at midnight eastern time on January 27, 2016. Good luck!

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The post Beet Ravioli with Almond Thyme Pâté & Basil from The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook by Emily von Euw appeared first on Chic Vegan.

I was impressed with the Tribest Sedona Express, SD-6780 Food Dehydrator straight out of the box. At 12″ wide x 14″ high x 17.5″ deep, it’s more compact that other dehydrators, so it was easy to find a home for it in my kitchen. I love that it has a hinged glass door with a magnetic closure. It comes with 11 metal trays for dehydrating, and a metal closed tray to collect any food particles that fall to the bottom of the unit. I love that the trays are metal, not plastic, because that means that I don’t have to worry about anything nasty from the plastic leeching out into my food. The best part, however, is the digital display that’s in the front of the unit.

I couldn’t help to compare the Sedona Express to my old dehydrator, which is basically a plastic box with a fan on the back. It’s bulky and noisy, and the opaque plastic door has to be completely taken off to check on the food being dehydrated. The temperature and timer dials are on the top of the until at the back, making them difficult to see, so I wind up pulling the entire unit out to set the controls, which is kind of a hassle. So even before turning it on, I liked the Sedona Express more than the one I already had.

So how would the Tribest Sedona Express do once it’s in action? The first thing I did was make a big batch of my favorite kale chips. The digital controls were super easy to work. You simply set the temperature and dehydrating time and hit the “start” button. The display allows you to pick either Celsius or Fahrenheit. It also has a “fast” dehydrating mode, for those days when you really want your kale chips NOW. There’s the option of combo dehydrating, starting out on the fast mode and then switching over to the raw mode. This will come in handy when dehydrating foods like tomatoes, because they do need to be started out on a higher temperature.

Once the kale was all chipped up and ready to go, I started up the Tribest Sedona Express, and was amazed at how quiet it was. No more shouting at people while the dehydrator is running! I loved that I could check on the chips through the glass door. When I did open the door to see how crisp they were, the fan turned off and an interior light came on. The fan turned back on when the door was closed again. How nice is that?!

Clean up of the Tribest Sedona Express after my kale chips were done was a breeze! I just took the bottom closed tray out and dumped the crumbs in the trash, and then wiped the metal trays clean. In my old, now completely shunned dehydrator, little kale chip bits always fall to the back on the bottom, which means either tipping the whole until up to dump them out, or pulling out the vacuum cleaner. (Yes, it had to be vacuumed occasionally.)

The Tribest Sedona Express, SD-6780 Food Dehydrator gets two thumbs (and all of the rest of my fingers and toes) up from me!
While my kale chips were dehydrating, I pulled out the Tribest Solostar 4, SS-4200-B, Horizontal Slow Masticating Juicer to make a green juice. Much like with the dehydrator, I love the juicer’s compact horizontal design. My other juicer is tall, and it doesn’t fit under my cabinets, so it’s been exiled to the back of a closet. Also much like the dehydrator, it was very easy to use. Simply snap everything together and get juicing!

Because the Tribest Solorstar 4 is a masticating juicer, fruit and veggies need to be cut into small pieces. As the name “Slow Masticating Juicer” implies, it takes a little longer than other juices, but that’s because it’s working to get every last little drop of juice out of your produce. The slow speed also means that you’re getting more nutrients out of your fruits and vegetables because there’s less heat and oxidation than other juices. I didn’t have any problems with my veggies jamming while juicing, but there is a reverse feature just in case that does happen. All of the juicer parts that food comes into contact with made from BPA- and BPS-free materials, you don’t have to worry about harmful chemicals leaching into your juice, which is another bonus.

The Tribest Solorstar 4 comes with additional screens and nozzles that can be used to make grind coffee beans, fresh garlic, ginger, onions, or peppers as well as make fresh pasta, rice cakes, or bread sticks. I didn’t try to make pasta with it yet, but I did use it to grind coffee. It made a little bit of a mess because the grounds shot out of the front, but it did grind the beans nicely.

Tribest Solostar 4, SS-4200-B, Horizontal Slow Masticating Juicer also gets two thumbs up from me! I am very impressed with both Tribest products, and I’ll definitely look to them the next time I’m in need (or want) of a new kitchen gadget!

Tribest has very generously donated a Sedona Express Dehydrator and a Solostar 4 Juicer for two lucky winners this week. One winner will be picked for each item. Due to shipping restrictions, this contest is open to U.S. residents only. Please follow the instructions below to enter. Contest ends at midnight est on November 3rd. Good luck!

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Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world

Although there are those who say that it helps memory and concentration, caffeine is addictive: in the morning you feel tired, you drink coffee, at night you sleep badly (even if you don’t realize it), the next morning you’re tired, you drink coffee…. This certainly does not help. Eliminating coffee you will soon feel the benefits in your sleep.

Another point against coffee is that it’s an highly acidifying drink (just like dairy products) that leeches calcium away from your bones (osteoporosis is lurking!) and can give you stomach acidity. Finally, coffee comes from far away, and sometimes the farmers are exploited and its production requires many steps and processes: the fruit of the coffee is actually red or green.

“No, I can’t renounce my morning coffee!”

“Yes, and it is not so difficult to let it go”

If what prevents you from eliminating your morning coffee is tiredness, try to start the day with a nice fresh fruit smoothie, it doesn’t overload the stomach such as milk and biscuits and doesn’t intoxicate the body, so that it can devote to awaken all organs without having to take too much effort in digestion and elimination of too many toxins – the early morning is the time of day when our body continues detoxification begun at night, give it time!

If a breakfast made up of fruit alone does not satisfy you, replace coffee with organic green tea or drink a glass of water and lemon as you wake up. instead, If what you love of it is its taste and if you like hot drinks then try barley coffee or chicory coffee.

“But I don’t like barley coffee.”

No problem, start by drinking decaffeinated coffee (choose a brand in which the caffeine is removed with natural methods, such as steam, and not chemically), so you will remove the caffeine addiction, then choose blends of coffee + barley or add to your barley coffee a teaspoon of cocoa powder to make it more delicious up to eliminate coffee completely without much effort.

Fullyraw Kristina made a video on how to prepare the “raw food coffee” – she obviously makes it cold but you could just warm it up a bit.

In conclusion, you can occasionally indulge in a good cup of coffee, but not every day!

image credit: alessandrarotondo.wordpress.com

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“I could never go vegan because I can’t give up cheese.”

How many times have we all heard that? Or even said it ourselves? I can understand. When I decided to go vegan, cheese was the last thing to go, and it was the hardest to give up. Back then there weren’t any non-dairy cheeses on the market, unless you counted that one that tasted a little bit like crayons. (And unlike crayons, it didn’t melt.) I think we’re now entering the vegan cheese renaissance because we now have many tasty, cheesy, non-dairy options to choose from.

Even though it’s been about 13 years since I’ve had dairy cheese, I still find myself wanting something cheesy from time to time, so when SunRAWise offered me samples of their cashew-based cheese to try, I jumped at the opportunity. This isn’t your ordinary bagged, shredded pizza cheese – SunRAWise is artisanal raw nut cheese, the kind you slice and savor.

SunRAWise cheeses are made from scratch in North East Florida using finest organic and sustainable ingredients. They are made with raw cashews, pink Himalayan salt and fresh, organic herbs. Fillers, preservatives, chemicals, artificial coloring and artificial flavors are never used, and these cheeses are also free of corn, soy and GMOs. SunRAWise cheeses are handcrafted with a close attention to detail, and are fermented and aged naturally. And of course, they are 100% vegan.

SunRAWise cheeses come in seven different flavors: Original, Black Pepper, Italian Herb, Spiru-lean, Vegan Blue Vein, Smoke and Spicy, and Rosemary. I was lucky enough to get samples of Italian Herb, Spiru-lean, Smoke and Spicy and Rosemary. When I opened the first container, I was immediately taken aback by the smell. It wasn’t a bad smell, but it was the distinctive scent of… well… cheese, minus that sour, curdled odor that can accompany dairy products. I started out with the a little nibble of Rosemary cheese, along with some of the Spiru-lean.

These are the type of cheeses that should be served with fancy crackers, fruit, olives, and wine, and what I had in the house just wasn’t cutting it. I picked up some crackers at the grocery store and set about making myself a little snack plate alongside a glass of organic red wine. When I’ve bought gourmet nut cheeses in the past, my VeggieGuy hasn’t liked them, which is fine, because it means more for me. When he saw me chowing down on my snack, he wanted to try a little taste, and to his surprise he really loved it. (Which meant less for me!)

SunRAWise cheese are semi hard, with a firm texture. They slice easily with a sharp knife or cheese cutter, but they will crumble if you use something on the dull side, like a butter knife. The crumbles taste great on salads, and all of the cheeses can be added to meals. (Check out the recipe page on the SunRAWise website.) All of the cheeses all have a mild, nutty flavor about them, but the added spices give them each their own unique taste.

Spiru-lean cheese is made with, you guessed it, spirulina, which creates blue veins, similar to blue cheese. I’ve never actually had dairy based blue cheese, so I can’t compare the taste, but this was my favorite of the four. (Picking a favorite was a really difficult – and tasty – task though.)

Italian Herb cheese is made with organic basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano and sage, and in addition to tasting great on crackers, it’s quite tasty crumbled on top of a fresh salad.

Rosemary cheese is made with crushed organic rosemary and turmeric, which is quite a unique flavor combination. Turmeric gives this cheese a yellow hue, and also lends to its aromatic quality.

Smoke and Spicy is made with a blend of fresh and dried peppers, which gives this cheese a nice kick. This cheese is a little darker on the outside than it is on the inside, and is perfect for shredding over Mexican dishes.

Visit the SunRAWise website to purchase their delicious, artisan cheese. They might seem a bit pricey, but they’re handmade with care, and they’re worth it.

The post Product Review: SunRAWise Cheese appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Yes, I said TEN bananas.

“Living foods” is the latest craze. There are more raw food cook books, cafes and juice bars popping up every day and more people than ever seem to be aware that it’s important to include raw fruits and vegetables in their diet.

I was first introduced to the idea of a raw lifestyle a few years ago, sitting in front of YouTube, innocently sipping a tea.

I was watching a video on B12 (doing research, you know) and I just loved the man making it. Not only was he hilarious, he also seemed brilliant, passionate and ….. incredibly healthy. After clicking to more of his videos I discovered he was actually a raw vegan. And not just any “raw” vegan – he specifically followed “The 80 10 10 Diet”, developed by Dr Douglas Graham. (This is where my ten-banana smoothie reference comes from!)

Already my mind was blown, hang on, are you saying there’s more than one “raw food” diet?

I thought worked like this: “is it raw? I’ll eat it. Is it cooked? So long.”

Oh, if only it were that simple.

Turns out there many varieties of raw food diets, all of which have pioneers or “experts” representing why their approach is best. They have different ideas about fat percentage, use of animal products (seriously!), supplementation, super foods, and for a newbie: it can be very daunting!

After reading some books and watching too many YouTube videos, I managed to come out the other side, not put off at all, but oddly drawn to this lifestyle.

Could I actually try being a raw foodist?

Is that crazy? Do I have to move into a cabin on top of a mountain and meditate all day? Am I still allowed to blog in coffee shops if I’m a raw foodist? Am I still allowed to buy shampoo or do I have to make it out of coconut oil or something?

I was daunted, but couldn’t deny my instincts. I wanted to try this!

But I didn’t go running out to immediately buy a dehydrator, I simply began increasing the amount of fruit I was eating and ALWAYS making a giant salad to accompany my family’s dinner. I saw this as a simple start, nothing overwhelming or scary.

Slowly, my tastes began to change. I genuinely didn’t predict this, but the more the raw food I ate, the more I craved it. Gradually my non-raw food became less exciting and I found myself looking forward to simple sliced tomato with raw tahini or a basic sliced cucumber topped with dates. These foods became more appealing to me than a brownie! How mad is that? And I wasn’t even following a raw food diet! I was still having social dinners with friends, drinking coffee, but feeling these changes.

My raw “experiment” became the experiment that never ended! I tried to just listen to my body and eat what I was craving and that became (not all the time!) mostly raw fruits and vegetables. The benefits of bursting energy, delicious food and the peaceful sleep couldn’t be denied and I was loving all of it!

Including some cooked food in my life is what works for me right now (I’m a little too keen on my social dinners out and eating free food in my hospitality job!), but I love eating raw and am sure we can all benefit from more in our lives! If you think you want to increase your raw intake, here’s some things I’d suggest to anyone starting from scratch:

Firstly – do research but don’t get confused by those who make lots of money selling supplements and protein powders. Good, wholesome fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are what your body needs. If you are concerned about soil depletion, non-organic produce or personal deficiencies, then of course look into supplementation, but make sure you are always logical.  Some people make lots of money selling miracle elixir raw cacao tonic!

Utilise cronometer.com, which is an online resource that tracks your nutrition and calories. The biggest mistake people can make trying raw foods is that they do not eat ENOUGH. If you want to eat raw food – get comfortable with eating a lot more than you’re used to. It’s very easy to end up calorie deficient, feeling low energy and reaching for the nearest chocolate bar. I’m a freak, so I quite enjoy sitting down at the end of the day and filling in my Cronometer!

The most obvious thing I can tell you is to place your emphasis on fruits and vegetables. That’s what your body wants and will give you the biggest nutrient bang for your buck. Some people get calories in by downing an entire jar of almond butter and that is just not logical. Almond butter is delicious, but maybe have it as an addition to raw veggie sticks instead of eating it out of the jar with a spoon. Unless you’re going through a break-up, that’s a different matter.

Raw food diets tend to divide on whether you get the majority of calories from fats or from fruit (carbohydrates). I found carbohydrates were hands-down the better choice for me, but others will prefer a high fat diet. I recommend doing research and looking at the long-term followers of that diet. Here, on Chic Vegan, the divine Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram (who follows the “80 10 10 Diet”) gave an interview (click HERE to read) on her health and lifestyle that is worth reading. She is quite inspiring!

Perhaps start with breakfast? And make it fun, never stressful. Try a lovely banana, date and cinnamon smoothie to start your day (my favourite) and see how you feel? If that doesn’t float your boat, there are lots of smoothie recipes to look at, or better yet – just eat fruit! What’s your favourite fruit? Pick whichever it is and have as much as you like for breakfast. You just ate a raw meal!

Raw foods are healing, healthy and incredibly beneficial. I love eating raw, but am logical to a fault and totally believe in the power of potatoes, cooked vegetables, quinoa and other “non raw” foods. Listen to your body, listen to your logic and do what sounds right to you.

Also, you should know – I’m writing this blog drinking a naughty coffee in my favourite café! We’re all human!

The post A RAWesome Change appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Another reason I’m in love with the changing seasons… setting myself up on the couch with a blanket and new cookbooks! Thankfully, there is a now a huge variety of vegan cookbooks to choose from, and the next crop of cookbooks to be released this fall look like they will be amazing additions to the club. I’m sure many Chic Vegan readers treat cookbooks like I do: reading the recipes and little details like a suspense novel, and cooing over the gorgeous photographs.

Needless to say, I’m excited to discover new fall cookbooks, test out baking recipes and soups in a cozy kitchen, choose recipes for the upcoming holiday season, and share vegan cookbooks as gifts for family and friends.

Here’s my short wish list of cookbooks I hope to try this Autumn:

Sweet & Easy Vegan: Treats Made with Whole Grains and Natural Sweeteners

by Robin Asbell with photography by Joseph De Leo. Publication date: September 19, 2012 (image courtesy of Chronicle Books).

I adore sweet treats but I’m in favor of making them a little more healthy, so this cookbook with its promise of including everyone’s favorite treats from cookies and brownies to cakes and pies – using whole grains and natural sweeteners – sounds entirely delectable. Robin Asbell is a chef, food writer and natural foods cooking teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her previous cookbooks include Big Vegan, The New Whole Grains Cookbook and The New Vegetarian Cookbook. Joseph De Leo is a photographer based in New York.

The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook: 125+ Delectable Plant-Based Vegan Recipes for a Fit, Happy, Healthy You

by Melissa Costello, with a foreword by Tony Horton. Publication date: October 1, 2012 (HCI).

Melissa Costello’s first cookbook uses a “keep it simple” and “make it tasty” approach to create over 125 recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, dinners and desserts. Costello is the founder of Karma Chow, creator of The Vital Life Cleanse, and personal chef to celebrity fitness expert Tony Horton (creator of the P90X® fitness system). She is also a Certified Nutritionist and wellness coach.

Gorilla Food: Living and Eating Organic, Vegan, and Raw

by Aaron Ash. Publication date: October 16, 2012 (Arsenal Pulp Press).

If you would like to experiment with more raw recipes (yes, please!) then this cookbook, with recipes for raw lasagna, soup, pizza, fruit pies and chocolate desserts might just be perfect. There are also recipes for dehydrated and cultured foods, which would be fun to test out. Aaron Ash is the founder and chef of organic raw vegan restaurant Gorilla Food in downtown Vancouver and he promotes sustainable, healthy culture. He was also a former personal chef to Mike-D of the Beastie Boys and is an in-demand caterer for high-profile events in North America.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread: Artisanal Recipes to Make at Home

by Jennifer Katzinger who lives in Seattle, WA. To be published October 30, 2012 by Sasquatch Books.

I’ve been on a bread baking mission of late. I enjoy making it from scratch and once you get the basics down, it’s therapeutic and fulfilling to see what you can create and share. This cookbook sounds fantastic with over 60 recipes, including ones for flat breads, sweet breads, savory breads, sourdough and more. Jennifer Katzinger is the former owner of the popular Seattle gluten-free and vegan Flying Apron Bakery. Her previous books include Flying Apron’s Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book and Gluten-Free & Vegan Holidays.

Would you like to try any cookbooks from this wish list? Are there other new releases you can’t wait to get your hands on? We would love to hear your thoughts.

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Featured image via zitherica

The post New Vegan Cookbooks Fall 2012 appeared first on Chic Vegan.