Author: Nataliya

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Blueberry Acai Smoothie

Hello! The summer is almost here, and I’ve been experimenting with new and delicious recipes, as always. The bounty of summer brings a nice variety of local and fresh fruits and vegetables, and it is fun to play with them in the kitchen and taste new flavorful creations.

Today, I’d like to share a very simple but super delicious smoothie – a blueberry acai smoothie. I decided to make my own version after I tasted a blueberry acai smoothie bowl in a local raw food cafe (The Judahlicious cafe in San Francisco). Their acai bowl was amazing. However, mine turned out pretty good, as well! For this recipe, you will need raw cashews, frozen blueberries, frozen acai, dates, and filtered water.

You will need the following equipment: a good blender (such as Vitamix, Blendtec, or a similar one), and serving glasses.

I like to use raw, unsalted, soaked cashews because, after being soaked overnight, they become soft and plump and have a different taste and texture. Depending on the type of raw dried cashews, they can expand up to two times in their size after soaking. For example, for this recipe, I soaked 1 cup of dried cashews overnight, and they expanded to 2 cups. Note that the standard nutritional information such as the calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrate content, is usually provided for the dried nuts.

As for the blueberries, in this recipe, the frozen ones worked very well; I did not have to add any ice. I usually buy fresh, organic, and local blueberries that are in season and freeze them. Also, I like keeping some of the wild frozen blueberries in stock. The dates that I love to use in my recipes are the Medjool dates.

For this recipe, I used a frozen acai that was available at Trader Joe’s. Also, different acai powders or purees are available at other retailers; however, I have not tried them all in my recipes yet.

The recipe:

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained (an equivalent of 1 cup of raw, dried, unsoaked cashews)
  • 4 cups of frozen blueberries
  • 4 cups of water
  • 3 dates, pitted
  • 1 packet of frozen acai (about 100 grams)

Yield: 8 cups, Serving size – 1 cup

Method of preparation:

  • Place cashews, blueberries, acai, dates, and water into a blender
  • Blend well until smooth and creamy
  • Serve immediately or store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Before serving, decorate with your favorite nuts, seeds, herbs, or spices.

Enjoy the deliciousness!

Nataliya

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Cauliflower “Rice”

Hello!

I’m excited to share with you my version of the recipe called Cauliflower “Rice”.

This recipe is so quick to make that it became one of my staples!

I wanted to highlight the benefits of this recipe:

It is 100% grain-free and gluten-free!
It’s made with fresh vegetables and herbs – it means that your body will get lots of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals!
It is low in fat and calories and has no added oil – it means it is perfect for those who watches the calories or tries to lose weight. (You can certainly add some olive, avocado or sesame oil to it if you like; however, I encourage you to try it first and see how it tastes to you.)
It has no additives or sweeteners; however, it tastes slightly sweet and pleasantly delicious because of the natural carbohydrates present in carrots and cauliflower.
This recipe is 100% raw and uncooked; however, you can steam or cook the cauliflower (and even carrots) if this is your preference.

You will need the following ingredients:

cauliflower, carrots, onion, scallion, avocado, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar,  and optional Himalayan salt.

You will need this equipment:

a cutting board, a knife, a food processor (I used a Cuisinart), and a mixing bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower florets, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 scallion, chopped
2 Tbs parsley, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar
Optional: 1/16 tsp sea salt

Yield: 4 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

Method of preparation:

Put all ingredients (except avocado) in a food processor and pulse until the mixture combines homogenous.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add the cubes of the avocado, and mix it all well.
Test the taste and adjust as needed by adding more salt.
Serve immediately with any meal or as a snack.
Store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Download the Recipe” Cauliflower rice”

Here is a quick video on how to make this delicious recipe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctX8f-OiWqE
Let me know if you have any questions!

Enjoy!

Nataliya.

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Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad!

Happy New Year to everyone I know and don’t know yet!

Have you counted all the blessings that you have experienced in the 2018?

When I reflect on the passing 2018, I remember so many wonderful events and supportive people! Thank you all so much, you shaped my life, and I feel so grateful!

My wishes for you is to have a wonderful New 2019 Year! May it be bright, colorful, energizing, and filled with lots of smiles, laughs, support, blessings, and love!

To celebrate the transition, I prepared the raw vegan pumpkin mini-pies, carrot and orange juices, and fermented beet kvass (the recipes are coming soon). Cheers!

As always, I’m happy to hear from you – your questions, ideas, recipes, comments, etc.

See you in the 2019! 🙂

Nataliya.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJDtlsm-dlo

 

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“Burgers”! Vegan and Raw

I’m excited to finally share with you a very delicious recipe: Raw Vegan “Burgers”!

I made them for the first time around Thanksgiving holiday, and later I experimented with the recipe and tried a few different versions of it.

The bottom line: these “burgers” do not have any animal ingredients, so please do not expect that the taste and texture will be just as it usually is in an animal-based product.

However, these vegan “burgers” are still super delicious, satisfying, filling, and quite addictive in a good way (meaning that it could be difficult to stop after eating just one “burger”). The recommended serving size for this recipe is about 2 or 3 “burgers”, depending on their size, so it means you can eat more than one!

I just wanted to mentioned one more thing: some people pay attention to the color of the vegan “burger”, and, as I learned, it mostly depends on the ingredients that you use.

This recipe will have a brownish-reddish-purple color because of the beets, and if you decided to replace the beets with a green vegetable (such as celery), the color of your product will be brownish-green. As you can see on this picture, the colors are different, but the taste and texture will be similar.

What you will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • nuts, seeds, vegetables, herbs, and spices.
  • Equipment:
    • a knife, cutting board, food processor (I like Cuisinart), a large mixing bowl.

Method of preparation:

  • Process the nuts and seeds into a fine powder.
  • Process the vegetables and herbs into a smooth mass.
  • Combine the dry and wet ingredients, form patties, and assemble them into a “burger” meal.
  • The whole process takes about 15-20 minutes.

Download a full recipe here: Burgers raw and vegan

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 cups sunflower seeds
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 small beet, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 carrot, chopped (1 cup)
  • 1 small handful parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbs ground flax seeds
  • 3 Tbs nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbs dried herbs (Italian seasoning)
  • Optional: 1/16 tsp sea salt

Yield: 5 cups or 9 burgers, Serving size: 2-3 “burgers”

Method of preparation:

  1. Process spices, nuts, and seeds in a food processor into a powder and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Process all vegetables and fresh herbs in food processor into a smooth mass.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine processed dried and wet ingredients using a large spoon or your hands, until it becomes a homogenous mass (if it is too wet, add more of the dried ingredients such as extra powdered nuts or seeds). The final texture should be not too soft or too wet.
  4. Measure about 1/2 cup of the mixture to make one patty.
  5. To serve, place a patty on a lettuce or cabbage leaf, and decorate with slices of bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and parsley.
  6. Store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, freeze up to 2 weeks, or serve immediately and enjoy!

Finally, I’m including my quick video with some ideas on how to make a “burger” meal and serve it in a beautiful and delicious way. Hope you find it helpful.

The inspiration for this recipe came from the book by Baird and Rodwell (referenced below).

Bon appetit and happy holidays!

Nataliya.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi43YVpgEz0&t=6s

References:

Baird, L. & Rodwel, J. (2005). The Complete Book of Raw Food. Healthy Living Books: New York, NY

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Pomegranate Seeds

Do you like pomegranate seeds? They are available only once a year, usually around the holiday season, in November and December.

Tasting delicious and looking gorgeous, they can add beautiful decor to any dish (think about a salad, dessert, main dish, or a breakfast smoothie bowl). But this is not all – pomegranate seeds have many health benefits!

They are rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidants, anthocyanins, tannins, alkaloids, simple organic acids, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Pomegranate seeds are small but mighty inhibitors of inflammation and have anti-atherogenic and anti-hypertensive qualities (Zarfeshany, Asgary, & Javanmard, 2014; Shahindokht, 2018).

Do you know how to get the pomegranate seeds out in a fast and non-messy way? I can show you one idea; it takes slightly more than a minute to get all the seeds out from a pomegranate.

You will need the following equipment:

  • a bowl
  • a cutting board
  • a knife
  • a ladle or an oversized spoon

 

 

 

The steps:

  1. Wash the pomegranate and cut it in half (or quarters, if it is a big fruit).
  2. Put a bowl into a sink, take a piece of a pomegranate in your hand, and turn it upside down so that the seeds are facing the bowl.
  3. Start tapping on a pomegranate using a ladle, until all seeds come out into a bowl. One fruit can yield about 1/2 cup or more of the seeds.
  4. Use immediately or store the seeds in a glass jar in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  5. Add to your salads, smoothie bowls, desserts, or main dishes.

Here is a quick video that explains all the steps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEBJAc5ZuRk

If you know a better way to remove the pomegranate seeds, let us hear from you! 🙂

Enjoy!

Nataliya

 

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The Homemade Beans: Yummy!

Recently, I had to cook a batch of soybeans for a client. Yes, they were organic and non-GMO, and it took some time to find. If you are lucky to live near a Natural Food Store such as Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco or others that carry them in bulk, that’s great. Online shopping is another option; the Nuts.com, Amazon, and some farmers sell the dried beans online.

Dried soybeans.

Step 1. Soak the beans.

Before I soak the beans, I like to rinse them once. Then, in a bowl, I put 1 cup of beans and add 4 cups of cold water. Why so much water? The beans expand about 3 times from their dried size and they soak up, like a sponge, a lot of water. At this point, I add a teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to assist with the fermentation process. Then, I leave the beans on the counter overnight or for at least 8 hours. Read the recipe here.

This is how the beans look after soaking. Notice their expanded size. If you look closer, you will see the tiny sprouting tails.

Step 2. Cook the beans.

After soaking, I drain the water, rinse the beans, place them into a pot, and add about 2 cups of water. I bring them to a gentle boil and cook on the lowest temperature for about 10-15 minutes. After I turn the heat off, I let the beans sweat under the closed lid for 10-15 minutes. (The cooking time differs for different types of legumes, but in general, it takes less time to cook pre-soaked beans.)

Fully cooked soybeans. They expanded just a bit more during cooking and sweating process.

Step 3. Decide how you want to eat them.

If I plan to eat the beans on the same day, I usually drain the liquid and add the beans to salads, main dishes, soups, casseroles, or snacks. If I want to eat them a few days later, I do not drain them and keep the pot in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If I plan to freeze them (which I rarely do as they usually run out after 2 days), then I would drain them first, and them freeze in portion-size containers.

Step 4. Making soymilk.

This time, I wanted to experiment and make my own organic, non-GMO soymilk.

I soaked and cooked the beans, and let it cool. I had about 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked beans and about the same amount of cooking liquid. Then, I blended the beans and the cooking liquid in a blender. After that, I poured the mixture into a nut milk bag to separate the liquid from the solids. After squeezing the liquid out well, I got about 3 cups of delicious, silky, smooth, slightly sweet soymilk. I think it is worth trying the homemade soymilk at least once in a lifetime because the taste and the texture are amazing and way superior to the packaged soymilks from the stores. Notice that I did not add any sweeteners, salt, or other ingredients; the soymilk was amazingly delicious in its plain version and it had no beany or pasty taste. It can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, and used in smoothies or Buddha bowls.

Homemade soymilk and the bean balls.

Step 5. What to do with the soybean pulp?

The soybean pulp that remained in a nut milk bag can be used in different ways. The fastest way is to put it into a compost. However, my favorite way is to utilize it into a recipe as it is full of nutrients and fiber. This time, I mixed it with some ground flax seeds, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, and lemon juice and rolled them up into the savory bean balls (falafel-like) and served them as snacks.

Hope you found this post interesting and got some inspiration for trying new recipes. Feel free to leave any comments.

The Recipe: Homemade soy milk

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup soybeans, dried
  • 4 cups water for soaking and cooking

Yield:  1 cup cooked beans or 3 cups of soy milk

Equipment: a bowl, a pot, a nut milk bag

Preparation:

  • Place the dried beans into a bowl and add 2 cups of water.
  • Soak overnight or for 8 hours.
  • Drain soaking water, rinse the beans.
  • Place soaked beans into a pot, add 2 cups of water, bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off, and let the beans sweat under the lid for another 10-15 minutes. Let cool.
  • In a blender, blend the beans together with a cooking liquid until smooth.
  • Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag and squeeze as much liquid out as you can. This is the soy milk.
  • Pour the soy milk in a cup and enjoy the pure deliciousness!
  • Pour the rest of it into a glass jar and store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Remove the pulp from the nut milk bag and either compost it or include it in other recipes. You can mix it with some ground flax seeds, spices, and salt and make the bean balls.

Cheers to healthy and fun eating!

Nataliya.

 

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Tomato Celery Cucumber Juice

It is the end of summer and I like to celebrate it with vegetable juice prepared from some local and seasonal produce.

My favorite is a homemade version of V-8 juice. The original V-8 recipe calls for eight vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, spinach, and watercress.

However, I found that if I only have three ingredients, it still tastes pretty yummy.

For this Tomato Celery Cucumber Juice recipe, I like to juice tomato, celery, and cucumber, in any proportion, depending on what I have. The taste of this juice is sweet and salty and can satisfy the salty cravings in a very nutritious way.

To make an easy homemade version of V-8 juice, you will need these ingredients:

  • Tomatoes, 8-10, average size
  • Cucumber, 1 large, or 2 small
  • Celery, 2 stalks

Preparation

Wash and scrub the vegetables. Depending on your juicer, you may need to cut them in halves or quarters. Put the vegetables in the juicer. Enjoy immediately or store in a refrigerator for up to 12 hours to preserve the maximum nutrition.

Here is a quick video on how to make this juice.

To your health,

Nataliya

Reference:

Campbell’s. (2018). V-8 vegetable juice. Retrieved from https://www.campbells.com/v8/vegetable-juice/v8-vegetable-juice/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiJncBRC1ARIsAOvG-a5wF6jqgUboThqErspcWGGcFK8tUE-FmjSz-EGGVAd2690ad0Le10QaAoiFEALw_wcB

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No-Grain “Cereal”

Hello!

How many of you love to enjoy a bowl of cereal for breakfast? Surely, it is a very comforting meal.

Some of my clients as well as myself have sensitivities to the processed grains and added sugars. What to do? What to eat?

Today, I would like to share with you an easy no-grain “cereal” (or muesli) recipe that has no grains! Yay!  Best of all, it is free from added sugars, gluten, and any processed ingredients.

This “cereal” is delicious, pleasantly sweet, and has a creamy-crunchy texture that many of us love. It can be served for breakfast, or as a snack or dessert.

For this   No Grain “Cereal”  you will need:

  • 1 ripe banana, frozen or fresh
  • 1 cup of fresh seasonal fruit, cut in small chunks
  • 1/4 cup of fresh berries
  • 2 dates, pitted
  • 3 Tbs nuts
  • 3 Tbs seeds
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 cup of water

 

 

Watch this quick video on how to assemble this recipe:

The recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana, frozen or fresh
  • 1 cup of fresh seasonal fruit, cut in small chunks
  • 1/4 cup of fresh berries
  • 2 dates, pitted and chopped
  • 3 Tbs raw nuts, chopped
  • 3 Tbs raw seeds, chopped
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 cup of water

Yield: 2 ½ – 3 cups, Serving size: 1 cup

Equipment: Cutting board, knife, blender, serving bowl

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Method:

  • Put sliced fresh fruit and berries into a bowl.
  • Blend 1 banana with water, cinnamon, and dates until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour the mixture over the fruit and berries.
  • Top with nuts and seeds, and gently mix together.
  • Enjoy for breakfast or as a snack or dessert.

Keep in a refrigerator for up to 2 days

Recipe variations:

  • You can use such fruits as apple, pear, nectarine, or figs
  • Any type of fresh berries can be used
  • Any type of nuts or seeds can work in this recipe
  • You can use plain coconut milk instead of water

Let us know if you have any questions!

The inspiration for this recipe came from Fully Raw Christina blog at https://www.fullyraw.com/ and Cafe Gratitude https://cafegratitude.com/

Enjoy and Bon appetite 🙂

Nataliya.

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Basic Chia Pudding

Hello,

I want to share another very simple and delicious meal with you. The basic  Chia Pudding is made with only three ingredients, and it still tastes pretty amazing.

It is my favorite choice for breakfast and for a midday snack. If you are still eating cereals or granola for breakfast, give this recipe a try and you might like it even more.

This recipe tastes best when it is made 2-3 hours in advance or overnight. The reason is that the chia seeds need some time to absorb the liquid, become softer, and develop a pudding-like consistency.

If you are in a rush and want to make a chia pudding and eat it right away, you may first need to grind the chia seeds into a fine powder in a dry blender or coffee maker and then use it for this recipe.

The best thing about this recipe (at least, for me) is that it doesn’t need cooking :). Also, this recipe can work with a variety of diets (vegan, vegetarian, Paleolithic, Mediterranean, and, probably, many others).

You will need:

  • 1 cup of coconut or almond milk ( I prefer the unsweetened, raw, and homemade versions)
  • 4 tsp of chia seeds, whole
  • 1/4 cup of fresh berries of your choice (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Yield: 1 and 1/4 cup

Preparation:

Pour almond or coconut milk into a bowl. Mix in the chia seeds and cinnamon. Add berries. Mix everything gently and let sit for at least for 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Enjoy for breakfast or as a midday snack.

You can view the preparation steps in this short video:

Thank you for viewing and/or trying this recipe!

Enjoy 🙂

The inspiration for this recipe came from the Medical Medium’s blog.

Nataliya.

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Easy Quinoa Salad

Hello everybody,

I feel inspired to share with you an easy quinoa salad that I have been recently making. It tastes delicious and satisfying and takes under 30 minutes to make.

Quinoa is a gluten-free seed, and, according to Filho et al. (2017),  it has all essential amino acids. The vegetables and spices provide minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, and fiber.

You will need the following equipment:

A mixing bowl, a spoon, a knife, and a cutting board.

You will need the following ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup cooked quinoa (I used multi-colored quinoa)
  • 1/3 cup raw shredded or julienned carrots
  • 1/3 cup raw shredded or julienned cucumbers
  • 1/3 cup cut broccoli florets (raw or steamed)
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar, diluted with 2 Tbs filtered water
  • 1/4 tsp curry powder
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Yield: 2 cups, Serving size: 1 cup

To assemble the salad, mix all the ingredients together.

As an option, you can add other sources of protein such as tempeh, nuts, or seeds. This salad may also work as a pleasant side dish that can complement many different dishes.

Recipe variations:

  • Add different fresh or dried herbs (mint, rosemary, dill, cilantro)
  • Add different seeds (flax, sesame, sunflower)

Here is a quick video on how to assemble it:

Thank you for visiting and happy eating!

Let us know if you have any questions!

Nataliya

References:

Filho, A. M. M.,  Pirozi, M. R., Borges, J. T., Pinheiro Sant’Ana, H. M.,  Chaves, J. B. P.,  &  Coimbra, J. S. (2017) Quinoa: Nutritional, functional, and antinutritional aspects. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition,57(8), 1618-1630, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2014.1001811