Garden Lasagna

Garden Lasagna
I want to thank gliving.tv for this recipe by Chad Sarno.
(Pine Nut Ricotta, Olive Relish, Wild Mushroom, Sweet Pepper Coulis)
Serves 6-8

For the Lasagna:
3-4 round zucchini sliced into thin rounds, or long zucchini sliced thin in strips
4-6 black plum tomatoes, or roma, sliced in thin rounds
1 cup sliced mushrooms (portabella, chanterelle,
baby oyster), toss with 2 T shoyu and 2 T olive oil
1 cup Pine nut Ricotta (see recipe)
1/2 cup seeded and tomatoes tossed with T olive oil
1 cup olive relish (see recipe)
½ cup smoked red pepper puree (see recipe)
½ cup smoked yellow pepper puree (see recipe)
Course sea salt, smoked (for garnish on each plate)

To assemble:
Layer individual ‘lasagnas’ right before serving, by layering in the following order:
Sliced zucchini, ricotta, sliced tomato, marinated mushrooms, zucchini, olive relish, sliced tomato, finish the top layer with a small spoonful of ricotta. Garnish plate with pepper puree and diced tomatoes.

For the Pine Nut Ricotta:
1 cup cashews soaked 10-12 hours
1 cup pine nuts
2 TB flax or olive oil
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB Sea Salt
1 clove garlic
3 TB water
2 TB fresh chives minced
2 TB sage, or oregano minced

Step 1: In food processor, process all ingredients except the chives and sage until smooth.
Step 2: Hand-mix in the minced chives and sage. Serve as a layer in lasagna, or top crostini with this as a spread.

For the Fresh Olive Relish:
2 cup Sicilian green olives pitted and course chopped
2 cups kalamata olives pitted and course chopped
2 cloves of garlic fine minced
2 TB tarragon fine chopped
2 TB black truffle oil
For best consistency, course chop all ingredients by hand. Finish by drizzling truffle oil, tossing mixture well.
Serve as layer with lasagna, or with leftovers serve with crostini, or chips.

For the Sweet Pepper Puree:
1 cup fresh sweet peppers seeded and chopped
2 TB olive oil
1 TB lemon juice
1 tsp. smoked salt
In high speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth, put through fine strainer for optimum consistency.

"There's a very positive relationship between people's ability to accomplish any task and the time they're willing to spend on it." - Joyce Brothers

Celebrate Life,
Alma

Something to look forward to

I am very excited because in two weeks I am going to Maine for a 5-day certification class on raw foods. This class will give me the knowledge and training to become a raw food chef and trainer. I will be able to teach others how to start and stay on a raw food diet. Not only will I learn food preparation, and more nutrition but I will also learn the mental and emotional aspects of a raw food diet. For example, how to deal with friends and family while on raw foods or traveling while raw. So far there is someone attending the class from Japan, Switzerland, Jamaica, Hawaii, California, Washington State, Upstate New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona and Ottawa, Canada. This should be a great experience and I cannot wait.

"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you" - Wayne Dyer

Celebrate Life,

Alma

What brought you where you are today with Raw Foods?

Someone today asked how I found out about raw foods and what brought me to where I am today. This was my answer. I found this way of living because I became a victim of life. I must say that now I make life happen and I am no longer a victim. About 3 years (1/20/5) I had an operation to remove a mass on the upper lobe of my right lung. It was diagnosed as cancer AND I was also diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. After the struggles of chemotherapy I went back to work and won an iPod. I found out about podcasts and the only subject that has always interested me was food. I started listening to vegan podcasts and then found one on raw foods. I became vegetarian in April of 2006 and started on my raw journey at the end of August 2007. I found Alissa Cohen’s web site and bought her book and DVD and I was on my way. I had felt a lot better being vegetarian but I made great strides becoming raw. If you read my profile or a few posts in this blog you will see the big changes that have occurred since I have gone raw.

"To guarantee success, act as if it were impossible to fail." - Dorothea Brande

Celebrate Life,

Alma

An apple a day...

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs, odors and bacteria. Hippocrates found and treated his patients with undistilled ACV. It is know as a powerful cleansing and healing elixir. Everyone was uninformed of the powerful health qualities of ACV.
And it was soon taken over by clear, pasteurized, refined and distilled vinegars. The reason for this is that consumers demanded a clear look. They did not find the brownish color and the "mother" floating as unappealing.
"Apples are a rich source of potassium, which is to the soft tissues of the body as calcium is to the bones and harder tissues. Potassium is the mineral of youthfulness; it is the "artery softener," keeping the arteries of the body flexible and resilient. It is a fighter of dangerous bacteria and viruses." This is quoted from Apple Cider Vinegar Miracle Health System by Paul and Patricia Bragg. You can purchase this book under "My Favorite Books" on the right hand column of this blog.

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

Celebrate Life,
Alma

More on Wheatgrass

I have been drinking two to three shots of wheatgrass for 3 weeks now. I love it and I just finished reading Steve Meyerowitz’s Wheatgrass, Nature’s Finest Medicine. Yes another book on wheatgrass. I have to get other people’s opinions. Steve does give Ann Wigmore credit for starting the wheatgrass craze. Steve claims that cuts, bruises, rashes, burns and bangs are best treated by making a bandage from cloth dipped in wheatgrass juice. You can also use the grass pulp and put it under a bandage. Chlorophyll has been to increase the rate of healing wounds by 25%. Chlorophyll reduces swellings, takes the sting out of burns and is an anesthetic that soothes the pain and eases the shock of an accident.

Wheatgrass is not a cure all potion it is a healing food. It is probably the finest healing food but it takes time to heal, time to get your health to an optimum level so please give wheatgrass time to work on you.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." - Helen Keller

Celebrate Life,

Alma

Raw food recipe of the week

This recipe comes from thedailyrawcafe.com. This recipe was so good that I had to post it for all my raw foodie followers.

Raw Fruitcake serves 4-6

Dried Fruit

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup dried pineapples, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup golden raisins

Cake

4 cups walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup dates

In a large bowl, whisk agave nectar and water together. Add all of dried fruit into bowl. Let set for one-two hours or until the fruit softens.In a food processor, combine walnuts, seasonings and sea salt. Add dates and continue to mix until you achieve a sticky dough.Transfer the walnut dough to a large bowl. Fold in the soaked fruit until distributed throughout the dough.Shape the fruitcake in a 5-inch round.

"Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person we become." - Jim Rohn

Celebrate Life,

Alma

Answering comments on Raw Foods

Hello,
This is one of the comments that was recently left on my blog. This was sent in by vasilisa. Please check out her blog. She has great healthy recipes. Anyway the comment: What kind of dehydrator do you have? I've been thinking about getting one, but haven't decided if it's necessary yet...What's nuplus?I'm thinking about incorporating coconuts into our diet, but they just seem a bit too sweet at this point. PS: my blender just arrived! A Vita Mix! I'm so excited! Any good ideas for yummy green smoothie?

I do have a small traditional dehydrator but not one where I can make fruit leathers or breads, crackers or meals but I know exactly which one I am going to get. I am getting the Excalibur 9 tray that you can purchase at my link above for Amazon. It is not necessary to get one but there are times when I would like to make certain desserts or dishes that I am not able to because an oven cannot do what a dehydrator does. So in time when you want a variety of dishes you may want to consider a dehydrator.

Nuplus is a balanced herbal formula based on the Chinese tradition that serves as a foundation on which to build a healthy diet and to fill in nutritional gaps. I can give you more information if you would like.

Vitamix - a blender with a car motor. :)
I love
spinach and mango smoothies
2 to 3 big handsful of spinach
1 mango
(Actually any greens with mango are good.)

I also love
celery and apple juice
1 large stalk of celery
2 apples
1 cup of water
blend

I definately recommend Victoria Boutenko's Green for Life book for green smoothie recipes. It is my favorite green smoothie book. It was my inspiration for drinking them too. (Save 12% by clicking on the link above.)

Raw nutrients of the day:
1 oz wheatgrass
16 oz green smoothie
8 oz herbal tea
kale hemp seed salad
8 oz herbal tea
1/2 slice cheesecake
1 sunbar
1 nuplus
1 quinary
1 vitadolphilis
32 oz apple-celery juice
2 bananas

"If one advances confidently in the direction ofhis dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - H.D. Thoreau

Celebrate Life,
Alma

What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Someone recently asked me what Pulmonary Fibrois was. I sat down and wrote out my understanding of this disease and this is what I wrote. Pulmonary fibrosis is the stiffening of lung tissue. In the classic cases of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) the lung tissue usually forms into honeycombs at the edges. I do not have the honeycombing. When you look at the film of a cat scan of my lungs they show spots that look sort of like cotton candy. Almost like what a freezer burn looks like on meat.

The effect this disease has on my body is that I cannot supply enough oxygen when I exert myself. So if I were to walk at my normal speed, let’s say 100 yards, I would probably need my oxygen, because my body could not product enough oxygen for my efforts. If I do not have my oxygen on and I exert myself I will cough until my blood oxygen level goes back to normal. I am told that I am at the acute stages of this disease and that my body recovers from the lack of oxygenvery fast. Given perfect weather, I could probably take this walk without any problems and I would be fine but those days are few throughout the year. Another effect of PF is a lot of mucous production in the lungs. This is one of the reasons why I started watching what I ate. I know that many foods produce mucous like dairy products.

I basically do everything I used to just perhaps a bit slower. I actually started exercising more and watching what I ate after surving lung cancer and finding out about my PF. So in many ways I have better health and fitness now than before. Changing my diet and becoming vegetarian has helped me out tremendously. Before the dietary changes I would need my O2 to go to the restroom, the mailroom or cafeteria at work. Now I really do not use the O2 at work unless it is an extremely humid day. I also need oxygen if I have to carry anything over a couple of pounds. Now after going raw my health has gone up to another level. I am now able to run under the ball at volleyball and I even jogged ½ mile out on the street last month. That is what the ticker on my blog signifies.

Trust me I have gone through a lot of turmoil over my PF. This past summer I learned to embrace this disease after years of anger and madness. Now I say, given pulmonary fibrosis what is possible. I learned to trust my lungs and relax my shoulders. I do not guard my lungs like I used to. I could actually touch inbetween my arm socket and chest and feel sore. I did not know what it was until I was told that I was holding my shoulders rigid in order to protect my lungs. This was stopping me from deep breathing because I used to guard myself from coughing. Now I can breath down into my stomach. I guess I could go on and on huh? Anyway overcoming this has become my total focus.

"There's only one way to succeed in anythingand that is to give everything." - Vince Lombardi

Celebrate Life,

Alma

A higly functional human being

I went to the doctor's office and my test results were favorable. I had pulmonary function tests got better than 6 months ago when the numbers had declined some and then we compared the numbers to my first test in August of 05 and the numbers were pretty much the same. So my disease has been stable for over 2.5 years. I do not want to seem ungrateful but I can say that I was not thrilled with the results. I want improvement and I want it now. Or should I say I want drastic improvements and I want them now. I did improve back to my baseline of 8/05. I go again in 6 months so we will see. I know that 3.5 months of raw foods is not going to turn back time so quickly. I will focus on some progress for June's 2008 tests.

When I told my doctor that at times I feel like I am not doing enough for my health he said he thinks that I do. He said that there are many patients that have the same results as I have in their pulmonary tests that do not do anything. He says you are a highly functional human being and you are doing everything you can. He just gets a big smile when I tell him I play volleyball 3 times a week. I have to practice more compassion for myself.

Nutrients of the day:
1 oz wheatgrass
1 oz E3Live algae
6 oz fresh squeezed OJ 1 sunbar
8 oz herbal tea
16 oz vegetable soup
1/4 sandwich with Life Force Rye Bread (yummy) and raw turkey salad
8 oz herbal tea
1 nuplus
1/2 slice raw cheesecake
8 oz herbal tea
1 oz E3Live
20 oz green smoothie with sprouts, coconut water, kale, blueberries, banana
32 oz apple-celery juice with Evergreen and Electrosport
7 slices of Yacun fruit
2 oz wheatgrass

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -Ghandi

Celebrate Life,
Alma

New Raw Food Recipes

Today I tried a few new recipes. Two are from Alissa Cohen's book and two I created. I created my version of macaroon after making coconut milk from old coconuts (not young Thai coconuts). I had bought 2 coconuts but the flesh on these is hard not like the young ones where the flesh is just forming and it is very soft. There was so much fiber in the coconut milk that I decided to take it out so I could drink the coconut milk on its own. Well when I saw the fiber I thought of a macaroon. So I added some honey and I was going to roll it up into a ball and dehydrate it. Well it really did not have much texture. So I took some more coconut and grated it. I added this to my mixture and then formed them into a ball and dehydrated them. Now they had texture and tasted pretty good. They are not done yet but I will let you know how they come out. I can say right now that 2 of the 6 broke apart as I turned them over in the dehydrator.
I also made a banana-mango pie and carob covered bananas with coconuts and nuts.

Raw nutrients of the day:
1 oz wheatgrass
32 oz apple-celery juice
1 evergreen
1 oz E3Live algae
1 raw revolution organic live food bar-chocolate & coconut
1 pt vegetable soup
1/2 spirulina energy bar
8 oz cafix
1 garlic-flax cracker
3 raweo cookies
8 oz herbal tea
1 oz wheatgrass
1 tsp bee pollen
2 oz E3Live algae
20 oz green smoothie with sprouts
2 bags nuplus
2 sunbars
1 oz wheatgrass

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Celebrate Life,
Alma

Wheatgrass - green, green, green

I was able to buy a flat of wheatgrass at a local health food store. I have a hand crank wheatgrass juicer and I have been doing 3-1 oz shots of wheatgrass daily for over a week. I actually bought another flat of wheatgrass yesterday. I am on a chlorophyll kick! This was my next phase of raw foods. For me, I seem to get into something and then go deeper and deeper into it. For example, I started the vegetarian journey and then went vegan almost overnight. I then started incorporating green smoothies. After a while I decided to go into raw foods. As I read and educated myself more in this field I apply my learning’s. Now I am doing wheatgrass for it’s many benefits. The main benefit is chlorophyll because this helps build red blood cells, which in turn will brings more oxygen into my body. This will definitely help me attain my goal of reversing my pulmonary fibrosis and the use of oxygen at exertion. I believe my next phase in this diet will be to start going my own sprouts. I have started incorporating sprouts into my green smoothies daily. I have to read a couple of books on sprouting and be on my merry way.

Raw nutrients of the day:
1 oz wheatgrass
12 oz apple-celery juice
16 oz smoothie - kale, romaine lettuce, blueberries, bananas and snow pea shoots
8 oz carrot juice
4 oz kale and romaine lettuce juice
1/2 oz hunza dried pomegratnates
1 quinary
1 vitashake
7 olives
1 sunbar
1 oz wheatgrass
1 banana
1 quinary 1 vitashake

"You can't cross a sea by merely staring into the water." - Rabindranath Tagore

Celebrate Life,
Alma

You've come a long way baby...

I was really looking at the foods I ate the other day and I just grinned. My thoughts were along the lines of how far I have come. I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am proud of the person I have become and the lifestyle I have chosen. I do not think I would have been able to make those statements 3 years ago but the fact is that I can say them now. Years ago I did go through a craze for fast food but that was not what my diet was about. I had my basic standard American diet with a starch and protein and a vegetable at lunch and dinner with a diet soda. I ate deserts and had a breakfast of coffee with a bagel. Coffee with a sugar substitute as a snack and an appetite suppressor, or so I thought. Now I look at these foods like simple carbs (starch), dead animal meat (protein), acid forming drinks (coffee and diet soda), blood glue (bagel) and powdered carcinogen (sugar substitute).

Accomplishment of the week:

This past Thursday we only had 8 women show up for volleyball. In the past I attempted to play with 4 women on one side but I would get home and basically pass out and be non functioning the next day. It would take me 36 to 48 hours to get back to normal. Many times when we play I will always be on the side with the extra person because of the strain that it puts on my lungs, heart and body. I actually declined playing a few months ago because there would only be 4 players on my side. Well I realized this past Friday that I had played for 2 hours with 4 women on my side. I came home bathed, watched Survivor and went to bed after 11PM. I woke up Friday and everything was normal. I did not realize this accomplishment until I was speaking with my mom. I was so shocked that I could not talk. I really could not make a sentence when I realized how great I felt only 16 hours later. I am grateful for this and for raw foods. I know that my this lifestyle has helped me tremendously and I am going to continue to THRIVE.

Raw nutrients of the day:
1 oz wheatgrass
16 oz green smoothie
8oz fresh squeezed OJ with sprouts
1 oz E3Live algae
8 oz chocolate pudding
1 oz wheatgrass few pieces of mango
1 banana
1 sweet potato
1 carob coated banana with coconut and nuts
1 slice mango-banana pie
8 oz herbal tea
2 bags nuplus
1 oz wheatgrass

"There's only one way to succeed in anything and that is to give everything." - Vince Lombardi

Celebrate Life,
Alma