My Big Fat Raw Experiment

Starting June 1st, I am going on a journey and I'd love to take you along with me. For 10 weeks, a posse of guinea piglets and I will be focusing on cleansing and weight loss. This is all in an effort to obtain research for a book that I am writing this summer on Raw Food, Weight Loss, and Cleansing. I've been blown away with how many people have written to me, wanting to come along for the ride!

I decided to start an internet site so that I can offer daily contact to all my wee little piggies in the program. Some need to lose 10 pounds and other need to drop well over 100 pounds. I love the diversity within the group and it should make for a great experiment.

During this 10 weeks our diet will consist of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, healthy fats, seeds, sprouts, herbal teas and good pure water. Kombucha is fine too. The more raw, the better. We'll also be incorporating healthy movement into our days by walking, rebounding and/or yoga stretching. Whatever your ability level is where you should start.

If you would like to come on board the Weight Loss Train, it will be leaving the station this coming Monday, June 1st!

JUNE 1st UPDATE: DUE TO SUCH OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, I CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT ANY ADDITIONAL GUINEA PIGS :- ( HOWEVER - IF YOU'D LIKE TO WATCH MY DAILY VIDEOS FOR THE EXPERIMENT ON YOUTUBE, PLEASE CHECK MY PAGE THERE.

The Kirstie Alley of Raw

Today I spill my secret to weight gain. Yes, you read that right, as promised last week in my interview with Matt Monarch, there has been a secret to my recent weight gain! I'm already sensing the excitement building as I prepare to embark on this literary and physically transformational adventure. I'm looking forward to sharing details with you over the upcoming weeks. I also think it's ironic that this blog came out on the internet this morning. Move over Oprah & Kirstie, there's a new fatty in town! Let me show you what the raw food diet can do!

Someone You Should Know - Olivia

Thanks to Dhrumil of We Like It Raw and Philip from Loving Raw for turning me on to this young REAL FOOD rockstar. Nine-year-old Olivia is a cancer survivor and she is on a mission to find out, What is Real Food? She takes us to the Farmer's Market and to her school. The video has been entered in a "Real Food is" video contest for the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. It's all about getting fresh, locally-grown food into schools.

Learn more at farmtoschool.org

Matt Monarch Interview - Part 2 & 3

Today I'm posting the very entertaining parts 2 & 3 of Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes hanging with Real Food Tulsa:

Matt Monarch Interviews Penni - Part 1

Last evening Real Food Tulsa welcomed Mr. Matt Monarch and Miss Angela Stokes to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a very special event. We had a really nice turn out and everyone completely enjoyed hearing from these two dynamic figures of the raw food movement. Earlier in the evening, Matt sat down with me to do an episode of his popular television show, The Raw Food World. I wanted to share with you a few segments from our visit together, which I will post as a 3 part entry. I hope you enjoy our (very) candid interview. Matt will also have a video from their visit to Tulsa on his site.


Matt & Angela own and manage the Raw Food World. In my opinion, they have one of the most amazing selections of raw food and related products on the internet. I encourage you to take the time to visit Matt & Angela and peruse their impressive selection of superior quality merchandise.
See you tomorrow for Part 2 of Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes while they were living on Tulsa Time!

Eat Your Weeds!

For years I've been pulling this annoying weed from my flower beds and garden. Little did I realize that Lambsquarters is not just a common weed, but that it's a delicious and highly nutritious green vegetable that can and should be enjoyed.

I first heard of lambsquarters when I read Victoria Boutenko's book, Green For Life. In this book she shares that wild edible greens, specifically lambsquarters, are some of THE most nutrient dense and essential food for human consumption. Lambsquarters is a close cousin to spinach, but far, far more nutritious. It has a mild, green flavor like our domestic greens. In fact it is a relative of Swiss chard, beets and a few exotic garden greens like orach, all in the Chenopodium family. The only other wild edibles that are also nutritional power houses are dandelion, watercress, and stinging nettles.

This best kept secret grows all over America in many different habitats from rich farm soils to barren stretches of desert terrain. It often grows in disturbed soils, close to humans rather than in remote places. It is very likely that you have some growing in your own yard or garden right now. It is also most likely that you've been weeding this one out every year, just like me.Lambsquarters not only grows nearly everywhere but it has a very long edible season. It's at its best around June, being a late spring arrival, and its young, tender leaves will be available for the rest of the growing season. And best of all, it's free for the picking! It's the perfect food for all you freegan-vegan-localvores!

Harvesting: As with any other wild plant, make sure that what you are picking is in fact edible. When in doubt, don't eat it! Also, be sure that your weeds have not been sprayed with any chemical compounds or that they haven't been growing near a busy highway. Even though I know the lambsquarter that has been growing in my yard is safe, I still like to wash the leaves because they tend to have a powdery white substance on them that I don't care for. Once washed, spread the leaves out on dry paper towels, pat dry and store in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator if you're not going to use them immediately.

Lambsquarters can be used as a replacement for spinach in any recipe. It has endless versatility and can be incorporated into green smoothies, juices, dips, dressings, sauces, salads, soups and main courses. Of course you need not tell your family or friends that you are serving them a platter of weeds for dinner! See the nutritional profile of lambsquarters here. Here are a few recipes that I look forward to making this weekend:

Lambsquarter Pesto
2 cups (packed) fresh lambsquarters leaves
2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 T fresh garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup pine nuts (or less)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Put the greens into a food processor fited with the S-blade and pulse repeatedly until both are well chopped. Add garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and nutritional yeast and blend until the nuts are finely chopped and mixture is well combined. With the lid on and processor running, drizzle olive oil in through the feeder tube until mixture is the consistency you prefer.

Lambsquarters & Kiwi Smoothie
4 very ripe kiwis
2 cups lambsquarters
1 frozen banana
2 cups water

Place all ingredients into a blender on high speed until smooth.

Lambsquarters Greek Salad
2 cups Lambsquarters greens
2 Cucumbers, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely sliced
1/3 cup raw olives

2 teaspoons fresh oregano
(Try to use tender, young leaves for this salad)

Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh herbs of choice (ex: dill, parsley, oregano)
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Blend the dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Coat salad just before serving

You've Got 48 Hours!

I know there are still plenty of you out there reading this who haven't subscribed to the new RawFu Magazine yet. I know, I know...you've been hearing me go on and on about it. Pardon me while I toot my own horn, but I AM the Food Editor, AND you must know that I'm writing my little heart out and working my wee fingers to the bone to help make this the best natural health magazine in the world! And surely by now, you have seen that we have some amazing photography (eye candy), as well. But still, I haven't been able to twist your arm to subscribe?

Just this afternoon, Bunny Berry gave away a brand new Blendtec Total Blender to one lucky RawFu subscriber. The blender is amazing and it's list price is $599! The good news is that we have 2 more of those bad boys just waiting to be given away. If you subscribe now, you'll be entered in the next two drawings, one in June and July!

Believe me when I tell you that there are so many great articles in this upcoming June issue, with LOTS of pretty food pics and amazing recipes to tantalize your palate! We have a number of new contributors that have written some very intriguing articles on subjects that you might not expect. But I don't want to give away too much ;- )

RawFu is the ONLY monthly magazine available in the world that promotes a positive living foods experience. Is it just me, or is that impressive? For the next 48 hours Bunny has agreed to open up our online magazine so that non-subscribers can get a taste of what we are doing. Below is a link to our premiere issue, May 2009 and I hope you will enjoy taking a peek at what has been keeping me so busy lately:

Go to: http://www.rawfu.com/index.php/may2009_online
Username: May09
Password: magazine

After 48 hours this link will expire, so go check it out ASAP. I hope you will read it in it's entirety and then subscribe here.

My personal goal is to get RawFu into every Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and every other healthy, organic friendly market in the country. With your help and your subscription, we can make that dream/goal a reality! I love you people!

Real Salt

In the current issue of RawFu Magazine, I wrote an article called Salt of the Earth. In the piece I discuss the difference in regular ionized table salt and the delicate, healthful nuances of highly mineralized sea salts from around the world. I hope you have been able to subscribe to the magazine, so you can read and enjoy the complete article.
We are very fortunate to have a very impressive salt bar here in Tulsa. Allen's Gourmet Grocery offers Tulsans the best selection of artisan sea salts from around the world. Their salt bar features salts from the shores and lake beds fo Italy, Hawaii, Australia and France, as well as some fabulous smoked salts from the Pacific Northwest and a to-die for porcini-infused sea salt from Italy.
My current favorite is a Barrique Chardonney Smoked Salt that I use in a mouthwatering raw tomato soup. When you are maintaining a high raw food diet, these specialty salts can really bring a new level of flavor to your recipes.
If you are outside of Tulsa, I recommend the fine gourmet selection of specialty salts from At The Meadow in Portland, Oregon.

Ocho De Mayo

Oops! I dropped the ball on the follow up of my Cinco De Mayo post, I'm back today to share a few more Mexican themed favorites.

Raw Beans
They really are good for your heart '- )

1 cup lentils, sprouted (I use red)
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne

Pulse the lentils and walnuts in a food processor until ground to the consistency of beans. Place the mixture into a medium bowl and add the other ingredients until well combined.

You can crumble this mixture out on a teflex sheet and dehydrate until warm and crispy or simply serve them as is.

I serve my Mexican Fiesta platter like a taco salad. I start with my jalapeno corn chips, adding the taco meat and topping with shredded leaf lettuce, avocado and an ample drizzling of homemade fresh salsa.

Summer Garden Salsa
1 pint of golden pear or cherry tomatoes, diced
2 roma or small red heirloom tomatoes, diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
3 limes, juiced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp each of sea salt & pepper

If you don't care for chopping and dicing, just place all ingredients into your food processor and pulse until you achieve the desired consistency. Let sit at room temperature, covered, for one hour before serving.
No Mexican meal is really complete without something to quench your thirst. This is a refreshing virgin drink I created for my book, Real Juice Daily. Mary goes green with a healthy twist to the classic Bloody Mary. This chartreuse cocktail features tomatillo juice instead of tomato juice and gets a south of the border kick with an addition of habanero chile, cilantro and a spicy radish for garnish.

Aqua Verde
1 lb. tomatillos, husked rinsed
pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 fresh habenero chile
8 oz. original kombucha
4 dashes of Nama Shoyu
ice cubes
4 fresh sprigs cilantro
4 radishes, washed, trimmed and cut in half

Juice tomatillos in a juicer, mixing in sea salt and agave nectar. Pour over the habanero and garlic; let stand for about a minute and then discard the garlic and chile. Stir the kombucha and Nama Shoyu into the tomatillo mixture. Pour mixture over ice garnish each with a sprig of cilantro and a radish half or two.

Memories of Cinco De Mayo's Past

During last year's Cinco De Mayo celebration, I was in the midst of a juice feast, unable to enter into the fullness of the cultural cuisine scene that I've always loved so much. Although I'm a very pale complected redhead, there must be something south of the border flowing through my veins. Even though I was juicing, I tried my luck at creating some juicy combinations that satisfied my palate for spice and you can find them here. But honestly, as good as the juices were, they weren't as fulfilling as a real MEAL of seriously good Mexican food.

Since I've been pursuing a high raw food diet, I've tried tried many dishes that remind me of my love for Mexican cuisine. Cinco De Mayo is a perfect time to share a few of these recipes with you.

If you're going to be seriously raw, then you'll likely need to find a substitute for tortilla chips. When I went raw, I knew that I would fail miserably if I couldn't eat my chips, guac and salsa. I was so happy to find a savory and satisfying raw recipe which I've shared on a previous blog.

When I was in San Francisco years ago, I went to a new, highly rated, nationally reviewed Mexican restaurant near the wharf. Once we were finally seated, this elegant but trendy hot spot did not disappoint. Somehow I was able to convince our wait person to have the chef write down what was in the guacamole, as it was the absolute best I'd ever tasted. He wouldn't share the amounts, but here's what was in it (I still have the original copy in my recipe book!) So simple and sooooo delicious:

Fresh Avocados
Cilantro
Serrano Chiles
Diced Tomatoes
Lime juice
Res Onions
Sea Salt

other Cinco De Mayo favorite from days past is when I was seeing Kyle Young, a dashingly hip gent who is now the director of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. Although the long distance relationship didn't last, his Bobby Flay recipe for Cinco De Mayo salsa has remained a very special food memory for me:

Mango Tomatilla Salsa
courtesy of Bobby Flay's Bold American Food

1 large mango, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 med. tomatillos, husked and chopped
2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion
1 Tbsp. minced jalapeno
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilatro
1 Tbsp. raw honey
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

I also have the most amazing raw "refried bean" recipe, but my husband is tapping his foot, waiting for me to log off and go celebrate. I'll be sure to finish my Cinco De Mayo post tomorrow with another recipe or two to tantalize your palate!