Wendi Dee Does Tulsa

Wendi Dee was the guest speaker at Real Food Tulsa & Raw Food Rehab's 1st social event on March 27th, 2010. (I did capture a bit of it, and you can check out my YouTube channel to see more ) This footage was taken after our big event in her hotel room. In this one-on-one interview, Wendi shares the powerful details of her 100+ pound weight loss and healing journey through a diet of raw & living foods. Enjoy!

Wendi Dee, Me & 105degrees!

This past Friday I traveled to Oklahoma City to meet up with Wendi Dee and her daughter Kat at 105degrees. This was the day that the graduating students of the Level 1 Culinary program were putting their final tasting menus together. In the above video, I was interviewing the students and sharing with you the incredible dishes they made for us. In the order of which they appear, meet: Austin Cummins, Aimee Duffresne, Andrea Conneely and Vicki Morrisey (they can all be found on Facebook : )

In the above video I was also able to chat with two of the graduating Level 2 chef's; Alissa (punkrawklabs.net), Helen Castillo (therawpalate.com), the extraordinary Russell James (therawchef.com) and Don Cashion (105's sous chef).

A bit more about Russell, new Culinary Instructor of 105degrees:

(taken from 105degrees.com)

Russell James has joined 105degrees as guest Instructor In Residence from the UK, where he is known as The Raw Chef.

Russell first got interested in raw foods when on a 7 day cleansing fast in Koh Samui, Thailand. He was there on a quest to clear his skin of spots he'd developed after years of working in a fast food restaurant.

In his own words, "I'd had years of taking anti-biotics and topical creams that make my skin itchy and sting, plus more severe drugs that were desinged to completely dry up my skin, which also came with other side-effects such as depression, anxiety and liver damage."

"I knew poor eating habits had been responsible for my skin problem so I instinctively knew that good nutrition and caring for my body would help."

"I went on the 7 day fast, cleared up my skin, and found out about raw food whilst I was there. I just knew I wanted to be a raw chef as soon as I heard about it."

Russell has gone about setting up a successful business in the UK as a chef, running raw food classes, offering catering and personal chef services, while at the same time attracting attention from the mainstream media. This lead to Russell being referred to as, "The UK's leading raw food chef" by national newspaper The Times.

In the clip above, Russell is telling me about the British theme he is using to prepare a Beatles-inspired 4 course menu for a Sunday Supper at 105degrees.

first

Yellow Submarine

Heirloom Tomatoes with Macadamia Mozzarella & Pesto

second

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Grapefruit & Mint Sherbet

third

Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts

Portabello Hearts with Peppercorn Sauce

fourth

Strawberry Fields Forever

Balsamic Strawberry Tart with Sour Cream and Cacao Mint Creme Anglais

Please come visit Real Food Tulsa tomorrow as I will continue sharing about Wendi Dee's visit to Oklahoma!

Foodie Friday -Wild Green Goodness

Ruby's Rawkin' Red Sauce (Marinara)

2 cups fresh tomatoes (variety of your choice)

1 shallot

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked; reserve liquid

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 clove garlic

3 soft dates, pitted

1 sprig fresh basil

1 t sea salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until you have a marinara consistency. Add the reserved soak water as necessary to thin.

Wild Green Pesto

1 cup fresh lambsquarters leaves

1 cup wild dandelion greens

1 cup fresh spinach

1 cup 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 (any variety of leafy greens will be fine) 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.

To make the stacks you'll need:

1 zucchini

1 large, ripe tomato

assorted sprouts

black olives, pitted & chopped

Slice the tomato into nice thick rounds and layer alternating with red sauce & pesto. Top with sprouts & chopped black olives.

Thinly slice the zucchini on the bias with a sharp knife, mandoline or cai bao. Layer alternating with the red sauce & pesto. This would also be excellent with a raw seed or nut cheese.

Luck O' The Irish To You!

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into spring & summer's magic. – Adrienne Cook

Since St. Patrick's Day, is THE day to celebrate all things GREEN, I wanted to share some of my favorite healthy, green, raw food recipes to help bring out the Leprechaun in you!

Erin Go Bragh Breakfast Smoothie

Several handfuls of spinach

2 frozen bananas

2 oranges, peeled (or 1 cup fresh orange juice)

2 Tbsp. hemp seeds

water to desired consistency

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth & creamy.

Lucky Green Juice

6 – 8 leaves of romaine lettuce

small handful of dandelion greens

4 stalks of celery

½ small cucumber

2 granny smith apples

1 lime, peeled

Irish Spring Compote

This combination of fruit looks beautiful served in a martini glass and garnish with mint. Kiwi, peeled and cubed

Green grapes (cut in half)

Honey dew melon, cut into small chunks

Fresh Mint, for garnish

Combine fruit and serve in a pretty bowl or martini glass with mint.

Cacao Crepes w/ Key Lime Creme & Kiwi

For the crepe:

2 ripe bananas

1 heaping tbsp cacao powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 pitted dates

For the Key Lime Filling

For the Topping:

Kiwis, peeled and sliced

Irish Spring Compote, blended w/ honey

Blend the crepe ingredients in a blender and pour onto Teflex covered dehydrator trays, creating thin circles, about 6 - 8 inches in circumference. Also to dry for several hours, until firm but soft. Peel away the teflex backing and return to the dehydrator for another couple of hours. Make sure the crepe is still pliable and not overly dried.

Fill crepe with Key Lime filling and top with kiwi's & a drizzling of Irish Spring Compote puree.

Kale Chips

Green Onion Dip

Marinated Broccoli

Kale Salad

1 bunch dino kale, chopped

1/3 cup green olives, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

Dress with:

drizzle of olive oil

lemon zest

fresh lemon juice

a bit of raw honey

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Cranberry Guacamole

I know, it may sound weird, but it is so delicious that you'll just have to try it!

1-2 avocados, mashed

1 small handful dried cranberries

fresh lime juice

pinch of sea salt

Minty Mojito

Spinach Thyme Soup

St. Patty's Day Pesto w/ Zucchuni Pasta

Key Lime Parfait

For the Coconut Creme:

meat from one young thai coconut

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup agave nectar or raw honey

just enough coconut water to blend until smooth

For the Key Lime filling

Top with Irish Spring Compote (see above), blended with a bit of honey

Chill all three separately until set, then carefully spoon the fillings, one layer at a time, in to a pretty parfait or wine glass. Keeps well in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Top with Irish Spring Compote (see above), blended with a bit of honey

Chill all three separately until set, then carefully spoon the fillings, one layer at a time, in to a pretty parfait or wine glass. Keeps well in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Doing YOU! on Deep Thoughts Thursday

Today I'm sharing with you another awesome & inspiring video from my friend Brian Johnson from Philosopher's Notes. In this particular clip, he's reviewing the book Do You! by Russell Simmons. Simmons was one of the founders of the hip hop movement and billed by USA Today as one of the top 25 most influential Americans of the decade. Simmons brings an aura of “coolness” to getting centered, connecting with your spiritual self and he's all about giving back to the community. Truly a man after my own heart.

Brian shares some of his big ideas from the book, as always, and I highly encourage you to take the time to watch his though provoking video (See below). Following in Brian's tradition, I'm also sharing some of the deep thoughts that spoke to me from this book.....

On Vision:

"In my experience, there's only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That's to have a vision and to stick with it.....Once I have a vision for a new venture, I'm going to ride that vision until the wheels come off." ~ Russell Simmons

So what is YOUR vision?

"Focus on your vision and keep going until you hit the finish line. Don't be one of those people who believe in their vision at first but then give up. See it through, no matter how long it takes. Understand that obstacles are just part of the game. Whatever you imagine, you CAN achieve. Once you realize the truth, no one is going to be able to stop you." ~ RS

On Gratitude:

From Brian, "My strong recommendation, if you aren't already doing this: Start each day thinking of the things for which you are most grateful. And end your gay the same way. And sneak in as many other instances as you can. (Especially thank the annoying things/people who are teaching/challenging you to embody fruits in your spirit/your highest self, even when you don't feel like it."

Word.

"The biggest thing that separates you from the success you are seeking is fear. Perfect love and gratefulness sends fear packing." ~ RS

On Obstacles:

"Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down, take care of business and get past them. Those obstacles aren't REAL. They're just God's way of testing you. He's asking you, 'Do you want to make it, or not?'" ~ RS

"It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you are truly created to be." ~ E.E. Cummings

And finally......ALWAYS DO YOU:

"When I talk about Doing You, I'm really just asking you to listen to that voice of God inside you again." ~ RS

What's that voice telling you?

"Are you taking the time everyday to get quiet and tune into that deep voice within that's guiding you? Whether it's turning off the radio while you're in traffic and quietly breathing and/or going on hikes and/or sitting in prayerful meditation - make sure you're finding the time to chat with God." ~ BJ

And last but not least.....CONGRATULATIONS to today's Going Raw DVD by Ronnie & Minh! 4 more prizes to give away......there's still time to enter your name into the drawing for tomorrow and Saturday....Click Here.

Yummy Raw Kitchen

Continuing with my series on highlighting some of the tremendously talented bloggers within the raw food community, this week I'm featuring - Nikki Walker. Nikki has been a member of Raw Food Rehab since its conception back in June of 2009, and over the past several months, her creativity and personal achievements have her shining her creative light brightly all over the internet with her blog, Yummy Raw Kitchen.

I asked Nikki to give us a little glimpse into her world and how she made the connection with raw foods:

"I'm a 33 year old Registered Nurse and I live in Seattle, WA with my amazing boyfriend, Soto, and the best cat ever, Pixi. When I'm not completely nerding out over raw food I love anything that has to do with music, especially going to see live shows and record shopping, bikram yoga, taking long walks around the city, and going on road trips to spend time with my family.

I've been flirting with the raw lifestyle since the summer of 2008, but have really honed it in since starting the initiative. Eating a clean, living diet has done a lot for me, including almost 40 pounds of weight loss (I'm finally comfortable in my body), more energy, and the confidence and mental clarity to make some positive changes in my career & relationships. I didn't even really tell anyone that I had changed my diet until people started noticing the changes and inquiring about it. Now I have a handful of friends and family drinking green smoothies, and my boyfriend, sister, and mom (Cheri Scott, new RFR member!) are eating high raw diets and feeling the benefits. Aside from all the serious health stuff, the fun part for me is the creative time I spend in my kitchen. Learning to make yummy raw food has opened up a new playground of flavors, techniques and ingredients to experiment with. I love making raw dishes that my non-raw (now becoming higher raw) friends and family enjoy. I started Yummy Raw Kitchen because I was so excited about making healthy food that tastes really good."

As you can see from the eye candy above, Yummy Raw Kitchen is a blog you'll want to add to your list to follow. You can also friend request Nikki on Raw Food Rehab and show her some love for all the fun & creativity she brings to our world!

Also, my friend and awesome blogger, Terilynn Eppseron, of The Daily Raw Cafe, did a special feature on yours truly today. To check out her blog-iliciousness and to find out 10 things about me that you may not know, visit The Daily Raw Cafe.

Congratulations to the 1st winner of a Ronnie & Minh DVD - Going Raw! (Yes, I am going to make you watch today's video to see who the winner is : ) If you haven't put your name in to the mix to be one of our 7 winners, you need to go to yesterday's main forum post on Raw Food Rehab to get the skinny! To see all of the awesome March Madness offers so far.....CLICK HERE!

Foodie Friday - BBQ Dinner

Simple BBQ Portabella

Courtesy of Rawdawg Rory

4 - 8 medium portabella mushrooms

For the BBQ Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh tomato

3 sun dried tomatoes

3 dates, pitted (or 1 tbsp honey)

1/4 clove garlic

1/2 tsp stone ground mustard

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (amp this up if you'd like!)

pinch black pepper

Blend the mixture, except the mushroom, in a blender until smooth. Slather the mushroom (whole or cut to your preference) with the sauce and allow them to marinade for 30 minutes.

For more totally awesome recipes to get geeked up about....check out Rawdawg Rory's eBook - Gettin' Raw With Rawdawg Rory!

Raw Potato Salad

Pg. 84 of Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney

Pineapple Jalapeno Coleslaw

from Raw Food Cleanse

1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

3 tbsp jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tsp lime zest

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups Napa cabbage, shredded

2 cups jicama, grated

1 cup carrot, grated

3/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Combine first seven ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine cabbage and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, tossing gently to coat. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!!

Looking for the winner of the Happy Heart Giveaway? Click HERE!

Living Her Life NOW - Trekking Across America w/ Amanda

This is such a cool story.....probably one of my favorites in a very long time. Amanda (Rawdawg Rory's lovely wife), is planning and training for a life altering summer. She is going to follow her dream to walk across the United States. Starting in Seattle, WA and ending in her hometown of Hampton, PA.....while the Rawdawg and their daughter travel along the same route by car.

I don't want to tell you everything because Amanda has done an amazing job of telling her own story on her newly created blog, Live My Live Now Trek. Click here to read her story and to learn why she wants to take on the challenge of walking across the US this summer. Click here to check out her route.

Much preparation has to happen within the next two months to help Amanda's dream become a reality. I'm committed to helping support her in anyway possible and Raw Food Rehab will certainly be one of the entities financially sponsoring this trip. I also have contacted our buddy, Jeff Rose of yesterday's feature story on Natural Zing, and he has committed to sponsoring this trek monetarily, as well as with donations of travel friendly raw food and gas gift cards.(WoooHoooo - that's our boy) !! Many of you may also have ideas on how to help support Amanda, or you may know of companies that might be able to offer necessities for the road. You might even be able to be one to offer them hospitality by opening your home (and shower) for a healthy vegan meal and peaceful nights rest along the road.

The fun part to me is that Amanda is hoping that some of you will walk with her! Her desire is that for the majority of the trip, friends from all over the country will turn up to walk along side her for any length of this trip, be it through your city or just down your block! You too can get inspired by Amanda's decision to follow her dream...no more waiting....you can begin living your life NOW! I am going to try to figure out a way to plan my summer vacation around Amanda's itinerary and walk a bit of the walk with her too!

So, let's get this conversation started.....what ideas or well wishes do you have for Amanda (or Rawdawg?) Holler at us here in the comments!

How to Get FREE Raw Organic NORI!

One of the highlights of the '08 Raw Spirit Festival was meeting Jeff Rose, CEO of Natural Zing. As I spent time helping my friends at the Natural Zing booth during those days, I found that my professional admiration and personal respect for him blossomed into what has become a lasting & respected friendship. Jeff Rose is one of those understated men, a real gentle giant, who is a dynamic, innovative, soulful business & family man who genuinely walks the walk, much more than just talking the talk. His beautiful wife, Helen, have run this integrity filled company as a team since 2002 and you can learn more about each of their journeys and lives at these links: Jeff & Helen.

Jeff isn't one of those raw food personalities that's drawn to the limelight, but I did watched him spend hour upon hour, talking with the public and giving away more products than any other vendor in attendance. People were deeply struck by his generosity and I heard many stories from loyal and satisfied customers from across the globe. I began to realize that Natural Zing had to be one of the raw food world's best kept secrets....at least in my neck of the woods.

So what is Natural Zing? First and foremost, they're a company that's dedicated to feeding your mind, body and spirit. Two decades of research and consulting with numerous nutritionists and vegetarian specialists have gone into gathering the very best products to develop one's natural energy and health....your natural zing! Long time staff members have been high raw for many years and they're committed to helping those who are just beginning to transition, or others who are more advanced in this healthful lifestyle path.

Within Natural Zing's online market, they specialize in selling organic, raw, vegetarian and vegan foods as well as related chef tools and personal care products. Their equipment includes juicers, kitchen equipment and a variety of other products that meet the needs of various lifestyle and dietary choices. The website also has an Education link that takes you to health, lifestyle, vegetarian, living and raw food knowledge. Their health related book section takes you to abundant health and alternative knowledge resources that are updated regularly. I encourage you to get to know Jeff & Helen Rose and to support their awesome online business.

Jeff & Helen have graciously offered to extend a March special to the members of RFR (MORE MARCH MADNESS - YAY!) With any size purchase in the month of March, you will receive a FREE full size package of raw organic nori! (Now you know why I have the nori feature on the main page!) AND....if you spend $40 or more you will get your pick of a gift of chia seeds or a raw Golden Bean Chocolate Bar.

When you order at Natural Zing, you will need to go through the link we have available at Raw Food Rehab to acquire the Coupon Code to receive your gift(s). Click here to find out the code that is good throughout the month of March!

So Today we are doing a BIG SHOUT OUT to JEFF & HELEN ROSE of Natural Zing! We appreciate you showing RFR the LOVE!

March Madness Raw Snack Giveaway!

In today's video I show & tell about all the raw food snacks I made this past weekend during my dehydrating rampage! Since I had been on the 28 Day Total Reset Cleanse throughout the month of February, I hadn't really had any special treats and I was eager to fire up the old Excalibur. Even though it had been over a month since I'd turned it on, she still purred like a kitten!

I am a believer that we should keep healthy, delicious raw food snacks around, especially when you are transitioning to a higher raw diet from that of a heavily cooked food diet. If you have tasty raw treats available in your cupboard, you'll be much less likely to go on a junk food binge when and if nagging craving surface.

I also realize that many of you don't have a dehydrator, so I was delighted when my good friend and RFR member, Margo Jakobi, contacted me about wanting to offer a giveaway for RFR members!

Late last year Margo started a conscious business, Happy Heart Company, which creates wholesome and delicious raw food snacks at affordable prices. When Margo sent me a care package, I was blown away by the flavors and attention to detail that you could tell went into the snacks. I wish I could have shown you the treats, but they didn't last long around my house : )

So here is the scoop on what Margo is doing in her March Madness offering:

To be enter into a drawing for one pound of Happy Heart treats, simply let me know in the comments below that you want your name included in this coming Friday's drawing.

In addition, if you place an order with Happy Heart, Margo will include a sampling of snacks for you to try as a gift with purchase. Who doesn't love freebies?

If you would like the opportunity to try Happy Heart snacks before you buy, Margo has agreed to ship you a sample assortment for a $5 fee for shipping & handling. In this sample assortment you'll receive Happy Heart's top 3 selling snacks: honey coconut almonds, chili spice almonds and carob honey almonds along with one more selection of your choice. All you need to do is friend request Margo here through RFR, send her a message and she'll advise you how to get the shipping payment sent to her through Paypal. It's that simple!

Thank you Margo & Happy Heart for this March Snack Madness offer. This will be good throughout the month of March and available only to Raw Food Rehab members (JOIN HERE if you're not already part of our amazing online community).

BTW.....here are the recipe links to what I was making in my raw food kitchen this past weekend:

Julie's Pimento Cheese Spread & Caramelized Onion Flatbread

Hot & Spicy Kale Chips

Crusty Cauliflower

Ruby's Raw Granola

Jalapeno Corn Chips