Foodie Friday - The Brilliance of Basil

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme - they are all awesome herbs, but in the summertime, Basil is my pick for favorite summer taste sensation. Basil's heady aromatic scent often permeates your herb garden and your grocery bag. Basil is an easy plant to grow, its only major requirements being full sun and consistent water. Its delicious flavor, and overgrown abundance in my garden has made it a superstar ingredient in my summer kitchen this year. Today's I want to share with you a few ideas on how you can enjoy this delicious herb and still keep it raw!

Basil Pesto

Super simple.....basil, garlic, cheesy nutritional yeast and olive oil. I like to use omega-3 rich walnuts instead of pine nuts, but any nut will work and I suggest almonds, pecans, pistachios or pine nuts.

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, (2-3 bunches)
1/4 cup walnut pieces
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1- 2 large cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Avocado & Herb Salad with Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

Nothing is more simplistic and delicious than a salad that is full of fresh garden herbs. This salad is super easy but aromatic, nutritious and delicious.

For the Salad:

2 - 4 cups Mixed Field Greens

handful of torn basil leaves & other assorted herbs of your choice

1 small avocado, sliced

1 ripe tomato, sliced

1/4 cup sunflower or hemp seeds

Arrange the field greens, herbs, tomato, avocado then seeds on chilled salad plates. Top with fresh basil vinaigrette.

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup champagne (or flavor of your choice)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

3/4 cup cold pressed olive oil

Process the first six ingredients in the blender until smooth. With the blender running, gradually add in the oil in a slow steady stream to emulsify. Drizzle this over the salad to serve.

Fresh Basil Marinara

There are two summer ingredients that were made for one another and that's fresh, ripe homegrown tomatoes and basil. The following red sauce is perfect on zucchini pasta, in a raw lasagna, on a dehydrated pizza crust or as a dip for fresh cut veggies.

3 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked to soften

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 - 3 soft dates, pitted

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 + tablespoon cold pressed olive oil

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. This will keep well in an airtight container for 5 days in the refrigerator.

The Strawberry Basil Martini

This is not Dad's pre-dinner cocktail. Basil, muddled strawberries, a touch of agave, and chilled sparkling water or kombucha (if you're lucky enough to have some) combine to provide a fresh twist on everyday cocktails.

3-4 large basil leaves
3 large medium-sized strawberries, sliced
1 slice fresh lemon
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar (or to taste)
2 ounces sparkling mineral or spring water

Combine basil, fruit, and agave in tall glass. Muddle lightly to bruise fruit and release essential herbal oils. Add ice cubes and shake to mix. Pour sparkling water over the mixture and stir, straining and serving in a chilled martini glass with a slice of lemon or lime and a sprig of fresh basil.

Real Juice Daily

I have been passionate about juicing for 25 years. Over the course of the last couple of decades, I've read and studied volumes of material on the topic and each work has made an impact on my understanding and enthusiasm about the topic. The one common denominator between authors and health experts from many differing backgrounds is that they typically agree that juicing is a superior way to get optimum nutrition into one’s body. Fresh juices, blended drinks and the highly charged, mineralized and alkaline water they contain can repair, protect, energize, improve and heal the body. Because there is already so much quality information available regarding the health benefits of juicing, I haven’t spent much time trying to convince you of such in Real Juice Daily.

Real Juice Daily is the complete story of my 3 month juice feast. The nearly 150 pages of information has been taken directly from my journal and is complete with photographs, recipes and daily reflections. I share with you why I decided to undertake such a commitment, how I did it and all of the intimate and juicy details that surrounded my life at that time. I believe this book can be a helpful guide and inspiration to you if you are considering a juice feast or if you just want to add more juice into your daily routine.

Real Juice Daily is now available for purchase through Paypal for $12 and will be sent directly to your inbox once I've received notice of your payment. (Please allow up to 12 hours for delivery, although it should arrive much sooner).

I hope that you will enjoy reading my journey and that you'll join me for more juicy adventures in the days and weeks to come!

Foodie Friday - Hard Rock Juice Cafe

Okay....I'm composed now. I almost renamed today's Foodie Friday Episode - Hard Luck Juice Cafe because after loosing 3 hours + worth of filming in less than one second by pushing the wrong button on my film cam this afternoon, I felt disheartened to say the least. But on the bright side, in the 14 months of making videos for Raw Food Rehab, that's the first time that has ever happened, so those are pretty good stats, right? I decided there was no sense shedding a tear over it since I still have some great recipes to share today and some pretty good still photos to boot. Everything tasted great and I hope something below will appeal to your palate so you can get inspired to go get your JUICE ON!!

Green Day

1 cucumber

1 green apple
¼ cup parsley
¼ cup mint
2 stalks celery
1 tiny piece of ginger
1 lime, peeled

Push all ingredients through your juicer. This particular combination is wonderful for promoting beautiful, smooth, hydrated skin.

Sunshine of Your Love

2 oranges, peeled and seeded

3 - 4 carrots

1 apple
small knob of ginger
1 lemon, peeled

Push all ingredients through a juicer. The main benefits of this juice include revitalization of the body, good for cold and glowing skin. Beauticians usually prescribe this juice because of its extremely good effects on the skin. But the benefits are not limited to the skin. It has a cleansing and boosting effect to the whole body.

(I realized that I only had one little carrot left from my week of juicing, so this recipes will look more vibrant and taste even richer when the additional carrots are added.)

Wild Thing

1 apple

1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1 cup watermelon, cubed
1 - 2 handfuls spinach

(add a bit of water to blend if necessary)

Blend together the desired amounts of each ingredient to create a wonderful mouth watering juice which is excellent for purifying your kidney and bladder. It also helps dispelling excess salts from your body. Some people use a tint of salt with this juice but I like to drink it as it is without the salt flavor.

Deep Purple

1 cup blueberries

1 cup frozen cherries
½ cup organic red grapes
½ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

If you are using frozen fruit, you'll need to add water to blend. Puree all ingredients in a blender until well combined. This high anti-oxidant superjuice is likely to protect you from cancer, Alzheimer ’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, allergies, gout etc etc.

(Side Note....I had already drank about all I could by the time I made this brilliant combo, so I poured it into my ice cream freezer and made a sorbet for later tonight!)

The Pink Floyd

8 - 10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
2 - 3 bananas (fresh or frozen)
nut or seed milk to blend

Put all ingredients into a blender and whirl until creamy. Kids love this served as is (a milkshake consistency), while some of you hard core Rawkers may want to add a tablespoon of green powder or Spirulina.

(Side note - I didn't have any nut milk prepared so I used a 1/4 cup hemp seeds and added about a cup of cold filtered water. I think this would also be even more delicious with a date or two and a splash of vanilla extract).

Foodie Friday - Attack of the 5 Gallon Bucket of Tomatoes

As many of you know, my dad is an amazing organic gardener. He's currently enjoying his 80th year around the sun and he's been a master gardener since before I was born. During the cooler months, he lives with me and my family in Tulsa, but during the summer, he stays at his little fisherman's cottage on Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma. Besides dropping a pole into the lake whenever word gets out that the sand bass, Mississippi whites or crappie are biting, my dad is the infamous village handyman and he rocks a tight, mean & totally green organic garden. This week he came to the big city to visit yours truly and he was bearing gifts!

So, what do you do when life hands you a 5 gallon bucket of ripe, homegrown organic tomatoes, a few eggplants, some jalapeños and a bouquet of basil? This is what did:

Dirty Summer-Tini

3 - 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 small cucumber, peeled

2 stalks celery

1 jalapeño, seeded

1 lime, peeled

splash of nama shoyu or coconut aminos

a dash of hot sauce

olives

freshly cracked pepper

Push the tomatoes, cucumber, celery, jalapeño and lime through a juicer. Chill or pour into a cocktail shaker containing crushed ice, adding nama shoyu & hot sauce. Shake until well chilled and pour into a chilled martini glass. Add a few olives on a toothpick or skewer and garnish with freshly cracked pepper.

My Dad's Salsa

3 medium tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/4 cup white or yellow onion, diced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped (use less if you like it more mild)

1 -2 limes, juiced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar

pinch cumin

pinch chili powder

Smoked sea salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Season with additional sea salt if desired and serve with corn chips.

Greek Tomato Salad

For the Dressing:

1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon each, fresh basil & mint

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

pinch of freshly cracked black pepper

Put all the ingredients into a blender and whirl until well emulsified. This dressing will keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for over a week.

For the Salad:

3 ripe garden tomatoes, chopped

1 small cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup sliced oil-cured ripe black olives

1/2 small red onion, sliced in rings

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

4 cups romaine or green leaf lettuce, torn

In a bowl combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion and parsley and then drizzle and toss with the dressing. Arrange the torn lettuce evenly on 4 chilled salad plates, and top evenly with the tomato mixture. Feel free to use raw cheese crumbles as a garnish, if desired.

Skewered Tomatoes with Basil Vinaigrette

For the tomatoes:

2 yellow tomatoes

2 red tomatoes

2 green tomatoes

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Quarter tomatoes, thread onto skewers, alternating colors. Brush with a bit of the dressing and place into a warm dehydrator for 2 - 6 hours, depending on your preference.

Serve the tomato skewers with a bowl of the remaining dressing and garish with fresh basil.

Eggplant Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich w/ Thousand Island Dressing

For the Eggplant Bacon:

Several Japanese eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil

2 tablespoons umeboshi plum vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Mix together the dressing ingredients and marinate the sliced eggplant for at least one hour, making sure it is coated well. Place the marinated eggplant on lined dehydrator trays and reduce for 12 hours at 105 degrees. Turn the strips over and onto unlined mesh dehydrator trays to finish drying for another 8 - 12 hours.

For the Thousand Island Dressing:

2 small oranges, peeled and seeded

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Coconut Aminos

1/4 cup cashew or almond butter

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

Put all ingredients into a blender to process. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Sandwich:

Essene Bread (Ezekiel or Manna) sliced

leaf lettuce

sliced ripe tomatoes

Eggplant Bacon

Dressing

Build this sandwich to suit your own individual tastes. If you are 100% raw or gluten intolerant, use a gluten free, dehydrated bread/cracker instead of Ezekiel.

Basil Tomato & Watermelon Granita

6 cups fresh watermelon, seeded

2 cups fresh ripe tomatoes

small handful fresh basil

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

pinch sea salt

In a blender, combine the watermelon and tomatoes until well combined, strain. Pour the strained mixture back into the blender and add the basil, lime juice, agave and salt, whirling until combined. Pour the liquid into a chilled 9 x 12 inch glass baking dish and put immediately into the freezer. Using a fork, every hour rake the freezing mixture to create an Italian ice type consistency. This will likely take 6 hours +. Serve in a chilled serving bowl and garnish with a fresh basil sprig.

Someone You Should Know - John Gordon

I started following John Gordon's blog earlier this year and have found great inspiration in his teachings. Today's message seemed particularly profound and I wanted to share it here with you.

"In Rick Warren’s mega best-seller Purpose Driven Life he famously begins the book with “It’s not about you.” While I understand his intention with this statement I think he should have begun with “It’s about you, however, it’s not just about you.”

Because I believe it is about you. If it weren’t about you, you wouldn’t be here.

You are not an accident.
You are here for a reason.
You have a destiny.
You have a purpose.
You have gifts and talents.
You do things that only you can do in the way you do them.
You and only you can leave your mark on the world.

So it is about you!

However, it’s not just about you. Because if it was just about you, you’d be:

Self-serving
Alone
Narcissistic
Empty
Unfulfilled

It’s about more than you. It’s about knowing you were made for relationships:

To love
To mentor
To learn
To serve
To create
To build
To dream
To work together
To change for the better

It’s about living for more than you.

For a bigger purpose.
For a greater cause.
For a deeper meaning.
For those who will become your legacy.

It’s about you knowing you are part of something much bigger than you.

You live in a universe.
Uni-verse means one-song.
Songs don’t happen by accident.
Songs are created by organizing notes into arrangements and patterns.
And so there is a Creator of the one-song.
You are an expression of the Creator.
You are a note in His symphony.

It’s about you!

It’s about you contributing to the one-song.
It’s about you playing your part to the best of your ability.
It’s about you lifting others up.
Its about you living the purpose God created you for.
It’s about you, the Creator, and the song becoming one.

It’s about you and now what you do is up to you."

You can follow John Gordon on his blog, on Facebook or Twitter.

Foodie Friday - Hong Kong Garden

As I shared in the above video, today's menu inspiration comes from a Siouxsie & the Banshees song from the that has been rolling around in the back of my head for about a week.

Succulent Seaweed Salad

3/4 ounce dried wakame or arame seaweed (whole or cut)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
3 tablespoons Nama Shoyu, Wheat Free Tamari or Coconut Aminos
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small tart apple (1/4 pound), such as Granny Smith
2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Soak seaweed in warm water to cover, 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, agave, ginger, and garlic in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cut apple into 1/4-inch dice and add to dressing with seaweed, scallions, and cilantro, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds.

Rainbow Rolls

4 sheets of raw nori

1 small mango, peeled & julienned

1 carrot, shredded

1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded

1 avocado, sliced

Handful of sprouts (mung, daikon or sunflower work nicely)

Blue Green Pate

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked & drained

1/2 cup almonds, soaked & drained

1 tablespoon fresh herbs of your choice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Nama Shoyu, wheat free tamari or Coconut Aminos

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger

2 teaspoons spirulina or blue green algae (can substitute kelp or dulse granules)

pinch of sea salt

Spread some of the Blue Green Pate on your raw nori sheet. Add little bits of the roll stuffings of your choice. I started with basil/mint leaves, sprouts, mango, carrots, re bell pepper and avocado.

Here is a raw sushi rolling technique video if you're like me and think you just might screw it up. Regardless of how tight you roll, this entrée will delight and satisfy.

Dipping Sauce

Inspired by Natalia Rose

1/4 cup Nama Shoyu, Wheat Free Tamari

1/4 cup organic maple syrup

1/2 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon, sesame oil

Put all ingredients into a blender and combine, or whisk together in a bowl until well combined.

Lemongrass Mint Cooler

2 six inch stalks lemongrass, crushed

2 slices fresh ginger

1 cayenne pepper, sliced (any pepper variety with heat will do)

1 sprig fresh mint

4 cups water

1 -2 tablespoons raw honey

chilled sparkling water

1 lime juiced

lime slices and fresh mint for garnish

In a sauce pan, steep the crushed lemongrass, ginger, pepper, mint, water and honey for a couple of hours on the lowest heat setting. Cool.

Strain this mixture into a glass jar and refrigerate.

To serve, pour the lemongrass infusion over ice, adding a bit of fresh lime juice and sparkling water to finish. Garnish with a sprig of free mint and a lime wedge.

And in case you are curious:

Offering Friends Our Sweet Support

If you have been following stories and personalities within the raw food community for any length of time, you have likely heard of Rawdawg Rory. This well loved friend has just released a brand new ebook, Sweet Support. In it you'll find 25 pages of rawsome goodness, including four off the charts, easy raw dessert recipes with step-by-step pictures, tips and ideas to help get you inspired in your raw food kitchen. I really appreciate that Rory has created this book with such intention and that he is focusing on using whole foods as sweeteners in his recipes.

ALL of the proceeds of this book will go to supporting Amanda's Live My Life Now Trek. In case you don't know, Amanda is Rory's wife and they, along with their daughter, Isabel, and family pooch, Shadow, are currently on a trek across the USA. I did a feature article here at Real Food Tulsa on their hugely inspiring story of adventure back in March. Click here to read those details.

Please click here to order your copy of Sweet Success. Once you've ordered, your new ebook will be emailed to you, usually within 24 hours of purchase. There are other ways to support Rawdawg & Amanda as well, and I encourage you visit Amanda's Live My Life Now blog for all the details.