The Summer Berry Jam makes a fabulous, not-too-sweet topping for fresh berries with soaked oat groats.  This berry breakfast bowl is an easy raw food diet recipe that gets its staying power from soaked oat groats.  Nutritionally, oat groats  are a great source of manganese, selenium, fiber and protein.  In terms of taste, they offer a slightly nuttier taste that oatmeal.  Groats require soaking over night.  Simply rinse oat groats well in a strainer then soak overnight.  In the morning, pour the soak water and groats through a strainer and rinse.

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Q:
I’m a little confused because I read everywhere that we should eat fruit by it self. And you are saying to eat it with grains, which I would not mind because I’m sure it will taste better and I did not even think to add nuts. I will try it tomorrow morning, just thinking about it is making me hungry now. Could you please clear this fruit think for me so finally I will understand it? Thank you.

A:
Jan,
You are correct, some people do advise against eating fruit with other foods.  This is an area of raw food that I feel is very personal. For my body, eating some fruit with soaked grains in the morning helps to sustain the sugars in the fruit so I feel satisfied until lunch.  If  I eat fruit alone for breakfast, I crash around 10am.  So for me, seasonal fruit with my grains is a tasty way to complement my green juice in the morning and keep me feeling great all day.  I also have no issues adding fruits to my salads, or combining them with nut based desserts, but I have met people who do not have this luxury.

Here is a simplified version of the reasoning behind eating fruit by itself.  Fruits are generally very easily and quickly digested.  If you have a big meal right before or right after fruits, the fruits could be caught ahead of, or behind, foods that move more slowly through your digestive system.  If that occurred, you may experience gas pains, bloating or discomfort.

My suggestion is that you pay close attention to how your body feels and have your wife do the same.  We are all different. What works for one person will not always work well for another.  Be aware of what you are eating. Consider keeping a journal in your kitchen to keep track of how foods make you feel.  Try one new combination at a time.  Check in 20 minutes to an hour after eating.  If you get discomfort from eating fruits with other foods, try eating them separately.  Your oat groats (or other grains) will be just as tasty flavored with cinnamon and chopped nuts instead.  Find a delicious option that works with your body.  And remember, you are eating far healthier than people starting their days with processed sugar cereals or pancakes and bacon! Don’t stress about it.  Enjoy the new foods you are trying as you venture further into the world of raw food.

You have a lot of raw food support in San Francisco!  Check on line for Meet Up groups or go check out one of the Cafe Gratitude restaurants (here is a link to Cafe Gratitude’s Locations).  Take advantage and meet all the amazing people there who are taking their health into their own hands by eating a raw food diet.

Keep in touch and let me know how it is going.

Eat like your life depends on it.  It does!
Joy

Q: Hello Joy, This is Jan from Science of Raw Food Nutrition. I went to check out your website and “wow” it’s very cool, I even purchased your E-book. Now I see I’m centuries behind all this high tech stuff. Sorry I call it High tech, because I was always thinking that computers and technologies is high tech, But I think all this Raw Food Nutrition is actually high tech, which majority people are missing out on….Too bad i did not talk to you more in class about all this, I’m sure I would learn so much from you. Ok. I have a question about soaking grains like Millet and Quinoa. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

A: Jan, I’d love to help.  Here is what I suggest for starting out with soaking grains.  Start with oat groats.  Rinse the groats in a strainer then soak them overnight in warm water.  In the morning drain them and use them as a cereal.  They are a great addition when a green juice won’t be a hearty enough meal to hold you over ’til lunch. The groats will have a slightly chewy texture.  Top them with diced banana, cinnamon and nuts, or whatever season fruit is available.  If you want a texture that is more similar to cooked oatmeal, put the groats in the Vita-Mix (or BlendTech) with a little fresh almond milk. Blend until an oatmeal texture is achieved.

Now, onto the grains you specifically asked about.

Quinoa: It is possible to sprout quinoa, but the unhulled form is hard to find and the results aree less than fabulous.  But, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy quinoa, I do. I rinse the grains to clean them well, and cook them in water or vegetable broth until tender.  As you probably remember from class, it is high heat and charring that causes food toxins.  There is no danger of that with quinoa which steams up nicely in just a short while. This is a delicious (and very easy!) way to enjoy quinoa. Alternatively, they also taste great, and are more firm, if you soak them overnight, drain and rinse them in the morning and then soak them in warm water until tender.  Either way they are a fabulous source of protein.

Millet: I hate to sound like a broken record, but I don’t sprout millet either.  I steam it or double soak it as mentioned above. I cook it in batches and toss is with my salads to make the meal more filling and to add protein.

Let me know how it goes with you and your wife as you integrate more raw foods.  It was a pleasure to meet you in class.

Eat like your life depends on it.  It does!
Joy

• fresher, more creamy taste
• you can flavor the milk any way you like (vanilla, cacao, fresh berries, or maca for a malted taste)
• you have almond pulp left over (to use for raw, vegan desserts that will blow your mind!)
• generate less waste with no milk cartons or boxes
• hands on, connected feeling to your food
• if you include kids,  connected time in the kitchen with little ones
• less waist

When you and your family make your own milk you will be happy to find that you won’t see half finished glasses of milk laying around the house.  When you invest your time and energy to make the milk yourself, flavor it your way, and store it in glass containers you treat it more like a treat than a staple beverage.  Here is a video how-to that shows the simple process of making your own almond milk.

Raw Cacao Crispies

Cacao Crispies
1 cup organic oat groats (soaked overnight, drained & rinsed)
2 tablespoon raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon maple, or raw honey

In a mixing bowl combine maple or honey with cacao powder.  Toss freshly rinsed oat groats in the mixture.  Transfer to an Excaliber dehydrator sheet with a Teflex liner.  Dehydrate two hours, flip & dehydrate until crispy.  Store in an airtight container.  This makes a small batch which is great to test the flavor to see if you enjoy them.  If they are a hit in your house, you can make much larger batches because the store well.  Be sure to use a container with a strong seal to keep the air out.

Want the java monkey off your back without headaches, cold sweats, and an ever-present fear of falling asleep at the wheel? This delicious raw beverage was created during a two week living foods cleanse to keep my husband from going postal on anyone within five feet of him.  I find it eases the transition off the bean, keeps me awake, focused and clear-headed.  It puts an extra pep in my step like coffee but without the 10am come down that has me jonesing for sugar or another cup o’ joe.  Try it for yourself and let me know your results.

"The Maca FACA"
1 teaspoon Maca Powder
1 tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder
1/4 teaspoon DoMatcha Green Tea Powder
1 to 1 1/2 cup Almond Milk (easy to make your own)
1 teaspoon raw honey
dash of cayenne pepper

In a blender (Magic Bullet works great for this small job) mix all ingredients until well combined.  Adjust the Matcha Green Tea Powder as needed to keep yourself caffeinated.  For most ¼ teaspoon in combination with the Maca and raw chocolate is plenty, but there is no need to suffer through the transition.  Maca is an adaptogen and will help you through the change.  It is also a stimulant that helps with focus and mental clarity (and some say sexual prowess- bonus!).  This beverage will give you the pick me up of coffee without taxing your system.  Once you no longer physically crave the caffeine you can cut the green tea powder.

Dollars and Sense

A quick mention on cost is in order since you will be laying out some cash up front for the organic ingredients in this beverage.  When you add up the Maca (about $18 for 16oz), Raw Cacao ($14 for 16 ounces), Matcha Green Tea ($25), and the raw honey ($7) you get a grand total of $64.  Not cheap (prices shown are what I found on Amazon today).  Keep in mind that this should keep a single person stocked for two to three months if not longer. It bares mentioning that coffee gives you mental stimulus but no nutritional value, whereas the Maca Facka contains a bounty of antioxidants, phytonutrients, bioflavinoids, and even iron.  All that and for less than the price of 16 cups of coffee at Starbucks.  You are worth it!  Also note that  you can taper down the use of the matcha green tea and use that as a yummy, antioxidant rich treat on its own.

Whether or not to invest in a Magic Bullet is a question of efficiency and clean up time.  A VitaMix is the only blender you’ll ever need, period.  I got one of these as a gift and thought, “pisshaaw, I’ll never use this goofy little machine.  I have the mighty Vita-Mix.”  I was wrong.  I busted it out to make baby food for my son and it has been out and actively used in my kitchen ever since.   Love it for the Maca Fack, small or single servings of smoothie, salad dressings, and baby food.  It’s definitely not a MUST-HAVE, but man is it handy if you hate the blender clean up as much as me.

Another raw cuisine experiment with happy results.  For raw to-go baby food I usually use avocados, but I wanted to add a raw granola bar to our to-go menu. This raw granola bar with cranberries is what I came up with.  Maverick, who turns 10 months old today- HAPPY BIRTHDAY little man!- loves these things.  Try them out and send me your tips, tricks and ideas for improvement.

MAVERICK BARS

1 cup oat groats, soaked overnight
1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
2 cups cranberries, soaked 1 hour
1 cup chopped dates
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup maple as needed
3/4 cup flax meal (fresh ground)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Process groats in the food processor until reduced in size by about half.  Add sunflower seeds and cashews cashews to groats in the food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.  Empty contents into a large mixing bowl.  Add soaked, drained cranberries, flax seeds and sesame seeds to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Put dates, coconut oil, flax meal and maple (starting with 1/4 cup) in the food processor and process to a thick, creamy, caramel-like consistency.  Pour the caramel mixture into the mixing bowl.  Stir well to combine.  Transfer to two dehydrator trays with teflex sheets, forming two roughly 8′x8′ squares.  Dehydrate 1-2 hours or until dry enough to flip.  After flipping dehydrate another 2-3 hours.  Cut them into bars and dehydrate the bars another 3-5 hours for chewy bars, longer if you prefer a crunchier bar.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This delicious smoothie evolved from a need to ensure my nine month old son gets plenty of iron.  The experiment went well, he loves it and so does the whole family.

1 cup spinach
1 cucumber
1 large or 2 small Asian pears (apple or pear are great too)
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
2 cups water
ice

Blend in the Vita-Mix.  Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher of ice.  Stir to chill and serve.

Always on the lookout for a tasty way to drink greens, I have tried quite a few with kale and chard and been disappointed. That’s always a bummer because I’d feel too guilty to waste the yummy fruits I put in the botched juice, so I end up pinching my nose and drinking the bitter fluids down.  But today, at my beautiful daughter’s suggestion I added mint and lemon to chard.  I threw in cucumber for a crisp taste and pear for sweetness.  I whipped it up in the Vita-Mix, poured it through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher of ice and serve it up. To my surprise it was delicious.  My daughter (13yrs and fickle) as well as my 9 month old son loved it.  Success.

Juice of one lemon
one small cucumber
10 to 12 mint leaves
3 large chard leaves
2 pears
1 & 3/4 cup water

Toss all the ingredients into the high speed blender and blend until smooth.  If you like it thick serve it over ice to get more of the fiber.  If you like it smooth pour it through a fine mesh sieve before you serve it over ice.

4 celery stalks
3/4 cup parsley tops (loosely packed)
the juice of one lemon ( no less than 2 tablespoons)
1 cup water
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp agave
crushed ice

Put the celery in the blender. Dice it if you are using a regular blender, whole if you’ve got the vita mix. Add the parsley, lemon juice and water. Blend until smooth, no parsley left visible. Fill a small pitcher with 2 cups crushed ice, the agave and salt. Pour the mixture in the blender through a fine mesh sieve into the pitcher. Stir well and serve. Drink immediately so you get all the healthy enzymes of these detoxifying vegetables.