Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

I share some photos with you today, and a link to the recipe of the cake IN the photos. It is being featured on The Vegan Woman as a special birthday present for Sivan. I'm so honoured to be on the site! It's an excellent place for recipes, articles, resources and everything else you'd want to know about the plant-based, holistic life. Keep in mind that my adoration may be slightly biased because they voted me first place for best vegan food blog of 2013. Teehee. Get the recipe for this {raw vegan} Lemon & Fig Cheesecake by clicking here!

The woman is a genius! She provides you with loads of useful, practical tips about eating raw and making her recipes. She gives you a list of necessary ingredients and products, with links for every item, some with a discount for you! I really appreciated her list of sweetener options and the explanations of each, since there's so much controversy around agave nectar, raw honey, maple syrup, etc. She lets you decide what you're comfortable with and I have mad respect for that.

Sarah is no food newbie - she has grown up with a passion for cooking - and now, uncooking - and her background in food shines through in her recipes. Some of my favourites are her caramel sauce, raw Nutella-inspired hazelnut chocolate spread, banana cream tarts, Neapolitan frozen custard, Turtle brownie bites, and chocolate almond marble fudge... I KNOW RIGHT. Drooling yet?

You can buy the e-book here for a very reasonable price, especially considering what you are getting. Hurray for raw desserts that nourish and sustain us! Hurray for Sarah!

• soba noodles (about 8 oz)
• 10 oz. extra firm tofu (I used Wildwood), cubed or sliced
• handful broccoli florets
• 2 carrots, sliced diagonally
• 2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
• small handful mint leaves
• small handful basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil, for sauteing
• white & black sesame seeds for garnish, optional
• a few fresh basil & mint leaves for garnish, optional

• 1/4 cup tamari, soy sauce or bragg's aminos
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch knob ginger, grated or minced
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• a dash or two of sriracha, optional

In a medium size shallow dish, combine the ingredients of the marinade.

Next prepare your tofu. Let me start by saying that I don't drain my tofu when I use extra firm but if you feel that yours is holding a lot of water, you may like to press your tofu between the ends of a double folded dish towel. Either use the palms of your hands or lay on a hard flat surface and set a heavy book on top for a few minutes. Slice or cube your tofu, however you like best. Place tofu in the marinade and let set for at least 20 minutes, flipping every so often. The tofu is meant to be served at room temp straight from the marinade. Feel free to warm the tofu by adding it to the skillet while sauteing the veggies.

In a medium size pot filled 2/3 of the way with water (or salted water if you wish), bring water to a boil, add desired amount of soba noodles, lower heat to medium high and cook noodles, uncovered, for 4 minutes. When done drain, rinse and set aside.

In a medium size pan/skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat, add the carrots and broccoli (and tofu if you would like it warmed), cook for about 3 minutes. Carefully add in a large spoonful tablespoon of the marinade along with the mint and basil and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. I prefer my vegetables to be al dente and will remove from heat as soon as they brighten in color. Feel free to cook a little longer if you wish.

Serve soba noodles in individual dishes with marinated tofu, sauteed carrots, broccoli and herbs. Top with marinade, scallions, sesame seeds and additional fresh herbs.

This can be served warm or cooled. I ate this after taking the photos, it was on the cool side but still absolutely delicious!

I am in love. Today I gleefully received nine bars of Pana Chocolate in the mail to review. In this case, review literally means eat. Yes, on this glorious day my job is to eat chocolate. Indeed, I be living dat high life. I must say that the chocolate is absolutely delicious (I did say I was in love, didn't I?) and basically it's what I make at home, which is perfect because I don't like putting anything mysterious into my body. All we've got here is some cacao powder, coconut oil, and dark agave. With each different flavour there are other ones added like orange essential oil, cinnamon, nuts, and other goodies you crave.

Beauty on the outside begins – naturally – on the inside. To have glowing skin, strong nails and shining hair you must feed your body the right foods so it can thrive. What kinds of foods are these? They are whole, raw, nourishing ones. Cooked whole foods can do wonders for your body but often raw foods deliver more nutrients and hydration and obviously – less processing is required.

Fruits and greens are the most important foods to eat raw. Vegetables, beans and grains can be cooked gently (preferably without oil). If you want to achieve natural, radiant beauty, you need to eat wholesome, honest foods that will build that beauty for you. We literally are what we eat; if you eat processed junk food, it will show in your skin!

Excellent methods of getting the most nutrition out of your food are juicing and blending. Juicing extracts just the liquids so the nutrients from the foods enter your blood stream within minutes. Blending helps make digestion easier because your food is already ready to be absorbed!


























The first step to finding your unique, special beauty is creating a foundation of health by eating healthful foods. When you fuel your body properly and respectfully, it will thank you. By eating right and exercising regularly you can achieve your ideal weight and look amazing. When you look amazing – you feel even better. Real beauty is confidence, and confidence starts with health and happiness... so let’s get started!

When you want lustrous hair, strong nails and radiant skin, all you have to do is eat foods that nourish your body! You want foods that are hydrating, with large amounts of vitamins, healthy fats and minerals.



Vitamin C plays a role in building collagen which keeps your skin smooth and tight; so citrus fruits and other fruits and veggies are excellent for healthy skin. Examples are grapefruit, bell peppers, oranges, and lemons.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant and therefore it helps with anti-aging and cell repair. Foods with vitamin A are usually red, orange or green (think sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, and leafy greens).

Moving on to those healthy fats! Nuts, seeds and avocados contain vitamin E as well as Omega 3’s; they are excellent at keeping the skin youthful and soft by protecting it from sun damage and keeping it moisturized. Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, quinoa and hemp seeds are excellent choices.






Some minerals that are necessary for healthy skin, hair and nails are selenium, zinc. Selenium maintains your skins elasticity can be found in mushrooms and whole grains. Zinc protects cell membranes and plays a role in collagen production; great sources of zinc are nuts (peanuts, cashews, pine nuts, etc.), beans (chickpeas, black beans, etc.) and whole grains like brown rice.

Hope you enjoyed reading! This post was sponsored by Fresh.

• 1 cup french lentils (beluga or puy), rinsed and picked over
• 2 bay leafs
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• bitter greens of choice (arugula, belgian endive, watercress, spinach, lacinato kale, escarole, dandelion to name a few)
• grape tomatoes, halved
• scallions or shallots, sliced
• mineral salt, to taste
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Lemon Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon white or dark balsamic vinegar (I used white)
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard (whole grain is great too)
• juice of one small lemon

 

I got the idea for this smoothie from the magnificent Lauren over at Ascension Kitchen. The ingredients are basically the same as my regular smoothie recipe; all you're doing is keep some separate from others and layering them to make it look pretty. I had this after a gorgeous morning run/walk around Burnaby Lake, where I happily picked salmon berries and watched baby geese swim around.


































double energy smoothie: serves one or two

Green layer:
2 cups spinach
3/4 cup frozen pineapple
1 banana
Water, as needed (around 3/4 cup) 

Pink layer:
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1 banana
Water, as needed (around 3/4 cup) 

Blend each layer separately then layer them on top of each other in a glass. Slurp!

This one's a beaut. Easy, filling, energy-giving deliciousness all in the form of a milkshake!? Can life get any better? The answer would be no, except that I am going to continue my spree of Disney movies tonight with The Emperor's New Groove... that's really the only improvement that can be made here.

This shake was my dinner yesterday, before one crazy night in 'da club'. It kept me dancing and smiling until 4 am. Sometimes when I go out to party I will have a beer or a glass of wine, but often I'll just chug water the entire night. I sweat my booty off the whole time so keeping hydrated is mandatory! Anyhoo, no matter what you're or doing - or when you're doing it - this is an excellent THE BEST option for a snack, meal or sweet treat.



banana date nut shake: serves... me

2 frozen bananas 
1/2 cup dates (add according to your taste, I like things sweet)
1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon nut butter (optional)
Water or nut milk, as needed (1-2 cups probably)

Blend it all up. Feel free to add some cacao powder or whatever else you love. I like when there are chunks of dates in the shake because they are bite-sized happiness. Top off with cinnamon and nom it down. Or nom it up? I dunno. Just get it in you.

Oh I love mah LIFE. These are super delicious and super nutritious. Bam bam! Jam-packed with raw veggies and wrapped in seaweed, they deliver one heck of a meal that is sure to impress your taste buds and perhaps dinner guests? You could actually eat this recipe all by yourself because it's so low in calories (naturally) but I dare you to try... I couldn't even do it and I can eat a LOT.


I forgot to add avocado (doh!) but the recipe was wonderful even without my creamy green friend. Having said that, if you've got an avocado handy, use it. I ran out of nori sheets so I used rice paper to wrap some as well. Rice paper is so fun and easy to use, and it lets you get a sneak peek of what's inside your roll! Colours abound in the plant kingdom. 

I was pretty busy in the kitchen today - I made four recipes (this one for you, and three for my cookbook) so I am looking forward to a relaxing evening hanging out with an old friend... and maybe watching Tarzan or Aladdin. Shh... Disney movies are great okay (you cannot argue). Actually, last night I watched Atlantis with my girl friend and it was awesome. Sure, there are plot holes - but what is a plot hole when you get to relive your childhood in technicolour with an original soundtrack!?

Right. Back to food... make these.


raw nori wraps with red cabbage, cucumber, carrots, zucchini & spicy dipping sauce 

Wraps:
1/2 head red cabbage
1 carrot
1 small zucchini
1/2 cucumber
2 kale leaves 
1 avocado
3-4 nori sheets and/or rice paper sheets

Sauce: 
1 tablespoon tahini
Chili powder, to taste
1 tablespoon miso
2 dates
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 small garlic clove
Water, as needed to make it creamy and smooth

Make the sauce by blending all the ingredients together until smooth. Now make your wraps: shred the veggies thinly on a mandolin, but chop the cucumber by hand. Tear up the kale leaves and slice the avocado. Lay your desired fillings on one side of your nori sheet, and on the opposite side spread a little sauce to seal together the ends when you roll it up. Roll everything up tight and set aside. If you're using rice paper, dip the paper in hot water until it's pliable, then place everything you want in the middle. Wrap up like a burrito. Dip your wraps in your sauce and get this party started.