Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 red beet (uncooked), peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced or diced...a few fronds reserved for garnish
• 1 Fuji apple, or hard crisp apple or pear of choice, cored and diced
• handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• arugula or spinach, optional

Balsamic Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon or stone ground mustard
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix nuts with 1/4 cup maple syrup and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for about 10 minutes, set aside to cool. Maple will be caramelized on the nuts and your home will be smelling oh so good at this point !

Prepare your vegetables, fruit and herbs, combine them in a large bowl or dish of choice. Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl, combine until blended adding salt and pepper to taste. Add nuts (reserve a few for garnish) and dressing to prepared mix and combine.

Serve on a small bed of arugula or spinach, garnish with nuts and a few fennel fronds.

Notes:

You may like to grate your apple and fennel. I tried it myself but didn't care for it as I prefer to have some chunkiness to my salad.

If using a lighter color beet, you may consider using apple cider vinegar in place of the balsamic so the dark color of the balsamic doesn't discolor your lighter colored beets.

it's my girlfriend's birthday. she is now 19. but we have an ongoing joke that she's actually 12, because she can act pretty silly. she brings out the goofiness in me as well; this is a good thing because i can be too serious sometimes... no really.

to show her my adoring devotion and love i made her 12 chocolate covered peanut butter balls.
they're pretty freakin good.

we were SUPPOSED to go out like every night this week and party until the wee hours of morning (19 is the legal drinking age in canada). but i have gotten a terrible swollen throat so i've been really sick for five days now. it hurts to swallow and i can't eat any solids! what a BUMMER, right? ah well, i will make up for this lost party time when i recover. it's turned into a liquid cleanse i guess? gotta look on the bright side.

for now though, i need to seriously rest and recuperate. i've been drinking tons of lemon tea, miso soup and hot water. also been doing some salt water gargles. i juiced some fruit and veggies yesterday and today and it actually tasted AMAZING. very soothing.

i think this is a virus or bacterial infection or something. if it lasts more than a week (oh god please no) i'll have to go to the doctor but i'd rather not. i prefer treating illnesses myself and naturally. i'm not too concerned at this point.


i'm going to take advantage of this time and read some good books (atlas shrugged, cat's cradle), have a bubble bath, watch some good movies (back to the future trilogy, anyone?), catch up on sleep, and i guess detox since i can't eat anything... i wish i could eat these.

my mom said they were PERFECT and couldn't be improved, which i was actually thrilled-out-of-my-pants to hear (well, i don't wear pants, so, skirt) because she is my toughest critic - which i much appreciate. i hope you agree with her. if you make this recipe, let me know how it goes and if i should change anything because the recipe written here will be slightly different than what i did.

make 'em mostly raw by using raw jungle peanuts & peanut butter!

chocolate peanut butter love bites: makes 12 and ONLY 12 (teehee)

center:
1/3 cup peanuts
1/4 peanut butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 oats
2 tablespoons almond butter

chocolate:
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 heaping tablespoons cacao/cocoa 
1/8 teaspoon salt
teensy bit of cayenne and ginger powder
1-3 tablespoons almond milk
1/2 dark or raw chocolate bar, melted (optional)

coating:
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 teaspoon salt

in your food processor, blend all the ingredients for the PB center together until it forms a ball and you can press it together. form them it into balls and put in the freezer.
to make the coating, pulse the nuts and salt in the food processor until they're like large crumbs... you can see in the photos. put in a large bowl and set aside.
to make the chocolate, blend all ingredients together in the food processor until smooth, it will start thickening fast so take out your frozen PB balls and dip them in the chocolate, then roll them in the chopped nuts. stick back in the freezer for an hour or two and voila! 

• 3 cups sesame seeds (1 lb.)

you know that popular recipe i have for "the best raw vegan ice cream ever"? i am a liar. that stuff is off the chain, but nothing - and i mean, nothing - can compete with this recipe. it's one ingredient, stupid-easy, fat-free, around 150 calories, filling, full of fiber, dairy-free, delicious, and the best soft serve you will ever eat.

you love the raw vegan lifestyle (or not...) but what is one to do with their hair while staying stay raw vegan!? all the shampoos out there are full of chemicals, unsustainable ingredients and tested on animals, right?


there's a PLETHORA of righteous, sustainable, animal-friendly, health-delivering products from awesome vegan hair and body care companies out there. their stuff usually isn't even that pricey (especially when you consider what you're supporting). some examples of such companies are lush, kiss my face, jason, dessert essence organics, avalon organics, nature's gate, BWC (beauty without cruelty), devita, 100% pure, sevi, and countless others. check them ALL out here for yourself.

one more company i want to mention is morrocco method. recently they contacted me and asked if i would like to review their products (DUH I WOULD!) they specialize in hair care. all their ingredients are raw, organic, gluten-free, wholesome and vegan. seriously, the ingredient list is so simple and straightforward.


they sent me chi essence shampoo and pearl essence creme rinse. i'm being totally honest when i say i LOVE THEM. i wouldn't lie to you guys.

i've been making my own shampoo and conditioner for years now because i couldn't find any on the market that (a) had acceptable ingredients, (b) that i couldn't just make better myself, and (c) that gave better results than my hand-made stuff. but i think i've finally found something special. it's basically like i DID make these myself, except they work better (and smell better...) they're also quite affordable considering you're buying wild-crafted, raw, vegan, organic, natural, cruelty-free, gluten-free products that support sustainability.

my hair was shining, stronger and smooth within a few days. i got more impressive results with these than my own hand-made shampoo and conditioner.

now wash your gorgeous locks and listen to this wonderful album:

• 2 heaping tablespoons almond butter
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or agave
• juice from 1 lime
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Salad

• zucchini
• cucumber
• carrots
• celery
• bell pepper
• scallions
• leafy greens of choice
• almond slices or pepitas, optional