Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Choosing Raw Client Testimonials

Happy Tuesday!

I was happy to see that chocomole got the enthusiastic bloggie response it deserves! Some of you have already written in to say that you’ve made and loved it. Well, keep it up: that recipe deserves every bit of adoration it gets. And if you’re not into chocolate–though if you aren’t, I offer you my deepest condolences–check out my lemon chiffon pudding, too.

As you know, raw foods aren’t just a part of my own lifestyle. They’re a part of my professional life, too. As a nutritional counselor with an emphasis in raw foods, I help people of all lifestyles use raw and plant based foods to feel healthier and more positive. My clients run the full gamut of dietary perspectives (omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, food allergies), and I don’t impose raw foods or veganism on any of them; instead, I encourage them to think of raw, plant-based foods as tools in achieving well-being. Most of my clients find that unprocessed, plant based foods help them to rethink unhealthy habits and addictions, to get in touch with improved eating habits, to quit snacking and binging, and to identify their emotional triggers with food. Raw foods aren’t an end goal, in other words: they form an entranceway into an cleaner, healthier, and happier way of being.

As much as I love to help my clients, I find that my clients also help me. They give me cool recipe ideas (hello, carrot fries); they help me to refine my nutritional perspective; they enhance my knowledge base; and, most importantly, they inspire me with their courage.

Recently, I asked a handful of my clients to share testimonials with me about their experience with Choosing Raw counseling, and they were kind enough to oblige. I’ve posted their comments in a new testimonials tab at the top of my page. These comments have touched me deeply, and it’s my hope that they’ll give you insight into the kind of work I do and how I do it (you’ll see at least two friendly blog faces in the crowd!). If they aren’t enough, you can also check out my new tab, “Is Choosing Raw for You,” which describes the kind of conditions I work best with.

I hope you’ll all take a second or two to read the very kind words that my clients have shared with me about their experiences. And as always, if you’re interested in my counseling services, please email me at Gena@choosingraw.com for more information about my rates and services.

xo

P.S. On Twitter? Hey, me too. Follow my twitter feed by clicking on the link at the top right.

Rainy Day Chocomole

Rain, rain, go away!

I am not impressed with NYC weather lately. First, we endure over twenty days of rain and cold in June. Then, we’re deprived of all save two weeks of a proper summer. Now, temperatures have already taken a turn for the autumnal. I love fall, but not without a proper summer preceding it. And today is the annual Columbus Avenue Street Festival, an occasion I look forward to yearly, and it’s raining out. Not cool.

OK, now that I’m done whining (and fishing out my fall jackets from storage), I’ll get onto a recipe that never fails to brighten my spirits. It is a staple of every self-respecting raw foodist’s bastion of sweets. It is the first raw dessert I ever made, and it continues to be the one I like most. And unlike most raw desserts, it takes about ten minutes from start to finish. I just whipped it up, in fact, and I look forward to snacking on it today as I edit and contemplate the gloom outside my window.

The dessert is avocado chocolate pudding—aka “chocomole”—and it is a winner.

This recipe has a cheerful celebrity spokesperson in the form of singer/songwriter Jason Mraz—who, if y’all didn’t know, is a high-raw vegan! Jason has made numerous press appearances speaking about the benefits of a vegan diet, and he’s shared his chocomole recipe for all the world here. Thanks, Jason!

My own chocomole recipe is slightly different (for one thing, it’s a smaller yield, as I’m usually cooking for one), but the idea is the same: blend a ripe avocado with dates or sweetener, chocolate powder, and vanilla. What emerges is a smooth, creamy pudding that you’ll never imagine to be vegetable-based and dairy-free. It’s full of healthy fats, so it makes for an excellent pre-or post-workout food, and it’s a delicious dessert to combine with starch-based meals. No matter how many times a friend or family member (ahem, Mom!) wrinkles her nose when I mention an avocado-based pudding, this recipe wins fans!

You can use any chocolate powder in your chocomole, though I recommend an unsweetened and organic brand if you can (Green and Black makes a good one). Today, I had the benefit of using raw cacao from Navitas Naturals, who are the makers of a wide array of high-quality “superfoods.” Recently, the folks at Navitas were generous enough to send me a box of goodies to sample. These included raw cacao, raw lucuma (a root-derived powder that has a mellow, fruity taste, and is a great alternative sweetener), cacao nibs, and yacon syrup (also root derived, and a low-GI alternative to agave).

If you have any questions about these individual products, I encourage you all to peruse the very informative Navitas website!

The shipment reminded me that regular cacao powder is no substitute for raw, unsweetened cacao powder—the latter may be pricier, but the taste is well worth it! Thanks to the Navitas cacao powder, this was one of my all time best batches of chocomole.

Here’s the recipe:

Avocado Chocolate Pudding (aka, Chocomole!)

1 ripe avocado, pitted
6-10 dates (depending on size of dates and desired sweetness – I’m usually happy with 8 medjool dates), soaked if necessary
½ tsp vanilla
4 heaping Tbsp cocoa or 2 Tbsp. carob powder
½ cup water

Place all ingredients in a food processor (you can use a blender or Vita, but food processors work much better for this recipe) and begin blending.

Drizzle water in, stopping to scrape sides of bowl if need be, until the mixture resembles a thick, chocolate pudding. Let it continue mixing until smooth and creamy, like so:

For this batch, I used 3 dates and 3 tbsp of the new yacon syrup, which I’d never tried. It turned out nicely.

If you are on a low-sugar or anti-candida diet, I recommend using stevia to taste in place of dates or agave.

I challenge you to have a gloomy day after sampling this chocolately goodness:

Take that, rain!!!

Get blending, people. Happy Sunday!

xo

Probiotics: To Take or Not to Take?

TGI-almost-F!

Hope you’ve all had a great week. I’m here with a raw Question of the Week. I’ve been out of the habit of answering these lately, but not intentionally: they’re actually some of my favorite blog posts to write! They demand time and thought, though, and so I don’t like to write them in a time pinch (and lately, I feel as though I’m almost always in a time pinch). This week, I’m happy to check in great question that happens to coincide nicely with a new product review.

This question comes from Jeanette. Recently, she wrote an email saying,

“Hi Gena, I love your blog! I’ve read so much about probiotics lately. Do you recommend taking them? Is there a brand you like”

Great question, Jeanette! And the answer is most certainly yes. I’ve written a few posts now that point to my general thoughts about taking supplements. I’m not against supplements, per se, but I am against the general habit of taking multi-vitamins and other supplements in the absence of a particular reason. For the most part, if one is eating a varied, nutrient-rich, plant-based diet, it’s safe to assume that one is getting the adequate nutrition, and from the best possible sources: whole foods. Supplements are useful for filling in gaps in one’s diet (if there are any) or for healing deficiencies, but they are secondary to a healthy diet.

I also think that people tend to fixate on supplementation when they might be expending equal (and more valuable) energy on tending to problems in their diets: unfit foods they eat too much of; plant-based foods they don’t eat enough of; erratic eating habits that they should bring into balance. Why? Because it’s very, very easy to add something to one’s diet or routine; subtracting something or changing a stubborn habit is much harder. This is why most people are happy to add supplements (or even exercise) to their lifestyles, but fundamentally resistant to eliminating a particular food or to tackling an unhealthy habit. I’m always clear with my clients about the fact that I probably will not recommend supplements or superfoods. And they often sound a bit crestfallen to hear it! This makes me smile: why on earth would you be sorry to hear that I don’t want you to drop fifty bucks on vitamins or spirulina or maca? Because it means that improvement is not to be found in a bottle or a magic food; it’s contingent upon your own capacity for change.

All of this said, there are times and places for supplements. I recommend that all vegans check their B-12 and Vitamin D levels checked yearly, and of course, if your doctor or health practitioner believes that there’s any particular reason for you to be taking a supplement, do. I also believe that most all of us—especially the ladies—should consider taking a probiotic supplement and a digestive enzyme.

Why? As with all supplements, in a perfect workd, we wouldn’t need them. But unfortunately, most of us grew up eating, if not SAD diets, unfit ones; most of us also have digestive tracts that are imbalanced from too much acidity, too much mucuous-forming food, too many toxins (caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, drugs–illegal and OTC), and synthetic hormones. Imbalanced digestive tracts become a breeding ground for yeast and bacteria, which in turn can lead to all sorts of health complaints. And women are especially prone. Thankfully, probiotics and enzymes are here to help.

There’s enough buzz around probiotics lately that I don’t have to define the basics for you: these are the microorganisms that have a healthy effect on our bodies (usually via our digestive tract). Taken properly, probiotics can help to combat bacteria, yeast, and other invaders which are likely to weaken and impair our digestion. Consequently, they can help to heal gas, bloating, constipation, candida (yeast), IBS, colitis, and even deeper conditions, such as high cholesterol and impaired immunity.

There are a ton of probiotics on the market right now. If you suffer from IBS, constipation, or bloating (which is the most popular motive, in my experience, for taking a probiotic), I recommend an acidophilus and bifidus blend. You want to seek out a probiotic that is enteric coated (this means it’s coated thickly enough to withstand passage through one’s stomach acid; unfortunately, most probiotics do not have enteric coating). Any pearlized probiotic will have enteric coating. As far as brands go, there are many good pearlized ones. Whole Foods is now making a generic one, which I picked up once while traveling and liked; a very well-respected and excellent option is the Dr. Ohhira brand. Finally, the Jarro Dophilus brand is both high-quality and also has the benefit of offering a shelf-stable strain (many probiotics necessitate refrigeration).

So, that answers Jeanette’s question. What about enzymes, which I also mentioned? Enzymes, as we know, help us to break down and digest food. Though less popular than probiotics, these can be equally essential for those who have compromised digestive systems. As I was healing from my IBS, I found that enzymes (in addition to a cleansing diet, of course!) helped me immensely. And let’s just be honest about what “help” means, kids: they—alongside probiotics—helped me take a crap. Not once a week, not once every five days, but on the daily. They also helped me to avoid the painful bloating and abdominal discomfort that I had become all too accustomed to. Once again, there are numerous brands out there. I’ve always had good success with the MegaFoods brand; I also recommend the Hippocrates brand.

As with all supplements, not everyone needs probiotics or enzymes (or you may need one, but not the other). If your digestion is strong and consistent, great: enjoy it. Again, though, many of us have digestive systems that have become sluggish, finicky, overrun with yeast and bacteria, or overly acidic. Digestive supplements—especially in conjunction with a clean and plant based diet—give us the helping hand we need in getting our delicate systems back into balance. If you do choose to take them, I recommend taking them in accordance with the instructions on the brand you’ve chosen, but you should typically take digestive enzymes directly before meals. If you’re eating something that’s particularly tough to digest, or you’re high raw and you’re about to eat cooked foods, you should double up on dosage.

Since I take both probiotics and enzymes routinely, I’m always on the lookout for excellent new brands to recommend to clients—and to take myself! Recently, having heard excellent reports about the Udo Erasmus line of products, I contacted the company and asked for a sampling of their supplements. They were kind enough to oblige–and how!–with a generous assortment of probiotics, ranging from an infant formula to a senior blend:

And two of their digestive enzyme varieties:

A firm champion of individuality—in nutrition and in life!—I love that Udo’s tailors their probiotic blends to fit various ages and conditions. Thus far, I’ve sampled the Adult Enzyme Blend, which I’ve had terrific results with, and the Adult’s Probiotic, which seems to be excellent thus far.

If this isn’t enough, Udo’s also included their new DHA oil blend.

If you recall my Omega-3 post, you’ll recall my saying that it can be difficult for vegans (or non-fish eaters) to get enough DHAs in their diets. Now, we vegans have a reliable and tasty source. The 3-6-9 Blend is wonderful; it’s a blend of (among other ingredients) organic flax seed oil, organic sunflower seed oil, organic sesame seed oil, rice and oat germ oils, organic coconut oil (which I recommend aside from this for its health properties), organic evening primrose oil, and various antioxidants. It has a slightly nutty flavor, but it isn’t quite as strong as flax or hemp oil, which makes it perfect for even delicate recipes.

I am so grateful to the people at Udo’s for sending me their products. I recommend them completely, and I also recommend the Udo’s website as a credible source of information. Don’t take my word for it: check out the site and download the very detailed PDFs that they offer about each of their products.

In the meantime, if this post piques your curiosity, I remind you all to “check in” with your digestive systems. So many of us go through our lives with gastric complaints that we take for granted as necessary. Digestive discomfort is anything but: if you feel pain, bloating, or sluggishness with elimination, it’s a warning bell. And it may be time for you to consider adding probiotics–in addition to whole, plant based foods in abundance–to your daily routine. I hope that you’ll find some relief!

xo

Creamy Hemp Basil Sauce

Hi guys!

I’m back, and in spite of the fact that I have officially disgusted all of my coworkers with nose blowing, I’m all better! Thanks for the good wishes

On Sunday, I hinted at a new sauce I’d be sharing this week. Well, mystery revealed: it’s a creamy hemp basil sauce, and it is delicious!

Every now and then, a recipe that I don’t expect to be stellar ends up becoming a favorite of mine. I suspect that this is soon to be true of hemp basil sauce. It began on a whim, and it was a happy, yet unanticipated success. There’s no reason I shouldn’t have expected it to be great: it involves hemp (a favorite ingredient of mine), basil (probably my favorite herb), and I modeled it on my cashew alfredo, which I love. But I wasn’t sure that the delicate flavors of basil and oregano would pair well with the nutty, distinctive hemp. Fortunately, they did!

The key ingredient in this recipe is hemp butter. What is hemp butter? Well, it’s just like almond butter or any other nut butter, but the base is hemp seeds (so in this regard I guess it’s a cousin of tahini, another seed spread). I don’t think I need to sing the praises of hemp seeds to most of you blog readers: thought of as the most nutritious seed on the planet, hemp (and hemp butter) is high in protein, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. It’s also an eco-friendly industrial crop that lends itself to numerous products (from clothing to concrete), and it’s worthy of major consumer support.

For these many reasons, I consider hemp butter a terrific alternative to typical nut butters. The taste is less immediately accessible—it’s less sweet—but as soon as you grow accustomed to it, I think you’ll find (as I have) that it’s delicious. Unfortunately, hemp butter is tough to find. There are a few brands on the market: Manitoba Harvest makes one, and you can always make your own. Recently, I discovered a new brand, and I’m so glad I did. The maker is Rejuvinative Foods, and hemp butter is but one of many incredible products they offer.

What makes Rejuvinative Foods so special? To start, all of their nut butters are unheated and processed at low temperatures. Even more exciting, Rejuvinative uses nut and seed bases that go far beyond the typical almond or hazelnut. These include black sesame tahini; sunflower and pumpkin seed butters; cashew butter; ambrosia (a delicious mixture of brazil nuts, coconut, raisins, pistachios, almonds, sesame seeds, hazlenuts, poppy seeds, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg); and luscious chocolate, which is a combination of almond and sunflower seed butters and chocolate. Holy. Yum.

As soon as I stumbled on the Rejuvinative website, I couldn’t wait to have a taste. And the kind people at rejuvinative were kind enough to oblige me! A few days ago, I received this generous assortment of treats:

That’s hemp seed butter, pumpkin seed butter, luscious chocolate, hazelnut butter, and ambrosia. Wow.

Since it was the first product that interested me, the hempseed butter was the first product I tried. I had been planning to use it in a dessert sauce, but I quickly realized that the relatively un-sweet hemp flavor might easily lend itself to a savory recipe. And with that, creamy hemp basil sauce was born.

Creamy Hemp Basil Sauce (yields about 1 1/2 cups — possibly a bit less)

½ cup hemp butter
½ cup water
1 tsp lemon
1-2 dates (pitted)
1 tsp oregano, dry
½ tsp thyme, dry
¼ cup fresh basil, packed
¼-1/2 tsp salt (start with ¼ and then adjust to your taste)
1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure:

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor, magic bullet, or Vitamix until well mixed. Adjust water if you’d like it thinner—but keep in mind that it will thicken in the fridge.

I served this sauce over spiralized carrots and zucchini (I recommend using 1/4 cup per person as a “pasta” sauce), but it would be equally scrumptious served over kelp noodles, over steamed or grilled vegetables, or as an alternative to mayonnaise in wraps, sandwiches, and slaws (I think carrot and cabbage slaw would be incredible with this stuff). It’s sweet and rich, but the basil keeps it light. It paired especially well with the carrots!

I tossed and served alongside a big ‘ole salad:

Since the meal above, I’ve opened a few other Rejuvinative samples. Faves thus far are the ambrosia and the Luscious Chocolate, which are both amazing. The chocolate spread, in particular, is total decadence, and I cann’t gush enough about it! Scooped on some medjool dates, or on top of some banana soft serve, it makes for a heavenly dessert.

Hope you’ll all check out the Rejuvinative website and support their raw, homemade, and extraordinary products. Nut butters are versatile and nutritious, and when they’re made with this much integrity and love, a worthy investment in a high-raw diet.

Night all.

xo

P.S. Have you tried carrot fries yet?

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