Raw For The Holidays 3rd Edition

At the beginning of the 2009 holiday season, the first edition of Raw For the Holidays, a collection of festive and delicious recipes & photos, was released when members of our Raw Food Rehab community and I realized the need for a survival guide geared towards helping raw food enthusiasts enjoyably and successfully maneuver their way through the holidays and other traditional celebrations.

Last year's expansion of Raw For The Holidays, was more comprehensive, adding a number of new recipes and full color photos, yet I decided that this year's collection should be revised once again to make it even more user-friendly and that it should include even more celebratory occasions!

Thanks to the tireless work of our amazing editor, Raw For The Holidays 3rd Edition, has been totally re-organized with a new table of contents that includes user-friendly categories, new menu suggestions, easier instructions and a glossary of terms and techniques. This year we are offering over 30 new recipes (over 130 recipes in all) and 70 full color photographs.

Here is a list of some of the occasions covered in Raw For The Holidays:

An Autumn Fireside Dinner
All Hallow's Eve Events (Kid-Friendly & Adult Menus)
Football Chili Party
Date Night Dinner
Thanksgiving
Shabbat Dinner
Hanukkah Brunch
Holiday Open House
Christmas Eve Meal
Christmas Dinner
New Year's Eve Hors d'oeuvres Party
New Year's Brunch
New Year's Raw Resolution Cleanse
Rescue Me from the Holidays - a Restorative Day Menu

Raw For The Holidays - 3rd Edition

is now available for purchase for only $20 through PayPal.

Not only will the purchase of this digital book be a tremendous support and help to you in all of your holiday and celebratory meal planning, but it is also a much appreciated way in which to support the operational costs and fund raising for Raw Food Rehab, so they can continue to expand the offerings back into the amazing community.

This incredible collection of recipes and beautiful photos will be a treasure to you as you continue on your path towards optimum health this holiday season! Order Raw For The Holidays for just $20 through PayPal. Once notification of payment is received, the ebook will be send to your Inbox. You will normally receive the book in a very short amount of time, however, please allow up to 10 hours for delivery.

Staying Raw & Sane at the Holidays!

On Thursday, December 9th, Penni Shelton - creator of Raw Food Rehab and author of a number of books, including, Raw Food Cleanse & Raw For The Holidays, will be joining Blog Talk Radio host, Cher Till for a fantastic internet program on Staying Raw & Sane at the Holidays! During this hour long program, Cher and Penni will be dishing up some great holiday tips for staying raw, keeping it green, reducing stress and sharing recipe ideas. They'll cover a gamut of topics from dealing with the demands and stresses of the season to how to be prepared and stay on course with your healthy eating goals throughout 2010 and beyond. Please join in for some fun, helpful tips and tricks that will help make your season more Merry & Bright! Click here to learn more details and to find the time the show will be available in your area.

Healthy Shots with Cher is an award winning internet program that brings you the movers, shakers and leaders in raw, vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, as well as Masters in the study of Meditation. Master Life Coach Cher Till is your host and weekly she brings you her expert tools and those of her special guests. This will be a one hour show, with fun and information that will guide you to a balance of physical and mental joy. To learn more about Coach Cher Till go to rawqyourhealth.com

The Living Christmas Tree

Here we are at the beginning of December, which is the biggest celebratory month of the entire year! In today's episode of Foodie Friday, I am sharing with you one of my most favorite and impressive holiday party appetizers, The Living Christmas Tree, which is a perfect centerpiece and healthy conversation starter for any festive occasion. Putting this tree together is also a fun way to get kids involved in helping with your party preparations!

To put together your Living Christmas Tree (page 63 of Raw For The Holidays), you'll need:

One Styrofoam Cone (they come in several sizes, so choose a larger size if you have a larger number of guests) and Toothpicks:

Holiday Themed Mini-Cookie Cutters, if desired:

Lots of Leafy Greens to cover the cone:

Use toothpicks to secure your leafy greens to the cone to create the Christmas Tree Base layer:

Clean, cut and prepare a variety of veggies with which to decorate your tree:

Decorate the Living Christmas Tree as you would a real holiday tree, using toothpicks to secure the veggies in place:

Use the Living Tree as a table decoration or centerpiece at your holiday event:

You can serve a variety of dips as an accompaniment to this veggie tree. I made a variation of the Cashew Cheddar Spread from Falling Into Raw (page 32):

For the Cheddar Spread:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked one hour & drained
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon cashew or tahini butter
1 generous tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 scant teaspoon sea salt
water, only as needed to blend

In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients until completely smooth.

I also suggest these dips to serve alongside the tree:

Pumpkin Seed Cheese Dip (Falling Into Raw - page 34)

Chipotle Hummus (Falling Into Raw - page 34)

Smokey Guacamole (Falling Into Raw - page 31)

And be sure to check out the other offerings in our Dips & Nut Pate section in the Raw Food Rehab Kitchen! There is a Live Ranch dip & an amazing walnut pate in that section that are DELISH!

Raw Hanukkah

Looking for raw food ideas to incorporate into your Chanukkah dinner? Raw chefs Deborah Blank, Kirby Cuke & Raw For the Holidays offer a full menu of delicious gluten & dairy free living food recipes for your celebration which include:

Apple Cakes

Honey Creme Sauce

Spiced Carrots

Applesauce

Sweet Potato Latkes

Sour Cream

Brisket

Jelly Donuts

Chanukah Harry Choc Dipped Macaroons

Raw For The Holidays offers over 100 holiday themed, healthy raw food recipes & 65 full color photos. Order your digital copy now, through Paypal for only $15.

Autumn Harvest Mushrooms & Festive Pumpkin Soup

Thanksgiving is just days away. Here are a couple of recipes from Raw For The Holidays...ENJOY!

Festive Pumpkin Soup by Penni

4 cups shredded pumpkin flesh, soaked overnight & drained

3 - 4 cups almond or pumpkin seed milk

½ cup pecans, soaked

1 teaspoon onion flakes

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon sea salt

Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add more milk or water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Autumn Harvest Mushrooms with Avocado Aioli

For the stuffing:

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (or other raw nut or seed)

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/3 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons coconut aminos (Nama Shoyu, Wheat Free Tamari or Braggs)

Add all ingredients except the tomatoes to a food processor, pulsing until coarsely combined. Add the tomatoes, pulsing until just blended.

For the mushrooms:

1 pint of brown button or baby bello mushrooms, stems removed

1 + tablespoon coconut aminos

Brush the mushroom caps with coconut aminos to thoroughly coat. Stuff the mushrooms with the Autumn Harvest stuffing and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 2+ hours. (They can also be served at room temperature). Top the finished mushrooms with Avocado Aioli (see below).

For the avocado aioli:

1 large avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients until emulsified.

Raw For The Holidays Is Here!

Last year we released Raw For The Holidays, a collection of festive and delicious recipes created by the Original Cast of Raw Food Rehab. The book was already fabulous, but I decided that the collection should be expanded and revised to make it even more comprehensive and appealing! This year's newly edited and expanded edition has over 100 recipes and 65 color photographs. Here is a list of occasions we cover in the latest version of Raw For The Holidays:

The Perfect Autumn Day (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snack/Dessert) - 8 recipes
Football Watch Party - 9 recipes
All Hallow's Eve - 9 recipes
Thanksgiving (Breakfast, Dinner & Dessert) - 18 recipes
Enchanted Winter Evening for 2 (or more) - 6 recipes
Hanukkah Dinner - 8 recipes
Holiday Sweets & Party Treats - 10 recipes
Christmas Eve - 9 recipes
Christmas Brunch - 11 recipes
Christmas Dinner - 10 recipes
New Year's Eve - 6 recipes
New Year's Day - 7 recipes

I have every confidence that the purchase of this eBook will be a tremendous support and help to you in all of your holiday and celebratory meal planning, and help you to be enthused to start un-cooking for your friends and family! I will also be making some of the recipes that don't have photos on upcoming Foodie Friday episodes!

Raw For The Holidays is available now for just $15 through PayPal. Once I receive notification of your payment, I send the ebook directly to your Inbox. You will normally receive the book in a very short amount of time, however, please allow up to 10 hours for delivery (if an order comes through after I go to bed, I will send it first thing when I wake up!) I know this incredible collection of recipes and beautiful photos will be a treasure to you as you continue on your path towards optimum health this holiday season!

Please CLICK HERE to order your copy!

Cold Days - Warm Food

Waking up to freezing temperatures always gets me into the Thanksgiving spirit, and tempts my palate towards warmer foods. If you're like me, dinner time can often be a challenge when your diet consists of raw foods, especially when the climate gets colder. Today I'm sharing some food preparation tips and a few autumn themed recipes that I particularly enjoy. Hopefully you'll give one or two of them a try the next time you're scratching your head trying to think of what to make for dinner.

Much like roasting, "reducing" vegetables in your dehydrator (or oven on it's lowest temperature setting), really brings out the richness and complexity of flavors without destroying valuable enzymes, minerals and vitamins. Slice vegetable and toss them in a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper and within a few hours, you'll have a deliciously satisfying side dish or entree. Any of the following recipes could be additionally nutritious and filling if you serve alongside raw spouted or lightly steamed quinoa, millet or buckwheat.

Marinated Vegetables

Be sure when shopping to buy a colorful assortment of vegetables!

6 cups assorted, trimmed and cubed vegetables (such as....carrots, baby brussel sprouts, cauliflower, pearl onions, squash, bell peppers, broccoli, etc.)

1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup champagne vinegar (optional)

4 small bay leaves

2 tsp Celtic sea salt

2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Mix together the marinade and thoroughly coat the vegetables, adding the bay leaves. Place in a dehydrator set to 135 degrees for the first hour, then turn down to 110 degrees for the remaining time, continuing to reduce and soften to your personal taste, approximately 2 more hours.

Fresh Green Beans with Garlic Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Beans:

2 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, sliced into about 1/4 - 1/8 inch pieces

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

sea salt & pepper to taste

1/3 cup raw, sprouted and dehydrated almonds, chopped

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to blend well. Set aside.

To prepare beans, chop and toss the beans in a bowl with the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread this mixture onto a dehydrator mesh sheet. Place in a dehydrator set at 135 degrees for the first hour, then turn down to 110 degrees for the remainder of the warming time, which is about 2 - 3 more hours. Once the beans reach your desired softness, dress the beans with the vinaigrette and toss in the crumbled almonds. Serve & enjoy.

Warm Spinach & Radicchio with Mushroom Vinaigrette

6 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 1/2cups torn radicchio leaves (optional)

2 Tbsp scallions, sliced 1/2 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. fresh sage

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Nama Shoyu or celtic sea salt

Vinaigrette:

3 1/2 Tbsp. Sherry wine vinegar

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Agave nectar

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Combine green onion, mushroom, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, sage and nama shoyu. Spread out on a mesh dehydrator screen. Warm for about an hour at 125 degrees. Make vinaigrette, set aside. Remove the mushroom mixture and add the spinach, radicchio and other 1/2 tsp of olive oil, combining well. Return to the dehydrator for another 30 minutes - 1 hour to slightly wilt the greens at 115 degrees. Also place the bowl of vinaigrette into the dehydrator, as well. Toss the spinach, mushroom mixture with the warmed vinaigrette for a satisfying and hearty fall dish.

Honey-Curried Kale with Caramelized Onions

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. raw honey

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped (should be 6 cups)

2 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu

Toss onions in a tsp. of olive oil until fully coated. Dehydrator 1 - 3 hours. Stir together remainder of olive oil, curry powder, honey, lemon juice, nama shoyu and kale. Add in the carmelized onions and return to the dehydrator for another 30 minutes.