Tag Archives: Raw

Claymation cooking demonstration and Top tips for great smoothies

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It’s time for another cooking video!  This time I’ve enlisted the help of a certain clay dinosaur, who my husband has been animating via claymation since he was a boy with a Super 8 camera.  Over the years Gulp has had many adventures and swallowed many Lego blocks and Matchbox cars, but this is his first introduction to the joys of green smoothies and my Cashew Kale Shake.  (Eating cars may be one way to get your iron, but iron-rich kale is a heck of a lot easier on the teeth.)  With the help of my favorite hungry dinosaur, I demonstrate how easy it is to make your green smoothie dreams come true, even if you don’t have a high-speed blender.

Smoothies are such a delicious and simple way of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into a person’s diet.  I often enjoy them for breakfast, and it makes me feel good to kick start the day knowing that I’ve already had several servings of raw fruits and vegetables.  It sets a great tone and gives me a hit of wide-awake energy.  Hit a lull around 3 pm?  A smoothie also makes a tasty snack.

These are my top tips for taking a smoothie from good to great:

Frozen bananas are key.  First of all, bananas bring a pleasant mellowness to smoothies that otherwise might be overly sweet (like a tropical, orange, or berry smoothie) or bitter (like a smoothie with kale or collard greens).  Most importantly, frozen bananas give a thick, creamy texture that leans more towards a shake than a smoothie.

Always add ground flax seed.  It seems that every other article on health and wellness pages is about how the modern American diet is overloaded with omega 6’s while deficient on omega 3’s, creating an unhealthy imbalance.  An easy way to get omega 3’s into one’s diet is by adding a tablespoon of ground flax seed to a smoothie.  Outside of a vague nuttiness, it doesn’t add a lot in terms of flavor, but it gives the smoothie a fuller viscosity.  I like to grind whole flax seed in a coffee grinder as needed, but you could also use ground flax seed.  You’ll want to keep the open package in the freezer or refrigerator to avoid rancidity.  (Want to add raw cashews for a creamier smoothie?  While you’re grinding the flax seed, add in raw cashews as well and grind until they take on the consistency of flour.)

Blend tough greens first.  I almost never make a smoothie without greens.  It just seems like a wasted opportunity.  But without a high-speed blender, getting greens fully blended can be difficult.  The key to completely smooth green smoothies is blending hearty, fibrous greens first.  A bright green drink can already be a difficult sell to the uninitiated.  Add in chewy bits of tough kale and it’s even more of an obstacle.

Blend the greens with whatever liquid you’ll be using and continue until completely smooth before adding other ingredients.  The blender will probably need a hand with it, and so be sure to stop and scrape down the sides regularly to move the process along.  (Secret tip:  The circular handle on the lid of my non-high speed blender can be removed, leaving a small hole, and I sometimes stir the top portion of the greens while the blender is in motion.  It helps the momentum of the greens. Of course, it’s important to be careful that the spoon doesn’t come into contact with the blade, and it could be a splatter hazard if the liquid is too high.)

Vanilla soymilk adds dimension and balance.  For a long time I only used water in my smoothies.  With all of the nutrition and taste in the fruits and vegetables in the ingredient list, I didn’t think it needed anything else.  However, my feelings on this have changed.  A hint of vanilla in the background adds something special to a smoothie.  Now when I make it without, it doesn’t quite reach the same heights.

But don’t use too much.  Err on the side of less liquid for a thicker, creamier shake.  If you absolutely have to add more for blending, add a little at a time.

Ice cubes are your friend.  After a smoothie has reached its creamy and whippy perfection, I like to add six ice cubes and blend until fully broken down.  Without the cubes, it’s more like a shake or a malt, but with the ice cubes it’s all that with pleasant icy shards and a little added crunch.

A huge thank you to my wonderful husband, David, for animating, editing, and sound designing Gulp Vs. Smoothie!  You’re the best!

Beets: How to Like the Vegetables You Hate

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I know some people feel down about New Year’s resolutions.  They think they’re a waste of time or that people use them to set unattainable standards for themselves, only to be disappointed when they fail.  For myself, I like the tradition.  I like having a holiday that invites us to look at our lives and reflect on where we’d like to improve.  It’s a chance to revisit the last year and see the places where we’ve progressed and the places where we haven’t.  And it’s a chance to take some steps that we might not otherwise without an excuse.  It’s an opportunity to plan.

For some people a New Year’s resolution might include juicing, eating more fruits and vegetables, and/or making a renewed effort at exercising.  I know I feel a real pull right now to eat more fresh, raw foods and start the morning with just-pressed juice followed up with some cardio and weightlifting.  In this clean slate time of year, it feels good to refocus.

If you have it on your to-do list for the year to add more fruits and vegetables, a good place to start is in the produce section.  We’re always hearing that despite all of the healing and protective antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables, people aren’t eating them in anywhere near the recommended levels.  Variety counts too.  To get all of the goodness that plants can give, it can’t be all carrot sticks and iceberg lettuce.  That’s why I’m starting a new series called How to Like the Vegetables You Hate.  I think the real key in convincing people to eat more vegetables is finding preparation methods that make even the most unloved produce palatable.

I’m starting this series with my old nemesis, beets.  Too many times I was tricked by beets.  They come in a variety of beautiful colors – orange, deep red, white, and even a variety called Chioggia that has a candy cane striped center.  I wanted to like them.  But whenever I’d have them, thinking this would be the time that beets would win me over, I’d be treated with a mouthful of dirt.  Okay, not literally, but to my taste buds, beets were bright red dirt.  There was dirt soup (borscht), roasted dirt, and worst of all, dirt burgers on a whole wheat bun.

I knew that beets were good sources of folate, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and iron.  I knew that they’ve been shown to be protective against heart disease and even certain types of cancer, particularly colon.  However, I couldn’t get over their earthy flavor.  Then I discovered the beauty of raw beets.  So simple, so easy.  Plus, beets are sensitive to heat, which can kill its antioxidants.  All the more reason to use them raw.  Best of all, raw beets taste much more mild with a less pronounced earthy quality, especially when mixed with other flavors.


Grated beets are a colorful addition to everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salads.  I am not a three or four ingredient salad kind of person.  I like grated carrots, slices of celery, persimmons, cucumbers, radishes, different colors of bell peppers, tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, diced onion, avocado, broccoli and cauliflower florets, and artichoke hearts on a bed of massaged kale.  Whatever produce I can find in the refrigerator makes its way into my bowl with my favorite dressing.  Now added to that mix is a very vibrant beet.  To use beets in a salad, cut off the ends and peel them.  Then use a grater or chop them into bite-sized chunks.  One word of warning – red beets may make your salad kind of pink, especially if you save it until the next day.

Another way to add some beet-fueled color and nutrition to your day is by juicing it with other favorite fruits and vegetables.   Unlike the green juices that generally grace our kitchen, you might have an easier time getting someone to drink juice in a shade they’re used to enjoying in a glass.  When I’m making juice, I don’t bother peeling any of the vegetables, including the beets.  Since I use all organic produce, I just clean them thoroughly with a vegetable brush and pop them into the juicer.  Lately I’ve been enjoying this Calm Morning Juice.  It has a mild flavor with celery and cucumber, along with a little bit of sweetness from the orange, carrot, and beet.  It’s a pleasant drink for sipping and easing into the day.

Is there a fruit or vegetable that you want to like but so far haven’t been able to enjoy?   

Calm Morning Juice

Serves 2

  • 1 beet
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ medium-sized cucumber
  • 1 orange, peeled

Juice all ingredients.  Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

Kickin’ it in Kansas City: Part One

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On a recent trip through Kansas City, I was eager to check out some vegan eats.  After my brief visit last year, I knew that this town in the middle of Missouri offers more than first meets the eye.  The first stop was FÜD, a place we tried and loved in the past.  It’s an all-vegan restaurant with a focus on local and organic cooked and raw cuisine.  When we arrived, the place was jumping.  The tables were packed, and the server working the floor was running table-to-table to get everything done.  One of the owners was spinning records and setting a relaxed mood as diners chatted and savored their dinners.  We were seated near the window, and my husband placed an order for a vanilla shake to cut the edge off the unspeakably hot weather.

When the shake arrived, I knew my husband was going to have less of that shake than he’d initially hoped.  He took one sip and joy spread across his face.  “This is literally the best shake I’ve ever had,” he said.  Of course, I had to have a taste.  And then another.  The mouthwatering shake had undertones of malted flavor and was a creamy blend of soft ice cream and small, crunchy ice chunks.

Jackfruit Reuben

Cheesy mac

For our main courses, my eyes stopped at the jackfruit reuben.  I’d become a fan of jackfruit at the now defunct Pure Luck in LA, and I was eager to try this unusual spin on my favorite sandwich.  For my side, I noticed the child at the adjacent table was diving into his macaroni and cheese, and in an unusual twist, I added a small bowl of that to my meal as well.  The reuben was generous in size and unlike any reuben I’ve ever experienced before.  The jackfruit has a soft texture, and so the sandwich has a lot of give, except for the toasted bread encasing the filling.  It tasted as if the jackfruit had been marinating in pickle juice (and one would guess beet juice from the color as well).  It had a salty, tangy flavor that was very unique.  The macaroni and cheese was a mild, melt-in-your-mouth classic.  As a testament to it, I was unable to finish the whole thing, and so I took home leftovers.  My non-vegetarian nephew gobbled up all of the macaroni and cheese, and I don’t think he had the slightest clue that the cheese wasn’t made from cow’s milk.

My husband ordered the nachos, which were piled high with wild rice and mushroom meat, goji cheddar, guacamole, and pico de gallo.  It could easily have served a table of four as an appetizer.  When my husband finished, it looked like he’d barely touched it, although he was stuffed.

Tune in tomorrow when our appetites return and we go out for coffee and scones.  The deliciousness continues…

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