Super Nutrition- Super Food Alert!

A diet of mostly raw food (organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds prepared in a manner that retains all of the nutrients and antioxidants) has proven to be the easiest way to improve and sustain our health. Testimonies of thousands over the world are evidence of its effectiveness. All of these foods are super in their own right.  There are a lot of opinions about what foods are super foods. Super foods are super concentrated, nutrient dense foods.

Herbs-Using many herbs such as oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, and others in my recipes that are high on the ORAC scale

Vegetables that are high on the ANDI scale We keep these densely nutritious foods in our diet on a daily basis – see my blog entry for recipes. We drink 16 ounces of this Green Vegetable Juice every day. It is important for us to drink this juice, containing some of the top vegetables on the ANDI scale.   These foods are full of super nutrition and are truly super foods and are as close as your local fresh market. They do not come in a bottle or package, have to be shipped to you, or put a large dent in your pocketbook.

Fruits-There are exotic fruits that have a high ORAC number, but are harvested then cooked to death with pasteurization and bottled, sold to you with a high price-tag. There are wonderful berries each with their own season that you can get fresh at your local market. Right now organic strawberries (see recipes) are coming in and earlier I featured cranberries (see recipes) All of these fresh fruits and berries in their season are much more nutritious than a bottled, dried or packaged super fruits.

Food supplements- Blue Green Algae- a form of micro algae phytoplankton, which grows and is harvested from the fresh water of Klamath Lake. Micro algae phytoplankton form the basis of the food chain and were the first organisms to populate the earth billions of years ago and are still here. To survive this long, they have been able to adapt to many environments and are the richest source of chlorophyll (green) found in nature. Chlorophyll is rich in magnesium and many people are deficient in magnesium, which is why we eat and juice greens. BGA is so easily consumed by our intestinal flora, improving our immune system and allows us to better adapt to changing conditions in our environment. Refer to David Wolfe’s book Super Foods for more information about Blue Green Algae.

Years ago we used a frozen Blue Green Algae, but I never had any health changes that I noticed. A year ago we started taking Simplexity Blue Green Algae and after several months I began having many changes that were noticeable. I began having very vivid dreams; became more creative and better able to focus. I no longer have “blue days”, which I occasionally had; years on raw food had eliminated my need to take antidepressants. People we are acquainted with have had improvements, children with ADD and autism had behavioral modifications. Viktoras Kulvinskas has been eating the Blue Green Algae from Simplexity Health for two decades with great results. We have been using Simplexity Products for a year and have had major changes. This nutrition was the missing part of our raw food diet.  This is a whole food supplement that we use, and recommend, in addition to wheat grass or barley grass juice.

At the same time I also started taking Stemplex, which stimulates our body to make stem cells. Stemplex is a synergistic blend of the Blue Green Algae, blueberry, green tea, carnosine,  and vitamin D. Research shows eating 2 Stemplex veg caps per day help your body’s own adult stem cells to be up to 80% more effective at revitalizing your body. A year ago I was having increasing pain in one of my knees after a fall. I had been diagnosed with a torn meniscus and started taking the Stemplex. After a month of taking Stemplex the doctor took an MRI and discovered that I had a fracture in my humorous and he could only see the fracture after it was healing. After one month on Stemplex,  I was no longer having pain or swelling and could walk without limping. I am convinced that the Stemplex stimulated my body to create bone cells to heal my leg. A fracture usually takes 8-9 weeks to heal.

Go to http://simplexityhealth.com/rawfoodrevival

for more information and to order these products. The best way to start is the Essential Packets, which include blue green algae, digestive enzymes and probiotics, and in addition order Stemplex. Order by April 30 and get the wholesale discount.

Save 20% on ALL Simplexity Health Products!!

We are excited to announce a very special offer only available during the month of April. Here’s a limited-time offer to change your retail account to that of Preferred Customer with NO AUTOSHIP REQUIRED!

What does this mean for you? We’ve made it even easier for you to save money!

You can order products at wholesale prices (that’s a 20% discount!) without having to commit to an AutoShip order. As a Preferred Customer, you will also be eligible for special product promotions that are not available to Retail Customers.

This fantastic special is for April only, so we urge you to take advantage of the offer before it’s too late!

Call before April 30, to secure your special Preferred Customer status without the requirement of an AutoShip by making a $40 minimum wholesale product purchase. It’s easy to maintain your special Preferred Customer status with a minimum $40 product purchase every six months.

This special is designed for all Retail Customers who want to order products at a discount but who are not interested an AutoShip or the Simplexity Health business opportunity at this time. You’ll be impressed with the amount you save on product purchases!

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Call our toll free Operator line at 800.800.1300 or your upline sponsor (Jackie and Gideon Graff  http://simplexityhealth.com/rawfoodrevival and join thousands of satisfied Preferred Customers who enjoy better health thanks to their consistent use of Simplexity Health products. This special offer is not available through our online store; so make sure you call our toll-free Order department to get the best savings on your favorite products!

We look forward to hearing from you by April 30!

Other Superfoods

Raw Cacao has a lot of antioxidants, but turmeric has three times the ORAC value of cacao. Turmeric (curcumin) is the yellow spice that gives color to mustard and curry with no flavor. We bump up the nutrition of a smoothie, our salads by adding turmeric powder, and juice the turmeric root for our juices.  Years ago we ate raw cacao, making truffles, drinks and other recipes with the raw cacao but found it to be too stimulating and addictive for us. When we met each other at the refrigerator at 3 AM and fought over the last Cacao Truffle, we rethought our consumption of cacao.

The mind altering affects of theobromine and stimulating affects of caffeine, agave and coconut oil or cocoa butter needed to make this bitter seed taste good were a problem for us and we decided to eliminate it from our diet when we found that we were addicted to it. I do not want to be addicted to anything.

We turned to a sun dried fruit… carob as a substitute. If you have had issues with cacao, you may want to switch to carob. We are not the raw food police, just would like to offer substitutes for raw cacao for others who have issues with it.  Included are some recipes using carob.

Carob comes from a large tree that grows wild in nature, which is a plus. Gideon as a child in Israel with no access to candy ate the carob pod, discarding the seeds, as candy. The flesh around the seed of the carob was sweet and chewy (sort of like Tootsie Rolls). We know it as a dried powder. The raw carob has a better flavor than roasted.

Carob is one of the seven species that the land of Israel was blessed with by God (Deuteronomy 8:8). The seven species are 1. Wheat and 2. Barley, which we grow and consume as grasses. 3. Figs very high in nutrition 4. Grapes, which are high in resveratrol 5. Pomegranates, which are very high on the ORAC scale, 6. Olives high in nutrition and healthy fat 7. Honey, which is the English interpretation of the Hebrew word, Dvash means honey. During the time of the bible, honey was a general name of the sweet substance found in carob, dates and wild bee honey. There were no beekeepers at that time; therefore domestic bee honey was not widely available. Egyptians were the first to keep bees. Refer to David Wolfe’s book Super Foods for more information about honey and other bee products. These seven foods were the original super foods.

John the Baptist lived on carob pods…”the locust bean” which is another name for carob. Another biblical reference to carob pods is in the parable of the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance and so became a servant, looking after the pigs.” He would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate”- the pods would most probably have been the pods of the carob trees which produce crops in times of drought and famine and are used as feed for live stock in Israel.

Carob is an alternative to chocolate. As most of us are now aware, carob is free from the stimulants caffeine and theobromine found in chocolate. It is also naturally sweet, so carob products will generally contain substantially less sugars than their chocolate counterparts.  Carob powder can be substituted for cocoa powder in any recipe.

Carob is 8% protein and contains vitamins A, B, B2, B3 and D. It is also high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium and contains iron, manganese, barium, copper and nickel. It has no oxalic acid as cacao does which prevents the body from absorbing calcium and zinc. ?

The main constituents of carob are large carbohydrates (sugars) and tannins. The sugars make carob gummy and able to act as a thickener to absorb water and help bind together watery stools. Tannins from carob, being water insoluble, do not bind proteins as some tannins do. Carob tannins do bind to (and thereby inactivate) toxins and inhibit growth of bacteria both of which are beneficial when it comes to diarrhea.   Dietary fiber and sugars may make food more viscous in the stomach and thus interfere with reflux of acid into the esophagus.

Carob Mint Pie Crust

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

1 cup pecans soaked 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated 12 hours
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
¼  teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1 cup carob
1.    Place almonds in processor and chop to flour consistency.
2.    Add pecans, dates, salt, vanilla, and carob a food processor and process well.
3.    Add honey and process until it begins to stick together.
4.    Press into a pie plate until entire pie plate is covered. Crust may be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen.
5.    Crust may be used as is or dehydrated for a dryer crust. Some of the crust may be put aside to use as crumbles on top of the pie.

Carob Mint Pie

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

2 cups dates soaked 1 hour in 1 cup young coconut water and add to mix
2 cups pine nuts soaked 1 hour in filtered water and drained
1 cup carob
1 vanilla bean
Meat from 2 young coconuts
¼ cup coconut butter
¼  teaspoon peppermint essential oil
Carob Mint Pie Crust (see recipe)
½ cup mint leaves as garnish
1.    Place dates, pine nuts, vanilla bean, and coconut water in blender and blend until smooth.
2.    Add carob and salt blending until smooth.
3.    Add coconut meat, coconut butter and peppermint oil blending until smooth.
4.    Add psyllium to mixture blending well. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes and blend again until smooth.
5.    Spoon mixture into pie crust and place mint leaves around edge..

Carob Mousse Cake

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

½ vanilla bean
¼ cup agave nectar or raw honey
2 cups young coconut water
2 cups medjool dates pitted and soaked in water for two hours and drained
4 young coconuts- meat
¼ cup coconut butter
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup raw carob
1 cup fresh dry coconut meat, chopped fine
1.    Place coconut in the bottom of a spring form pan, reserving ¼ cup for top of cake.
2.    Place the vanilla bean, dates and young coconut water into a high power  blender and process until smooth.
3.    Add the young coconut meat and coconut butter, blending well.
4.    Take half of this mixture out (mixture can be too thick to process all at one time) and add ½ of the pine nuts and ½ of the carob blending well and place mixture in spring form pan..
5.    Repeat this with the other half of mixture, pine nuts, and carob, blending well and place in spring form pan.
6.    Sprinkle remainder of coconut on top.
7.    Place in freezer until firm enough to remove the spring form and slice.
8.    Garnish Mint and  Raspberries

Peace and love,

Jackie Graff

Feeding Finnley IV

Finnley spends a day or two with us most weeks when we are in town.  She is two years old now and is able to tell us just about anything she wants.   She is a happy, smart child, talking or singing all the time and has a higher vocabulary than other children older than her in day care. She sings several nursery rhymes and songs, ABC’s, and counts. She runs, jumps, plays ball and dances to some of her favorite music. What a joy she is and I am sure her baby sister will be just as special when she comes in July.

I have many requests for more ideas about feeding children. I have to make it clear that Finnley does not eat completely raw but she eats a lot of raw foods and her mother has been open to trying different things. I approach feeding Finnley as a grandmother who eats a raw food diet feeding a granddaughter whose parents eat a healthy but cooked diet. I think it is best not to have issues over food choices and be an example for new healthy foods that she will eat. As a grandparent be an inspiration and don’t be judgmental!

So what is she eating at Nana’s now… she loves most fruits, especially watermelon, pears, grapes and apples – preferably organic Golden Delicious, Granny Smith are too tart. She loves bananas and prefers organic. Blueberries are still a favorite fruit but sometimes she will not eat them. Peas, corn and carrots are about the only vegetables she will eat. Peas are loaded with nutrition, so for now we are blessed that she is a good eater. She will not drink juice,  prefering water. I am working on giving her a smoothie so that I can add greens. She loves my applesauce from the last Feeding Finnley, but she has eaten so much of it, last week she said “no more applesauce Nana”, so we will give it a break for a while.  She likes brown rice that I mix with my Sunflower Humus, making the rice stick together, which can be quite messy to eat. She also likes this humus on whole-wheat pita. The next time she comes I will see how she likes my Sweet Pea Humus. She eats small amounts of the Vege- Burger and likes to snack on Protein Nuggets and soaked raisins. She will also snack on some of my Kale Chips. She sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a nap every afternoon. Sleep is very important for children and should be considered as important as any nutrient.

Some say the “terrible twos” are a difficult time. This can happen when the parents are “terrible” by not setting limits and teaching them to respect others and their things. We have never moved anything in our house when she comes over. She knows what she can play with and when she tests these limits, I simply say, “Finnley, thank you, that’s Nana’s”. I save “no” for the important things. I also support whatever my daughter is trying to do for discipline. The first time I asked her if she wanted to go in “time out”, she looked at me as if to say, “so mommy told her about “time out”.  Having limits will help her throughout life. Finnley is so much fun now because we feed her with more than just food.  Here are some recipes that she likes today, because tomorrow she may not, which is very typical of children this age.

Sunflower Red Pepper Humus

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

3 cups sunflower seeds soaked 8 hours and drained

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons cumin powder

¼ cup olive oil

¾ cup lemon juice

1 cup raw tahini

1 red pepper

Parsley or cilantro and Zartar as garnish

For Avocado Humus add 2 avocados to 1 cup of the mix and blend.

1. Place sunflower seeds, garlic, salt, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper in a 2HP blender or food processor and blend until smooth (the food processor will not get it as smooth).
2. Add tahini and blend well.

Serving Ideas: Place on a plate, swirl humus and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the humus and garnish with some chopped red pepper, parsley and zartar (a middle eastern spice with thyme and other herbs) and serve with vegetables, chips or pita.

Shelf life: 10 days

Protein Nuggets

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

2 cups walnuts, soaked 4-6 hours and drained

2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours and drained

2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 tablespoon cumin

½ cup fresh basil

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours, drained, and processed into paste

1 onion, chopped very fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1. Place garlic in food processor and finely chop.
2. Add salt, cumin, oregano, basil, onion and pepper to food processor or high-speed blender and process well.
3. Add walnuts and sunflower seeds to food processor and process well.
4. Add sun-dried tomato paste and process well.
5. Squeeze ½ teaspoon pieces from a pastry bag onto a Teflex sheet and place in dehydrator for 12 hours until the pieces are completely dry.
6. Store in sealed container in refrigerator- will keep for a month, or more.

Sprout Suggestion for use: snacking, on salads, topping sandwiches, pets and kids like them.

Kale Chips

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

Cheese

2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained

2 cups water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 sun-dried tomatoes

¼ cup juiced lemon

1 cup pine nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained

2 bunches of kale torn into pieces

1. Place macadamia nuts, filtered water, salt, turmeric, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice in blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Add pine nuts and blend until smooth.

3. Stir in jalapeno peppers. Massage kale with the cheese and place on teflex dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 12 hours. Sin a sealed container.

The story about Pine Nuts

Pine nuts became very expensive a few months ago and not widely available. We have substituted Macadamia nuts for pine nuts in all of my recipes while they are so scarce and expensive. It was not widely publicized that most of the pine nuts had been recalled because of bacterial contamination. The information was in an article in the Atlanta Journal about the infamous peanut factory in Georgia involved in the contaminated peanut butter. I had not seen this information prior. I guess it’s a good thing we do not eat peanut butter.

Peace and love,

Jackie Graff

Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club-

March and April

Sweet Peas

Peas are in season now and should be available in your garden or in your local farmer’s market. Eating local and organic is best. We also like to sprout dried whole peas (not split peas), which convert some of the starch into protein. Soak the dried organic peas in filtered water for eight hours, drain them and sprout 2-3 days rinsing daily and refrigerate. They are a great addition to any salad. Fresh sweet peas are the best!

Peas are part of the legume family originating from the Middle East to Asia. Most peas are a cool-weather crop, therefore some historians believe their country of origin may have been northern India, Burma, or Northern Thailand, where peas were discovered in a cave and carbon dated at 9750 BC.

Some say the word pea possibly came from the Sanskrit, and others that the Latin Pisum was the true origin of the word. The Old English word pise eventually evolved into pease as in the nursery rhyme “Pease porridge hot, Pease porage cold, Pease porridge in the pot nine days old. ” this refers to a thick mixture of peas and other vegetables that were cooked all day, then eaten cold the next morning then more were added to the pot and the continued to be cooked for many days. This is what I call “cooked to death”.

Peas were one of the earliest cultivated food crops. Cultivation brought stability to nomadic tribes, which made it possible for peas to be brought by travelers and explorers into the countries of the Mediterranean as well as to the Far East.

Some historians believe the Chinese were the first to consider peas a vegetable and consume the entire pea pod and its seeds, leading to the snow pea being developed in China.

During the Middle Ages, dried peas became a staple food of the European peasants. In their dried form peas had the capability of long storage throughout the winter months. They were inexpensive and plentiful and made a filling wholesome meal the poor could afford.

Charles the Great, Emperor of France, was fond of finding new vegetables and fruits from other lands and cultivating them. When peas reached France about 800, he had them planted in his lands. By the 13th century peas were a common food in France. At the end of the 14th century, the Italians had cultivated tiny peas they named piselli novelli which were eaten fresh rather than dried. The French became known for their exceptional tiny peas called petit pois. Some areas of France became well known for their extraordinary little peas.

The familiar garden pea was readily accepted and quickly became popular in Europe during the 16th century. Peas became a familiar Lenten dish not only in France, but in England, too.

Thomas Jefferson, an avid gardener, thought so highly of peas that he planted 30 varieties of them. Peas, apparently, were his favorite vegetable.

Raw fresh peas: One cup of fresh peas contains 124 calories, 4 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of fiber. and 0.4 grams of fat.

The vitamin A count in ½ cup is 534 I.U. Folic acid content is 46.9 mcg; calcium 19.2 mg; iron is 1.3 mg; zinc 0.8 mg; potassium is 134 mg; and magnesium is 23.2 mg.

Frozen: Picked and frozen immediately, although briefly blanched they contain a similar nutrition profile.

The freshest, sweetest peas are those picked right from the garden or at the farmers market in the spring and early summer. When selecting fresh peas, look for pods that are bright green, shiny, plump, and moist. When the pods have a dull look, they are old, have lost moisture, and have very likely lost their flavor as well as many of their nutrients.

Eat fresh peas as quickly as possible. The sugar content of shelling peas begins to turn to starch within hours after harvesting. If stored for too many days, they lose their sweetness, leaving them with a bland, starchy flavor.

The supermarket may have shelling peas, or peas in the pod, in the spring, but by the time the peas reach the market they may be several days old and have lost a great deal of sweetness.

Sugar snap peas, on the other hand, cling to their sugar stores and almost always retain their exceptional sweetness unless they are old and dried up. Look for these in the spring at farmers’ markets, farm stands, and even in the supermarkets.

Snow peas have become so popular they can be found year round in supermarket chains as well as Asian markets. Select those that are crisp and bright green. Avoid snow peas that are wilted, limp, shriveled, and yellowish in color. These are no longer fresh and will have lost their flavor and much of their nutritional value.

Organic frozen peas are closest to fresh peas in appearance, flavor, and nutrients. Avoid defrosting and re-freezing.

Store sugar peas and snow peas in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Most will keep up to one week, but are best when consumed within 3 days.

Preparation Fresh shelling peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas can all be eaten raw. Shelling peas do not have edible pods, while sugar snaps and snow peas can be eaten pods and all.

Break open the pods of the shelling peas, also called peas in a pod, run the thumb along the edge where the peas are attached to the pod to loosen them, and collect the peas in a bowl or cooking pot.

Sugar snap peas and snow peas require trimming to eliminate the stringy edge that holds the two halves of the pod together. While cutting off the tips of the pods with a paring knife, pull along the length of the pod to remove the stringy portion, then discard. The only preparation these peas require is washing. Both varieties are ideal in salads and raw soups.

Sweet Pea Humus

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 4

3 cups sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons cumin powder

¼ cup olive oil

½  cup lemon juice

1 large avocado

Place peas, garlic, salt, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, and avocado in a 2HP blender or food processor and blend until smooth (the food processor will not get it as smooth).

Serving Ideas: Place on a plate, swirl humus and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the humus and garnish with some of the peas and mint and serve with vegetables, chips or pita. This humus has less fat than traditional humus and most of it comes from avocado.

Shelf life: 10 days if it lasts that long.

Snappy Unfried Peas

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

4 cups sugar snap peas or snow peas chopped by hand on the diagonal

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup lemon juice

3 drops lemon oil

¼ cup extra virgin olive or flax oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups sliced mushrooms marinated in 2 tablespoon sea salt, ¼ cups lemon juice for 30 minutes and drained

2 cups mung bean sprouts (marinated in 2 tablespoons sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 cups filtered water for 30 minutes,  then drained)

1. Place garlic in processor and chop well.
2. Add lemon juice, oils, sea salt, basil, and lemon zest, processing well.
3. Pour dressing over sugar snap peas, drained mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts mixing well and serve immediately.

Sweet Pea Salad

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

4 cups fresh sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

½ cup chopped fresh thyme

1 Vidalia or sweet onion

4 stalks celery chopped small

1 red pepper chopped small

Dressing

2 cups macadamia or pine nuts soaked 8 hours and drained

4 teaspoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons raw honey

4 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons sea salt

4 teaspoons turmeric

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup filtered water

Place dressing ingredients in a strong blender, blending well and add to the vegetables in a bowl. Mix well and top with a sprig of  thyme.

Dilly of a Pea Salad

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 4

Dressing

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup and 2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons raw honey

½ cup olive oil or flax oil

2 cloves garlic

Salad

3 cups fresh peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

1 sweet onion chopped small

1 red pepper chopped small

1 cup sliced mushrooms (tossed and marinated in 1teaspoon sea salt and 2 tablespoons lemon juice for 1 hour and drained)

1 cup fresh dill chopped very fine

1. Place salt, lemon juice, honey, garlic and oil in the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Marinate mushrooms, drain, place in a bowl and add peas, onions, red pepper and dill.
3. Add dressing, stirring well.

Shelf life: Best-eaten fresh but keeps well refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Sweet Pea and Ginger Soup

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

2 carrots

4 cups sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

reserve 1 cup peas whole

½ sweet onion

2 stalks celery

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 inches ginger root

1 ½  medjool dates pitted

1 avocado peeled and pitted

4 cups of filtered water or more for desired thickness

Place all ingredients in a 2 hp blender (except 1 cup of whole peas) and blend until smooth. Add whole peas, and grab a spoon.

Serving suggestion: May be used as a salad dressing.

Peace and love,

Jackie Graff

Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club

January and February

Citrus

Various citrus fruits are in season now. We use different citrus juices such as lemons and limes as the acid in our salad dressings and otherwise we just like to eat oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and all of the citrus in season this time of year. Even though citrus is available throughout the throughout the year it is best during the winter. Citrus juices have pulp, which also provides fiber. The citrus juicer in our on-line store is the best one we have found. We have a commercial juicer that we do not use since we got this one. Go to http://Rawfoodrevival.com You do not need recipes- just eat citrus. An important thing to remember is to rinse your mouth or brush after eating citrus because of the acid.  See my latest recipe book “ Get your Salads All Dressed Up” Easy solutions to delicious Raw Vegan Salad Dressings with tips on how to make your own recipes and answer the question “Can you get enough Protein from salads?”

Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club- December

Cranberry

Cranberries next to blueberries are the healthiest berries that are available to us fresh. They are full of antioxidants, protecting cells from free radicals. They are much healthier than all of those exotic berries that are processed, bottled, and dried usually with much sugar. Fresh is best.  According to Amy Howell, a researcher at Rutgers University, cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits. Researchers are also investigating their potential against cancer, stroke and viral infections. They discovered that the cranberry’s proanthocyanidins are structurally different than those found in the other plant foods tested, which may explain why cranberry has unique bacterial anti-adhesion activity and helps to maintain urinary tract health.

Cranberries contained the most antioxidant phenols compared to 19 commonly eaten fruits, which may play a role in helping to prevent heart disease and certain cancers according to Joe Vinson, Ph.D., research chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Studies have found that cranberries can reduce the risk of heart disease.  By drinking cranberry juice, individuals have been found to have higher levels of good (HDL) cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol and improved blood vessel function.

Certain compounds in cranberries have been found to be toxic to many cancer tumor cells, including: lung cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. Cranberries may prevent tumors from growing rapidly or starting in the first place. A study published in the June 2004 Journal of Nutrition, discovered that a compound in whole cranberries inhibits prostate, skin, lung and brain cancer cells.

Cranberries contain hippuric acid, an antibacterial, and have a unique ability to inhibit bacteria, including E. coli, from adhering to the urinary tract, preventing urinary tract infections. A compound in cranberries is known to keep Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes most gastric ulcers, from adhering to the cells of the stomach lining.

A study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2002 found that compounds in cranberry juice are great for your oral health. A compound discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth; mouthwashes containing it are being developed to prevent periodontal disease. Why not just rinse and swallow a little cranberry juice.

American Indians enjoyed cranberries cooked and sweetened with honey or maple syrup-a cranberry sauce recipe that was likely a treat at early New England Thanksgiving feasts. Cranberries were also used by the Indians decoratively, as a source of red dye, and medicinally, as a poultice for wounds since not only do their astringent tannins contract tissues and help stop bleeding, but we now also know that compounds in cranberries have antibiotic effects.

Fresh cranberries are at their peak from October through December, just in time to add holiday color, a tart tangy flavor and numerous health benefits to our holiday meals.

We like them year round as juice and or as frozen cranberries. The juice will keep for a month or more refrigerated.

The greatest antioxidant levels are found in fresh raw cranberries and raw cranberry juice is even higher in antioxidants: processing, storage and heating reduce antioxidant levels. There are some studies that indicate that most are destroyed with heat as with other fruits and vegetables.  Compared with 19 other common fruits, cranberries have the highest level of the antioxidant phenol.

Most recipes are for cooked cranberries. It is not necessary to cook them to get a great tasting dish. I use dates and raw honey to sweeten my recipes and I like the raw juice diluted in water. I learned to really like the tart flavor. Stevia in small amounts can also be used to sweeten.  We sell a delicious Cranberry Squares in our web store  order now. Our Cookie Sampler and Fruitcake also make healthy gifts for the holidays or anytime.

Cranberry Cheesecake

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Yield 1 cheesecake

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained
½   cup filtered water
½  vanilla bean
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup freshly juiced orange
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup raw honey
1 cup pine nuts, soaked for 8 hours and drained
2 teaspoons psyllium

1 Honey, Nut and Date pie crust (see recipe)
½-1  cup Cranberry Topping (see recipe)

1. Place macadamia nuts, filtered water, salt, vanilla bean, honey, orange zest and orange juice in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add pine nuts and blend until smooth.
3. Add psyllium to mixture blending until smooth, let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes and blend again.
4. Place mixture into pie crust lined spring form pan and top with Cranberry Topping and swirl with a knife or spoon.

Honey, Nut and Date Pie Crust

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout raw Food

Serves 8

1 cup almonds, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup pecans, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup walnuts, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup medjool dates, pits removed
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
¼ cup of raw honey

1. Place almonds in processor and process until mixture resembles flour.
2. Add salt and vanilla to the almonds and process well.
3. Place pecans, walnuts, and dates in food processor and process.
4. Add honey to the nut and date mixture and process just until mixed well.
5. Press mixture into 8 –10 inch glass pie pan.

Cranberry Topping

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

2 cups of cranberries
5 pitted dates, soaked in water for 2 hours
½ cup raw honey
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup freshly juiced orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon psyllium

1. Place the cranberries, dates, honey, salt, orange juice and orange zest in blender and blend well until smooth.
2. More dates or honey may be added if needed to sweeten.
3. Add psyllium and blend well. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes and blend again.

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Yield: 8 cups

8 ounces cranberries
2 oranges, seeded and peeled
2 apples, cored and peeled
1 tablespoon orange zest (from organic oranges only)
2 cups walnuts, washed, soaked for 6 hours, and dried for 6 hours in dehydrator (optional)
8 medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour if they are not soft
1/2 cup raw honey

1. Process cranberries in a processor until finely chopped and remove to a bowl.
2. Process orange, apples, orange zest, dates and honey until finely minced.
3. Place in bowl with cranberries.
4. Process walnuts in a processor until coarsely chopped and add to bowl of cranberries, oranges, and apples.
5. Combine all and mix well. If more sweetness is needed add more dates or raw honey.
6. This is best if made a day ahead and refrigerated.

Shelf Life: This will keep for 3 weeks refrigerated. Bacteria do not like cranberries.

Cranberry and Apple Punch

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves: 12

10 pounds apples, juiced
2 eight oz packages cranberries, juiced

Ice Ring

1 mold
1 cup cranberries

1. Blend apple and cranberry juices.
2. To make ice ring, place cranberries in mold filled with some of the mixed juices and freeze. To remove ice ring from the mold, place in warm water briefly.
3. Serve in punch bowl with ice ring.

Note: Other juices such as pineapple or orange juice can be used in this punch.

Raw Revival Tour

Good news for 2009! Jackie and Gideon Graff, with almost a decade as raw food chefs and educators, are on the move in 2009, bringing a variety of raw-food preparation and lifestyle classes to your area. These classes will awaken or revive your love of raw food with amazing celebration and everyday food. We will be bloging our tour so let your friends and relatives know.

A diet of mostly raw food (organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds prepared in a manner that retains all of the nutrients and antioxidants) has proven to be the easiest way to improve and sustain your health. Testimonies of thousands over the world are evidence of its effectiveness.

Over the years we have found that it is easy for everyone to understand the power and benefits of Raw Food, but for some it is much harder to implement for a long-lasting regimen of good health. Many get good results in the beginning. However, lack of knowledge, food addictions, boredom with their food choices or lack of diverse, delicious raw food options, drive some people to return to old eating patterns. As a result, they experience a return of many symptoms and diseases.

We have taught hundreds of people the practical ways to make kitchen magic with delicious recipes for simple every day food and food for entertaining.  We teach practical ways to shop, keep, and rotate your produce, reducing spoilage and waste. We also offer short cuts in food prep, and how to get the most out of your kitchen tools. We teach all the techniques and principles of why each recipe works for any raw food recipe and solve the frequent question, “Does this take a lot of time?” We teach you how you can spend part of a day in the kitchen and eat the rest of the week. This is part of our “kitchen magic”.  We use only organic foods for our classes and ourselves.

Our prior seminars, held predominantly in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, have attracted a global following with participants traveling from all over the country and world, to attend our classes. One of their many requests was to take our classes to their community. Now we are coming to you! For ten days to two weeks a month we will be traveling to different places. We will return to our home each month to be with our children, my father and especially our grandchild.

We have individuals host us who assist in finding a location for our classes, help promote the program and enroll participants. If you are interested in hosting on of our classes, or know some one else who will, please follow this link to get a full description of the programs you can choose from.

Please contact us at info@sproutrawfood.org to get your program scheduled.
Or call 770 992-9218

Jackie & Gideon Graff

Who are Jackie and Gideon?

Jackie Graff has been teaching raw food preparation and food science for more than a decade. An RN with 40 years’ experience in various areas of patient care and education, Ms. Graff is considered one of the country’s top raw food chefs and nutrition consultants.
She continues to teach raw food lifestyle classes throughout the country, is an instructor for Hallelujah Acres® Culinary Academy, and has been frequently quoted in print and broadcast news outlets, including the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Atlanta Woman magazine, Atlanta Jewish Life magazine, Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta, CNN Headline News, and North Georgia Today. Jackie is the author of 17 theme raw food recipe books, and has produced two instructional raw food DVDs. Jackie also contributed articles to several national and local magazines.
In spring 2008, Ms. Graff was appointed to lead wellness programs for Anidawehi Plantation Wellness Center and is Program Director for the Detoxification and Juice Fasting Program, in Dahlonega, Georgia.  As an RN, Ms. Graff has held key hospital management positions and was a clinical instructor to nurses. She also served as an associate professor at Life University, teaching raw food instruction to returning alumni. She has an understanding of nutrition, anatomy and physiology of the human body and possesses a firsthand knowledge of the negative consequences of the Standard American Diet (SAD) on a person’s long-term health. She earned her B.S. degree in Nursing from the University of South Carolina.

Gideon Graff – along with Jackie has taught raw food preparation for almost a decade. His roles include raw food chef, health coach, and director of Sprout Raw Food, the Graff’s consulting, and raw food catering and distribution business. He and Jackie have served as instructors and raw chefs for Hallelujah Acres® Culinary Academy and Anidawehi Plantation Detoxification and Juice Fasting Program. Gideon has 35 years experience in food and hospitality management. An accomplished public speaker, he is experienced in both conference planning and fund raising. Previously, Gideon and Jackie co-founded and operated the Sprout Café and Shinui Living Food Learning Center, a first-of-its kind center devoted to teaching and promoting the raw food lifestyle in Roswell, Georgia. Together they lost weight, and eliminated many physical problems, resulting in them no longer requiring blood pressure, cholesterol and other medications. They attribute their healthy state to eating raw foods.

Raw Revival Tour Blog

December 2008

On our prior teaching expeditions to places outside of Atlanta we used a GMC Van and when it died we got a Volvo Station wagon. We would pack it really full with all of our equipment and food for 2 day classes, travel, teach and return home to continue our raw food distribution, Jackie’s part-time job as a nurse and be with family.  This was difficult and not time efficient. We have been searching for a way to get on the road, spending a longer time in one area to teach more classes. We have been looking at travel vehicles for several years in order to manifest our dream, by envisioning traveling in one. We were on a vacation in October 2008 in St. Augustine FL, and on our way home we stopped at a rest stop, which had a trail through a small swamp and nature preserve. We like to periodically get out and walk and this looked interesting. On our way back to the car, I spotted a small key chain size dream catcher. I put it on my key chain and told Gideon at the time that this was a sign that we would catch our dream.

Before the holidays we got a call from the loan officer for our home mortgage that knew we were looking for some sort of travel vehicle. He had a 36 foot 2002 Holiday Rambler RV with only 30,000 miles that had been repossessed and were we interested? It was a couple of weeks before we could look at it. The prior owner had lived in it with a cat and a dog and was a smoker and it looked like he never cleaned it. The smell was awful. I had my doubts that it had been taken care of mechanically. We had it checked out and found that it was in sound mechanical condition and just needed a few adjustments.

The inside was another story, but as we thought about it, the inside was nothing that could not be cleaned or replaced. I began planning the “flip”, hunting and gathering things and was lucky to find everything on sale. I knew we would get the RV, just not at what price. We closed on it the first part of February after some negotiating and we were able to get a loan for about half of the listed price. Now the work began with much cleaning and redecorating. We were able to get the smell, animal hair and dirt out. Then we painted, dumped all the bedding, re-covered the furniture and redecorated. It smells great now and looks like a different place. On our first trip to Florida, one of our hosts who also bought a used RV coined me the “Martha Stewart of Raw Food”. We are still working on some small projects to get it in optimal condition. We appropriately named our RV,  “Dream Catcher”.

February and March

We have just finished our maiden voyage to Florida via “ Dream Catcher” on our Raw Food Revival Tour. Traveling in an RV makes it much more pleasurable for us. Gideon drives D.C. as if he was born to and I navigate with the assistance of our Blackberry Navigator “Lily “, directing us everywhere with ease. Our only difficulty was leaving Atlanta – in a deluge on Friday during rush hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic, not our plan, just a delay in getting everything aboard in the pouring rain.  Did I mention we only had one mirror that worked? This was very stressful. It was dark, still pouring down rain so we called it a night just below Macon at a truck stop and got a very early start the next morning. Were able to get our mirror fixed the next morning at an RV center. So much for our first day out!

Our first stop was in West Palm Beach where we were hosted by Susan Lerner a Hippocrates Educator and owner of Vital Longevity, who had recently finished a beautiful home renovation. We had a great half-day class teaching kitchen magic with
“Caribbean Extravaganza”. Everyone was amazed and delighted with the food. We taught ginger beer, banana bread, Jerk Nut loaf, Jerk Sauce, Caribbean Plantains, Sweet Potato and Coconut Pudding, Okra and Tomatoes, Bahama Avocado Salad, Caribbean Cole Slaw, Corn Fritters, Green Salad with Tropical Tahini Dressing.

The night before,  we had a much-anticipated visit with Paul and Andrea Nison (our son and daughter-in-raw) and got to see our new granddaughter-in-raw, Noa a beautiful baby.  We spent the night in Susan’s yard and left West Palm Beach in the morning after a personal behind the scenes tour of Hippocrates with Susan. We were impressed with Hippocrates, which is very beautifully landscaped with many artistic surprises around every corner. It has every amenity of a vacation spa in addition to the healing programs, which have helped so many overcome health issues. We hope to have a vacation there someday and will let you know how it was.

The next day we were on our way to Merritt Island for a presentation and Tex-Mex dinner at A-Live & Healthy Eating and Juice bar owned by Kim Smith. We again made kitchen magic with six delectable recipes delighting everyone’s palate. The café is a brightly painted intimate space with artistic decorating, making for a very pleasant atmosphere. Kim has great food and many exciting functions for her lucky community. If you are anywhere near the area (close to Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach) you really should go. We had a great class, met a lot of new friends who will be feeding their friends a delicious south of the border meal soon. We spent the night in Kim’s parking lot. And had a short interview with Kim before moving on.

Next on the agenda was Lakeland, 30 miles from Tampa. We were hosted by Holly Kelley and assisted by Andrea Adair, who are both Lakeland Meet-Up organizers. We taught more delicious recipes to a great group of people. They have an active Raw Food community with frequent Pot Lucks and meetings. We thank Holly and Andrea for their assistance in arranging this presentation. They told us that we were not too far from a Raw restaurant, Grass Roots, which they said was very good. We were going by there for dessert but it was closed when we finished our class. We will certainly have it on the agenda for our next trip to Florida. We gratefully spent the night at Sam’s Club.

Having a couple of days off, we decided to spend it at Little Manatee River State Park, near Tampa and were lucky to get the last spot. Apparently these State Parks are reserved well in advance. The place was beautiful with large live oaks draped with Spanish moss and many palms. The park also welcomes horseback riders with four equestrian campsites along a 12-mile trail. As we were on our way to the Park,  we passed many equestrian estates which were themselves a site to behold.  We spent a very peaceful relaxing day, taking long walks, sitting by the river and canoeing, and just being in the moment. Gideon juiced some carrots and I worked on a photo shoot of the food we had prepared the previous night in our class and then we devoured it. The food we had made has a great shelf life, in fact we did not prepare any food on our whole 12-day trip except for some salads and fruit, and we just ate all those delicious leftovers.

The following day we went to Tampa to meet Denise Becknell, who owns the Leafy Greens Café in St. Petersburg and is in the process of moving the café to a new location in St. Petersburg, 1431 Central Avenue. Denise hosted us for a class the next day in a meeting facility close to her new place, which is looking fabulous. We hear that everyone is real excited about the opening of her new café, and eating more of her delicious food.

That evening Denise took us to the Grass Roots in Tampa, since we were unable to see their Lakeland location. The Grass Roots is a beautifully decorated restaurant and we had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Sabrina. We noticed that she was hosting Brian  Clement at the Lakeland and Tampa Grass Roots restaurants, the end of March. We missed seeing Brian in West Palm Beach, to invite him back to the Atlanta area, as we had such a good turnout back in July, 2008 when we hosted him. While we were waiting, we met a friend who had taken one of our classes in N.C. and reported that her food was delicious as he was picking up his pizza. We had already eaten and moved on to our parking spot for the night, in a filing station owned by a friend of Denise. You can get more info about Denise’s Café at leafygreencafé.com.

The next day we taught the Raw Food Revival class in St.Petersburg with everything from cinnamon rolls, to an “umberger” lunch with all the fix’ins, and a soul food dinner (click here for the complete menu). Everyone was amazed with the kitchen magic and all of the short cuts and tips that make raw food prep a breeze. We left for Sarasota and spent the night at a rest stop.

We had another day off and spent it hiking and driving around Myakka River State park and nature reserve. It is one of Florida’s oldest parks, developed in 1934. A 7-mile scenic drive winds through shady oak-palm hammocks and along the shore of Myakka lake, which attracts a myriad of wetland creatures making birding, canoeing, and wildlife observation popular activities. Over 39 miles of hiking trails and many miles of dirt roads provide access to the remote interior. We went on the nature trail and Gideon ventured on the Canopy walkway and Tower, and due to my fear of heights, I stayed below and took his picture. We could have gone to the beach that day but I am glad we went here.  We plan to return and spend more time here on our next trip to Florida.

We arrived at Veggie Magic in Sarasota that evening to be ready for a class the next day. We were hosted by Jenna Norwood and Evona Poplawski the owners of Veggie Magic who have built this great restaurant and have many exciting functions for Sarasota, a very active raw food community. We had another great class, meeting old and new friends. Jenna produced a great Documentary about raw food, “ Super charge me! 30 days Raw”. For more information about Veggie Magic and Jenna’s documentary go to veggiemagic.com and jennanorwood.com.  If you are in the area, don’t miss this jewel and great people. We spent the night at a rest stop on our way back to our home in Roswell outside of Atlanta, GA. I think we should change the name to “Rawswell”.

We will be home for a few days, then on to N.C. for a raw food class at Hallelujah Acres next weekend. Fifteen years ago, our dear friends, Reverend George Malkmus and his wife Rhonda started Hallelujah Acres. Through their ministry based on Genesis 1:29, they have spread the word about the benefits of raw food in eliminating disease and obtaining optimum health, reaching more people world-wide than any other leader in the Raw Food Community. The first Saturday of each month, they have a free seminar with several hundred people from all over the world attending. Dr. Malkmus gives a lively,  informative presentation on, “How to eliminate sickness”.  It is very inspiring as he invites individuals to the stage to give their testimonies for everything from weight loss to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and many other diseases and conditions.

March 15, 2009

We had a great Raw Food Revival class at Hallelujah Acres at the Culinary Academy , following their Health Minister training. Everyone in the class said that our class tied the whole week together with the information and Kitchen Magic we demonstrated. We have been teaching at the Hall Acres Culinary Academy for the last five years and have found it to be very rewarding, as people come from all over the world to improve their health and teach others. They have some exciting things happening, so go to hacres.com to find out more. We were able to have a short interview with Melody Hord, the Senior Ed ucation Specialist, before our class and after the class, spent the night at a rest stop.

We will be home for a few weeks and have some events that we are working on and will let you know soon.

Peace and love,

Jackie and Gideon Graff

Please visit our website, for more information

www.sproutrawfood.org