Tart Green Juice

Just sharing a juice a made last night. The juice was spread out between this one big mason jar and two smaller ones.

3 limes
1 head of celery
1 bunch of red swiss chard
2 small bunches of broccoli
4 apples

Very green. Very tart. If you're ready for a greener juice, give it a try. If it's too bitter, add more lime, or try lemons instead.


Love,
Althea
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Tart Green Juice

Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding

It doesn't look like much does it? This lump of grayish pudding..kind of looks like lumpy gray-black jello.
But I LOVED it.
I bought a bag of chia seeds because I read Raw and Beyond: How Omega-3 Nutrition is Changing The Raw Food Paradigm by Victoria Boutenko, Elaina Love, and Chad Sarno. When I read that chia seeds were extraordinarily high in Omega-3s, I bought a bag. But what to do with it?

Here's what I did, and what I learned:

I made the 'Chia Seed Pudding' in Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis. I added raisins and chopped apples, and more almond milk after I prepared it. It took a while to get used to the gel-like seeds. But the TASTE.....now that was amazing.

The recipe:

1 cup chia seeds
3 cups nut milk, coconut milk, or hemp milk
3-5 tablespoons agave nectar (I used 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, but use it anyway)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but use it for sure)
Pinch of sea salt

Place the chia seeds, milk, agave, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir well, so there are no clumps, and all the chia seeds are covered in milk. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate. (Basically, stir and walk away. This is truly 'fast food.')

Come back.

Put some of it in a bowl, add fruit, nuts, and more milk to make it like cereal. This makes a lot of pudding.

Eat. Savor the taste.

I liked it so much I wrote Sarma on Facebook to tell her. And Raymond loved it too.

But here's the deal: Chia seeds are very high in fiber. You'll be pooping forever. And because it's so high in fiber, it's an appetite suppressant. I didn't know all of this before hand.

I suggest eating less pudding than you think, at first. It won't look like a lot, but you'll be full quickly. Add a tablespoon to your breakfast smoothies (let seeds sit in water or milk first) so you won't be so hungry by lunchtime.

And as far as Victoria, Elaina, and Chad's book goes: Part of me was disappointed. Between the three of them, there's only 33 pages of their story of why they now include cooked food in their diets.

I know they have other books. I have all of Victoria's books as well as her children Sergei & Valya's book Fresh. But Victoria is Miss "Cooked Food is an Addiction." (from 12 Steps to Raw Food) My girl was hardcore. For her to make a change is a complete paradigm shift. And there is no judgement in what I am writing. I say "to each his own." I just wanted to hear more from her, because I know there is more to her story.

It's just the whole volume felt slim. Like they were holding back. I couldn't figure out what bothered me about the book. I think that it hadn't decided what it would be: personal stories of three respected raw food pioneers or a recipe book? I think it would have been better if it were one or the other.

The best part of the book is the chart which include the ratio of omega-3s to 6s in oils, seeds, and greens. That's good information to have. I'll use Raw and Beyond as a reference tool. But that's about it.

Love,
Althea

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Chia Seed Pudding

KISS

In the new spirit of keeping my raw food simple, here is an easy smoothie:

- 1/2 avocado

- handful of kale and collards

-1/2 peeled lemon

- 2 apples

-water

Blend thoroughly.

This is not a sweet smooothie. I'm inching toward the more savory smoothies and juices. If you want more sweetness, add more apples.

Love,

Althea

Love is all you need. #mochaangels

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KISS

My First 5K Race

Jona, me, and Raymond, cold as sin on Thanksgiving

Yes, I'm still alive. Thank you for the supportive emails and Facebook messages. I did indeed fall of the raw food wagon, but as Neale Donald Walsch says, "In life we can recreate ourselves as we just were or we can recreate ourselves anew. We are always remaking ourselves."

And whenever I am not raw, I do regret it. I simply do not feel like myself. Thanksgiving was no exception.  I was extremely blessed to have my parents and one of my brothers here with me. My mom brought a lot of food...COMFORT FOOD! Mac n cheese, dressing, and the like. I ate too much because the food tasted like home. All the positive childhood memories came up, and I kept on eating. I felt like a stuffed turkey.

I'm starting all over again, and that is okay. No need to beat myself up. It's a waste of time. I did, however, walk a 5K race on Thanksgiving morning. It also gave me the confidence to attend the Boot Camp class I had signed up for, but had never attended. I was intimidated by the mere words 'boot camp.' But after walking that race on a hilly, wet, slippery tree-lined trail in 37 degree weather, I am going to Boot Camp today.

Me in line about to start

Rom held the camera during my walk. So I don't have photos of the trail. The ground was full of wet leaves and puddles. I didn't run because I'd hurt my left ankle while training. My biggest concern was slipping on leaves. Thankfully that didn't happen. The whole thing was harder than I thought. I'd never been on this trail before....and did I mention it was 37 degrees? I wore 4 layers of shirts to stay warm.

Me at the finish line

But I completed the race! As challenging as it was, I would do it again! I'm already looking for a race that's close to my home. YEA!

Love,

Althea

May your mind learn to love with compassion. #mochaangels

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My First 5K Race

Personal Training!

Hi Everyone!

I have great news....I'm officially a YMCA Personal Trainer now! YEA! (Unfortunately, my camera is not working. And I SO wanted to take pictures this weekend.) I just wanted to share. I'm pooped, but excited. This means I can work in the free weight/strength & cardio machine/personal training part of the YMCA now. For those who don't know, I've worked for the Y as yoga teacher for many years. I still need a national personal training certification, and I'm working that too.

There is a method to my madness. As I envision MochaAngels.com, I see it as a holistic wellness site with raw & vegan food being the main focus. It's all coming together....I love it when a plan works!

Love,
Althea ◦

Personal Training!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pasta and Salad

I made my version of Chef Chole's Avocado Pesto Pasta two weeks ago. Chloe won a Food Network Cupcake Wars earlier this year. The judges RAVED about her cupcakes (and her competition was like, "What the hell? Vegan? How good could they be?) I've made vegan cupcakes and cakes, and they are truly better than traditional versions.

Chole's win piqued my curiosity about her food, so I gave her pasta a try.

As I was eating it, I kept saying, "This is good...No, this is really good...Man, this fantastic!" It became clear this was the best pasta I'd ever had. But when I ate it alone, it was good, not "The Best Pasta Ever." I realized it was the salad dressing plus the pasta that made it "The Best Pasta and Salad I Ever Ate." Make both of them together!

The creaminess of the pesto matched with the sharpness of apple cider vinegar in the salad dressing explode on the tongue. They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

You know how Cookie Monster says, "Cookies are a sometimes food!" This pasta and salad combo are a sometimes food. It has avocados, cashews, and oil. All of those are good fats, but they are fats nonetheless.

I got some GF linguine and went to town. Chloe's version (see below) has pine nuts. I am allergic to them (and they are expensive! $10.00 for 8 ounces of nuts??) so I went with cashews.

Althea's Version of Avocado Pesto Pasta
Pesto is (GF) and (RV)
Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine, get GF if you have allergies (for fully raw vegan, use carrots, zucchini, or butternut squash, or yellow squash)
• 1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• nutritional yeast, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, cashews, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add more salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and/or garlic as needed.
Toss pasta with pesto. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.

Body Ecology Diet Salad Dressing (RV) (GF)

• 2/3 cup organic unrefined oils(a combo of EVOO, flaxseed, or an flaxseed/evening primose blend)(I use EVOO only)
• 1/3 cup organic apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Place all ingredients in a container and shake vigorously or put in blender. Use on top of your favorite salad. Or, as you see in my photos, fresh tomatoes.

Put the pasta and salad on a plate or bowl together. Throw some fresh cilantro on top of your salad too, or extra basil. Oh, it's so good.

Chef Chole's version

http://www.chefchloe.com/

Avocado Pesto Pasta (V)

Pesto is (GF) and (RV)

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Toss pasta with pesto. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with cherry or sun-dried tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.

Love,
Althea

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The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pasta and Salad

Chocolate Ganache Pie

It's been so long since I shared a recipe. I figured it was time :-). I've made this Chocolate Ganache Pie from 30-Minute Vegan before. The pie was better than last time. This is cooked and vegan, and if you make the crust yourself, it can be gluten-free. If you buy a pre-made crust, then it won't be.

I know this can be made raw. A live crust is as simple as blending dates and almonds in a food processor. The filling is something I'm going to play with, and I have a solid idea. Until then, here's the original version.

Chocolate Ganache Pie (V)

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips (preferably grain-sweetened)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup 1 (12.3-ounce) package Mori-nu firm silken tofu
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
1 premade pie shell
PREPARATION
1. Melt the chocolate chips by heating them in a double boiler over medium heat until the consistency is smooth, lump-free, and creamy, stirring only once or twice.

2. Meanwhile puree the maple syrup, tofu, vanilla, and sea salt in a food processor until smooth. When the chocolate is thoroughly melted (about 20 minutes), add it to the food processor and blend well.

3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and chill until firm all the way through, about 1 hour.

NOTE: This dish will come out sweeter if you use the more common semisweet chocolate chips, which contain cane sugar. Sunspire sells a variety that we prefer, which is grain-sweetened, but either one will work—sweeten to your heart’s content.

Also, when melting chocolate in a double boiler (which can also be any glass or stainless-steel bowl set on top of a pot with 1 to 2 inches of boiling water in it), be absolutely sure that both the bowl and anything you use to stir the chocolate with are completely dry. A good way to make sure the melting pot or bowl is dry is to start heating it before you put the chips in; this will dry out any moisture. The slightest droplet of water will “seize” the chocolate, leaving it lumpy and devastatingly imperfect looking. But surely do not cry over broken chocolate; everyone still loves to lick it up and your lumpy little pie will still taste divine.

This is the tofu, maple syrup, and sea salt in the food processor. Get it smooth.

Put the chocolate chips in bowl over boiling water.

Stir until the chips melt. Raymond did this part for me. Kids love playing in the kitchen!

After pouring the chocolate in the food processor, blend with the other ingredients. This is what it will look like.

Pour into the shell and let sit at least an hour. Overnight is best. You'll have a pie that no one will believe is vegan.

Here's a gluten-free pie crust recipe:

Graham Cracker Crust (GF)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs or crushed cookies of choice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons vegan margarine

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use margarine to grease bottom and sides of a spring form or pie pan. Set aside.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted margarine together.

3. Press mixture into prepared pan.

4. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a rack before adding filling.

Love,

Althea

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Chocolate Ganache Pie